Playing the Perfect Boyfriend (Gone Hollywood) (2 page)

He had to admit, though, it wasn’t just that some random woman scoffed at him like a child. It was the fact that
this woman
looked like she’d stepped out of his teen wet dreams. She had an extreme hourglass figure, her curves much more dangerous than any available in size four. Walking up the stairs behind her, there was no pretending he wasn’t checking her out. The way she moved…she was temptation personified. A woman like that… He’d do a lot to get the attention of someone like Jade Easler.

Hips swayed right in front of his eyes, and he thought about bending her over and…

Dean shook off the thought forcefully. He needed a damn distraction, or he’d be doing the shoot with a fucking hard-on. What had they been talking about again? He cleared his throat. “What about you? College?”

At the top of the stairs, she turned and frowned at him. “I don’t really do small talk. Get in the studio and take off your clothes.”

Considering the order, and that he was eye level with her boobs, any hope of a distraction from sexual thoughts was gone in an instant. But so was his ability to keep his mouth in check. “I don’t think so. I’m not shooting for
Playgirl
.”

Damn it. Strike two for keeping up the super polite and agreeable routine.

“Nope, but your team said sexy, and the least sexy things in the world are imprint marks from your clothes. Thirty minutes naked, minimum.” When he didn’t move, she leaned down, providing him with a clear view of her ample cleavage. He wanted to bury his face in it. “If you’re that worried about me seeing you naked, there’s a changing screen already set up, but trust me when I say you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”

Who the hell was this woman? And did he want to find out badly enough to risk his budding career?

She was sexy as hell, that’s what she was,
and
she didn’t seem to need Mr. Nice Guy—which was an equally huge turn-on. His gaze shifted from her boobs to her twinkling green eyes. Yeah. Definitely worth the risk, which meant he was playing her game, her way. He started unbuttoning his shirt as he brushed past her. “I’m not worried.”

“Good. Then you can stop checking out my boobs anytime.”

Her noticing his admiration shouldn’t have been a good thing, but damned if his dick didn’t get harder at her words. And it had the added effect of making him think about her curves even more. Whether it was wise or not, he very much wanted Jade Easler to see him naked…and not so she could take his picture.

…

This was exactly what Jade needed to bring her to her senses. A hot young thing stripping to skin in her studio. It was the perfect distraction fr
om any thoughts about settling down.

And Dean Hartley was smoking in ways she would swear guys in their early twenties had definitely
not
been when she was that age. His bone structure was exquisite with his chiseled jaw and high cheekbones. And those eyes… Outside she’d been sure they were gray. Once they were inside, green. But in the glow from the studio lights, they were blue. The camera would love him.

Hell, she’d already seen physical evidence that a significant chunk of the teeny-bopper collective adored him. Why would the camera be any different? Especially since she obviously wasn’t immune to him, either—not if the way she was fanning herself was any indication.

Get a grip, girlfriend. It’s probably just the early stages of menopause or something.
She blew out a breath, pushing that thought to the deepest, darkest recesses of her brain as she stepped into the office. Thankfully, she was too young for menopause, but biology was catching up with her—which had been the primary reason that, by the time she’d turned into the alley next to her studio, she’d finally decided to meet up with Isak again.

Her assistant, Lilah, stood. “Thank goodness you’re here.”

“You pinged; I came,” Jade said, tossing her purse behind the desk and trying
not
to think about the future.

“About that…”

Uh oh.

“I would have gone down to get Dean myself, but I was fielding calls with all my back-up sitters.”

“You have to go.” It wasn’t even a question. Lilah had started working for Jade shortly after her son turned one, and if the kid wasn’t sick, it seemed like the babysitter was.

At least Lilah managed to look chagrined. “I’m sorry.”

Babies…again.
Was all of this fate’s way to remind her she didn’t want kids or was it a way to work them into her life so one of her own didn’t seem to matter so much? Jade wanted to scrub at her face, but she resisted the urge. It wouldn’t do to walk into the shoot looking like she’d just pulled her hair out of its twist. And kids were not the order of the day—Dean Hartley was. “It’s fine. I only have the one appointment this afternoon. Next week we’re swamped, though, so I need you here, even if you have to bring the baby with you.”

“He has a name.”

Obviously. Unfortunately, Jade couldn’t seem to remember it. Something to do with the Disney princes. Not Philip. Not Adam… “As long as Erik is still big on naps, he shouldn’t be too much of a disruption.”

“He is. Totally
loves
naps,” Lilah said, bouncing from her seat. “You are the best boss ever.”

She grabbed her bag and was out the door, probably not even hearing as Jade yelled, “Only because you’re hourly!”

Silence settled heavily once the door downstairs slammed. With it came thoughts of Mr. Young-and-smoking in the other room—naked. The things she could do if she got her hands on a body like that.

Get it together. He’s a client and about ten years too young for you. And didn’t you
just
decide that maybe you should look into forever with someone safe?

Not that she hadn’t hooked up with clients in the past, but with Isak in town, Jade wasn’t sure she could trust that she would be hitting on Dean because she was interested in Dean or because she was trying to get the Swede out of her head. One thought of those ever-changing eyes and she started leaning heavily toward the first option.

Either way, though, she had work to do.
Business before pleasure
.

She sat down behind the desk, using Lilah’s abandoned computer to run a search on Dean Hartley. His management team had sent paperwork upon booking the shoot, but she knew what they wanted and what would work with a client weren’t always the same thing. Normally, she researched someone in the minutes before they arrived, but Dean showing up early meant doing it now, having already met him. That knowledge would bias her opinion.

For starters, whether the team requested it or not, she kind of did want to shoot him naked.

Then again, part of her wouldn’t have minded doing other things to him naked.

Focus
.

Shaking her head to momentarily banish the thought, she read his online bio. He was from Nowheresville. She blinked at the screen, thinking she’d read something else and her brain had substituted that word, but it hadn’t. For whatever reason, Dean’s official biography was full of a whole lot of nothing.

Obviously, there were words there, but she’d done this long enough to recognize a fabrication. The bio didn’t talk about family other than to give first names for his parents: Bob and Sue. No siblings. Hartley was a common enough surname that running a search for more info would likely prove fruitless. His education listed “Central High” as his alma mater and only said he went to “Oakland” for undergrad. Did that mean a college or university with Oakland in the name or one located in Oakland? Everything was answered, but it was all so vague it might as well not have been.

Dean Hartley could have been from anywhere—or indeed nowhere.

An enigma, wrapped in a mystery, wearing the face of an angel.

Well, that tore it. She definitely wanted to fuck him.

Chapter Two

She’d said thirty minutes, but it felt like he’d been waiting twice that long. One problem with growing up in the system was never getting much alone time. Having it now f
elt weird, e
specially since he thought she’d been flirting, too, and would come check on him or something.

Maybe he had misread interest on her part. Which made sitting out here alone even more uncomfortable than being naked. And the changing screen with its painting of Mt. Fuji wasn’t very good company.

“Hey, do you have some music or something you can put on?” The noise might help distract him.

“Sure thing.”

A minute later, Ginuwine’s “Pony” started, and Dean regretted asking. Even if he hadn’t seen the movie, he knew the Channing Tatum dance scene that went with the song. Imagining grinding against Jade and her curves had his hard-on surging back to life.

“Damn it. Not this.” Apparently she agreed.

With less warning than he’d had for the music starting, she switched to what was either an iTunes playlist or a very narrowly dedicated Pandora channel. It was one Halestorm track after another—probably a good thing he liked the band.

Jade knocked on the black wood of the dressing screen just as “Nothing to Do with Love” came on. “You ready to get started?”

“Still naked,” he quipped, ready to walk out that way if necessary.

The next thing he knew, a warm and fluffy towel landed in his lap. “There’s your first outfit. Put it on and meet me out here.”

And there’d be
no
hiding behind that while he debated her interest level. Oh well, it wasn’t the first time he’d thrown himself at the fickle mercy of fate. College… Los Angeles… A hot photographer, he could handle. He draped the towel around his waist and stepped from behind the screen. “Where do you want me?”

She looked as if she was ready to answer him as she turned, but no sound came out of her open mouth. Instead, after hanging wide for a few seconds, it shut with a
clack
, and she swallowed hard. He felt himself starting to smile at her reaction, then, pointing toward a gray canvas backdrop, she said, “
That
. Get your ass in front of the screen, because I want more of that exact expression you’re wearing.”

“So you want my face to freeze like this?”

“Too late—you talked. We’ll just have to get it back.”

She tapped her nails against the camera as he strode into the space indicated, stopping directly on the blue tape crossed on the floor. “
X
marks the spot?” he asked, thinking of the way her wrap top crisscrossed over her breasts.

“One of them.” She adjusted something on the camera, focusing on it rather than him. “
G
marks the other one.”

Dean almost choked on laughter, and heat rose up his neck. She said whatever came to her mind, didn’t she? He wished like hell he had that kind of freedom. Then he realized the camera was clicking. “This was the look you wanted?”

“One of them. You blush sexy.” Her eyes shifted, meeting his over the edge of her camera, her face going serious for a moment. “If I’m making you uncomfortable with the way I talk, let me know. I can do all-business, too.”

He had a feeling there was no middle ground with her. It was all-business or whatever this was, and he liked this—hell, he wanted to embrace this completely. “I’m good. Better than good, actually.”

“Peachy. Can you let the towel dip a little?” Her eyes moved back to the camera, but she was dabbing at her cleavage with a cloth like it was hot. “Think about the last woman you had sex with. Or better yet, the woman you
want
to have sex with.”

That was easy enough, considering she was standing right there, wearing a black pencil skirt with crimson piping that perfectly matched the fuck-me stilettos on her feet. The cocky half smile was back on his face; he could feel it as his gaze roved from her toes on up. He let the towel dip a bit lower, showing off his Adonis belt. The camera kept clicking, but her eyes were on him now as much as his were on her.

Then he dropped one end of the towel, only keeping enough hold to cover his crotch. Jade’s tongue traced her lips, making them glossy and wet before she said, “Turn a little. Give me a hint of that fine ass.”

As he twisted to the side, her nipples started to perk, forming little peaks against the silky fabric of her blouse. Nice to know he wasn’t the only one reacting to all of this. So he kept turning. Once his backside was on full display before her, he glanced over his shoulder. Her eyes were hooded with the kind of need that only made him harder. He grinned…and threw the towel aside.

The camera clicked several more times before she breathlessly said, “Guess that means it’s time for a costume change. I’ll be…right back.”

He sauntered behind the changing screen, without a care in the world other than seeing that expression on her face again. “And I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”

…

Holy hell, when she’d decided she wanted to fuck Dean, she hadn’t expected him to respond to her advances quite so readily. The shoot had gone perfectly…other than his blatantly obvious erection and her over
heating with want. He’d almost completely driven worries about Isak from her mind and seemed the perfect remedy for what ailed her. She could deal with reality tomorrow. Tonight, a little fantasy with a certain breakout star was on the agenda.

A few more clicks, and she breathed easier with the knowledge that she hadn’t botched the assignment due to unrelenting horniness. He’d been amazing, playing to every cue, and she’d been right about the camera loving him. Now she just needed to be sure of his intentions. As soon as she connected the camera to her computer and ensured the pictures were downloading, she said, “That’s it. We’re done. You can get changed.”

Dean crossed the space between them in long strides—purposeful, predatory. The suit he wore only enhanced the image of him completely owning the room. Her panties were so freaking wet, she wondered why she’d bothered leaving them on at all. “Changed into my own clothes, or were you thinking more along the lines of outfit number one?”

The towel—that he’d dropped. He was as forward as she was. That was such a refreshing change from men who seemed flustered by her. “Depends on what you had in mind for the night.”

“I don’t know.” He closed more distance between them until the heat radiating off him blended with her own. Another inch and the length of his hard-on would be pressed against her. “What were your plans?”

She wasn’t going to pussyfoot around this. Not tonight. She knew what she wanted, and she sure as hell didn’t feel like waiting any longer. He was either game or he was playing one. Time to find out which. “I’m in the mood for an orgasm or ten. How many are you up for?”

His lips twisted into the hint of a smirk—devilish and sexy as sin. He traced the open neck of her silk blouse with a finger, edging closer and closer to her cleavage. “As many as you can handle.”

“In that case, I’m going to go lock up.”

“We’re staying here?” For the first time since she’d left him behind the screen, he seemed unsure of himself.

Better to nip any long-term ideas in the bud right now—as much as part of her might crave stability, it would have to be with someone less fiery, less…like her. “Handsome, if I take something home, it tends to mean I’m keeping it. I maintain a space here on the ground floor for late work nights and guests.”

She was halfway down the stairs when his voice pulled her up short. “Are you saying you just want a one-night stand?”

Jade closed her eyes and bit the inside of her lower lip—waiting to see if she tasted blood. The words made her think of Isak and the months they’d spent together. Since him she’d never given a guy more than a week. Now? She had too many things to deal with to look beyond the immediate. If she had any certainty about what she really wanted, she wouldn’t need a distraction.

But she probably would have wanted Dean tonight anyway. The big question was how much of that to actually confess.

Three seconds. If she gave herself longer than that, he could read something in to the delay.

One.

Two.

Fuck it; he wasn’t her priest. She didn’t even have a damn priest. This did
not
need to be her confessional. “Are you saying you’re not interested in no-strings? Because if that doesn’t appeal to you, we should probably be upfront about it now.”

It took a while for him to answer. Five seconds—she’d counted. “I’m definitely interested.”

Five seconds. Was that long enough to have
meaning
, or was he just deliberating on her own pause? Damn it. She was not going to question this. She wanted him. He wanted her. There was no need to complicate something that simple.

Sucking in a breath, she started down the stairs. Her hand shook as she twisted the lock on the door at the bottom. What the hell? She didn’t get nervous—not about sex. It wasn’t like Dean was the first guy she’d invited to her studio apartment.

No, it was obviously the weight of her decision making her question everything. Vicky had told Isak that Jade was ready to settle down, and in a way, it had been true. Jade craved the safety and security she saw her friends finding with marriage. Yet here she was willingly—happily—taking a guy almost eight years her junior to her love nest. Would someone ready to commit to one man even
have
a love nest?

Cowgirl up or show Dean the damn door. This is stupid.

What was even more stupid was the idea there’d be any debate. It was a one-night stand. Easy peasy. Tomorrow, she’d be re-centered and could figure out which way to go regarding Isak. Her hands steady once again, she rounded the stairs and opened the door tucked next to them. The nerves were nothing more than the Isak nonsense.
That
still had her wound up, even with a delicious diversion at hand.

Or, more accurately, with a hand on her waist. It was the first time Dean had really touched her, and his grip was firm, controlling. Exquisite. She leaned into him as tingles of need traveled from his fingertips straight to her core. “Are we waiting for something?”

His breath ruffled the loose tendrils of hair against her neck, sending a shiver through her. Jade’s mouth went dry, and she had to swallow hard before responding. “Just you.”

Her eyes rolled back as Dean pressed closer, the length of his erection firm against her ass. “No need to wait then. I’ve been ready since you told me to take off my clothes.”

“Then maybe I should tell you again.”

“Or maybe it’s my turn to see
you
naked.” Before she could respond, Dean picked her up, carried her through the doorway, and kicked the door shut before setting her on her feet again. “Now, about those clothes.”

The way he stared at her, the intensity in that ever-changing gaze, had her wishing she could just will her skirt and blouse away. “Clothes are definitely overrated.”

…

Dean didn’t need more of an invitation. His hand went directly for the zipper of her skirt and eased it over the curve of her ass. She wiggled out of the fabric as he pushed it down. Silky white panties with black lace trim and matching thigh-high sto
ckings. Why the hell didn’t all women dress like this? He’d thought she embodied retro sexiness when she’d been fully clothed. This was on a whole other level.

“Turn around.”

She responded to the command like it was the most natural thing in the world, which only made him harder. He felt like he’d explode if he didn’t have her soon, but he wanted to savor every second of this, especially since she’d insisted he was only going to get tonight.

Leave it to him to find the personification of sexy only to have her confirm that nothing in his life was meant to last. Oh well, he was going to enjoy it while he had it. With deft fingers, he slowly untied the knot of her wrap blouse, watching as her nipples strained against the fabric.

She reached for his pants, and he pushed her hands away. “Not yet. You saw mine. Time to show me yours.”

Trembling under his touch, Jade let her hands fall. “I suppose that’s only fair.”

The blouse slid down her arms, revealing a bra that perfectly matched her panties. Once upon a time, a friend had said if you took off a woman’s clothes to find matching underwear, then she’d been the one who’d decided to have sex. But he and Jade hadn’t met when she picked out her clothes this morning. His fingers trailed along the lace until she shivered. “Do you always dress like this?”

“Never know when you might get in a car accident and meet a sexy doctor.”

For a brief second, her words tore him straight out of the fantasy he’d been concocting. So much for the idea that she’d worn this because she’d been sure she wanted to fuck him when she saw him as her two o’clock appointment.
Sexy doctor?
Then the truth hit him, and Dean couldn’t help but laugh.

“What exactly is so funny?” she said, planting her hands on her hips and sounding borderline offended.

Still chuckling, he swept her into his arms and carried her toward the bed. He knelt on the mattress as he laid her down. “Somehow you managed to shatter this beautiful fantasy I’d built, only to have reality be even hotter.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. A gorgeous woman like you, who dresses like this all the time—just in case of emergency? There is absolutely nothing sexier than that.” Without thinking, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his.

He’d kissed a lot of women in his life, but this was different, better. Not rushed or tentative. Not peppered with nerves or desperation. It was as if they had all the time in the world to explore and learn each other, but there was no need for shyness between them. Her tongue flicked at his lips casually, and he tasted her, savoring the kiss for everything it was: perfection with no promises and no deceptions. It was the most honest and real kiss of his life.

He wished he could have it forever. Hell, he wished he believed in forever.

When their lips parted, her hands were tangled in his hair, one leg wrapped around him. “Condoms are in the nightstand.” She nipped at his lower lip, moaning as he ground his cock against her. “Use whatever you like best.”