At least Kelsey now knew why Will Addison’s name sounded familiar—he was a blood relation, a brother no less, of the world’s worst client. It was all coming back to her. Will was the oldest of the siblings who traveled the globe running the family chain of Starr Properties—resorts, hotels and inns named for his mother—that catered to the rich, famous and not-so-famous. Just as Starr Addison’s husband, Bill, had used his wife’s name for the family’s real-estate venture, Faith had taken her mother’s name for her stage name. Not that it made a difference.
Nothing made a difference where Faith Starr was concerned.
Kelsey rose, barely able to contain the anger threatening to erupt worse than Mt. Vesuvius. She was an Armstrong and had been raised properly to follow etiquette and protocol, but one could only be polite for so long. “Get out of my office, Mr. Addison. Now.”
He stood. “I understand why you’re upset. Faith hasn’t been the most reliable—”
“Your sister is nothing more than a spoiled starlet, who strings fiancés along as if they were her personal puppets.” Faith Starr, actress extraordinaire and the world’s most famous runaway bride, had almost given Kelsey an ulcer—four times in the past three years. Faith was a perfectionist both in her craft and in planning her weddings. Never had Kelsey worked so hard with so little payoff in her life.
“I’ve already planned four weddings for her. Count them—four.” Kelsey raised four fingers. That was three too many. More business was one thing, but this… “I won’t be involved in number five.”
“Can’t we talk about this? Work something—”
“Out. I have nothing more to say on this matter so please leave.”
“If you only understood the circumstances—”
“Look,” Kelsey said, trying to keep her tone polite, yet firm. “I appreciate you came on behalf of your family. That’s very…noble of you considering my past with your sister. But nothing you say will change my mind.”
His assessing gaze made her self-conscious. It was all she could do not to smooth her skirt and check to see if a piece of spinach was caught between her teeth. “Are you always so stubborn?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Out. Now.” At least the band of gold wasn’t the only negative thing about Will Addison. “Get out of my office before I call security and have you thrown out.”
Waiting for Kelsey to step out into the hallway was far from Will’s idea of a good time, but he wasn’t leaving until he had a chance to speak with her again.
The seconds turned into minutes; the minutes into an hour. How much longer before she left for the airport? He stared at the door to Kelsey’s office. No catchy name for her business, simply Kelsey Armstrong Waters, Wedding Consultant, in a script font. Too bad there was nothing simple about the woman herself.
He should have handled it better, but Kelsey had caught him off guard, and he wasn’t a man used to being caught off guard. He didn’t like the feeling one bit.
Damn Faith.
Will was going to kill her. He shouldn’t have promised to oversee her wedding planning while she finished filming her latest movie. Faith had said this would be easy. As easy as pushing an elephant into an elevator. And the wedding was the least of it.
Will was used to being around beautiful, wealthy, accomplished women and having them flirt, even pursue him. He was used to tolerating such women; he was an expert at fending off their advances unless he wanted a little company. But it never went further than that. No one intrigued him enough to make him want more.
Until today.
Something had happened when he’d seen Kelsey’s reflection in the mirror. He’d stood transfixed as if watching a piece of living art. Unguarded expressions had played on her face, and emotion clogged his throat. He’d felt as if he were trespassing, but he hadn’t been able to stop staring at her. Tall and willowy, with long chestnut hair that shone and sparkled as if each strand had been individually cleaned and polished, she looked so young, so soft, so sweet. The wistful smile on her face had touched his heart and he’d wanted to capture the moment. For the first time in a long while, he’d felt the racing of his pulse, the pounding of his heart. And he’d liked the way it felt. Liked it a lot.
When Kelsey had realized she wasn’t alone, the glowing bride-to-be had metamorphosed into the cool, distant professional. No flirting, no fawning. She’d even called him “Mr. Addison” and kept it strictly business.
Yet when she’d realized he was Faith Starr’s brother…Talk about passion boiling under a cool facade. Will couldn’t believe the change in the woman. Flames had danced within the violet depths of her eyes, raising his temperature enough to melt the ice in his veins. She’d shown restraint, yet her anger had been clear. No amount of charm would ever change her mind. Forget the sweet talk, even his never-fail smile hadn’t worked.
Will didn’t get it. He always got what he wanted from women. Even with Sara.
Sara.
Will’s gut tightened.
What the hell was he doing? Being attracted to Kelsey was one thing. He hadn’t spent the past eight years as a total hermit, but he had no right to be intrigued by her. She wasn’t simply a guest at one of his resorts; she was the woman he had to convince to plan his sister’s wedding. His family, most especially his mother, was counting on him to bring Kelsey to Lake Tahoe. He wouldn’t let his mother down. He couldn’t let her down.
The door to Kelsey’s office finally opened. She stepped out, locked the door and turned. The moment she saw him, her lips tightened. “What are you still doing here?”
Her above-the-knee gray tailored suit hugged each and every curve. Will forced his gaze to focus off her body and on her face. There was both a delicacy and a strength to her features. Her classic beauty would only improve over the years, and she didn’t need all that makeup. High cheekbones dusted with blush, full lips painted the color of a mouthwatering plum and eyelids outlined with black liner. At least she hadn’t tried to hide the small mole near the left side of her mouth. “You seemed upset. I wanted to apologize.”
She stared down her perfectly shaped nose as if he were a mere peon. Fine by him. Will knew how to deal with women like that. He made a living catering to customers, to the whims of the wealthy guests staying at his family’s resorts. He hadn’t thought Kelsey fit that cold and shallow mold. She’d seemed more the warm and passionate type, but it would be easier this way. Much easier. “I also wanted to apologize for Faith. She’s very sorry for what she put you through.”
“Which time?”
“All four of them,” he admitted.
Unblinking, Kelsey studied him. “You’ve said your apologies, now leave.”
“I don’t blame you for being upset at Faith, but I wish you would hear me out. You didn’t lose money on any of her weddings.”
“No, your mother saw to that, but I lost something far more valuable—my time.” Kelsey flipped her hair behind her shoulder, and Will felt a twinge in his groin. Ignore it; ignore her. She continued, “And it hurt my reputation. In a business like this, reputation is everything.”
“Granted,
