Captivated by You

by Diane Alberts

  A glass rested in his hands. The bottle was significantly emptier than when she had left. God, she hoped he wasn’t plastered. Mark looked up at her through hooded lids, the champagne flute hanging loosely between his fingers. His dark brown hair stuck up in odd little places, reminding her of how he would always drag his hand through his hair when he got upset.

  She plucked the glass out of his hand then set it on the table. He raised a brow but didn’t speak. Instead, he lounged back on the couch and watched her. Reaching down, she lifted her oversized t-shirt over her head, letting it hit the floor beside her feet. Clothed in a red bra and matching panties, she lifted her chin and stared at him.

  “What the hell? You n-need to put your shirt back on,” he rasped. His eyes went wide, as he fisted his hands in his lap. His gaze slid down her body before snapping back to her face. The desire in his stare was so hot she pressed her thighs together to ease the ache he’d created.

  “No.” She shook her head slowly, walking toward him with purposeful steps. She hoped he couldn’t tell how fast her heart was beating, or how unsteady her knees felt. “Can you tell me you don’t want me? If you don’t want me, then say so. I’ll leave you alone. But if you do …”

  She drifted off, allowing him to finish the thought on his own since she doubted her own ability to do so. What if he noticed that beneath her bold act, she was nothing more than a fake? Lacey had never seduced a man, wasn’t used to stripping down and demanding sex. But she couldn’t back down now. She’d gone too far.

  He let out a groan. “Of course I want you. But there’s something you don’t know. Tomorrow—”

  She straddled his lap and pressed her finger across his lips. “No buts. Tonight, we just enjoy each other. No questions. No expectations of a future together. Just be mine for one night. My own personal Christmas present, delivered to my door. Mine.”

  He groaned and closed his hands around her waist, his jaw tight. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to push her away, or pull her closer. “Lacey …”

  He pulled her down and smashed her lips down on his. He rolled her beneath him, his hands sliding into her hair. Delivering a fierce, possessive kiss, his teeth grazed her lower lip. She needed him to move faster. To not stop, or hesitate, or second-guess.

  She ran her hands down his chest, fingers gliding across smooth sinew and muscle. He made a little sound in the back of his throat and continued to nibble on her lower lip. “Are you sure?” he asked, his lips moving up her chin, to her ear.

  Was she sure? “Hell yes.”

  He didn’t respond, but captured her lips again, softer this time. His hands slid down her neck, then traced the swell of her breasts to the spot where her bra cups were attached to one another with a little red suede bow. Beneath his soft touch, her heart sped up, and she trailed her fingers from his abs to his hips. His erection brushed against her, but they still had too many clothes on for her to be satisfied.

  He tore his mouth from hers and kissed a path down her neck, over her shoulder, and to her chest. When he reached behind to unclasp her bra, she arched her back and held onto his shoulders, marveling at the strength beneath her hands. He dropped her bra then claimed her lips again. His hands closed on her bare breasts, squeezing gently. Her mind spun from the combination of his kiss, and her body shivered under his touch.

  She moaned into his mouth, desire pooling in the center of her stomach. When he rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, she gasped at the force of pleasure he created. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she pulled him closer. Needing more. Needing him.

  He seemed to get the message because he lowered his body against hers, his fingers working their magic as he deepened the kiss. He rubbed his erection against her, sending a deep shot of pleasure to her core. When he repeated the movement, she writhed in his arms.

  She ran her hands down his toned back, stopping when she hit his waistband. Deciding he needed less clothing, and more skin to touch, she curled her hands around his sides and unzipped his pants. When she unbuttoned his pants, he released her lips to stand up and step out of them. Mark lowered his silk boxers, inch by slow inch, never taking his gaze from her. Her stomach clenched, and she lifted up on her elbows.

  He stood naked, staring at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she gulped in a deep breath of air. “I have condoms in my purse.”

  His gaze slid down her body, as if he had all the time in the world. With her luck, the tow truck guy would pick now to knock on the door. “Let me get it.”

  “It’s on the table by the door.”

  He nodded and headed to the table, at complete ease with his nudity. He obviously worked very hard to look as good as he did since his job depended on it. His muscles flexed with each step, and she licked her parched lips as she admired him.

  He returned with a condom, tilted her chin up, and closed his mouth over hers. She held onto his neck as he lifted her into his arms. He didn’t break their contact even as he headed up the stairs and into her childhood bedroom.

  When they entered the room, he headed straight for the bed and lowered Lacey onto it. Then Mark turned his attention to her shoulder. He ran his fingers down her stomach before pressing a soft kiss on her inner thigh. Her head spinning, she drew a deep breath and watched as he stepped back and opened the condom wrapper. Unable to tear her eyes away, she watched him roll the protective barrier over his erection. The sight of his hands on his own skin sent a pang of liquid desire to her stomach.

  He crawled up her body until his lips were less than an inch from hers. Looking into her eyes, he whispered, “God, Lacey, I want you.”

  He didn’t give her time to reply, even if she could’ve managed to muster up an intelligible sentence. His mouth closed over hers, and his fingers moved down her stomach, and over her hips. When he slipped his hand in between her thighs, she forgot to breathe. Forgot everything but Mark, and that moment.

  He slid a finger inside of her, his thumb pressing against her as he continued to kiss her. She gasped into his mouth, lifting her hips. Her stomach clenched, and she clung to his hard arms, needing something to hold. He withdrew his finger and then inserted two, thrusting inside of her in one fluid movement.

  She writhed beneath him, her body begging for more. He tore his mouth off hers, closing his eyes and cursing under his breath. The strained lines of his face told her more than anything how hard it was for him to hold himself back. To control his desire.

  When he thrust his fingers inside her again, sending waves of pleasure through her veins, she dug her nails into his arms. “Don’t hold back. I need you now.”

  His gaze flew to hers, his eyes wide. “But—”

  “Now,” she demanded, arching her hips in invitation.

  He lowered his head and melded his lips to hers, and he adjusted his body so that instead of his fingers on her, his penis was there. She opened her legs wider, inviting him in. He put his hands on her hips, lifting her up to him. With one smooth movement, he was inside of her. Filling her. She cried out, wrapping her legs around him. He withdrew, and thrust into her again, harder. When he deepened his kiss and reached where they were joined, rubbing his thumb against her clit as he moved inside of her, a wave of heat spread through her, ringing her whole body to life.

  Lacey tensed, all of her senses centered on him. On what he made her feel. Whimpering, she raised her hips even higher, taking more of him in. He groaned and broke free of her kiss, biting down on her shoulder gently. As he increased his pace, the pressure inside of her boiled over and threatened to erupt. All it took was one more thrust from him, and all the tension inside of her burst—sending her spiraling over the edge.

  He threw his head back and thrust into her again, hard and deep. His whole body stiffened as he joined her, his climax sending a fresh wave of pleasure through her body. Tightening her arms and legs around him, she kissed his shoulder and closed her eyes. All of the times she’d wondered what it would be like to spend t
he night in his arms, to kiss him, and she never imagined anything even remotely as amazing as this.

  She licked her lips. “That was …”

  “Amazing?” He kissed her. “Incredible?” Another kiss. “Mind-blowing?” He lifted on his elbows and grinned down at her.

  “Yeah, I think you pretty much covered it,” she said, running her finger down the line of his jaw. “You’ve always been better at expressing your emotions than me.”

  “And you’ve always been better at everything else.” A cell phone rang downstairs, shrill in the silence of the house. Mark stiffened above her, his body tensing. He lifted his head, his eyes shuttered and his jaw tight. “Fucking, Gary. Always has the worst timing.”

  She felt the wall coming up between them before he even withdrew from her body. His real life called, and they wanted their hot, unattached, Hollywood playboy back. “Go ahead.” She let go of him, unwrapping her legs from his waist. “Answer it.”

  “It’s just my agent wanting to know where I am,” he said, his voice husky. “I have to take this call, but then we can talk.”

  She nodded, her heart taking flight, but she refused to let him see how much his words alarmed her. “I’ll be here waiting.”

  He dropped a quick kiss to her lips, then hopped off the bed and tossed the condom into the trashcan by the door. As she watched him leave, she sighed and rolled onto her side. She heard him pick up the phone and say something about being in Colorado before he lowered his voice. The urge to listen to his conversation came over her. Seeking a distraction, she turned on the TV. The picture focused, and she smiled when she recognized the person on the screen.

  He was naked and in her living room—and all hers for the night.

  Chapter Five

  Mark sprinted down the stairs, his steps light. Tonight, Lacey had made him feel alive again. As if he wasn’t just a man moving from role-to-role in life, never feeling real. Never wanting anything besides success in his career. With her, he wanted all of the things he’d managed to convince himself he didn’t.

  With her, he actually lived, instead of just being alive.

  And as soon as he got off the phone with his agent, he’d tell her how she made him feel. It might be hard to coordinate, but he wanted her all to himself. They could find a way to make it work. He could live in Colorado in between movies and press tours, and maybe she could come visit him if he had to travel during the summer since she wouldn’t have to teach.

  Somehow, someway, they would make it work. The alternative wasn’t acceptable to him. This feeling he had in his heart, warming his whole body? It had to be love—or at least the beginnings of love. He couldn’t think of another word for it. Since he’d moved to California, he’d avoided her because he’d known without a doubt he would fall in love with her if he saw her again—and not be able to walk away. He hadn’t been ready for her back then. But now he wanted so much more.

  He dug his phone out of his pocket. “Hello?”

  “Tell me you’ll be here in time for the premiere tomorrow, despite the snowstorm I warned you about, or I’ll be locating you via GPS and dragging you here on Santa’s sleigh if I have to.”

  Mark rolled his eyes and collected his pants. Something about having this conversation bare-assed naked didn’t seem right. “Gary. You do realize it’s two o’clock in the morning, right?”

  The sigh coming through his cell was so loud his phone vibrated. “Yes, I know the time very well. Just as I now know you’re not on a plane home. Thanks for the heads up, by the way.”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt your Christmas.”

  “You should’ve.”

  “Sorry for being thoughtful,” he muttered.

  “Stop playing games. Can you get here, or not?”

  Mark rubbed his eyes and yawned. Right now he wanted nothing more than a good night’s sleep wrapped up in Lacey’s arms. “There aren’t any flights out, and my Maserati is in a ditch. Unless you can charter a plane for me, I’m stuck in Colorado.”

  “Why didn’t you charter your own plane already? Damn it, I told you not to go.”

  Because he hadn’t wanted to. Because he was with Lacey—and he didn’t really want to leave. He grit his teeth. “And I told you not going wasn’t acceptable. Christmas away from her is not okay.”

  “So you should’ve flown her out here.”

  “She couldn’t come.” Mark dragged his hand through his hair and sat down. He needed to at least try to focus on getting to California on time for his premiere, even if he wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with Lacey and forget the rest of the world existed. “Look, is there any way you can get a private jet to come get me?”

  “I might be able to arrange something early in the afternoon, after the roads are cleared and the runways are safe.” Gary sighed. “Are you somewhere warm and dry tonight?”

  Mark looked over his shoulder then lowered his voice. “Yeah, I’m at an old friend’s house. She’s letting me stay until I can get a tow truck out here.”

  “She?”

  “Yes. She.”

  “Don’t let this fuck up your night tomorrow. You and Sylvia are a couple now.”

  Mark closed his eyes, picturing the bombshell beauty he was supposed to be madly in love with for the next six months. “Yeah, about that.”

  “Uh-uh. Stop it right there. You’re not backing out of this one. As a matter of fact, Entertainment Tonight has already run the story.”

  Mark’s heart dropped to his feet. “What? They’re not supposed to air the news until tomorrow.” Panic crept up his spine, immobilizing him. How would he explain this to Lacey?

  “They were supposed to wait until tomorrow, but they were afraid TMZ would beat them to it, so it’s too late for doubts now. Where does this ‘old friend’ live, under a rock? If not, then you can bet your ass she already knows. The whole world knows about the two of you. They all saw the photos of you two making out in Cabo.”

  The staged make out session that looked real enough in the photos. They’d made sure of it, choreographing it like one of his films. Afterward, Sylvia had tried to make it even more realistic, but he’d sent her back to her own room. “You need to fix this.”

  “There’s nothing to fix.”

  “The hell there isn’t.” Mark stood up and clutched the phone so tight it should’ve snapped in two. “I just spent the last hour in the arms of the perfect woman for me, and I’m not about to see it get ruined because of some story running in the tabloids.”

  “Well, maybe you should’ve thought of the repercussions of your actions before climbing into bed with her.”

  Mark clenched his jaw. “You need to come up with a suitable story to make the Cabo thing look false, or outdated, or whatever. I don’t care what the fuck you do, but get together with Pam to find a way to make it go away.”

  “Are you sure you want me to tell your publicist about this? She worked hard on this deal.” Gary hesitated, and Mark could practically feel his frustration through the phone. “Hell, we all worked a long time to come up with this one. Sylvia’s PR firm won’t be happy with us, either.”

  Of course they wouldn’t. She’d hoped to use him to launch herself to fame. Though he hadn’t minded before, he wasn’t about to lose Lacey over a bogus relationship. They’d have to come up with a new plan that didn’t include him. “She can rebound with another hot star. They can say we were dating for a few months, but broke up recently. She can still get attention out of the deal. But word can’t get out we’re together, or I’ll lose—”

  “Lose what, Mark?”

  Mark froze; dread forming a hard knot in his stomach at the sound of Lacey’s voice. He turned around slowly, even though he knew he hadn’t imagined the soft words, or the accusation behind them. He hung up on Gary without saying another word, his eyes locked on Lacey’s pale face. She’d put on some sweats and a tank top, and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Pressing her lips tight together, she eyed him from across the room.


  The way she was looking at him hurt more than anything she could say and made him feel ill. That look was what he had been trying to avoid. That look was why he should never have let things go as far as they had, despite his feelings for her. Or maybe because of his feelings for her.

  “It’s not what you think,” Mark said. How pathetic did those simple words sound coming out of his lips? Guilt tinged his words, making his excuse sound lame and ineffective. “I can explain everything.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want your explanations. I saw you on TV, with that woman’s arms around your neck, your lips on hers. How dare you tell me you’re single when you’re not? I can’t believe you lied to me.”

  “I’m not with her. It’s all a publicity stunt.” He held his hands out and approached her. “My PR firm likes to keep the paparazzi buzzing with news about me, so if I’m boring for too long, they create stories to make me more interesting. It’s all an attempt to drum up interest in the upcoming movie release.”

  “Don’t come another step closer to me.” She glowered at him, waiting for him to stop approaching her. “I heard you talking to your agent about her. About how you had to hide the relationship from me.”

  “The fake relationship.” His heart hurt with the knowledge that he was about to lose her, when he’d just figured out how much she meant to him. “It’s all fake, like a role I was playing. It didn’t mean anything. She doesn’t mean anything.”

  She shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m not listening to another word. It’s your job to lie well enough to make people believe you. Why would I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth? I should have known it was all a lie.”

  “I’m not lying,” he said. His voice cracked on the last word, and he swallowed past his throbbing throat. “I wouldn’t do something so horrible to you.”

  “But you did. You’ve turned me into the type of person I hate most.” She lifted her chin, looking down her nose at him. “You had sex with me when you knew you were taken by someone else. I’ve been cheated on enough to know how it feels, and I would never knowingly hurt another person like that. Not after what Joe did to me.”