Free Only for You by Beth Kery Page B

hours. Gia had been rattled around in her car and frantic with worry for her bruised driver, Jim. She’d suffered the unpleasant shock of seeing Joshua Cabot and Dan Arden sitting at the conference table.
    It seemed, however, that fate wasn’t finished with her yet. She stared in ragged disbelief as Seth Hightower stalked into the conference room.

Four

    Charles immediately began to make introductions as Seth approached the table. In the seconds that followed, everything became strangely surreal for Gia, both hazy and hyperfocused at once. She stared at Seth’s tall, rangy form as he shook hands with Madeline Harrington and greeted Charles familiarly. Charles introduced him to Alex Demonico. Seth hadn’t noticed Gia yet, or was his averted gaze intentional? Not understanding what the hell was happening only added to her disorientation. Joshua Cabot stood and grinned broadly as he shook hands with Seth.
    “No need to introduce us,” Joshua assured Charles, shaking Seth’s hand heartily. “Dan and I are very familiar with Seth. It’s been too long, hasn’t it?” Joshua asked Seth enthusiastically.
    “Since our days on
Maritime
,” Seth agreed, referring to the blockbuster multiple–Oscar-Award-winning film. His quiet, gruff baritone set Gia’s nerves to prickling. She’d forgotten his voice. Or she hadn’t, really. How could she? The intervening years had made her think she’d imagined the tangible impact of it on her body though. She rubbed her forearms anxiously, willing away the goose bumps that had arisen.
    “Seth,” Dan Arden greeted, extending a hand.
    “The best special effects–makeup artist in the business,” Joshua told Madeline, as if he were bragging about one of his daughters. “He won the Academy Award for his work on
Maritime
.”
    “One of many
Maritime
won,” Seth said dryly under his breath, and it all came rushing back to Gia: his compelling, handsome face, the way he waved aside praise, the easy, graceful movement of his big male body, his vibrant, powerful presence, the way his golden brown eyes pierced straight through her . . .
    “Have you had the opportunity to work with Gia yet?” Joshua asked when Seth turned and pinned her with his stare. Gia’s lungs locked. His face was a mask.
Oh my God.
He didn’t even
recognize
her. They’d spent a night of wild, abandoned, intense passion together two years ago, and he stared at her like she was a stranger.
    Why should she be surprised? She
had
given him her number.
    A number he’d never once put to use.
    “I’ve never had the pleasure, no,” Seth said. He extended his hand. Gia’s stunned brain screamed at her to
move.
    “Hello,” she managed, lifting her arm. His large hand enclosed hers and something flickered in his eyes: there and gone.
    He
hadn’t
forgotten. Her sudden certainty of that only made this bizarre situation worse.
    “Do you mind?” Seth asked, pointing at the empty chair next to her.
    “No, of course not,” she lied. He rolled back the chair and started to sit. She saw her purse at the last second and reached for it. As she snatched the purse away, the back of her hand brushed against his jean-covered ass cheek and the top of a rock-hard thigh. Embarrassment flooded her.
    “Sorry,” she mumbled as he finished sitting, her gaze flickering anxiously to his face. His expression didn’t give much away—just as she recalled—but beneath the impassive surface, she sensed his amusement.
    Annoyed at his smugness while she was reeling in shock, she shoved the cursed purse into her lap and slouched in her chair. Charles launched into his reason for inviting Seth Hightower—of all people—into these proceedings. As curious as she was, she was having trouble attending to his explanation. Her brain was zipping with wild thoughts and out-of-control speculations. She stared at Charles, but her consciousness was attuned to Seth’s nearby presence, like iron to a powerful magnet. Still, she was so curious