by Diane Saxon
He adjusted his stance, waiting for her to reply. Every muscle in his body flexed, and it occurred to her he knew exactly what position to stand in to give a woman the best view; it was his profession to look hot. And boy, was he hot.
Panic slid in, insidious and sly. What in hell’s name was she doing there? She had no right. He was no longer the man he had been eleven years ago. She’d been burned then. She was going to get incinerated this time.
She bit her bottom lip. Shaking her head, she backed away from him, a cold sliver of fear skimming up her spine as his expression darkened. She could feel the prickle of tears behind her eyes. Panic bloomed and had her breath backed up so hard in her throat she thought she might simply expire.
His arms dropped to his side; his eyes narrowed.
She whirled. Ran.
Faster than she could ever have believed a man of his size could move, within three short steps he’d caught her around the waist. She kicked her legs furiously as he hauled her thrashing body off the ground; her foot connected with his thigh, sending a sharp pain buzzing through her ankle, but she had the small pleasure of hearing him grunt. His solid arm banded around her, easily holding her to his damp, naked chest as he hefted her through the doorway of the trailer.
She dragged air in through her lungs and opened her mouth ready to scream. He slapped one huge hand over her face. Instinct had her biting down, scrabbling for breath as he cursed and flung her at the bed. Her body bounced almost off the other side as he launched himself on top of her, his huge frame dominating hers.
Unable to move, she whipped her head side to side. Froze. Eyes closed, facing away from him, she heard his heavy breathing, felt the warmth of it fan across her cheek as he lay motionless above her.
“Zoe.”
She squeezed her eyes tighter. Willing him to be gone. Wishing he were gone because the tone of his voice wasn’t angry, wasn’t demanding. It was persuasive, and she knew she was never going to survive his kind of persuasion. He smoothed his knuckles down the skin of her cheek.
“Zoe.” He placed a small, delicate kiss on her neck below her ear, and her breathing slowed, her blood thickened. He trailed a chain of kisses along her jawline, and her pounding heart settled to a hopeful flutter, her muscles turning lax.
“Zoe.” His voice a sigh, he lingered at the corner of her mouth.
She opened her eyes, turned her head, and fell into his deep, intense, black eyes. Her mind already filled with him, overflowed. Desperate, she shook her head in denial.
“Zoe.” Barely a whisper, he touched his lips to hers and warmth spread across her face and down her neck, heating her shoulders.
“Mac. I can’t.”
His eyebrows twitched; his eyes bored into hers as she stroked her thumb across his lower lip, compelled to touch him.
“I can’t,” she repeated, shaking her head once more, regret making her heart yearn.
“Yes,” he murmured, nipping her thumb, and then giving it a gentle kiss. “You can.”
She sighed, defeated, and let him sample, just a little bit and just for a moment.
His lips roamed and caught hers in a deep seduction as she allowed his tongue to dip in and touch hers.
She felt the electric shock jerk through her body and pressed her fingers to his mouth to stop him. It was too much, too intense. She stared deep into his eyes, her heart a slow thud in her chest as she shook her head in denial.
“You could have anyone. Why me?”
Appearing genuinely puzzled, a thin line appeared between his eyebrows, and she automatically raised her hand to smooth it.
“You’re real.” His hand slid inside her bra, cupped her breast, and gently flexed. He closed his eyes as though the pleasure were too much and sighed. “Zoe, I know who you are, and you’re real.”
Desire unfurled thick and heavy as his mouth returned to hers. Hope blossomed when she met his lips with her own. She tipped her head back, inviting his mouth to cruise over her skin down to the throbbing pulse in the base of her neck. She moaned as his tongue sampled there and moved on. Her body bowed, allowing his hands the freedom to roam; they smoothed over her skin, coaxed the pretty blue blouse from her. Liquid pleasure flowed through her as his mouth skimmed across her shoulder, over the top of her lacy white bra to the swell of her breasts. He sucked her flesh into his mouth, paused while her breath hitched and then swept his hot, wet tongue under the lace and swiped it over her nipple to send shock waves pulsing through her system.
Fascinated by the fluid movements of his muscles, she touched him, heard his breath catch in reply as her fingers slid over his warm, satin flesh, stroking the wide expanse of his broad shoulders. She kneaded his steel muscles and took pleasure in the sound of his low, primal groan; reveled in the flex and give as he moved easily over her.
His movements leisurely, he slid her bra from her and allowed his mouth to return, to linger. Pleasure seeped liquid through her veins as his mouth slid lower, tarried a while over her belly as he flicked the button open on her jeans, slid the zipper down, grazed his teeth across her flesh, and as she arched, he slipped the jeans over her hips and down her legs.
Heat spread as his large hands slid back up the outside of her thighs, surrounded her hips as his thumbs dipped into the crevice between her legs, and slipped under the edge of her panties.
She couldn’t stop the slow, restless undulation of her body as he pressed his lips against the lace of her panties, touched his thumbs together, and smoothed them through her warm, wet heat.
“Mac.” It was a plea.
Staggered by her own desperation, her hips flexed under his hands and blinding light shot through her system as his fingers slid inside her, making her muscles clench and pulse around them, holding on to them as she spasmed.
“Oh, God.”
She scraped her nails up his sides, feeling the quiver and flex as he slid his body over hers. His fingers still embedded in her, her muscles still throbbing, he met her mouth with his and sent her spiraling again.
Limp, she allowed him to strip her panties down her legs and watched through narrowed eyes as he reached over and drew a condom out of the top drawer of his nightstand. She noticed his deft movements; his desperate glance at her as though he thought she might change her mind. She smiled, slow and deliberate, and reached out for him. Not a chance. She was going nowhere. She welcomed him back into her arms.
With a soft expulsion of breath, she pressed her mouth to his neck and nibbled as his arms surrounded her, pulled her in close; she flowed beneath him, around him as he filled her. Pleasure, thick as molasses, enveloped them.
Her heart stammered when he drew back to stare into her eyes. Their bodies moved together in rhythm as though it were yesterday and there had been no in-between.
Delicately, her fingers smoothed across his cheekbones, caressed his ear, and moved to draw his head closer as her lips met his and they crested together. Wave after wave swept over them until they lay limp and entangled. His breath, hot on her neck; her heart tender beneath him.
Drugged, neither one of them moved as they lazily drifted back down. She could feel his heart, strong and fast, still pounding as hers trembled. She closed her eyes and knew she had moved him almost as much as he had moved her. Weak with love, sated, her eyes closed and her mind emptied.
* * * *
He woke alone. Stretched. Every muscle in his body felt warm, rejuvenated. He only wished she was still there with him; he could have done with another workout. A little spark of irritation hit him unexpectedly. She’d sneaked out, hadn’t had the decency to let him know she was going. Normally, he would be happy if a woman removed herself before the morning-after discomfort of trying to make conversation. But this woman was different.
She could at least have let him know she was going. He sat up and scanned the room. She hadn’t left a damned thing. Not that she’d arrived with anything except the clothes she stood in, covering her perfect white, virginal underwear that had almost m
ade him lose control the moment he’d seen it.
Disturbed now, he flung back the covers, swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced around again at the trailer bedroom. He didn’t usually sleep there; he’d only been showering off the dirt and the makeup from the day’s filming when she’d arrived. He’d normally have stayed at the hotel.
Closing his eyes, he pictured her. The evening sun had glimmered in her hair, showering sparks of fire around her. He had no idea why she had turned up. After the ultimatum he’d thrown at her, he really thought she would have run like hell. She almost had. But he’d seen it in her eyes. Instinct had him moving even before she did, terrified if she ran, she’d never be back.
She was still the most perfect woman he had ever encountered. Her body had been a surprising delight, though. She’d filled out perfectly in all the right places. Her curves had fit neatly into his oversized hands. Her skin had been warm and naturally smooth, her muscle tone long and lean, developed through hard work and long hours on farms dealing with cattle and horses. Her thighs were toned and her butt had been beautifully rounded; no fat had been artificially sucked out from under her flesh.
He hadn’t lied when he’d told her she was real. So many of the women he met in his line of business were shallow. But then, most of them only knew him as Cormack Blunt, and Cormack Blunt was shallow too. There were very few who knew there was a Mac residing under his skin.
He smiled to himself. Considering how much he had wanted fame and fortune, sometimes the sparkle fizzled out. The glory waned.
He glanced at his watch and sighed. No chance of getting to see the curvy redhead today; he had a full filming schedule ahead of him, starting with makeup.
* * * *
“We’re ready for you, Mr. Blunt.”
He sighed. Another love scene with Linda. He was damned sure she kept getting it wrong just so they could go at it again. Her Botoxed lips were stiff and cold. Nothing like a certain vet’s lips, hot and mobile and sexy. When he kissed Zoe, his brain left his head, his heart stopped beating, and he morphed into a danger zone.
Linda’s long, chilled fingers with their bright red talons were sharp and grabbing while Zoe’s, with their short, practical nails, were warm and welcoming. Her smooth white skin had made him want to consume her as he’d filled his hands with her soft curves last night. Uncomfortably aroused, he knew she’d never been built like that when she was seventeen, but he also definitely knew all those curves were her own.
Unlike a certain little starlet in front of him, whose breasts seemed to drill a hole in him when he came into contact with her.
He gave himself a moment to get his erection under control, breathing heavily. He turned his mind away from Zoe and back to Linda, and with surprising speed, he felt himself relax.
Irritated beyond belief, he stripped his dressing gown off and lay down on the satin sheets of the enormous bed. Only eighteen crew on hand to observe today. He couldn’t help curling his lip with distaste as he watched Linda fuss, snap at the makeup girl, and slap at her fingers as she tried to help. He let his mind drift.
What day was it? Tuesday. There was something the kid had mentioned about Tuesday. Seemed important to him. Oh yeah, parents’ show-and-tell. Bitch of a teacher had been hassling Ryan again about lying. Kid was only proud to find out he was the son of a movie star. Hell, what kid wouldn’t want to be his son?
Mac’s belly glowed warm, and he found himself thinking about how much he was growing to like the kid and how the kid seemed to really like him. It wasn’t just about him being a movie star. The movie star was left on the set every day. It was Mac who was developing a relationship with the boy, and he was starting to like going out on the beat-up little boat with the dogs and the kid and occasionally Emory. It seemed like such a normal life, one he only had when he went back home to the ranch.
As Linda called the makeup girl back for the fourth time to cover up the tiny blemish on the side of her nose, he stood and wrapped his dressing gown around him. The crew was all staring. It wasn’t his thing to walk out on sets, but the small-time starlet with the big-time attitude was starting to bug the hell out of him. He had better things to do.
“I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” he threw over his shoulder as he strode off in the direction of his trailer.
*
Zoe was going to have to take the teacher to one side after she’d finished showing the animals to the children. She’d brought Coke and Ice with her and a couple of Ryan’s rats and a ferret, and when they all left, she was going to have to explain Ryan wasn’t lying. Nor was she. Because when she had telephoned earlier in the week, the teacher had told her it wasn’t advisable to encourage Ryan in his fantasy world.
Fantasy world it certainly was. Reality existed there, though, and the harsh truth was, Ryan belonged to Mac Swann, aka Cormack Blunt. For whatever insane reason, they had to deal with it.
Mac hadn’t been famous when she met him, but he certainly was now, and no matter how much he made her heart race and her tears flow every time she saw his on-screen image, the idea he would strike up anything other than a short sexual relationship was ridiculous.
Her chest ached; her eyes felt squinty and strained, and she noticed she kept sighing all the time. Seeing him again, having him in her life, brought back all the youthful lust and undying love she’d felt at eighteen, and she simply could not let it happen again.
She needed a reality check. Try as she might, though, she could not rein in her thoughts as a thrill trickled through her.
Mac could have anyone he wanted. Every female on the A-list would give their eye teeth to be seen with him. But he’d wanted her—years ago and again last night. It was blatantly obvious she turned him on. Squirming in her seat, she tried not to think about him, about turning him on; without success.
Her cheeks heated with the memory as a warm glow spread through her chest. She’d never had such good sex in her life. He certainly had matured in all the right ways—and moves. It hadn’t felt like a quick romp the way Mac had implied it was going to be. It had felt deep and meaningful; their bodies had been totally in tune with each other’s.
She’d pressed a gentle kiss on his shoulder earlier in the morning as he lay facedown on the huge bed. She’d slipped from his trailer without disturbing him. He’d never even stirred.
Sex with Mac had been a big mistake.
Desperate to protect her heart, Zoe tried not to fool herself. To her it had meant the world; to him it was just sex. After all, he hadn’t wanted to keep her the first time. Why would he bother the second?
She waited while the children congregated, giggling together as they settled down. Some of the mothers drifted in to support the project, and Zoe wondered why on earth she had volunteered. She wasn’t too good with humans, which was why she had chosen to become a vet, and here she was in front of all these people just because Mac hadn’t wanted to and she didn’t want Ryan to be hurt.
The teacher hushed the class and twenty-two sets of children’s eyes stared avidly at her. She took a deep breath and was just about to start when a movement at the door drew her attention.
There he was, big as a mountain, filling the doorway with a massive hellfire grin plastered across his face as his eyes met hers. Zoe’s heart soared for her son, for her. It stuttered, staggered, and fell all the way in love with him again. Her knees turned to water, and she sank into the chair behind her, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.
As he stepped inside the room, there was a deathly hush, which he obligingly filled with his deep baritone voice and soothingly southern American accent.
“Hi. My son asked me to come today. I wasn’t sure if I could make it.” He addressed the teacher, big-ass smile still in place. “But I managed. I hope I’m not intruding.” He ducked his head in apology with a perfectly manufactured shyness, which only someone who knew Mac well would realize was an act. Fourteen mothers melted on the spot, and the teacher reached out to lean her weight on her des
k, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish’s.
Zoe snorted out an inelegant laugh and felt the overwhelming urge to clap as Mac turned his adoring gaze on their son.
“Ryan. Would you care to introduce me?”
* * * *
“Awesome, Dad. You slayed ’em.”
Mac’s heart filled and his chest expanded at the unexpected pride he felt as the kid called him Dad for the first time. Emotional at the best of times, he felt the embarrassing threat of tears as he grinned down at his little boy.
Zoe cast him a curious glance, and to avoid her closer inspection, he hauled Ryan over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.
“Your teacher was thrilled.”
“She was.” Ryan laughed. “She had a brain fart.”
“I beg your pardon?” Zoe’s shocked voice made Mac smile. He was proud to have taught the boy that one.
“It means she couldn’t think straight, Mum. She couldn’t speak, either. It was an exploding brain fart.” Ryan roared as his body bounced on Mac’s shoulder.
As Zoe turned her attention to him with a raised eyebrow and an imminent lecture, Mac thought it wise to change the subject.
“Where do you want to go to celebrate?”
“Let’s get pizza,” Ryan yelled back, and Mac felt his stomach rebel at the thought of cholesterol-filled junk food. He had his own dietician and never touched that kind of crap. He suspected his face had turned a strange color as Zoe continued to watch him with narrowed eyes, so he smiled and shrugged, bouncing the kid on his shoulder.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
He saw Zoe’s hesitation, her uncertain smile. He knew damned well she was pleased with him; he’d seen her face in the classroom. If she could have kissed him then, he bet she would. Looked like she was suffering from a little delayed morning-after discomfort after all, and it didn’t displease him too much. Sometimes it was good to see Zoe unsure of herself. He grinned at her and took pleasure in her uncertain smile and wary eyes.
A thought formed in his mind that he might be able get his hands on her again. He let Ryan slide down to the floor, kept his eyes on her pretty green ones.