“Hey, Sabrina, I was— Holy hell!”
I turned automatically, a frown on my face.
When I saw him staring at me from the screen, for a few long, interminable seconds, I was so shocked, I couldn’t even move.
His gaze dipped low, lingering on my breasts.
I still couldn’t move.
He squeezed his eyes shut, so tight that tiny lines fanned out from the corners, then he opened them again, staring at me hard.
With a belated yelp, I jerked the dress up in front of me.
Slowly, almost lazily, his eyes tracked back up over my body and after what felt like an eternity, his gaze connected with mine. It felt like forever before he spoke, though.
He just...stared.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke
LOGICALLY SPEAKING, I was well aware of the fact that Sabrina Maxwell was a good-looking woman.
I mean, I wasn’t blind.
How in the hell could I overlook how pretty she was? We’d been working together for years. Rarely more than a few days went by that I didn’t see her, and usually, I spent a good hour in her company, every day, at least. Even from the beginning, several things about her had caught my attention, like the full, lush curve of her mouth, her dark eyes, tilted up ever so slightly at the corners, the scatter of freckles across her nose, shades darker than her skin. And her skin—how in the fuck did I describe her skin?
She’d mentioned off-handedly once that her father had been a mix of Cuban, Seminole and Caucasian. I guess that was the reason behind her soft, faintly gold complexion and those high, elegant cheekbones.
Her face, plain and simple, was a work of art, a study in contrasts, with those cheekbones, that soft mouth, a straight, narrow nose, combined with a strong, stubborn jaw. The dark sweep of her hair, usually kept cut to just below her shoulders, was a basic, no-nonsense sort of cut that was typical Sabrina.
I’d looked into her eyes, seen her mouth, her hair, those cheekbones, her shoulders, a thousand times.
I’d even noticed...other parts of her. It wasn’t like I went around ogling her or anything. She was my friend, and my employee. I wasn’t a total creep.
But despite having noticed her, up until this very moment, it had somehow escaped me that Sabrina wasn’t just a good-looking woman.
She was fucking gorgeous.
She stared at the phone, wide-eyed, and I stared back at her, equally shocked.
It was pretty damn obvious she hadn’t meant to initiate a video call. We’d both gotten fed up with Apple products and switched over to Android over the past year and I knew from experience that it was as easy as tapping the wrong button by accident.
We’d both done it before.
But this was the first time it had happened with Sabrina wearing nothing more than a bra of ivory lace that made her golden skin glow, and panties just a few shades darker. Her tits were bigger than I’d realized, plumped together and all but spilling out of the confines of her bra.
My hands itched to cup them, and I had the insane urge to bury my face in the deep valley between them and just breathe her in.
Abruptly, as though she was standing right next to me, I could smell her. She always had the most intoxicating scent and that was one thing I’d been trying to ignore for years—the way she smelled like oranges and patchouli and something else I couldn’t quite figure out.
My mouth started to water as I let my eyes wander lower, lingering on the dip of her waist and the swell of her belly.
Sabrina wasn’t built like any of the actresses I spent so much time with on set.
She was lush and full-figured and I could only imagine how soft she’d be—everywhere.
Her belly swelled just slightly over the lacy waistband of her panties and my dick started to pulse as I imagined hooking my fingers in that lace and dragging the material down, down, down...
She sucked in her breath and I dragged my eyes upward.
As if the spell had been broken, she jerked her hands up and something she’d been holding came between us, an instant barrier.
For a long, pregnant moment, we stared at each other.
“I didn’t realize I’d hit the video call,” she said, her voice surly and sharp. “Sorry.”
One of these days, I’d learn to think before I acted.
Today wasn’t that day.
Still staring at her, I said, “I’m not.”
She sucked in another breath, then spun away, treating me to the view of her back. That view was just as delicious as the front, providing me with an excellent view of her ass. My hands itched to learn those plump, ripe curves.
Get it together, man...
Her moves were jerky as she pulled something on. By the time she turned back to face me, tugging the dress down to cover herself, I thought I had everything under control.
Then I caught sight of her face.
She was chewing on her lip and her cheeks were flushed.
I immediately wanted to replace her teeth with my own, worry that soft lower curve, then kiss it, kiss her, until she forgot whatever it was that had her so frustrated. Of course, I knew what it was.
I wanted to—
“What do you need, Luke?” she demanded, cutting into my reverie. “I’ve got things to do. I’ve got to head to Louisville—”
“Why?”
Her scowl deepened and the insane urge to kiss her again became even stronger. I had no doubt that if I’d actually been there, I would have been kissing her. I could even picture it, sliding my hands under that dress, pushing it up, up, up, baring round hips and soft skin and that curvy, plump ass—
“...apartment and I’m meeting her soon.”
“Huh?”
She huffed out a sigh. Four years in and I’d gotten to know her pretty well. Usually, she took it in stride when I spaced out, but judging by the sound of her sigh—and the look in her eyes—she was getting annoyed. “You’ve been texting me nonstop. You interrupted me when I was speaking. And now you won’t even listen to what I’m saying? Are you trying to get under my skin?”
“No,” I said truthfully. “I’m just...distracted.”
Her eyes softened and she reached up, rubbing at her temples. “I know, Luke. You’ve got enough on your plate, worrying about your mom.”
“I wasn’t thinking about my mom,” I told her. I had no idea what drove me to say that. It was true, but I still didn’t need to tell her.
She frowned at the screen. “If you’re worrying about Kelly, I’m handling it.”
“I just saw you all but naked, Ina. I’ve got other...things on my mind.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Um.”
Normally so quick to retort, and that was all she managed to say? I was about to tease her but before I could, she cleared her throat. “I’ve got to get moving, Luke or I’m not going to make it. I’m taking your mom’s SUV. She won’t mind, will she?”
“No. But come by the hospital and pick me up. Grab our clothes, too.”
“Luke, I’m meeting her at five-thirty.”
“Then you better hurry,” I told her. “Don’t forget the clothes.”
I could see the argument forming in her eyes and ended the call.
As I leaned back against the wall, I closed my eyes and relived the memory of her answering the phone, wearing nothing but lace panties and a bra that cupped her breasts with such perfection, it left me feeling a little bit jealous.
“I WON’T NEED A RIDE,” I announced to the room at large.
Bella glanced at me. “Sabrina coming to get you?”
“Yeah, Sabrina’s picking me up. We’re taking a look at a couple of furnished apartments in Louisville. None of us want to be driving back and forth between Ulysses and the hospital every day,” I said with a shrug.
Devin said something else, but I ignored him, already focused on Bella.
She cocked a brow. “You two boys, I’m tempted to do what Mom always threatened—lock you in a room until you work it o
ut.”
“He’d lose,” Devin said. “He’d be afraid I’d wreck that pretty face of his.”
I flipped him off but didn’t bother looking away from Bella. “I’m probably staying in Louisville with Sabrina tonight, so we’ll be there first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.” She blew out a breath. “I want to be there, but one of the nurses is on vacation and I just got a text that the other nurse just went into labor—three weeks early. They need me in the office. We’re down to just two of us—for all three doctors.”
Her face crumpled as she looked toward the room where our mom waited.
I pulled my sister up against me. “Mom wouldn’t want you beating yourself up over this,” I told her, patting her back. “You know that.”
“I know. I’m just...I want to be with her.” She pulled away with a watery laugh. “I mean, you’ll threaten to punch the doctor if he confuses you.”
“Sabrina will be with me,” I reminded her. “And Chris will be there, at least. Plus, Liam’s taking a few days off and London’s plane will be in tomorrow.”
My baby sister had insisted on flying back home, despite Mom telling her she was fine. Sabrina had handled booking the flight earlier. I hadn’t even known about it until London had texted me the details and thanked for me for both the ticket and arranging for a car to pick her up.
Just the mere thought of Sabrina had me checking the time. It had only been ten minutes since I’d ended the call. I probably had another fifteen before she’d be here.
“Where are the apartments you’re looking at?” Bella asked.
“I didn’t ask.” Shaking my head, I patted my pockets, making sure I’d remembered to pack my wallet. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d left the house without my wallet—or cash, or credit cards. I did have the wallet, and I pulled it out to make sure the credit cards and ID were stowed inside. I’d had people demand ID from me more than once, insisting I couldn’t be the Luke Cochran. Sometimes, I pointed out that my name was just Luke—the wasn’t part of my legal name. Most of the time, the smart-ass crack seemed to elude them. “I had her looking at places that could offer two separate apartments. One for the two of us, and one for whoever else in the family wants to come and stay—multiple bedrooms, probably, because she knows there will be times when a couple of you will be able to travel down and stay the night.”
“Thanks.” She gave me a weary smile. “She’s amazing.”
“I know.”
Reaching up, she poked me in the chest. “You better treat her right. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Luke. Personally, knowing what a dog you can be with women, I’ve wondered what in the hell she sees in you.”
“Hey...” I rubbed the place where she’d tried to skewer me with her finger.
“Don’t hey me. Remember what I was yelling at you about a few weeks ago?” Her brows drew down tight over her eyes and she moved in closer. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, even though I kind of thought there was something between you two for ages. But you keep acting like a frat boy who can’t limit himself to just one woman—and again, your little threesome.” She scowled. “And now you’re engaged. It’s just...crazy.”
“That’s how it happened,” I said, blurting it out without even thinking about it.
Bella blinked, then slowly shook her head. “I’m confused.”
“I...uh...well. After all the pictures hit the ’net, Sabrina came over,” I said. Logically, I knew I wasn’t babbling. I knew how to think under pressure and even to my own ears, my voice was level and smooth, but I still couldn’t entirely believe the story I was selling my sister.
That didn’t matter...as long as she believed it.
“She lit into me, ranting at me about how stupid I was being and before I knew it, we were...”
I stopped, my brain momentarily fumbling to a halt.
Bella’s brows rose.
“Are you telling me that the night you were caught with a couple of Hollywood hotties, you ended up sleeping with Sabrina, too?”
“No!” I snapped. That sounded trashy even to me. Although the thought of getting Sabrina naked and under me was becoming more appealing by the minute. “We just...well, we had it out. We were in each other’s face and the next thing...” I reached up to rub my neck.
She took it as embarrassment, and that wasn’t too far off. I wasn’t very good at lying to my family and this was hard, but I couldn’t trust Bella to keep the secret and if it got out, Mom would hear about it and I couldn’t let that happen.
“You had no clue, did you?” she said softly.
I scowled at her. “What?”
She shoved me lightly. “You didn’t even know until it happened that she had a thing for you, and that you had one going for her, too.”
Sabrina had a thing for me? I started to laugh it off, then remembered the charade and stopped myself just in time. “Well, that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?”
Realizing I needed to get away and get my thoughts together before I did something stupid, I pulled out my phone and checked the time. “I’ve got to go. We’re on a time crunch. I’ll let you know about the apartments, okay?”
I’D ALREADY EXPERIENCED the hospital’s coffee, and that experience hadn’t been pleasant. But I was dragging, so I swung by the cafeteria and grabbed an energy drink from the cooler and a cold coffee drink for Sabrina. Just thinking about seeing her made my blood run hot enough that I probably could have benefited from climbing into that cooler for a few minutes. There were people around snapping pictures, and a couple of county deputies talking to a paramedic, so I figured that wasn’t the ideal thing to do.
On my way to the front to meet Sabrina, I tried to talk myself down but thoughts kept creeping in—like the memory of her tits framed by creamy lace, her hips, the full, lush swell of them. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been with a woman who didn’t have a gym-sculpted body. I’m not knocking fit women. I mean, I adore women. Skinny or thick, lean or lush, small-breasted or large, heavy tits that spill out of my hands, narrow hips or the lush and round ones I can grab onto as I bend a woman over and fill her. I adore the female form, their soft skin and curves, no matter how slight or full.
But the life I lead pretty much has me surrounded by a particular type. Hollywood is focused on the beautiful people. Anybody with a brain knows that.
If I wanted sex—and I almost always did—there was no shortage of women around me, and the women around me were pretty much typical of what Hollywood had to offer.
But nothing about Sabrina was typical.
And she was always around. Or almost always.
You had no clue, did you?
I scowled as Bella’s words sprang up to haunt me. Shoving them aside, I pushed through the doors just in time to see my mom’s SUV pull into the U-shaped drive.
Sabrina slowed to a stop and I climbed in, offering her the coffee drink.
She wore a pair of over-sized sunglasses, and as she glanced at me, I had the urge to pull them off so I could see her eyes.
I didn’t follow through.
She took the bottle and put it in the cup holder. “Thanks.”
That was all she said for the next ten minutes. I was used to her talking, keeping up a near-continuous monologue as she filled me in on my schedule, messages, and information I’d need for the day ahead.
The silence was uncomfortable.
By the time we were on Highway 62 and heading toward Jeffersonville, I was about to come out of my skin. “How did the talk with Kelly go?”
“How do you think it went?” she replied. She sounded tired.
“That bad?”
“She’s not exactly happy. She’s putting together a statement—we should be hearing from her soon.”
A statement. Shit. Fuck.
“I guess I should call her, huh?”
“You might want to consider it,” Sabrina said, her tone neutral.
Groaning, I dragged my hand down my face
and pulled my phone from my pocket, punching in the number for my agent. The phone was already connected to the Bluetooth in Mom’s SUV from previous trips, so when Kelly answered, both Sabrina and I could hear.
“Luke, it’s about damn time you called me,” Kelly said without any sort of greeting.
I winced. “Hey, Kelly.”
“Don’t you Hey, Kelly me. You got any idea what kind of circus I’m dealing with?”
“Well...” I shot a look at Sabrina.
She kept her gaze on the road.
“Is Sabrina there?” Kelly demanded.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t even go expecting her to help you out of this jam. Not with me. I’ve been dodging phone calls, texts...shit, at last count, I had more than two hundred emails just about this, you jackass.”
I swiped my hand down my face. “I’m sorry. Look, I panicked. Mom was talking like she was on death’s door and...shit. I panicked, okay? It wasn’t the smartest thing to do and I know that. But I can’t exactly go back and tell my sick mother that I lied to her. Not right now.”
Kelly huffed out a breath. “You realize that if I didn’t adore your mother, there is no way I’d be helping you out with this mess, right?”
“I know that.”
“Okay. So as long as we’re clear on that.”
The tension in my gut eased.
But Kelly’s next words had it roaring back, tenfold.
“But before we discuss the statement I’m putting together, we need to discuss one more thing—when this is all over, we’re going to work it so that somehow, you look like the jackass. You understand?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sabrina’s gaze whip to the dashboard for a split second before returning to the road. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“What do you mean?” I asked, although my attention was split between Kelly’s comment and Sabrina’s reaction.
“You know how shit goes down in Hollywood when a couple splits. Eighty percent of the time, the media comes down harder on the woman, no matter what. When it comes time, I’m going to spin it so that you look like the douchebag, Luke, because I’m not letting my friend catch shit because you panicked and lied to your mom. Your rep will survive a couple of shitty weeks being dragged by the media, and Sabrina deserves better.”
Cocksure (The Cochrans of Cocker County) Page 10
