Page 54

“I like this place,"Julian says as he steps into my living room. “It’s cozy.”

Is that a nice way of saying small?”Thanks." I take the bottle of wine he's holding. It's a chilled rosé. "I was actually just thinking about moving."

He nods, slipping off his leather jacket, releasing his scent into the air. I have to work hard to keep my eyes from rolling into my head with pleasure.It's wrong to just try to screw him on my couch, right?I need to wine and dine him first, after all the no-getting-back-to-him stuff. "How many bedrooms?” Julian asks.

"Just the one. And it's all rental stuff. Mary got it for me last year when we started shootingThe Tempest."

He hands me the jacket, and I put the wine down on my entry table to hang his coat in the closet. "I can see how you'd be ready for an upgrade."

I give a short laugh. "This is really nice compared to where I was living before."

"Where was that?" he asks with a grin that pops his dimples.

“Housing for aspiring models," I say. "I had to share a bedroom." I give him a fake frown. "Growing up I had my own room—we lived in a farm house."

Grabbing the wine, I start to walk toward the kitchen. "Smells great in here," Julian says.

"I'm making eggplant parm."

"Oh, yum."

"Want some wine?" I ask, putting the bottle on the counter. "I've got red open." I turn to him. "Or we could open this?”

“Either works for me.”

He leans against the counter, watching me as I open the wine. A blush creeps up my neck at his close inspection. "Is it wrong that I just want to kiss you?" he asks, and I almost drop the bottle. His hand comes out to steady it. "Sorry.”

"No." I shake my head, screwing up the courage to look at him. "I just—" A grin steals over my face. "I was thinking I had to wine and dine you before attacking you."

He moves closer, smiling. "I'm easy," he smirks, taking the half-opened bottle out of my hand and putting it on the counter. His other arm goes around my waist, and my breath stops. He's so handsome I can barely even take it.

I want to say something witty and sexy that will make him chuckle, but I've got nothing. My eyes close at the feel of him against me. A small moan climbs out of me, and he gives me that chuckle I wanted. The warmth of his face grows close, and then his lips find mine. My hands remember they exist and slide up his arms, finding those shoulders. Another moan comes out as I dig my fingers into the strong muscle there.

His tongue swipes at me, and I open for him. His one hand drops down to my ass and pulls me tight, while the other roams under my shirt, skirting up my spine and breaking goose bumps over my skin.

I want to have sex—right here, right now—in my kitchen.

"You do?" he says.

Holy shit!"Did I say that out loud?"

"About having sex in your kitchen right now?" He's smiling against my lips. I open my eyes. He's right there, those big blue sapphires of his shining down at me. "Yeah, you did."

My mouth goes into a perfect little “O” of surprise.Some secret agent I make."I..."

"I'm happy to oblige." He turns us so that my back is to the counter. He pushes the wine away and lifts me up so fast that I let out a little yelp of surprise, followed by a quick, sharp laugh as my grip tightens on his shoulders.

"Is that why you wore this skirt?" he asks, running his hands up and down my thighs, pushing the white material up slowly.

"I thought we'd have a drink first."

He grins at me then leans over and grabs my jelly glass of red wine, taking the last sip. "I'm good," he says. "You?"

I can only nod as I watch his tongue lick his lips. Running my hands up his shoulders into his hair, I bend my head to kiss him as his fingers push my skirt out of the way. He's wearing a dark, silky T-shirt. I reach down to find the hem and pull it over his head. He lets me and then pulls at my shirt, getting rid of it.

I giggle, and he growls. It's like we've been lovers forever, not just a night in Shanghai. He kisses me with his hands on my cheeks, holding me, worshiping me.

That sense of power I felt last time we were together fills my brain again. It's a heady mixture of raw hunger and the realization of my own physical capabilities.