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  He hissed in a breath as he began to stroke me with his finger, soft and shallow at first, then faster and deeper.

  Arousal sparked sharply when he added a second finger and curled them, withdrawing completely so that I felt every single inch.

  I started to rock up to meet his hand, panting, whimpering…and he stopped.

  I heard the unmistakable sound of a condom wrapper ripping and opened my eyes, locking with his. Without looking away, he pushed his hands underneath my buttocks and opened me further. The tip of his erection teased me, slid back and forth along my clitoris and then, slowly, he pushed inside.

  I stared into his eyes and tried not to beg. I needed more.

  With one smooth stroke, he moved forward, filling me even as I cried out. He held himself still inside my body and I could feel him throbbing as he waited, either for his own control or my adjustment.

  His mouth found mine again as he rocked slowly against me. I clutched his shoulders as I slid my tongue between his lips. He began to thrust, long, deep strokes that made me whimper and moan.

  He took each sound into his mouth, swallowing them down.

  His teeth caught my bottom lip, worrying at it until I dug my nails into his shoulders. He kissed his way down my throat and the air was filled with the sounds of pleasure I couldn’t control.

  My climax came with a suddenness that took my breath away, my legs shaking, my entire body convulsing in one coil and release of ecstasy. It hit hard and fast, stealing my breath away and Flynn slowed, his movements easing for a moment.

  I sucked in oxygen, my head spinning.

  Once I was no longer seeing stars, he caught my thigh in his hand, lifting my leg as he started to surge against me, hard and fast. I cried up in surprise. He buried his face against my neck, his cock an iron brand throbbing inside me.

  He muttered something that sounded like my name and then drove himself into me faster and harder than before. The wild rhythm brought me to another peak and we came together in a tight tangle of limbs and sweat and fire.

  He slid down and dropped his head to rest between my breasts.

  I tried to steady my breathing, dazed delight spinning through my head.

  Whoa…

  That was the only thought in my head.

  Whoa…

  I’d had sex before and I’d enjoyed it before. Or so I’d thought. But this…whoa…this had been pure lust.

  I didn’t dare to wonder how I stacked up against what must have been a considerable list of his previous partners, but I could say that the few other lovers in my past had been fumbling, awkward teenagers compared to him. I was about to say something when he pulled away and sat up, his face set in grim lines.

  He flicked a glance at me and I caught sight of the anger there. My blood froze. I had the oddest feeling the anger was directed at himself, not me, but still, the sight of it made my belly churn.

  He pushed himself to his feet, not looking at me. “I’ll call down to the front desk and they’ll have the cash for you.”

  He turned his back on me as he walked to a stack of towels sitting on a nearby table and tossed one my way.

  “Shower’s in there,” he said coolly, jerking his head over his shoulder. “Make it fast.”

  “I…”

  He lifted his head, staring at me with ice in his gaze.

  I grabbed my clothes and ducked into the room I hadn’t noticed until now. Shaking, I pressed my back to the wall and looked around. The bathroom was elegant and upscale and the toiletries would have probably blown my mind if I had been capable of thought. Instead, though, I was in a state of numbness as I washed up, the paint washing off easily under the spray of water.

  When I came out, Flynn had already dragged on a pair of jeans and was on the phone.

  He caught sight of me and turned his back.

  Fury lit inside me—finally.

  That ass.

  As I continued to stand there, he looked back at me and I heard his sigh, listening to him say, “Hold on.”

  “I told you, money’s down at the desk.”

  “I ought to just tell you to shove that money up your ass,” I snapped. I had my pride.

  Jerking up my chin, I strode past him. I should do it.

  He was already talking to whoever when I slammed the door shut behind me.

  The rent was due—soon.

  I was flat broke. And Flynn probably wouldn’t notice anyway, which would make the whole statement a moot point.

  I walked down the steps at war with myself.

  I hesitated at the bottom of the steps and just as I started to head toward the door, a woman looked up, a smile on her face. “Ms. Baine?”

  I froze.

  She came out from behind the desk, an envelope in hand. “Your fee.”

  Slowly, I took it.

  Rent. Electricity. Groceries, I told myself. He’d offered me the money before we’d had sex. I was being paid for modeling. Not for what had happened after. They were two different things.

  I pasted a fake smile on my face and left as quickly as I could. I didn’t plan on ever going back there.

  Chapter 5

  My memory of the Flynn incident swung back and forth like a heavy pendulum of guilt and pride.

  On one side, I was devastated that I had let myself be drawn in by such a cheap ploy. I thought I was smarter than that.

  But on the other I could still feel the aftershocks from my climax.

  Was I really just a naïve girl who let a manipulating bastard take advantage of her?

  I was a free, adult woman who took her pleasure when the opportunity arose.

  It was enough to give me a headache.

  The one thing I couldn’t do was let myself think about the look I’d seen in Flynn’s eyes—that one brief flicker of something I’d thought was real. I didn’t know if there had been any real emotion there or not, but whatever it had been, he’d buried it deep and I wasn’t going to try to dig it out, no matter how good the sex had been.

  The worst part was that I lied to Kendra that evening when I handed her the money.

  “You sold a treatment for a new show? That is so great! I’m so proud of you.” She threw her arms around me.

  “It’s not really a big deal. I managed to do my job,” I said, grateful she couldn’t see my face.

  “It’s going to be a hit, I know it. What’s it about?” She released me, still beaming from ear to ear.

  “A romantic comedy?” It came out like a question.

  “You’re not sure?” Kendra asked, confused.

  I sighed. “Because it’s not the truth. I lied.”

  I collapsed against our kitchen counter. Kendra leaned against the opposite side and crossed her arms, the expression on her face saying she was waiting for an explanation.

  I still couldn’t tell her the truth. “It was just the script for a commercial. Not even a good commercial. One of those awful acne cream ads where all the people talk about ugly ducklings and other fairytale bullshit.”

  “Oh, who cares, Gabs.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re doing what you love and you’re making it work. We can pay rent!”

  “And buy groceries,” I added.

  More than the lie, I felt what Kendra said get under my skin.

  She was proud of me for doing what I loved. Except I hadn’t done any of it.

  “Yay to groceries,” I said, forcing myself to smile. “I’m going to splurge...I’m getting ice cream.”

  ***

  I didn’t sleep worth crap. It wasn’t until the cool, quiet hours of early morning that I understood why I was so uneasy.

  Kendra had been so excited for me because she thought I was making money doing something I loved.

  Instead, I’d taken off my clothes, had some pictures taken, then had sex with a man who’d set my body on fire. That wasn’t what had me crashing though.

  It was the look on his face after.

  I should have stayed.

  I should have pus
hed him, fought with him. Something.

  Instead, I’d let the hurt inside me win.

  I’d given up. Even though I felt something between us, I’d given up.

  I thought about the look I’d seen in his eyes. The entire reason I’d let him pull me down to the floor when the voice of reason had told me to pull away. That intense, strange expression on his face as though he had no idea who I was or what he was doing there. It was as though he had been seeing me for the first time.

  But when he’d freaked out, what had I done?

  “I ran,” I muttered.

  Here I was, still stuck in my dead-end job, not doing much of anything that I’d dreamed about. Then I end up having the kind of sex girls only can dream of and when it went to shit, did I do anything to find out why? No. I fucking ran.

  It was like I was just giving up on everything I’d always expected to find in my life.

  I was wallowing on the couch when Kendra burst through the door with a bag of colorful ribbons and tissue paper. My eyebrows shot up. It was a rare day when she was up before me, and an even rarer one when her chestnut brown curls weren’t perfectly styled, but rather pulled back into a sloppy ponytail.

  “My cousin’s son turns two next week. Look! I got him finger paint.”

  I stared at the bright colors. The red, the blue, the orange…

  “I lied!”

  For a moment, Kendra just looked at me. Then she put the gift and trimmings down and went into the kitchen. I stayed where I was. After all, in the studio apartment we shared, the kitchen was just on the other side of the big, open room. Hugging my knees to my chest, I watched her.

  Dramatic confessions were nothing new here.

  We both had a penchant for drama. It was just my turn this time.

  “So. Details,” she said calmly.

  “I did the whole hand modeling gig. That much was real,” I said. “And I knew he probably flirted with everyone. It just felt good.”

  “It’s okay to flirt and it’s even okay to have sex. You’re both consenting adults. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Gabriella.” Kendra smiled at me as she pulled two cups down out of the cabinet.

  “Yeah, but I let him pay me to take naked photographs!” My face flamed at the admission.

  She didn’t even blink. “For Bouvier. If anything, you could make a career out of it. I told you, you’re beautiful. It’s possible you could hit it in modeling and if anybody can make it happen, it’s Flynn McCreary.”

  “He didn’t believe I would do it,” I said sheepishly. “You know how I like a dare. And then he brought out body paint and, I don’t know, it just escalated from there.”

  “And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Kendra said and then shook her head. “You’re not going to forgive yourself, are you?”

  “For doing exactly what I judged other women for doing? Nope.”

  “I’m so sorry, Gabs. I keep putting you in these awful situations,” Kendra said, pouring two cups of hot water and adding in tea bags.

  I continued with my confession. “And then when I lied, you were so proud of me for my writing and I realized I was ignoring what I really want out of life. I mean…there’s the writing, which is going to shit. And there’s my love life…which doesn’t exist.”

  Sighing, I braced my elbow on the back of the couch and stared outside. “I don’t want sexy little flings, no matter how blue the man’s eyes are. I want love, the whole romance and flowers and everything kind of love. Ugh. I’m so naïve!”

  “It’s not naïve.” Kendra came down and sat beside me. Shoulder-bumping me, she said, “Love’s kind of the thing. We all want it. I’d even be willing to bet asshats like Flynn want love. They just don’t know how to get it. And that’s the difference. You do and you can.”

  “Yeah?” I glowered into my tea cup. “Then where’s my Prince Charming?”

  “Still waiting for you to find him, Cinderella.” She grinned at me. “Come on. You need to cheer up. There’s this party—”

  I stopped her. “This sounds familiar. A lot like the last time where I came out with a hand modeling job at the studio of sin.”

  “Yeah, it is an industry party.” She laughed. “They’re celebrating all the up-and-comers.”

  “You mean you?” I asked.

  “Well, yes.” She glowed. “Apparently, I’m finally an up-and-comer. Open bar, free food.”

  “More like all I can eat because other models only peck at it.”

  She grinned. “That’s my Gabs! Come on, it’ll be fun.”

  My stomach twisted as something occurred to me. “What if he’s there?”

  “No chance,” Kendra said. “Word has it he’s off to Europe. I heard the project director for the swimwear line complaining about how much he can get away with just because he’s Flynn McCreary.”

  “Then count me in,” I said.

  ***

  I was glad I’d agreed.

  I’d never been to this sort of party before.

  It was the kind people could see from miles away, thanks to laser light shows and the spotlights bursting from neighboring buildings.

  Then there was a red carpet. An actual red carpet. Kendra’s agent had sent over a gigantic SUV with silver spinning rims and when it pulled up to the velvet ropes, Kendra grabbed my hand and pulled me out. I had no choice but to follow her down that red carpet, trying not to look too dazzled…and trying not to fall or stumble too much in the extra-high heels she’d loaned me.

  Inside, still blinking from all the flashbulbs, I was left alone as Kendra was swept away by a flock of reed-thin models. I managed to snag a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and tell myself that I loved to play the part of the mysterious outsider. I was just working up a back-story for my fashion correspondent turned film producer when I was interrupted.

  “I saw you on the red carpet with Kendra Facet, didn’t I?”

  I started to turn with a snarky comment since I was sure I was about to be asked to be a go-between. Ice blue eyes looked down on me from a handsome, chiseled face and I swallowed the snark.

  “Yes, she’s my roommate. She invited me. I’m not just making that up.” I had the feeling I was starting to babble.

  He laughed, the sound warm and inviting. He was tall, easily six-three, six-four, and dressed in a conservative, yet expensive suit. As good-looking as he was, he didn’t look like a model or have the searching look of an agent finding an angle. That meant he was probably one of the countless executives that kept the fashion industry in the billions of dollars.

  “My name’s Edward.” He held out his hand.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Gabriella.” I took it, smiling at the little tingle of warmth that went through me.

  “Kendra’s roommate.”

  “That’s me,” I said.

  He smiled again and sipped his drink though I could see his eyes traveling down the outfit Kendra had carefully chosen. It was one of the few things of hers that could actually fit me, though I filled it out quite a bit more than she did.

  I waited, assuming he was trying to find a way to bring up Kendra again. I would’ve done it myself just to get it over with, but here he was, speaking to me and I wasn’t certain I wanted to end that just yet—then I’d go back to playing the mysterious outsider.

  “You come here often?” I asked.

  He laughed, that deep sensual sound, and I felt it tangle in my stomach. Wow. That was some laugh.

  “Yes, actually. It’s kind of a family obligation.” He looked down at me and I saw something in those blue eyes shift, as if making some sort of internal decision. “Would you like to dance, Gabriella?”

  We passed our glasses off onto a passing server and moved onto the dance floor. Each step, each moment erased the Flynn incident a little more. Edward made comments about people I pointed out, never anything rude but always interesting. As people came up and tried to interrupt us, he introduced me and then waved them away, keeping his arms loosely around me the entir
e time.

  He was something straight out of a fairytale. It was like I’d kissed the toad and here I was with Prince Charming. It was easier to believe in things like love…or at least romance again.

  After a couple songs, he leaned over my hand and kissed the back of it. The feel of his lips on the back of my hand had warmth racing through me and I fought a dopey sigh.

  “I apologize, Gabriella, but if I don’t mingle, people will start to talk.”

  He winked at me and waited for me to let him go. I did so with a smile then watched as model after model deliberately threw herself in his path. When he walked up to Kendra, my smile faded and I told myself that was it. He had finally found the one he’d been looking for, and I’d be forgotten, just another dance. Then Kendra’s eyes caught mine and she smiled. They leaned towards each other and looked at me as they spoke. My stomach flipped. They were talking about me.

  As the night waned on, I heard his name brought up over and over.

  “He was just featured on the Forbes list again,” an agent said—I knew her vaguely. She’d tried to approach Kendra and when she saw me, she turned her back.

  “Too bad he’s never listed as a most-eligible bachelor,” her friend added.

  I covertly studied him and because I was doing so, it wasn’t hard to notice that I wasn’t the only one. A couple of Kendra’s friends, somebody I suspected was another agent, a few more models.

  I tried not to listen to the idle gossip and add to it my own ideas. I heard nothing but gossip and when I finally caught up with Kendra, she didn’t know who he was, either. Then again, she was drunk enough I was surprised she remembered who I was.

  The one thing I did know was that everywhere I went, his eyes always seemed to find me. Once or twice we’d raised our glasses and smiled, but he kept his distance.

  At the end of the night, or more accurately, early morning, I was following Kendra into the town car when she mentioned him.

  “He likes you.”

  “What?” I half fell attempting to get her into the car without falling. Once she collapsed inside, I paused outside the door to take off my—her—shoes.

  “The gorgeous tall guy. The one you danced with. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”