Stand-In Star (20 page)
She rubbed her lips together and wrung the tea-towel she held in her hands, before adding, “I need more Nate. I need to know how you
feel
. The photos I get, but what’s with the job applications?”
“I wanted you to know how serious I was.”
She frowned. “Serious about what?”
“About this.” He gestured frantically between them. “About us.”
Her eyes widened, her incredibly long-lashes fluttering shadows across her cheeks. “Us?”
“Yes. Us.” He loved the sound of that word on his tongue, but he’d had longer than Holly to get used to it. “But if you don’t want to move to L.A., that’s fine. I can start a new branch of my business in Sydney.”
She screwed up her face and stared at him.
He dug his hands in his pockets, finding it near impossible not to annihilate the tiny space left between them and hold her, but the vibes radiating off her told him such actions may not be appreciated. He still had groveling to do.
“Have I missed something?” she asked.
Nate’s heart pounded in his chest. He’d thought sending the applications ahead of him would be a nice touch, a bit romantic, but he could tell he was simply making a mess of the most important confession of his life.
Grovel, Nate, grovel
. He’d never needed or wanted to grovel to anyone in his life, but Holly wasn’t just anyone. She was the most important person in his world.
“Can we sit?” he asked, nodding toward the kitchen table.
She pursed her lips, then slipped past him and the table, presumably to head back into the living room. He followed and she sat down on a tiny armchair, avoiding the couch and the possibility of sitting next to him. Trying to summon patience he’d never had, he took the chair opposite.
“When you left, I felt lost. Saying goodbye to a woman had never hurt as bad as saying goodbye to you.” He took a deep breath. This sort of emotional stuff had never been easy for him. “I messed up that day’s client big time. I went home and for the first time ever, I didn’t feel happy to be there. Something was missing, not only from my house, but also from my life. I came to the scary conclusion that it was you, that you were never the quick fling I wanted you to be.”
He paused, desperate to read her thoughts but her eyes gave nothing away. Her arms weren’t crossed but there was still an invisible barrier between them. His heart sank. His pulse thundered. This wasn’t going well at all. “I need you to—”
She cut him off. “Why did you only ever want a fling? Is it because of your father?” She met his gaze, the tension in her eyes appearing to soften.
He swallowed, wanting to be completely open with her. Wanting that intimacy that was about so much more than sex. “Yes.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I never thought I was good enough for you. I could offer you financial security but you’re smart and independent and more than capable of doing that for yourself. I didn’t know if I could give you more.”
“I only ever wanted you, Nate.”
“I know. But the only example of a relationship I ever had was Mom and Dad’s, and you know how awful that was. I didn’t know what love looked like and worst of all, I didn’t know if I was capable of it. I’m my father’s son. I hated the thought that I could turn out like him and hurt you like he hurt Mom.”
“What made you change your mind?” she asked calmly. Too calmly. “Decide to come here?”
“Your confession of love haunted me and refused to let me forget you.”
The room was dead silent so he heard her sudden intake of breath. Her eyes were definitely soft now.
His heart rate slowed as he allowed a tiny seed of hope. “I’m a slow learner. I tried to ignore the way what you said made me feel.”
When she’d blurted out she’d loved him in the heat of their fight, he’d been able to argue in his head that she may have thought she loved him, but one week wasn’t enough time for something like that to form. He felt
something
strongly toward her, but how was he supposed to know if it was love?
He continued. “The two days we’ve been apart have felt like an eternity. Within hours of your flight leaving, I started dreaming about trips to Australia. Thinking of Aussie bridges that I wanted to photograph. And then I saw Bec and Linc, and they told me a few home truths. Despite the terrible example Bec had of love, she’s worked hard to make her relationship a success. I’d been too self-obsessed to spend much time with them. I never even noticed.”
Holly smiled wistfully. “They are a great couple.”
He went out on a limb. “We could be too you know. I hope.”
She sniffed and stared right into his soul. “Is that what you want?”
He nodded. “The way I see it, I have two choices. I beg and plead for you to forgive my stupidity and accept my offer. Or I spend the rest of my life alone, because I don’t even want to look at another woman now I’ve been with you. I’m ruined.”
Unable to resist any longer, he got up and crossed the tiny room to kneel in front of her chair. He took her hands, almost closed his eyes at the softness and the absolute bliss of touching her again. She’d made him soft. He didn’t care. She looked at his hands holding hers but didn’t say anything.
His knees began to ache. Did she no longer feel the same about him? Was he too late? “Are you going to say anything?” he asked when he couldn’t bare the silence any longer.
“What is it about me that makes you unable to look at another woman?”
Easy question, he’d thought about nothing else for the past two days. “You and me, we have some fantastic chemical attraction but it goes so much deeper. When I’m with you, I feel alive. I feel free. Like I don’t have to act or pretend to be someone I’m not. Sure I want to get you into bed at every opportunity…”
It was if he saw the wall she’d erected between them vanished. Her lips twisted into the most beautiful smile ever, and then she laughed. That joyous sound sent hope exploding in his chest.
“Hey, I am only a man.” Feeling a bit confident again, he spoke seriously. “In one short week, you became the best friend I ever had. You listened. You cared. I told you things I’d never told anyone. Without even realizing, I showed you in here.” He lifted her hand and rested it upon his chest. “You feel that?”
She nodded. How could she not feel the pulse of his heart when it was hammering like a heavy metal band?
“It’s beating because of you. In fact, right now, it’s beating in terror that you might take all this love I’m offering and shove it back in my face. So what do you say?”
* * *
If Nate wasn’t holding both her hands, Holly might have pinched herself. Maybe she hadn’t actually woken up this morning and, instead of the nightmares she’d had the last two nights, she was finally having a good dream. A very good dream at that.
“What exactly is it that you’re offering, Nate?” A dream wouldn’t talk back to her, right? If he answered, she’d know whether she could really believe his words, if she could really dare to hope for a future with him.
He tightened his grip on her hands and rubbed his thumb over her skin, making her bones feel like liquid. “Love. I love you, Holly. I’m a slow learner but I’m a stubborn one and once I’ve got an idea in my head, I stick with it. Unless you can put up a very good argument, I’m all yours.”
Her left eye started to tingle; her right eye followed suit. Somewhere deep inside, her heart began the healing process. He’d answered. And he’d offered her more than she’d ever dared to dream he would. He’d offered her love!
“So, back to the job applications?” she asked, forcing herself to be sensible when all she wanted to do was lean forward and kiss him. To hell with logistics.
He looked at her earnestly. “What about them?”
“Are you asking me to move to L.A. with you?” Now that he was here, in her house, so close, she’d move to a whole other galaxy if he asked, but she wanted to be certain.
“Yes. If that works for you and your career.”
Her hand was still pressed against his chest where he’d placed it and now he drew his other hand up to stroke her cheek. She was helpless but to lean into his touch. “I’d love to apply to a U.S. university and do some further studies, actually.”
“Great.” He all but beamed. “But I’m flexible. If you can’t leave your job that easily, or if you don’t want to, I’ll come here. I can move my studio. I can move my life for you. I will, willingly.”
His words were beautiful, more heartfelt than anything anyone had ever said to her, but right now she didn’t care about making sensible arrangements. She just wanted to hear his confession one more time. “Say it again,” she demanded.
Not needing to ask what she referred to, he smiled a smile she wished
she
could capture on camera. “I love you, Holly McCartney.”
“One more time?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “If I say it again, will you say it too?”
She pretended to contemplate his question. But not for too long. She couldn’t wait to give him her answer. “Yes.”
“Thank you.” This one word was genuine but it had nothing on the emotion he offered when he pulled her down onto the floor with him. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close and pressed his lips against her mouth. As he kissed her in the way that only he could, Holly’s mind flashed with the memories from their unbelievable week together. Had she really only known him such a short time? It felt like Nate had been on her radar all eternity—she just hadn’t realized he’d been missing until he’d swaggered into the airport, rescued her from one fate and pulled her whirling into another.
Smiling, she tore her lips from his and looked into his eyes. “I love you Nate Devlin. I do.”
“Thank God.” Then, Nate slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out his camera. Holly’s smile grew even more as he tugged her into his side and held his arm out as far as he could in front of them. “Say cheese, sweetheart.”
* * * * *
They call him McSexy…need we say more?
Don’t miss this other great read from author Rachael Johns!
Peppa Grant’s fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she’s also heard that he’s aloof and distant…and the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family’s holiday get-together, she agrees. When their relationship takes an unexpectedly serious turn, will he run the other way—or will he give love a second chance?
One Perfect Night
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About the Author
Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a supermarket owner by day, a chronic arachnophobe and a writer by night. She rarely sleeps. She lives in rural Western Australia with her hyperactive husband and three mostly gorgeous heroes-in-training.
As an active member of Romance Writers of Australia, Rachael has finaled and placed in a number of romance writing contests. Each success is uplifting and publication is the dream but even if none of this happened, she’d still write. It’s a much better option than ironing, which she refuses to partake in. Ever.
Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website at
www.rachaeljohns.com
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ISBN: 978-14268-9490-9
Copyright © 2013 by Rachael Johns
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