produced a wave of tenderness. "I know Hollywood must seem a little scary now, especially since you had a bad experience here before, but it would be foolish to tie yourself down by buying a house with me just because we’re... friendly. In a few months, you’ll have plenty of friends and you won’t need me." He tried to make his tone joking. "Or did you want to get a place with me because I’m never here? That is an advantage in a housemate."
She whirled around, eyes snapping. "Why the devil do you assume that I’m not going to want you for a friend six months from now? Do I seem that shallow? Or do you want to keep your distance in the future because actresses are so needy and demanding and you don’t want to get sucked into my personal psychodramas?"
"Of course I don’t think you’re shallow! And you’re certainly no drama queen." He made a helpless gesture with his hand. "But new worlds are opening up for you, Jenny. You’re going to be meeting exciting, charismatic men who operate on the same level you do. Sure, you and I can be friends, but I’m just the guy next door. Not someone you should be buying a house with."
She made a feline sound of exasperation. "I’m thirty- five years old, Gregory Marino. Do you think I’m too dim to know what I want? I’ve dated more than my share of ‘exciting, charismatic’ men, and there isn’t one of them I would want to buy a house with." Her face tightened. "The time we spent together was more than a holiday fling to me, Greg. In fact, it was very special. I... I thought it was worth finding out if you felt the same."
Her words rocked him back on his heels. How much courage had it taken for her to make herself so vulnerable? More courage than he had. If there was to be any hope for them, he must try to match her honesty. "It was more than a fling for me, too. I... I’ve been in love with you since we first met, but I’m so much in the habit of thinking there was no future for us that I have trouble believing that you might want more."
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Then she stepped forward, clasped his head with both hands, and drew it down for a kiss sweeter than chocolate. "Believe it, Greg."
Heart pounding, he wrapped his arms around her as if she were a life preserver in a storm. "Please don’t say this is a joke. I couldn’t bear it."
"Do you think I’d joke about the rest of my life?" She walked him back into the low sofa and pushed him down, landing on top in a pile of tangled limbs and scented sensuality. "You must stop underestimating yourself. Your talent and skill, not to mention your delicious self, make for a madly attractive whole," she said huskily. "Shall I demonstrate exactly how attractive I find you?"
Her words brought every cell in his body to urgent life, but even more desperately than he wanted to make love, he wanted to understand. "I’m still not quite believing this. What happened between last week when we said good-bye at Heathrow and now?"
"I called Kenzie Scott and ended up having a nice chat with Raine." Jenny wriggled into a more comfortable position on top of him. "Something she said made me recognize how our assumptions about having a brief fling had turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that it was time to reboot and try for a new conclusion."
He slid his hands under her tunic and rested them on the warm, bare skin of her back, still incredulous that she was in his arms again. "I’ve always figured that my main qualification in your eyes was being available and more or less presentable when you wanted some company."
She rolled her eyes. "So I’m not only shallow and dim, but a slut. Trust me, I’ve never been so bored that I would sleep with a man merely because he was available."
He gave a crooked smile. "If I say anything more, I’m going to dig myself into a really deep hole, aren’t I?"
She chuckled. "You’re already halfway to Australia, but I’ll forgive you because you’re wonderful. You
She whirled around, eyes snapping. "Why the devil do you assume that I’m not going to want you for a friend six months from now? Do I seem that shallow? Or do you want to keep your distance in the future because actresses are so needy and demanding and you don’t want to get sucked into my personal psychodramas?"
"Of course I don’t think you’re shallow! And you’re certainly no drama queen." He made a helpless gesture with his hand. "But new worlds are opening up for you, Jenny. You’re going to be meeting exciting, charismatic men who operate on the same level you do. Sure, you and I can be friends, but I’m just the guy next door. Not someone you should be buying a house with."
She made a feline sound of exasperation. "I’m thirty- five years old, Gregory Marino. Do you think I’m too dim to know what I want? I’ve dated more than my share of ‘exciting, charismatic’ men, and there isn’t one of them I would want to buy a house with." Her face tightened. "The time we spent together was more than a holiday fling to me, Greg. In fact, it was very special. I... I thought it was worth finding out if you felt the same."
Her words rocked him back on his heels. How much courage had it taken for her to make herself so vulnerable? More courage than he had. If there was to be any hope for them, he must try to match her honesty. "It was more than a fling for me, too. I... I’ve been in love with you since we first met, but I’m so much in the habit of thinking there was no future for us that I have trouble believing that you might want more."
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Then she stepped forward, clasped his head with both hands, and drew it down for a kiss sweeter than chocolate. "Believe it, Greg."
Heart pounding, he wrapped his arms around her as if she were a life preserver in a storm. "Please don’t say this is a joke. I couldn’t bear it."
"Do you think I’d joke about the rest of my life?" She walked him back into the low sofa and pushed him down, landing on top in a pile of tangled limbs and scented sensuality. "You must stop underestimating yourself. Your talent and skill, not to mention your delicious self, make for a madly attractive whole," she said huskily. "Shall I demonstrate exactly how attractive I find you?"
Her words brought every cell in his body to urgent life, but even more desperately than he wanted to make love, he wanted to understand. "I’m still not quite believing this. What happened between last week when we said good-bye at Heathrow and now?"
"I called Kenzie Scott and ended up having a nice chat with Raine." Jenny wriggled into a more comfortable position on top of him. "Something she said made me recognize how our assumptions about having a brief fling had turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that it was time to reboot and try for a new conclusion."
He slid his hands under her tunic and rested them on the warm, bare skin of her back, still incredulous that she was in his arms again. "I’ve always figured that my main qualification in your eyes was being available and more or less presentable when you wanted some company."
She rolled her eyes. "So I’m not only shallow and dim, but a slut. Trust me, I’ve never been so bored that I would sleep with a man merely because he was available."
He gave a crooked smile. "If I say anything more, I’m going to dig myself into a really deep hole, aren’t I?"
She chuckled. "You’re already halfway to Australia, but I’ll forgive you because you’re wonderful. You
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