Covered: Part One (3 page)

Why did I have to fall and now choke in front of the hottest man in the world? Why did I have such horrible luck when it came to Gavin, and yes, men in general?

“My god, are you okay?” he asked and patted my back gently, “I know I have strange effects on girls, but this is the first time I’ve made one choke.”

I took one last long, shuddering breath, wiped my eyes on the back of my hand and saw a streak of black make up. I couldn’t stay down though, but I didn’t want him to see me like this. Why didn’t I have a pair of sunglasses in my bag?

I finally waited long enough that it was getting awkward, so I stood upright and said, “Whew, that was crazy.”

“Seriously, are you okay?” he asked, his hand still on my back, firmly placed between my shoulder blades.

I looked up at him with my bright red hot face, my teary streaked eyes, and I smiled and said, “Yes, I promise, I’m okay.”

“You have something here,” he said and lifted his other hand to my cheek to brush something off. I was essentially in his arms and I wasn’t fainting. I was making progress around him at least, barring the whole choking incident just now.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“It’s an eyelash,” he said and held his thumb in front of my face, “blow on it and make a wish. But you have to close your eyes.”

I squeezed them up and exhaled a little puff of air. My throat still burned from the ice, but I managed to hold back the cough.

I opened them and the lash was still on his thumb. “I guess I don’t get my wish,” I said and cursed the fates. Of course I’d wished for him to kiss me.

“That just means I get my wish,” he replied and brushed the lash onto his thigh. He took his hand off my back and stood in front of me, staring intently into my eyes. The crowd around us had caught on that he was there and I could hear the women start to buzz with envious excitement.

“What did you wish for?” I asked, my breath catching in my throat. It was strange, being here with him. It was like we existed in a bubble, a little slice of our own world where none of the people in the event mattered. I wasn’t imagining this, it was happening and our connection was real.

“I can’t tell you that, or it might not come true,” he replied and brushed his thumb along my cheek again. “I thought I saw another lash for you, but I supposed we’ll have to limp along on my wish, love.”

“I can handle that,” I said and swished the almost melted ice in my cup.

He opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted when Jenny appeared at his side. “There you are,” she said, her voice higher than usual betraying the excitement and tension she had.

“Here I am,” I said, not breaking eye contact with Gavin, “right where you left me.”

“Oh silly, I just wanted to get you another drink, here!” She shoved a cold glass into my hand and took the nearly empty one from the other. I had to look down and see what she’d given me, another vodka and cranberry from the looks of it, and when I looked back up Gavin was watching Jenny.

“I just love the signature you gave me,” she simpered and wiggled her curvy body. “I’ve been showing all the girls, everybody is so jealous.”

“Yeah,” Gavin said, “I think I have carpal tunnel from all the signing.”

“Oh you’re so funny,” Jenny said and pushed him gently. I hated seeing her hand touch his chest, I hadn’t even touched it. Yet.

“Seriously though, this is the hardest part of the job,” he replied and turned to look down at me, “but this makes up for it.”

“Meeting all your adoring fans?” Jenny said, “you know Sarai is practically stalking you on twitter. She knows everything about you.”

My cheeks flamed red again and I sputtered, “I don’t think I know everything, I mean I follow you but it’s not like I read your tweets on purpose. If they’re there, they’re there.”

“I’ll have to watch out for you now,” he said and a smile played around the corner of his mouth. His eyes crinkled at the edges and I loved it when he was teasing like this. “Then again, you can’t stalk the willing.”

There were quite a few women gathered around us at this point and I heard one of them say, “Oh my god, did you hear that? He wants that girl to stalk him. This is so romantic.”

I gulped a huge mouthful of the drink Jenny had given me and almost choked on it. It was much stronger than the last one and had no ice to dilute it. “Do you need a drink?” I asked, realizing that’s probably where he’d been headed when he’d bumped into me.

“Let’s get a table and I’ll send somebody for a couple more,” he said and hooked his hand under my elbow. He guided me through the crowded room to a darker corner near the side. There were several tables almost hidden behind the guest of honor area, they were decorated with gorgeous blue and white flowers and had huge swag bags at each seat.

“Will this do?” he asked me and pulled my chair out. I picked up the bag and sat, as if in a trance.

“It’s awesome,” Jenny said, “I didn’t even realize these tables were here.”

“This is the VIP area,” Gavin replied and took the chair next to mine. Jenny sat on the other side of him.

“We should have gotten these with our VIP tickets,” she moaned and looked around. Several other models and publishers were located in this zone, along with a few very well known authors.

“I think they mean the
V.
V.I.P.s,” I said, hoping she’d get my meaning. She did and leaned in toward Gavin instead of gawking at the other models. I guess the one man who was interested in her best friend was infinitely more interesting than any of the others.

“I think I’m pretty
V.
,” she said, then blinked and added, “no, wait, I mean I’m very
I.
. I’m such a goof sometimes.” She flipped her luscious blonde hair from side to side and wiggled a little in her seat.

He didn’t even look at her. I took a long drink and watched him watching me. It really was surreal, he was so perfect and I was so imperfect, but somehow we had a crazy chemistry.

It made me nervous though. He made me nervous. His bodyguards hovering just a few feet away made me nervous. Hell, Jenny’s snarky attitude was making me nervous at this point.

He cleared his throat and said, “So I guess you get tired of models and guys like me trying to pick you up at events like this.”

Jenny snorted behind him and I shot her a dark glare. “Actually, no,” I said, “I’m generally a little too…”

“Nerdy. Shy. Geeky,” Jenny said from over his shoulder, “shall I go on?”

“Let her talk,” Gavin said and swivelled around to look at her when he added, “maybe you should go get us all a drink. I don’t have anything and Sarai’s halfway through hers.”

He might as well have flicked her on the shoulder and told her to go make herself useful. I grinned like mad at her and she shot me daggers. When he turned back around to talk, I wiped the grin off my face and said, “As I was saying, no. I tend to be pretty reserved I guess, and not exactly a huge guy magnet.”

“I find that so hard to believe,” he said and reached up to graze his thumb across my cheek. My skin burned under his touch.

“Another eyelash?” I asked and took another drink.

“No, I just wanted to touch you,” he replied and smiled.

I sipped my drink and tried my best not to fall a little farther, but with those intense eyes and that amazing smile, it was difficult at best.

When it came to resisting Gavin James, I was turning out to be a colossal failure.

“I got you another one,” Jenny said, perfectly timing her return to ruin our strange and intimate moment.

I took what appeared to be another vodka and cranberry from her and finished off the previous one. For somebody who wasn’t used to drinking, I was holding my own. At least I thought I was.

“Where are you from?” Gavin asked and took a drink of his own. A gin and tonic, Jenny had announced, she’d discovered it while researching him online.

“I was born in Belgium,” I said, “My parents were living there at the time.”

“Oh wow, Europe, how exotic,” he laughed, “how old were you when you came to Seattle?”

“We moved to Texas first, Houston, then came here when I was eight.”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?”

“Nope, I was an only child,” I replied. I inwardly cringed, knowing where this was going. Some comment or question about my parents and suddenly I went from normal to orphan girl in less than sixty seconds.

“So your parents reached perfection on the first try?”

“Something like that,” I said and we laughed together. “How about you?”

“Well, I’m the youngest of five. I guess it took them a while to get their perfect child,” he said.

“Or they just gave up hope,” I replied and shot him a sidelong glance. I had a pretty dry sense of humor; I hoped I hadn’t gone too far.

“Did you just dis me?” he asked and put a hand up to his heart in mock horror.

“Why yes, I do believe I did,” I said and wondered where this easy side of my chatter was coming from. I took a sip of my drink and tasted the bitter tang of alcohol. Ah, that’s right, it was the booze. The drink was making me witty and nonchalant enough to keep his attention.

“I like that,” he replied and twisted his glass in his hand, “I like you.”

Jenny was listening, hanging on our every word. She was pretending she was on her phone, on Facebook, but I knew she was dying to hear what was being said.

Just then somebody cleared their throat in the mic at the guest of honor table and they began to talk.

God, I couldn’t focus on what was being said, I just didn’t care. All I cared about was that I was living out my fantasy, sitting in the VIP section at the biggest book event in our city with the hottest man in the world.

As they droned on making announcements about the food, drink, and dancing, I sipped at my vodka and cranberry until it was all gone. Drink number three, and I didn’t feel that bad.

I was feeling sleepy though; the event had just taken a turn for the boring. I wished we could escape and go off somewhere away from the prying eyes and annoying crowds.

Gavin rubbed his hand up and down the side of his glass and tried to appear interested. He seemed as restless as I felt though, his leg jumped up and down under the table and he ran his hand through his shaggy, thick hair every few minutes.

“I hate this part of these things,” I whispered to him, “this is why I’m usually home by now.”

“You’re a smart girl,” he whispered back, “I’m afraid I get stuck at this part most of the time.”

“There’s your problem right there,” I said, “you’re wanted by too many.”

“You fly under the radar, love?” he replied, “I don’t know how you manage, with your sexy librarian thing going on.”

“You’re the second person to mention that today,” I said, “I swear it’s not deliberate. I like to think of it more as crazy cat lady bookworm in training.”

“You are hardly a bookworm or crazy cat lady,” he replied with a grin.

“I said in training,” I told him, “I have a few years before I officially join the club.”

“There’s a club?” he asked, his voice still a delicious whisper. God I loved his accent.

“Oh yes, there really is. Once I’m accepted I will complete the initiation and they’ll send me my crazy cat lady starter pack.”

“What does that include, love?”

Oh, the way he said love, like he meant it. It made me believe he meant it. “It comes complete with my membership card, an old moth eaten cardigan, and ten kittens in a box,” I replied and watched his face light up. I almost giggled when he started to laugh.

Jenny’s evil glare shut me down. She said, “Shhhhhh,” and made an angry face at me over Gavin’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” I mouthed at her and turned back to the front of the room where somebody was handing out a Golden Dildo Award for the hottest sex scene in a novel. I was excited to see the latest book with Gavin’s abs on the front was in the pack.

When they announced it, Rebecca Hawk stood from the head table and grabbed the mic. She was clearly already a little tipsy and gave a hilarious speech about her writing. I barely heard a word though, Gavin had moved his hand to mine on the table and I could barely breathe.

I wanted to lean back and sink into his arms, fall against his chest and feel his warmth wrap around me. The booze was definitely making me a little more tartish than normal.

I started to sway ever so slowly, moving backwards an inch at a time, wondering if he’d get the hint and reach for me.

I was back far enough that it was getting precarious, I was about to sit upright thinking he’d never touch me, when I heard his chair drag along the floor and he pulled himself right behind me.

I felt his free arm drape casually on my shoulder, his other hand stayed on mine on the table, and I released a sigh of absolute bliss as I leaned back completely and felt his hard body against mine.

Neither one of us spoke, and I could feel his heart through his chest. I swear ours were beating in time with one another, it felt that perfect.

He jerked his body and removed his hand. I sat up and realized the very tipsy Rebecca Hawk was calling for Gavin to come to the front and accept the Golden Dildo with her.

He whispered, “Sorry, love,” in my ear, his hot breath sending a shiver through my body, and stood. I almost fell, grabbed the table and steadied myself.

Maybe the vodka was getting to my head more than I thought. I looked at my drink and it was gone, I turned to look at Jenny and she was gone too.

The crowd erupted in wild cheers as he made his way to the front. Ever the perfect showman, he had his arms out encouraging their screams and sexually charged chants.

“Gavin James, take it off! Gavin James, take it off!” the left side of the room started to yell. Before he reached the mic, the entire room had joined in, the sound throbbed against my head and the floor shook with women stomping their feet and chanting their demands.

He reached the front, his bodyguards handling crowd control, and turned to face the room. His eyes searched for me in the sea of women, so I stood and let him find me.

Our gaze locked, he winked and smiled a naughty grin. Without breaking eye contact, he unbuttoned the front of his shirt and shrugged out of it, dragged it off his arm with slow precision.

I had to look, good god, I had to look. I broke our contact when I let my eyes trail over his amazing body. His beautiful tattoos made their way up his left arm and covered the left side of his torso. The right side had some images on it, but nothing as detailed and exquisite as the left.

His body was perfection. It was beyond perfection. He didn’t just have a six-pack; he had bulging muscles from top to bottom. He had a gorgeous ridge on either side leading down into his pants. His pecs were wide and solid, and I had just been resting against them moments before.

His arms were thick and straining as he flexed and put on his show. The best part though, my favorite part, was his face. His eyes, that secret smile he had just for me.

Finally he turned to Rebecca and took the mic. “I’d like to thank you all, the readers, the bloggers, the fans. Without each and every one of you, my career would be nothing. I appreciate it.”

“Take off the pants,” one woman screamed from the group at the front. This sentiment was echoed by several more.

He chuckled, grinned at them and said, “Not tonight, ladies, I have different plans.” He stared straight at me again when he said this. He then slid his shirt back on and added, “Keep reading, keep loving, and keep hoping. You never know where you’ll discover something special, it could be in the most unlikely of places.”

He handed the mic back to Rebecca Hawk who made a move to hug him. He dodged her touch and gave her a quick peck on the cheek instead. She looked a little stricken as he walked back towards me, buttoning up his shirt and ignoring pleas for more nudity and boob signings as he went.

Just before he got back, Jenny returned and plopped another drink in front of me. Then another. I looked at her questioningly.

“I just thought you’d be thirsty and too busy to go get your own,” she said and smiled. I wasn’t totally convinced of her charitable act, but perhaps the drink clouded my judgement with her as well.

“Thank you,” I replied, “I am pretty thirsty.” I took a sip and grimaced. “What’s in this?”

“Just vodka and cranberry,” she said, “nothing more.”

I nodded my head and took a long drink as Gavin returned. He sat back down beside me, leaned in and said, “Can we get out of here?”

I saw Jenny’s face fall when she overheard his request and told him, “Let’s stick around for a bit, at least until Jenny finds her friends again.”

“It’s up to you, love,” he replied and touched my cheek with his thumb again, “I’m happy if you’re happy.”

I took another drink and felt the vodka warm me up from the inside out. I had a glow in my stomach that reached my cheeks.

I was happy, and anywhere he was I would be happy.

It was turning out to be the best night of my life.