“Let me have the pleasure of taking care of you."

She nodded, saying “Okay,” before she relaxed into his hands.

Sixty very efficient seconds later, her hair was clean and conditioned and he was just finishing washing the suds from the bar of soap off her beautiful skin. Another minute later he’d dried her off with a plush towel.

With a soft kiss on her full lips, he said, “Go knock their socks off.”

But she didn’t move out of his arms. And she suddenly looked really uncomfortable. “This thing we’re doing—I know this sounds really horrible, but I just wanted to be sure that we’re both going to be really careful to keep it just between us.”

He nodded, surprised that she felt she needed to confirm that. “Of course it’s just between us.”

“Good.” She smiled up at him a little uncertainly. “Great!”

She gave him one last smile and then she was moving faster than he’d ever seen a woman get dressed and out the door, leaving him alone in her huge penthouse suite, wondering just how in hell he was going to keep from completely losing his mind over her.

Or if he already had.

Chapter Twelve

Even though Nicola had never flaked on a meeting or been late to a venue for a show or interview, she knew better than to think her previous track record would matter even a little bit today.

People believed what they wanted to believe about her. And she was pretty darn sure that everyone was automatically assuming she’d been partying too hard last night to show up for her own video shoot. So, while she was tempted to burst onto the set full of apologies, she knew better. She had to be completely in control of herself from the first second she stepped onto the set.

“Hi everyone,” she said in an easy voice. “Sorry about the delay, I had some important business to take care of this morning.”

She didn’t bother to take stock of everyone’s response, not when she was very much afraid she’d end up blushing as she remembered the details of the very “important business."

The passion Marcus had shared with her simply blew her away, so much so that she’d even forgotten to be wary about trusting him. He had a key to her hotel room, which meant that he could snoop through her things to his heart’s content if he wanted to. But even though she’d vowed never to trust a man again, knew there was the potential that maybe she was being stupid and naive again, she just couldn’t see Marcus rifling through her things.

In any case, she wouldn’t have the head space to process what she was doing with Marcus until the video was in the bag, so she forcefully pushed him out of her head. As much as she could, anyway, considering she still felt the imprint of him all over her body. His big hands, his mouth on hers, his—

“Nico, perfect timing!”

Lori’s enthusiastic greeting yanked Nicola out of her forbidden thoughts. “I’m really sorry I’m so late,” she said in a quiet voice meant only for her choreographer.

Marcus’s sister waved away her apology. “Everyone had so much to set up, I swear they just finished. As soon as you’re done with wardrobe and makeup, we’ll warm up, okay?”

Nicola loved the way Lori didn’t make a big deal out of things. So many people she’d worked with over the years would have held this over her head, would have tried to insinuate that she was a total flake and that they expected nothing less.

“Sounds great. Thanks."

She was turning away to go check in with the director, when she felt Lori’s hand on her arm. “I know we’re in a hurry here, but real quick, I want to apologize for running out on dinner with you and Marcus last night.”

Nicola didn’t want to admit she hadn’t given Lori another thought after she’d left. Feeling terrible about that, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

Lori shrugged. “It’ll all work out one way or another, I suppose,” was her cryptic response. “I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t know you were in totally safe hands with my big brother. Did he take good care of you and get you back to your hotel all right?”

Nicola had never had to work quite so hard to school her face into a completely blank expression. Her breath got caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to try, and she needed to clear her throat a couple of times before responding.

“Yes. He was great.”

So ridiculously, stupendously great that she had almost bailed on her video shoot altogether just for the chance to spend the entire day in his arms.

The director walked over just then, fortunately, and saved her from blushing any more than she already was. Glad for the chance to focus on business rather than the swirling emotions she felt over what had happened with Marcus, she spent the next twelve hours working as hard as she ever had in her life.

Everyone might have begun the day thinking she was a flaky pop star...but by the end, she vowed she would outlast them all.

* * *

Twelve hours later....

She’d outlasted them, all right. But at what price?

After dragging herself into the elevator up to the penthouse, Nicola barely had the strength left to lift her hand high enough to slip her key into the reader beside her door.

She stood with her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Just another thirty seconds and then she could collapse and not move for another twenty-four hours.

The lock clicked and she shifted her weight to the door to push it open. She barely caught a flash of Marcus sitting at the dining table behind his laptop before he was pushing away and coming toward her.

“Nicola.” He grabbed her just before she collapsed. “Jesus, what did they do to you today?”

“It’s not them. It’s my stupid pride,” she said, even though she knew it wouldn’t make any sense. And then, oh God, it felt so good to be held by him, that she lost her train of thought altogether as she let him carry her over to the couch.

She closed her eyes against his chest and finally gave in to utter and complete exhaustion.

* * *

Nicola woke up disoriented but not uncomfortable in Marcus’s arms. He was so sweet that he’d tucked cushions beneath her torso and her feet while she’d slept like the dead. She loved being with him like this, so warm and safe. No one had ever made her feel this comfortable, like she didn’t have one single thing left to prove. She didn’t have to be “on” with him, or perform to impress. She could just be herself. Nicola, rather than the world-famous Nico.

“What time is it?” Her eyes felt gritty and every muscle in her body hurt from dancing and performing at 110 percent for twelve hours straight.