“I’ll let it slide, then.” I look around. “Ronan’s taking a while. I hope no one is bothering him. Maybe I should’ve gone with him to run interference.”
Sadie laughs. “I think he can manage for himself. Is that him over there? Everyone is crowded by the door.”
Ronan’s head peeks out over the crowd, always the tallest in the room. As he comes closer, I see he’s flanked by two men and a pretty woman. At first, all my attention zeroes in on the lady with Ronan, and I’m hit by a wave of jealousy. She’s got light brown hair, swept into an elegant updo, and though she’s on the short side—at least compared to Ronan and the other men with them—her legs look long in her mile-high heels. Her black dress is so understatedly elegant that it makes my red Dior look garish in comparison.
“Is that…?” Sadie asks, her mouth hanging open.
I focus on the two other men, and it hits me.
“Oh. My. God. That’s…”
“Chase James,” Sadie gasps.
“And Sebastian Blake,” I manage breathlessly.
The star power that’s strolling toward us in our little ballroom at our little inn is unbelievable.
“How?”
“Ronan,” I conclude, and warmth that has nothing to do with the other two stars fills me. Ronan organized this to help us, to bring attention to our ball and make it a success.
Sadie turns to me, her cheeks pink. “That’s a good one you got there.”
“He’s not mine.”
“Hmm. You sure about that?”
“Unfortunately,” I whisper.
“What are the odds we both can bag movie stars tonight?” she whispers back.
Then the group is in front of us. I’m surprised they got here so quickly, with no one stopping them, but I realize the crowd is still stunned into inaction. I figure we have about two more minutes before everyone snaps out of shock and bombards us.
“Poppy and Sadie,” Ronan says. “This is Chase, Sebastian, and my sometimes assistant, Emma.”
The first thing I note is relief that the gorgeous woman at his side is just his personal assistant. Though I guess I’m just the nanny, and that hasn’t stopped us from having intimate relations.
“The hot nanny!” Sebastian Blake cries, and he does a very thorough perusal of me that makes me feel vaguely dirty, but not necessarily in a bad way. Such is the charm of the former child star turned bad boy.
“Now I understand,” Sebastian says with a wicked grin.
“Blake, be very careful,” Ronan growls.
“Whoops, sorry,” Sebastian says to Ronan. And makes a zipping motion with his finger.
“Oh, sure, you shut up for Ronan. Why don’t you shut up when I tell you to?” Chase James grumbles.
“Dude, have you seen Ronan’s right hook?” Sebastian asks.
“Good point.”
While the three costars inThe Wanderersare A-list movie stars and hot as hell, they all have different appeals.
Sebastian Blake is a pretty boy, with black hair, bright blue eyes, and chiseled good looks. He’s been a Hollywood fixture for most of his life and was a breakout star in his teen years.
Chase James is the hot new “it guy” in Hollywood. His hair is a rich, distinctive auburn, worn perennially messy. His eyes are a brilliant green, and his flawless bone structure looks as if it was sculpted by a master. His face belongs on an old-time movie poster or a Greek coin, with an indefinable star quality.
But it’s Ronan who draws my eye. He’s larger and a few years older than his costars. While Sebastian has effortless charisma and Chase draws the eye with a mysterious magnetism, Ronan is ice and steel. The other two would get by with their wits. Ronan would get the job done with his silent, towering strength.
