I looked at him and nodded. It was his show. I was just acting in it. “Go for it. What are the rules?”
He narrowed his eyes and sighed. “I need to think of them still, but in my defense, I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”
CHAPTER 9
LUKE
Clara picked at her coat sleeves nervously while we waited for the elevator. I had her loaded suitcase at my side. No one had ever accused me of being a gentleman, but I knew enough to carry a lady’s bag for her, fake girlfriend or not. Luggage mostly rolled these days but the principle remained the same.
When the elevator arrived, we got in and I swiped my card over the scanner, allowing me to access the top floor where I lived. The doors closed and it was just the two of us in the small space. She smelled like vanilla and I wanted to breathe her in forever.
“How long is this elevator ride?” she asked finally.
“We’re heading all the way up. It’s a long ride but I promise the view is worth it.”
Clara smiled to herself but said nothing.
“What?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “I was just thinking. It would be a real long climb up if the power goes out. Or a long walk down.”
I laughed. “You know, one time, I took the stairs all the way up, just to see if I could do it.”
“How did it go?” she asked, seeming less nervous. Her eyes sparkled with interest.
“I made it to my penthouse—and then couldn’t walk the next day.”
The door dinged and opened up to my front door. I unlocked it and led her into the entryway, all dark wood and moody lighting. I rarely brought anyone back to my place, but when I did, I wanted to make an impression. Judging from the look on her face, it worked.
Her jaw dropped and she shook her head like she was waking up from a dream. “I’m stayingherethe next few weeks?”
“Well, this is just the foyer. You haven’t seen anything yet.” I wheeled her bag ahead of her and she followed me into the sprawling living room.
Lofted ceilings really opened the space up, and the wall of windows made it feel like they were on a mountaintop, looking down all creation.
“Welcome home,” I said, looking her way. The starry-eyed expression told me she liked what she saw.
“This place is incredible,” she said in awe. “I would never leave.”
“Well, leaving helps pay for this place,” I said with a chuckle.
“Do all sports announcers live like this?” She looked at me with a smile.
“Actually, TV money didn’t buy this.” I shrugged. “It’s a long story, but I’ve made some lucky investments. I can’t complain.”
She nodded. “Well, this place is spectacular.”
She looked so small, so fragile, and I felt the urge to wrap her in my arms and make her feel safe. Or maybe that was just an excuse to hold her. Clara was gorgeous, with curves meant for holding on to. Her bright green eyes drew my gaze, making me stare. I had to consciously turn my eyes to other things.
The arrangement we’d made was strictly business. Clara was doing me a huge favor by agreeing to this at all. I didn’t want to do anything stupid to scare her off.
Besides, she was Nic’s little sister. He would never forgive me if he found out I’d slept with her. It was bad enough I hadn’t told him about the fake girlfriend thing. But at least with that, it was purely innocent, aside from a little white lie. The money would make a huge difference in Clara’s life, but it would all be tainted if sex got mixed up in the deal.
No matter how much I wanted this girl, I had to control myself for the next few weeks. After? Who knew? If she decided to move to New York like she’d been dreaming about, maybe we could see what happened once money wasn’t involved.
Clara walked over to a shelf with some of my broadcasting awards on it. She picked up a delicate crystal microphone, which I’d won for best new announcer of the year. It meant the most to me out of all of them.
I immediately stopped imagining what she would look like in my bed and stepped toward her.
