The Movie Star's Red Hot Holiday Fling: A novella (Entangled Indulgence) (Sweetbriar Springs) by Christine Glover

Don’t. Don’t. She picked up a pair of forty-pound barbells, stepped onto the mat, and faced the mirror to check her stance before curling the weights.
    One rep. The pages mocked her, and the memory of how Blake had helped her regain her flexibility flashed. Two reps. The pages taunted her with the memory of how she wanted him to seduce her, if only to feel alive. Three reps. The pages enticed her, just as every moment he’d been with her had reawakened her femininity.
    Her nose prickled and stung. Blake had never been repulsed by the scars on her leg. He hadn’t faked the desire in his eyes when he moved inside her. She lowered the weights, brushed the steel close to her right thigh, her throat aching. Jessie returned the weights to the rack. Picking up the clipped pages, she read the note he had written on the front.
    If you feel the same way about the next Quinn Sawyer movie and me after you read this, I’ll forget I ever wrote this story. I’ll walk away from the Quinn Sawyer franchise’s offer to let me direct and star in this film. Blake

Chapter Twelve
    “You positive she’s coming?” Blake asked Maisey as they walked to the bar. “Because this party’s almost over.” And if Jessie had read that script and hated it, he doubted she’d show up tonight. Why would she even want to look at him, let alone give him a second chance?
    Midnight was minutes away. Half the guests were knee-deep in noisy celebration, dancing on the parquet floor beneath a canopy of enormous, fake snowflakes and twinkling lights.
    His sister leveled her green eyes on his. “Blake, she RSVP’d via a text first thing this morning,” she said. “Everything is in place for your big scene.”
    “Except for the main attraction.” He waved to Constanza, who had hooked up with the Sullivans in attendance. “Maybe she changed her mind.”
    “Jessie’s too brave to walk away from a challenge.” Maisey clasped his forearm. “And you’re equally as strong. The pair of you make quite a couple. I imagine you’ll be sparring and making up for years to come.”
    “If she’ll accept my apology,” Blake said, sticking his hand in his pocket and touching the velvet box.
    “You screwed up,” Maisey said. “But you can fix this. Just don’t worry about what these Hollyweirdos think.”
    His lungs expanded with brotherly pride. Maisey had grown from a frightened, lonely teenager into a strong, independent woman. Somehow she’d found her own happiness and love.
    And man, he sure as hell wanted to grab onto that brass ring and hold it forever. Even if it meant destroying the one chance he had to prove he was more than a walking poster boy for Abs of Steel.
    But Jessie was worth taking the gamble.
    “I’m double-checking the DJ’s music list.” Maisey kissed his cheek. “Your star attraction has arrived.”
    He looked toward the doors leading into the room. Air whooshed through his ears and the floor seemed to slip beneath his feet. Jessie stood at the entrance dressed in a long silver, figure-hugging evening gown he’d given to her before their fight. Though she’d sworn she’d never put herself in the limelight, every person at the party stopped to watch her walk into the room.
    His brave, beautiful Marine held her head high, moved with grace and dignity, refusing to shy away from the group’s unwavering attention.
    Heart pounding, Blake pushed through the thick crowd, making his way toward her as she penetrated the throng and walked to him. Soon they were standing face-to-face. The noises and sounds of the party faded until a bubble of expectation cocooned them.
    “Jessie,” he said, wanting to touch her, afraid she would evaporate if he did.
    “I read the story.” Jessie opened her matching clutch and withdrew the note he’d written. “You still willing to stand by your promise?”
    Jessie’s voice cracked and a light sheen sparkled in her gaze, but challenge glinted there as well. His chest constricted. “Yes. I’ll