The Reluctant Beauty(10)
Marching away from it, because that was the right thing to do and she was fighting herself with peeking, Peg turned to the tiny kitchen and heated up a couple of cans of soup for them. After all, he must be cold, tired, and hungry by the looks of him.
She heard movements in the other room, and called out to him. “Be there in a jiffy. I’m getting some grub for us.”
He didn’t answer.
“Strange.”
Silence from the other room made her nervous. Picking up the pan from the stove and still stirring it with a wooden spoon, she padded into the living room and stopped short. He was stretched out on his makeshift bed. Fast asleep. Shirtless. Nothing but black boxer briefs on.
“French fries and fiddlesticks! He’s gorgeous. Those pecs, Those abs. You could bounce a coin off of him.”
The key in the door sounded. A second later, Rico entered. He halted in his tracks as he took in Peg and then followed her gaze to the half-naked man on the floor. “Well, Peg, if that’s hot wax and you two are in the middle of playing, I get to watch.”
“What do you do with hot wax? Hair removal?”
He rolled his eyes. “The things you don’t know.”
***
“Rico, look at him. He’s to die for, isn’t he?” She whispered as she knelt over Austin’s prone body, having set the hot soup pan back on the stove. The man wasn’t kidding when he said he was tried. He lay dead to the world.
“Who did his hair?” Rico reached out and rubbed his hand over the top. “Too short for my taste. But not bad.”
“Let me feel.” It was soft, yet spiky in places. She giggled.
Austin stirred.
She pulled her hand back guiltily, curling her fingers to hold in that warm, tingly feeling whenever she touched him. He stilled. His perfect face looked even better this close. Sticking out a finger, she traced his jaw, liking the slight prickly sensation his scruffy beard caused.
“Lower, Peg, much lower.” Rico poked at the guy’s bare chest.
Peg swatted his hand away. “Hands off, bub. He’s my date.”
“Shut up! O-M-G! Him?! How did you score that one?”he nearly shrieked.
Peg gave him a nasty glare. “I do have some powers of persuasion.”
Rico looked her up and down. “You? Where?”
“Huh?” Austin mumbled.
“See? You’re waking him up. Stop.” Peg tried to nudge Rico aside and away, but it was too late.
***
Voices woke him. Austin blinked. He was on his back. And two people were crouched over him. Had he passed out on stage?
Trying to will his mind to clear, he realized he’d been off tour for less than forty-eight hours, so it wasn’t that. But what?
Slowly, the events of the long day and even longer night clicked into place as he focused on the woman hanging over him. Those big, brown eyes were trained on him, that smirk playing around her sexy lips, and he was certain she wasn’t wearing a bra under that thin pajama top. Now this he could get used to.
But the guy? He’d recalled him from the restaurant when he left her there on her own. Her friend looked Austin over like a piece of filet mignon.
“Peg?”
“Hey, you remember. You know the morning after and all?” His blank look must have prompted her; she said, “Just kidding. You gotta catch on to my jokes or we’re toast with my folks.”
The guy leaning over him giggled. “That rhymed. How funny.” He couldn’t stop laughing.
Peg joined in. “Rico, how much booze did you drink on your date tonight, anyway?”
“Not enough to make him disappear.” Another round of laughter gripped him. He tilted to the side and fell on the floor. “Oh no, my head is dizzy.”
“So what’s new about that?”
He laughed even harder.
Beside him, Peg laid down, chuckling, her head just inches from Austin’s. And Rico did the same on the other side.
Austin sighed, thinking this wasn’t much different than his touring days.
***
Peg hustled to keep up with her boss, her clipboard in hand. “You gotta walk so darn fast this morning?” she mumbled.
Griffin James stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“You were late this morning. You’re never late. Now you can’t keep up.”
“Sleepover. At Rico’s.”
He held up his hand. “Enough said. Rico has his reputation to live up to.”
“Or down to,” she muttered.
They both chuckled.
At a slower pace, Griff moved ahead. “What’s next on the agenda? The men’s department remodel? It’s on schedule.”
He was talking, but she barely listened. She did have something else on her mind. A man she’d left asleep with a note and a key by his side. Peg wondered if he’d follow through and go to her place, settle in, and then she’d see him later tonight.