The Winner Takes It All (Love in L.A. Book 3) Read online

  “See! That’s what I’m talk—” Annie started to say, but he held a finger to her lips to shush her.

  “Hush and let me talk for a minute. What I mean is that I know I am the shit, but it’s because of you.”

  “Oh…” she said, but then frowned. “Wait, I don’t get it. Explain.”

  “Okay. I feel good whenever I’m around you. You make me feel like I am everything—like I can do anything. You make me feel like I’m the shit. It’s all because of you.”

  “Well,” she huffed, “I guess I can’t be mad at that.”

  “Better not be,” he said in a teasing tone, bending his head down to smooch her lips again before playfully swatting her backside. “Come on—let’s grab some grub. I’m famished. Then we’ll come back here so I can have my dessert, too.” He winked, making her giggle.

  “Sounds perfect,” she said happily.

  Annie couldn’t keep from groaning with pure satisfaction after sinking her teeth into a freshly baked garlic roll, and then licked her fingers clean after popping the rest of the chewy goodness into her mouth. She had just finished her second roll and was already reaching for a third. She and Casey were seated at a small table for two at C&O Trattoria in Venice, her favorite Italian restaurant. The buzz of dinner conversation from fellow restaurant-goers mixed with classic brat pack music, creating a charming ambience that she adored.

  “Better slow down on those things, or you’re not gonna have any room for dessert,” he warned.

  “No dessert for me. I’m happy just having these. They are like little pieces of buttery heaven in my mouth.”

  “Yeah, and garlic. You do remember we’re sleeping in the same bed tonight, right?”

  Annie laughed and pushed the little plate of rolls closer to Casey. “Yep, so eat up, sweetie. Might as well join me.”

  “No thanks. I’m watching my carbs,” he said, shaking his head.

  Annie rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. You look incredible as you are now. You have a six pack, for crying out loud.”

  “And this job is paying my rent right now, so if they tell me I need to lose another four percent, that’s what I’ve gotta do.”

  “They? Who’s they?” Annie watched Casey for his reaction, but he averted his eyes and didn’t say anything. “Hello? Are you ignoring me now?” Still he said nothing, instead reaching for a garlic roll. Nodding her head, she sighed. “Uh huh. That’s kind of what I figured. Kayla?”

  “She strongly suggested that I should join in her personal training sessions.”

  “Oh, I bet she did. So you must be spending quite a bit of time together now.”

  “Annie, it’s not like that. Our relationship is strictly professional,” he assured with a frown.

  “Does she know you have a girlfriend?” Annie knew she was starting to sound like an annoying, nagging, insecure bitch of a girlfriend, but she couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut. Kayla was a beautiful, successful, talented celebrity, and she wanted Casey. That much was clear. Whether the starlet’s interest was purely shallow and short-term, Annie had no idea, but she wasn’t willing to share. And she wanted so badly to trust him, but she’d been burned more than once before.

  “Yes, she does. I don’t know how she couldn’t when I talk about you all the time.”

  That made her pause. “You talk about me?”

  “All the time,” he said again, nodding, and then he grinned. “And not just to her, either.”

  Pursing her lips, Annie regarded him thoughtfully. He looked and sounded sincere. Finally she sighed and reached for her glass of wine. “Okay. I’m sorry for the third degree. I just know that when you spend a lot of time with someone, sometimes feelings develop. And we don’t get to see each other very often… and it’s not like I could blame you for being interested in her. I mean, she’s hot, rich, talented—”

  “Oh will you stop?” Looking irritated, he dropped the roll he was about to take a bite of, wiping his hands on his napkin. “I need to use the restroom. Excuse me.” And before she could say another word, he shoved his chair back and stood up from the table to leave, glowering down at her before stalking away in the direction of the restrooms.

  Looking embarrassed and guilty, Annie’s shoulders slumped. She hadn’t meant to push him that far, and now her insecurity had succeeded in pissing off one of the nicest, sweetest, hottest, most romantic guys she’d ever been with. Way to go!

  “Would you like a few more?” a waiter asked politely as he walked up to their table, holding a large white platter heaped with a steaming pile of fresh garlic rolls.

  She nodded and waved him on, waiting until he’d placed four more rolls on their plate, then nodded towards the plate and waved her finger again, indicating that he should keep going. He placed four more on the plate, and she smiled winningly at him.

  “Gratzi!” Annie said, reaching for another roll.

  Three rolls later, Casey returned to their table and sat down again. Annie looked at him nervously, searching his face for signs of whether he was still angry or annoyed, but his expression was completely bland.

  “Are we done with the interrogation tonight?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her as he regarded her calmly.

  “Yes, yes, of course. I didn’t mean to interrogate you. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip and looked down at her hands that were clasped tightly together in her lap.

  Casey sighed and reached over to pull one hand out of her lap, squeezing it gently. “Princess, you have got to be able to trust me. I know it’s not easy being in a relationship with someone who is gone so often, but this is my life right now, and will hopefully be this way for several more years. This is how I make my living.”

  “I know, and I do trust you. Really. I just—”

  “Just keep trusting me. Okay? I swear I will never do anything to hurt you. I love you. Remember?” Casey squeezed her hand again as he said this, then raised it to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.

  “Yes, I remember. I love you, too.” Annie pushed the rest of her negative, doubting thoughts aside and smiled at him. “So much that I saved you some garlic rolls,” she teased, the sparkle finally back in her eyes.

  He laughed and shook his head, then handed her a garlic roll. She grinned and started to raise it to her mouth to take a bite, but he grunted and shook his head at her as he picked up another roll. Then he pulled her arm around his, and she realized what he was doing. Laughing, she nodded and bit into her roll as he bit into his, their arms entwined together like newlyweds drinking champagne.

  “Silly,” Annie said, shaking her head at him as they untangled their arms once again.“Yeah, but you love it,” Casey said.

  “I do,” she agreed as the waiter arrived with their entrees.

  “So how are the voice lessons going?” he asked before forking a bite of grilled chicken into his mouth.

  “Great! David’s really helped me improve my tone and breath control.”

  “That’s awesome. So are you ready to kick some vocal ass?”

  “I guess,” she said with a shrug.

  “Hmm, that doesn’t sound too convincing. Gotta work on building up your confidence, or you’ll get eaten alive when we get to New York.”

  “I know,” she said, her shoulders slumping again.

  “Annie, there’s a reason you made it this far. You were meant to do this, and the judges recognized that. Now you need to believe in yourself and own it. Show everyone you belong to be there. If you don’t believe in you, then no one else will, either.”

  “You’re right. But I do believe in myself. I do believe I was born to do this.”

  “Good. Just keep on believing.” Casey raised his wine glass, and she followed suit. “Here’s to kicking ass and taking names. We’re gonna blow this shit up, baby. New York won’t know what hit them.”

  “That’s right, that’s right,” she agreed with a wide smile, then they both drained the rest of their wine.

  The only words Annie h
ad to say were “beach” and “Malibu”, and Casey agreed to be dragged along to Andrea’s party. As they drove down the PCH in Casey’s Range Rover, Annie leaned her head out the window, closed her eyes, and basked in the sun as it beat down on her face. It was a perfect Sunday. The sky was a clear blue, and the temperature wasn’t unbearably hot.

  Upon arriving at Andrea’s, they were buzzed in immediately. Casey had barely come to a complete stop in the driveway before a busty brunette burst out of the front door, waving her hands and smiling widely at Annie.

  “Hey mama, I’m so glad that you came,” she said as she walked up to the passenger door and opened it, taking Annie’s bag from her. Annie hopped out of her seat and turned to hug her friend.

  “Hey, Andrea! Thank you so much for inviting us. I’ve missed your parties.”

  “And I’ve missed having you here, and Katie, too. You girls are so busy these days, but then I’ve been busy as well.”

  “Yeah, you just got back from Australia, right? I saw the pictures you posted on Instagram. How was it?”

  “Gorgeous—just gorgeous. The Great Barrier Reef? Unbelievable. I want to go back as soon as possible, and you should go with me so I can shoot you.”

  “Aww, you’re so sweet. I wish I could, but I’m heading off to New York next month, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be there.” Casey slid his hand around Annie’s waist as he joined her, nodding politely to Andrea.

  “Oh, geez, Annie. Who’s the stud?” she asked with a big, friendly grin as she boldly took him in from head to toe, making Casey smile widely back at her. “And when can I shoot him?”

  Laughing, Annie shook her head at her photographer friend’s outspokenness. “This is my boyfriend, Casey,” she said. “Casey, meet Andrea, one of my friends and possibly the most talented photographer I know.”

  “She must not know many photographers,” Andrea joked as she leaned forward to greet Casey with a quick hug and cheek kiss. “Great to meet you, Casey. Welcome to mi casa. Please, come inside so I can fix you both a drink. What do you feel like? Margaritas? Martinis? Some of my secret tropical punch?”

  Annie glanced up at Casey and shook her head when Andrea mentioned the punch. “Word of advice,” she whispered loudly, “don’t touch the punch unless you want to wake up naked on the beach somewhere.”

  “I heard that,” Andrea called as she preceded them into the house.

  “She’ll probably try to talk you into modeling for her naked sometime. I hope you aren’t offended. She isn’t hitting on you; she just really loves shooting nude photography.” Annie smiled and shrugged apologetically, but Casey just laughed.

  “I think I can handle myself,” he said good-naturedly. “I’d consider it a compliment.”

  Andrea turned to hand them both frozen strawberry margaritas. “You didn’t pick, so I picked for you.” She raised her own margarita and clinked her glass against theirs. “Bottoms up!”

  Annie had just started to take a long swallow of her drink when her bubbly friend said, “Actually, I’d really love to photograph you two nude together. Now wow, wouldn’t that be gorgeous?”

  Almost choking, Annie covered her mouth and took a moment to recover. “That’s very flattering, Andrea, but I don’t think I’m ready to have my relationship documented so intimately.”

  Shrugging, Andrea took another sip of her margarita and smiled as if to say, “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  “Suit yourself, my love. But if you change your mind…”

  “We won’t,” Casey said firmly, smiling at Andrea as he raised his glass. “And thank you for the compliment, but it is for my eyes only.” He wrapped his arm around Annie and pulled her close to his side and kissed the top of her head, making her smile and lean into him.

  “Aren’t you two the cutest?” Andrea exclaimed. “Well, I’d still love to shoot you together, even with your clothes on. What do you say?”

  Exchanging glances with Casey, Annie shrugged before answering. “Sure, clothes on, no problem.”

  “Wonderful! Let’s do it now.”

  “What?” Annie said at the same time that Casey said, “Seriously?”

  Andrea laughed at the expression on their faces and nodded. “Yes, seriously. I believe that spontaneity can be a powerful ingredient for an amazing photo shoot. You both have swimwear with you, right?”

  Slowly, Annie nodded. “Yeah, I’m wearing a black bikini under my clothes.”

  “I’m wearing board shorts,” Casey added, but Andrea shook her head.

  “I have something better for you to wear. Come with me,” she said in a commanding tone, then spun around and headed down the hallway and up a staircase. Annie and Casey followed her upstairs, both of them looking a little nervous. Andrea disappeared into a walk-in closet, then reappeared a minute later holding a small piece of black cloth in her hand. Thrusting it at Casey, she said, “Here. This is much better.”

  Casey looked skeptically at the flimsy scrap of material before glancing back up at the photographer who was eyeing him expectantly. “This is a Speedo,” he said.

  Nodding, Andrea continued to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

  He coughed once and cleared his throat, looking down at the piece of material in his hands again, then up to Annie who was trying to smother a giggle, then back to Andrea. Glancing back again at Annie, he smirked at her. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  She couldn’t help but smile smugly at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that looks like a great Speedo. It’d be a shame for it to go to waste, and usually the photographer knows what’s best for her model.”

  “Uh huh,” he said dryly, holding up the skimpy swimsuit and shaking it at Annie. “You mean what’s best for your viewing pleasure.”

  Annie laughed and shook her head. “You think I put her up to this?”

  Casey shook his head as well. “No, but you seem to be enjoying this a little too much.”

  “Hey, I can’t help it if you have a bangin’ bod that my friend wants to photograph in a Speedo. Who am I to stand in the way of art?” she asked innocently before smiling sweetly at him. “Better change into your wardrobe.”

  “Smartass,” he said, leaning down to peck her on the lips before asking Andrea if she had some place where he could change. Andrea nodded and motioned for them to follow her back downstairs. After escorting Casey to the downstairs guest bathroom, she hooked her arm through Annie’s and pulled her back into the kitchen. She wasted no time in plying Annie for details, swatting her playfully on the arm.

  “Okay, talk fast. Where did you find him?”

  “In the parking lot at work.”

  “Seriously? How did it go down? Tell me what happened. Come on, I need details.”

  Annie laughed and shook her head. “If you let me talk, I’ll tell you.”

  Andrea moved to refill both margarita glasses and nodded, indicating that she should continue.

  “I bumped into him one day outside of work, and we ended up going to coffee and talking. We went to coffee one more time after that, and then he ended up getting this gig relieving one of the injured back-up dancers for Kayla Miles. He was going to be out of town for weeks, but then he asked me to come to San Francisco and see him perform and spend the weekend with him.”

  “And you went?”

  “And I went.”

  “Aww, and what happened?”

  As she thought back on that magical weekend in San Francisco, a dreamy smile spread across her lips.

  “Aha,” Andrea said knowingly, smiling at Annie with a twinkle in her eye. “I know that look.”

  “It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  “So you’re happy obviously?”

  “More than I ever dreamed I’d be.”

  “Wonderful. I’m so happy for you, my friend. He is gorgeous.”

  “I know, right? He’s confident, but not arrogant, and the biggest sweetheart in the world. I love it. I l
ove everything about him. He’s ridiculously yummy to look at, he moves his body like he was born to dance, and he moves those hips like he just knows the exact right angle to get the biggest reaction out of me.”

  “And I do.” Casey’s voice came from behind her, making Annie freeze with a horrified look on her face. How had she forgotten to listen for him coming back from changing? Plastering on a smile, she turned around and looked up at him timidly, unsure whether he was going to be angry or not. Some guys wouldn’t appreciate her sharing so much information with someone else, friend or not.

  To her relief, he didn’t upset at all. In fact, he looked rather… smug. A wry smile twisted her lips, and she wrinkled her nose at him. “Don’t let it go to your head, sir. Nice towel, by the way,” she noted with a raised eyebrow and a smug smile of her own.

  It was his turn to grin wryly as he glanced down at the bright teal beach towel he’d wrapped around his waist. “Thanks. Is it my color?”

  “Oh totally,” Annie said, nodding solemnly at first, but she couldn’t keep from smiling at him—he was just too cute. And the fact that he was a little shy made him seem even cuter to her.

  “Okay, lovebirds. Let’s hit the beach for some picture time. Lose the towel, loverboy.” Andrea smacked Casey on the ass as she walked past him, making him wince slightly. “Come on, Annie girl, time to lose the cover-up. Chop chop. Let’s go.” She waited for them to follow her instructions, tapping her foot impatiently as Annie pulled the cover-up over her head. Casey smirked and tugged the towel away from his hips, making Andrea’s jaw sag slightly and Annie hum appreciatively.

  “Nice, um—package, sir,” Annie said to him, trying to play it cool, but he just smirked at her.

  “I know. You want me badly right now.”

  Trying to play along, she just sniffed and tried to look like she could care less, making Casey laugh.

  They followed their hostess as she led them through the house and back out again through a pair of French doors that opened onto a large, sprawling deck packed with about twenty people, both men and women. Most seemed to be in their late twenties to early thirties, but there were a few older gentlemen there as well. Reggae music played at a moderate volume in the background while large blunts were passed around.