Page 34 of Catch Me (Townsend Legacy #4)

I vy

“You don’t think this is too revealing?” I ask from in front of the mirror, twisting to my side to examine the dress’ cut out that shows a significant portion of my midriff.

The studded, forest green dress with silver studs that outline the rim stops about three inches above the knees. While I don’t have particularly long legs, the short length of the dress accompanied by the five-inch stilettos make my legs appear extra long.

“Too revealing?” Andreas comes up behind me. “You look like my dream come to life,” he tells me before biting my earlobe.

A moan manages its way past my lips.

Somehow, I find the strength to extricate myself from his embrace. “We’re going to be late,” I remind him.

After the initial meeting with Andreas’ cousins we ended up hanging out for a while longer and meeting more of the drivers and their teams.

It was like a whirlwind, followed by dinner with Travis and Annalise.

Now we’re on our way to the official wrap party with the rest of the cast and crew.

“Lillian is already there,” I tell him, having received a text from her about ten minutes ago asking where I was.

I’m having my doubts about showing up to this party on Andreas’ arm, but it’s not like our secret isn’t out already. And Andreas has assured me that everyone has signed nondisclosure agreements, and phones and cameras won’t be allowed in the private party.

“They don’t mind waiting.” He nips at my ear again, this time growling.

I push him away. “You’ll regret it if you don’t show up to this party. Remember this is to celebrate all of your hard work.”

“Your work, too,” he adds.

“More yours and the rest of the actors than mine.”

He squeezes my hand before giving me a once over. The way his eyes light up from just watching me makes my entire heart melt.

“You take my breath away in this dress. I bet you could’ve made this.”

I laugh. “No, I definitely couldn’t have made something like this. I enjoy sewing here and there, but my passion is putting pieces together to create a full picture. I don’t dream of having my own line one day,” I tell him.

I point to the Vogue Paris magazine on the nightstand by my side of our bed. It’s the 1988 edition with Naomi Campbell on the cover. Another one of the magazines from my list that Andreas surprised me with once we arrived in Las Vegas.

There’s only a few more covers from my list that are missing.

“Piecing looks together is my favorite part of fashion.”

Andreas cocks his head to the side. “Perfect.”

I wrinkle my forehead. “What?”

“Knowing exactly what your dreams are.” He brings my hand to his lips. “We should go.”

Thirty minutes later, we’re escorted into the private room where the rest of the cast and crew of Late Nights is already partying.

“You finally made it,” Lillian says, throwing her arms around me. “Did you have fun at the race?”

“It was so awesome,” I tell her. While the rest of the cast got to see the race from a distance at the Bellagio, Andreas and I were able to have front row seats, courtesy of Travis Townsend’s team.

“Such a rush being so close to the cars speeding past. I can’t believe how fast they go. It would terrify me to be inside one of those things going two hundred miles an hour.”

Lillian nods. “Don’t I know it. Today, spending a few hours in a casino and the possibility of losing a few hundred dollars is all of the risk I need.”

We laugh.

“For you.” Andreas returns, placing a glass of champagne in my hand.

A beat later, Michael Keith taps the side of his glass with a fork, getting everyone’s attention as the DJ turns down the music.

“I won’t take too much of your time,” he says. “We’re all here to unwind and celebrate the hard work we’ve put in over the past few months …”

He goes on again to thank all who helped get the film to this point, taking special care to acknowledge Andreas for stepping up and tackling this role with such vigor. I get swept up in the applause that accompanies his statements.

Just about everyone in the room turns to Andreas and claps and shouts ‘well done’ or something of the sort at him. In typical fashion, Andreas takes the attention in stride, shaking his head and gesturing back at Michael Keith and the rest of the cast.

Humble and charming at the same time.

This is him. Yes, the striking good looks draw in stares, but it’s his innate ability to bring people in, make them feel seen and even adored, that keeps the attention on him, in an ironic way.

He’s the moon, pulling everything and everyone close to him into his orbit without even trying.

“What are you thinking about?”

His deep voice in my ear startles me out of my thoughts. My body warms as he slips an arm around my waist, pulling me into him. Though we’re in a room full of people—our colleagues no less—I don’t even think of pulling away from him.

It probably helps that Rebecca isn’t here. I’m not sure if I’d be so carefree if she were.

“Have you always been like this?”

His forehead wrinkles. “Like what?”

Chuckling, I tuck my head into his shoulder for a beat. “You don’t even see it. The way everyone wants to be in your space.”

He shrugs. “It’s Hollywood. Everyone’s angling for something all of the time.”

I shake my head. “It’s not just that. It’s you. You make people want to be around you.” I move closer so that my lips are right by his ear. “Even me.”

His hold around my waist firms, pulling me flush against his front.

“Is that your way of telling me you love me, too?”

I laugh. “Yes,” I admit, and then give him a quick kiss. Though I haven’t drunk any alcohol, my inhibitions have slipped away. “I love you.”

The smile on his lips tightens my chest. “I love you, too, Ivy. And just so you know, we’re done being secretive about this. Trying to pretend you’re anything but mine, will get you put over my knee before the night is over.”

I can’t stop the purr of anticipation that pushes its way up my throat.

Andreas pulls back, an expression of surprise covering his face. “You like that, don’t you?”

I press my lips together, turning my head. But he catches my chin, turning me to look him in the eyes again.

“My naughty girl. Good to know,” he says.

I almost ask him what he’s talking about, but he dips his head until our lips are mere centimeters apart.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Ivy. As much as you want, I want to give it to you.”

My nipples strain so hard that it becomes painful.

Thankfully, the speeches end, the lights darken, and the level of the music rises. The space around us fills with dancing and swaying bodies. No one’s paying attention to us, as they’re all enjoying themselves.

A chorus of shouts sound around the room as the DJ’s upbeat hip hop playlist takes over.

“You made sure we showed up to this party,” Andreas says. “Show me what you got.”

I accept the challenge without thinking as I start moving my hips in beat with the music. I spin around, placing my back against Andreas’ front and looking back at him over my shoulder.

Not that I would’ve ever doubted it, but he has absolutely no problem keeping up with the music. When he grabs me by the waist, it’s me who has to fight to keep from stumbling in order to continue matching his rhythm.

It’s at this moment, I start to wonder if there’s anything Andreas isn’t good at. The man, it seems, is a natural at just about everything.

His hands on my body replaces the doubts and fears still swarming in the back of my mind. I don’t think about how others in the room perceive me. It doesn’t even occur to me to consider whether my dancing is too provocative or over-the-top.

Even my mother’s recriminations about how such behavior is an embarrassment to the family name take a backseat.

When Andreas presses his body fully against my backside and slips his hand through the cutout of my dress and down to cup the apex between my thighs, my mind goes completely blank.

Seconds later, he slips a finger inside of me, making a gasp burst from my lips. He catches my outtake of air with his lips covering mine. Right in the middle of this dance floor, Andreas Knight finger fucks me while his mouth ravages mine.

“Andreas,” I pant the moment he breaks our kiss.

Understanding crests on his handsome face.

It doesn’t matter that we haven’t been at this party long at all. Nor does it matter if the reason for our early departure is obvious to anyone within a few feet of us.

Though he understands, Andreas makes it clear he still wants to hear the words from my mouth.

“Tell me, Ivy. Tell me what you need,” he demands with his free hand gripping a fistful of my hair, forcing me to look him in the eye.

“You,” I pant. “I need you.”

“Where?” he growls through gritted teeth.

“Inside of me.”

There’s no point in trying to be coy or shy about it. I’m dripping wet and damn sure I’ll die if I don’t have him between my legs soon.

“Let’s go.”

I almost scream out in pain when he withdraws his hand from my pussy. But he clasps my hand, forcing me to keep up with his long stride so damn quickly that I don’t have time for regret.

Only anticipation.