“Stop. You’re already paying me a bundle for this house. I’m not charging you any more than that. I’ll drive you wherever you want to go.” Had he lost it completely? Yeah, probably. But somehow, he couldn’t stop offering to help. “And what about food? You’ll have to get groceries while you’re here.”
“I’ve got that handled.” She wore a proud little grin. “I can have everything delivered. My credit cards have only my first initial and my last name. Who’s gonna care, as long as they don’t see my face and put it together? I’ll just wear a wig and dark glasses when I answer the door. I figure I can sign fast, grab the groceries and get rid of the delivery guy before he has a chance to see through my disguise.”
He stared at her, kind of dumbfounded by everything—her, the situation, the way she planned to deal with it. She stared right back at him.
And then they both burst out laughing.
That felt good. So good. To be laughing with her at the sheer bizarreness of her world, at the idea that anyone would have to don a disguise just to answer the door.
When the laughter faded down and the room was too quiet, she waved a hand. “Talk about first world problems, huh? I’ve got a million of those.”
He shouldn’t ask. But he did. “What’s really going on with you, Madison?”
She glanced away. But only for a moment. Then she seemed to steel herself. She looked him square in the eye. “Well, beyond finding out I apparently have a big family I never even knew existed, I guess you could say I’m having kind of a life crisis.”
“How so?”
“From the age of six, all I ever wanted to do in my life was act.”
“And you got what you wanted, right?”
“Yes, I did. I’m one of the lucky ones. I made my dream come true. In the process, though, I seem to have missed out on everything else, you know? So, I’m thinking of quitting acting—or at least of changing things up in a big way. And I, um...” She shifted in the chair, drank the last of her beer and set the mug down hard. “It’s like this, Sten. I really need to get laid.”
You got it, baby, he somehow managed not to say. But come on. When America’s Darling says she needs to get laid, who wouldn’t volunteer to help her out with that?
Her blush had deepened to cherry red. “God. I hardly know you and I’m not even drunk.” She covered her face with her hands and squeaked, “I can’t believe I just said that.”
Her embarrassment only made her all the cuter—and he needed to reassure her, let her know that it was all right, that he liked a woman who said what was on her mind. “Hey.”
With a hard sigh, she sat up straight and dropped her hands into her lap. “Now you know. I’m a lost cause.”
“No, you’re not. You’re beautiful and smart and funny and...true.”
She looked at him so intently then, as though she needed to see inside his head and be absolutely certain he wasn’t mocking her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And believe me, I get it. I mean, I personally get it. I haven’t been with anyone in over a year.” He tried to be gentle and tactful with his next question. “So, you’re saying it’s been a long time for you, too?”
She took forever to respond. And when she finally did, he wondered for a second if he’d heard her correctly.
“Actually,” she said, “I’m a virgin.”
Chapter Three
Sten tried really hard to reconcile what she’d just said with the stunning creature sitting in the chair across from him.
She was beyond pretty. And she was a star. And what about that nude scene? Her sexy naked body on display at larger-than-life-size all over America. Yeah, she had a shy, little-girl side. But a virgin? No way would he have guessed that.
“Is it a religious thing?” he asked cautiously.
She shook her head. “I work a lot. Mostly, I’ve always felt I just didn’t have time for a man. I try to be free and open when I’m acting. Ready for anything, you know? But I’m a lot more cautious in real life. I don’t give my trust easily.” She seemed completely sincere.
But maybe she was just messing with him.
It was as if she’d read his mind. “Nope.” She flipped a shining hank of hair back over her shoulder. “Not a joke. And I’m not screwing with your head. I just, well, I like you. You’re easy to talk to. And here I am telling you way more than you ever could have possibly needed to know.” She blew out her cheeks with a huff of breath and then pretended to study her fingernails. “You should run. Run away, fast.”
“Madison.” She looked up into his eyes—and he gave it up and said exactly what he was thinking. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re too honest, too surprising and much too beautiful.”
As her smile lit up the room again, someone knocked on the slider. It was Coco, her little face squished against the glass. “It’s open!” Madison waved her in.
