Come A Little Bit Closer (The Sullivans #7)(32)

“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.

“You’re right that I haven’t seen you as a movie star since that very first day we met, but this—” She gestured at the table, the yacht moored off the pier. “—isn’t the kind of magic an ordinary man can pull off. Thank you for a fairytale evening,” she said softly. “It’s not one I’ll ever forget.”

“Me either,” he said, and as his eyes dropped to her mouth for a split second, she thought for a moment that he’d forget his promise not to kiss her. But then, instead of kissing her, he said, “How about dessert?”

Her desperate brain turned the word dessert into a kiss and she nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes, please.”

He reached down for a pink box and Valentina’s hands shook, not with nerves, but with nearly unbridled lust, as she reached for the box top and uncovered dessert.

Desire tangled with joy as she looked down at the two oversized cupcakes on the plate. One of the cupcakes had a frosting picture of Smith behind prison bars, gripping them tight with a cute, but pleading look on his face.

The other had a cartoon version of Valentina made out of frosting, dangling the key to his cell with one finger, a wicked look sparkling in her eyes.

Valentina didn’t ask for a kiss, couldn’t have possibly wasted another second with words, as she reached out, slid her hand around the back of his neck...and kissed him.

Chapter Twelve

Valentina’s kiss made Smith forget to move slowly. He couldn’t think beyond his need for more of her mouth against his, and for the chance to discover the secret sweetness of her curves, always so well hidden beneath her tailored suits. Only knowing Sam and Billy were waiting for them kept him from throwing his coat down on the rocks and making love to her right then and there.

“I want you in my bed,” he told her. “Tonight.”

And when she said, “I want it, too,” Smith knew every good deed he’d ever done had just been rewarded.

Taking her hand firmly in his, he pulled her up from the table so that they could get on his boat and back to his house as soon as was humanly possible, but she tugged back.

“Wait.” She picked up the box with the cupcakes in it. “You promised me dessert.”

Sweet Lord, the sensual look in her eyes when she said dessert made him a greedy bastard as he took her mouth with his again while the cold air whipped up on the Bay and blew over them. He felt her shiver in his arms and forced himself to pull back. Their guide waited for them as they made their way across the rocks and cement to the pier.

“Thank you for the wonderful tour, Mr. Maines,” Valentina said, her smile wide and genuine. “I’ll never forget my visit to Alcatraz.”

“It was my pleasure.” Clearly, Sam was utterly charmed, his ruddy complexion coming not only from the wind but also from the pleasure of being complimented by a beautiful woman.

They shook hands and then Smith helped Valentina climb back onto his yacht. This time, instead of taking her out to the deck, he brought her inside the warm living room. His boat had a master bedroom suite, and Lord, it was tempting to take her there. If he had been the one piloting the boat for the evening, he would have anchored out on the dark water and done just that.

But even though Billy was utterly discreet, Smith didn’t want another man within a half-mile of Valentina when they finally made love. He wanted to possess her wholly, completely, wanted to know he was the only man who would hear the sweet sounds she made when he kissed every inch of her skin from top to bottom, back to front, and then started all over again with her beautiful mouth.

They settled in on the plush leather couch as the engine turned over and the boat started back across the water. Knowing he’d be lost if he started kissing her again, Smith forced himself to have the patience to simply gather Valentina into his arms and hold her.

Of course, she didn’t make it easy for him to keep his hands off her as she nuzzled closer to him, her breath warm on his neck, her lips soft as they roamed lightly over his skin. His fingertips stroked over her face, down her neck, then just into the seam of her shirt so that he could brush against her collarbone. Against his skin, he could feel her gasp of pleasure at his gentle touch.