This room still had hotel furniture in it but also had people standing around and a makeup artist and hairstyle station in the corner. Nikhil pulled Marley straight to the washroom. It was a large room—they weren’t crowded. But still. When they’d been in the fitting room back at the personal shopping suite, he’d changed alone. Notwithher.
“Sorry,” he said immediately as he locked the door. “There is absolutely nowhere else we can be alone.”
Marley kept her expression neutral. The last thing she needed was for Nikhil to discover how attractive she was finding him right now. She couldn’t believe this was scrawny Nikhil from high school. “And why exactly do we need to be alone?”
He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Then he looked at her, clearly trying, and failing, to smile genuinely. “Yesterday was a disaster,” he said.
“I saw online. It wasn’tthatbad.” She pulled out her phone and read him some of the posts she’d saved. “OMG, a BROWN Bronze Shadow, YUM! Is that melanin I see?People were trying to find the name of your stylist.” Marley felt pretty good about that. There were negative comments, too, but she didn’t read those to him.
“What kind of social media accounts do you follow?”
She shrugged. “Fashion people mostly. And some social commentary accounts.”
“Any rabid nerdy fanboys?”
Marley frowned.
“I fucked up,” Nikhil said, leaning back against the counter. “They’re calling me an antisocial snob. I was… distracted.”
“Why?” Nikhil was almost too goofy and upbeat back in the day. But she didn’t really know him anymore. She shouldn’t project Nikhil the boy onto this full-grown man who was wearing an undershirt thin enough to see through.
When he didn’t answer her, she pointed at the shirt. “Put it on, Nikhil.”
He did. As expected, it looked amazing on him. She watched as he buttoned and tucked it into his gray pants. The deep greenish blue of the shirt brought out the cool undertones in his warm brown skin. And the soft floral on such a burly, masculine body was… well, it was hot. She felt herself flush.
She couldn’t let him know what he was doing to her.
“That’s perfect,” Marley said, reaching to undo his second button.
Nikhil was looking only at her as she smoothed the shirt, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. Had he always been so intense? His expression was pure trust. Not mischief or amusement like it used to be when he looked at her, just… respect. Admiration.
And maybe, just maybe, a touch of heat.
But hehadbeen intense before. Marley’s mind flashed to prom night. Marley had been in several relationships before then—and had even slept with someone before Nikhil. But Nikhil felt… different from the others. He wasn’t awkward thatnight. He was focused, serious, and surprisingly passionate. She didn’t realize it until she’d been with a few more people in college, but Nikhil was much better than average in bed. She shivered, remembering the feeling of his fingertips on her bare skin. It wasn’t what she’d expected sex with the class clown to be like. She quickly shook out those thoughts and took a step back. It was a long time ago.
“That shirt is the one, I think,” she said. “I mean, of course your team has to approve, but that would be my choice.”
Nikhil nodded, running his hand over his hair. It was smooth and sleek and reaching the bottom of his collar.
“Your hair,” Marley said. “I figured they’d cut it short.”
He shook his head. “The movie Simon DeSouza will have a man bun to hide his secret identity instead of glasses.”
Marley chuckled, which brought a small smile to Nikhil’s face.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this today,” he said.
“It’s fine. I’m being paid well.”
He exhaled. “Good. I… They said I needed someone I was comfortable around today. Lydia thinks you’re the only one on my team that I like.”
Marley frowned. “You don’t like anyone else you work with?” Marley didn’t have a ton of friends at work, but she had Ruby at least.
“I like my director a lot. The cast that I’ve met seem fine. My current trainer is fine. He’s actually a stunt coordinator on the movie. It’s just these publicity people who aren’t my favorite. And anyway, yesterday’s screwup wasn’t because I don’t like anyone, just…” He sighed. “My brother called right before I went onstage. He got under my skin. I’d put money on his timing being intentional.”
Marley said nothing for a few moments. “Family is complicated, isn’t it?” she finally said. She didn’t want to pry into his personal life.
He nodded. “Totally. I understand if you want to leave now that you brought the shirts. I’ll make sure they still pay you.” He glanced at himself in the mirror. “You’re right—this shirt isfire. I’m going to ask to keep it.” He put his hand on his chin in a sultry thinking-man pose, and Marley finally understood why he was on the brink of superstardom.
