Bella Andre: Just To Be With You

While stopped in downtown traffic, the light of a street lamp enabled Tatiana to study their combined reflections in her window. Ian was dark and brooding and possessed such masculine beauty that it was no wonder stunning women flocked to his side. And as for her...well, tall and dark, willowy and cool were pretty much the exact opposite of her green eyes, reddish-blond hair, and lush curves.

Fortunately, as an actor, her slightly off-center looks had helped set her apart from the thousands of other women vying for parts. On a personal level, however, she honestly didn’t have enough experience with men to know if off-center could ever have a chance of competing with stunning.

When they arrived at the Sullivans’ house, Ian got out, then held the back passenger door open for her again. Regardless of how badly he might want to keep a distance between them, he had been raised to be a gentleman.

She’d walked the red carpet in front of hundreds of cameras many, many times. But her nerves had never been quite this high, and though the rain had finally stopped falling on their drive, she stumbled in her heels on the wet bricks of the driveway. Ian caught her against him before she could go down, and the strength and the heat of his body against hers, along with the potent fragrance from the bouquet she’d just accidentally crushed between them, actually had her gasping aloud.

They’d done nothing more than shake hands at the wedding. And though he’d been easily affectionate with his sister, Ian had been careful not to touch Tatiana in his office, not even to shake her hand.

But now, as she stood for a few perfect seconds in the circle of his arms on his parents’ driveway on the cool, damp Seattle evening, Tatiana felt more warmth, and more arousal, from one accidental touch and the intensity of his gaze, than she ever had with another man.

Is this the real reason you don’t want me to shadow you? s he silently asked him.

When his eyes darkened even further—and his grip tightened on her waist as if he wanted to draw her closer right before he abruptly released her—she was almost positive he’d just given her his answer.

The next few minutes were full of happy greetings and laughter that helped settle Tatiana down from the emotional and physical whirl that Ian’s arms around her had set off. Claudia and Max Sullivan were, just as he had predicted, thrilled to see her. She felt so welcomed by them that she could almost pretend she was a Sullivan herself.

The bouquet of flowers, thankfully, wasn’t too badly off for her falling into it. And when Ian gave them to his mother, then folded her into a hug that had Claudia’s eyes tearing up from pure happiness at having her eldest back home, Tatiana’s eyes threatened to well up, too. After hugging his father, even the old family dog who looked to be losing his sight got a friendly pat from Ian and his toy rope thrown across the room for an impromptu game of fetch.

Yes, Ian was clearly a tough-minded businessman who was more than a little cynical about love and romance. But at the same time, he obviously had a very soft spot for his family, just as she did. And ever since her sister, Valentina, had become engaged to Smith, the Sullivans had felt like her family, too.

A few minutes later, though it was clear that Claudia and Max wanted her to relax with a glass of wine while they finished dinner preparations, Tatiana said, “Please, I’d really like to help in some way.” Claudia had pans on every burner on her stove and dough for homemade pasta sitting on the counter, so Tatiana tucked her hair up into a quick ponytail, washed her hands, and said, “When Valentina and I were kids, we used to have bake-offs all the time. One day I surprised her with pasta I made myself, which is my way of saying I promise I won’t screw up your hard work if you’ll let me help roll out the spaghetti.”

“The first time I met Mary Sullivan—although she was Mary Ferrer at the time and such a famous model I was more than a little bit nervous around her—she made us all fresh pasta that tasted like it came straight from Italy.” Claudia smiled, thinking back. “Max’s brother Jack was still trying to convince Mary to officially date him at the time, but it was clear to me that Mary and Jack were already head over heels in love with each other. Ian was a toddler way back then and you won’t be surprised to hear that he fell in love with Mary that night, too, when she read him his favorite book. Ever since, the two of them have had an extra close relationship.” Claudia laughed at herself, as she added, “All of which is my very long-winded way of saying that I’ve had a heck of a time eating store-bought pasta ever since, and I’d love your help.”

“Hey Mom, Dad,” a deep male voice called from the back door, “I picked up the cream you asked for.”

Dylan Sullivan was the youngest male in the family, and Tatiana had often thought that he was also the biggest charmer of the bunch. Where Ian was the serious and responsible eldest sibling, Dylan had a carefree ease about him that was instantly appealing. It didn’t hurt that the boat-builder and sailor was also an extremely good-looking man.

It wasn’t until Dylan came around the counter to put the cream in the refrigerator that he saw Tatiana. “Why didn’t someone tell me the prettiest girl in the world was going to be here?” He swept her up into his arms, and she laughed as he spun her around in the small space.

But a few seconds later, when her body started to heat again, it wasn’t because she was in Dylan’s arms. She didn’t need to see or hear Ian to know that he must have walked into the kitchen. Though he was still halfway across the room, she was intensely aware of every breath she took, the brush of her eyelashes over her cheekbones, the swift beat of her heart.

Dylan put her back down on her feet, and when she glanced over at Ian, she saw that his eyes had darkened again. Was it because his brother had been touching her? Was it because she’d laughed with Dylan?

Or was it simply because sparks flew like crazy whenever she and Ian were in the same room?

With carefully steady hands, she continued rolling out pasta. Sliding onto a kitchen stool across from her as he uncapped a beer, Dylan said, “I already thought you were the perfect woman, but if it turns out you can cook, I just might have to propose to you right now.”

“You’ll have to fight me for her,” Adam said as he suddenly appeared in the kitchen and pulled her toward him in an easy and affectionate manner to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Adam, Dylan,” Ian said, “Dad needs our help moving the cord of firewood into the shed before dinner.”

“Duty calls,” Adam said with a grin. He gave her another kiss on the top of her head before removing his hand from around her waist. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back to flirt some more with you soon.”

Claudia was laughing even as she shook her head at their antics. “How will you ever manage to choose between my sons?”

When Tatiana was on set in front of the cameras, she was a master at controlling her expressions so that they suited the character she had been hired to play. But she’d always promised herself that in real life she would never act, would never hide what she really felt from the people she cared about. She’d seen too many actors whose entire lives were lived as though they were always onstage in front of cameras. For Tatiana, make-believe was so much fun because she lived in a fantasy world only part of the time.

So instead of forcing a joking response to roll off her tongue, when the kitchen door had closed behind the men, Tatiana lifted her gaze to meet Claudia’s. “They’re all great, and I love spending time with your family. But—” Was it crazy for her to even think of speaking about her budding feelings to Ian’s mother? Especially when she was still working out, moment to moment, exactly how far those feelings reached?