New and…Improved? & Andrew in Excess Read online

  There’d been a time in Kent’s life when he would have jumped all over that promise in her eyes. But things were different now, both the times and himself.

  He still enjoyed women, no doubt. But suddenly all he could think about was one woman-Becca. And though the thought still brought an abrupt and terrifying change to his pulse, he couldn’t just ignore it.

  “I’d really like just a moment with Summer,” he said to the young woman. “I can wait.”

  She frowned slightly, an expression exaggerated by her black lip gloss. “She’ll have another client waiting after this one-”

  The phone rang, and Kent listened as she reluctantly accepted the cancellation of Summer’s next client.

  “Well, then,” Kent said with a smile, when she’d hung up. “Summer will be free soon.”

  “Sure.” Cool now, she folded her hands and looked at him. “For a client.”

  He gave her his best I’m-so-charming smile. “I just need a moment.”

  “Sorry. If you want to talk, you’ll need to make an appointment. How about a cut and style? Or a manicure?” Her gaze ran over his body, past the dark polo shirt tucked into even darker jeans. “Massage?”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “Obviously you’ve never had one. Here-” She bent and took out a deep green robe from a drawer. “You just strip down to the buff and-”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “We have a male masseuse, if you’d prefer. You know, for modesty’s sake.”

  Kent couldn’t believe it. “You’re telling me that in order to talk to Summer, I need to let someone put their hands all over me?”

  “Yep.” Her smile turned a bit naughty. “Of course, if you’re shy, or…whatever, you can always just have your hair done.”

  Oh what the hell, his reputation was already shot thanks to Mrs. Fritzle. What more could one little beauty salon treatment cost him? “Fine. Haircut.”

  “And style,” she added, penciling him into Summer’s schedule. She lifted her triumphant, laughing gaze. “Name?”

  “Kent Wright.”

  Her pencil froze. Slowly she lifted her gaze to stare at him. “Dr. Kent Wright?”

  “Yes.”

  She laughed, revealing a pierced tongue. She tucked that tongue into her cheek. “Heard about what happened with the police. And the-” She leaned close and whispered, “-panties.”

  Perfect. He hadn’t been nearly humiliated enough here. “It was makeup,” he corrected wearily. “Not panties.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Look, why don’t I just wait over there for Summer?”

  Before he could turn to the reception area, his green-haired torturer asked sweetly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a beauty treatment as well? Maybe a facial?”

  “Just get Summer,” he said through his clenched teeth.

  “SO…EVERYTHING BACKFIRED on you, I heard.”

  It was difficult for Kent to reply since he lay stretched out, his neck on the edge of a chilly sink, his head in that sink getting “the full treatment.”

  Above him, Summer shook her head. “At least you didn’t get arrested.” Squirting some conditioner into her hand, she slowly massaged it into his head. Despite feeling silly and uncomfortable, he couldn’t prevent the distinct uncurling of his toes as she kneaded his scalp.

  “Good?” she asked, working more magic with her fingers.

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s okay.”

  Summer snickered. “Liar. You’re positively melting.”

  “I never melt.” Well, not quite. He melted over Becca’s smile. Over her kisses, her touch. He melted every time she so much as looked at him.

  Which really threw this just-fun theory all to hell.

  “Why is it so hard for a guy to admit he likes being pampered?” Summer wondered. “Look, I could have told you breaking and entering Becca’s wasn’t exactly the smart route to take.”

  “Well thanks for coming up with something better.”

  Summer started to rinse him out. With cold water. He sucked in a breath.

  “Sorry,” she said sweetly, and the water magically warmed.

  “And I didn’t break and enter,” he corrected. “I was already there.”

  Abruptly, the water flipped off. Summer’s face appeared above him, creased in a frown. “Already there? Doing what?”

  “None of your business.”

  Their eyes met and Kent waited while Summer assessed, decided. Then smiled. This time, when the water came on, it was deliciously toasty. “You love her,” she breathed.

  He made a noise that he most definitely meant as a denial.

  “You do.”

  He snorted and pushed out of the chair as soon as she’d finished. “By the way, thanks ever so much for that help you offered.”

  “Hey, don’t blame me, you said you had it all figured out.” But she sighed. Bit her lip. “And I did help.” She sighed again. “Today. If you’re interested.”

  “I’m interested.”

  She looked him solemnly in the eyes. “I love what I did for her,” she said quietly. “The makeup, the clothes, especially the okay to go for it. It’d been a long time coming. But I’m also the first to admit she took it wrong. She honestly believes it’s all that extra stuff that finally caught your attention.”

  “I couldn’t care less about that extra stuff.”

  Summer gave him a long, thoughtful look. “Does she know that?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “I thought she might when I tossed away her stuff.”

  Summer looked disgusted. “Words, Kent. Women need words.”

  “This was supposed to be just casual,” he muttered.

  “And is it?”

  Yes.

  Hell, no.

  When he didn’t-couldn’t-answer, she led him through the busy salon, where he was subjected to more than a few whistles. They made Summer laugh, and made Kent grit his teeth.

  Then, finally, they were in her office.

  On her desk lay a garment bag, filled with clothes.

  “Becca’s new clothes,” she whispered, even though they were alone. “She hasn’t even worn these yet.”

  “You went breaking and entering too?”

  At his surprised and delighted laugh, she lifted her chin. “No. But the dry cleaner owed me a favor. And I figured if you loved her enough to do it, I did too.”

  He cringed as if struck. “Would you stop flinging that word around?”

  She blinked innocently. “What word?”

  Kent unzipped the garment bag and tried to ignore both her and that funny feeling deep in the pit of his belly, not easy to do when he was deathly afraid she was right.

  The L-word just might be involved here.

  “Not ready to talk about it?” she asked, tsking sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Dr. Dreamboat, this will all work out.”

  “So glad you think so. You’re not the one on notice at the police station.” He fingered the stack of elegant clothes, the same ones he’d seen on Becca for the past few weeks. “Tell me you left her nothing but-”

  The knock on the open door surprised them both.

  So did Becca as she walked in. “Well hello there,” she said with a genuine smile for both of them. “What’s this?”

  Kent froze. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Summer do the same.

  “Sorry, did I startle you?” Becca asked. She wore a soft blue sweater over a matching skirt that managed to be sophisticated yet sweet and still show off her lush body. Her eyes sparkled, her skin glowed. When she turned to look at him, her hair danced over her shoulders in a way that made his fingers long to touch.

  But it wasn’t the physical attraction that jolted him now. Her smile twisted at him, warmed him from the inside out. Not for the first time, he was struck hard by his feelings for her, by the very strength and depth of them. He just didn’t know what to do with them. If he went with the flow, and things didn’t work out, he’d lose her. There’d be n