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He gave her a longer kiss.
She growled once more.
He kissed her again.
“Are you going to kiss me every time I growl?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “Why stop a good thing?”
After she growled two – okay five – more times, she touched her swollen lips and moved back to stop herself from initiating another (five) kisses. “So that settles it. I’m not interested in you. Just because you’re handsome, muscular, larger than life… I’m getting off topic… not everyone will immediately offer to be your girlfriend.”
“You think I’m handsome?”
She stopped. “That’s what you got from that?”
He grinned, nodded. “And how would you explain the last fifteen minutes of kissing?”
“Simple lust.”
“So, you’re in lust with me?”
This was not going well. “You’re twisting my words.”
“I’m not twisting your words. I’m just trying to get this right.” And obviously trying not to laugh. “You think I’m handsome, muscular and desired by a million women. In addition, lust is making you kiss me again and again. Did I get that right?”
Yup. Pretty much. Jackpot!
“So, I’m going to go.” She edged back toward the door. “If you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes so we’re not seen leaving together, that would be great.”
“Just not going to respond, huh?”
She moved closer to escape. “I’ll quit while I’m ahead.”Or behind.“No matter what I think about your body, there’s absolutely nothing between us.”
“Do you want to know what I think?” He lowered his voice as he stepped forward, his midnight black shoes thumping on the soft ground. “I think you’re attracted to me.” Another step. “I think I’m scaring the hell out of you. No matter what the tabloids say, I’m not a ‘woman a week’ sort of guy.”
She knew that. It made him even more attractive… and dangerous. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m not in a position– I mean I’m just not.”
“Because you’re hiding something.”
Yes, she was.And she needed to leave before he discovered every last truth. “I’ll meet you at your house on Friday.”
“I’ll send my limo driver to pick you up. Otherwise, someone might see your car coming to my home. The paparazzi camp outside my development 24/7.”
“Wow.” She couldn’t even imagine a life where people watched your every movement. But he was right – if they saw her, they could very well find out who she was – and who she wasn’t. But if she didn’t… “You have to promise to take me home.”
He smiled. “Are you afraid I won’t let you go?”
“Yes.”
She waited for his response, but none didn’t come. He didn’t actually promise he’d let her go. But she had no choice, not if she wanted to catch the criminal. The organization would act soon, and she needed to be here when they did. Yet as she turned to leave, neither the criminal nor the case usurped her mind, because it was wholly occupied by one very striking movie star. How would she survive an entire night with Julian…
Without revealing her secret?
CHAPTER 10
She was not who she pretended to be.
To an extent, he’d known from the beginning. Her behavior was just too inconsistent, too strange, as if she were two completely different women, an actress portraying an actress. Could she be in trouble? That concern motivated Julian to ask a friend, a private detective, to look into her past. Nothing too invasive, just a quick background check to make sure she wasn’t in any major trouble. He’d been in his dressing room when the phone call came.