Almost Like Love(4)

Kate Meredith.

The curvy redhead was Kate Meredith.

It couldn’t be . . . but it was.

The Kate Meredith he knew never wore heels, or makeup, or even skirts. She didn’t give a damn about her appearance, which was one of the many things he found annoying about her. Your appearance sends a message to people, and you should always do everything in your power to make sure you send the right message.

But Kate couldn’t be bothered to care about that. She was oblivious to it all, drifting happily along in her fantasy world where heroes and heroines were real, substance mattered more than form, and good triumphed over evil.

Unlike most women in the entertainment industry, Kate never used her appearance as a weapon. She downplayed her height, her hair, her face . . . and her body. Even at network parties and awards shows, Kate dressed to blend into the background rather than stand out.

Of course, she hadn’t been able to disguise herself completely. Even in her dowdy work clothes, it had been obvious that Kate was attractive—and that she had the potential to be a lot more.

Ian had wondered more than once what it would take to make Kate cut loose. Apparently, losing her job had done the trick.

A rush of attraction was followed by a wave of guilt. It was hard to say which feeling he resented more.

She looked incredible. She was tall to begin with, but her high heels made her an Amazon. Her hair was a tumbled mass of red glory. And her body . . .

Sweet holy Christ.

She was stunning. She was every man’s fantasy. She was . . .

Talking to Arthur Kalen.

Of course she was. There was probably one woman in ten thousand who would actually respond to Arthur’s pickup approach, and Kate Meredith was it. She was a nerd, just like him—only it turned out she was trapped in the body of a sex goddess.

She was laughing at something Arthur had said. The bartender set a shot in front of her and she tossed it off, looking pretty damn sexy until a fit of coughing ruined the effect. Arthur got her a drink of water and patted her on the back.

Kate didn’t usually drink—Ian knew that from seeing her at parties and red-carpet events. The alcohol she was downing now had to be hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Arthur was looking ecstatic, as well he might. Heaven had answered his prayers. Kate Meredith was everything he’d ever dreamed of—a beautiful, sexy geek on her way to being drunk off her ass.

Ian shoved his chair back and got to his feet. He couldn’t let this happen. It was his fault that Kate had temporarily lost her mind, his fault that she’d gone out to drown her troubles dressed like an extra from Showgirls.

“Where are you going?”

He glanced down at Gabe. “I know that woman. I’ve got to rescue her from Arthur.”

“Rescue her from Arthur? There’s not a woman alive who needs to be rescued from Arthur. He’s harmless.”

Compared with most men, maybe he was. But the bar for decent behavior among his gender was set pretty low. And no man alive would be able to resist the chance to go home with that woman.

Which meant she did need rescuing. And in spite of the fact that he was probably the last man on earth Kate Meredith wanted to see right now, Ian was going to rescue her.




Simone came off the dance floor looking sweaty and happy.

“Who’s your friend?” she asked, noticing Comic Book Guy.

“The man who just gave me the single greatest compliment I have ever received.”

“Wow. What was it?”

“He said I look like Red Sonja.”

Simone looked perplexed for a moment. “Who—oh. She’s one of the superhero chicks you have framed on your wall, right? The one who fights with the guy whose name sounds like a late-night talk-show host?”

“Conan the Barbarian.”

“That’s it.” Simone cast the appraising glance of a costume designer over Kate. “You know, he has a point. All we have to do is dress you up with a sword and a barbed-wire bikini.”

“I’d pay to see that,” Comic Book Guy said, looking a little dazed. He wasn’t at all what Kate was looking for tonight, but he was a nice guy and his flattery was a welcome balm after Chris’s betrayal.

Simone waved the bartender over. “I’ll buy the next round. What are you drinking?”

“The blood of my enemies,” Kate said, causing Comic Book Guy to burst out laughing.

“Nothing for me,” he said to Simone. “I’m going to the men’s room. Do you promise you’ll still be here when I come back?” he asked Kate.

“Sure.”

Simone shook her head as he walked off towards the restrooms. “I can’t believe you managed to meld with the geek hive-mind here. I thought we were supposed to be visiting my world tonight. This is more like that time you made me go to Comic-Con.”