Page 12 of Dangerous Kiss
Chapter Five
In the morning, Biba woke, her head foggy from the sleeping tablet. She rolled over in bed and looked at the alarm clock. Five a.m. She lay back sighing. So much for the tablet. Her stomach growled, and she realized she was starving, her hunger probably what had woken her up. She slid from the bed and tugged a robe around herself. Opening the door to the suite, she was amazed to see Cosimo, sprawled in a chair, his head resting on his hand. He’d stayed.
Her emotions in turmoil, Biba crouched down by his side. “Cosimo?” Her voice was a whisper. He didn’t move. Biba, her hand trembling, touched him, her hand resting on his stomach lightly. “Cosimo?”
Cosimo opened his eyes slowly and gazed at her. Biba was almost breathless. Cosimo’s hand covered her hand resting on his stomach, but he stayed silent. Biba leaned in and kissed his mouth, just once, lightly…
His hands were in her hair then, his mouth rough against hers as he kissed her back, almost ferocious in his desire for her. As he stood, pulling her to her feet, he looked intently into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Biba nodded, knowing this moment was the one where her life changed forever. In the bedroom, she pulled off his sweater, running her hands lightly over his hard chest. His hands were at the waistband of her jeans, and as they stripped, they kissed, lips demanding and hungry on the other’s.
He laid her back on the bed and hitched her legs around his waist. “Biba…” he whispered
as he gently slid into her…
Biba opened her eyes.Damn. Oh, damn.What a dream to havenow…and damn her subconscious for waking her up before she could imagine what it would be like to make love to Cosimo DeLuca. She pushed the sheets on the bed back, her body a bit cold and stiff. Her stomach ached badly and when she pulled her T-shirt up, she saw the bruised imprint of Damon’s knuckles on her skin.Bastard.
Biba rolled out of bed, giving a little groan. It was still early, the pale blue light of dawn peeking through the window. Biba pulled her sneakers on and crept out of the room. Just like in her dream, Cosimo was asleep in an easy chair in the sitting room, and she smiled to herself. She found a wool throw and gently draped it on him. He looked like he needed the sleep, and she found herself longing to trace the violet shadows under his eyes with her fingertip.
She found a scrap of paper and hurriedly scribbled a note before he woke up.
Cosimo,
Thank you so much for what you did for me last night. I can never repay you.
I’m feeling much better today, so I’ll be back at work. I’ll try to think of some fun things you can do with your son.
Thank you again,
Biba.
Biba paused, then erased her name and wrote:Your friend, always, Biba.She balanced it on his stomach where she was sure it wouldn’t fall off, resisting the temptation to stroke the hard muscle beneath the light cotton shirt, and left him to sleep.
She walked slowly back to the trailers, wondering if she should go straight to Stella’s—it must be nearly six a.m. already, and they had a seven a.m. call. She opened the door to the trailer to see Stella already awake and dressed. Biba half-smiled at her boss. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” Stella studied her. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore, but otherwise fine. Did you want me to get some coffee?”
“I have it coming. Breakfast, for both of us.”
Biba blinked. “What?”
Stella smiled. “I’m not a total bitch, Biba. You’ve been through a bad night. Come on, sit down. You’re not working today.”
Stella, of course, wouldn’t be Stella unless she got the gossip on any situation, and so she made Biba tell her everything. To Biba’s relief, Stella didn’t linger on the attack, but rather how Cosimo acted afterwards.
“He was sweet,” Biba told her, “sweet andprofessional.” That was almost the truth. She still felt the touch of his hand on her cheek—the tenderness, the intimacy of the gesture—but she was damned if she’d share that detail with Stella.
She knew what Stella wanted, of course. She wanted to know if Cosimo had talked abouther; she didn’t care if Biba got to spend time with the director. It never occurred to Stella that Cosimo and Biba might share a connection, and the idea of an attraction between them would be laughable to the blonde movie star.
Biba was grateful for that fact. It meant Stella wouldn’t be jealous or be a bitch if Cosimo and Biba were to talk. And, God, she wanted to talk to him, find out about him, his son, his life. She’d had a taste of what a friendship with him could be like, and Biba wanted more.
After breakfast, Stella appeared to forget she had given Biba the day off, but Biba was grateful for the list of chores Stella barked at her. Lazing around wasn’t Biba’s style, and the quicker she got back to work, she figured, the quicker her colleagues’ fascination with what had happened would dissipate.
Cosimo was surprised when he saw Biba back at Stella’s side on the set. He smiled at the young woman, and she grinned back. “You okay?” He mouthed to her, and she nodded, her sweet face lighting up.
Cosimo felt a shift inside him. Biba May was nearly half his age but there was something in her nature, her spirit, the way she dealt with Stella Reckless, that belied her young age. She was an old soul, like him. She was beautiful, but that wasn’t what drew him to her. Cosimo had met, seen, even slept with some of the most beautiful women in the world and knew very well that beauty meant nothing at the end of it all. Kindness, intelligence, humor—that’s what he looked for.
