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But that didn’t seem right, either. Ethan had been forthright with her, and as far as she could tell he had no reason to start lying to her now. If he was being honest about his job, it would stand to reason he’d tell her about any past relationships with women she might run into.
Ugh.
Kyle had seriously screwed her up. One boyfriend cheated on her and suddenly Sam was looking for wrongdoings and assuming the worst. If Ethan said he was going to explain himself, she had to believe he would.
Where there’s smoke…
The little voice in her head needed to make up its mind. One second it was convincing her that backseat blowjobs were a good idea, the next minute it was chiding her for not being wary enough.
She would give Ethan the benefit of the doubt and wait to see what he had to say for himself.
When they reached the acting categories, Paprika grabbed Sam’s arm and gave it an excited squeeze. “It’s totally Ethan’s year,” she said. “He was so good in Wild Angels. There’s no way he’s not getting it.”
Sam nodded like she was familiar with Ethan’s work in Wild Angels, though she did make a mental note to check it out and see for herself if it was award-caliber work. The nominees were listed, and when the award was announced, it was Ethan’s name they called.
Unexpected excitement swelled through her as she slipped free of Paprika’s grasp and turned towards Ethan. As he rose, so did she, wrapping her arms around him in an excited hug she was unable to contain.
It was an award for acting in porn, yet Sam was thrilled for him.
He seemed equally surprised by her response, hesitating for a moment before returning her embrace. Before he left for the stage he cupped her face between both hands, planting a soft, lingering kiss on her lips.
As good as Ethan was at everything else, it was his kisses that were going to ruin her. He kissed like old romance heroes. Like Rhett Butler sweeping Scarlett O’Hara off her feet, or Heathcliff condemning Cathy to never love another. The orgasms he could conjure were so good she could write sonnets about them—if she had any writing talents—but it was his kisses that had totally bewitched her.
She sat down as he got to the stage, but couldn’t remember anything he said. The whole time he stared at her while holding the cheap brass award that had probably come from a generic trophy shop. Had she expected a gold-plated dildo?
Okay, so she sort of had.
He reclaimed his seat, and the moment he was beside her he put the award on the floor between his feet and took her hand instead, bringing her knuckles to his lips and kissing them so softly she might have imagined it if she hadn’t been looking right at him.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur, Ethan never once letting go of her hand, even as those around them stopped by to give their congratulations. By the time the awards were over he was on the edge of his seat, practically buzzing with energy to get to his feet.
“What do you have planned for us?” he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“A nice dinner. I hope. The place had good reviews online.” She didn’t want to give away that it was a celebrity chef restaurant, just in case she was mistaken about Ethan’s fandom.
“Sometimes I wish they had online reviews for sexual prowess,” he said, his familiar naughtiness returning, chasing back the darkness that had shrouded him for most of the evening. “You know, like Yelp, but for oral. I’d be booked for months. Especially since I only seat one.”
Sam smacked his shoulder with her free hand but couldn’t help laughing. “You think pretty highly of that tongue of yours.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “If you’re unconvinced, we could skip dinner and I could eat something else.”
Sam squealed lightly, turning away as her face flushed red. In spite of all the intimate contact they’d shared, he was still capable of making her blush with a mere turn of phrase.
“You’re terrible.”
“You love it.”
She didn’t reply, but her silence spoke volumes. After a beat she said, “You don’t get the monopoly on good dates. We’ll go back to the hotel, but we are going to dinner first.” She was hoping they might get a chance to have a much-needed chat at the restaurant. She wanted some answers from him before she even considered falling into his bed.
Ethan chuckled. “Of course. I’m excited to see what you’ve got planned. You’re a wily minx, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
Sam tried to ignore the way her tummy did a little flip every time he said love. But twice in a matter of minutes had her high-school-crush brain going into overdrive. She didn’t think love was in the cards, not quite yet, but it still gave her heart a gleeful skip every time to hear the L-word come out of his mouth so easily.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ethan suggested.
Sam didn’t have to be asked twice.
In the lobby of the MGM just off the main gaming floor, Ethan was stopped by a group of giddy female fans who wanted to pose for photos. Sam obliged them as they handed their iPhones over to her and left tiny Canon compacts dangling from around her wrists. Ethan was obviously popular with female viewers, a niche she hadn’t realized was so big in porn. These ladies were young and attractive, and Sam found it interesting that they watched enough porn to have a favorite star.
