by Summers, Jo
Andi crossed her arms and gave him a look that she hoped appropriately depicted how crazy she thought his idea. “I hate shopping for underwear by myself,” she said, loud enough to earn a few glances from passersby. She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “So there’s no way on earth I’m going in there with”—she eyed him up and down—”with someone like you.”
“Oh for shit’s sake, Andi. It’s not like you’ve got anything to hide. I’ve seen you stark naked.” He waved a hand up and down her body. “I know what’s under those clothes.”
She fiddled with the strap of her tote bag. “That’s exactly why I don’t want to go lingerie shopping with you.” She could accept that he’d seen her body in all its natural…imperfect glory, but she couldn’t let him see her in those beautiful pieces of fabric, trying to be something she was not. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand how uncomfortable she really was.
As if to acknowledge and soothe her distress, he took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing each one of her knuckles one at a time, in front of at least twenty strangers passing on the sidewalk, a few of whom slowed to stare. The gesture was so simple, and yet so intimate, that Andi felt more exposed than she had last night when she’d been completely bare in front of him. All she could do was stand, frozen, as he lowered her hand from his mouth. It seemed like several minutes passed before he opened his lips to speak.
“It’s not complicated,” he said, still holding her hand. “Just think of it like this. Actors wear costumes, right?”
She didn’t answer and exasperation crossed his face.
“Andi. They wear costumes, do they not?”
“Yes,” she said, her words raspy, still unrecovered from his gesture. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes. They wear costumes. But I’m not an—”
“Andi,” he interrupted, chuckling softly. “Let me finish, will you?”
She nodded, swallowing.
“When I put on that Viking costume—as ridiculous as that damn thing is—it changes something when I wear it. I’m not just Colin in bloody Viking garb, no. I become Bjorn. The clothes help me get into Character; they allow me to be someone else for a while. When you put on sexy lingerie, you’ll become the Andi McKenna I’ve seen hints of in there—the confident, sexy, deliciously curvy, lush young woman who just wants to have a little fun before she heads back home to write her next steamy bestseller.”
“I see where this is going, and I don’t like it at all,” Andi said, her heart racing at the thought of him buying lacy bras and nighties for her. Even as her pulse beat rapidly, though, the idea was…well, to tell the surprising truth…she wondered what it would be like to try them on for him. To have him admire her in such beautiful things. She did want to be someone different for a change, or at least herself but with the confidence he seemed to believe she could have. And the way he’d described her just now was flattering, to say the least.
Colin rolled his eyes. “For a writer, you’re not very adventurous, are you?”
The bastard was dead-on right. No way was she going to let him know that. “I am adventurous!” She didn’t sound at all convincing, even to her own ears.
Colin just blinked at her.
“I can be,” she said, weakly.
“Uh-huh,” he said, eyeing her with suspicion. “I saw just how adventurous you were last night.”
Ouch.
Colin’s eyes widened, and Andi could tell that he knew he’d hit a soft spot. How could he read her so easily? How could he see straight through her walls to the raw, defenseless parts of her?
“Look, I’ve spent a fair amount of time around women, and if I had to guess, I’d say that some jerk hurt you, and even though you want to know what it’s like to be with me, something’s holding you back. Am I close?”
No way would she admit that he was right, and she hated that he’d lumped her in with all the other women he’d been with. Though, why should she care? This wasn’t going anywhere permanent—she knew that—so what did it matter if he thought of her the same way as all the rest?
He didn’t wait for her to say anything. The answer hovered thick in the space between them. Andi shivered in the spring air, despite her sweater.
“So. Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to follow me into that store. You’re going to pick out some things you like, which you’ll then try on for me. When you’ve chosen a sufficient amount of lingerie that makes you feel as sexy as I know you are, I’ll purchase the lot. Is that clear?”
Every muscle and bone in her body wanted to argue, but instead, Andi found herself agreeing to Colin’s ridiculous plan. Instead of intimidating her, as she would expect of such a suggestion, a rush of adrenaline shot through her veins.
Really, what did she have to lose?
Chapter Eight
Colin couldn’t wait to get Andi into the boutique. He practically had to drag her inside the doors, but the thought of seeing her curves in the most miniscule pieces of lacy fabric available had his body screaming for release; it would take every ounce of his restraint not to take her before the time was right. She needed a little gentler handling than the women he was accustomed to, which, oddly, didn’t bother him at all. But Andi McKenna was occupying far too much room in his mind. He’d struggled that afternoon to remember his lines, even to redo the short, last snippets of scenes leading up to the filming wrap at the end of the week. Colin never had trouble remembering his lines, and he had only one strange girl—an enthralling and maddening mix of stubborn and vulnerable, light and dark, annoying and mind-numbingly arousing—to blame.
There was only one way to fix this problem. He needed Andi to erase all traces of Nicole, to mark the beginning of his new singlehood. A week with the sexy little brunette, and his ex would be nothing more than a distant memory.
He recalled the afternoon when, after a month of straight filming with no breaks to fly back to London to see Nicole, he’d headed home with a carefully selected bouquet of her favorite flowers, an incredible scarf he’d picked up in Milan—and his heart—in his hands. He’d been insanely in love with her at the time, had been ready to give Nicole everything—all the things he’d not imagined he’d wanted until he’d met Nicole.
She’d played the male lead’s love interest in one of Colin’s first movies, and they’d been young and outrageously attracted to one another from the second they met, and Colin had truly believed that he’d spend the rest of his life with the woman. He could still remember the way his blood had boiled when he’d opened the door of the studio flat they’d shared to find Nicole and Erik together on his living room couch. When they’d finally detached mouths from skin, he’d stopped just short of punching Erik in the face, knowing, in that moment that just one blow to his best friend’s face could set him on fire, and there was a very high chance that Erik wouldn’t survive.
So he’d done the only thing he could.
He’d turned and walked away, and out of Nicole’s life.
He’d left everything he owned, only stopping to withdraw enough cash to live on for a few weeks before catching the next flight to Los Angeles. The rest was a history that he preferred not to dwell on.
For now, there was only the promise of time with Andi. The fact that he’d been unable to give her pleasure the evening before, even though it was her own doing, drove him crazy. She was getting under his skin, which was completely irrational and unacceptable, and he wouldn’t stop until he got her out, whatever it took. Once they’d given the camera-toting bastards something else besides his ex to talk about, they could part ways without any hard feelings.
And whatever happened after that was not something on which he cared to waste a single thought. He’d seen firsthand the wreckage that resulted when a man tried to plan a future with a woman he thought he loved, and there wasn’t going to be any more planning for him. Fool me once, and all that rubbish.
Now, he lived only in the moment, careful to stay detached and therefore free of pain, a
nd in this particular moment, there was Andi standing in the center of the boutique, her large blue eyes gaping at the fine, tiny pieces of fabric surrounding them.
“Wait here,” he instructed, and Andi nodded without looking at him.
A saleswoman approached and Colin waved for her to meet him at the cashier desk instead, where he joined her a moment later.
“Mr. Walker…can I just say I’m a big fan,” the woman said softly, placing a hand on her chest.
Colin loved people like her who treated him like a human being and simply complimented his work, rather than making a scene as if he were some kind of god. He was always happy to sign autographs or take time to answer questions from this kind of fan; they were the people he made movies for, the ones who kept him going at times when the sordid side of his chosen career took its toll.
“Thank you, Ms. Stephens,” he said, reading her name badge while he extended a hand.
She shook it firmly and then folded her hands on top of the counter. “Now. What can I do for you?”
He smiled. “I’ve got a very large favor to ask of you today, but I assure you, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Go on,” she said, eyebrows raised. “And please, call me Rachel.”
“Rachel, then” he said quietly, turning to point at Andi, who, despite her tantrum at setting foot in the place, was openly ogling the merchandise. “See that pretty girl over there?”
The middle-aged woman nodded.
“Well, she’s in very dire need of exactly what you sell, and if you’ll agree to help her, I’ll compensate you generously. However, she’s a bit shy, and I’d prefer to let her shop without any audience I might draw. You understand.” Colin flashed his best magazine-cover smile to seal the deal. Being after dinnertime with many swanky cafés to choose from nearby, the store was already empty except for him and Andi.
Without a word, Rachel pulled a set of keys from behind the desk and winked at Colin, then headed to the front door where she turned around the Open sign, locking the latch.
Andi caught on and rushed toward him.
“What are you doing?” she whispered loudly.
“Locking you in so you can’t escape of course, darling.”
Andi crossed her arms over her chest. “Really, what have you got up that sleeve of yours?”
“That’s for me to know and you…not to.”
“I’m serious.”
“Alright,” Colin said as he held out an arm and swept it across the store. “The place is all yours, love.”
“But—”
He held a finger over her lips. “You have one task to accomplish this afternoon. We’re not leaving here until you’ve got something naughty for me to rip off of you at a later time. Is that clear?”
Andi quickly raised a hand to her mouth to hide her thinly veiled excitement, but not before he caught it. She narrowed her eyes. “Crystal clear,” she said, “but just one thing. I get to pick, right? Whatever I want?”
Colin held a fist under his chin and gazed up at the ceiling as if pondering her questions. “I’ll allow that, on the condition that whatever you choose passes my approval.”
Andi’s eyes widened into blue saucers. “You mean…you want me to try stuff on…in front of you?”
“Bloody hell, Andi. Are you still going on with that? I’ve seen every square inch of you already. Naked as the day you were born. What difference does it make if you model for me?”
She looked down at her feet, and he resisted the urge to force her to look back up at him. Someone had really bruised her emotionally. He shouldn’t care who or why or how, but that didn’t stop the fact that he did. More than anything.
“It’s just that I’ve never really been the type to wear any of this stuff. It’s not really made for someone with my body type.”
“Enough. Your body is beautiful. Very Marilyn Monroe. There’s a pin-up girl under that ridiculously oversized sweater. I’ve seen it.” Colin wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
There. He’d earned a grin from her. Mission accomplished. He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans and leaned back on his heels, pleased with himself.
“You need to stop overthinking everything and just accept the fact that you’re sexy as hell. Any guy would be lucky to spend a night with you, and it just so happens that tonight, that guy is me. So stop talking, get out of those clothes, and try on some bloody lingerie.”
Andi stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hard, and he nearly lost it. He’d held her in his arms without a stitch of clothing on her body and had kissed her a few times now, each driving him closer and closer to the edge of his craving, and yet, having her hug him like that made him feel like his inner fabric was unraveling at a pace he couldn’t hope to stop.
He peeled her arms off of him and stepped back, relief flooding him the second he was out of her grasp. He vowed not to let anything like that happen again.
Sex, yes. Whatever had just passed between them…no. Not a chance. That stuff was dangerous.
He could see a hint of hurt, but Andi shook it off and turned away to head toward Rachel, who was working on the computer at the cashier’s desk. As he pretended to browse, he could hear them discussing Andi’s measurements and what things she might like to try on first. Rachel had a pad open on the counter, taking notes. His heart slowed back to a normal pace as he surveyed the towering walls of thin, lacy pieces behind the two women.
Andi looked up from the notebook and waved at Colin, the wide smile on her face tugging at his heart. He waved back, a lead weight settling in his stomach.
Despite his efforts not to allow it, his mind wouldn’t let go of what had happened a moment ago in Andi’s arms. He didn’t want to think about the dam that had busted inside, pouring a flood of deep, unwelcome tenderness throughout his body. Didn’t want to think about the fact that he was headed quickly, recklessly near something he swore he’d never again permit.
“Come on out, love. I won’t bite. Or then again, maybe I will, depending on what’s gone on in there,” Colin said on the other side of the dressing room door.
Andi giggled in spite of herself, feeling a bit like a princess. She’d died and gone to lingerie heaven. The ritzy dressing room was bigger than her first apartment in Dallas. It was deliciously gaudy with wall-to-wall mirrors, a pink glass chandelier, and a long lounge chair decorated with magenta plush pillows, now covered in her sweater and jeans.
Andi took a deep breath. This was the kind of adventure she needed—wanted. Women all over the world would do crazy things to be in her position.
She’d never been much into wearing lingerie before. Jared hadn’t been the most romantic lover, preferring a quick “roll in the hay” as he’d so eloquently referred to their lovemaking, and every time she’d tried to add any spice, he’d dismissed it as unnecessary. He’d been the opposite of all the heroes she’d written about since clawing her way out from under his thumb.
The man she was about to dress for was different, so adventurous and thrilling, and so…surprisingly tender. She doubted he would appreciate the sentiment if she said it out loud, but the fact remained that Colin Walker had a heart behind that arrogant exterior the media had assigned him. Too bad he didn’t seem to want to share it with anyone—Andi included.
Andi especially. He’d made that clear, and she respected his honest transparency, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more…whatever that might mean.
Nonetheless, the anticipation of being in Colin’s capable hands again sent a rush up her spine. Without thinking any further, she sucked in her stomach and held her breath and shoved open the door.
His reaction was not at all what she had in mind.
“What?” she asked, as her hands flew to her hips.
Colin’s lips formed a thin line as he tried, and failed, to stifle a grin, but not the kind of grin she’d been hoping for.
“What? What’s wrong with this?” She motioned to the white underwear and bra with blue
flowers she’d chosen to try on first.
“Nothing. Nothing. It’s very… sweet,” he said, shaking his head.
She pulled back and punched him hard in the arm.
“Hey, what’s that for?”
She scowled.
“Oh, come on now, Andi. You’re not serious, are you?”
She studied her choice once more. “Okay, so maybe it’s a little conservative, but—”
“Conservative?” he blurted. “That looks like something my granny would wear and now I’ve had an image I won’t easily forget and…god…just…take it off before I call off any chance of sex.”
“Damn you, Colin Walker,” she shouted, much too loudly, as she lunged toward him, pummeling him softly with her fists. At almost the exact same second, they both burst out laughing. Andi’s stomach ached and tears brimmed in her eyes until suddenly, his laughter stopped and he caught her hands in his and held them, drawing her in close. “You’d better lower your voice before you get us both into very big trouble,” he whispered, his mouth distractingly close to her ear.
The feel of his breath on her temple sent a buzz from her neck to her pelvis. Riding on its wave, she said the first words that came to mind, before her brain had a chance to sensor them. “Maybe I want a little trouble.”
He took her wrists and pulled her even closer, until she had to look up from his chest to see his face. His eyes were dark, with a chilled intensity. “Are you ready for that?”
She stared up at him and his eyes bore into her, as though he could see straight through her to the wall on the other side. Why couldn’t she also see through him? That shield of his was far thicker than she’d first thought, and it would be impossible to break through. It would be stupid to even try.
“Yes,” she stammered, and then raised her chin to try again, steadier this time. “Yes. I’m ready.”
“Are you quite certain?” he asked, his gaze still locked on her, freezing her in place. “Because I want you to know that I am. And I’m not going to let you go as easily this go round if you resist me again. That’s a form of torture I’m not inclined to endure a second time.”