What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG)

by CJ Roberts

  She squirms and pushes her bottom against his erection until his length is eased between the cheeks of her butt. The only thing separating her flesh from his is the thin material of her skirt. Reaching back, she grasps him in her hand, her mind reeling at the feel of him, the strength, the heat, the long hardness. Looking over her shoulder into his eyes, she whispers, “I need you inside me, now.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He grins as he tugs the back of her skirt up. “Face forward.” His voice is breathless, urgent like her own.

  Beyond all sanity and desperate to have him where she needs him, she complies but loops an arm around his neck, pulling his head down so his beard-roughened cheek rests against her shoulder. The blunt head of his erection presses against her opening but doesn’t go farther. Unable to wait, she pushes back, but he grips her hips with his hands, holding her in place. When she grumbles, he lightly bites her neck, then soothes it with a swirl of his tongue.

  “Please,” she begs.

  She can’t see his triumphant grin but she can feel it as his lips curve against her sensitive skin. She is rewarded when he begins to stretch her, filling the emptiness in her body, in her heart.

  As the tempo of the music increases, Nic speeds up his strokes to match. Together they are dancing, pressed tightly, swaying to the beat of the music along with the crowd. One of Nic’s hands returns to a breast to tweak and tug at her nipple while the other slips under her skirt and one long finger finds her nub. With slow circular motions in time with his strokes, he brings her higher and higher. She writhes against him. Her arms thrash, her legs shake. As the music reaches its crescendo…

  A powerful orgasm roared through Lauren’s body, igniting every nerve ending in its path. Until finally, spent, shaking, her breath coming in rapid gasps, she descended from the peak.

  As a figment of her imagination, Nic The Lover was beyond compare. Would she ever find out if the real Nic could live up to the fantasy?

  She paced back and forth, her angry steps wearing a path in the carpet. If that crazy fan were within arm’s reach, she’d gladly strangle her. The nerve of that woman, attacking Nic. She’d actually knocked him to the ground!

  Poor Nic was so shaken up, she’d permitted him to take a small measure of comfort from the stupid blonde who’d accompanied him to the footprint ceremony. Since Nic didn’t like stupid blondes, she had no reason to be jealous. He’d taken the bimbo because she fit Nic The Lover’s image. A smile curved her lips. She understood the need for a good front. She wouldn’t need to punish him for that.

  Yet.

  As for the short, fat photographer, if he saw her in anything but a professional capacity, Nic’s punishment would be severe. She’d be watching. And she’d know. He’d learn how creative she could be.

  Soon, the money would be safely offshore and they would be the owners of a small island far, far away from everyone. She’d have him all to herself.

  Soon, she’d take him from Hollywood and he could finally drop his Nic The Lover act. He’d owe her for setting him free.

  Soon, he’d realize how much he needed her and how perfect things were with just the two of them. She’d be his and he’d be hers.

  Soon.

  Early the next morning, Nic stormed into Vivian’s office, completely ignoring Margo, who called out to him that Vivian was on the phone. He didn’t care. Vivian needed to explain the situation with Lauren.

  At the sound of his voice, Vivian looked up. After making a quick excuse to her caller, she hung up. “Darling, how lovely to see you. Please have a seat.”

  The warm greeting on her face faded when Nic remained standing. “I spoke with Lauren last night. You never called her to cancel the photo shoot when I left for Montréal.”

  With irritating precision, Vivian relaxed in her seat and crossed her legs. “As I recall, you told me Lauren would call me if she found a location, and that I should let her know you had an emergency. She didn’t call, so there was no reason for me to contact her. You were very agitated that night, maybe that’s why you don’t remember?”

  Was it possible? He had been frantic with worry about Rachel. “What about the voice mail she left you, and the proofs she sent for your approval? They were returned, unopened.”

  Vivian’s brow furrowed as she tapped a finger on her lip. “Maybe she called the wrong number? As for the proofs, Margo keeps a log of all sent and received mail. Let’s take a look.” She pressed the intercom button on her phone. “Margo, please bring in the correspondence log.”

  Nic sank into one of Vivian’s rather uncomfortable straight backed guest chairs. Seconds later, Margo arrived with the log book, handed it to Vivian and left.

  After scanning through a few pages, Vivian tapped a line with her nail. “Here it is. May 28, 11:00am, a FEDEX delivery from L. James. Did Lauren say when it was returned?”

  Nic shook his head.

  After flipping through a few more pages, she read, “May 31, 3:00pm FEDEX pickup. Envelope for L. James.”

  “So you received it and then sent it back, like Lauren said.”

  Vivian leaned back in her chair, swinging her foot. All of a sudden, she slapped her hands on the desk. “I bet I know what happened. Margo received the FEDEX, opened it and accidentally placed the envelope from Lauren in the outbox instead of the inbox.”

  Nic rested his elbows on his knees and scrubbed his cheeks. Could the answer be so simple?

  “I’m terribly sorry. Margo will be reprimanded, and I assure you such an incident will never occur again.”

  “It was an honest mix-up, Vivian. Don’t be too hard on her.”

  “Is Lauren very upset?”

  He nodded. “She thought I’d blown her off. I’ll need to convince her this was all a big mistake.”

  Vivian met his gaze and raised her eyebrows. “Convince her? Darling, I think she needs to apologize to you for overreacting. You can work with any photographer you want, yet you choose to work with her. She should be grateful.”

  “Nah, we’re the lucky ones.” He looked up and smiled. “It’s too bad you haven’t seen the proofs yet because then you’d understand. And this next shoot she has planned, it’ll be even better than the last one.”

  Vivian didn’t return his smile. “You seem very certain.”

  “She wants to do this part on location in a skating arena. It’s going to be fantastic.”

  “An arena, Nic? Do you think the magazines will want photos of Nic The Lover on ice?” She grimaced.

  Anger trailed a burning path up his neck. Lauren had pegged this perfectly. He didn’t give a shit if Vivian liked Lauren’s ideas. He loved them. Standing up, he placed his hands on the edge of the desk and leaned over until his nose almost touched hers. “Listen to me, Vivian. Whether you like it or not, I’m doing this photo shoot.”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” She smiled sweetly and held his cheeks in the palms of her hands. “Have Lauren send me the proofs again and I’ll review them. I only want the best for you, darling.”

  Nic pulled her hands away from his face and took a few steps back. “But sometimes, I’m the only one who knows what that is.”

  Lauren stared at the phone on the kitchen wall, willing it to ring. All day, she’d struggled against the urge to pick it up and dial Nic’s number instead of waiting for him to call. Only she couldn’t do that because he hadn’t exactly given her his number. He just hadn’t blocked his caller ID last night.

  She had to stop acting like a lovesick teenager. Grabbing the mailbox key, she headed outside, locking the door behind her. That’s when the phone rang.

  As she fumbled the key into the lock, Lauren wanted to scream. She dashed across the living room and snatched the phone off the hook. The rush of adrenaline made her sound breathless. Great. Nic probably thought he’d reached some singles hotline.

  “Bonjour, chérie. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “Not at all. I was folding laundry.” Lauren wanted to die. Di
d she have to sound so domestic?

  “I spoke with Vivian.” Nic explained how Vivian had misunderstood his instructions when he’d had to leave D.C. and how there’d been some confusion with the proofs. Vivian’s explanation stank of coincidences.

  “Why don’t you give me her number again? If I need to call her about the photos, we’ll be sure I have the right one.”

  Nic gave her the number and she checked it against Vivian’s contact entry in her phone. They matched. Vivian was lying. What a bitch. She’d let it go this time. But she wouldn’t be so forgiving if it happened again.

  “Now that everything’s been cleared up, let’s schedule the rest of the photo shoot. I want to do it as soon as possible.”

  Lauren barely managed to suppress a squeal. “Great. Let me check my schedule.” She forced her voice to sound casual as she flipped the pages of the calendar hanging on the inside of the pantry door. How was she going to fit in a trip to L.A.? “Between work and taking care of Jason, it’s hard for me to get away. Can you come to Seattle? If so, maybe we can do it this week?”

  “Not a problem.”

  Wow. He hadn’t even hesitated. “Don’t you have to check with Vivian?”

  “She can postpone anything she has planned. What’s a good day for you?”

  Lauren could hardly believe her ears. A tingle of excitement sizzled through her body and pooled low in her belly. “Can you make it out here Friday evening or Saturday morning?”

  “I’ll check the flights and let you know. Can you book some arena time Saturday afternoon or evening?”

  “I’ll get right on it.” Her hands started to tremble. Was this all too good to be true?

  “Let me give you my cell phone number in case you need to reach me.”

  Lauren leaned against the wall as her heart threatened to pound a hole through her chest. Nic The Lover wanted to give her his personal cell number. Not that she didn’t already have it, but now she’d actually be able to use it. She held the receiver away from her mouth and took a deep calming breath, then asked, “Don’t you want me to call Vivian and have her contact you?”

  “No. I’d like to avoid any more mix-ups where you’re concerned.” He gave her the number. “Call me, anytime.”

  Was she imagining the huskiness in his voice? She grinned and couldn’t help wondering what ringtone he’d assigned her contact entry. In her fantasies, he’d pick something like Savage Garden’s Truly Madly Deeply, but he’d probably chosen something more along the lines of Depeche Mode’s Photographic.

  “By the way, my son has a sleepover planned for the weekend so maybe you could, um, stay here instead of going to a hotel.” Lauren closed her eyes and sighed. So much for being professional; she sounded like she was propositioning him. “I mean… I have two bedrooms…” Even worse.

  Nic laughed. “Chérie, I accept your gracious offer.”

  She groaned. Everything she said to him seemed to have a double meaning. Maybe it was her subconscious, or rather not so subconscious, desires bubbling to the surface.

  After ending the call, Lauren stood staring out of her patio door with the phone clutched to her chest. Nic The Lover was coming here.

  She looked around the apartment. What would he think? Small and plain and surely nothing like his L.A. loft, the apartment was perfect for her and Jason. Nic could use her room since she was pretty sure he wouldn’t fit in Jason’s twin bed. The image of Nic lying in the small bed with his feet hanging off the end made her to smile.

  Although, she preferred to imagine him sprawled across her own bed, with his head on her favorite pillow, the sheets twisted around his hips. She laughed and fanned her face. That image was sure to fuel a few fantasies. This weekend could be the closest she’d ever get to having Nic The Lover in her bed for real.

  Too bad she wouldn’t be in it with him.

  6

  Lauren glanced at the kitchen wall clock for what must have been the hundredth time. Late last night, Nic had called. There’d been some problem with his flight and he was driving in from San Francisco.

  Knowing he was alone on the road, she’d tossed and turned, unable to sleep. By dawn, she’d already showered and dressed. Of course, she’d spent a little of that extra time on her hair and makeup. Why not? It wasn’t every day a girl had a movie star coming to her home.

  The table was set, the coffee was brewing, and everything was ready for the omelet she planned to make for breakfast. Back and forth, she paced the length of the living room. As she passed the patio door, she spotted a large black SUV pulling into a parking space in front of her apartment.

  Oh God, he was here. Her heart slammed in her chest, and she had to force herself to breathe. It wouldn’t do to answer the door panting like an excited puppy. Resisting the urge to rush out and meet him in the parking lot, she ripped off her apron and sat down. Knees bouncing, hands tapping, she waited. When the bell finally rang, she vaulted off the couch and threw open the front door.

  Lauren’s stomach did a slow roll as she took in the vision before her. Leaning against the jamb, duffle bag thrown over a muscled shoulder, baseball cap pulled low over sunglass-covered eyes, stood a grinning Nic. “Good morning, chérie. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

  Lauren blushed at the compliment. But as far as she was concerned, he was the one who was a sight for sore eyes. God the man was gorgeous. Too bad she didn’t have her camera on hand. The ladies would go crazy for a photo of Nic standing in a doorway, looking all sexy and triumphant. “Come in. I thought you’d never get here.”

  “I was beginning to think the same thing.” He leaned down to kiss her on both cheeks, and Lauren had to swallow a disappointed sigh. She shouldn’t want more from him. But she did.

  “Here, have a seat. Tell me about your trip.”

  “Ah, that feels great,” he said, flopping onto the couch and tugging her down next to him. “It was pretty crazy. Nothing worked out as I’d planned. I told Vivian I needed to be free by 1:30 yesterday, but I didn’t tell her why.”

  She felt a small thrill at his words. “You didn’t tell her you were coming here?”

  Nic shook his head. “And because she was ticked her off that I wouldn’t tell her my plans, she filled my schedule like I was going away for a month. I had a radio interview followed by guest appearances on two morning talk shows, an early lunch meeting with Vivian, and then a magazine interview.”

  “You must have been exhausted.”

  “But that’s when the fun started.” He paused and his lips curved on one side. “Lunch ran late and the interview was delayed. I rushed through it, then raced home to grab my bag. I waited fifteen minutes for the limo service before calling them, only to be told someone had cancelled my pickup request.”

  “Oh no!” Lauren wouldn’t have been surprised to learn Vivian was responsible. “Has this ever happened before?”

  “Never. They offered to send another car, but by then it was too late. I went to get my car. And one of the tires was flat.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “As a Stanley Cup playoff game.” Nic rubbed a hand along the nape of his neck and then rested his arm on the back of the couch. “I tried to catch a cab. Only, my street was blocked off because of an accident. I ran the mile to Gordon street and finally managed to hail a cab.”

  “But you still missed your flight.”

  He nodded. “I rebooked with a stop in San Francisco, but I should have taken the later direct flight to Seattle. My connecting flight was cancelled because of some mechanical problem and no other planes were available.”

  “This sounds like one of your action movies. I’m amazed you didn’t turn around and go back home. It’s almost like someone was trying to tell you something.”

  Playfully, he tugged at one of her curls. “Maybe, but the only thing I wanted to hear was you saying hello as you opened your front door.”

  When his flirting made her blush, he grinned and brushed his knuckles against her warm cheeks. He�
��d gone through hell to come to Seattle, to her home, to work with her on a photo shoot. It had to mean something to him.

  As if confirming her thoughts, he added, “But, I’m here now and very excited about the photo shoot.” He toed his duffle bag. “Where should I put this?”

  She led him into the master bedroom. “You can leave your things here.”

  He dropped the bag on the floor and laid his jacket, cap, and sunglasses on the freshly made bed. “I’m putting you out of your room.”

  “It’s no problem, really. Besides, Jason’s bed is too short for you.”

  “Maybe you’ll join me?” When she blushed again, he grinned and started laughing.

  “Mom? Who’s here?” Jason called out in a sleepy voice.

  “Or maybe not,” Nic whispered, grinning even more.

  “One minute, honey,” she said, then turned to Nic. “I hope you don’t mind. Jason’s sleepover was cancelled.”

  “Hey, no worries. This is your son’s home and he shouldn’t have to leave because I’m here.”

  By the seriousness of his expression, he meant every word. A movie star and he didn’t expect special treatment? Nic The Lover was definitely in the running for the World’s Most Perfect Man. “I didn’t tell him you were coming. Want to walk out first and surprise him?”

  If the mischievous glint in his eyes was anything to go by, Nic must have loved pulling pranks as a child.

  “Give me a minute to get my video camera.” She reached for a case on her closet shelf and pulled out a small camcorder. After turning it on and fiddling with a few settings, she shot him a smile. “All set.”

  Nic put his finger to his lips and tiptoed through the door, hugging the wall. He paused, tilting his head as if listening to the television. Then he walked into the living room. “Hey Jason, buddy. How did you know SpongeBob Square Pants was my favorite show?”