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“For now? Exactly what Veronica wants you to do. I know that’s the last thing you want to hear, but the better you are at dazzling everyone on that media line or even up on stage, the more room Reg will have to slip around behind the scenes and watch people when they don’t think they’rebeingwatched.”
My nerves jangle. I drop my hands and fidget at the sparkling lace on my full skirt. “You’re right. I don’t like it one damn bit. But I do understand.” A heavy breath leaves me. “Sacrifices for the cause, right?”
A smile makes its way across his noble lips. It climbs into his eyes, which turn into cerulean magic spells all their own.
“Thank you, beautiful. Your professor commander is thankful.”
He emphasizes the husked words by putting those incredible lips to a heart-stopping purpose. All his kisses are full experiences for me, but this one is sweet and sensual and gentle and intense, all in the same span of enchanting seconds. His passion makes me dizzy. His devotion makes me woozy. I sway dreamily against him.
“If you have any more orders, sir, now is absolutely the time to issue them.”
His grin is wider and more wonderful than before. “Actually, thereisone.”
“Name it,” I whisper. “Whatever in the world you need.”
He sweeps those stunning lips down the bridge of my nose. The rasps from his beard turn me into a mass of hypnotized tingles.
“Ineedfor you to not look at me like this tonight. Because if you do, I’ll beneedinga lot ofotherthings from you.”
I let my head fall back, openly offering him more of my neck—and anything else he sees—to nibble. “And that’s a bad thing…why?”
Another wave of sparkling frissons from the continued quests of his lips and tongue. He taunts me in this state, refusing to respond until he’s reached the bottom curve of my left ear. “Regina asked us to provide a decent distraction, not an indecent side show. We won’t do her any good if we’re kicked off the carpet before getting in the door.”
I grab my turn at a rough growl. “Fine. I’ll be good.”
He busses the sensitive skin between my ear and nape. “Your professor commander is again grateful.”
“Which he’ll prove later tonight, right? By letting me be…bad?”
He abandons his silken caresses for an intentional dig of his teeth. The brief nip of pain pushes a gasp from my lips. Turns my fingers into gouges at his shoulders.
“Oh, sweet demon… Nowthat’sa promise.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MAXIMUS
God help me.
I didn’t think Kara could get more gorgeous in that Victorian revival ensemble, but as I turn to help her out of our town car at the start of the EmStar Awards entrance carpet, I silently call myself twelve kinds of a fool. The tirade gets finished with just three words aloud.
“God. Help. Me.”
Because some prayers really need to be heard.
Though if I’m the only one muttering it in the next three hundred feet, I’ll paint myself six shades of shocked. They’ll all be variants of the hues now definingher. The lush gold cosmetics that accent her huge eyes. The crimson on the graceful ribbons of her lips, matched to her gown’s underskirt. The more fiery shade of the dress’s petal-shaped top layers, defined by beads that resemble tiny yellow flowers. There are more of the custom beads across the pointed toes of her shoes and secured in the ornate curls of her hair.
No wonder everyone calls her Hollywood royalty.
No wondereveryoneseems to be jostling for a good angle of their lens on her, crowding against the media barricades like bees to their queen.
For once, their behavior makes sense. If I were on their side of the stanchions, I’d be making like one of the large Lakers statues in front of the arena across the street, bounding my way up front as fast as possible. Anything to get into this enchantress’s view lines.
Instead, I’m the lucky blockhead who gathers her arm under mine and beholds her dazzling smile beneath the glaring lights that lead to the theater across LA Live’s wide front courtyard. I’m the one who gets to stroll with her up the lush red path, reveling in holding her closer as flashbulbs explode, only to do it again another eight to ten feet.
Stroll. Stop. Smile. Laugh. Repeat.
Like date night, I guess…only with five thousand close friends. Take it easy about that part, and the game can be kind of fun.
