Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
She let out a short laugh. “It’s just a white T-shirt I got in a thrift store. I get a lot of my clothes by thrifting.”
“Really? Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve never been inside a thrift store.”
She laughed again, this time with her whole body. “Clearly, you don’t need to thrift shop.”
For the first time, he felt like he’d put his foot in it. He didn’t want Tessa to feel bad for not having the same financial resources he did.
Besides, he liked new experiences. “Maybe some time you can take me to one?”
She looked down at him as though she thought he might be teasing her. Then, realizing he was serious, she shrugged. “I’d be happy to.”
* * *
Tessa was having trouble focusing, which she never did when she was working with a client. But with Arch, everything was different. Her hands were going through the motions, helping with his workout, but her mind was on his muscles as they rippled beneath her touch. She felt the heat of his flushed skin, was stirred by his nearness and the sound of his breath as he lifted the weights, each movement wafting his fresh, delicious scent to her.
Little beads of sweat gathered at his temples, and she wanted to wipe them away, smooth back the brown hair that curled there. Her heart was beating so uncontrollably that she was worried he might hear it.
She had never felt this attracted to someone before, let alone someone she hardly knew. Her husband had certainly never made her feel this way.
Lewis had been really unpleasant toward the end of his life—throughout their entire marriage, really. She still felt bad lusting after Arch in a way she never had with the man to whom she’d said her vows.
Plus, she didn’t know how to respond to his request to go with her to a thrift store. At first, she’d thought he was teasing her, but no. He’d been serious. No doubt he’d use what he learned to create one of his movie characters, because he certainly didn’t have to worry about finding bargains in real life.
Luckily, she was saved from answering by the ring of Arch’s phone.
He put down the weights with a thud and apologized. “I bet I know who that is,” he said, clearly annoyed that his workout was being interrupted.
She helped him sit up, although his core was clearly strong enough for him to do it alone. She allowed herself a moment to imagine his perfect, tanned six-pack—which she knew she’d likely see in the very near future during one of his workouts—and shivered a little.
“Would you mind?” he asked, gesturing to the glass coffee table where his cell vibrated.
“No problem,” she replied, trying not to seem flustered. She fetched the phone, wondering if the caller was Sonia Montefiore. He’d told the girls on the beach that they were not a couple, but had that just been to throw them off the scent? Margaret had sounded one hundred percent certain that they weren’t. But then, if it was his girlfriend calling, she didn’t think he’d seem so annoyed.
Not wanting to intrude on his privacy, she didn’t look at the screen as she passed the phone to him. Nonetheless, she was immediately relieved to hear a male voice on the other end of the line. Which was ridiculous, given that whether he had a girlfriend or not had no bearing on her work with him as a client. She couldn’t imagine a world in which someone totally normal like her would end up with someone as famous and larger-than-life as Archer Davenport.
“Hi, Jay.” Arch listened, his expression turning downcast. “I see.” And then, “You know I don’t want to do that.” More silence. Arch was actively frowning now. “Yeah, I know you’re just doing your job, but can’t you buy me some time?” He listened some more and then snapped, “Got it.”
The call ended abruptly, and Arch shook his head as he placed his cell beside him on the floor.
Tessa waited, not wanting to pry, but she couldn’t help wondering who had upset him so much.
“That was my agent, Jay Malone,” he explained without her needing to ask. “Someone with a big mouth alerted the media to my injury. There’s a bunch of talk online. The studio wants to control the story, so a news crew is coming by to interview me later. Obviously, I don’t want to speak to the press, but it seems like I don’t have a choice. All part of the job.”
“Who would do that?” she asked. “Who would leak something so personal about you to the media?” She couldn’t imagine having her privacy invaded that way.
“People who want to make a quick buck. People who talk too much.” He shrugged, though he was clearly still irritated. “Could have been someone on set, someone working at the hospital. Who knows?”