Kristin Hardy - Nothing But The Best

This time she was modeling a deep cobalt-blue lingerie set. It showed skin, a lot of it. The garter belt gave her the look of a wanton, the G-string under it an invitation to sin. The bustier she wore on top made her slight curves look bountiful. And stopped just above her nipples, which stood out against the smooth fabric.

Desire thudded through Rand. He couldn’t stop staring at her. He wanted his mouth on hers; he wanted to be inside her.

“What do you think?” Cilla asked.

Rand wasn’t sure coherent thought was on the program. She looked like a naughty schoolgirl, amused with her own daring. She looked like a temptress accustomed to making strong men weak. She looked like a woman of flesh and blood and unapologetic appetites. And all he could do was feast right along with her.

“Come here,” he ordered, because that was all he could handle….

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to the world of SEX & THE SUPPER CLUB. Nothing but the Best is Cilla’s book, and boy, was it a blast to write. Years ago I read an interview with Larry McMurtry in which he described his characters as though they were real people with minds of their own, people he just tracked and listened to as they went through their lives. I thought it was fanciful at the time—then I started writing novels and discovered that it was absolutely true. Cilla knows exactly who she is and what should happen to her. It’s when she runs into a stubborn, sexy guy named Rand that she gets into trouble.

Cilla’s a feisty heroine who’s great fun. I’d love to hear what you think of her. Drop me a line at kristin@kristinhardy.com. Look for more of SEX & THE SUPPER CLUB coming in the future—we still have to follow the stories of Paige, Thea and, best of all, Delaney. To keep track, sign up for my newsletter at www.kristinhardy.com for contests, recipes and updates on my recent and upcoming releases.

Have fun,

Kristin Hardy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Matt, Ernie and Bitsy, the legendary basement gang, and to Stephen, my favorite person in the whole world.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Los Angeles, 1996

“OKAY, EVERYONE, you can stop unpacking, dinner’s here.”

Cilla Danforth shut the front door with her elbow, balancing the stack of pizzas as she stared at the disordered living room of her new house. Despite the confusion that dotted the room, Cilla could still feel the warmth of her late grandmother’s presence. No reading of the will changed that. But Gran had wanted her to have a home of her own. Cilla figured that she’d have understood that at twenty, Cilla wasn’t ready to live alone yet. She wanted friends around her, roommates to share her days in the rambling Depression Modern home in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood.

Cilla shook her head briskly and carried the stack of pizza boxes into the kitchen. Like magic, the scent drew the rest of her new roommates, the same way it did when they got it delivered to the university drama department when they were all working on a production.

“Trish, where’s all the kitchen stuff you got at the store?” Kelly Vandervere yelled.

Trish ran down the stairs, her long red hair clubbed back in a braid. “Look on the counter behind you. I grabbed paper plates and napkins. I thought we could figure out what to do about real plates once we got settled. I don’t think Cilla should have to buy everything. We’re living here, too.”

“Well, these will do for the time being,” said Delaney, a gleam in her eye as she opened the box holding the pepperoni pizza.

They settled in the living room, sitting on the sofa or against the wall.

“One of the things we’re going to have to get is enough places for all of us to sit,” Cilla observed.

“I got a couple of upholstered chairs when they sold off the props from my dad’s last movie,” Sabrina Pantolini told them.

“That’ll help,” Cilla said. “Paige, you want to go to Danforth Home with me this week and help me pick out a couple of sofas?”

Paige’s eyes lit up at the idea of a shopping spree at Danforth, Cilla’s family’s business and the most luxurious department store on Rodeo Drive. “Any time.”

“Nothing too gorgeous, Paige,” Thea begged. “I don’t want nightmares from spilling wine when I’m making out with Rob Frieden, or something. Not that I’m planning to,” she added hastily.

Sabrina winked. “Not planning to do what, spill wine or make out with him?”

“Spill wine, of course. As to Rob…” She gave a saucy look and took a bite of pizza.

Delaney raised her Coke. “Here’s to escaping the dorms.”

Trish shook her head. “Here’s to Cilla, for inviting us to live in her new house.”

“Thanks to you guys for being my roomies,” Cilla countered. “We’ll fix it all up, get it in great shape.”

“Using lots of sexy contractors, I hope,” Kelly added.

“My dad made sure it stayed fine structurally, but you’ll see it needs paint and repairs. Toward the end, Gran just wasn’t comfortable with anything changing, so some of the walls are pretty bad.”

“I’ll paint my room,” Paige, always the designer, volunteered immediately. Even though she’d been hauling boxes all day with them, she looked as coolly blond and tidy as always.

“Our room,” Thea reminded her.

“Trust me, darling, you’ll love it,” Paige assured her.

“So let’s see,” Delaney said thoughtfully. “We’ve got four bedrooms. Sabrina and Kelly, you’re rooming together, and Trish and I, which leaves Cilla with the only private room.”

“As appropriate,” Trish pointed out. “She owns the place.”

“So what if one of us has a boyfriend and wants to have some privacy?” Delaney asked.

“You mean when,” Kelly said, rubbing her hands.

“It’s a good thing you and Delaney didn’t wind up in the same room. I don’t know who would be fighting more, you or your hormones,” Paige observed.

“Well, unless we figure something out, it’s looking like Cilla’s going to be the only one getting any action, here,” Delaney replied.

“If you’re good, I’ll fill you all in on it,” Cilla said with a smile. “Trust me.”

The present….

THE HIGHWAY WAS open, the wind was in her hair, and for the first time in nearly two months, Cilla Danforth felt free. Around her, the California desert stretched out in all directions, flat and open and fringed with mountains. She turned up the stereo. Friday night and nowhere to be for two whole days.