Those brown eyes now looked back at me with confusion and trepidation and…something else? Was I imagining it? Was I just seeing what I wanted to see?
Wait, did I want to see that?
My phone beeped, and the eyes changed.
He pulled his hand away from my face as I looked at my phone.
I smiled sheepishly. “Holly,” I said.
He nodded and stood up. He started to walk away, then seemed to pause for a split second before continuing on. I pressed ignore on my phone and settled back into my chair, stunned by the rush of emotions I felt.
What the hell was going on? Michael was looking at me in a way that, well, I would have loved to have him look at me.
Ten years ago.
Not now.
Right?
I shook it off. I had to. I threw myself into the last part of rehearsal, losing myself in the show and the work of creating Mabel. This ate up the rest of the evening, and All Things Michael were locked safely in The Drawer to be forgotten.
When we finally broke for the night, it was only a few minutes before nine, and I was anxious to see Jack. I’d brought along some clothes for dinner, and I quickly changed—abandoning my regulation yoga pants and cami for a heather-gray wool wraparound dress Leslie and I had found at Bergdorf’s a few weeks ago. I paired it with knee-high black boots, giant hoop earrings, sassy red lipstick, and a huge smile.
I waited for him in the lobby of the theater, saying goodbye to some of the other cast members as they left. Several of the guys from the crew wolf-whistled at me, and I grinned. It was nice to know I could still clean up pretty well.
Michael walked out and said goodbye quickly, stopping at the door. He looked back as if he was about to say something, but then continued through the doors.
I was still pondering this development when my phone buzzed. It was the Brit.
“Hi,” I answered.
“Hi yourself. Are you ready?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’m ready. Where are you?” I asked, smoothing my dress once more.
“I’m outside in the car. I can see you in the lobby, Grace,” he said, voice almost a whisper.
“You can see me, can you? What am I doing?” I asked, bending over to pick up my purse from the bench, making sure to stand up slowly, arching my back and pushing my chest forward.
“Mmm, I love it when you bend.” He chuckled darkly.
“Now that’s one I haven’t heard before.” I laughed as I buttoned my calf-length camel leather coat over my dress and wrapped a red cashmere scarf around my neck.
“Fucking Nuts Girl, you know what it does to me when I see you in red.” He groaned.
“Well, then, you’ll love what’s underneath this dress,” I said, loving that he could see me and I couldn’t see him.
I put a little extra bounce and sway in my hips as I walked across the lobby toward the glass doors. They automatically swished open, and as the crosstown bus pulled away from the curb, I saw him.
He was leaning against the town car, looking like a wet dream come true. Black jeans, black v-neck sweater, leather jacket. He gave great lean…
“You look beautiful, Crazy,” he murmured as I walked toward him.
“You look crazy beautiful,” I answered.
I took the cell phone from his hand and closed it. I shut mine off and placed them both in my bag. I leaned in, placing my mouth very close to his right ear.
“There’ll be no need for phones tonight. I plan on engaging in a little personal, one-on-one communication, yes?” I kissed the spot right below his ear that I knew drove him out of his mind.
He groaned, hands coming up to pull me the rest of the way to him. He was already hard, and I moaned at the realization. “I missed you,” he growled, his hands on the small of my back, pressing his body against mine.
I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. “George, you have no idea,” I said, kissing him greedily on his perfect lips.
“How fast can you eat dinner?” he asked between kisses.
“That depends, but pretty freaking fast. Why?” I asked, as he began to kiss my neck. My hands dug into his hair with wild abandon.
“Because as soon as we’re done with our dinner plans, I’m taking you straight to my hotel, taking everything off this glorious body, and ravaging you until you’re incoherent,” he said, licking the little hollow at the base of my neck.
I actually shook when his words met my ears and my brain processed what he’d just said. “Hell, love, all I really need are some crackers and a glass of water. Then we can have the hotel boom-boom,” I said, my eyes rolling back in my head as he began to unbutton my coat, his mouth never leaving my skin.
Then I became aware that we were standing in the middle of a very crowded sidewalk only blocks from a Time billboard. I knew this because Leslie and I walked three blocks out of our way to see it when went for coffee.
A crowded sidewalk, and I am making out with Jack Fucking Hamilton. I pulled away—his lips actually still attached to my neck, hands busily prying at the buttons on my coat. “No, no, Sweet Nuts. Dinner first, buttons later. Besides, isn’t Rebecca meeting us there?” I asked, struggling to maintain control. I could feel my resolve slip a little when he stuck two fingers between the buttons on my coat to graze my breast through the dress.
“Yes, she is. But she would understand. She knows how much I’ve been missing my Grace,” he whispered in my ear—in the Queen’s English for pity’s sake.
As much as my body wanted to simply have him ravage me up against the side of the car, my brain began to function just enough to pull away again and hold up one hand.
“Okay, pony boy. Listen up. We’ll drive to dinner, and we’ll have the dinner. We’ll hang with Rebecca. We’ll decline dessert, we’ll decline any after-dinner drinks, and then we’ll leave. We’ll go straight to your hotel, and I’ll let you begin to do things to me in the elevator on the way up to your room. Deal?” I watched his eyes light up as I came to the end of my sentence.
“Okay, deal. But no appetizers,” he said, holding open the door to the car.
“No appetizers,” I agreed, stepping in.
Once we were situated, he told the driver where to take us, then raised the divider, separating us from him.
“Grace?” he said, sliding closer to me on the leather seats. He smelled uncommonly good. The Hamilton would be hard to keep away tonight.
But who ever wanted to keep away the Hamilton? Certainly not this girl.
“Yes?” I answered, reaching out to stroke his cheek.
“You said nothing about the car ride to the restaurant and whether I can do things to you in here.” He grinned, smirk highly evident.
Damn.
“No, I suppose I didn’t.” I sighed resignedly, his hands already moving under my dress. My breath hitched as his fingers traced a circle on my upper thigh.
“We have about twenty-five blocks to play. Up for a little slap and tickle?” He smiled, watching my reaction as he eased his hand higher, closer.
“Oh hell, love, that’s something you literally never need to ask. Always yes. Yes to slap and tickle.” I kissed him deeply.
We may have been a little late for dinner.
Chapter 9
Rebecca and I had a blast getting caught up, and Jack just shook his head while we carried on over dinner. She told me all about the stalkers, the Time fans coming to his appearances, and the paparazzi trailing him constantly now. Because he had me otherwise occupied in the car, I’d failed to notice the car following us, carrying his new security guard. The guard now went out with Jack for high-profile events, and for not-so-high-profile events, like a simple dinner. That would take some getting used to.
We got to the restaurant rather quickly, so there was no chance for actual sexy times, just the promise of the sexy times. The panties had very nearly come off though, and I was now hypersexual. Everything was turning me on: the way he drank his wine, the way he twirled his pasta, th
e way he licked his lips to catch a plop of sauce. And was it me, or was he massaging that breadstick?
I had to excuse myself from the table. I needed some air. He was seriously driving me crazy. Rebecca followed me to the ladies room.
“Is he trying to make you self-combust?” she asked, raising an all-knowing eyebrow in the mirror.
“Jesus, yes! You noticed it too?”
“Oh shit, girl, he is on. He misses you so much. I almost feel dirty watching the display of table sexing going on…Almost. I’m still totally going to watch.” She laughed at my expression.
“He’s killing me. I almost can’t stand it,” I admitted, fanning myself.
“Grace, I have to tell you, he’s so in love with you,” she said, reapplying her lipstick.
I stopped fanning and looked at her.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, really interested in what she was going to say.
“I just know. He talks about you all the time. And he really misses you. You should’ve seen him in his interviews today. He was bouncing out of his seat, checking his watch. Ya know, he tries to play it so cool, but he’s just an idiot. Those fangirls think he’s all sexy scientist man, and really, he’s just a British goober who adores his girlfriend.”
I was so glad he had a friend like her. She really got him.
“He is kind of an idiot, isn’t he?” I laughed, thinking of him back at the table. Massaging his breadstick.
But he’s your idiot.
Yes, he really just is.
“Boys are idiots when they’re in blue-ball hell. You need to make sure he gets some tonight. I can barely contain myself with all the sex vibes being thrown around, and he’s like a brother to me!” She grimaced as we walked back to the table.
We arrived to find the security guard, Joe, talking quietly to Jack. I slid into my chair, grasping Jack’s hand on the way and kissing his knuckles as he curled his hand around mine.
“Hey, love. Miss me?” he asked quietly, winking.
“I did actually. Are we leaving soon?” I winked back and waggled my eyebrows suggestively.
He exchanged a glance with Joe, then looked back at me.
“Well, yes. Soon. But you should know there are a bunch of photographers outside. You okay with that?” His concern for me showed on his face.
I took a deep breath.
“Grace, it’s cool. You can walk out with me,” Rebecca said. “We’ll play this off. They don’t need to know you were here with the Jack Hamilton. Maybe you were just here with the slightly-less-well-known-but-equally-hot Rebecca Lake,” she said, fluffing her hair and striking a pose.
I took another deep breath.
This was going to happen eventually. It was shocking that it hadn’t happened yet. If I hadn’t moved to New York, I probably would’ve been identified long before now. But Rebecca was right. I could walk out with her, grab a cab, and meet Jack back at the hotel.
“It’s cool. I’ll do whatever you want, love. You know that.” I placed a finger over his lips as he started to comment on my very easily misinterpreted statement. “Obviously, for everyone involved, I think it’s probably better if I walk out with Rebecca, though, don’t you?” I giggled as he tried to nibble on my finger.
“Yes, yes, it would be better, I suppose.” He sighed heavily.
“I’ll get a cab and meet you at the hotel.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Grace,” he said. “We can all ride in the same car. Just don’t let them photograph us together.”
I rolled my eyes, but decided to let him have this one. We stood up and made our way to the front of the restaurant. Rebecca went out first, with me following, but when I saw the flashes, I froze a little. She smiled gamely, took my arm, and guided me to the car. I tried to hide my face without looking like I was trying to—who knows if I actually pulled it off. Jack followed a moment later, grinning for the cameras.
We all piled into a black Suburban with tinted windows and sped away toward the Plaza. Jack and I held hands in the backseat, talking quietly. We dropped Rebecca off first, and then once we got to near the Plaza, I insisted they drop me off in front of Bergdorf’s so I could walk the last block or so.
“Now you’re just being silly, Grace,” Jack pouted as I bundled up for the short walk.
“No, I’m being realistic. Your movie comes out in less than two weeks, and the last thing you need now is to have me show up, making your fans think you’re unavailable. We can discuss this again in a few months once things have mellowed a bit. No more discussion tonight.”
This brief encounter with what he went through on a daily basis had confirmed what I already knew about how I’d be treated if the press found out he was dating someone—especially someone older.
He pulled me to him for one last kiss. “Room 1492. And, Grace?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t wait too long,” he whispered, kissing me slowly.
I kissed him back, then slipped from the car. The cool air did nothing to cool me down as I walked around the block, dodging the still-thick traffic on the sidewalks. After circling once, I figured enough time had gone by, and I began to make my way back toward the park and the Plaza.
~ ~ ~
When I got to his room, I found the door slightly ajar. When I entered I saw that my Brit had been busy. There were candles lit throughout the room, and he was waiting. He still wore his black pants, but the sweater had come off, revealing a long-sleeved white T-shirt, untucked and slightly slouchy.
“Hey,” I said, setting my bag down.
“Hey yourself,” he answered, taking a sip of his wine. He had a bottle of red open on the sideboard, and he’d poured a glass for me.
I crossed to him, picking up my wine. He didn’t move, but his eyes followed me. I raised the glass to my lips, sipping slowly. I felt the warmth slip down the back of my throat and rolled the taste around on my tongue. A slow smile crept across my face.
He ran his hand through his hair and grinned sexily at me.
I began to unbutton my coat, and he said, “Slower.”
My eyes widened, and then I understood.
“Slower, huh?” I asked in a low voice.
He nodded.
I set my glass down, biting back a smile, and let my hands return to the buttons on my long coat. I slipped each one of them open, slowly and methodically. I watched as he watched me, his eyes following my movements. Once the coat was unbuttoned, I gently removed it from my shoulders, allowing the leather to slide down my arms, before laying it on a chair. His eyes traveled the length of my body and back again, the green noticeably darker once they returned to mine.
I smiled, enjoying his reaction. I grabbed one end of my scarf and tugged. As it untangled, the ends trailed down my skin, the fringe catching a little on the low neck of my dress. Once again, he followed my movements with his eyes only, before bringing his gaze back to mine. His breath was coming faster, although, to his credit, he was containing his excitement better than I was.
I was breathing rather heavily, and I could feel my cheeks flushing. But I was nowhere near finished. I bent over slowly, allowing the v-neck of my dress to fall open, giving him a little peek. I removed one boot, then the other, unzipping at an almost unbearably slow pace. He took another sip of his wine, then set the glass down. He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and leaned back against the dresser.
The eyes were dark, dark green now.
I untied the bow holding my dress together, but kept the wool closed, covering myself as long as we could stand it. It turned out to be not that much longer, as he finally pushed himself off the dresser and came to me. Without words, his hands went to my hips, causing the fabric to fall slightly, revealing what I had on underneath.
“Mmm, Gracie. That’s my bad girl,” he whispered as his now almost-black eyes took in the deep-red lace bra and panties I was wearing especially for him.
“You like?” I teased, letting my dress puddle on the floor at my feet.
&n
bsp; “Very much,” he breathed, his fingers now tracing a path from my collarbone to my navel.
My breath caught and my back arched to keep contact with his touch. My hands quickly came up behind him and pulled his shirt off, tossing it over my shoulder with a playful throw.
“I like it very much too,” I purred, running my hands over his chest and down to his navel, circling it with my fingertips. He twitched at the feeling, and I looked at his lips. His teeth were biting down just slightly on his lower lip, and I knew I needed to kiss him, now.
But before I had a chance, he sank to his knees in front of me. His hands moved to the small of my back, pulling my body closer to his. My hands tucked into his silky curls, and I ran my fingers through them and made them stand straight up. I pressed his face into my tummy, hearing him sigh as his lips made contact with my skin.
His fingers slipped under the band of my panties and began to slowly drag them down my body, revealing me to him once again. He gazed at me once I was bare before him, then looked up at me, his eyes shining.
“Brilliant,” he said, running one hand from my bottom to my knee, easily hooking my leg over his shoulder.
My hand caressed his face as my body tensed in anticipation of his touch. He nuzzled at me, and my hands gripped him for balance. His lips found the space where my leg joined my hip, and he kissed me.
“Fucking brilliant,” he whispered, letting his tongue trace where my panties had been.
I moaned at the feel of him, at the sweet fluttering of his tongue and lips as he swept me open. His soft lips met me, and as he probed me with his tongue, I could feel the want and need I had for him, that was always there, begin to build.
He stood quickly and lifted me from the ground, removing my bra as he carried me to the bed.
The sight of Jack Hamilton, shirtless and about to make me see God, was something I’d never tire of seeing, and I panted at the thought of what was about to happen.
He laid me down and stood over me, his hands sweeping over my body. My shoulders, my breasts, my tummy, my hips, my thighs, and finally his fingers found me, nudging my legs open, revealing me to him.