Skin Deep Read online

  The way he looked at her, for one. The moment she’d met his light-colored gaze she’d felt the heat transmit in clear signals to stir at her womanly core. She couldn’t say she’d ever been looked at quite that way before though being full grown she knew what it felt like to be desired. Even though she’d sworn off men for the time being to focus on work, she still felt the strange tug that came from sensing the awareness harbored by someone of the opposite sex.

  The man called Shane Davis was dangerous; Angela knew that without being told. She just wasn’t sure exactly what she should be wary of. But something told her to turn around and walk away before it was too late.

  “I would like you to reconsider my offer. My original offer,” he said with a firmness that made her pause, letting him continue.

  “You’ve made it clear that you’d prefer to keep sex out of the equation. This is regrettable, as frankly put I find you very desirable. But I can imagine you can’t say the same for me considering what I look like.”

  His tone was factual, which rubbed Angela the wrong way even as she felt a coil tighten in her belly at the knowledge that she was ‘desirable’.

  “If you really think that’s the reason then you really have been holed up here too long. It has nothing to do with your…how you look. I have principles, Mr. Davis. A sense of worth; and my body can’t be bought no matter the price.”

  “An admirable code, Ms. Neil. I will do my best to respect your point of view as we enter into our arrangement,” he said smoothly.

  “Hey wait a minute. I never said I’ll do it. In fact on further review, this isn’t something I feel I can pull off after all. I’m sorry for wasting your time,” Angela said quickly. She needed to leave before the thought of losing all that money made her physically sick. But she couldn’t trust him. Couldn’t be sure of what it would entail entering such an agreement with a man who possibly had no scruples.

  She’d turned away again but this time it was a hand encircling her wrist that had her freezing in place. Angela stared down at the long and well-shaped fingers wrapped around her wrist. This was his right hand and unlike the left one which was unmarked, this was crisscrossed with healed burn scars that contrasted white against the other parts of the top of his tanned skin.

  Angela recoiled from the sensation of his warm, powerful touch that shot a shaft of responsiveness straight to her feminine core. She looked up and saw that he took her shrinking to be of disgust and let her go abruptly.

  He shoved the hand back in his pocket and expelled a harsh breath. “Look, Ms. Neil – Angela; you have nothing to fear from me. I’m making you a legitimate job offer for which you will be generously rewarded. I’m a very rich man who has found himself in an uncomfortable position of needing a girlfriend for a few weeks. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too serious. My family, particularly my mother, has been extremely worried about me the past few months and I simply want to give her some peace of mind. Let her see I’m recovering and moving on with my life. This is why I require your acting skill: to aid me in painting the kind of picture that would relieve her mind. I truly hope you will consider my offer. I promise not to pressure you to accept my sexual advances because forcing a woman into my bed has never been a trait of mine despite my appearance.”

  There it was again; thought Angela. He kept mentioning his scars; drawing attention to them like she couldn’t see for herself the ravages done to his face. Angela knew that some other women would have been repelled by the scars that made one side of his features hard to abide but she was made of far sterner stuff. She’d had a cousin who’d fought in Afghanistan who’d not only lost his two legs, but had most of his face torn up by shrapnel. Angela wasn’t the type to be fixated on the outer shell and also felt drawn to what one stood for or offered as a person, not just a face or body.

  She was far from squeamish and though Shane Davis’s scars were appalling it would take more than that to throw her for a loop. No, she was far more disturbed by her reaction to him and the way she felt physically rattled by his searing masculinity that even his scars could not hide. No doubt about it; take away that scarred side of his face and this man would be one hell of a distraction to her peace of mind if they were to spend any amount of time around each other. Which was a shock to Angela. Since when was she into white guys?

  Shaking that revealing thought off, she shouldered her purse with a ragged breath.

  “I’ll still need time to…think about things,” she said through a scratchy throat. She saw his frown and blurted, “I’m sorry but I simply can’t be expected to make a decision immediately. I hope you understand.”

  He nodded curtly, obviously not pleased. But there was nothing he could do about it, was there? She heard him say coolly, “And I hope you understand that this is to remain confidential.”

  “You can count on me,” Angela said with a sincere note. Who would she go telling anyway? Who would care to find out she’d been offered to act as some wealthy recluse’s girlfriend for a few weeks?

  “That’s good to know. You’ll have twenty-four hours to make up your mind,” he said and swiveled to return to his desk.

  Gaping at the broad outline of his back, Angela spluttered. “What?”

  “That’s all the time I can spare, Ms. Neil,” he said, pausing at his desk and turning to give her one expressionless glance. “Speed is of the essence. I’m prepared to consider other alternatives if you choose to dawdle.”

  Angela’s cheeks went hot at his words, wishing she could tell him to jump off a cliff with his attitude.

  But she couldn’t do that…yet. Not until she weighed her options carefully. This would have been some quick, easy money that would keep her from worrying about finances for the next year if she chose. Was that enough to even be considering a fictitious connection with a man like him with no morals who still might expect her to sleep with him as part of a contract?

  Maybe if she knew what kind of man he really was, she could come to the right decision. And heaven knew she couldn’t wait to find out everything she could about Shane Davis…

  Chapter Three

  “Linda! Can you come in here a minute!”

  The assistant hurried into the room. “So, what did you think about her?” she asked, trying to hide a smile. “She’s very pretty.”

  “You knew?” Shane said, more as a statement than a question.

  “Knew what?” she replied, unable to contain her grin now.

  “That she was black. And smart. And completely different from anybody I’ve ever dated in the past. So you want to tell me how that happened?”

  Linda let out a long sigh and placed the file folder she was holding on the table. “Yes, I knew. Maybe it’s time for a change, Shane. Here’s her file. Seems like a nice girl. Smart, hard-working, takes care of her dad who is in an assisted living facility. I ran a thorough background check on her. She’s behind on a few bills, but that’s the only mark against her. I wouldn’t have brought her in for the interview if I didn’t think she could do the job.”

  Shane reached over and picked up the thick folder.

  “Oh and you can thank me later,” Linda said over her shoulder as she turned and walked out the door.

  Shane flipped through the folder detailing everything a private detective could dig up about Angela Neil. Linda was right. Angela would be perfect for the job.

  He didn’t know what the hell had come over him.

  The part about Angela sharing his bed had never been in the plan. It was supposed to have been a cold-hearted agreement. Strictly business. But then he’d never bargained for wanting her like hell the moment she walked through the door.

  She hadn’t been wearing anything provocative and there’d been nothing to suggest she would be interested in such a proposal. Fuck! So many months of avoiding any kind of female company was finally taking its toll. In fact no woman had switched him on so easily in a long while and it had momentarily freaked him out. He’d hoped the woman he hired for the job could
be trusted to stick to the protocol.

  But now sticking to any ‘protocol’ became the farthest thing from his mind.

  Angela Neil embodied a woman in her sexual prime whose gaze, her smile could send heat signals zapping through the veins of any red-blooded adult male. In that somewhat modest dress, her curves had been hinted at with delicious detail.

  Exquisitely feminine, she was well-spoken and had a stimulating personality that made you want to get closer, find out what made her tick. This would be the first time that Shane would be so attracted to a woman of ebony descent and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to lie with her, peel off each layer of that outfit and find out if that beautiful mocha tone was even all over.

  Shane groaned and turned sharply away from the window. It was an hour since she’d left and yet, he could swear a hint of her sexy perfume still remained. He felt like slamming his fist into a wall for how stupidly he’d handled things, blurting out like that about her sharing his bed as part of the contract. He normally had more strategy. And normally, before the car wreck that marred half his face, he could get any woman he wanted.

  Shane could blame his extraordinary reaction to Angela on a lot of things. His long-term celibacy, for one. He’d meant it when he’d told her he’d been away from both female and social company for much too long. Ever since he’d returned from hospital after more than a year of treatment for his burns, Shane had found out soon enough that his new appearance would make him less than appealing to the fairer sex – or anyone for that matter. Apart from his closest friends who’d known him since childhood or his racing days, everyone else seemed repelled by what he’d become – something of a monster, whose once arresting good looks had become ravaged and scarred.

  At first it had hurt like hell; seeing the rejection and disgust in a woman’s face where there had once been lust and admiration. He’d been so used to women falling easily into his lap – not just because of his money or looks, but for what he knew was his undeniable charm. Now not even those could win him the affection of a woman he wanted.

  And then one day he’d decided, to hell with all of them. He didn’t require romance, or to feel the warmth of a woman’s love or esteem. But he did have needs like every other man…

  Shane remembered that one time. The high-priced escort. Very practiced, very beautiful. She hadn’t even flinched when she’d seen his face. She’d undressed slowly, beguilingly. Her pale, slender flesh had been perfectly symmetrical, textbook sexy. Pert boobs, smooth-shaven sex and endless legs which she straddled on either side of his laps as he’d sat in his chair, immovable.

  “We could have our very own Beauty and the Beast role-play,” she’d purred, flicking her long auburn tresses over her shoulder as her hands rested on his broad chest, scars tracking down the side of his right pectoral. “I’ve always wanted to be ravished by a man who looks like he could rip my clothes off with his teeth.”

  She’d done everything right. Her kisses had been wet and tempting. But it didn’t work out in the end. Shane had been indifferent, disappointed with himself. He’d told her quietly to dress and leave.

  “What’s the matter? Did I do anything wrong?”

  “It’s not you. It’s me. I’m sorry to waste your time. You’ll get paid in full and a little extra for the unsatisfying ending on my part,” he’d said, turning sharply away from her and shrugging back into his shirt.

  “Oh, I’m not dissatisfied,” she’d said with a teasing smile. “There’s something about you that’s more than a scarred face. You’ve got a fascination…a certain magnetism that will make a woman want to look beyond the surface. I hope one day you’ll find the right one who will.”

  Her words hadn’t held pity, only factuality.

  It had stirred Shane’s imagination as he wondered if it were possible. In this world where appearance was everything and people judged by one’s looks and physical attractiveness; what woman would want to end up with someone that looked like him?

  Shane decided he didn’t want to find out. It would break him if he tried and failed, or was rejected.

  Shane never tried to pay for sex again.

  So why had he acted like such a jackass with Angela? He knew he’d messed up and she probably wanted nothing to do with him or his offer to act as his girlfriend for a few weeks.

  He also knew he’d have no sleep until he had her answer. One thing was certain, he wasn’t ready to see the last of Angela Neil just yet.

  ****

  Angela was acting distracted and even her sister knew it.

  They were going to see their father today. After his last stroke he’d required round-the-clock care that neither sister could provide at home. The assisted living facility was well equipped though far from the best they’d have picked for their aging father but since the sisters weren’t exactly swimming in money, they had to make do.

  “He’ll be fine,” Sasha said, squeezing on Angela’s hand as they sat in their father’s room an hour later. He was asleep when they arrived and instead of waking him up, they chose to sit around, and whisper quietly.

  “I know,” Angela said on a sigh. “Though I’m not really happy with the way they’re treating him in this place. I know they do the best they can, but…”

  “We’re trying our best. Dad knows that,” said her supportive sister. “That’s why he never complains.”

  “He wouldn’t,” Angela agreed, staring at the man whose illness had made him far leaner than he used to be, adding years to his once sturdy good looks. In sleep he looked rested but Angela knew how much he suffered due to problems with his heart and other debilitating complications. But Cassidy Neil was made of stern stuff and though he was mostly in and out of consciousness and woozy or in pain half the time, he never gave them cause to worry. But they did all the same.

  “Are you okay, sis?” Sasha asked. “You seem a little off today.”

  “I was so sure my career would have taken off by now,” Angela said distantly, her eyes cloudy. “But so far, only one bit part in a feature movie – and simply because I was getting hit on by the director who I ended up dating. Look where that got me. And then one lousy commercial…” She shook her head with a wry smile. “Hardly Hollywood’s finest, am I? I mean, I get offers but not for the kind of roles I want to be in. If I want to continue doing this, I need to move to Los Angeles. There’s no way I can leave Dad though. And now…”

  She shook her head, thinking of yesterday and her strange meeting with the even stranger Shane Davis. She’d spent all of last night reading up on him.

  The internet had everything she needed to know for background information. Shane Davis had been Nascar’s hottest new star having won the series Championship two years before. There were countless photos of Shane in the Winner’s Circle holding up trophy after trophy always with a different big-breasted blonde or two hanging onto his arm. Then sixteen months ago at the Daytona 500, Shane and another driver were facing nose-to-nose toward the finish line in the last lap when the other driver’s car bounced off the wall and collided with his.

  Angela had felt physically ill as she watched the online video of the two cars flipping over and over until they both exploded in a horrendous crash and finally slid to a halt. Firetrucks and ambulances immediately rushed to the scene. By the time they could extinguish the flames however, the other driver was already dead and Shane was severely injured with third degree burns covering the right side of his face, upper torso, arm and hand.

  He’d spent almost a year undergoing numerous surgeries and extensive rehabilitation at a special burn center in Nashville. Eventually he was released and apparently hadn’t returned to racing since then. She couldn’t find a single news item about him after leaving the hospital. It was if both society and the racing scene had written him off for dead too.

  Angela couldn’t help feeling sorry for the man. No wonder he was so messed up, locking himself away and keeping in shadows. Offering money for sex and companionship. He’d s
aid the ‘job’ she was to do was a set-up to convince his family he was recovering both physically and emotionally. She wondered if he really was recovering or if this was a desperate attempt to hold them at bay? No wonder they were worried about him. From what she could tell, they had good reason.

  Angela had stared at his online photos for a long time-Shane Davis in a driver’s suit, popping bottles of celebratory champagne or leaning against a racecar in jeans and a white t-shirt. A few photos of him shirtless, peering under the engine of a car, always with some sexy model or groupie hanging around in the background; whoever happened to be flavor of the month for him at that time. But those pictures were all from two years ago, before the accident.

  Since he’d recuperated enough to return home Shane Davis hadn’t shown himself in public; not to the point of getting his photo taken anyway. So Angela got to see him as he once was: one of Nashville’s top playboys, lover of fast cars and even faster women from the looks of things. Now, he stayed hidden behind the dark walls of his mansion.

  Angela had finally switched off the computer in the early hours of the morning. No one deserved to end up looking like that; especially when he’d been such a fantastically fine piece of work. She’d never seen such thick, blonde hair with sinfully thick waves; or eyes so light grey they seemed transparent. And his lips; curved with wicked sensuality, they stayed etched in her mind as she went to sleep beneath her covers.

  What the devil was happening to her? She needed to stay the hell away from that man. No matter the kind of money he’d offered, it was too much of a risk getting involved. Look how he’d gotten under her skin after only one meeting.

  Even his scars didn’t seem the turn-off they should have been but only lent him more of a mystical air. She didn’t need this drama. She’d sworn to stay low key and focus on her career. And fake-dating a man like Shane Davis might open them both up to unsavory publicity especially once one considered how ill-matched they were. How could he even imagine this was something they could pull off? That she could pull off?