A darkened VIP box and three hours of love songs. Gwen in whatever dress she’d pick that would make it impossible notto stare. I’d been white-knuckling my way through every single interaction with her, and now I was supposed to sit next to her in the dark while Scarlet Rush sang about second chances?
“We’d love to,” I said, because what else could I say.
The audience roared as Ryan wrapped up the segment. I walked off stage to where Gwen was waiting, practically bouncing with excitement.
“Oh my god, Harrison! This is going to be amazing!”
Amazing. Right.
That’s what I’d thought about Aspen too, right up until the moment I’d had to walk away from the best week of my life.
Tomorrow night was going to be so much worse.
13
HARRISON
“Ithink we deserved that,” Gwen said to me, falling back in her chair in my hotel suite and letting her eyes drop to half-mast.
“Agreed. And now I want more.”
We both glanced at the few bites of the room service molten lava cake. I wasn’t usually a dessert person, but Gwen had a way of making me do things that were totally out of character—like inviting my employee, who I was trying very hardnotto touch, up to my suite for a room service feast. We’d mutually decided we didn’t have the energy to deal with a Manhattan restaurant for dinner.
TheAfter Darktaping had been the kind of triumph that called for a celebration, but this wasn’t the one I should have chosen. It felt too intimate. Too real. And way too similar to some of the nights we’d shared in Aspen. We’d sampled a few desserts in bed during that magical week, between the lovemaking. I’d even sucked melted chocolate off her nipples.
I felt myself stirring at the memory. Whoa.Down, boy.
“The goo-to-cake ratio in that thing was perfect,” Gwen said, nodding toward the dessert. “Mine always come out too cakey.”
“Hold on, youbake?” I asked.
I loved learning more about the mystery that was Gwen Ackland.
“Oh, you bet I do. And I’m damn good at it.” She paused. “Or I would be, if I had a kitchen that worked.”
“What’s wrong with your kitchen?” I asked. I tried to ignore the way she was absentmindedly rubbing her calf.
“Let’s just say I live where I live for the vibes, not the space. Our kitchen is a crap-hole. Finicky stove, wonky fridge, no real counter space, but I make it work.”
“That seems to be your MO.”
“Aw, thanks bossman,” she smiled at me. “Another half compliment. I’ll take it!”
“It’s afullcompliment,” I assured her. “Full throated, even. After the miracles you’ve pulled over the past few days, I’m ready to sing your praises from the top of this hotel. Unless they kill me in the edit, which I don’t think is possible, theAfter Darkappearance is a victory lap for me.” I paused. “No, forus.”
Gwen flipped over her phone. “It’s on in ten minutes. Is that enough time for me to run down to my room and change? Because this dress isreallyuncomfortable. The zipper feels like it’s made of barbed wire.”
“Seeing as you’re three floors below me, I doubt you could get there and back that fast. But I’m not the first guest on the show, so if you don’t mind missing Claire Deegan, you’re good.”
“No, I’m not missing a second of it,” she reached back to fuss with her zipper. “If I could just…unzip it…a couple of inches…”
I strode over to her. “Let me.”
She shot me an assessing look, then moved her hair away from the back of her neck. Even that simple gesture was enough to get me thinking about the sweet expanse of bare skin I’d covered with kisses.
I don’t think there was an inch of her body I hadn’t explored.
I pulled the zipper down and moved closer to examine her nape. “You’re all red back here.”
