Once they’d entered the lobby, he grabbed a glass of wine for each of them, downed his, then replaced it with another.
She frowned, then leaned close. “Are you okay?”
“Just taking advantage of the refreshments.”
She watched him for a moment, and he wanted to call back the words. Hell, he wanted to call back the last half hour. Jealousy wasn’t something he was used to, probably because he’d never before believed that he actually had enough of a hold on something that he couldn’t lose it. But with her…
God, how quickly he’d come to think of her as his. And seeing her now through another man’s eyes only underscored how much he had to lose. And how easy it would be to lose it.
“Oh, look!” A female voice squealed from somewhere behind him. “Isn’t that Damien Stark?”
Griffin turned around, then followed the direction of the woman’s gaze. Sure enough, the famous billionaire stood with his beautiful wife, Nikki, just a few yards away. Confident and commanding, the former tennis player turned billionaire CEO of Stark International stood in the crowded lobby looking as if he owned the place. Quite possibly, he did.
“I’ve met him,” Griffin said. “Should we go say hello?”
“I’m thinking no,” Beverly said. “Not now.”
He turned, frowning, every insecurity rising to the surface. “What is up with you? You didn’t introduce me to Deaver. You don’t want to talk to Stark. Are you regretting coming with me? Are you regretting letting me out of the hotel in this outfit?”
For a second she only gaped at him. Then she took him by the arm and tugged him all the way across the lobby until they were standing in an alcove leading to the restrooms. Only then, when they had a modicum of privacy, did she lay into him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Deaver was all over you, and yet I don’t get even a nod? Not as your date, much less as the guy you’re dating now. And certainly not as the screenwriter for Hidden Justice, because why the hell would he care about that?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back, and looked down her nose at him with the kind of expression that suggested he was the biggest idiot in the world, and she wasn’t sure how to break it to him.
“You idiot,” she said, proving him wrong. “Are you seriously standing here and telling me that you wanted me to introduce you to the man who is going to be directing your screenplay right now, like this? And then tell him that he can’t share with anyone else who you are or why you’re in disguise? I assumed he was a man you’d want to meet as you—in your hoodie, sure, but as you.”
“I am me,” he protested, because jealousy was damn hard to let go of. “You’re at a premiere with me.”
She stared him down, and he sighed, his shoulders sagging as he gave in. “You’re right. I’m sorry. He’s obviously got a thing for you. I was jealous.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Yeah?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe I’m flattered.” The smile broadened. “And maybe I didn’t want to go see Stark and force you to have to not only explain, but then swear him to secrecy. I mean, honestly, Griffin. This is your charade. Why am I the only one enforcing the rules?”
“Because I’m a jealous idiot?”
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and he watched her, hoping she wouldn’t throw her hands up, tell him he was way too much trouble, and then walk away.
She didn’t. Instead, she held out her right hand for his left. “Come here,” she said, then drew him close. “You have no reason to be jealous.” She brushed a soft kiss over his lips, and his pulse kicked into high gear, his cock tightening in a way that made him wish the movie was already over.
“Beverly,” he murmured, but she drew him closer, this time using tongue and teeth for a wild, deep kiss, even as she took his left hand and rested it on her bare thigh, exposed from the slit in her skirt.
Slowly, she trailed his hand up until his fingers grazed her sex, barely covered in a tiny thong. He moaned against her mouth, fighting the urge to tease her slick heat, but knowing someone could be watching.
“I’m yours,” she murmured as he withdrew his hand. “Don’t you understand that I’m yours?”
“I know,” he said, her words filling him. Making him strong. “And when we get back to the hotel tonight, I promise I’ll take what’s mine.”