was only equipped to hurt her, no matter how good he was capable of making her feel.
Her silence amused him, she could tell by that lazy grin, the way his fingers moved across her lips. She felt funny all over, like she'd left her real body, her brain elsewhere.
"Don't you want to know why?" he asked. Desperately.
But she couldn't admit that. Not even now that she'd almost given herself to him by not pushing away his hand, by not reading him the riot act for slamming through the client-consultant boundary. If she spoke she'd only betray herself, her longing. She tried to shake her head no, but all her small movement did was cause his fingers to slide all the way across her lips. That way lay madness.
She had to say something. Had to let him know that she was here for business and business only.
She cleared her throat. "I don't care about our past, Ty. Only the future—the one where you act like a respectable celebrity and I get a paycheck for a job well done. The only reason I'm here is to turn you into a decent human being and make sure that photos like these never happen again." She'd never told so many lies in one breath before.
CHAPTER SIX
Bringing Julie downstairs and surprising her with his art and books had been a stroke of genius. He was going to have to thank Bobby for the brilliant idea of hiring an image consultant. All these years, part of him had been hoping Julie would materialize in the crowds at a football stadium. Who would have thought Bobby Wilson would be the mastermind behind their long-overdue reunion?
She was so sexy when she got flustered and tried to pretend she wasn't wanting him just as much as he was craving her. Ty couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun.
"Okay," he said, his lips an inch from hers. She clearly thought he was about to kiss her, but he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. It was imperative that she kiss him first. Otherwise she'd cry foul, blame him for taking advantage of the situation. "You tell me what I need to do and I'll do it." Her eyes went wide at his sudden about-face and she looked more than a little disappointed. She'd thought he was about to swoop in and take her lips, taste her, pin her beneath him while she moaned in ecstasy.
A little patience, that's what she needed to learn. Because sometimes drawing out the anticipation was worth the resulting fireworks.
Julie quickly recovered her composure. "Fine. Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. First off, you need some practice looking conservative in pictures."
He raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan to do that?"
"We'll hire a media consultant to train you how to answer questions and pose for photos."
"That's a nice offer, but I don't think a media consultant can help me with my problem." Her eyebrow arched up. "Which problem would that be? The fact that you're too rich? Or too good-looking? Or, maybe, that you're too successful? Woe is you."
"If you hadn't noticed, women can't resist me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh."
"So if they're going to throw themselves at me no matter what I do, you'd better teach me another way to deal with them."
"You mean other than Frenching them in public?"
That little quip was downright snarky—which meant they were finally getting somewhere. He liked to see that bit of fire in her eyes, knowing it would translate into great things in the sack. And his bed was definitely where they were heading, whether she realized it or not.
"See, that's why your company is so successful. You know exactly how to frame a situation with a few simple words."
"Your point being?"
It shouldn't be this easy. It really shouldn't. "Kisses like this"—he held up the magazine—"are how I've been kissing all my life. It's all I know."
She raised her eyes to the ceiling. "If you were anyone else, I'd know you were joking." He found himself holding his breath for a long second as she paused. "But you, I think, just might be serious." He held back a smile. An easy five yards on the first
Her silence amused him, she could tell by that lazy grin, the way his fingers moved across her lips. She felt funny all over, like she'd left her real body, her brain elsewhere.
"Don't you want to know why?" he asked. Desperately.
But she couldn't admit that. Not even now that she'd almost given herself to him by not pushing away his hand, by not reading him the riot act for slamming through the client-consultant boundary. If she spoke she'd only betray herself, her longing. She tried to shake her head no, but all her small movement did was cause his fingers to slide all the way across her lips. That way lay madness.
She had to say something. Had to let him know that she was here for business and business only.
She cleared her throat. "I don't care about our past, Ty. Only the future—the one where you act like a respectable celebrity and I get a paycheck for a job well done. The only reason I'm here is to turn you into a decent human being and make sure that photos like these never happen again." She'd never told so many lies in one breath before.
CHAPTER SIX
Bringing Julie downstairs and surprising her with his art and books had been a stroke of genius. He was going to have to thank Bobby for the brilliant idea of hiring an image consultant. All these years, part of him had been hoping Julie would materialize in the crowds at a football stadium. Who would have thought Bobby Wilson would be the mastermind behind their long-overdue reunion?
She was so sexy when she got flustered and tried to pretend she wasn't wanting him just as much as he was craving her. Ty couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun.
"Okay," he said, his lips an inch from hers. She clearly thought he was about to kiss her, but he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. It was imperative that she kiss him first. Otherwise she'd cry foul, blame him for taking advantage of the situation. "You tell me what I need to do and I'll do it." Her eyes went wide at his sudden about-face and she looked more than a little disappointed. She'd thought he was about to swoop in and take her lips, taste her, pin her beneath him while she moaned in ecstasy.
A little patience, that's what she needed to learn. Because sometimes drawing out the anticipation was worth the resulting fireworks.
Julie quickly recovered her composure. "Fine. Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. First off, you need some practice looking conservative in pictures."
He raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan to do that?"
"We'll hire a media consultant to train you how to answer questions and pose for photos."
"That's a nice offer, but I don't think a media consultant can help me with my problem." Her eyebrow arched up. "Which problem would that be? The fact that you're too rich? Or too good-looking? Or, maybe, that you're too successful? Woe is you."
"If you hadn't noticed, women can't resist me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh."
"So if they're going to throw themselves at me no matter what I do, you'd better teach me another way to deal with them."
"You mean other than Frenching them in public?"
That little quip was downright snarky—which meant they were finally getting somewhere. He liked to see that bit of fire in her eyes, knowing it would translate into great things in the sack. And his bed was definitely where they were heading, whether she realized it or not.
"See, that's why your company is so successful. You know exactly how to frame a situation with a few simple words."
"Your point being?"
It shouldn't be this easy. It really shouldn't. "Kisses like this"—he held up the magazine—"are how I've been kissing all my life. It's all I know."
She raised her eyes to the ceiling. "If you were anyone else, I'd know you were joking." He found himself holding his breath for a long second as she paused. "But you, I think, just might be serious." He held back a smile. An easy five yards on the first
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