Michelle Celmer—Playing by the Baby Rules; Exerpt


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STARSTRUCK

Harlequin
April 2008
ISBN 978-0373389704

“Mr. Miles!” a man called in a refined and tidy British accent. The silky smooth tenor vibrated through Claire's skin, plucking away at her nerve endings. A funny little quiver that raised the hair on her arms and the nape of her neck.
Whoa, that was weird.
She was afraid to look. Afraid to spoil it. What if the face didn’t match the voice? What if he was a toad?
And what difference did it make?
If there was one thing Claire had grown used to over the years, it was men disappointing her.
They both turned in the direction of the voice and Claire’s first impression of the man sprinting toward them was the utter length of him. Decked out in a vintage, casual navy uniform, every part of him looked long and lean. Slim, but solid.
He greeted Papaw with a warm handshake--the two handed kind. “I’m Liam Bates, the assistant cruise director. It’s an honor to have you aboard, sir.”
Automatically her eyes followed the length of his toned arms. Lean biceps, tanned forearms, all the way to his hands. Some women judged a man by his eyes, some preferred a cute butt, or whatever other body part they found particularly appealing. For whatever reason, Clair had a thing for hands. Give her a decent pair of hands to work with and she could forgive an imperfection or two.
His, she realized immediately, were a work of art. Finely boned with long, tapered fingers. Not too harsh or veiny, or even worse, all knob and bone. But not too feminine either. The sort she imagined might belong to an artist or musician. Hands that would know a woman’s body, mold and shape it the way a sculptor manipulated clay.
Graceful hands.
Her gaze traveled upward until it collided with eyes a clear, shocking blue, as though he’d captured the ocean’s essence in his irises.
This man was no toad.
His complexion was as fair as her own, and despite the fact that his short blond hair was showing the signs of thinning at the corners of his forehead, it did nothing to detract from a face that was as eloquent and compelling as rest of him. She would go so far as to say he was pretty, but his features were too masculine to be considered anything but handsome.
When was the last time she’d looked at a man and hadn’t thought, never in a million years?
“ So pleased to meet you,” Papaw said.
He pumped Papaw’s hand enthusiastically. “Sir, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine. I’m a huge fan of your work.“
In his usual, humble way, Papaw waved off the compliment. “The way I hear it you’ve had quite a career yourself.”
“Some film and theater, yes.” He turned to Claire. His eyes locked on hers and held, and she got another one of those odd little shivery feelings. “Would this be your granddaughter?”
There was a look of recognition in his eyes, one that clearly said he knew exactly who she was.
“ Claire Mackenzie,” she said, hesitating an instant before taking the hand he extended. But the idea of touching him was too compelling to resist.
Long fingers, surprisingly smooth, warm skin gobbled up her hand. His grip was firm without being overbearing. Friendly but not suggestive. “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Bates.”
“ Please, call me Liam.” He retained his grip on her hand a second longer, let go at precisely the proper moment. An instant before a friendly handshake became a veiled proposition.
“ If there’s anything I can get for you I’m only a phone call away.” He was addressing them both, but his eyes were still on Claire.
“ Claire and I were just about to head out exploring,” Papaw said, and Claire couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t some sort of implied invitation.
Liam finally pulled his eyes from her to address Papaw. “Excellent. Then I won’t keep you.”
Was that a dash of disappointment she just felt? What was wrong with her? It must be the pendant, she decided. Not that she believed it was somehow mystically altering her brain waves. But the power of suggestion could be a dangerous thing.
“ I just wanted to let you know that our first rehearsal for Friday’s show is tomorrow at ten a.m. on deck six in the auditorium,” Liam said. “We’ll break for lunch at noon, then return at two for a final two hours.”
“ What sort of show will it be?” she asked Liam, and he met her gaze. The way he looked at her, as though he knew exactly what was going on inside her head. But how could he? She’d had years to perfect her poker face. Even if she did find him incredibly appealing, she would never let it show.
“ It’s a tribute to actors and films of your grandfather’s era. A Hollywood review, if you will. Singing, dancing. We have an exceptional cast, but your grandfather is of course the star. It really will be quite fantastic.”
She didn’t doubt that it would be. “I can’t wait.”
With the ghost of smile lurking in the depths of his eyes, he nodded. A slight tip of his head. “Enjoy your evening.”
Claire had to force herself not to watch him walk away. Besides, she knew without even looking that he had a perfect but to go along with the rest of his perfect features.
“ Nice young fellow,” Papaw said
She smiled vaguely and uttered a noncommittal, “Hmmm.”
His brow spiked with curiosity. “You don’t think so?”
He knew exactly what she thought of Liam. Papaw may have been getting up there in years, but he didn’t miss a thing. He knew Claire well enough to see past all the emotional barricades to her true feelings. It was as comforting as it was annoying. “He’s swell,” she said, in fifties lingo. “A real dreamboat.”
“ My agent had wonderful things to say about him,” Papaw said. “A talented fellow. And single.”
Oh no, he was not going to try to set her up. “How would your agent know that?”
“ Did you see a wedding ring?”
“ Unmarried does not equate to single. For all you know he could have a steady girlfriend, or for that matter a boyfriend.”
He flashed her one of those exasperated looks.
“ Besides, I’m sure the ship has some sort of regulation against the staff fraternizing with the staff.”
“ I remember a time when that would have made him irresistible.”
Maybe, but she had learned a lot since then. “I didn’t come on this trip to meet men. I came to be with you.”
“ In other words, butt out.” He sighed deeply and shrugged. “You win. I’ll back off. Now why don’t we take that walk?”
That was a little too easy. As he took her arm and they walked to the door, she couldn’t escape the feeling that that she hadn’t heard the last of this.

From the book: Starstruck

By: Michelle Celmer