Free Winter's Heart by A. C. Warneke Page B

chocolate-colored eyes, nodding her head in understanding but not offering any empty platitudes. “So fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? All of those girls falling madly in love with you isn’t enough to make up for the bad?”
    He smiled at her attempt to lighten the conversation. “Yes, but do they fall in love with me or a character I’ve played?”
    “I’ve never thought of it that way,” she murmured thoughtfully, reaching out her hand and laying it over his, offering him comfort once more. He stared at that delicate hand, feeling the heat of it warm his frozen soul. “That has to suck.”
    “It’s the curse of being famous,” he said, no longer able to keep the bitterness from his voice.
    When he looked up, her lips quirked upwards into a teasing smile and she squeezed his hand, “Well, you have to admit that you are very pretty.”
    At his baffled expression, her grin grew, “Combine that with your obvious intelligence and magnetic sex appeal, I’m sure girls simply lose their minds around you and I’m sure you’d never take advantage of their brainlessness.”
    “I might have accepted one or two offers of casual sex,” he admitted, a slight smile curving his lips. “But not since Missy.”
    “You’re devoted to her,” she said, a hint of resignation in her voice that made him bite back his triumphant smile.
    “I’ve already told you we’re not sexually involved,” he told her again.
    Her brow crinkled in confusion, “So you’ve been celibate for nearly six years?”
    “Um, no,” he muttered, blushing again. He hadn’t blushed so much in years, if ever, than he had blushed in front of this girl. It sucked because he wanted her to see him as suave and cool, not this blushing imbecile. As her brow arched upwards, he cleared his throat, “I had an… arrangement with a discreet individual, though I ended that months ago.”
    “So you’re looking for a new partner?” she asked with inquisitiveness, her open expression letting him know that she wasn’t fishing, she was just interested.
    “Um, if the opportunity presented itself I wouldn’t necessarily say no,” he hedged, not wanting to play all of his cards. “But I’m not actively searching, no. Well, I wasn’t.”
    “But you are now?” she asked, in adorable cluelessness.
    “No.” At her stumped expression, he reached out and put his hand over hers, “There’s no need to search because you’re here now.”
    “But you’re with Melissa….”
    “Okay, here’s the thing. We have this agreement that has been mutually beneficial to us in the past,” he clarified, trying to break past her reserve so he could talk her into giving in. “But we were planning on ending it shortly after Storm’s party and, while I admit the timing for you and me could be better, especially since I’m going to start filming another movie in a few weeks, I really want to explore this attraction between us.”
    “Who says I’m attracted to you?” she asked, her words coming out on a breathless gasp. Oh, yeah, she was attracted to him. Color seeped into her cheeks and she lowered her lashes, “Okay, so I’m attracted to you. I still don’t feel comfortable being with you if you’re with another woman.”
    “Even if it’s only pretend?”
    “So I’ll be your fake girlfriend?”
    “No.” Frustrated, he discovered he was trailing his fingers over the back of her hand, as if he needed to touch her or he couldn’t help himself or both. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away and tried to figure out what words to use. “Look, we can either ignore this thing that I know we both feel, avoid one another as much as possible for the next six months and hope that it is still there when I’m free. Or….”
    He had her! She looked at him, waiting for him to continue but he knew how to draw out her anticipation, make her want it as much as he did. Finally, she broke, “Or?”
    “Or we explore every inch of one another, inside and out, but