Page 22 of Hollywood Crush

“I hope you’re replacing that towel,” I joked.

“I might know the housekeeper,” he replied with a wry smile. He pulled me off the bed and to my feet. “Let me shower with you?”

“Of course,” I said. He took my hand and led me to the shower.

As we stood together under the warm spray, I could feel all my previous defences breaking down. It was me who had insisted on keeping this casual and despite that I could feel my whole body and psyche shifting into a state of need for the man who had wrapped me up in his little world even more than he had me wrapped in his arms.

Chapter Eight

Tudor

I had never felt as close to anyone as I did to Daniel in this moment. After our shower, we had collapsed onto the bed and lay there, damp and dishevelled, and held each other. We were spooning and Daniel’s body fit up against mine like it was meant to be there. Our legs tangled together and my arms held him like a vice. I kissed the back of his neck.

“You’re never moving from this spot, you know,” I said.

“That would be good. That would be very very good.” Daniel craned his neck backward as if to try and kiss me, but completely failed. “But who would look after the hotel? And who would be the dashing romantic lead of a smash-hit fantasy TV series?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think that far ahead. Let’s just let this whole building crumble around us.” I was getting dangerously close to romance, but I didn’t care. It was nice holding this gorgeous man close and pretending I didn’t need to let go.So let me pretend.

“It’s just me, right?” Daniel surprised me by asking the question.

“What do you mean?” I asked, giving another kiss to the back of his neck.

“It’s just me that you’re…” he seemed to struggle to find the words. “…doing all this with.”

“Yes,” I replied. I stroked his hair idly as one of his hands danced down my thighs. “For one, this town is tiny. I’ve been around the guys here and we’re all pretty aware that we’re no good for one another. For another, I’m ridiculously busy with this hotel. You think I’ve got time to climb a mountain with a different man every day.”

He laughed at that, and I liked it. I liked his genuine reactions to the things I said. “And finally…that’s not me. I’ve done my sleeping round, and I will again. But until you’re finished filming, I am here and I am yours alone.”

“Why?” Daniel asked. “Why just me?”

“Did you want to sleep with other people—I mean, if you do, that’s fine, just…”

“No.” Daniel cut me off. “No, it’s not that I want to sleep with other people at all. Just…why? Why do you want me with all this baggage attached? You should be out there finding the perfect man, someone who can hold your hand as you walk down the street. Who can tell the whole world how they feel.”

I wasn’t stupid enough to think he was talking abouthim,exactly. I knew I was just a few weeks offun for him. But I answered anyway. “Because I like you. Because you deserve someone who’ll give you that affection in private without demanding it in public.”

“Well I wish I could,” said Daniel. “I wish I could hold your hand and make you feel special.”

I threaded my fingers through his own. “You do.”

My phone buzzed and I checked it. “Oh god, back to work. We’ve got Patrick Ryan coming in the next hour or so and Mam wants to make sure it’s me welcoming him.”

“Oh, I love Patrick. He’s a lovely kid. I’ll have to come down and meet him,” Daniel said. I planted a kiss on his cheek, stood up and started to get dressed. I would have to nip into my room to get changed into my work clothes but it wouldn’t do well to walk the halls of my own hotel naked.

“I’ll see you later,” I said.

As I reached the door, Daniel made a sound and I turned to face him. He lay there on the bed naked with hands behind his head and legs crossed, vulnerability almost gone, like I could see him slipping the mask of an actor back on in real time.

“Only you,” he said. I nodded in acknowledgement and quietly slipped out into the corridor.

#

Mam was fussing about with reception again, dusting over the top of me as I tried to fill in paperwork. Patrick Ryan’s car was late, and this wasputting her in a huff.

“Are you quite alright?” I asked, as I batted the feather duster away from my head.

“Perfectly fine? Why wouldn’t I be?” She blew a strand of hair away from her face but it came back to rest right between her eyes again.

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