“Sloane gave us an itinerary. Should we map out the kind of kisses? The body language…”
He was laughing when she’d been vibrating. Jules needed to call it quits. She couldn’t do this. She was too exposed, too vulnerable, too curious, and she wanted too much. She rolled away from him. “This is a bad idea.”
He rolled her back. “I’m teasing.”
“It’s stupid. I get it. It’s not going to work.”
“How do you know?” he asked, his hand still holding on to her.
“Because look at us.” Look at her, not him. Not them.Her.“I’m so awkward. It’s like I need practice. Mason Marlow wasn’t cupping my cheek or pulling me into him. I need notes from a script or a director or… I don’t know. Practice.”
Wait. Had all of that actually come out of her mouth? Oh God.
On what planet did that come out of her mouth? “I didn’t actually mean—” Her heartbeat punched against her sternum in a steady beat ofShut up. Shut up.“I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Look…”
She wanted to puke. Her and her big mouth. She didn’t know how to dig herself out of this mortifying hole. Of all the strange situations she’d put Rhys in, this was a showstopper. Any second, he would jump up, snag his shoes, and haul ass to his bungalow. Titan would have another bodyguard on-site by morning.
“Please forget I said all of that.” She hoped he didn’t hear the high-key panic screaming through her words.
“Jules… It’s just…”
Fuckballs.She jumped out of his warm embrace and tripped over her shoes. She couldn’t see them in the dark. Screw it. She’d leave them. Rhys was such a save-the-day kind of guy that he would make sure her sandals found their way to her bungalow safely. “I’ll let Sloane know this isn’t going to work.”
She’d made it two more steps before his arm snagged around her waist. She hadn’t even heard him catch up with her as she trounced through the sand.
“Hold on.” Rhys didn’t let go, pinning her back to his chest and putting his mouth near her ear. “What the hell are you running from?”
“Nothing.” Everything.
“Mason Marlow is an idiot,” Rhys growled. “You don’t need notes or a director or anything.”
“How would you know?”
“I just do.” He twisted her to face him. “And you’re definitely not running off by yourself when there’s some guy we don’t trust lurking around.” He released one hand from her arm and brushed her hair behind her ears. “What just happened?”
She didn’t know. She’d lost her mind. This publicity stunt had recalibrated the way she looked at Rhys, and she didn’t know how to fix it. “I put you in a crap position. I’ve ruined—”
“Look at me, Jules.”
She blinked, unable to stop the threat of tears burning at the backs of her eyes. “Rhys—”
“Look at how miserable I am. Poor me, having to hang out with you.”
“You don’t have to kiss me. Okay? You don’t have to—”
He belted her to him, and his other hand sank into her hair. Rhys took her mouth, and her knees went weak. He tugged herhair until her lips parted, and she groaned into their kiss. His tongue delved past her lips, swirling with hers, dancing.
Excitement prickled down her spine. Arousal flashed through her body. His mouth, hungry and hot, possessed her. She simply existed, melting in his arms, needing more of his touch than she could comprehend.
His tongue teased hers and kick-started her lungs again. Lust ignited in her blood, and jolted from the shock, she wrapped her arms around his strong neck for the best kiss of her life.
Finally, he stole his lips from hers. “Kissing you is not a problem.”
She believed him. And that was the new problem.
Chapter Sixteen
