She finished her coffee and put it down on the table between them. “Well, I always keepmy word so I’ll stay as promised.”
Every cell in his body was awake from her touch, and he didn’t let go. His injected with every syllable to get her to open up as he said, “I get why you didn’t tell me who you were.”
Her brown eyes shimmered. “I made you coffee and breakfast for a month last summer when you stayed in your sister’s house.”
His face was hot. No one embarrassedhim anymore, but Ashley’s observation hit home. He let his grip grow lax and sat straighter as he said, “I’m embarrassed now. I meant about the surrogacy.”
Her cheeks turned red and she broke the connection as she shook her head. “I don’t like talking about that, and you don’t have to be embarrassed.”
No. An actor was a student of people all around him, yet he’d been blind to oneof the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. The image of her making his bed made him want to tumble her upstairs in his right now. “You’re very kind and forgiving, Ashley.”
She took his cup and hers as she stood. “I was doing my job. Part of that is to be invisible.”
He followed her fast in her walk to the sink. Without hesitation, she picked up a sponge and washed out the cups.
His hard body didn’t want to leave her side so he picked up the towel to dry what she washed. In a minute they’d finished the pot and cups. As she turned off the water, he said, “Today, I want you to take my Bentley in to work.”
She crossed her arms. “And then come back here?”
Wait. Hadn’t he been clear? He sucked in his breath as he leaned on the counter beside her and said,“We already discussed that I want you to stay. Why are you asking again?”
Her eyes batted and she licked her lips as she said softly, “I guess I find it unbelievable. I expected to go find a hotel room and never see you again.”
Wide awake was too weak of a way to describe being next to her. “Is that what you want to do, Ashley? Forget about me?”
She inched closer. “No. You’reserious about getting the role. I’ll help, as promised.”
His pulse quickened and his lips tingled like he’d kiss her again. He shouldn’t. But he ached to know more about her, everything, actually. “Last night you didn’t tell me your real goals for LA that go beyond fetching coffee?”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move away. She then shrugged and relaxed when she said, “I honestlydon’t know. I don’t want to clean houses, but I’ve never been or never felt good enough to to do whatever I want. College was the only other time where I wasn’t invisible to Jennifer, so it’s nice… having time for me.”
Luke had met his wife in college. It would have been nice to see Ashley before… everything she’d been through. She was probably different but her strength and raw honestymade her breathtaking now. “What did you study?”
“Interior design.”
The few people he knew with that degree on set made sure the scene looked correct for the actors. Viewers were quick to note when something didn’t fit so their job, though behind the scenes, was vastly important. “Like staging?”
Her eyes narrowed and he saw little wrinkles near her eyes as she said, “I thoughtI was going to be working in real estate. staging houses. But that didn’t work out.”
The wrinkles disappeared when she relaxed. He took her hand again. “Have you thought about working on movie sets?”
She tilted her head toward him and the need to claim her hit him hard. “No. I’ll look into it, though, it could be fun.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “It’s getting late, though.I have to be with Jennifer by eight.”
Right. No kissing. It was a bad idea. He stepped back and ignored how his body had little tremors of denied pleasure, but he let her walk away.
She headed up the stairs and he watched her go, waiting in the foyer—if he followed her to her room and kissed her senseless, would she accept his advances?
He shouldn’t.
He should keeptheir relationship professional.
He absolutely shouldn’t do as he imagined and strip off all her clothes, to make her his. He rested his fisted hand against the wall by the front door and didn’t allow himself to move until he saw her coming down the stairs.
Gray t-shirt with a square neck and jeans. Gray tennis shoes. He reached for her shoulder—his body burned for her.
Heforced himself to stand straight and walk with her toward the door. “Here are the keys.”
“Thanks.” She accepted them in her open palm. “Will I see you when I get back?”
