THE BACHELOR'S BED

by Jill Shalvis

  "I spilled. I'm … sorry."

  "It doesn't matter," he said, still staring down at himself.

  Lani stared too, because wow, with his wet shirt pasted to that fabulous chest, the blood rushed right out of her head, which made thinking a tad dangerous to her health.

  "It's the project that's so important."

  She concentrated on his words with effort. "Project?"

  "I'm designing a laser-surgery process," he said, pulling at his shirt. "It's so close."

  "Laser surgery. They already have that."

  "This is different—better." His voice told her how important this was to him. "Less cutting," he said earnestly. "Less time under anesthesia. It'll revolutionize the way surgeries are performed."

  And would help countless numbers of people. Lani's save-the-world heart squeezed.

  Her crush on him tripled.

  "You'll save so many lives," she marveled. A modern day hero, she thought.

  "The surgeons will save the lives." He moved close again, his eyes flashing with passion, and though she knew it wasn't directed at her, it made her dizzy anyway. Capturing her head in his big, warm hands, he tipped it up to stare down into her eyes. "But I can't finish, they won't leave me alone. No one will leave me alone. They want me out socializing, dating, spending the money I don't care about. I need help."

  "You do?" With his long, powerfully built body against hers it was hard to imagine him needing help from someone like her.

  "I need a fictional fiancée." His gaze held hers captive. "I know how this sounds, Lani, but will you marry me? For pretend?"

  The situation finally overcame Lani's sensory pleasure. Yes, she was plastered up against the door, held there by the fabulous body she'd fantasized over for months, but had he just really asked… "M-m-marry you?" She hadn't stuttered since kindergarten, nearly twenty years before, but suddenly her tongue kept tripping over itself. "B-b-but…"

  At that moment, Carmen finally made it to the back door and knocked with enough pressure to wake the dead.

  Lani ignored her. "Did you really just ask me to…?"

  "Yes." Colin drew a deep, ragged breath. "I've thought about it, planned it all out. I know this is a huge imposition, and I promise to compensate you…" At her soft sound of dismay, he hurried on. "I'm not trying to insult you, but I'm aware of what I'm asking and that it's an inconvenience, to say the least."

  She couldn't help it, she laughed.

  He frowned. "This isn't funny."

  "No, it's not," she agreed. An inconvenience to be married to him? Not likely.

  "It won't be easy, but I've watched you all year now. You're smart, funny and, best yet, even-tempered. We can do this."

  He'd watched her all year.

  At her expression, he hesitated. "You understand, this is pretend. I just need the pretense of being engaged while I finish my project." His hands were still on her face. Rough skin, tender touch. "Lani?" Maybe she ought to vow to risk more often because, holy cow, this was more like the thrilling life she'd dreamed about for herself since she'd been a young girl remembering her happy, romantic parents. During those first painful years she'd wondered what kind of man would eventually sweep her off her feet. She'd wondered as time had gone by as well, even as she put up mental barriers to avoid the intimacy she so feared.

  Now Colin wanted her.

  No, she corrected, he needed, not wanted. There was a difference and she would do well to remember it. His proposed arrangement was too easy to romanticize. Colin needed time for his laser project, which would save countless thousands. She could be a part of that altruistic cause by helping him out.

  And be married to him at the same time. Carmen pressed her face against the window in the door, ruining the moment, glaring over Lani's shoulder as she tried to see. When she caught sight of Colin wrapped around Lani, her eyes widened comically.

  Lani turned her head and concentrated on the warm male pressed against her.

  "I just need your agreement," Colin urged in that rough yet silky voice.

  It wasn't that she wasn't paying attention, she was. Yet she couldn't help but wonder—how did an inventor get such a great body? She'd seen plenty of great bodies before, but she so rarely had one held against her this way. It made thinking curiously difficult.

  "I know this is really sudden, and a big decision, but I can't work like this." Colin dropped his forehead to hers. "I have to have more peace and quiet. It's crucial."

  "I understand." His mouth was close enough to kiss if she just leaned forward a fraction of an inch. Her heart raced.

  "It's urgent we resolve this before—" The phone rang, echoing strangely in his large house. "Damn."

  It rang and rang, in tune now to Carmen's persistent and annoying knocking.

  Colin's eyes seemed even more wild, more desperate, and because she'd never seen him anything less than completely put together, it startled her.

  "Will you help me?" he asked.

  "Well…"

  "We're not strangers."

  "Uh … no. But…"

  "And you know I'm not a mass murderer," he urged. "Or a criminal of any kind."

  "Yes. But…"

  "Lani." He stepped close again, but didn't touch her. "I'll give you anything in my power, just name it. Money?"

  "No!"

  "A trip somewhere?"

  Lani knew her eyes had lit up; she'd never had the chance to go anywhere. "I would never accept such a thing."

  "Hawaii," he said rashly.

  Hawaii. A personal fantasy of hers. "No. No, thank you," she added gruffly, knowing she was going to regret this in the deep dark of the night.

  "I'll do anything for you in return," he assured her. "Your business … could you use another client?"

  Only desperately. "Sure."

  "Then please, add my downtown building to your client list. Daily."

  Just like that, he'd upped her income. Not only upped it, probably tripled it. He could have no idea what that meant to her, and though she knew it was a pity that he felt he had to offer a bribe, she shamelessly took it, thinking of the extra hours she'd be able to offer her employees. "That's … very generous. Thank you."

  "Will you do it?"

  Despite her little fantasies, Lani was commitment shy, always had been. She was intelligent enough to realize that most of what made her life so good was the fact that she concentrated on others rather than on herself. The town of Sierra Summit was fairly small, only about seven thousand people in all, and she mothered, sistered and babied a good many of them. Her business was struggling constantly to break even, but only because she didn't charge enough and hired people who needed her more than she needed them. Her business handled mostly industrial work because there weren't too many residents who needed or could afford a housecleaner—Colin being the exception, of course. It wasn't much of an effort to keep everyone happy and satisfied, and Lani genuinely cared about them all, but even so, she still managed to hold everyone at a distance.

  This came from a deeply ingrained fear of getting involved, of getting hurt. Whether it went back to losing her family so young or to something much more simple—her own basic shyness, for example—she didn't know and didn't often try to analyze. Colin had said this would be just for show, but she didn't fool herself, it would be complicated, and as a rule she didn't do complicated well.

  Stalling, she offered a crooked smile as he once again pulled his wet shirt away from his body. "I don't really know you," she said finally.

  The phone rang again and Colin cursed under his breath. His shoulders sagged and his eyes went even more wild.

  Carmen knocked.

  Colin growled and yanked the door open. In contrast to the tension pouring from him, he spoke slowly, distinctly, and appeared surprisingly calm, considering how white his knuckles were on the knob. "I need another moment with your boss," he said through his teeth, which were bared in a mockery of a smile. He waited until Carmen read his lips and nodded reluctantly. "
Alone," he added firmly when Carmen would have entered.

  The older woman's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, but she backed off the threshold. As she turned away, she stuck her tongue out at him.

  Lani held her breath, but he didn't seem to notice.

  Colin shut the door. His gaze whipped back to Lani, and there was no mistaking his recklessness now. "It's not all that difficult an issue," he assured her. "I'm an open book. Truly."

  Lani let out a little laugh, for he was the most closed-mouthed person she'd ever known. And also, something else bothered her—why her? Surely he could have asked anyone and got a resounding oh boy, pretty please, yes!

  Her silence must have scared him. "All right." He plowed his fingers through his hair as he turned in a slow circle. "You want to know me." He faced her and shrugged. "It's simple, really. I'm … technically inclined. I don't drink or do drugs … I like fast, sleek, sexy cars … and I'm fairly certain I don't snore."

  When the phone rang yet again, his words came faster. "I like classical music, smart dogs and spicy Mexican food. And I always put the seat down. Now," he added tightly over the annoying phone, "will you agree?"

  Lani would never know what came over her, whether it was the unexpected flash of loneliness she'd experienced that morning, or just the deep, inexplicable yearning she felt for this man.

  Risk, she reminded herself.

  Help him with his great project. Help him help you out of the rut your life has become. "Okay," she whispered. Because that sounded weak, she licked her lips and simply, confidently said, "Yes."

  Surprise flitted across his features and he held himself very still, clearly unsure if he'd heard correctly. "Did you just say yes?"

  "Yes." Oh, God, she couldn't believe she was going to do this. "I mean, what the heck. I love spicy Mexican food, too. Let's do it."

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  « ^ »

  The tension drained from Colin's shoulders and while he didn't quite smile, some of the strain left the lines around his mouth. "Well," he said, obviously relieved.

  "Yes. Well." Lani grabbed her broom and laughed again, a little giddily. "I feel swept off my feet."

  "For pretend," he clarified, eyes sharp on hers. "You feel swept off your feet for pretend."

  Darn, she had a pesky habit of forgetting that. "Right."

  He opened his mouth to say something, but Carmen stuck her face against the glass again, looking like a troll doll as she scrunched up her features to see better. Colin held up his finger for another minute.

  Carmen rolled her eyes and disappeared.

  "Um … Mr. West?"

  He smiled at Lani for the first time, and wow, it was a stunner. "I think under the circumstances," he said, "you can call me Colin."

  "Okay." Lani smiled back, feeling a little dazed. What had she done? Had she really agreed to marry this wild, untamed creature just because her life needed a boost? "I should clean now."

  "Okay." He frowned, plucking again at his wet shirt. "Ouch."

  "Yeah, the cleaner is starting to burn a bit," Lani admitted regretfully, shifting uncomfortably herself. "I'm sorry."

  Without another word, Colin pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

  Oh, man. Oh, man. He was perfect. Wide sinewy shoulders, hard chest, flat belly, lean hips, and the most amazing eyes that drew her right in… She was getting light-headed, and it most definitely wasn't from the cleaner fumes.

  Colin ran a hand over his bare chest with obvious relief. "Better."

  Better, Lani agreed silently. There was a solid thunk behind her. Carmen had banged her forehead on the glass attempting to get a better look.

  The phone rang again and Colin sighed resolutely. "I have to get that." He looked as though he'd rather face a firing squad. "But I'll be back. We have to go over some things."

  Lani nodded, wondering if some of those things involved her wifely duties.

  Now why did just the thought of that give her a heady rush of anticipation? She wasn't promiscuous, not by a long shot, but somehow, with a man like Colin, she thought she might learn something about being a woman.

  Yep, the chemicals in the cleaning stuff she used were most definitely going to her head—and really starting to burn her skin. Too bad she couldn't rip her shirt off, too. At the thought, she let out another laugh.

  "Lani?" Colin dipped his head down a little so he could see into her eyes. "Don't leave yet."

  Did he honestly think she'd disappear now? He didn't know much about her if—

  What was she thinking?

  He knew nothing about her. Still speechless, a truly unusual state for her, she shook her head.

  She wouldn't leave.

  He looked at her for a long moment, and she wondered what was going through his mind, what he saw in her.

  Again, the enormity of what she'd agreed to do staggered her. What was she going to tell Great-Aunt Jennie, who was likely to be so excited to have wed off her old-maid niece, finally? She'd have a heart attack!

  It was just pretend, she reminded herself. No real heart involved. Walk away when the project's done.

  Lani watched her half-naked boss—and, good Lord, her future husband—as he walked out of the room.

  Another unstoppable giggle escaped and she slapped her hand over her mouth. Giggling wouldn't do, it didn't become the future Mrs. West. "Oh, my God."

  Quietly, and since her knees were very weak, quickly, with a wide, silly grin on her face, she sank to the nearest seat, which happened to be the floor.

  * * *

  The phone had stopped ringing by the time Colin got to his home office, which suited him.

  Everything was good, he thought with relief. He had his fictional fiancée, and now, finally, he could concentrate on his work.

  All other troubles faded away as he did just that, with a hyper-focus born of necessity. Nothing intruded, not the Institute's hurry for his completed laser, not the fact he still had to talk to his well-meaning if meddling mother, nor that he had conned his cleaning lady into a pretense she clearly wasn't prepared for.

  His fingers raced over the keyboard of his computer, his mind locked deep in the complicated equations he was formulating. He was so close to perfecting his compact mini-laser, all he needed was time, uninterrupted time.

  Turning to the console behind his desk, he lifted part of the scale model of his invention. He worked on many projects at a time for various conglomerates and institutions all over the world, but he had also incorporated himself. Generally he worked out of a large converted warehouse downtown, but this home office allowed him the privacy he sometimes craved.

  The laser component hummed when he activated it. A miracle, and the miracle lay in the palm of his hand. Finally, after months and months of work, everything had begun to gel. Just as he let out a rare smile in response to the thrill of that, the phone rang, startling him from his intense concentration.

  Blowing out a breath of frustration, he grabbed the phone.

  "Darling, you haven't returned a single one of my calls," said his mother before he had a chance to open his mouth.

  Thirty-two years old and that tone could still plant a headache between his eyes as fast as lightning. "I know. I—"

  "How are you? I hope you're good, you work too hard. Listen darling, I'm in town for the night only. I'm at the Towers with Aunt Bessie and Aunt Lola."

  Oh, God, all three of them at once. They were just women; petite, innocuous, elderly. But together, this team of New York, Italian, Catholic-raised siblings had guilt-laying and conformity-forcing down to a science. Colin was convinced that together they could have conquered Rome in a day.

  And now they were in town. He rubbed his temples, knowing they cared about him beyond reason, which made it all the more difficult to hurt them in any way. "I thought you were going to be traveling all summer."

  "We are, we're just back to check on things."

  Namely, him.

  Sin
ce his mother had been the only sister to have a child, the three of them felt they co-owned him. Growing up, Colin had been raised by committee. His father had bowed out under pressure; after all, he was only one man. As a result, Colin had been fiercely watched over, fiercely disciplined and fiercely loved.

  He was still fiercely loved, he had no doubt.

  He just wished they would do it from a greater distance. Jupiter, maybe.

  "I wanted to remind you," his mother said. "Muffy is expecting you tonight." She paused, then delivered the coup de grâce. "I've confirmed that you will attend."

  "Now wait a minute…"

  "We want to see you, darling. How long has it been?"

  Only two months, he thought desperately. Had she and his aunts only been on their annual shopping trek in Europe for eight short weeks? He struggled for patience, in short supply on the best of days and this wasn't one of them. "We've spoken every week," he reminded her firmly but gently, not pointing out that even from a distance of thousands and thousands of miles, she still tried to run his life. "And I'm not going to the auction."

  "Charity auction," she corrected him. "It's expected, Colin. It's why we came back into town. Everyone will be there."

  Gritting his teeth to bite back his comment, he opened the delicate machinery in front of him and adjusted the micro-module with one of his tiny precision tools. "I can't. I have a—"

  "Oh, Colin, I do so love you."

  His heart softened. "I'm still not going."

  "Please? Do this for me. Honey, I don't want to be a hundred years old before you make me a grandmother. I—"

  "Stop!" He managed to interrupt and let out a short laugh. "Stop with the old. You and your sisters are the youngest old biddies I know."

  "Oh, you." But his mother laughed, too. "This is the second time you've disappointed Muffy. Take a break from building those robot thingies and come out with us tonight." Her voice gentled. "Have a social life, darling. You need to get married again and do it right this time. Please? For me."

  He might have laughed, if she were kidding. But she never kidded when it came to this—seeing her only child taken care of in what she saw as matters of the heart.