Page 36 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

“Aren’t you supposed to wait after you eat?”

“I’m not sure that’s actually true.”

Alexis laughed. “I just remember my mom telling me that when I was a kid.”

“My mom used to tell me that too, but I never listened.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Owen smiled at her and went inside. Katie hopped up from her cushioned chair and jumped down to follow Owen. Alexis slipped out of her shorts and tank top. She felt way too self-conscious to strip down to her swimsuit in front of Owen, so she downed the rest of her champagne. She was going to need it if she had to show this much skin in front of Owen. She put the clothes in her bag and moved her bag to a lounge chair next to the pool. She stretched her towel out across the chair and put on her sunglasses. She had planned to get in the pool before Owen came out, but she wasn’t fast enough.

He came out of the house in his swim trunks with his shirt off, and she bit her lip. He really was gorgeous, even better looking in person than on the screen. She could hardly breathe when she looked at him dressed this way.

She didn’t miss the way his eyes locked on her body as she stood there in her bikini. In that moment, all her imperfections vanished. The way he looked at her . . . She felt beautiful.

He stepped into the pool.

“How’s the water?” she asked.

“It’s perfect.”

“Not cold?”

“Not a bit. Are you getting in?”

“Yep.” She climbed down the ladder on the side of the pool. It felt awkward somehow since she hadn’t gotten in the water yet. She should have just jumped in. But then she would have gotten her hair wet, and she didn’t really want to look like a drowned rat for the rest of the night.

Her feet hit the bottom of the pool, and Owen walked toward her.

“See? It’s not so bad in here.”

Her heart pounded as he approached. How did she get here? In a pool with this famous movie star. Alone.

“Alexis?”

“Yes.”

He stood in front of her now. Her breath caught.

“I’ve been thinking about asking you this for a while. And you’re allowed to say no.”

“What is it?” She looked up into his eyes.

“May I kiss you?”

She froze. Her lips parted, and her heart almost raced out of her chest. “Yes.”

Owen stepped close to her and slipped a hand behind her neck. He bent down to her, taking her lips with his. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. She didn’t want to miss a single moment. He’d caught her off guard. She had no idea how to react. But then her body decided to react for her. Her hands moved over Owen’s muscled chest and over his shoulders. She hadn’t realized how hard and sculpted he would feel beneath her hands, but the more she felt, the more she wanted to explore. She moved her hands to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her.

He groaned against her mouth and kissed her more passionately. How could this be real? This man she’d dreamed of kissing for so long. It had never seemed like a reality. It didn’t feel like reality now. She had to be dreaming because nothing this exciting ever happened to her. She hadn’t been kissed in three years. And never like this, by someone who knew how to kiss a woman properly.

And Owen knew what he was doing. She never wanted the kiss to end. He leaned back, and she pulled him back to her. He spoke against her mouth, “You are so beautiful, Alexis Remington.”

“You’re really good at this.”

He laughed, and she felt it rumbling in his chest against her. Her heart swelled, and she wanted to bind it to his, to be with him like this always.

An alarm went off in her mind, and she knew she needed to pull away. She couldn’t have him always. He didn’t live in Maple Creek. She had her bakery. She would never be able to be with him. She never should have allowed him to kiss her.

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