Come A Little Bit Closer
Page 26
His eyes lit. “Are you asking, what if one of them fell in love with one of the prisoners?”
“Yes,” she said as the excitement over her brand-new idea took even deeper hold. “And what if he’d fallen in love with her, too, even though both of them knew there was no way they could ever be together?”
Smith didn’t say anything for a long moment and she wished she’d never said a word.
“I love the idea, Valentina.” His thumb slid across the sensitive skin on her palm as he said, “Tatiana told me about the script you’ve been writing.”
“I’m going to kill her.” It was one thing to tell George when they’d known him practically forever. It was another to spill her secret project to a man she’d been trying so hard to keep as an acquaintance. Even if he was getting closer every day.
“You know how little sisters are,” he agreed, though it was clear that he loved Tatiana spilling Valentina’s secrets to him. “I’d like to see it.”
“My screenplay?”
“Yes. Tatiana told me what it was about and I have a feeling I’m going to like it. A lot.”
She shook her head, pulling her hand from his. “No.”
“You love to say no to me, don’t you?” he teased, but there was an undertone of frustration beneath it. “Do you think I’m doing a good job with Gravity?”
“Of course I do. You’ve got us more on track than any of the other movies Tatiana has worked on.”
“Then why won’t you let me see your script?”
“Because I don’t want you to think that’s why I’m here with you tonight.”
Smith’s free hand was warm as he brushed it across her cheek. “I would never think that, Valentina. Never.”
God, it was so tempting to lean in closer to him.
No.
She. Would. Not. Ask. Him. To. Kiss. Her. Again.
Trying to turn her focus from anything but his shockingly seductive mouth, and how much she wanted to feel it pressed against hers, she asked, “What else has my darling little sister told you?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Her heartbeat kicked up. Even in her weakest moments, she hadn’t told her sister about her feelings for Smith, about the way he turned her inside out.
“Always so worried,” he murmured. “You know Tatiana loves you too much to ever hurt you in any way.”
Of course Valentina knew that. But she’d been hurt by family before, by a loving mother who had all but disappeared after their father’s death when her daughters needed her the most, and then had come back as another woman entirely.
“Besides, it’s not Tatiana’s fault that she spilled the beans. I was grilling her for anything she would tell me about you.”
“What else did she spill?”
“How you were a total Bon Jovi fanatic as a teenager.”
Valentina had to laugh at herself. “Their songs are really quite intelligent and poetic if you listen to the lyrics.”
“I agree,” he said with a grin. “I’ll make sure to tell Jon about his beautiful fan.”
“You know him?” she asked before muttering, “Of course you know him. Just so you know, I may have to smother my sister with a pillow tomorrow night. Sorry you’re going to have to find a new co-star this late into filming.”
Smith was the one laughing this time, but then his expression shifted into a more serious one. “She also told me how you dropped out of college to manage her career.”
Valentina couldn’t stand Smith’s thinking she’d been living a life of sacrifice for the past ten years. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
“I know you have. It’s what makes the two of you such a great team. You both love what you do, Tatiana in front of the camera, you behind your laptop.”
She picked up her fork, determined to enjoy the rest of the incredible meal. “Now that you know some truly embarrassing things about me, it’s your turn to share your worst.” She pointed her fork at him. “And don’t cheat by telling me something I could find in an interview.”
He gave her a look filled with pure innocence. “I would,” he said as he also picked up his fork, “if there was anything embarrassing to share.”
“So you’re perfect, huh?”
He raised his eyebrows as though he was hurt. “You don’t think I am?”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter. “No.” She shook her head as she took a bite of scalloped potatoes, then washed it down with a sip of the very smooth cab. “I definitely don’t.”
When he didn’t laugh with her, she thought for a moment she’d insulted him. But then she realized he didn’t look upset.
He looked pleased.
“You never see me as a movie star, do you?”
She could sense just how serious his question was. And how much her answer meant to him. Maybe a day, a week ago, she could have brushed it off with an answer to placate him. But she’d come to respect—and like—him too much to do that.
“You surprised me the first time we met.” She twirled the stem of her wine glass in her hand and tried to find the right words to explain. “I’ve met so many actors over the years, between the ones my sister has worked with and...the ones my mother has dated.” She pushed away the twinge thinking about her mother always brought to keep her focus on the man sitting across from her. “I thought I knew exactly what to expect from you. After all, you’re more famous, more successful, than any of them.”
She shook her head, remembering sitting in his San Francisco production office that first day they’d met. Just looking at him had made her warm all over, especially when he held her gaze with his dark eyes and she’d felt the crackling attraction between them even with George and Tatiana in the room.
“Your phone rang and when you saw who was calling, you got the biggest smile before you excused yourself to answer it. I wanted to think you were one of those people who thought he was so important he could take calls in the middle of a meeting.” She looked up and met his warm gaze. “But you were talking to one of your sisters, asking her how she was feeling, if the doctor had told her anything else about the size of her babies.” And Valentina had started falling for him right then and there.
Still, she needed to make one last gasp at saving herself, didn’t she?
Fortunately, she knew exactly how to do it: with a pointed reminder of what he did for a living.
“Yes,” she said as the excitement over her brand-new idea took even deeper hold. “And what if he’d fallen in love with her, too, even though both of them knew there was no way they could ever be together?”
Smith didn’t say anything for a long moment and she wished she’d never said a word.
“I love the idea, Valentina.” His thumb slid across the sensitive skin on her palm as he said, “Tatiana told me about the script you’ve been writing.”
“I’m going to kill her.” It was one thing to tell George when they’d known him practically forever. It was another to spill her secret project to a man she’d been trying so hard to keep as an acquaintance. Even if he was getting closer every day.
“You know how little sisters are,” he agreed, though it was clear that he loved Tatiana spilling Valentina’s secrets to him. “I’d like to see it.”
“My screenplay?”
“Yes. Tatiana told me what it was about and I have a feeling I’m going to like it. A lot.”
She shook her head, pulling her hand from his. “No.”
“You love to say no to me, don’t you?” he teased, but there was an undertone of frustration beneath it. “Do you think I’m doing a good job with Gravity?”
“Of course I do. You’ve got us more on track than any of the other movies Tatiana has worked on.”
“Then why won’t you let me see your script?”
“Because I don’t want you to think that’s why I’m here with you tonight.”
Smith’s free hand was warm as he brushed it across her cheek. “I would never think that, Valentina. Never.”
God, it was so tempting to lean in closer to him.
No.
She. Would. Not. Ask. Him. To. Kiss. Her. Again.
Trying to turn her focus from anything but his shockingly seductive mouth, and how much she wanted to feel it pressed against hers, she asked, “What else has my darling little sister told you?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Her heartbeat kicked up. Even in her weakest moments, she hadn’t told her sister about her feelings for Smith, about the way he turned her inside out.
“Always so worried,” he murmured. “You know Tatiana loves you too much to ever hurt you in any way.”
Of course Valentina knew that. But she’d been hurt by family before, by a loving mother who had all but disappeared after their father’s death when her daughters needed her the most, and then had come back as another woman entirely.
“Besides, it’s not Tatiana’s fault that she spilled the beans. I was grilling her for anything she would tell me about you.”
“What else did she spill?”
“How you were a total Bon Jovi fanatic as a teenager.”
Valentina had to laugh at herself. “Their songs are really quite intelligent and poetic if you listen to the lyrics.”
“I agree,” he said with a grin. “I’ll make sure to tell Jon about his beautiful fan.”
“You know him?” she asked before muttering, “Of course you know him. Just so you know, I may have to smother my sister with a pillow tomorrow night. Sorry you’re going to have to find a new co-star this late into filming.”
Smith was the one laughing this time, but then his expression shifted into a more serious one. “She also told me how you dropped out of college to manage her career.”
Valentina couldn’t stand Smith’s thinking she’d been living a life of sacrifice for the past ten years. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
“I know you have. It’s what makes the two of you such a great team. You both love what you do, Tatiana in front of the camera, you behind your laptop.”
She picked up her fork, determined to enjoy the rest of the incredible meal. “Now that you know some truly embarrassing things about me, it’s your turn to share your worst.” She pointed her fork at him. “And don’t cheat by telling me something I could find in an interview.”
He gave her a look filled with pure innocence. “I would,” he said as he also picked up his fork, “if there was anything embarrassing to share.”
“So you’re perfect, huh?”
He raised his eyebrows as though he was hurt. “You don’t think I am?”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter. “No.” She shook her head as she took a bite of scalloped potatoes, then washed it down with a sip of the very smooth cab. “I definitely don’t.”
When he didn’t laugh with her, she thought for a moment she’d insulted him. But then she realized he didn’t look upset.
He looked pleased.
“You never see me as a movie star, do you?”
She could sense just how serious his question was. And how much her answer meant to him. Maybe a day, a week ago, she could have brushed it off with an answer to placate him. But she’d come to respect—and like—him too much to do that.
“You surprised me the first time we met.” She twirled the stem of her wine glass in her hand and tried to find the right words to explain. “I’ve met so many actors over the years, between the ones my sister has worked with and...the ones my mother has dated.” She pushed away the twinge thinking about her mother always brought to keep her focus on the man sitting across from her. “I thought I knew exactly what to expect from you. After all, you’re more famous, more successful, than any of them.”
She shook her head, remembering sitting in his San Francisco production office that first day they’d met. Just looking at him had made her warm all over, especially when he held her gaze with his dark eyes and she’d felt the crackling attraction between them even with George and Tatiana in the room.
“Your phone rang and when you saw who was calling, you got the biggest smile before you excused yourself to answer it. I wanted to think you were one of those people who thought he was so important he could take calls in the middle of a meeting.” She looked up and met his warm gaze. “But you were talking to one of your sisters, asking her how she was feeling, if the doctor had told her anything else about the size of her babies.” And Valentina had started falling for him right then and there.
Still, she needed to make one last gasp at saving herself, didn’t she?
Fortunately, she knew exactly how to do it: with a pointed reminder of what he did for a living.
