and I give into the pull, folding my jacket over my arm and taking a step back toward him. “Want to try again?”
“I was hoping you would teach me about wine privately.”
“Better, but it lacks romance. Is this a date you’re asking me on?”
“Wow.” He stalks forward, pinning me in the short space between him and the door. “First,” he says roughly, “you shouldn’t cut a man’s balls off and dangle them in front of him when he’s doing his best to ask you out. It’s not nice.”
“Sorry, French mother, we’ve been oppressing men since…forever. Then again, it may not have anything to do with being French, it may just be my mother.”
He grins, inching closer and everything inside draws tight. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this type of pull. I can’t decipher if it’s because he’s Lucas Walker or due to how incredibly handsome he is, but I assume it’s probably a mix of both.
“Did you get your manners from your mother as well?”
“Absolutely,” I answer unapologetically.
His eyes narrow a fraction. “I want to take you out, yes, but I would like an education about wine.”
“It would never work, Lucas.” I sigh dramatically. “You clearly hate wine.”
“I could learn to love it,” he says with a lift to his voice.
I snort sarcastically. “And will this be your very first date?”
He scowls. “Just the tasting then, no date. Something tells me you are trouble.”
“That’s fine because I’m not allowed to date actors anyway. Mom’s rules.”
He quirks a perfect dark brow. “Aren’t you old enough to avoid obeying Mom?”
“You haven’t met my mother.” Renewed energy races through me when he takes the hand wrapped around my purse. It’s as if he couldn’t wait to know what it might be like to touch me. His warm hand encases mine. We both feel it, the jolt, I can see it in his eyes. His satisfied smirk lets me know I’m unable to hide my own reaction and he weighs it, scrutinizing the part of my lips. We stand there, simply staring until he finally speaks, his voice full of surety when it cuts through the silence.
“I’ll get your info from the host.”
I nod. “That’s fine. It’s a date.”
“It’s not a date,” he says assuredly, before brushing his thumb across my wrist and then letting go.
“Right.” We linger, both reluctant to leave but unsure of what to say. The connection makes me ache in the best imaginable way. I’m in a daydream, standing in front of one of the rising kings of Hollywood. It’s a memory I’ll relive over and over even if he doesn’t call. Without thinking it through, I push up on my toes and kiss his cheek, inhaling his scent, enjoying the sensation of my lips against the light stubble on his jaw. “It was nice meeting you. Goodnight, Lucas.”
He leans in to reciprocate, pressing his full lips to my cheek, and my senses explode. My entire body shudders in awareness when he pulls away, his long lashes flit over his cheeks as his hooded eyes rise to meet mine. “I’ll bring the Yoohoo.”
“Ew.”
We share a laugh before he opens the door for me. Descending the grand steps, I resist the urge to look back, but I can sense his eyes on me.
An hour later, I’m still in my car when I get a notification on my phone.
Yazoo Alert: Lucas Walker and his girlfriend Laura Lee have decided to call it quits, stating the break was amicable and they remain friends.
The gravity of the alert’s timing keeps me staring at the screen in shock. Surely it had nothing to do with me. Still high from our exchange, nervous laughter bursts out of me as his first text comes through.
Unknown: Are you free tomorrow?
Lucas
FOUR MONTHS AGO
I pull into the Beverly Hills Hotel and toss my keys to the valet with a quick thanks before making my way toward Bar Nineteen. I’m early for my meeting with Wes, and I just want to have a cocktail to take the edge off before we go through the details. I take a seat in a wicker chair on the patio that overlooks a little greenery, the pool, and the parking lot. The ancient hotel is still a stomping ground for the elite, and while I’ve only had one other meeting here, I detect the echo of Maddie’s presence every time I walk through the doors.
“Again.”
“I’m tired.” I know I’m whining, which Maddie says isn’t a desired trait of a good actor, but