“I never hated you. I wished I hated you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Well, I wished I hated you too. But I didn’t. Not for a minute.” His words were equally soft, but strong all at the same time. In the subtext, Heather heard the depth of not-hate Seth had for her. It caught her off guard, made her lose her breath.
Seth continued, unaware of the effect he was having on her ability to bring air into her lungs. “And when I realized the reason that you, uh, disliked me—because of what I did, well, I judged you. Not only because I wanted to put you in your place, but because I thought that if there was any chance that you could like me, any chance at all, then I wanted you to like me
for me
. Not for what I did or didn’t do.”
He looked at a spot on the stage floor. “And I’d been burned before. My ex-girlfriend—ex-fiancée, actually—left me because of who I was.”
“Ex-fiancée?” She swallowed her jealousy.
“Yes. Several years ago. She left me when she found out about my past.”
“Ouch.”
“Exactly. I could tell you more about her if you want. Because I won’t hide anything from you anymore. But it’s really a boring story and what I felt with her—well, now I know it was nothing. Nothing compared to… Well.”
“Maybe you can tell me about her. Someday.”
Someday
. Did she mean to give him a someday? Yeah, she did.
“Then I will. Someday. Anyway, it influenced why I did what I did. Why I lied. I know it’s not an excuse…”
Heather took a step toward him. “It counts. Being hurt in the past definitely changes how we act in the present.” How could she not give him that when the past had been so much of what dictated her life for so long? Dictated how she’d behaved with him. “And I was a stuck-up bitch.”
“You had your reasons too.”
She shook her head. “But it was wrong to judge you.”
Seth took a step toward her. “See, that’s just the thing. I was all pissed because I felt like you were judging me. But in reality, I judged you. I decided that you needed to learn a lesson. That you needed to change. Because you were a person who could never see beyond someone’s outside to find what was inside.”
He took another step toward her and Heather felt the warmth of his nearness now, felt the chill she’d endured for weeks finally disappearing with the gap between them.
Seth swallowed. “I was wrong. You could see beyond a person’s outside. You did. You saw me, Heather. The real me and you…you cared for me.”
“I loved you,” she corrected. She couldn’t let him diminish what she’d felt—what she still felt.
He smiled. “You loved me.” He said the words as though they were precious and fragile. “And while I was hoping to change you, I had no idea how much you would change me. For the better.”
His body twitched as though he wanted to move even closer, bridge the final distance between them. He could do it with five steps. Instead, he did it with his words. “I love you, Heather Wainwright. The only emotion I feel nearly as deeply as that one is regret. I am so sorry that I hurt you and that what I did took away the most amazing thing I’ve ever had in my life. If I could turn back time I’d do it differently, I swear.”
“I wouldn’t.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She looked away, suddenly shy in her honesty. Studying her shoes, she went on. “I mean, you hurt me. But truthfully, I don’t think I’d ever have let you get close enough to hurt me if things hadn’t gone down like they had.”
Seth opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. “Look, I can’t play
what if
. I don’t know what would have happened. What I do know is that you changed me too. You taught me how to let go of the past. How to move on.”
Her knees were shaking and her stomach fluttering with butterflies, but she knew what she had to say next. Because of him, she knew she had the strength to say it. “So, could we put this whole thing in our past and move on? Because I really don’t think I can stand another minute of not being in your arms.”
His brows rose in surprise. That was the last thing Heather registered before they were holding each other, their lips wrapped around one another, their tongues sliding together. She dove into his kiss, drinking the taste of him as if she’d been parched. And she had been—she’d been completely dry of his love and now that she’d rediscovered the oasis, she drank him in gulps.
She curled her fingers in his hair and tugged him closer, letting out a moan as her pelvis ground against his. God, she was happy just kissing him, being in his embrace, feeling his hands on her body. But the moisture between her thighs and the thickening bulge at her belly told her that they’d need more of each other. Soon.
“Take me to my hotel?” she asked against his mouth.
“Uh huh.” He lingered a moment more in their tongue tango before he pulled away. “Wait a minute, I haven’t shared my prop.”
She pursed her lips. “Is it a drill?”
“No, princess. We’ll save the drill for the hotel. For now, I have this.”
Her brows furrowed as he reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a three-fold paper. She took it from his outstretched hand and scanned it, only needing to see the words
DEED
and
San Gabriel Mountains
before she understood what it was. “You bought it!”
“Yeah. I figured if you were able to stop looking in the past, it was time for me to look to the future.” He cupped her face in his hands, stroking her jaw with his thumbs. “Because my future is with you, Heather. At least, I hope it is.”
Her throat tightened. “It is.” A tear slid down her cheek. “It is.”
Then they were kissing again, a sweet, slow kiss that spoke of building cabins and wedding rings and swollen bellies. A kiss that not only looked into the future, but sealed it.
After they’d made promises with their lips and shared a lifetime of dreams with the caress of their hands, they drifted apart, ready to move on—with their life, with their relationship. To the hotel.
Heather gestured toward the deed still clutched in her hand. “You know this is really too small of a prop to show up on stage. You need something more substantial. Something that can be seen from the audience.”
He cocked a brow. “Do you have something in mind?”
“Let’s just say I might have a pair of fur-lined handcuffs in my purse.”
A sexy smile spread across his lips, burning her skin and making her thighs twitch. “Heather, can I take you back to my hotel room and handcuff you while we have wild monkey sex?”
“You mean you want to go play rough?”
“Always.” He nodded toward the door, holding out his hand for her.
“Oh, tool boy,” she said, putting her hand firmly in his. “You know all you ever had to do was ask.”
About the Author
Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men and The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is the author of the bestselling Fixed trilogy and is represented by Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.
Look for these titles by Laurelin Paige
Now Available:
Lights, Camera
Take Two
He’s ready for his close up, but she’s the one calling the shots.
Take Two
© 2014 Laurelin Paige
On the night of her graduation from film school, straight-laced Maddie Bauers fell completely out of character for an oh-my-god make-out session with a perfect stranger. Complete with the big O.
Seven years later, that romantic interlude is still fresh in her mind. That stranger is now a rich and famous actor. And she’s one very distracted camera assistant working on his latest production. She might consider another tryst…if he even remembers her.
Micah Preston does indeed remember Maddie. Too bad he’s sworn off Hollywood relationships. He allows himself as much sex as he likes—and oh, he does like—but anything more is asking for trouble. For the woman, not for him. Yet knowing Maddie could want more than a movie-set fling doesn’t stop him from pursuing her like a moth drawn to hot stage lights.
But as the shoot nears its end, it’s decision time. Is it time to call, “Cut!” on their affair, or is there enough material for a sequel?
Warning: Contains a dreamy movie star hero, a focus-pulling heroine, off-the-charts instant chemistry, steamy sex in near-public locations, and a new use for lip gloss.
Enjoy the following excerpt for
Take Two:
Excited voices near the pool caught her attention when she’d nearly made it to the sanctuary. She peered over, seeking the cause of the excitement. A drunken woman, clothed only in a shirt and panties, stepped out from the center of the spectators and onto the diving board, twirling her discarded skirt in the air.
Maddie stopped short as she made out the face of the woman. Her stomach tightened. She knew that stripper. It was Bree.
Bree sang some current popular hit at the top of her lungs, basking in the attention her display earned. Soon she began inching her shirt up, teasing her audience, until the clothing was abandoned in the pool below and Bree stood simply in a black demi-cup bra and matching panties. The crowd cheered as she bent over provocatively, shimmying her petite behind.
“What the hell are you doing?” Maddie softly asked herself, willing the question to penetrate the distance between them and stop the antics of her wild friend.
“I’d say she’s having a good time,” a male voice said behind her. “Giving one as well.”
Maddie jolted and put her hand over her heart. She turned to find her sitting area wasn’t deserted as she’d hoped. In the shadows on the stone bench behind her sat a male figure. She couldn’t make out his face, but moonlight fell on his lower body and taut, lean muscles pressed against his tight jeans.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.” He leaned forward, appearing out of the shadows.
She took a quick breath as her gaze met his. His dark hair, thick and tousled, framed his smooth chiseled face. Deep-set eyes peered under intense eyebrows. She couldn’t be sure in the darkness, but she guessed his eyes were blue. Whatever color, they were piercing and her knees weakened under his stare.
“No problem,” she managed. “I didn’t realize there was anyone out here.”
“Clearly.” He grinned. “I mean, the whole allure of this area is the seclusion, right?” His smooth words combined with the slightest hint of a drawl sent an unexpected ripple of desire south of her belly.
“Right.” Maddie turned back to Bree, hoping to hide the heat that was rising in her cheeks. What was wrong with her? She never reacted this way to guys, let alone ones she’d just met. Perhaps the couple she’d witnessed making out had aroused her more than she’d realized.
“She’ll be fine.” The man mistook Maddie’s withdrawal as concern about her stripping friend. “She has plenty of people looking out for her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” But this stranger had the right idea. It was no good worrying about Bree when she got herself in these situations. Maddie knew from experience the best course of action was to just wait it out. Bree would summon when she could no longer handle herself.
Maddie took a swig of her Corona and turned back to the piercing eyes. Despite the nearby striptease, his gaze was fixed directly on her. “She doesn’t seem to have captured your attention.”
The man shrugged. “I prefer private shows.”
An image of the kind of show Maddie could give him flashed through her mind. She quickly took another swallow of her beer, clearing her head of the inappropriate thoughts. Seriously, what had come over her?
The stranger tilted his head, as if trying to interpret her silence. “You’re welcome to sit.”
Her insides twisted at the thought of being close to him, wanting an accidental brush against his strong body. She dismissed her usual tendency to over-think and walked toward the stone seating. “You were looking to be alone—I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“I was looking for seclusion, not necessarily to be alone.”
His words possessed a teasing tone that made her shiver. She tensed as he looked her over, fully aware that he was checking her out. She’d been gifted with pretty brown eyes and nice features, and she took care of her figure, but she didn’t pay attention to whether or not she was attractive to men. This man seemed pleased, though, giving her a look that would usually turn her on her heels. She didn’t flirt with strangers—didn’t flirt much period—which was one of the reasons she avoided social gatherings such as this one.
But this man compelled her, his body drawing her like a magnet. He was so incredibly attractive, and hell, didn’t she deserve a little fun on her graduation night?
“I’ll take you up on the offer. To sit, I mean.”
“Ah, I hadn’t offered anything else.” He let out a slow breath. “Yet.”
Her heart raced at the implications as she sat beside him on the bench, closer than she imagined she’d ever dare. Her skirt rose as she crossed one long leg over the other and she fought the impulse to adjust it, feeling the intensity of his eyes on her thigh.