Page 27 of Charmed by You

“No,” she said, squeezing his hand. “But I think... Simon, Ithink I might need you.”

Chapter Nine

I hold my breath, thinking he’s going to say nothing. ThatI’m going to have laid my heart—or at least my desire—on the line, and he’sgoing to spurn me.

Then he kills he engine, and hope fills my chest. When heturns to me, his face is completely expressionless, but his eyes say everything.They show lust and need and desire, and I think that I’ve won. That I took arisk, and it paid off. He wants me. And oh, dear God, I want him too. More thanI ever thought I could want any man.

“I don’t date actresses,” he says, shattering all of my hope.“I made up my mind a long time ago about that. I already told you about mymother. That was the first brick. The rest came with Kristen. She wanted to bean actress. We were going to get married. Turns out I wasn’t as attractive asthe sitcom actor she met at class who promised he could get her an audition.She left me. She told me that I couldn’t do enough for her. That she had totake care of her craft. That she had to put herself above everything else. So shewalked. And she took my heart with her.”

“I’m so sorry.” I want to kill the bitch because she hurthim and because she destroyed this newly budding thing that’s growing betweenus before it’s even had a chance to root.

“Between my mother and my fiancée, I got soured on theindustry. Or I got soured by the integrity of the people in it.”

“I really am sorry. And I do understand. I would never wantyou to do something that you don’t want to do.” I’m trying desperately to bemature and to fight back tears, but I fear I’m going to lose one or both of thosebattles.

“I don’t want to do something I don’t want to do either,” hesays.

Then, to my utter confusion, he leans forward and sweetlykisses me.

I taste the tears when I speak. “Is that goodbye?”

“No,” he says. “It’s thank you. I’ve held on to that for along time. That belief that everybody who works in this business is as cold asmy mother and my girlfriend. It’s not true. Thank you for that.”

“Don’t put me on a pedestal,” I say, even though I should beturning backflips and telling him that yes, yes, I’m the perfect woman. Perfectfor him, and to please just take me home and take me to bed. Instead, I findmyself saying, “I fucked my way through this town.”

“You told me. And I get why. And as far as I can see, you’venever pretended to be someone you’re not.”

“No. I haven’t. But I don’t know. I feel like I’ve becomehard.”

He takes my hand and lifts it to his mouth, gently kissingmy knuckles. “You’re not. You do a good job wearing your armor, but deep inside,you’re not hard at all. Or if you are, maybe we both are. We’re a lot alike,you know. We’ve both gone through this life mostly alone.”

I reach for his hand and squeeze. “We don’t have to be.”

“Frannie.” He pulls his hand free, then stands up and startspacing. “I don’t even know if I should say this.”

“Please do. It’s usually the things left unsaid that causeproblems.”

“You’re right about that.” He drags his fingers through hishair. “It’s just that this is all so fast. The way I feel about you. The thingsyou make me imagine.”

I tilt my head, my entire body filling with happiness.“Naughty things?”

He laughs. “Definitely. But tender things too. Waking upnext to you. Walking with you. It’s stupid. And it’s not.”

“No.” My voice is thick with lust. “It’s not stupid at all.”

“Frannie,” he says, and there’s no denying the heat in hisvoice. “I want to be inside you,” he whispers. “How comfortable are you withthat bad girl persona?”

My brows rise as I try to figure out what he’s thinking.“I’ll be as bad as you want me to be.”

“Good. Get out of the car.”

“What? Why—”

“Frannie,” he says, with a very wicked grin. “Obey.”

The word goes straight through me, settling between mythighs, and I do as he says. Less than two minutes later, we’re back in thestairwell. I know it’s dangerous. There are a zillion people at this con, andthe parking garage is full. Anyone could find us. But the air between us iscrackling, and the moment he takes my hand, I know that nothing else matters.

He pulls me close, then spins me around until my back isagainst the wall and his mouth is on mine. I don’t even know how he managed it,but he’s tugged up my skirt, and his fingers are inside my panties.