Page 3 of Kiss Me, Darling

“No!” I yelled, my volume control completely broken for the night.

And then suddenly I was in his sexy movie star arms and his lips crashed down on mine. Dear reader, it was everything I imagined it might be. I had the head-to-toe tingles, the curled toes, the tingling scalp. That, plus I lost all sense of which way was up, couldn’t breathe, and my entire body wanted to climb his like an animal.

So out of sheer desperation I clutched at his biceps with the hope I wouldn’t fall down a long, dark hole never to be seen or kissed again.

Scott moved his arms around me, held me close—so close—and kissed me even deeper. It was all a dream come true.

Until he tore himself away and pushed me back. “No. I shouldn’t have done that. Fuck, I’m weak.”

I chased after him, mostly because I wanted to somehow get my lips back on his. I didn’t really comprehend much else. “Why did you wait so long?”

He dodged away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You keep saying that. I think you mixed it up with, ‘Why didn’t I do that sooner?’”

“Nope.” He moved around me, somehow twisting out of my grasp. Again. “Lucy, I can’t. I’m no good for you. You should know that better than anyone.”

His words finally penetrated my sexed-up brain and I froze. “Wait. What? Why are you no good and why should I know that?” I realized, much too late, how much Scott punished himself for every bad choice he ever made.

It was entirely unnecessary. Sure he made some poor choices in the beginning. Okay fine. But since then he made amends, worked hard, he cared about people. He should in no way be hung up on his past.

But clearly he was if the look on his face was anything to go by. He appeared tired. Angry with himself. “Lucy, you have a pristine reputation. Your career would be tarnished if we were anything more than agent-client.”

That...was preposterous and I told him so. “You’re already my client. My reputation is fine.”

“Nope. It’s different when I’m just the talent. A relationship is so much more and it will change things for you.”

I moved so I was right in front of him and he was caged in by two walls. He’d have to go through me to escape now. “Let me get this straight. You have feelings for me that you’ve kept secret for…?”

“Since the day I met you,” he whispered, his eyes locked, once again, on my lips.

“You mean we could have been having real sex instead of imaginary sex all this time?”

His eyes drifted up to mine. “I think about a lot more than sex, Lucy.”

And...I was melting again. “So do I.”

He stopped breathing. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

I stepped even closer. “So don’t hurt me.”

“But I will. It’s what I do. I self-destruct and take everyone around me down too. I’m a selfish asshole like that.”

I cupped his face, felt his stubble against my palm. This gorgeous man—a man who had millions of fans swooning on a daily basis—only thought the worst of himself.

And somehow I hadn’t seen it all until now.

“Scott, you’re going to hurt people. It’s part of life. We make mistakes, we apologize, we learn and do better.”

“I...I just want you.” He took my hips in his hands and leaned back against the wall. “I want all of you. I can’t think about anything else when you’re around.”

“The feeling is mutual.” I held his face in both my hands now. These lips wanted to kissme.His hands wanted to touchme.I felt like the most desirable woman on the planet. “Please kiss me again.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“No I won’t.” I meant it. I knew for a fact getting involved with Scott Kaine would come with a boatload of baggage, artistic self-esteem issues, and more passion than I could handle.

Because underneath it all, that was what drove Scott to act, to worry, to care. His passion was so damn sexy and to feel even a tenth of it directed at me for a short time was the kind of power a woman could get drunk on.

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