His twin and his former costar. Kinga didn’t know anything more about her than the man on the street. And she was curious, dammit.
“And I refuse to answer questions about my manager, his death or to comment on the rumors surrounding a supposed bust-up between us. They often try to sneak that question in.”
Kinga heard devastation in his voice and noticed fury in his eyes. She tipped her head to the side, wondering, as so many did, why he refused to talk about the man he’d once called his second father, his mentor and his best friend. “Okay,” she said.
“No questions about former lovers, my acting out, or that night in Phuket.”
Kinga frowned. What was he talking about? “What happened in Phuket? I didn’t read anything about you visiting Phuket.”
Griff grinned. “Ah, so you did read up on me?”
Kinga handed him a cool, get-over-yourself-smile. “I read the basics, O’Hare. I didn’t do a deep dive into your life.”
Griff dared to peek at her butt. “Now whose pants are on fire?”
“Jerk,” Kinga muttered. She looked into his eyes, saw the desire blazing within them and placed her hand on her heart, silently telling it to slow the hell down. They’d made love, yes, but she was a modern woman. One hot, wild night did not a relationship make; it didn’t even mean that he wanted a repeat.
It was just sex...
“I’ve been thinking about you,” Griff told her, taking her hand and squeezing her fingers.
She couldn’t deal with him looking and sounding so sincere. It gave her ideas and those she didn’t need.
“You don’t have to lie to me, O’Hare. I know exactly what that night was.”
“And what was it, Kinga?” Griff asked her, his voice surprisingly gentle.
Kinga attempted a casual shrug, hoping to sound blasé. “A wild night, a step out of time, something that wouldn’t be repeated.”
“It was wild, it was unexpected,” Griff admitted. “It’s also a night that I can’t stop thinking about. I can’t stop thinking aboutyou.”
Yeah, she didn’t believe that for one second. And she was a little disappointed that Griff was treating her like a dumb groupie and not an intelligent, independent woman. Unlike a groupie, she wouldn’t simper and melt when he used his sexy voice and bedroom eyes.
She wasn’t romantic or impulsive. Starry-eyed and naive hadn’t been her since she was eighteen and her world flipped upside down. She far preferred to see things how they were, not how she wanted them to be.
“You don’t believe me,” Griff stated, his voice low but intense.
Kinga heard a guitar riff, a drum roll and, glancing toward the stage, saw people taking their places. “You need to go. They’re waiting for you.”
“I am paying their salaries. They can wait until I am ready,” Griff growled, and it was hard to miss his frustration. “Look, I didn’t call you because I was out of town. I had...something to take care of.”
Had he been called away by a woman, a longtime lover or a casual hookup? Did he leave to interview for a better job offer than what they’d offered for the ball? Was he about to ditch her? Or had he done something stupid while he was away, something that was still going to come to light?
Stop, Kinga, you’re overreacting and overthinking. Just...
Stop.
She held up her hands, palms forward. “Griff, it’s fine. I didn’t expect you to call. I understand that this is, apart from one night, a completely professional relationship.”
“Except that I want another night and possibly another night after that,” Griff stated, his tone firm.
Kinga stared at him, unsure that she’d heard his words correctly. “Sorry?”
Griff bent down to speak directly in her ear and his breath warmed her neck. “I’d very much like to share your bed again, Kinga. Any chance of that happening?”
She pulled back to stare at him. She’d genuinely believed that he’d moved on to his next conquest, that she was just another woman on a long list. Why her?
She was tempted to throw caution to the wind and nod furiously, but her pride, and a healthy dose of wariness, wouldn’t let her. She was about to ask him whether she could give his question some thought, when her phone rang. Deeply grateful for the interruption, she frowned at the unfamiliar number on the screen and answered.