LITMIR.BIZ

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events he should attend. Maybe he’d find a plain-Jane date, get his picture taken, make Kiefer happy. He might as well make somebody happy, because it sure wasn’t going to be him, not if he stayed here.

      There was a light tap on his office door.

      “Oui, Henri?”

      The door cracked open.

      “It’s Charlotte.”

      Oh, good. Now he could apologize on top of everything else. He sighed and came to his feet. “Entrée.”

      She slipped into the room, closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She was drop-dead gorgeous in a jazzy gold spaghetti-strap cocktail dress. Its vertical streaks shimmered against her toned thighs.

      The wide, mahogany desk and two padded guest chairs formed a barrier between them. Just as well.

      “They’re going to replace the driveway,” she finally said.

      He moved around the desk, drawn to her. “It wasn’t about the driveway.”

      She nodded her understanding. “Still. They broke it, they’ll replace it.”

      “I take it you’ve been doing your job this afternoon?”

      “I was.”

      “I appreciate that.” What he really appreciated was that she was standing here in front of him, and they were alone for the first time in days.

      “It was part of the deal.”

      “I was angry because you stayed away,” he admitted, moving closer still, marveling that she grew more beautiful with each step.

      “I’ve been here every day.”

      “With Raine glued to your side. Where is my sister, by the way?”

      “She had to do something with Kiefer.”

      “At the office?”

      Charlotte nodded.

      Alec came to a halt in front of her. “And Jack?”

      “At the hotel. With the crew.”

      Tokyo faded from his mind as Alec stroked his thumb over the fabric of her dress. He discovered the shimmer came from ribbons, beads and sequins. There was a weight and fullness to the dress that felt good under his hand. It had a double hem—scalloped over straight. It was a perfect dress for dancing.

      Her long legs flowed down into strappy gold sandals. And the gold hoops dangling from her ears set off her shiny blond hair.

      “You know,” he told her softly, reframing his mood. “We all did something wrong.”

      She tipped her head questioningly.

      “You shouldn’t have stayed away. I shouldn’t have yelled. And Jack should have decked me.”

      That got a smile from her. “Jack thinks you’re crazy.”

      “He needs to learn how to be your brother.”

      “I can only hope that doesn’t involve too many fist-fights.”

      Alec closed his hand around her rib cage, feeling the texture of the dress tickle his palm.

      “I missed you,” he admitted.

      She closed her eyes for a long second. “Are we deep into the complicated end of the relationship spectrum?”

      “It’s simple from where I’m standing.” He gazed at her creamy shoulders, the delicate straps of the dress, thinking how easy it would be to roll one off and press his lips against the warm fragrance of her skin.

      “You’re gorgeous,” he elaborated. “I can’t keep my hands off you. And there’s finally nobody else here.”

      He slipped his index finger under the strap, sliding it back and forth. “What could be simpler than that?”

      “I came here to talk to you about expectations.”

      He smiled. “I hope you won’t be disappointed.”

      “I mean my job here. For the film. I don’t want to let you down again.”

      “Forget it.”

      She searched his expression. “I don’t know what that means.”

      “It means I wasn’t angry about the driveway. I wasn’t angry you had fun with Raine. I was angry because you weren’t in my bed. And that’s not a fair reason to be angry.”

      She stilled. Not breathing, staring up at him with desire, trepidation and anticipation all mixed up together.

      His hand tightened, drawing her in. He bent his head, parted his lips and met hers in a slow, gentle exploration.

      Last time had been too hurried. He’d behaved like a teenager, not giving a thought to savoring the moment, to making sure she felt cherished, to kissing her the way a Frenchman should kiss, the way a Frenchman ought to approach everything in life.

      She tasted of fine wine, his own vintage. Her lips were soft and smooth, warm and malleable under his. She was kissing him back, and passion uncoiled within him. His forearm went to the small of her back, pressing her soft curves against his firm body. She was ambrosia, a gift from the gods, an angel set down on earth for him and him alone.

      Her tongue flicked against his lips, kicking a jolt of desire from his body to his brain. He struggled to keep it slow, but his mouth was moving of its own accord, delving deeper, kissing harder, bending her backward so that her body arched into his own.

      Blood rushed through his system, priming his body, challenging reason. Her hands gripped his shoulders, while small moans worked their way from her chest to her mouth. His lips moved to her neck, and she arched back farther. Her breasts were taut against the dress, cleavage bursting from the V-neck, her nipples outlined against the fabric.

      His hand covered one breast, and they both gasped in wonder. He drew his thumb over the peak, and her knees buckled. He held her steady, whispering words of endearment and encouragement.

      He lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist, pushing her dress out of the way and pressing her against the solid door. He took her mouth once more, kissing her deeply. His hands roamed from her breasts to her waist to her bare thighs revealed by the bunched dress. When he touched the lace of her panties, she hissed out a yes.

      Her hands cupped his face, and she covered him with tiny kisses. She drew his earlobe into her hot mouth, and his body nearly jackknifed in shock. He slipped his thumb between her legs, over the silk of her panties. She was hot and moist and delectably sweet.

      There were condoms in the bathroom adjoining the office. He cradled her bottom, lifting her away from the door, carrying her to the en suite, all the while kissing, caressing and assuring her she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

      Inside, he perched her on the counter, stripped off his slacks and the scrap of her panties, donned the condom, then stepped between her legs. The counter was the right height, and their bodies touched intimately.

      He smoothed back her hair and gazed into her eyes. Then he drew his thumb along her swollen bottom lip, following it up with his mouth, drawing her lip inside, tasting her essence as his hands roamed lower.

      She squirmed forward, bringing his fingers in contact with the fire between her legs. Her hands fisted in his hair, and her moaning little pants heated his ear.

      He parted her flesh.

      “Now?” he asked.

      “Right now,” she gasped in return, and he pushed inside.

      She arched back, and he anchored his hands at the base of her spine, pressing her forward, refining his angle, savoring the feel of her body for long moments before he withdrew. Then he pushed in again, swifter, harder.

      Her eyes were closed, and sweat dotted her

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