LITMIR.BIZ

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could come out and play?’ His tone had lightened again but it was too late because already there was an electric tension in the atmosphere.

      She was so aware of him, almost blinded by the raw sexuality that radiated from every throbbing, muscular inch of his powerful frame. From that silky dark hair to those moody black eyes, he was all man. And the most dangerous thing of all was that, somehow, he knew her. Not the public her that she’d created, but the real her. ‘That woman is a figment of your imagination.’

      ‘You had your hands on me. My imagination had nothing to do with it.’

      ‘You had your hands on me first.’

      ‘I never said it wasn’t mutual.’ Those eyes were dark as night, seeing everything she was hiding.

      ‘It isn’t mutual.’

      ‘Sweetheart, you should know that I have a highly competitive nature and you’re tempting me to prove it.’

      ‘No.’ She looked away from him, trying to snap the connection. Trying to pull together the torn threads of her protection. ‘It was just a kiss. A badly timed kiss as it turns out.’

      ‘Maybe not. We’re here because of that kiss.’

      ‘Precisely!’

      Without warning he slid his hand behind her neck and drew her towards him. ‘Once again we see things differently. You see this as a bad thing, but because of this situation I finally have the board listening to me and you—’

      ‘I’m on a film that currently has no director.’ His mouth was so close to hers she was afraid to breathe. ‘How is that good?’

      His phone buzzed and he paused, his eyes locked on hers.

      For a moment she thought he was going to ignore it and then he let his hand drop. Instantly she stepped backwards, creating distance, and he gave her a mocking smile as he drew his phone out of his pocket and read the message. Dark brows rose. ‘Apparently you do have a director.’

      ‘We do?’ Taylor’s heart was pounding in her chest. ‘He found someone? Who?’

      ‘Rafaele Beninato.’

      Just hearing the name made her feel sick.

      ‘Are you sure?’ It was her worst nightmare and the irony was that if she hadn’t been caught in the maze with Luca, it wouldn’t have happened. The first director would still be in place. But Rafaele had found a way to infiltrate her life, as he always had.

      ‘His name is familiar. Didn’t you and he have a thing once?’

      ‘I—yes. But it was a long time ago.’ She’d been seventeen years old and had been thrown out of the house by her mother. She’d been young, vulnerable and desperately lonely. A perfect target for a calculating opportunist like Rafaele. How had he got himself on the movie? He must have been stalking Santo Corretti as well as her.

      Whatever the reason, her relationship with trouble had stopped being long distance and was suddenly right up close.

      Luca glanced up from his phone. ‘Bit old for you, isn’t he?’

      She was struggling to think. ‘Is this the part where we talk about our past relationships?’

      He looked at her steadily and then slowly put his phone down. ‘I’ll assume from your defensive response he was one of the ones who let you down. Is it going to be difficult to work with him?’

      ‘I’m a professional,’ Taylor croaked. ‘I’ll work with anyone I’m expected to work with. No problem. I’m just pleased to have a new director.’

      ‘Are you sure?’ His tone was deceptively casual. ‘Because I can rough him up a little if you like. I’m your fiancé after all.’

      She gave a choked laugh. Was it pathetic of her to wish, just for a minute, that their engagement was real and for once in her life she had someone who cared enough to offer support? ‘If you rough him up we’ll be minus a director again. And I want to act. I must do this film.’ Not just because the complexity of the role would finally earn her a reputation as a serious actress, but also because she didn’t want to give Rafaele the slightest reason to use what he had against her.

      Luca stared down at her for a long moment. ‘All right. But he’d better not step out of line. I’ve met him a couple of times. The guy gives me the creeps. They want you on set at eight tomorrow morning to start filming the docklands scenes. He said he texted you but you switched your phone off.’

      She hadn’t wanted to see another text from Rafaele. In the past she’d blocked him and changed her phone but he always managed to find a way to contact her.

      ‘I like to relax when I’m off set.’ She didn’t confess that she never relaxed because lurking in the back of her mind was the knowledge that her secrets could be revealed at any time.

      Secrets that Rafaele knew.

      And now he was back in her life.

      Luca glanced at his watch. ‘I’ll drop you on set with a large fuss and dance and then pick you up later. And Randy Rafaele had better keep his hands to himself.’

      He was seriously proposing that they spend the night together? In the same room?

      Suddenly she realised that she had more immediate problems than Rafaele and that problem was six foot two of insanely sexy man.

      ‘They have a trailer for me,’ Taylor stammered. ‘I should stay there. It’s usually pretty luxurious.’

      ‘There is no way I’m spending the night in a trailer for anyone, however luxurious.’ Luca’s appalled expression was almost comical. ‘I’m strictly a five-star guy.’

      ‘I wasn’t inviting you to stay with me. I was suggesting we don’t spend the night together.’

      An incredulous dark eyebrow rose. ‘People are no doubt struggling to believe I’m engaged. If we don’t spend the night together the whole thing is blown. We’ll stay here and I’ll drive you. That’s much more romantic. What’s the film about anyway? I probably ought to know what my beloved is spending her day doing.’

      Her gaze skidded round the room. If he wouldn’t sleep on the couch then she would. There was no way she was sharing the bed with this man. No way.

      ‘The heroine’s husband was missing in Iraq, presumed killed. She goes to bed with his friend, gets pregnant and then the husband turns up alive. It’s a film about forgiveness, I suppose. It’s a very emotional role.’

      Luca shuddered. ‘Chick flick. Don’t invite me to the premiere.’

      ‘No chance of that. Do you have another room I can use? I need to read through the script if I’m filming first thing tomorrow. It’s part of my routine and I don’t want to keep you awake.’

      ‘My routine is to have hot sex the night before a big meeting and I definitely do want to keep you awake.’ His smile was slow and lazy, his gaze unapologetically sexual as he focused on her mouth.

      She felt her limbs weaken. He was gorgeous. Too gorgeous. ‘You’re winding me up.’

      ‘Maybe I’m not.’ Dark eyes grazed hers from under long, sinfully thick lashes. ‘Maybe I think you and I would be explosive together, Taylor Carmichael. Maybe I think we might as well take advantage of this situation.’

      ‘Yeah, right—and tomorrow you’d sell the story to the press.’

      ‘I’d never do that.’ His voice was suddenly cold. ‘Anything the press printed wouldn’t have come from me.’

      She thought about Portia and realised he suffered from the same problem. ‘Doesn’t it upset you? When women talk to the press about you—doesn’t that make you mad?’

      ‘No, because I haven’t the slightest interest in what the general public think of me.’

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