“No,” she said softly, “you didn’t hurt me. I’m the one hurting you. And I’m sorry.” She lifted her mouth to his and pressed a soft kiss to one corner of his lips. “I’m so sorry for hurting you.” She pressed a kiss to the other side before both hands moved to his face. “That’s why I tried to leave this morning, because I don’t want either of us to get hurt. But,” she admitted before her mouth found his with a kiss that stole another piece of his heart, “I didn’t want to go.” Her tongue swept across his lips. “I still don’t.” She pulled back enough to look up at him. “Please, Smith, kiss me back.”

She’d never gotten around to asking him for a kiss at Alcatraz. She’d simply taken it instead, and he’d loved that she had.

But now, as she finally asked him for his kiss, he prayed it was her way of saying he hadn’t hurt her...and that she wouldn’t hold anything he’d done this morning against him.

Wanting her more than he’d ever thought it was possible to want another person, he cupped her face in his palms and turned her soft kisses into the dark, dangerous tangle of lips and tongue and teeth that they were both craving. And yet, even in the swirling darkness, there was such sweetness, a shimmering light rising up over both of them.

“Take me,” she begged as she opened herself to him and wrapped her arms and legs around him. “Please, Smith,” she whispered on a soft moan when he lowered his mouth to the hollow of her neck to taste her skin, to try to convince himself that she was real, that she could still want him after he’d nearly crossed the line. “Make love to me one more time.”

God, he thought as he kissed her again, he would never get enough of her mouth. Even as he finally moved into her and her hips bucked up into his to take him even deeper, even as he lost hold of anything but how soft and hot and perfect she was beneath him, around him, his lips never left hers.

Sex had always brought him pleasure, but making love with Valentina went so far beyond pleasure, that as she begged him between kisses to take her harder, deeper, until her words blurred together into one long, low moan that merged with his, he could barely hold back his own pleas.

Not just for more pleasure than he’d ever dreamed was possible, but for the chance to seduce more than just her body.

To win over her heart, too.

Afterward, they lay together, forehead to forehead, nose to nose, mouth to mouth. He wanted to stay like that with her forever, wanted to do whatever he could to keep her from leaving, but he was so much heavier that he didn’t want to crush her. Shifting onto his side, while still keeping her cradled against him, he stroked one hand over her damp hair.

Unfortunately, too soon, she was saying, “I promised Tatiana I’d have a girls’ day with her. We haven’t seen much of each other outside of the set.”

She offered the explanation as if to try to soothe him, and he was glad to know that despite how clear she’d been about not wanting to date him, his feelings obviously mattered to her.

“In fact,” she said, “I really need to get back home before she returns from the airport. If she knew I didn’t spend the night at home, she’d wonder why.”

A heavy cement block landed on his chest. “You’re not going to tell her about us.”

She shifted out of his arms and sat up partway on the bed, using the crumpled sheets to cover her beautiful naked skin.

“No,” she said softly, “I’m not.” She licked her lips. “I don’t regret what happened last night. Or this morning.” The hazel of her eyes met his, so steady and so beautiful that his entire chest squeezed even tighter. “But I thought you of all people would know how this is supposed to play out.”

He worked to keep his expression impassive. “Tell me, Valentina, how is that?”

In her frustration, she sat up higher on the bed, cross-legged so that the sheets slipped to reveal a luscious stretch of hip and thigh. “You’re supposed to move on to your next conquest. Everything is supposed to finally go back to normal.” Her voice rose a little more with each sentence, until she was practically yelling at him, “Now that we’ve had sex, you’re supposed to be done with me!”

He let her slide out of the bed, closing the bathroom door and locking him out for a few minutes.

Now that he’d had her, he thought as he dragged on a pair of jeans, they were anything but done.

Smith was in the kitchen pouring two cups of coffee when Valentina came out ten minutes later, fully dressed, her hair still damp around her shoulders, her shoes on, her bag in her hand.

“Stay for a cinnamon bun, Valentina.”

She looked with surprise at the plate at the center of the breakfast table by the window. Her stomach growled even as she said, “Why are you making this so much harder than it has to be?”

“It doesn’t have to be hard.”

It was what he wanted to show her, what he knew she believed in her heart of hearts—that love didn’t have to be hard. He thought again about what his mother had said to him on the phone: “Sometimes it’s harder to admit to ourselves that we want love than it is to keep living without it. Don’t give up on her.”

With that sage reminder echoing in his head, Smith took Valentina’s bag from her clenched hands and put it down, then pulled out the chair for her. She looked for a moment like she would mutiny, until with a sudden sigh, she sat down.

“You really don’t play fair, do you?” She pulled off a piece of the cinnamon bun and popped it into her mouth on a greedy little sound of pleasure. “These truly are some of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Dripping with sugar, just the way I like them.”

He couldn’t stop smiling at her as he ripped off a piece for himself. Nor could he stop himself from leaning over to lick off the sugar glistening at the corner of her mouth. “I like it, too.”

She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Smith.”

He grinned back at her. “Valentina.”

She tried to hide the twitch of her smile by turning away and letting her hair fall over her face.

But he saw it.

When she’d finished eating breakfast, had washed her plate out in the sink, and was turning to say what he knew would be a very polite goodbye, Smith took her into his arms.

“Thank you for letting me love you last night.”

He took her mouth a moment later, devouring the hints of sugar and spice that remained on her already sweet lips. When he finally made himself pull back, her big eyes had already gone hazy again with desire, and her skin was flushed with heat. And yet, he could see how hard she was working to fight what she was feeling.

He wasn’t twenty-one anymore and life didn’t revolve around sex, no matter how great it was. Which meant he also understood that the reason sex with Valentina had been so mind-blowing wasn’t because she’d been a conquest. It wasn’t because she’d been a mystery he’d been dying to solve, either.

No, it had been because she mattered to him. On a far deeper level than any other woman ever had.

He’d wanted to find out if she was the one.

This morning, he was pretty damn sure he had his answer.

“We can’t do this again, Smith. Things could get too messy, too quick. Even now, if Tatiana finds out where I was last night—”

“—she’d be happy for you. And for me.”

Valentina lifted her chin. “Yes, she’d be happy as long as we were happy. Until the day came when she had to take sides. She likes you, Smith, so much that it would really hurt her to have to stop being your friend just because we’re sisters who always put each other first. I don’t want to do that to her and I know you don’t, either.”

“If I wasn’t an actor, if we weren’t working together, would you want to be with me for more than just one night?”

He could see how surprised she was by his question, enough to admit, “Yes.”

And yet, a moment later, she pulled out of his arms, picked up her bag and coat, and headed for the door before adding, “But since I’ve never had a knack for playing pretend, it doesn’t matter what I wish was different, does it?”

For the rest of the day, he couldn’t get her expression out of his head. She’d looked determined, and as strong and beautiful as she always had, but underneath it all she hadn’t been able to hide the woman who wanted nothing more than to believe—and to know for herself—that the fairytale was real.

Smith couldn’t wait to prove to her that it was...and that their happy-ever-after could be even sweeter than any flashy Hollywood version could possibly be.

Chapter Sixteen

Valentina had barely gotten home, stripped off last night’s clothes, and thrown on leggings and a sweater, when she heard the front door open.

Knowing she was most definitely not the actress in the family, even though there was absolutely no reason for her sister to think anything had happened between her and Smith beyond a friendly visit to Alcatraz, she still found herself plastering a stiff smile on her face as Tatiana popped her head in the door.

“Sorry, Val, my plane was delayed. I called the spa and told them we’d be a few minutes late.”

Valentina’s lips pulled even wider across the front of her teeth. “Great, I can’t wait!”

As her sister ducked into her bedroom to put away her carry-on bag, Valentina felt like she had a neon sign around her neck flashing LIAR. Because even though she hadn’t actually outright lied to her sister, she couldn’t help but feel that omission was nearly as bad.

A few minutes later, when they were en route to the spa in Tatiana’s cute little Mini Cooper, Valentina asked, “How was the event in L.A.?”

“Good.” Her sister smiled. “I honestly had no idea how much working with Smith would change things, though. Everyone kept telling me what a big deal it is that Smith personally chose me for Gravity. You know, because he wrote it and is also producing and directing. None of them have even seen the movie yet, and they kept talking about Oscars.”

“It is a big deal,” Valentina agreed. “And since he’s told me again and again how much he’s enjoying working with you, I know he’s really happy with his choice.”

Her sister smiled. “The thing is, considering the way everyone clearly worships him, even though I personally know how easy he is to work with, I almost started getting nervous. Although maybe that was just because everyone also kept saying—”

Tatiana shot Valentina a quick look before suddenly clamping her lips shut.

Valentina worked to keep her voice light and easy as she asked, “What else were they saying?”

“Stupid stuff.” Tatiana rolled her eyes. “You know how Hollywood is about thinking co-stars are all jumping into bed with each other. But I swore to them all that he and I are just friends.”

Valentina’s hands clenched on her lap as she said, “I’m sorry you have to deal with that, T, especially when you’re putting in such long hours on set.”

“We both knew from the start that co-star-romance rumors come with the territory,” her sister said in a soft voice. “I can deal with it, because I know the truth. The thing is, if Smith is seeing anyone, I’d hate for her to think that he’s not being completely faithful to her, when he definitely is.”

Valentina wished they could talk about something else. Anything else. But she could tell that her sister was waiting for her to say something.

God, she wanted so desperately to confide in Tatiana. But what could she possibly say? I slept with Smith last night. And then when I started freaking out this morning and tried to run, he half-attacked me to keep me in his bed...and I loved it.

No. She couldn’t say that. Couldn’t say anything at all to Tatiana about being with Smith. It would be too great a risk on all sides of the equation. And really, what was there to say? It had only been one, beautiful, perfect, sinful night, hadn’t it?