CHAPTER TWO
He hadn’t told her his name. It was the one thing about the whole debacle which Brody regretted the most. Even after spending two hours trying to convince the security service guys to leave – well, twenty minutes of explaining and the rest answering questions about his movie star career and signing their personal effects – he still hadn’t been able to shake the gut-wrenching mistake. A few days had passed and he’d only managed a glimpse of her. He’d expected the feeling to ebb away, yet it haunted him.
She’d even given him an opening by telling him hers – Willa Stone. The name sounded so familiar, but Brody was betting that could’ve had something to do with the fact that it was beautiful, just like her.
He’d been a goner as soon as he’d seen her face, those big amber eyes framed with long dark lashes, her peaches and cream skin, the neat little nose and those lush lips which seemed to curve ever so slightly at the sides as though she was permanently smiling or laughing at some cheeky insider joke. Her long golden hair was streaked with caramel and had curled sneakily from beneath the dark purple of her hooded sweater, which revealed just enough of her shape to suggest that her body was a sexy wonderland. She appeared to have full, feminine curves in all the right places, long, slender limbs – and, oh dear God, her ass, the perfect roundness in her snug, black tights had made his groin ache and his fingers itch. He longed to touch her, to hold her, all of her. There was something about Willa Stone which was almost irresistible, something Brody hadn’t experienced before and something he wanted to get to the bottom of – literally.
“So, can I put you down for nine tomorrow morning?” Carmody Hewitt didn’t glance up from her smartphone as she asked him for clarification. “Tim’s rather prompt, so I’d be ready to go a little earlier.”
Brody shook away his thoughts of Willa, then hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his blue jeans and moved from the picture window back toward the sleek, white marble island in the kitchen.
“Sorry. What?”
He’d gathered the gist of what had been said, but didn’t want to commit to something without hearing all the details clearly. It was something he’d learned from his agent and a total must when it came to contracts.
From where she casually leaned her slim hip against the countertop, Carmody glanced up at him, offering him a compassionate smile. She looked as flawless as she had when he’d met her the night before, in her designer dress and matching heels, with her makeup precise and her immaculate bob of dark hair.
Kevin, Brody’s agent, had arranged for Brody to have a reliable personal assistant on hand to organize all of his necessities: grocery deliveries, personal trainer appointments, PR prerequisites and the like. But Brody had expected a Kevin-clone, as his agent and long-time friend was often very particular about who he let organize the lives of his A-list stars. Then Carmody – or Carm as she’d instructed him to call her – had arrived and he’d been surprised, before realizing that just because she didn’t have Kevin’s Tom Ford suit and salt and pepper hair, it didn’t mean she wasn’t like him in many other respects.
“Brody.” She purred, letting her tongue roll over his name, as she rounded the kitchen island toward him. “Kevin told me how hard you’ve been working, trying to immerse yourself into this new character. If it’s too much to start your new personal training program tomorrow, I can organize for Tim to come over on Sunday?”
Brody shook his head. “No, tomorrow’s fine. I’m just a bit distracted this morning.”
He raised a hand and ran his fingers through his hair.
A strange feeling built in his gut. It had been niggling there since Monday night. Something between nerves of excitement and a heavy weight of fear. Initially, he’d put it down to the worry regarding his new role but as time had progressed, he’d started to think it had something more to do with Willa and the opportunity he’d missed.
Carmody took a step closer to him then reached out to cup his cheek. The physical touch surprised Brody and he flinched slightly, before accepting the reassuring gesture.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, honey. You don’t want to burn out before the next blockbuster.” She dropped her manicured hand from his face and then patted him on the chest. “If you need a break, you just let me know. I can wipe your schedule clean like that.” She clicked her elegant fingers.
He forced a smile. “Thanks, Carm, but I think I’m good for the moment.”
A perfect brown eyebrow arched in response and then she grinned at him, all wide and pearly white. “Great. Then nine a.m. tomorrow it is.”
Carmody’s attention returned to her smartphone as she stepped around him and walked out of the kitchen toward the corridor. Brody followed her toward the mansion’s front door.
“You’re in a great neighborhood,” Carmody commented over her shoulder, “and in good company. You’ve got a famous director as a neighbor. Old school, but brilliant. I can try to contact him if you’d like introductions?”
Brody felt like sighing. A few years ago, he would have jumped at the opportunity. He’d been riding the rollercoaster of fame back then and had taken advantage of every meet and greet presented to him, but now he needed to focus on this new role. Offers often flowed in to his agent, so there was no longer any need to put the same exhausting energy into networking.
“I appreciate the thought,” Brody explained, “but I’ll have to take a raincheck.”
Carmody shrugged and glanced back at him. “Let me know if you change your mind. It’s a great opportunity.”
As the carpet of the corridor turned to the white tiles of the front entry, Carmody finally lowered her phone and looked up at Brody, her wide grin fixing back in place.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Your grocery delivery has been set for Mondays, weekly from now on, but we can add additional deliveries if necessary. I’ll have some more papers for you to sign before the end of the week and further information regarding that magazine spread Esquire wants to do. You’ve got Tim tomorrow at nine, then on Sunday at four. I’ve put it in your calendar, but I’ll be in touch as often as possible.”
When she finally took a breath, Brody nodded. Then she opened the front door and stepped outside into the gated courtyard beyond. Still barefooted, Brody followed her onto the paved driveway, watching as her grin never faltered. He couldn’t tell if her constant state of glee was sincere, just put on for the sake of professionalism, or as phony as hell. Kevin was often the same but Brody had seen behind the mask enough to know when it was a real smile or not. He didn’t know Carmody Hewitt well enough yet and wasn’t sure he really wanted to.
Just as Brody was starting to feel relief in knowing that Carmody would be leaving him in peace very soon, she turned to face him again. Her pristine smile plastered in place.
“Remember the maid service comes on Tuesdays at ten, so don’t stress yourself over the washing up,” she told him before stepping a little closer. “And if you ever want company or need help relaxing, just give me a call. I’ve been told I’m very useful to have around.”
It was not difficult to miss her suggestion. Just the way she’d drawn out certain words had been enough for Brody to wonder whether Kevin had known about this added ‘benefit’ when he’d hired her. He’d nagged Brody about getting some action, concerned his career goals were putting love, or at least sex, on the backburner. Kevin had made a point to remind him he was a big-shot-movie-star now and could get just about any woman he wanted, maybe even more than one at once, but Brody just hadn’t been interested. He’d had a few on-set romances with his single leading ladies over the years, but they’d never gone anywhere and he’d become convinced women seemed to like him for the characters he played, rather than for who he really was. That had turned him off dating co-stars and as for women of another variety, he didn’t often meet them or didn’t like them much when he did.
Seemingly pleased with the reaction Brody had given her, Carmody winked at him and then headed toward the black Jaguar convertible parked on the drive before them.
“Guess I’ll be seeing you again soon,” she called out over her shoulder as she waved one graceful hand.
Out of habit and ingrained politeness, Brody answered Carmody’s wave with one of his own. Once in the car, she slipped on her sunglasses, offered him another bold grin, and then drove the convertible slowly toward the grand, eight-foot tall entry gate which shielded them from the outside world. As the huge wooden gates coasted open, Brody noticed a familiar face jogging down the street and moved closer to the end of the driveway.
With her golden hair in a high ponytail, which swayed sexily with each step, her kissable skin glistening and her alluring curves encased in brightly colored Lycra, Willa looked as though she’d just jumped off the cover of a women’s fitness magazine. As she saw him, her face brightened and she smiled with obvious delight.
“Hi there, neighbor,” she called out to him, capturing Carmody’s attention as she drove past her and out onto the road.
Even though the Jaguar didn’t stop, Brody took note of Carmody’s look of distaste before she sped away.
“Morning.” He smiled his biggest grin at Willa.
Willa ran the last few steps onto his driveway and then slowed her pace to a walk. “Guess the maid service has come and gone.” She offered him a smirk as she tilted her head in the direction of the convertible.
Brody chuckled and then opened his mouth to correct her, but she quickly cut him off.
“Sorry. Girlfriend.” She propped her hands on her hips. “I should’ve realized. It makes sense a guy like you would be taken.”
Intrigued, his gaze narrowed on hers. “A guy like me? What does that mean?”
“You know,” she began to explain matter-of-factly with a nod in his direction, “a guy who cleans his own pool and uses the same pool-cleaning gizmo to protect the neighborhood.”
“Oh, that kind of guy.” He laughed. “You make me sound a B-squad superhero.”
She raised her blonde eyebrows as though agreeing with his suggestion and then shrugged. “If the B-squad superhero costume fits…”
Brody laughed again, before offering her a more serious expression. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
As the huge entry gates closed, Brody and Willa moved instinctually out of the way, walking further down the driveway toward Brody’s mansion.
Willa’s amber gaze never left his. “Fiancé? Wife? Polyamorous partner?”
Laughing with surprise, Brody shook his head. “No, none of those.”
Willa eyed him cautiously and then seemed to accept his answer. “These days you can never be too careful.” As she shrugged again, the contagious smile he was so fond of returned. “So, Mr. B-squad superhero, are you going to tell me your name? Or, at the very least, your alter ego?”
Very pleased to be able to have a second chance at an introduction with a woman who was quickly becoming the woman of his dreams, Brody couldn’t help but play along. Humorously, he narrowed his gaze and leaned closer to her. “Promise you won’t tell the reporters at the Daily Planet?”
She raised a hand and held up three fingers. “Girl Scout’s honor.”
“Well, then,” Brody said, holding out a hand in greeting, “the name’s Brody Nash.”
As she slipped a soft hand into his, a jolt of electricity shot up his arm, igniting a further spark of desire in his groin and his heart.
“Now, that’s a name I’ve definitely seen on the big screen,” she told him with a knowing smile. “I should’ve guessed. Movie star is written all over those fabulous features.”
He felt his eyes widen at the compliment. “You think I’m fabulous?”
Willa pulled her hand free from his. Brody felt the loss of their physical connection. She narrowed her beautiful amber eyes and her full lips curled in a mischievous smile.
“Geez, what is it with you actors and the need to have society’s constant validation? Just look in a mirror once and a while, why don’t you?”
He smirked. “I hope you know I’m taking all your trash talk as a compliment.”
She rolled her eyes, her expression vibrant. “Fine. I guess you have to feed the ego.”
He laughed and felt the unsettling feeling in his gut again. Was it fear? Excitement? Nervous butterflies?
“What are you doing right now?” The words just burst out of him.
She tilted her head and raised a blonde eyebrow. “Talking to you.”
Brody laughed again. “No. After this. Do you have plans?”
Her grin widened. “Why Captain Famous – that’s your new superhero name by the way – are you asking me to spend time with you?”
With a chuckle, he nodded. “If you’re not too busy.”
Willa stepped closer to him, leaving barely a foot of space between them and then glanced around cautiously before frowning. “Careful,” she whispered, “You don’t want people to think you’re dating criminals now.”
Brody forced his expression to become serious as he leaned closer to her, their lips almost touching. “Who said anything about dating?”
Willa smirked. “Touché.”
As she lingered close, her gaze drifted down to his lips and back to his eyes. Brody struggled against his own temptations. She was so close, with just the slightest movement he could be kissing her. His whole body ached for it. He clenched his fists against the desire to reach out to her. He tried to suck in a steadying breath, but inhaled her warm, sweet scent – jasmine and a honeyed muskiness.
Even as Brody tried to fight it, lust shook through him and his willpower weakened. Willa gave him a small smile which seemed tinged with disappointment and then she retreated, giving him space he desperately didn’t want. With a little shake of her head, she opened her mouth to speak.
Brody couldn’t control himself any longer. Slipping an arm around her bare waist, he pulled her against him and claimed her open mouth with his own. It wasn’t the gentle kiss he’d planned to start with. It was hot, wet and passionate. It was dancing tongues, deep probing and breathlessness. It was all consuming, utterly devouring as though he was trying to suck her essence, her very soul inside him.
As he’d pressed her to him, her firm curves meeting the hard line of his body, she’d made a squeak in surprise, but then relaxed into the embrace, small moans emanating from her throat as their kiss deepened. She tasted so sweet, he couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t stop. One hand cupped her face, holding her to him, while the other at her waist slipped lower, over the smooth spandex of her exercise tights to grasp the lusciousness of her ass. Willa made an audible gasp against his mouth at his sudden possession of her backside. She melted further against him, her hands moving from his chest, to slip languidly around his neck. Brody groaned at her touch. He wanted more, wanted her naked underneath him as he thrust into her. He ate at her mouth, nibbling her lips, his tongue caressing hers.
Brody’s hand dropped from her face to her collarbone, and grazed over her plump breast before pausing on the soft skin just beneath the Lycra of her black and magenta crop top. As his fingers moved to sneak under the snug elasticized fabric, Willa stiffened slightly and freed herself from his kiss.
“Hold it there, love-thy-neighbor,” she panted. “It’s not that I wouldn’t love for this to continue, but why don’t we try it again later when I’m not all stinky and disgusting and doing my best impression of a sweaty rainbow?”
Her hand slipped from his neck to gesture at her sexy figure wrapped tightly in brightly colored spandex.
Brody’s chuckle sounded more like a growl. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You look—” he gazed over her and groaned. “You smell incredible.”
He bent his head to kiss her again, but Willa pulled back at the last minute and giggled.
“At least, let me take a shower,” she told him.
Brody smirked mischievously. “I have a shower.”
Willa’s stunning amber eyes widened and then she bit her lower lip as though she was actually considering his suggestion. It sent an ache of desire through him, his groin throbbing as he hoped for the possibility. She gazed down at his mouth and then back up into his eyes, before touching her lips softly, but briefly to his. Brody tried to catch her, lock her into another ardent kiss, but she was too quick for him. He tightened his grip on the soft skin of her side and clutched at the fullness of her ass, fearful she might pull away further. The strange feeling in his gut started again, churning and filling him with uneasiness.
“I don’t want you to think I’m not easy,” she flirted, her free hand returning to his chest to draw circles over the cotton of his shirt, making his skin buzz with sensitivity, “because, for the right person, I definitely am. But—” Willa gnawed at her lower lip again. “The world might know this Brody Nash character, famous movie star and friendly neighborhood superhero, but I don’t and I’d like to—before we share showers.”
Brody bit back a laugh. Even though Willa had made light of the situation, showing the funny side of it all, she’d said enough to have his heartstrings straining. The fact she wanted to get to know the real Brody Nash – not the one plastered on the covers of magazines, acting in movies or being interviewed on talk shows – had the unusual fluttering in his stomach building. It felt like an exhilaration that somebody actually cared enough to want to know more about him. But it also felt like terror which made him fearful of losing her.
Willa was something special, he was sure of it and he couldn’t bear the thought of not having the vibrant spark of her in his life. Brody had never felt this way before. He liked the way she made him feel, the way she felt in his arms and he couldn’t seem to get enough of her witty, vivacious personality. His agent, Kevin, had been right. Brody had been putting love on the backburner and, now that he’d found what he’d been looking for, he was going to hold on tight and fight to keep it.
Brody leaned forward, snuck a quick kiss from her and then smiled. “So, there’s hope for shared showers in the future?”
With a giggle, Willa grinned. “Of course. When it comes to you and me, I think shared showers may become a necessity.”
Brody laughed and touched his nose affectionately to hers. Their eyes met as her finger, swirled up from his chest toward his neck. Brody fought off a shiver of longing as her fingertip met his skin.
“Still keen to spend time with me sans nudity, at least for today?” She teased.
Her finger drew a tingling line along his throat and up to his jaw, where she cupped his face with her palm.
As he fought the urge to devour her mouth with his all over again, Brody offered her a nod. “I’d like to know Willa Stone better, too.”
Her sexy grin broadened and she laid a gentle kiss on his chin.
“Who knows,” he exhaled, his breath a little shaky as he tried to reign in his control, “maybe, by tonight, we’ll know each other well enough that nudity will be back on the table?”
Willa just laughed.