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This couldn’t have been scripted any worse...or better, depending on the point of view.
Cassie lifted the dress and stomped back up the steps, her shoulder slamming into him as she stormed by.
“Wipe that smirk off your face, Ian. Nothing about this is comical.”
“Can’t you call someone with your phone?” he asked, turning to face her.
Cassie propped her hands on her hips. “No. I came up here to be alone, to think.”
Damn, she was even sexier when she was angry. But getting too wrapped up with Cassie Barrington was a dangerous move. She wasn’t a fling type of girl and he’d pushed too hard in the stables. Had she given in to his blatant advances, he knew she would’ve regretted it later.
He needed to do the right thing and keep his hands off her. He was here for two main purposes: keep Max happy and sign Lily so she didn’t go to his rival. Period.
But his hormones didn’t get the memo, because the more he was around Cassie, the more alluring and sexy she became. Of course, now that he’d seen a sample, he had to admit, he wanted to see more. That dress... Yeah, she looked like a 1950s pinup. Sexy as hell, with all the right curves and none of that stick-thin, anorexic nonsense, and she was even hotter with a slight flush from anger.
For the past two days he’d seen her working with her sister, training the horses and driving him unbelievably mad with the way her lush body filled out a pair of jeans. He’d seriously had to get his damn hormones in check and then approach her with a much-needed apology for his Neanderthal tendencies.
But now that he was here, those hormones were front and center once again, overriding all common sense and rational thoughts.
“How did you know I was up here?” she asked. “I figured all the crew was either in their trailers or back at the hotel.”
“I ran into Grant on my way to your cottage. He told me you were here. As I was coming in the back door, your cook, Linda, was going out for the night and she said you mentioned coming to the attic.”
“You came all this way just to apologize? I’m sure you would’ve seen me tomorrow.”
Ian shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “True, but I knew too many people would be around tomorrow. I assumed you wouldn’t want to discuss this in front of an audience. Besides, I think we need to address this spark between us and figure out what to do with it since I’ll be here several weeks.”
Cassie threw her hands in the air. “Could you at least turn around so I can put my clothes back on?”
His eyes traveled down her body, darting to the pile of clothes behind her, zeroing in on the leopard-print bra lying on top.
“Sure,” he said, trying to get the visual of her in that leopard bra out of his mind before he went insane.
Fate may have landed him up here with the sassy, sexy Ms. Barrington, and fate also provided a window directly in front of him, where he was afforded a glorious view of Cassie’s reflection as she changed. Of course, that made him a bit of a jerk, but no man with air in his lungs would look away from that enticing view. This evening just kept getting better and better.
Cassie would probably die before she asked for help with the zipper, so he didn’t offer. And she didn’t have any trouble. As the dress slid down her body, Ian’s knees nearly buckled.
Lush didn’t even begin to describe her. Her full breasts, rounded belly and the slight flare of her hips were a lethal combination.
“As I was saying,” he went on, cursing his voice when it cracked like that of an adolescent. “I realize that neither of us was prepared for the instant physical attraction—”
“You’re delusional,” she muttered as she tugged her jeans up over her hips and matching bikini panties.
“But just because I find you sexy as hell doesn’t mean I can’t control myself.”
Her hands froze on her back as she fastened her bra. Apparently his words had struck a chord. She glanced up and caught his gaze in the reflection. Busted.
“Seriously?” she asked with a half laugh. “Why did you even turn around?”
“I didn’t know the window was there.” That was the truth.
“And you weren’t going to say anything?”
Ian spun around—no point in being subtle now. “I’m a guy. What do you think?”
Rolling her eyes, Cassie shrugged into her shirt and buttoned it up with jerky, hurried motions.
Fighting the urge to cross the room and undress her again, Ian slid his hands into his pockets and met her gaze.
“You are stunning,” he told her, suddenly feeling the need to drive that point home. “I’m not sure why that statement caught you off guard.”
Most women in Hollywood would pause at such a comment, try to deny it in order to hear more pretty words in a vain attempt to boost their own egos, but Ian knew Cassie was different. She truly didn’t believe she was beautiful, and he had a feeling all that insecurity circled back to whatever the basis was for her vulnerability.
Damn, he didn’t have time to delve into distressed damsels. But there was a desire in him, something primal, almost possessive that made him want to dig deeper, to uncover more of Cassie Barrington. And not just physically.
That revelation alone scared the hell out of him.
“I don’t need to be charmed, Ian.” She propped her hands on her hips. “We’re stuck up here and lying or trying to make me want you isn’t going to work.”
“I don’t lie, Cassie.” When she quirked a brow, he merely shrugged. “I find you sexy. Any man would be insane or blind not to.”
Cassie shook her head. After zipping the dress into a white garment bag, she headed over to a storage box and popped off the lid. She flopped down on the floor, crossing her legs and offering him the view of her back.
He waited for her to say something, but she seemed to have dismissed him or was so wrapped up in the memories of the photos she was pulling out, she just didn’t care that he was there.
“You ever look at a picture and remember that moment so well, you can actually feel it?” she asked, her soft voice carrying across the room.
Ian took that as his invitation to join her. He closed the distance between them, taking a seat directly beside her. Cassie held a picture. A young girl, he presumed it was her, sat atop a horse, and a dark-haired beauty, who he assumed was her mother, held the lead line.
“That was my first horse,” she told him, her eyes still on the picture. “I’d always ridden with Dad and helped him around the stables, but this one was all mine. I’d picked him out at auction and Mom and Dad told me I had to care for him all by myself.”
Ian looked at the image of a young Cassie. “How old were you?”
“Eight. But I knew as soon as I saw him that I’d want him. He was skittish and shied away from the men, but when I approached him, against my father’s advice, he came right to me and actually nuzzled my neck.”
Ian listened to her, refusing to let himself fall into her sea of emotions. He’d noticed her and Tessa holding hands at the shoot, tears swimming in both of their eyes.
“I’ve never ridden a horse,” he admitted.
Cassie dropped the picture back into the bin and turned to stare at him. “Seriously? We’ll have to rectify that while you’re here.”
Ian laughed. “I wasn’t asking for an invitation. Just stating a fact.”
She turned a bit more to face him, her thigh rubbing against his. Did she have a clue that she was playing with fire? She may be older than him, but something told him she wasn’t necessarily more experienced.
Arrogance had him believing they weren’t on a level playing field. He had plenty he wanted to show her.
“I love teaching people how to ride,” she went on, oblivious to his thoughts. “It’s such an exhilarating experience.”
Cassie’s wide smile lit up her entire face. The room had a soft glow from the single-bulb sconce on the wall and Ian could resist those full lips for only so long...especially now that he knew exactly how they tasted.
Without warning, he slid his hands through her hair and captured her lips. She opened freely, just like when they’d been in the stables.
Ian tipped her head, taking the kiss deeper. He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to feel her hands on him as he explored her mouth, relishing her taste, but she didn’t touch him. Maybe she did know how to play this age-old game of catch and release.
Easing back, Ian took in her swollen lips, her heavy lids and flushed cheeks and smiled. “Actually, that’s an exhilarating experience.”
And God help them both because between the interlude in the stables and that kiss, he had the whole night to think about how this sexual chemistry would play out.
The real question was: Could he make it all night without finding out?
Four
Cassie jumped to her feet, instantly feeling the chill without Ian’s powerful touch. The man was beyond potent and he damn well knew it.
“You seriously think because we’re locked in here and we kissed a few times that I’ll just have sex with you?” Cassie ran a shaky hand through her hair, cursing her nerves for overtaking her as fast as those heated kisses had. “I don’t know what lifestyle you lead in L.A., but that’s not how I work.”
Ian stared up at her, desire still lurking in those dark-as-sin eyes. “Are you denying you were just as involved in those kisses as I was?”
“You had your hands all over me,” she threw back. “Just because I like kissing doesn’t mean I always use it as a stepping-stone for sex. I technically just met you, for crying out loud. I don’t know anything about you.”
Moving as slowly as a panther hunting its prey, Ian came to his feet and crossed to her. “You know how quick you respond to my touch, you know how your heartbeat quickens when you wonder what my next move will be and you know you’re fighting this pull between us.”
Cassie raised a brow, trying for her best bored look. “That has nothing to do with Ian Shaffer. That’s all chemistry.”
“So you don’t deny you want me?” he asked with a smirk.
Crossing her arms and taking a step back, Cassie narrowed her eyes. “Drop the ego down a notch. You just proved how very little we know about each other. You may sleep with virtual strangers, but I don’t.”
Ian laughed, throwing his arms in the air. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“Are you married?”
Shock slid over his face. “Hell no. Never plan to be.”
Commitment issues? Lovely. Hadn’t she just gotten out of a relationship with a man of the same nature?
On the other hand, Ian wasn’t cheating on a wife back in California. That was at least one mark in his favor. Okay, the toe-curling kisses were major positive points in his favor, but she’d never confess that out loud. And she wasn’t actually looking to jump back into another relationship anyway.
“No girlfriend?” she asked.
“Would I be all over you if I did?”
Cassie shrugged. “Some guys wouldn’t care.”
That heated gaze glided over her and was just as effective as a lover’s touch. Her body trembled.
“I’m not like a lot of other guys.”
He was powerful, sexy and wanted in her pants. Yeah, he was just like some guys.
With a sigh, Cassie laughed. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered more to herself than to Ian. “I’m actually playing twenty questions because I want to have sex.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t care a bit to answer a hundred questions if you’re considering sex.”
Lord have mercy, it was hot up there. Not just because of the ridiculous way her body responded to this charmer, but literally. The heat in the attic was stifling.
Cassie unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, exposing her cleavage area, but she needed air. She rolled her sleeves up and caught Ian’s eyes taking in her actions.
“Don’t get excited there, hotshot. I’m just trying to cool off.”
Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades and she so wished she’d at least pulled her hair up earlier. There had to be something up here. As she started to look around in boxes for a rubber band of any type, she tried not to think of Ian and if he had sweat on the taut muscles beneath his shirt.
Okay, that mental blocker was broken because all she could see was glistening bronzed skin. And while she hadn’t seen him without a shirt, she had a very good imagination.
“Can I help you find something?” he asked.
Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she caught his smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I just need something to pull my hair up. I’m sweating.”
There, that should douse his oversexed status a little. What man found a sweaty woman attractive? And she was pretty sure her wavy red hair was starting to look like Bozo the Clown’s after a motorcycle ride...sans helmet. She lifted the flap off a box in the far corner and shuffled things around in her hunt.
“So, why is an agent needed on a film set?” she asked, truly wondering but also wanting to keep his mind on work—which was what he should be doing anyway.
“Max is one of my top clients.” Ian unbuttoned his shirt halfway. “I often visit my clients on set to make sure they’re taken care of. And with this being a very impressive script and plot, I knew I had to be here. I’ve actually blocked off a good bit of time to spend at Stony Ridge.”
And wasn’t that just the news she needed to hear? Mr. Tall, Dark and Tempting would be spending “a good bit of time” here. Just what her very inactive sexual life needed...temptation.
“Yes,” she shouted as she grabbed a rubber band off a stack of school papers from her primary days.
“Max is a great guy, from what I’ve seen.” After pulling her hair into a knot on top of her head, she turned to Ian. “He and Lily are doing an amazing job, too. Lily seems like a sweetheart.”
Nodding his agreement, Ian rested a hip against an old dresser. “She’s rare in the industry. L.A. hasn’t jaded her or sucked the goodness out of her. She had a rough patch with a scandal at the start of her career, but she’s overcome it. She’s a rare gem.”
“And I’m sure you’ve tried to get her into bed.”
Rich laughter filled the space. The fact he was mocking her only ticked Cassie off more. But, if she were honest, she was ticked at herself for wanting him.
“I’ve never slept with Lily,” he told her, a grin still spread across his handsome face. “I’ve never even tried to. I’m actually hoping to sign her to my agency. I respect my clients and they respect me. This business is too risky and too exposed for anything like that to remain a secret. There are no secrets in Hollywood.”
“Is that all that’s stopped you? The fact that people could find out?”
Ian straightened to his full height and took a step toward her. Great. She’d awoken the sex beast again.
“What stopped me,” he said as he took slow steps toward her, “was the fact that, yes, she’s beautiful, but I’m not attracted to her. Added to that, I want a professional relationship with her, not a sexual one. If I want a woman in my bed, she won’t be on my client list. Plain and simple.”
He’d come close enough that Cassie had to tip her head back. Thankfully, he hadn’t touched her. Too much more touching—or, heaven forbid, kissing—and she feared her self-control would be totally shot.
Cassie swiped a hand over her damp neck. “Is everything a business strategy with you?”
“Not at all. Right now, I’m not thinking anything about business.”
The way his eyes held hers, as if she was the only person that mattered right now, made her wonder...
She may be naive and she was certainly still recovering from Derek walking out on her, but what would a fling hurt? Tessa had even verbally expressed Cassie’s thoughts on the matter. She’d married for “love,” or so she’d thought. Hell, she’d even saved herself for marriage and look how that had turned out.
“I promise I won’t ravage you if you’d like to take something off,” he told her with a naughty grin. “I’m sure your shirt will be long enough to cover things if you need to get out of those jeans. If not, I’ve seen naked women before.”
Yeah? Well, not this naked woman, and with that last bit of baby weight still hanging on for dear life, she most definitely wasn’t comfortable enough with her body to flaunt it. Even if she did indulge in a fling with the sexy agent—and she couldn’t believe she was seriously considering such a thing—she wasn’t going to make the catch so easy for him. What fun would that be?
Deciding to teach him a lesson, Cassie reached up and patted the side of his face. “You’re so sweet to sacrifice yourself that way.”
Cassie knew her mother had a box of old clothes up here. Perhaps something could be used to cool her off and make Ian squirm just a bit more.
As she went toward the area with the clothing boxes, she opted to keep Ian talking.
“So, tell me more about Lily.” Cassie pulled the lid off an oblong box and nearly wept with relief at the colorful summer dresses inside. “She’s very striking and has a strong resemblance to my mother.”
“When this film came across my desk, I knew I wanted Max to try for it and I was sincerely hoping they paired him with Lily. This role was made for her. She’s already got that Southern-belle charm your mother had, according to everyone on set. Lily has the sweet little twang in her voice like all of you Barringtons do.”
Cassie turned, clutching a simple strapless cotton dress to her chest. “I do not have a twang.”
Ian quirked a brow. “It’s actually even more prominent when you get ticked. Very cute and sexy.”
Rolling her eyes, Cassie turned back to the box and placed the lid back on. “I’m going to change. Could you try not to stare at me through the reflection again?”
Ian shrugged one broad shoulder. “I promise.”
Cassie waited for him to turn around or move, but he just sat there smiling. Damn that man. Now that she’d reminded him he’d seen her pretty much naked, Cassie had no doubt she’d just thrown gasoline on the fire.
“Aren’t you going to turn around?” she finally asked.
“Oh, when you just said not to look at you through the reflection, I assumed you wanted to let me in on the full viewing.”
“I didn’t want to let you into this room...let alone treat you to a viewing.”
Cassie resisted the urge to kiss that smirk off his face. He knew he was getting to her, and she wondered just how much longer she’d deny it to herself.
“I’ll move, then,” she told him, stomping to the other end of the attic behind a tall stack of boxes. “And don’t you follow me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He chuckled. “But you’re just putting off the inevitable, you know.”
She quickly wrestled out of her clothes and yanked the strapless dress up over her heated body. Her bare arms and legs cooled instantly.
“I’m not putting anything off,” she informed him as she came back around the boxes. “I know your type, Ian. Sex shouldn’t just be a way to pass the time. It should mean something, and the couple should have feelings for each other.”
“Oh, I feel something for you. And I plan on making you feel something, too.”
Why did her body have to respond to him? And why did she always have to be so goody-goody all the time?
She didn’t even have the ability to make him squirm. No wonder her husband had left her for another woman.
“I’m not sure what put that look on your face, but I hope it wasn’t me.”
Cassie drew her attention back to Ian, who had now moved in closer and was very much in her personal space. His dark eyes stared at her mouth and Cassie really tried to remember why she was putting up such a fight.
Had her husband ever looked at her like this? As though he was so turned on that all that mattered was the two of them? Had he ever made her tingle like this or feel so feminine and sexy?
No to all the above.
Cassie swallowed. If she was really going to do this, she needed to be in control. She’d been dominated enough in her marriage and right now she wanted something totally different. She wanted sex and she wanted Ian.
Mustering up all her courage, Cassie looked up at him with a wide smile and said, “Strip.”
Five
It wasn’t often Ian was shocked—he did live in Hollywood, after all. But that one word that had just slid from Cassie’s lips truly took his breath and left him utterly speechless.
“Excuse me?”
Raising a brow, she crossed her arms as if she dared him to refuse. “I said strip. You want this, fine. But on my terms.”
“I don’t do sex with rules.”
Cassie shrugged. “I don’t do flings, but here we both are, stepping outside of our comfort zones.”
Damn, she was hot. He never would’ve guessed the shy, quiet sister had this vixen streak. Of course, she admitted she was stepping outside her comfort zone, so perhaps this was all new territory. He had to hand it to her—she was doing a spectacular job. But he couldn’t let her have all the control.
Reaching behind his neck, Ian fisted his shirt and tugged it off, flinging it to the side. Hands on his hips, he offered a grin.
“Now you.”
Cassie laughed. “You’re not done yet.”
“No, but I’m ahead of you.” He met her gaze, the silent challenge thrown down between them. “I’m waiting.”
Even though her eyes never left his, he didn’t miss the way her hands shook as she reached beneath the dress and pulled her panties down her bare legs.
Just that simple piece of silk lying discarded at her feet had his pulse racing, his body responding.
She quirked a brow again, as if waiting for him to proceed.
Without hesitation he toed off his shoes and ripped off his socks. “Looks like you’re down to only one garment now,” he told her, taking in the strapless dress she’d donned.
And it was about to get a whole hell of a lot hotter in here.
She eyed the lamp across the room and started for it.
“No,” he told her. “Leave it on.”
Glancing over her shoulder, she met his stare. “Trust me when I say you’ll want that off.”
“And why is that?”
Turning fully to face him, she pointed to her body. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not one of those Hollywood types who starve themselves for the sake of being ultrathin.”
Crossing the narrow space between them, Ian ran both his hands up her bare arms and tucked his fingers in the elastic of the top of the dress, causing her arms to fall to her side.
“Oh, I’ve noticed.” He yanked the dress down until it puddled at her feet, leaving her bare to him. “And that’s precisely why I want that light on.”
Her body trembled beneath his. No way did he want her questioning her gorgeous curves or the fact that he wanted the hell out of her.
Without a word he shucked off his pants and boxer briefs and tossed them aside.
Her eyes drank him in, causing the same effect as if she’d touched his entire body with her bare hands. Dying to touch her, to run his fingers along her curves, Ian snaked his arms around her waist and tugged her against him.
“As much as I want to explore that sexy body of yours, I’m hanging on by a thread here,” he admitted as his mouth slammed down onto hers.
Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck. Their damp bodies molded together from torso to thigh, and she felt so perfect against him.
Perfect? No, she couldn’t be perfect for him. Perfect for right now, which was all either of them was after.
They were simply taking advantage of the moment...of the sexual attraction that had enveloped them since she’d literally fallen into his arms only a few days ago.
Ian gripped her waist and lifted her.
“Ian, don’t—”
“Shh,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’ve got you.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “What about a condom? Do you have that, too?”
Condom, yes. They needed a condom. His mind had been on the subtle moans escaping from her lips and getting those curves beneath his hands.
He eased her down his body and went to his jeans, where he pulled a condom from his wallet and in record time had it on.