her eye flat out refused to operate independently. She ended up scrunching her face and shutting both eyes. Twice. “Ha, ha.” She backed out of the room, hands gripped tight in front of her, only to let out a yelp as she stepped on the tail of Gemini, who screeched at the injustice.
Through it all, Max watched her, his head tipped, his expression quizzical. Actually, he looked as though he was trying not to laugh.
“Drama queen,” Tensley shot under her breath to the cat. Then she turned and bolted for the bathroom, where she closed the door behind her and sank against it to the floor.
After a minute, she opened her eyes, only to meet the scrutinizing gaze of the cat. “You followed me in. Really. We’re that close.”
A blink of gray eyes. Apparently she and the cat were that close and Tensley was the only one who didn’t know it.
Through the door, she could hear the muffled sounds of cupboards opening and shutting in the kitchen. Then a rattle of dishes.
“Found ’em,” she heard Max call.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered to Gemini. “This can’t be good to have him here. Can it?”
The cat responded by nuzzling against her and burying its head in her stomach. A second later, Gemini’s head had moved to behind her back and Tensley found herself nudged upward. Hard.
“Okay, okay.” Tensley grabbed hold of the edge of the sink and pulled herself to her feet. “You don’t have to be so bossy.”
Oh no. One look in the mirror told her that, even if she’d been imagining an extended sexual feast with a muscled Max, he could have only been thinking about the possibility of her being mistaken for a homeless person.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in a tangled mess, while the crumpled Seahawks T-shirt she wore was big enough to hide a couple of linemen in. Bare of makeup, her green eyes looked naked. And startled.
“Didn’t realize it was this bad,” she said to Gemini, who responded with a simpering gaze that said the level of badness was precisely the reason the cat had made Tensley stand up and look in a mirror.
“Oh, be quiet. If you know so much, you wouldn’t have let me answer the door in the first place, looking like this.”
From across the apartment, she heard the unmistakable whirring of a grinder. “Thank God,” she breathed. “At least there will be coffee.”
No time to linger on a full transformation. She’d have to work some sort of miracle in the space of a few minutes. Never let it be said that Tensley Tanner-Starbrook wasn’t up for a challenge.
She opened the opposite door in the small bathroom, hoping it led to her bedroom and breathing a sigh of relief when she was right.
A few seconds later, she’d located the master bathroom and peeled her clothes off to step into the shower, not waiting long enough for the water to get warm. Get in. And out. She was only temporarily derailed when the bar of soap skittered off the bigger boobs she forgot she had and landed on the shower floor.
She refused to give herself even one second to think about the fact that she was naked and wet, while Max was … just a couple of rooms away. Well, maybe one second. Or ten. But no longer.
Lightning fast, she dried off, putting on a thong and bra she’d found in a drawer and identified immediately as being from the newest Victoria’s Secret collection. At least she still had good taste in underwear.
She rummaged around in bathroom drawers until she located mascara and blush and then brushed her hair until it shone. She had new highlights. Red ones that brought out the auburn in her hair. Nice. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of doing that before.
“Coffee’s ready,” she heard Max call.
“Coming!” Not in the way she would have liked, but first things first. She brushed her teeth, wiped off her mouth and headed for the closet.
It was neatly organized, as she would have expected. To the left, costumes and slips of fabric corralled on hangers. To the right,
Through it all, Max watched her, his head tipped, his expression quizzical. Actually, he looked as though he was trying not to laugh.
“Drama queen,” Tensley shot under her breath to the cat. Then she turned and bolted for the bathroom, where she closed the door behind her and sank against it to the floor.
After a minute, she opened her eyes, only to meet the scrutinizing gaze of the cat. “You followed me in. Really. We’re that close.”
A blink of gray eyes. Apparently she and the cat were that close and Tensley was the only one who didn’t know it.
Through the door, she could hear the muffled sounds of cupboards opening and shutting in the kitchen. Then a rattle of dishes.
“Found ’em,” she heard Max call.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered to Gemini. “This can’t be good to have him here. Can it?”
The cat responded by nuzzling against her and burying its head in her stomach. A second later, Gemini’s head had moved to behind her back and Tensley found herself nudged upward. Hard.
“Okay, okay.” Tensley grabbed hold of the edge of the sink and pulled herself to her feet. “You don’t have to be so bossy.”
Oh no. One look in the mirror told her that, even if she’d been imagining an extended sexual feast with a muscled Max, he could have only been thinking about the possibility of her being mistaken for a homeless person.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in a tangled mess, while the crumpled Seahawks T-shirt she wore was big enough to hide a couple of linemen in. Bare of makeup, her green eyes looked naked. And startled.
“Didn’t realize it was this bad,” she said to Gemini, who responded with a simpering gaze that said the level of badness was precisely the reason the cat had made Tensley stand up and look in a mirror.
“Oh, be quiet. If you know so much, you wouldn’t have let me answer the door in the first place, looking like this.”
From across the apartment, she heard the unmistakable whirring of a grinder. “Thank God,” she breathed. “At least there will be coffee.”
No time to linger on a full transformation. She’d have to work some sort of miracle in the space of a few minutes. Never let it be said that Tensley Tanner-Starbrook wasn’t up for a challenge.
She opened the opposite door in the small bathroom, hoping it led to her bedroom and breathing a sigh of relief when she was right.
A few seconds later, she’d located the master bathroom and peeled her clothes off to step into the shower, not waiting long enough for the water to get warm. Get in. And out. She was only temporarily derailed when the bar of soap skittered off the bigger boobs she forgot she had and landed on the shower floor.
She refused to give herself even one second to think about the fact that she was naked and wet, while Max was … just a couple of rooms away. Well, maybe one second. Or ten. But no longer.
Lightning fast, she dried off, putting on a thong and bra she’d found in a drawer and identified immediately as being from the newest Victoria’s Secret collection. At least she still had good taste in underwear.
She rummaged around in bathroom drawers until she located mascara and blush and then brushed her hair until it shone. She had new highlights. Red ones that brought out the auburn in her hair. Nice. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of doing that before.
“Coffee’s ready,” she heard Max call.
“Coming!” Not in the way she would have liked, but first things first. She brushed her teeth, wiped off her mouth and headed for the closet.
It was neatly organized, as she would have expected. To the left, costumes and slips of fabric corralled on hangers. To the right,
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