Iwoke up with a start, not sure where I was. My dreams had taken me far away from home, landing me in the bedroom of my fantasies.Although I never knew it was purple.
Then I saw her—awake, propped up on an elbow and staring at me, a smile on her face and her hair tousled over her forehead.
“Morning,” I grumbled.
“Morning.”
“You good?” I asked, reaching out to swipe her bangs out of her eyes.
She nodded. “Want breakfast?”
“Maybe some coffee. Do you have to work today?” I asked her as she slipped out of bed, still snug in her robe. I wanted to tear it off and dive deep inside her.
“I should do a little, but not all day.”
As I wondered if she’d want to hang out during the day or only at night, she said, “I could show you around parts of the city or we could go for a run?”
“A run sounds awesome.”
I said that. A run. Me.
“Great, I’ll make some coffee. Then we could run in Central Park since you need to go change.”
It felt so normal, Charli suggesting a run and my accepting as if we did it all the time. But tomorrow we wouldn’t be doing it.
Couldn’t be.
That was tomorrow, I told myself.
We ran through the park and stopped for lunch before I went back to my hotel and Charli went to work. When she left, my soul felt barren. Seriously, as soon as she was gone from my side, I felt empty.
I was like Puss in Boots, tough, all macho and good-looking, but a softie at heart.
If the day went quickly, the evening felt as if someone had punched a button to fast-forward. We were having drinks at the bar on the top floor of my hotel, surrounded with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the skyline twinkling in the background.
There wasn’t enough time for Charli’s laughter or for me to appreciate the inquisitive look she wore when we discussed something important. At one point, she asked about which movies I’d worked on recently.
This time I didn’t run my hand down the window seam like I had that night I’d waited for her here alone. Instead, I traced her kneecap, a small patch of bare skin that peeked out between her almost knee-length skirt and her knee-high boots. It was so soft, like a peach on a hot summer’s day.
No, that was her pussy. And I fucking loved peaches.
Her knee was like silk sheets, fresh from the wash. I liked those a lot too.
Shaking my head, I mentally reminded myself I was a man. A horny one, but a man, and I should act like one.
Still, my finger stroked her slight kneecap and ran inside the top of her boot, tracing the top of her firm calf. I was as hard as a rock, my dick pushing against the zipper of my jeans, and I willed myself to get my mind off her pussy and concentrate on her question.
“After I finished on the action flick, I took a week off and got my head straight. That’s when my fitness really took off. I was walking and walking; poor Harriette was exhausted. I fired my dog walker and walked some more. Then I picked up the gig with Ryan. Of course, it was a sexy comedy. It’s coming out soon, by the way. He felt sorry for me, I think. When he was done with me, I was a new man. Now I’m working on that vampire movie.”
She clapped her hands and bent over her thighs. “Oh my God, you’re not?”
“I am.”
As I sipped my Scotch, she brought her wineglass to her pink-glossed lips. I studied her, noticing the tiny trail of blush that decorated her cheek, and how her lashes met the pale pink shadow lining her eyes. She was so delicately beautiful, I had to close my eyes against her for a second. The woman took my breath away.
Her giggle brought me out of my stupor. “That is literallythemovie. I actually read all the books. They’re like free tortilla chips and salsa. Once you start, you can’t stop.”
“I’ve heard them compared to crack cocaine. Anyway, I’m learning all about the shimmering vamp and actually, the guys here are working on getting me a piece of music for a specific scene.”
