Melody laughed. “Of course. I understand.”
When Melody excused herself a moment later in order to freshen up, Rick regarded the woman who’d been driving him crazy. “So... I wear you out?”
Chiara flushed. “Don’t look at me that way.”
“Mmm. The image of us and a bed is sort of stuck in my mind.”
Chiara shifted, and her skirt rode up her leg.
He focused on her calves. She had spectacular legs. He’d seen them encased in skintight denim on set, and in a barely there miniskirt in a photo that had circulated online. He imagined those legs wrapped around him as he lost himself inside her...
On a whim, he reached out and took her hand, and caressed the back of it with his thumb.
“What are you doing?”
Was it his imagination or did her voice sound a little uneven?
“Move closer,” he murmured. “There’s a photographer watching us from across the room.”
Her eyes held his. “What? Where?”
“Don’t look.” Then he leaned in, his gaze lowering.
Chiara parted her lips on an indrawn breath.
Rick touched his mouth to hers.
When Chiara made a sound at the back of her throat, he deepened the kiss. He stroked and teased, wanting more from her, craving more and not caring where they were. When she opened for him, he fanned the flames of their passion, cupping her face with his hand as she leaned closer.
When her breast brushed his arm, he tensed and stopped himself from bringing his hand up to cup the soft mound in public. He wanted to crash through her barriers, making his head spin with the speed of it.
As if sensing someone approaching, Chiara pulled back and muttered, “We have to stop.”
Rick spotted Melody walking back from across the room, a big grin on her face. Obviously the reporter had seen the kiss. Odele would be pleased. “Not if we’re going to pretend to be a couple.”
When the reporter drew near, she teased, “Did I say you two are fast? Now, that moment would have provided some photo op for the magazine!”
Rick settled back and forced a grin for the reporter’s benefit. “We’d be happy to give a repeat performance.”
“No, we wouldn’t,” Chiara interjected, but then she smiled for Melody’s benefit. “I’ll make sure you get plenty of good pictures for the cover story at the photo shoot tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Melody said politely, maintaining her perkiness as she sat down to gather her things.
Rick hadn’t gotten an invitation to the photo shoot—which was just as well. They were boring and went on for hours. Apparently, though, even Odele had drawn the line at a cozy tableau of him and Chiara with their arms around each other.
“Do you have a cover line yet for this article, Melody?” Chiara asked, her face suddenly turning droll. “Or has Odele already suggested one?”
Rick knew from his experience with movie promotions that the cover line was the front cover text that accompanied a magazine article: From Tears to Triumph, I’m Lucky to Be Alive, or even the vague but trustworthy standby, My Turn to Talk.
“No,” Melody said, “Odele hasn’t offered anything.”
“How about ‘Chiara Feran—True Love at Last’?” he offered drily.
Melody brightened. “I love it. What about you, Chiara?”
Chiara looked as if she was ready to kick him out of this interview, and Rick suppressed a laugh.
Oh, yeah, this was going to be a roller coaster of a relationship. Make-believe relationship.