been taking that trail.
TEAGUE GAZED AT KATE, the way the hair grazed her cheeks, the way her eyes sparkled, the way her lips were plump and moist and ready for him. He wondered if he’d have the chance to feel them against his again.
He shook his head. No. This was business. She wasn’t interested in a relationship and neither was he, no matter how damn irresistible she looked. No matter how close they were to his bedroom. No matter how . . .
“Teague . . .” Kate was calling him.
He shook himself out of his daze. “What?”
“Seems your girlfriend’s shy about you watching us dress her,” Justine said.
“Oh, of course. I’ll go check on our travel arrangements.” He went to his office and smoothed his sweaty hands on his thighs. Why was he feeling so nervous? Kate was playing along nicely. The ruse was working. The press had only dug far enough to learn she worked as the school nurse, that she loved the fried catfish at the Jelly Jar diner—sometimes asking for seconds—and that folks in town had no idea the two of them were dating. Oh, yeah, they dug up a pregnant teenage stepsister. Was it something in the water in Willowdale?
But smokin’ Kate popped back in his mind, doing things he shouldn’t be imagining. He smiled, picturing how sexy she’d look in her new clothes. She’d been overwhelmed by the dozens of new outfits Justine had unwrapped: gowns, sundresses, shirts and pants, shoes, sunglasses. Kate’s eyes had gone wide as she’d unpacked the bags and boxes. His throat tightened, wondering how she’d look in them.
Out of them, too.
“You can come in now, Teague,” Justine called.
He was more excited than he wanted to be. He walked over to her and planted his hands on his hips, taking it all in. A sparkly blue dress the color of the summer sky clung to a body that was even curvier than he’d dreamed. It pooled around her toes, which peeked out of silver high heels. He could imagine the whole ensemble heaped on the ground.
He cleared his throat. Her hair was piled on top of her head, exposing pale shoulders and a long neck. He wanted to run his thumb along her bare skin, skate his tongue along her jaw, up to her ear. Drop that hair down to her shoulders . . . Damn . He was in trouble. He hadn’t expected this. He didn’t want to deal with this. Not now.
“Well?” Kate asked, her smile faltering as he stood there.
“Very nice,” he managed to say. He went into the kitchen, because he wasn’t certain he could keep himself from taking her in his arms and hauling her off to bed. Which wouldn’t be a problem, he’d carried her up the stairs the night before when the sleeping pill had knocked her out, and she was his “girlfriend”—they did have an audience he could claim he was trying to impress.
But Teague didn’t need a girl like her anywhere near his arms, and certainly not his heart. A girl like her would find her way in. And she wouldn’t want what she found. She wouldn’t want him—the real Teague. The Teague no one had ever wanted.
Chapter 6
KATE LOOKED AT herself in the big mirror that hung over a couch and she didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her. Miss Least Likely To Raise A Ruckus Or An Eyebrow didn’t look half bad. Even so, apparently she didn’t look Hollywood enough for Teague. He’d barely squeezed out a compliment before stalking out of the room. How would she pull this off? What had she been thinking, agreeing to pose as his girlfriend? Despite plenty of cajoling from Tonya and Jeanne, she never even dressed up for Halloween, and here she was in the ultimate costume party: girlfriend to a Hollywood hunk. Insanity.
“I think that will do, Kate,” Justine said. “I’ll make arrangements for you to have a hairdresser and stylist for the premiere. We’ll have these clothes packed up and shipped with you.” She smiled primly. “I do hope you enjoy your adventure. Must be very exciting for a small-town girl to scoop up
TEAGUE GAZED AT KATE, the way the hair grazed her cheeks, the way her eyes sparkled, the way her lips were plump and moist and ready for him. He wondered if he’d have the chance to feel them against his again.
He shook his head. No. This was business. She wasn’t interested in a relationship and neither was he, no matter how damn irresistible she looked. No matter how close they were to his bedroom. No matter how . . .
“Teague . . .” Kate was calling him.
He shook himself out of his daze. “What?”
“Seems your girlfriend’s shy about you watching us dress her,” Justine said.
“Oh, of course. I’ll go check on our travel arrangements.” He went to his office and smoothed his sweaty hands on his thighs. Why was he feeling so nervous? Kate was playing along nicely. The ruse was working. The press had only dug far enough to learn she worked as the school nurse, that she loved the fried catfish at the Jelly Jar diner—sometimes asking for seconds—and that folks in town had no idea the two of them were dating. Oh, yeah, they dug up a pregnant teenage stepsister. Was it something in the water in Willowdale?
But smokin’ Kate popped back in his mind, doing things he shouldn’t be imagining. He smiled, picturing how sexy she’d look in her new clothes. She’d been overwhelmed by the dozens of new outfits Justine had unwrapped: gowns, sundresses, shirts and pants, shoes, sunglasses. Kate’s eyes had gone wide as she’d unpacked the bags and boxes. His throat tightened, wondering how she’d look in them.
Out of them, too.
“You can come in now, Teague,” Justine called.
He was more excited than he wanted to be. He walked over to her and planted his hands on his hips, taking it all in. A sparkly blue dress the color of the summer sky clung to a body that was even curvier than he’d dreamed. It pooled around her toes, which peeked out of silver high heels. He could imagine the whole ensemble heaped on the ground.
He cleared his throat. Her hair was piled on top of her head, exposing pale shoulders and a long neck. He wanted to run his thumb along her bare skin, skate his tongue along her jaw, up to her ear. Drop that hair down to her shoulders . . . Damn . He was in trouble. He hadn’t expected this. He didn’t want to deal with this. Not now.
“Well?” Kate asked, her smile faltering as he stood there.
“Very nice,” he managed to say. He went into the kitchen, because he wasn’t certain he could keep himself from taking her in his arms and hauling her off to bed. Which wouldn’t be a problem, he’d carried her up the stairs the night before when the sleeping pill had knocked her out, and she was his “girlfriend”—they did have an audience he could claim he was trying to impress.
But Teague didn’t need a girl like her anywhere near his arms, and certainly not his heart. A girl like her would find her way in. And she wouldn’t want what she found. She wouldn’t want him—the real Teague. The Teague no one had ever wanted.
Chapter 6
KATE LOOKED AT herself in the big mirror that hung over a couch and she didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her. Miss Least Likely To Raise A Ruckus Or An Eyebrow didn’t look half bad. Even so, apparently she didn’t look Hollywood enough for Teague. He’d barely squeezed out a compliment before stalking out of the room. How would she pull this off? What had she been thinking, agreeing to pose as his girlfriend? Despite plenty of cajoling from Tonya and Jeanne, she never even dressed up for Halloween, and here she was in the ultimate costume party: girlfriend to a Hollywood hunk. Insanity.
“I think that will do, Kate,” Justine said. “I’ll make arrangements for you to have a hairdresser and stylist for the premiere. We’ll have these clothes packed up and shipped with you.” She smiled primly. “I do hope you enjoy your adventure. Must be very exciting for a small-town girl to scoop up
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