Strangers (7 page)

When Charlie opened the door to her bedroom, the breath caught in his throat.

He felt as though he’d stepped into another world, certainly into a different apartment.
The room was dominated by a four-poster bed with an elaborate twisted-metal headboard decorated with bronze butterflies.
Cream linen drapes smothered with multicolored appliqué butterflies had been tied up with silver cords at each metal corner post.
Charlie had a sudden vision of the pair of them on that bed, naked in each other’s arms, the drapes pulled across to cut them off from the world.
He groaned as his cock tented the towel.
He thought too much.

His fingers moved toward the chest of drawers.
He shouldn’t, but he did.
He gulped when he saw underwear in every imaginable color and material—lace, velvet, cotton, leather, silk, denim.
He closed the drawer, not daring to look any further.
He stood for a moment and then went back to the bathroom.

“Kate, I need to use the toilet,” he called through the door.

“You’ve just had hours in the sea.
Couldn’t you have gone then?”

“Mum told me to get out of the water first.”

“What, even the ocean?”

“It’s wrong to pollute.” He tried to sound serious.

He could have nipped into the car park or even used the kitchen sink—it wouldn’t have been the first time—but he had an ulterior motive and thought she just needed a bit of encouragement.
Anyone with a drawer full of sexy underwear had to be up for it.
She’d bounced up the stairs in front of him, knowing she looked practically naked from behind, so he only needed to turn his charm up a notch.
He really wanted to climb into the bath with her, but it was the sort of move that had got him into this mess in the first place.
Go slow
.

“Please,” he pleaded, in his very best seductive voice.
“I’m getting desperate.”

Kate looked around.
The bubbles covered everything, but she didn’t care anyway.
She’d had modesty knocked out of her years ago.
She’d spent all her life sharing bathrooms and bedrooms.
Any sign of shyness and you were finished.

“There’s no lock on the door,” she said.

Charlie didn’t even try not to look at her.

“Warm again?” he asked.

“I didn’t ask you in to start up a conversation.”

“Sorry.”

Kate listened to the tinkling sound and thought of Richard.
He’d never felt comfortable enough to take a leak while she was in the bathroom.
She sank back into the water, pushing up her knees so her head slid below the surface.
What a mess, she thought.
What a shitty, fucking, awful mess.
She wasn’t dead, but she felt dead.

When she resurfaced, Charlie was kneeling by the side of the bath.
Who did he remind her of?
He wiped a smear of bubbles from her lips.

“Can I get in?”

“No.”

He sighed.
“Couldn’t you have pretended to think about it?”

“No.”

“Not even a bit of a pause?”

“No.”

“So why were you trying to kill yourself?” he asked.

“You may as well have a shower while you’re in here.
There are more towels in the cupboard.”

By the time he got out of the shower, Kate had gone and taken the scrunched-up note, which made him even keener to read it.
Under the wash basin, Charlie found a packet of razors, a can of men’s shaving gel and three boxes of condoms.
All opened.
He wasn’t sure if he was pleased or not about that.
He hadn’t checked in the wardrobe for men’s clothes, but Charlie didn’t get the feeling Kate lived with or had lived with a guy.
No guy could survive without a TV.
Maybe the boyfriend only came around for a shave and sex.
Bit like him.
Except not the shave, because Charlie waited until he got home.
Now, he took a perverse pleasure in shaving with another man’s gear.
He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like the idea of Kate having a boyfriend, although he guessed she wouldn’t have been in the sea if she had.

Could she be pregnant?
Maybe the guy didn’t want it.
Charlie bristled with anger.
Whoever this guy was, he was a wanker.
Even as the thought curled around in his mind, filtering like smoke into every crevice, Charlie realized he was being stupid.
He knew nothing about her.
It was because Kate had shown no interest that he wanted her even more.
He still couldn’t figure out how she felt about him.
Charlie scraped the razor down his cheek but when he heard banging at the front door, his hand jumped and a bead of blood oozed through the foam.
He swore and looked down at his naked body.
He hoped this wasn’t Kate’s guy.

“Kate, I bloody well know you’re in there.”

Charlie relaxed when he heard a woman’s voice.

“Your car was there, then it disappeared and now it’s back.
Let me in.
I want to talk to you.”

“Hi, Lucy,” Kate said.

“Are you all right?” Lucy asked.

“Fine.”

“Fine?” The voice rose to a shriek.

Charlie was glad Lucy could see Kate wasn’t fine.

“We know what happened yesterday.
You must be devastated.”

And what did happen yesterday, he wondered.

“Can I come in?” Lucy asked.

No
, Charlie thought and called, “Kate, I need some clothes, unless you’d prefer me to walk around naked.”

“Oh, maybe not that devastated,” Lucy said.

Charlie sniggered.

“I’ve got a friend staying,” Kate said.
“I’ll talk some other time.”

He heard the door close.
Then the door of the bathroom opened.
A white T-shirt and a pair of sleep pants hit him in the chest.

Charlie dressed and found Kate in the kitchen.

“Going to admit you recognize me now?” he asked.

Kate turned to face him and a flash of heat rushed to his groin.
She wore the same as him and looked so sexy, with her hair damp and messed up, he had to force himself not to pull her into his arms and fuck her nonexistent socks off.

“Charlie, my pet sea hippo,” she whispered.

Did she really not know who he was?
“Try again.”

Kate screwed up her eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re rather blotchy,” she said.

Charlie burst out laughing.
That was a word never applied to him before—gorgeous, seductive, beautiful, never blotchy.
“It’s the razor.”

“Oh.
Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Do you eat meat?”

“I eat anything.
Almost,” he corrected, in case she was into braised brain or grilled gizzards.
“Got any wine?” He looked at the empty bottle next to the sink.

“Only champagne.”

Kate took two containers from the freezer, removed their lids and put them in the microwave to defrost.

“Is the champagne in the fridge?” he asked and opened the door.

Kate lurched toward him and slammed it shut.

“Whoa.” He backed off, hands in the air.

“Sorry.
I’ll get it.”

“What do you have in there?
Body parts?”

“Oh God, you guessed.
I like to feed bits of the last guy to the next guy and so on.
A little quirk of mine.
I suppose you don’t want to stay for something to eat now.”

Kate balled up the note taped to the champagne and handed him the bottle.

Charlie gawped at the label.
No furniture and she bought Cristal?

“Bloody hell.
This for a special occasion?” he asked, brandishing the bottle.

“I don’t think there could be a more special occasion than this.”

“Having me in your house, yeah, you’re right.”

Kate chuckled and Charlie smiled.
She looked so different when she laughed, as though every worry had gone.
He’d get the next one in, while she was still up.

“Can I stay the night?”

A few worries came back.

“I don’t have a spare bed.”

“I can sleep on the couch.” When she didn’t say anything, he added, “Or I could go.
I’d need a lift.”

“I think,” Kate said, “I’d like it if you stayed.”

Charlie felt as though she’d put a soothing hand on his brow.
He eased the cork out of the bottle with a gentle pop and poured.
“What shall we drink to?”

“Me and you.”

“And a dog named Sue,” Charlie sang and chinked his glass against hers.

Kate rolled her eyes.

“She’s a lovely dog,” Charlie said.
“Part Chihuahua part Doberman.
The mother was the Chihuahua.
Not an easy relationship.”

“So what are you?” Kate asked.
“An unfunny comedian?”

He bristled.
“I used to sing, now I act.”

“God.” She rolled her eyes.

He laughed.
“Do you really not recognize me?”

Kate stared straight at him and Charlie saw the moment of recognition strike.

“Oh shit,” she said.

Chapter Five

Kate didn’t blink.
How could she not have realized?
Flustered, she reached for a pair of glasses she rarely wore and put them on before she turned to him.
Impossible, incredible, inconceivable—as much like a teenage fantasy as it seemed, standing in front of her, in her apartment, was the bad boy of pop, Charlie Storm, with his long spiky eyelashes and mouthwatering good looks, if somewhat currently blotchy face.
His records had sold millions.
His life was lived publicly in the tabloids.
He was a guy whose sudden departure from the music world had left his record company reeling and his fans screaming.

In my apartment!

Kate dipped into a deep curtsey.
“Your Royal Highness.
I’m so honored to have you in my humble home.
How’s Camilla?”

Charlie grinned.
“Very funny.” Then his face fell.
He reached toward her glasses and pulled his hand back.
“Jesus, no wonder you were all over the road in the car.
You couldn’t fucking see where you were going!”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“I was too scared to open my eyes.
Why didn’t you let me drive?”

“It’s only insured for me.”

“We could have been killed,” Charlie wailed and Kate grinned.

“My eyes aren’t that bad.” She tossed the glasses back on the counter and reset the microwave.
Charlie sniffed and his stomach rumbled.
The slightly sweet smell had made her hungry too.

“So how does it feel to have a celebrity round for dinner?” he asked.

“You mean you actually are famous?” She gaped at him.

“Ha ha.”

What would Lucy, Rachel and Dan say?
Kate thought about it.
No one would ever believe this.

“Why did you want to kill yourself?” he asked.

Kate sighed.
“You think if you keep slipping it in, I won’t notice and just answer?”

He gave her a sheepish grin.
“Yes.”

She bit back her smile.
“How about you going first?”

“I was out for a swim,” he said.

“Then so was I.”

“You know you weren’t.”

Kate wondered how long they could play this game, tennis without balls.

“Who was that at the door?”

“Lucy.
She lives downstairs.”

“And what happened yesterday to make them sorry and you devastated?”

Kate sighed.
“You’ve got big ears, Charlie.” She took two plates from the cupboard and put them on the work surface.

“How come you didn’t recognize me?
You’re not a fan, then?”

Kate’s mouth twitched.
“You’ve never made me scream.” The moment that left her lips, she wished she hadn’t said it.
Charlie looked as though he was going to speak and thought better of it.
Kate struggled to find something to say.

“Do you know any of my songs?” he asked.
“Seen any of my films?”

“Er…I’ve seen you in the paper,” Kate said.

“The one place I don’t want to be seen,” he snapped.

Kate bristled.
What an arrogant shit.
“I’m surprised they haven’t run out of words to describe you.
Unspeakably good-looking, drop-dead gorgeous, heartbreakingly handsome.
So many superlatives, it’s meaningless.”

Charlie gave a short laugh.
“You’re completely right.
They print crap.”

Maybe not such an arrogant shit
.
Kate spooned the food onto blue plates.

“God, this smells great.
What is it?”

“Chihuahua and Doberman Hotpot.”

He gave a loud laugh.
“So I should avoid the chewy bits.”

“Aztec beef and sweet potato mash.
No chewy bits.
Is there any more to drink?”

Charlie looked guilty.
“There might be a drop left.” He poured the last dribbles into her glass.
“Sorry.”

Kate couldn’t believe he’d drunk nearly all of it.

“Do you have anything else?” he asked.

“Water.”

“Right.”

Kate sat next to him on the floor with her back against the couch and balanced the plate on her knees.

“Did you make this?” he mumbled, his mouth full.

“Yes.”

“It’s delicious.
What’s that taste in it?”

“That will be the Chihuahua.
Small, but very spicy.”

His fork paused on the way to his mouth and she laughed.

“Chocolate.
Only a few squares, but that’s what you can taste.”

He wolfed it down.
Kate had barely touched hers before Charlie finished.

“There’s more if you want,” she said and he jumped to his feet.

Kate watched him as he walked away.
He was so gorgeous.
His broad back tapered to a narrow waist and below sat his cute backside.
A shiver of lust made her drop her fork.

Charlie scooped the last of the beef onto his plate and chased the remaining olives around the container with a spoon.
The chasing took longer than it should have because he was staring at the crunched up ball of paper next to the microwave.
He hesitated long enough to convince himself it was the right thing to do, then picked it up and smoothed it out.

“
Richard, this was for us, now just for you. Drink it and choke
.”

Charlie screwed the paper up again, coughing to disguise the sound and put it back where he’d found it.

“Any left?” Kate asked when he sat down again.

“Oh God.
No, did you want some?
Sorry.
Have some of this.” He offered her a heaped forkful.

“No, I don’t want more.
I just wondered how you could eat so much and stay so thin.
Hollow leg?”