by Burton, Jaci
With Drew right beside her.
Which would be a huge, huge mistake.
SIX
DREW WATCHED THE PLAY OF EMOTIONS CROSS Carolina’s face as they climbed into the car. One of the things he’d always liked most about her was how smart she was, how she was more than what you saw on the surface. In college, he’d often run into her on the quad, and she was always sketching, or had her nose in a book.
Beautiful women were a dime a dozen. He knew, because he’d had plenty of them chasing him through college. But try to have a meaningful conversation with some of them and it was like coming up against a brick wall. A lot of them wanted to get their hands in his pants, and hey, as a young stud, he’d let them. But after you got out of bed, you had to have something to talk about besides where the next party was.
A beautiful, intelligent woman? Now that was something special.
He’d always kept his distance from Carolina because she was Gray’s little sister, and that had made her off-limits.
Until the night of graduation, when he’d had a little too much to drink—okay, he’d had a lot to drink. And Carolina had given him an invitation that had been too hard to resist. He’d forgotten all about her being his best friend’s sister then.
He hadn’t known then that she’d never been with a guy before. He figured as beautiful and as smart as she was, that she’d had a boyfriend or two.
Stupid move on his part, but he couldn’t say he regretted being her first. He’d only regretted turning tail and running after that. One of the most cowardly moves he’d ever made.
Now that he’d run into her again, this was his chance to maybe do it all over—the right way this time.
When they pulled up to her apartment, she turned to him. “Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming along to help today.”
She got out, and so did Drew.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he moved in step beside her.
“Walking you up.”
“Again, this is not necessary.”
“Do we have to have this conversation again? I’m walking you to your door, and you know why.”
He could tell she was bugged that he walked with her to her door. Admittedly, he enjoyed this aspect of annoying her, liked seeing the high rise of color to her cheeks.
She fished her keys out of her bag, then whipped around with her back to the door. “Thanks for taking me ice skating.”
“You’re welcome.”
She was guarding the door like a wolf protecting her young. In other words, she wasn’t going to invite him inside.
Good thing he enjoyed a challenge, because he’d promised her mom and Gray that he wouldn’t let Carolina work today.
“How about you show me what you’re working on?”
“How about you let me actually get some work done?”
“I’d like to see what your plans are for me.”
She arched a brow. “Why?”
He laughed. “What do you mean, why? Because if I’m going to be involved in this line, I’d like to know what it’s about.”
“You saw some of the sketches.”
“Not all of them. Show me what you have in mind.”
With a resigned sigh, she turned around and unlocked the door.
“If I show you the line, then you’ll take off, right?” she asked as she stepped inside.
He followed her in. “Absolutely.” Not.
“Okay.”
“Have I mentioned how much I like your place?” he said as he shrugged off his coat.
“No, you haven’t, but thank you. I like it, too. Good thing, since I spend so much time here.”
“So you’re a hermit.”
She laughed. “Sort of. Designers don’t exactly get out much.”
“I’ll have to change that.”
“Uh, no, you won’t. Not if I want to be able to show my work for Fashion Week.” She went to the kitchen and put on the teakettle. She automatically went to her coffeemaker and added water, then turned it on.
He smiled. It meant she was thinking of him. He liked that.
She handed him a cup and took her own.
“Come on up to the workroom with me.”
Her apartment had a loft, so he followed her up the stairs. Here, it was open, with a wide floor-to-ceiling window. Lots of white, from a wall-to-wall desk to a drafting table and a bulletin board that covered one entire side of the room. Tacked onto the bulletin board were sketches of clothes. All different kinds, from men’s to women’s, fancy attire to casual. On the desk were more sketches, but all in order, like Carolina had placed them that way.
“You do it all on paper?”
“It starts that way. My mind works best in freehand. Then I transfer each sketch to a digital notepad so I can add color and refine the shape.”
“Show me how you do that.”
She sat at the table. “For example, when I went to the game the other night, I did this sketch.” She pulled out one of the sketches of him skating. “I liked the movement, the fluidity of it. It made me aware of a man’s body. The way a man is in motion.”
She turned on her notepad and scrolled through several designs. One was a suit, another slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, another casual wear. Different colors, patterns, and styles, each more impressive than the last.
“You got all these from going to a hockey game?”
She looked up at him. “Inspiration comes from amazing places.”
“Do you show these to anyone?”
“Only my assistants who are helping me create the line.”
His lips curved. She frowned.
“So why show me?”
“I . . . don’t know. Because you asked, I guess.”
“Thanks. Your process is fascinating to me.”
She pushed up and he straightened. Drew walked along and stared at each sketch, Carolina staying right by his side as he perused each one.
He looked to her as he reached out for one. “Is it okay if I touch?”
“Yes.”
He picked it up and studied it, a penciled drawing of a man wearing casual attire. Workout pants, a henley, and tennis shoes. He looked relaxed, dressed in something Drew would wear on a weekend.
He tilted his head to look at Carolina. “I like this.”
“Really?” She worried her lower lip, which pulled Drew’s attention to her mouth.
“Yes. I’d wear it.”
“Are you just saying that so you don’t hurt my feelings?”
He laid the drawing down. “I don’t say what I don’t mean, Carolina. The reason I picked it up was that it caught my eye. It’s something I’d wear on the weekend.”
He saw the joy on her face. “Thank you. I haven’t shown my work to anyone, outside of my assistants, of course. And I pay them. It helps to get an outside opinion.”
He moved along the other sketches. Women’s clothes, of course, didn’t mean a whole lot to him. But the men’s did. She had a definite feel for men’s clothing. None of it was stuffy or buttoned up. It was all casual.
“I like all of it. I’d wear all of it.”
She laid her hand on his upper arm. “Seriously. You’re not just saying that?”
“I’m serious. I think you have an eye for what makes a man comfortable, and for what looks good. Maybe in my college days I didn’t mind looking like shit, but now when I go out I’d like to look put together.” He motioned to the sketches. “These would make me feel comfortable and fashionable. It’s a marriage of both.”
She threw her arms around him. “That’s exactly what I’m going for. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that.”
When she pulled back, she wore an excited grin on her face. “And you’re not even a fashion critic. Y
ou know nothing at all about fashion.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Your observation was wholly without prejudice. That makes it even more wonderful. You’ve made my entire day.”
“Awesome. We should celebrate.”
“Yes. I should celebrate by getting to work.”
“Or . . . we could go get some pie. I didn’t have pumpkin pie earlier.”
She rolled her eyes. “And whose fault is that?”
“Mine. You didn’t have pie, either.”
“I had hot chocolate. And a giant plate of food at the shelter. That’s plenty of calories for me for the day.”
He gave her the once-over. “You do have to eat again today.”
“Nothing’s open.”
He laughed. “There are tons of places open today. I know the perfect place. And they have pie. Come on.”
“Drew. I have to work.”
“Not today, you don’t. It’s Thanksgiving. And I promised your mom.”
“Seriously?”
“Come on. We can go get a sandwich and pie. And by the time we get back, it’ll be late, the day will be over, and you can sneak in some work if you feel you need to. I won’t even tell your mom.”
She gave him a look, as if by glaring at him she could get him to back down.
Not likely.
“I cannot believe I’m agreeing to this,” she said.
“It’s because you’re hungry.”
“No. It’s because of my mother. She was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be with the family for Thanksgiving. And she’s worried that I’m working too much.”
He leaned against her desk and crossed his arms. “Probably because you are?”
“No, I’m really not. I’ve got some very tight deadlines. I should be working today.”
Her gaze scanned the sketches.
“One day won’t matter that much, will it?”
With one last lingering look at her desk, she lifted her gaze to his. “I suppose it won’t. Let’s go eat.”
SEVEN
THE DAY HAD NOT TURNED OUT LIKE CAROLINA expected. Then again, she should have known Drew would be a force to be reckoned with.
So was her mother. Even from afar, Loretta Preston was formidable. It didn’t surprise her at all that she’d enlisted Drew’s cooperation in getting Carolina to take a day off. Considering she’d done no work today, she could have flown down to D.C. and had Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She could have flown out tomorrow and still had the rest of the holiday weekend to dig in and work on her designs. She’d at least have had some family time, instead of spending the holiday with Drew.
Though she had to admit, instead of spending Thanksgiving alone working, this had been a great day. She’d loved giving out meals at the shelter today, and ice skating had been fun. She just wondered what it was going to take to get rid of Drew, who didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer.
Her mother would be proud of him.
They ended up at the Gotham Bar and Grill, which sur-
prised her.
“We’re never going to get in here. You do realize that to eat at a restaurant on Thanksgiving, you have to make reservations in advance.”
He gave her a smile as they exited the car. “Don’t worry. I know people.”
She knew people, too, but it didn’t matter what connections you had on a holiday. You weren’t getting in.
He walked them right past the front door and entered through the side, by the kitchen, waving at the staff, who all waved back as if he did this on a routine basis.
“I suppose you eat here a lot.”
“You know, there are a lot of hockey fans in New York.”
She rolled her eyes as the waiters waved at them, too.
“Hey, Drew. Are you here to eat?” asked one of the guys, whose name tag read Heath, as he shook Drew’s hand.
“Yeah. I know you’re busy today, and we only want a sandwich and some pie, so we won’t take up a table for too long.”
“No problem. We’ll make room for you.” They followed along as Heath found them a small table in the corner that a couple had just vacated. He cleaned it up and they sat.
Drew looked at her. “What do you think? Turkey sandwich and some pumpkin pie?”
“That sounds perfect to me,” Carolina said, not wanting to inconvenience the staff or the patrons who’d made reservations. Obviously, Drew didn’t, either.
“Great,” Heath said. “What would you like to drink?”
“Iced tea for me,” Carolina said. Drew ordered a cup of coffee.
“Not a beer?” she asked when Heath was gone.
“Nah. Got a game tomorrow, which means warm-ups and practice early. I need my head clear.”
“So I can come disrupt your day tomorrow?”
He gave her a smile. “Sure. Come on by. You’re also welcome to come to the game.”
“Not a chance. I’ll be buried in fabrics tomorrow.”
“But you’ll watch the game, won’t you?”
“Uh, sure. Wouldn’t miss it.”
He laughed. “You weren’t planning on catching the game. I can tell. Now I’ll be sure to quiz you about it the next time I see you, so be sure to watch.”
The next time he saw her? Did he plan on making this a regular thing? They weren’t dating. They weren’t . . . anything. She had no time for a man in her life, especially not now. She was going to be knee-deep in designs and fabric and fittings until after Fashion Week.
She definitely did not have time for Drew in her life. Though she’d drawn him into her life by asking him to be one of her models, hadn’t she?
Or rather, her brother had. Damn Gray for doing that. She could have selected another model. She could have been alone today. She was already thinking about all the work she could have gotten done.
Then again, as she leaned back and assessed Drew, his angular looks and athlete’s body, who would be a better showcase for her work? She could already picture him in some of her designs. His body was perfect for them. Not too bad a sacrifice to make for one day’s lost work.
“You’re staring,” he said.
“I was. I was picturing you in my clothes.”
The corners of his mouth lifted, a sexy half smile that sent a jolt to all her female parts.
“I would look terrible in a bra and lace panties. But I’d like to see you in them.”
She laughed. “Not my clothes. My designs for men.”
“Oh, those. Got anything for me to try on?”
A thought hit her. She hadn’t put any clothes on her models, hadn’t brought any of the designs to life yet. That might really spark her creative juices . . .
“Actually, yes I do. Could you stop by my place tonight before you go home?”
“Sure.”
“I have a few things I’d like you to try on. They’re not exactly finished, but if I could get your measurements and fit you, it would help propel me forward in the process.”
“Happy to do anything I can to help.”
“Great.”
Heath brought their sandwiches and they dug in. Suddenly in a hurry, Carolina wasn’t even embarrassed about wolfing hers down. One, she hadn’t realized how much time had passed since they’d last eaten, and two, with the promise of inspiration on the horizon, she was eager to get Drew into her designs.
Unfortunately, he seemed to savor every bite of his sandwich. After that, there was the pie, which he seemed to delight in slowly sliding into his mouth bite by bite, while she tapped her foot and looked around the room.
“We should probably hurry so Heath can give this table to people who have reservations,” she said.
“You just want to leave so you can get me back to your place and out of my clothes.”
She gaped at him, then scanned the tables nearby to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully, the people at the other tables were too engrossed in their families to eavesdrop. “You do realize we’re in a packed restaurant.”
“So? Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”
“Yes.”
“What did I say? Aren’t you going to get me out of my clothes when we get back to your place?”
“I am not going to be taking your clothes off. You’ll be taking them off.”
He took a sip of coffee, then gave her a sidewise smile. “So, you want a striptease, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I? Or is this just some nefarious plan of yours to see me naked?”
“Are you sure there isn’t alcohol in that coffee?”
“Why? Do you think I need to be drunk to tease you?” He wiped his mouth and signaled to Heath. “We’ll take the check.”
“Let me pay.”
He gave her a look. “Why would I do that when I’m the one who invited you out to eat?”
“You’ve been paying every time we’ve gone out.”
“And?”
And . . . she had nothing, other than him buying all the time made it seem very much like they were dating. Which they weren’t. At all. And never would be. As far as she was concerned, Drew was nothing more than a mannequin.
A very hot, extremely sexy, breathing, human mannequin.
Heath brought their check, Drew paid, and they left through the front door. The car pulled up and they climbed in.
“This poor driver has been at your beck and call all day. What a terrible Thanksgiving for him.”
“Jason has been very well paid for it, too, haven’t you, Jason?”
“Yes, sir. Making all my Christmas money off you today, Mr. Hogan.”
Drew laughed and leaned back in the seat.
When they got back to her apartment, Carolina took off her coat and stared at Drew, pondering what she’d like to see him in.
“I suppose the first thing I need to do is measure you.”
His eyes gleamed and she could read the dirty thoughts in his head as if he were telegraphing them from his brain directly to hers.
