Never Say Never (The Price of Fame Series) (7 page)

Maybe she’d been too hard on him, but she couldn’t talk about Dane. From the terror she’d experienced merely looking at a dress he’d given her, it was clear the wound was still raw. That topic was a definite no-go.

“Back to work,” he announced. Rising, he placed his beer on the table. He looked down at her expectantly.

Chloe smiled politely, wondering what he was waiting for. The possibility he wasn’t entirely lucid still played on her mind.

“Wanna learn?” He flashed her a sexy, panty-soaking grin.

Chloe’s heart shot into her throat. “Excuse me?”

“Come on.” Sander held out his hand. “It’s easy. You’ll be the next top DJ in London in no time.”

He must be two pennies short of a pound. Letting her near the decks would empty
Destiny
in a heartbeat. She studied his expression, and her stomach dipped when she saw challenge glint in his eyes.

“It’s easy. I’ll show you.”

He reached down, snared her by the waist and hauled her out of the chair with very little effort, ignoring her yelp of protest. Instead of putting her down, he pressed her against his body and carried her over to the decks. The smell of him, expensive and taboo, mixed with the heat of his strong body made heat sizzle through her.

“Sander,” she breathed on a sigh. “Put me down.”

His chuckle vibrated through her and electricity sparked her body to life. Who was she trying to kid? Her body came alive the first time he’d touched her in the coffee shop.

“Are all women scared of mixing a little music?” he teased as he let her slide to the floor, still not allowing her an inch to breathe. Not that she could if she wanted to.

“I’m going to make a mess of this and your name will be mud.”

Sander laughed and ruffled her hair. She scowled at him while she tried to smooth it out.

“Sweetheart, if I screw this up, the press will assume it’s because I brought my girlfriend up here with me.” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

“No.” She gasped, shook her head. “No way. I don’t want to have my face splashed all over the press for having funny business in a nightclub!”

He slid on the headphones, keeping one ear free. Golden waves stuck out in tufts around them. It would have been cute on a guy who wasn’t bursting with testosterone. Messy hair on him only made her think of bed-head and that made her tummy flip. Bloody hormones. She’d be better off without them.

“Chloe, I’m kidding. It’s easy, I’ll show you.”

Before she could protest further, his hand circled her wrist and he spun her to face the scary looking machinery. Everything looked so…breakable. “Sander…”

“You’ll be fine. I won’t let you mess up.” He plugged in another set of headphones, moved to stand behind her, then slipped them onto her head. “Just feel the beat. I’ll show you.”

Reaching from behind her, he circled both her wrists in each of his hands and guided them to the LPs spinning on the machine in front of her.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m here.”

And
that
was the reason her hands were trembling. His warm body pressed against her back, his arms bracketed hers, and his breath whispered against the side of her head. With her whole body zinging with electricity and sparks, Chloe didn’t think she’d be able to pay attention.

“Why don’t you use CDs?” She felt like she’d been thrown back to the eighties.

“Preference,” he mumbled.

Chloe scowled down at the black discs. She was sure CDs would require little in the way of input from her. Less chance of her buggering it up that way. Sander flicked numerous switches and buttons with expert precision. Once he finished, she heard beats and electric-like sounds thumping in her ears. It wasn’t Chloe’s thing, but she could appreciate the complexity of the music. He reached for her hands again, then lowered them so her forefingers skimmed the spinning black discs. The friction heated her fingertips, but it wasn’t painful.

“Now we’re going to mix it up,” he whispered into the ear not covered with the headset. His breath brushed against the sensitive skin on her neck, raising goosebumps. “Watch the crowd.”

Chloe looked toward the glass wall. Below she could make out hundreds—no, surely thousands—of people, swaying and jumping around to the music. Without warning, he lowered her hands to the disc and applied pressure, not once releasing her. The sounds in her ear shifted, jerked, but at a part which sounded natural. He continued to guide her through the song, mixing it up, just like he’d said.

As they went into the next song, Chloe’s confidence rose and Sander’s hands slid from her writs to rest on the tops of her hands. He held her loosely, only pressing gently when he wanted her to move the discs. It was so intimate, the trust, the closeness of their bodies. Not to mention thrilling. She couldn’t help but beam with joy.

She felt like Demi Moore in
Ghost
, sans the pottery. This was the most intimate she’d ever been with a man while still wearing her clothes, and she didn’t even know him. Not really. The song came to an end and Sander announced via the mic that the club was closing soon. Chloe couldn’t believe it was so late. Time had flown by, and she didn’t want to leave, didn’t want him to let her go.

Several heartbeats passed. She was still bracketed by his arms, still craving the closeness of his body. Chloe didn’t know whether it was the trust he’d shown by letting her have a go at the decks, or the spine-tingling kiss he’d given her earlier, but she leaned back against him. His warm, firm hands slid to her stomach and she sighed at the contact. His chin rested on her head while they watched the crowd get ready to leave.

Sander’s hands skimmed up her sides to her shoulders. He slipped her headset off then removed his and dumped them on the machinery to the side.

She turned to him, not knowing what to expect. Another sexy grin, some hint he wanted her? Chloe didn’t know which she’d prefer, but she braced herself for either. The question was could she take this further than
pretend
with Sander? Did she want to get tangled up with another man, especially when her mum needed her? Not to mention a man as busy as he was. When she met his gaze, the heat in his stormy eyes made her breath hitch and her stomach quiver. She lost the ability to think.

* * * *

Sander’s whole body was rigid with need. Barely a few hours ago, he’d known what it was like to have Chloe’s soft, slender curves molded to every inch of him. Felt her tremble, heard her soft sigh, tasted her sweet lips. Heated blood still pounded through his veins.

But the look in her eyes now, hot and needy, but also confused and worried, froze him to the spot. She wanted him, her earlier response to his kiss proved it, but she bore a broken heart. Messy emotions weren’t his thing. Christ, he didn’t do emotions himself. Or so Sienna had told him, but what he had with her wasn’t supposed to be about love. Sienna knew he couldn’t give her a family, and the supermodel in her had insisted she didn’t want kids. It seemed love was a different issue, but Sander had no idea what love was.

He had to back off from Chloe, stick to the deal before it took a nose dive and he was left to face the happy couple on his own.

Sander took a reluctant step back. Her sigh of relief solidified his determination. “I better take you home. Your interview’s at ten in the morning.”

Chloe nodded. Linking her fingers in front of her, she licked her lips. “Sander, I’m going to be judged on what I can do, not your recommendation, right?”

“Yes, I told you that.”

She bit her lip and nodded warily.

“Do you want me to call in a favor, ask them to give the job to you?” Maybe he’d had it wrong before.

When he’d dangled the interview in front of her, he’d thought he caught a spark of anger in her eyes. Like he’d done something unacceptable. Then seen relief in her expression when he’d said she had to prove herself. He respected her for that.

“No, of course not,” she replied.

He couldn’t doubt the sincerity in her eyes.

“I just want to know if I get the job, it’s because I’m good at what I do. Because they like me.”

She dipped her head. Sander tilted her chin back up so he could read her eyes. The defeat in her expression made his heart squeeze. He dropped his hand immediately. Dammit, he never got heart squeezes.

“Why wouldn’t they like you, Chloe? You’re amazing.”

Why else would he be going out his way to help her mother so he could pretend to date her? He’d never gone to so much effort for a woman in his life.

Chloe’s smile could have blinded him. It lit up her honey eyes as a blush scored her high cheekbones. Sander felt another squeeze, but thankfully, it wasn’t in his heart this time.

“Thank you,” she said simply.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” He held out his hand, worried he’d give in to the need burning through him and do something he might regret later.

They managed to reach his car without interruption from the press. He was grateful for the break. The picture of them kissing would be all over the tabloids tomorrow, and he didn’t think he could do it again for a reporter’s benefit. Not without dragging her back to his place for the night.

Kissing Chloe made him weak, made him want too damn much. Tangling sex with a pretend relationship wouldn’t be smart. He’d seen the pain in her eyes earlier, saw the confusion in them now. She wasn’t ready for a no-strings relationship, and he couldn’t offer her more than that. Hell, he’d be all over the place with
Do You Have What It Takes?
tour in a few months and recording with the band later in the year. Indignation heated his blood and he pulled the car door open with too much force.

“Are you okay?” Chloe’s worried glance eased some of the irritation welling up inside.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He needed to remember to keep his face blank, his dick in his pants, and the fact he was pissed off at his manager to himself. With a concerned look, she made him want to talk about how he felt, share his thoughts. Girl stuff.

Even if he knew how to open up, Sander knew that way lay trouble.

Chapter 6

“Spill it. Everything.”

Rachel didn’t even let Chloe step into the coffee shop. Her friend stood at the back door, one hand on her hip and the other blocking the entrance. Chloe groaned, knowing full well Rachel’s up-close-and-personal interrogation must be because last night’s kiss had hit the headlines.

“Can I at least get in out of the rain first?”

She tilted her chin to scowl at the heavens. The sky, black and gloomy, threatened to open up and drench her any second. It looked more like dusk than midday.

“Anyway, isn’t the shop busy today? Who’s out on the floor serving?” Chloe and Rachel usually worked alone midweek. It wasn’t until the weekend that the other staff came in.

Rachel stepped back to allow her entry. Chloe brushed past her to the line of hooks on the cyan colored wall. They’d painted it with emulsion left over from the remodel of the café last year, but the paint ran thin. Parts of the wall were still white. She thought again about buying a similar color to touch it up. It would make the start of the work day less depressing if she could come and hang her coat up in a nice, bright place.

“I saw you coming, so came back here to get the goss.”

“Rachel!”

Chloe darted through to the shop floor with Rachel on her heel. Her gaze anxiously scanned the tables to see if anyone needed served. There were only six customers, and they all looked engrossed in their papers. She breathed a sigh of relief. The shop was never to be left unattended. The interview went well, but she wasn’t sure enough about her chances to risk being served her P45.

“I’m waiting.”

Deciding to play it cool until she found out the true extent of the headline, Chloe made her way behind the counter and removed her pinafore from the docket below.

“Waiting for what?” she asked as innocently as possible.

Rachel darted over to a nearby empty table, lifted a discarded newspaper, and returned. She slapped it, front page up, on the counter with no finesse. Chloe’s gaze was drawn to the picture of a woman in the throes of passion, wrapped around Sander as tight as cling film. Thankfully, she looked different at work. She made a point of disguising herself, hiding behind the shield of makeup to ward off unwanted attentions. Although Sander apparently never got the memo.

“That,” Rachel stated, pointing to the picture of Chloe who had her hands fisted into blond silky hair and her lips welded to his.

She shivered as she remembered how she’d felt pressed against all that glorious muscle. Chloe sighed and told Rachel the truth about their arrangement.

“Oh.” Rachel’s face fell slightly. Chloe frowned. “It’s just…it looks so real, you know. Do you like him?”

Chloe was about to say yes, when her heart skidded to a halt. It was more than
like
. She didn’t know what exactly, but she was beginning to enjoy Sander’s company a lot more than she should.
Pretend
was the theme of what they were doing, but she had to admit the kiss didn’t feel pretend. Nor did the protruding length of him pressed against her stomach. Her core melted at the memory.

Rachel’s laugh snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What?”

“You really like him.”

At Chloe’s scowl, Rachel held her hands up. “Hey, he’s gorgeous. No woman in their right mind wouldn’t notice.”

Chloe’s scowl didn’t leave her face. Merely commenting on his looks felt like an injustice. He’d helped her find her mum and lent her his strength when all hers had fled under the panic. He’d taken her out and made her smile, laugh, and feel more alive than she ever had. There was no doubt he was pushy, high-handed, and she still wondered at times about his sanity, but he was more than a slab of melt-your-knickers-off muscle.

“He’s a good man and spending time with him isn’t a chore.”

Intent on ending the conversation, she rose from the table and stopped dead when she saw the man in question in front of her. Jaw slack, her mouth swung open.

How much did he hear?
A warm flush crept up her neck, despite the arctic temperature outside.