against?"
"You know perfectly well." He grabbed her foot and held it in his hand. "Don't play with me."
She tried pulling her foot away but he held it firm, pressing her arch with his thumb in warning. She bit her lip against a moan. Good, in so many ways. "Careful, or I'll recruit you for a foot massage."
"You should be so lucky." He rubbed her, slow and deliberate. "I've been begged for my foot rubs."
She believed it. He was barely putting any effort into it and she was practically purring. "Now who's taunting who?"
"I don't taunt, Sophie."
The way he focused on her made her want to jump out of the Jacuzzi and run back to Los Angeles. It made her want to climb onto his lap and kiss him until he was the one begging.
As if he could read her thoughts, he let go of her and hopped out of the tub. Water sluiced down his body, and his boxers clung to his backside in a way that made her mouth go dry.
She was so distracted that she almost didn't register when he turned around and held out a towel.
"Are we done?" she asked regretfully, staring at his proffered hand.
"We never started."
The finality of his tone stung. He didn't think she was good enough for him, to represent or to be intimate with.
Why did that come as a surprise? Why did she care what he thought?
Not wanting him to see that she felt hurt, she arched her brow, projecting the haughty diva she'd perfected so long ago, and climbed out of the Jacuzzi. She snapped the towel out of his hand to distract him from her naked body and wrapped it around herself. "If you can't recognize a good thing when you see it, then—"
"Sweetheart, there's not a bit of good in you . You're all bad." He caught the front of her towel. "And this idea is worse."
Before she could ask what he meant, he pulled her into him and kissed her.
Her toes curled.
Usually as she was being kissed, her mind drifted to other things, like whatever part she was rehearsing. Or her next appointment with her trainer, or whether she needed to start considering Botox.
But Tony demanded her attention. The only thought she had was More . She braced her hands on his chest and let herself dissolve into him in a way that she'd never done before with any man.
His hand speared into her hair, and he deepened the kiss. He lifted her to him, making her meet him halfway.
She wanted to meet him. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to wrap her arms and legs around him and cling to him. She wanted to let her towel drop and invite him to feast on her, just so she could have the chance to feast on him.
She'd never been so hungry for a man in her entire life.
The thought terrified her.
The thought excited her.
Tony lifted his head and let her go.
She couldn't tell what he was thinking, and that scared her. "Why did you do that?" she asked.
"Temporary insanity."
Her soul drooped. She'd wanted him to say he'd lost control because she was irresistible, or because he couldn't help himself.
She was a fool. To hide it, she slipped back into being Sophie Martineau. Smiling like a sex kitten to mask her confusion and hurt, she ran a nail down his torso. "Any time you feel insane, lover boy, let me know."
She sashayed out of there, putting extra sway in her walk, and hurried to her room so he wouldn't see the disappointed tear that leaked from her eye.
Chapter Nine
Two days had passed since the kiss, and Valentine couldn't bring herself to call Ethan. Two days had passed, and Valentine couldn't stop thinking about it.
Kissing definitely wasn't something Ethan needed to improve on.
"Martians!" Kristin, the Grounds for Thought barista, yelled.
Valentine jumped and looked around before the exclamation registered on her. She frowned at Kristin.
The woman laughed, holding out two to-go cups. "I couldn't get your attention."
Lola Carmichael, one of the other patrons, grinned and saluted Valentine with her cup. "You have to admit, it was kind of funny."
She shook her head ruefully. "My mind's just
"You know perfectly well." He grabbed her foot and held it in his hand. "Don't play with me."
She tried pulling her foot away but he held it firm, pressing her arch with his thumb in warning. She bit her lip against a moan. Good, in so many ways. "Careful, or I'll recruit you for a foot massage."
"You should be so lucky." He rubbed her, slow and deliberate. "I've been begged for my foot rubs."
She believed it. He was barely putting any effort into it and she was practically purring. "Now who's taunting who?"
"I don't taunt, Sophie."
The way he focused on her made her want to jump out of the Jacuzzi and run back to Los Angeles. It made her want to climb onto his lap and kiss him until he was the one begging.
As if he could read her thoughts, he let go of her and hopped out of the tub. Water sluiced down his body, and his boxers clung to his backside in a way that made her mouth go dry.
She was so distracted that she almost didn't register when he turned around and held out a towel.
"Are we done?" she asked regretfully, staring at his proffered hand.
"We never started."
The finality of his tone stung. He didn't think she was good enough for him, to represent or to be intimate with.
Why did that come as a surprise? Why did she care what he thought?
Not wanting him to see that she felt hurt, she arched her brow, projecting the haughty diva she'd perfected so long ago, and climbed out of the Jacuzzi. She snapped the towel out of his hand to distract him from her naked body and wrapped it around herself. "If you can't recognize a good thing when you see it, then—"
"Sweetheart, there's not a bit of good in you . You're all bad." He caught the front of her towel. "And this idea is worse."
Before she could ask what he meant, he pulled her into him and kissed her.
Her toes curled.
Usually as she was being kissed, her mind drifted to other things, like whatever part she was rehearsing. Or her next appointment with her trainer, or whether she needed to start considering Botox.
But Tony demanded her attention. The only thought she had was More . She braced her hands on his chest and let herself dissolve into him in a way that she'd never done before with any man.
His hand speared into her hair, and he deepened the kiss. He lifted her to him, making her meet him halfway.
She wanted to meet him. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to wrap her arms and legs around him and cling to him. She wanted to let her towel drop and invite him to feast on her, just so she could have the chance to feast on him.
She'd never been so hungry for a man in her entire life.
The thought terrified her.
The thought excited her.
Tony lifted his head and let her go.
She couldn't tell what he was thinking, and that scared her. "Why did you do that?" she asked.
"Temporary insanity."
Her soul drooped. She'd wanted him to say he'd lost control because she was irresistible, or because he couldn't help himself.
She was a fool. To hide it, she slipped back into being Sophie Martineau. Smiling like a sex kitten to mask her confusion and hurt, she ran a nail down his torso. "Any time you feel insane, lover boy, let me know."
She sashayed out of there, putting extra sway in her walk, and hurried to her room so he wouldn't see the disappointed tear that leaked from her eye.
Chapter Nine
Two days had passed since the kiss, and Valentine couldn't bring herself to call Ethan. Two days had passed, and Valentine couldn't stop thinking about it.
Kissing definitely wasn't something Ethan needed to improve on.
"Martians!" Kristin, the Grounds for Thought barista, yelled.
Valentine jumped and looked around before the exclamation registered on her. She frowned at Kristin.
The woman laughed, holding out two to-go cups. "I couldn't get your attention."
Lola Carmichael, one of the other patrons, grinned and saluted Valentine with her cup. "You have to admit, it was kind of funny."
She shook her head ruefully. "My mind's just
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