“It’s time to end this, Jarett. Before we get in any deeper,” Meg said.
Jarett took a couple of steps toward her. “Are you talking about the body-double scheme we pulled off? Or something else?”
Meg twisted the towel she was holding and looked at him from lowered lashes. “What else would I be talking about?” she asked.
Jarett’s jeans became uncomfortably tight. He knew he should keep things strictly business between them, but he couldn’t. He wanted her—more than he’d ever wanted anything. He wanted her hair falling down around him and her glasses steamed up. He wanted to give them both a night to remember before they returned to the real world.
He crossed the room in a few quick strides, and curving his hand around the nape of her neck, he pulled her up to meet his hard, hungry kiss. He slid his hands up her back and into her hair, causing the silky tresses to slip out of their confines and fall down her back.
His body leapt in anticipation and raw desire. Taking a step back, he looked into her bright green eyes. “But Meg, this could be just the beginning….”
Two Sexy!
Stephanie Bond
This book is dedicated to the folks behind the scenes
at Harlequin, who work to bring us romantic entertainment month after month: the editorial department, the art department, the production department, the sales department, the marketing department, the public relations department and eHarlequin. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR…
Welcome to Blaze! I’m thrilled to be a part of this exciting new line and even more excited by the possibilities now open to us—as authors and readers.
If you missed Midnight Fantasies, the July 2001 Blaze collection, you missed meeting Rebecca Valentine, owner of Anytime Costumes. But you’re about to meet her sister, Meg, who agrees to run the shop while Rebecca is on her honeymoon. Meg Valentine is a teacher who’s yearning for a little excitement before accepting a proposal from her longtime boyfriend. Taking the job as a body double for a celebrity sex kitten certainly fits the bill! And while wearing provocative clothing and evading the paparazzi are eye-opening experiences, Meg soon discovers the most risqué part of her employment is working closely, very closely, with seriously sexy Jarett Miller. Get ready for the sparks to fly!
If you’ve been waiting for a longer, more sensual read, the wait is over…. Blaze has arrived! Don’t forget to share the good news with a friend—she’ll thank you.
For a complete list of my titles, visit my Web site at www.stephaniebond.com.
Stephanie Bond
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
1
“AMAZING. LISTEN TO THIS.”
Meg Valentine looked over the top of her BLT sandwich at her best friend, Kathie, sprawled in a chair in the teachers’ lounge.
“The wedding of actors Elyssa Adams and John Bingham cost a reported one million dollars. The gown alone set the couple back fifty thousand, and the cake, twenty thousand.” Kathie lowered the magazine. “Twenty thousand bucks for a lousy cake, and it probably wasn’t even chocolate. Do you realize that’s how much money I’ll net this year?”
Meg grinned, chewing. Besides being a chronic complainer, Kathie was a Hollywood aficionado—the woman spent every disposable dollar on celebrity memorabilia—props from movie sets, scripts, even a lock or two of hair from famous people. And she lived for every outrageous headline the tabloids could deliver.
“Those people live in a different world,” Sharon, another teacher, offered, pointing her fork at Kathie. “And I’ll bet it’s not nearly as rosy as you think.”
“Right,” piped in Joanna from the corner, who spent her lunch hours knitting scarves for Christmas gifts. “Those people have problems, just like the rest of us.”
“But they lead such exciting lives.” A faraway expression came over Kathie’s face. “Wearing gorgeous clothes, having men fall at your feet. Wouldn’t it be grand to live in a celebrity’s shoes for just a few days?”
Meg shook her head. “Kathie, you’re such a dreamer.”
“Yeah,” Sharon said. “Face it—we’re elementary school teachers in Peoria, Illinois. We gave up ‘exciting’ when we made our career choice.” The women laughed.
Except for Meg, who bit into a pickle, digesting the bittersweet truth of Sharon’s words. She truly loved teaching and working with children, but sometime during the last few years, her life had fallen into a serious rut when she wasn’t looking. Cabin fever, hormones, early-life crisis—she couldn’t explain her sudden restlessness. All she knew was that lately she was easily distracted from her evening routine of grading math papers, and ready to come out of her very proper skin. Perhaps she’d sensed Trey’s impending proposal, something she still wasn’t sure she knew how to handle.
Kathie scooted to the edge of her seat, her hazel eyes dancing. “This weekend I’m going to Indy for a fan festival. They’re supposed to auction off some wardrobe items from the set of Many Moons.”
Kathie’s favorite show. She’d even managed to get the three of them hooked on the weekly melodrama. Every Wednesday night they congregated at Kathie’s apartment and munched popcorn while watching the beautiful people make multi-million dollar deals, stab each other in the back, and steal each other’s lovers. Most of the scenes took place near or on the beach, which meant the costumes were one of two types—scanty or nonexistent.
Sharon scoffed. “What will you do with clothes from Many Moons? Wear them to the PTA potluck?”
They all laughed again, but Kathie shook her finger. “You just wait, my collection is going to be worth something someday.”
She turned to another page in the magazine that featured The Sexiest Outfits of the Season. Kathie pointed to a picture of Taylor Gee, the actress who played the curvaceous blonde vixen on Many Moons, wearing a transparent yellow gown. “This dress is my next conquest.”
“Is she wearing underwear?” Joanna asked, the knitting forgotten as she craned her head in for a look.
Meg pushed up her glasses and squinted at the telltale dark areas beneath the dress, stretched to the limit of its seams by the actress’s remarkable curves. “I don’t think so.”
“Ewww,”