Seduced by Sunday
Page 25
The rescue inhaler did its job, and she managed a few deep breaths and felt her pace slow.
Val knelt beside her, watching with his hands at her sides. “Are you all right?”
Embarrassed, she nodded. “It doesn’t always come on like that.”
Concern brought his eyebrows together. “Should I call a medic?”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “No.” The tightness passed, slowly. “I can usually avoid this. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Val squeezed her thighs. “I want you breathless, but not like that.”
Meg smiled. “You can add lethal kisser to your resume.”
He captured her hands, brought them to his lips. “Is it always like that?”
“No. Just when . . .” Admitting she was turned on by a simple kiss didn’t feel right, not after a first kiss.
Holy crap . . . she’d just kissed Val Masini. And here she was on an island posing as Michael’s girlfriend. What was wrong with her?
She tried to stand up. “I should go.”
Val pushed her back down. “Wait.”
“I really shouldn’t be out here with you . . . like this.”
His gaze narrowed. “You said you didn’t belong to him.”
“I don’t. But that isn’t the point.”
There was knowledge behind his eyes, and a sense of confidence that Meg wasn’t used to with the men she’d been with. “OK, Margaret. I’ll let you run away . . . for now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re not done.”
“Cocky much, Masini?”
He didn’t answer, just stood, and helped her to her feet.
“I can make it on my own,” she said when he started walking alongside her.
“I’m sure you can. But I’m not leaving your side until you’re at the door to your villa.”
Arguing took too much effort, and besides, she wasn’t stupid. Her lungs were still a little tight, and exerting herself without someone close by was a recipe for disaster. “Fine.”
Val laughed, and kept a hand on her back as he walked her to the golf cart to take her home.
Chapter Nine
“Someone came in late last night,” Michael started in while he poured a morning cup of coffee.
“Someone turned in early last night,” Meg countered.
Michael took the first sip of his coffee and closed his eyes with the pleasure of it. “Damn I feel good.”
“Sex will do that to ya.”
Michael wiggled his eyebrows and sat at the kitchen counter.
“Where is Ryder?”
“He’s an early riser. Decided on a morning jog on the beach. Utah is surprisingly shy of shoreline.”
Meg rested her chin on her hands. “I don’t think I’ve seen you glow, Michael.”
He snapped up in mock surprise. “Men don’t glow.”
“Bullshit on that.”
Michael stared into his coffee cup for a few seconds. “I wonder, sometimes, what it would be like to live with someone . . .”
“Like Ryder?”
“Like Ryder.” The smile on his face faded.
“You know, Michael, the only way you’ll ever know how that would work is if you did it.”
“My career would be over.”
“You don’t know that. Hollywood spins things to match their needs all the time. Who says you can’t spin what the world knows . . . or what the world thinks it knows.”
He was thinking about it. That, Meg could see.
When his eyes started to scowl, Meg changed the subject by confessing her evening’s sins. “I kissed Val.”
Michael’s jaw slacked open.
“He kissed me, actually. Then the oxygen level dropped and damn it . . . but yeah, we kissed.”
Michael was smiling, enjoying her unease with her confession. “How was it?”
“Before my lungs seized? Great. I mean, have you looked at the man?”
“Lots of lips, just the right amount of tongue?”
Meg squeezed her eyes shut, started to laugh. “How did you know?”
“Just a guess.”
She blew out a sigh. “I shouldn’t have.”
“Why not? He’s sexy, straight. Perfect for you.”
“I’m here with you.”
“Something tells me you didn’t have an audience.”
“We were alone.”
“So what’s the problem? Val would be breaking his own rules by spilling the encounter. He doesn’t strike me as a kiss-and-tell kind of guy.”
She still didn’t feel right about it.
“Listen,” Michael said. “Karen and I were married for a year and a half. Neither of us were involved with anyone and no one got hurt. You’re here as a date. Last time I looked that didn’t amount to jack in this day and age.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Kiss him, sleep with him, do whatever you want with the man. I have no claim and wouldn’t say otherwise regardless of what might come of this vacation. Besides, it isn’t like there are a bunch of cameras snapping pictures and asking questions. This place is off the map. I know I’m coming back.”
Some of the tension inside Meg’s chest eased. “With Ryder?”
“Maybe.”
The bell to the front door of the villa rang with a noise that surprised the both of them.
Michael answered while Meg watched.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Wolfe. Miss Rosenthal has mail.”
Mail? On vacation?
Michael took the envelopes from the man and closed the door.
Val knelt beside her, watching with his hands at her sides. “Are you all right?”
Embarrassed, she nodded. “It doesn’t always come on like that.”
Concern brought his eyebrows together. “Should I call a medic?”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “No.” The tightness passed, slowly. “I can usually avoid this. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Val squeezed her thighs. “I want you breathless, but not like that.”
Meg smiled. “You can add lethal kisser to your resume.”
He captured her hands, brought them to his lips. “Is it always like that?”
“No. Just when . . .” Admitting she was turned on by a simple kiss didn’t feel right, not after a first kiss.
Holy crap . . . she’d just kissed Val Masini. And here she was on an island posing as Michael’s girlfriend. What was wrong with her?
She tried to stand up. “I should go.”
Val pushed her back down. “Wait.”
“I really shouldn’t be out here with you . . . like this.”
His gaze narrowed. “You said you didn’t belong to him.”
“I don’t. But that isn’t the point.”
There was knowledge behind his eyes, and a sense of confidence that Meg wasn’t used to with the men she’d been with. “OK, Margaret. I’ll let you run away . . . for now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re not done.”
“Cocky much, Masini?”
He didn’t answer, just stood, and helped her to her feet.
“I can make it on my own,” she said when he started walking alongside her.
“I’m sure you can. But I’m not leaving your side until you’re at the door to your villa.”
Arguing took too much effort, and besides, she wasn’t stupid. Her lungs were still a little tight, and exerting herself without someone close by was a recipe for disaster. “Fine.”
Val laughed, and kept a hand on her back as he walked her to the golf cart to take her home.
Chapter Nine
“Someone came in late last night,” Michael started in while he poured a morning cup of coffee.
“Someone turned in early last night,” Meg countered.
Michael took the first sip of his coffee and closed his eyes with the pleasure of it. “Damn I feel good.”
“Sex will do that to ya.”
Michael wiggled his eyebrows and sat at the kitchen counter.
“Where is Ryder?”
“He’s an early riser. Decided on a morning jog on the beach. Utah is surprisingly shy of shoreline.”
Meg rested her chin on her hands. “I don’t think I’ve seen you glow, Michael.”
He snapped up in mock surprise. “Men don’t glow.”
“Bullshit on that.”
Michael stared into his coffee cup for a few seconds. “I wonder, sometimes, what it would be like to live with someone . . .”
“Like Ryder?”
“Like Ryder.” The smile on his face faded.
“You know, Michael, the only way you’ll ever know how that would work is if you did it.”
“My career would be over.”
“You don’t know that. Hollywood spins things to match their needs all the time. Who says you can’t spin what the world knows . . . or what the world thinks it knows.”
He was thinking about it. That, Meg could see.
When his eyes started to scowl, Meg changed the subject by confessing her evening’s sins. “I kissed Val.”
Michael’s jaw slacked open.
“He kissed me, actually. Then the oxygen level dropped and damn it . . . but yeah, we kissed.”
Michael was smiling, enjoying her unease with her confession. “How was it?”
“Before my lungs seized? Great. I mean, have you looked at the man?”
“Lots of lips, just the right amount of tongue?”
Meg squeezed her eyes shut, started to laugh. “How did you know?”
“Just a guess.”
She blew out a sigh. “I shouldn’t have.”
“Why not? He’s sexy, straight. Perfect for you.”
“I’m here with you.”
“Something tells me you didn’t have an audience.”
“We were alone.”
“So what’s the problem? Val would be breaking his own rules by spilling the encounter. He doesn’t strike me as a kiss-and-tell kind of guy.”
She still didn’t feel right about it.
“Listen,” Michael said. “Karen and I were married for a year and a half. Neither of us were involved with anyone and no one got hurt. You’re here as a date. Last time I looked that didn’t amount to jack in this day and age.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Kiss him, sleep with him, do whatever you want with the man. I have no claim and wouldn’t say otherwise regardless of what might come of this vacation. Besides, it isn’t like there are a bunch of cameras snapping pictures and asking questions. This place is off the map. I know I’m coming back.”
Some of the tension inside Meg’s chest eased. “With Ryder?”
“Maybe.”
The bell to the front door of the villa rang with a noise that surprised the both of them.
Michael answered while Meg watched.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Wolfe. Miss Rosenthal has mail.”
Mail? On vacation?
Michael took the envelopes from the man and closed the door.
