Page 30 of Secret Mistress


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It was better to just be here, with him. They walked out of the kitchen in sync and she didn’t care where they went but he motioned toward the stairs. She joined him. “What is with the blonde comic book art in every room of this house, and in your dressing room?”

They went up a few steps when he took her hand and asked, “The truth?”

“Yeah.” Excitementhummed in her veins at getting to know something important about Matt.

They made it to the top step. “Roy Lichtenstein was said to parody and copy comic book artists…”

She tilted her head and stopped at one of the paintings with the girl in a red dress and read the signature. “Roy?”

“The artist.” He nodded.

They continued down the hall, side by side. “You are obviouslya collector. So why this?”

He opened the bedroom door and she crossed the threshold inside. “To me acting is parodying and copying real life as well. Movie work is never original thought, original expressions or anything. So I bought a series of his work, the blonde woman, and hung it up as a reminder to never take my work so seriously that I forget there is a real life too.”

Interesting.In her experience, just living her life never let her forget that there was hardship. He closed the door and her blood stirred. “So it helps with your work?”

He walked her backwards toward the bed. “I’m a bit of a method actor so the paintings help me remember that what happens to my character is not something that happens in my life too.”

Maybe she hadn’t needed to dye her hairto catch his eye, though she liked herself in the mirror. She’d needed drastic change. Her heart beat faster. “I see. And the real-life blondes?”

He traced her face with his fingers, setting off fireworks inside her as he said, “Clearly bad copies of you.”

“You didn’t know me.” Her eyes fluttered closed and she went on her tiptoes.

His lips claimed hers and she forgot therest of the world existed.

All that mattered was that she was here, in Matt’s arms.

The kiss ended and he held her hand as she took a few moments to come back into her skin and feel the soles of feet again. He said, “I was too stupid to realize the best was right there, waiting for me, until you found me.”

“Oh Matt… let’s turn off the lights and not leave.” The backs of herthighs bumped the mattress.

He let her go and flipped the switch to dim the lights as she tugged off his t-shirt he’d lent her, and crawled onto his bed. She scooted higher on her knees, wanting him. “Matt, I’m all yours.”

“Perfect.” He offered seconds of another searing kiss.

For right now everything else in the world could be ignored. Matt held her in his arms. It was enough.

Chapter 10

Matt’s arms were snuggly holding the beautiful woman he couldn’t get enough of as Ashley dozed in his arms.

He was still fascinated with her, which he didn’t understand, but she only made him want to stay where he was and never leave his bed.

No woman had made him crave her so much. If this was how his brothers felt when they’d met their wives, maybe he hada better understanding of why they’d changed.

He could see why his brother Luke wasn’t happy for years after undergraduate school, when he didn’t have Caro in his life.

The last thing he wanted to be was sad—he was an actor, meant to provide entertainment to the masses.

Sad meant he’d land darker roles that weren’t the leading man. What would his life be like without acting?

If his career, always center stage, shifted priority?

Anything was possible. He’d raced toward super stardom as an end goal, all his life, never needing anyone.

Matt thought of the contract downstairs in the living room, and wanted to trash it.