“Never.” She slid into his arms. There was no one else. How could there be? What man would ever give as much of himself to her as Griffin did?
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
“The thought of you. The wisdom of my sister.”
“Wisdom?”
“Well, the way she more or less called me an idiot. Rough, but probably wise.”
“I can’t wait to see her.”
“Soon. Right now, I want you to kiss me.”
“Perfect timing,” she said. “Once Becca gets here to work her magic, there will be no kissing. Can’t have smudges.”
“So many rules,” he said, before kissing her sweetly.
When they broke apart, she playfully tugged a strand of his wig.
“Like it?”
“If it keeps you beside me, I love it.”
His expression turned serious. “One thing—I don’t want anyone to know it’s me. They’ll track me down, start posting pictures. I can’t—”
“I get it. That’s fine. I’m just glad you’re here.” She pressed close to him, sighing with pleasure as she felt his heart beating against her. She’d been so worried about the long distance thing, about the parallels to her parents. And here he’d gone and erased those concerns with one fabulous, wonderful, ridiculous costume.
“I’m glad, too,” he said. “I couldn’t stay here knowing you were there.”
“This feels right,” she said on a sigh. “More than right.” She tilted her head up to look at him, then smiled. “It feels like a damn good omen.”
* * *
A velvet ropelined both sides of the red carpet leading up to the Pacific Theaters at The Grove in Los Angeles where Crypto Games was celebrating its star-studded premiere. Fans and paparazzi lined the barrier, all trying to get a peek or a picture.
Griffin walked toward the inside, Beverly’s arm tucked in his.
She looked as beautiful as he’d ever seen her. Her dark hair was piled onto her head, and a thin wire dotted with diamonds had been woven through the curls, making the style sparkle in the light. Her dress was strapless and form-fitting, highlighting her perfect figure, the thigh-high slit accentuating her sensational legs. Her make-up was perfect, giving her the look of a Hollywood beauty from the Golden Age, elegant and coiffed and entirely sophisticated.
It was sexy as hell, and Griffin still couldn’t quite believe that this spectacular vision of a woman was on his arm. Even more that she wanted to be there.
Now, she held onto him as she waved and blew kisses to the fans. Griffin didn’t follow suit; instead, he kept his head down, noticing more about the texture of the carpet than he did about the fans, the surroundings, or the elegant attire of his other companions on the red carpet.
A few fans called out to Beverly, wanting to know who her escort was, but she either ignored the questions or replied that he was her sexy secret. A response that was good for his ego, but made him fear that someone might try to discover the man behind the mystery.
Hoping to forestall that possibility, he kept his attention diverted, almost wishing that she hadn’t talked about good omens earlier, because now he was looking for bad ones.
“Doing okay?” she asked as they approached the step and repeat where the actors and other celebrities stood to be photographed, often with their escorts. In this case, Griffin stood back.
As he did, Christopher Deaver stepped in, taking Beverly’s arm. “You look positively radiant,” the slim, gray-haired man said, drawing her in for a kiss on the cheek. A kiss that had Griffin seeing red. Smoothly, Deaver stepped in beside Beverly, taking a photo with her before leaving her to her solo shot.
When they’d moved off the staging area, Deaver shot a glance toward Griffin. “I suppose I should return you to your escort. Although I swear, if you were solo tonight, I’d steal you away for myself.”
“You always know how to flatter a woman,” she said. “That’s what makes you such a good director.”
“And you always know just how to respond. That’s what makes you a pleasure to work with.” He kissed her hand, then nodded toward Griffin before disappearing inside the theater, for another short reception before the film actually began.
And as he walked away, Griffin felt a cold green ribbon of jealousy curling inside him.