For Lust or Money. Kate Hoffmann

the clubs in Atlanta.

      Zach glanced at the door. He climbed off the bed, beer in hand, and wandered into the bathroom. Kelly’s things were spread out over the marble vanity. He reached out and picked up a bottle of perfume and held it to his nose. The scent was familiar, causing a current of desire to race through him. He picked through her makeup, looking at lipsticks and eye shadows, then held up a pink razor and ran it over his cheek.

      A pretty flowered bag sat next to the sink and he peered inside, only to see a tube of toothpaste and a small bottle of mouthwash.

      He shook his head and walked back out into the bedroom. The toothpaste was obviously an excuse to get out of the room. A few moments later, he heard the key in the lock and hopped back onto the bed, stretching his feet out in front of him again. Kelly slipped back inside, her purse clutched in her hand.

      She started toward the bed, then stopped. “I’m just going to go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back.”

      He heard her talking to herself in the bathroom and Zach quietly crossed the room to listen at the door. But then the door flew open and he jumped back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t hear you. Were you talking to me?”

      “I—I was talking to myself.” Kelly cleared her throat. She ran her fingers through her hair, then walked into the room and stood at the end of the bed. “I think I will have that drink now.”

      He settled himself back on the bed as he watched her walk to the minibar, his gaze taking in her slender body. She was graceful as she moved, like a dancer, with delicate limbs and perfect posture. He imagined what it might be like to hold that body against his, to slowly remove each piece of her clothing until she was completely naked.

      Kelly busied herself mixing a small bottle of vodka with a can of cranberry juice. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got here,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d come without calling.”

      “I was just in the neighborhood.”

      She sent him a sideways glance, then took a long swallow of her drink. “I went out with a friend. A girlfriend. She lives here in Atlanta.” She sat down on the end of the bed, her back to him.

      For a long time, neither one of them spoke. He took a sip of his beer. For Zach, seduction had always been a fairly straightforward process, but with Kelly he felt as if he had to tread a bit more carefully. She gave new meaning to the word skittish.

      “Did you bring your script?” she asked.

      “No,” Zach said. Perhaps she needed the pretense of rehearsal to make her more comfortable. “We can use yours.” He slid down to sit beside her and she immediately stood up.

      “Right. Really, we should be off script by this point.”

      “Are you nervous?” he asked, his gaze dropping to her fingers, which were tightly twisted together. “You seem tense.”

      “No,” she murmured, then paused. “Yes. A little bit.”

      “We’re not going to do anything here that you don’t want to do,” Zach said, leaning back to rest on his elbows.

      Her gaze flitted over his body, stopping briefly at his crotch. “What do you want to do?” she asked, her green eyes wide.

      He reached out and grabbed her hand, weaving his fingers through hers. “I want to do it all.”

      She swallowed hard. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.

      This was not going well at all, Zach mused. The attraction between them was electric, crackling between them, but Kelly was so cautious that stealing a kiss might be too much for her to handle. He decided to backtrack a bit. “But you rehearse all the time.”

      “Is—is that what we’re doing?” she asked.

      “What did you think we’d be doing?” Keeping her off balance was the best approach, he decided. When they finally gave in to their desire, he wanted her desperate and determined. He wanted the fiery, passionate woman he’d seen through the camera lens, the woman he’d been obsessing about the entire afternoon.

      “I’m worried about the bedroom scene,” Zach continued. “I was hoping you could give me some tips. We’re supposed to kiss and I’m not sure how that’s going to happen. Do we figure out ahead of time who goes which way? Or do we just let it happen, as if we’re doing it for real?”

      “We already did it for real,” she said, staring at him with a suspicious glint in her eye. “In my dressing room.”

      “And that was good? I mean, for a screen kiss?”

      A tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth. “Yes, that was very good. I think if we just do it like that, we’ll be fine.”

      “Good to know,” he answered, nodding his head. He took another sip of his beer and pointed to the television. “Good game. The Padres are at the top of their division. They’ve got a really good pitcher from—”

      “Maybe we should try it again,” Kelly interrupted. “Just to be sure we have it right.”

      “All right. We should probably lie on the bed. That’s what the script says. And as long as we have a bed here, we should put it to use.” He shimmied back until he was lying with his back resting against the pillows. “All right,” Zach said. “Now, you would be right here.” He patted the spot beside him, then set his beer down on the bedside table.

      She left her drink on the dresser and sat down on the opposite edge of the bed, folding her hands on her lap. “Shouldn’t you be lying down, too?” he asked.

      Kelly kicked her feet up on the bed.

      “So, you want me to start?”

      He moved closer and her gaze fixed on his mouth. She licked her lips and he did the same. “Sure,” she said softly. She waited, holding her breath as he slowly leaned forward. But at the last minute, he turned his head the opposite way and their noses bumped.

      “Sorry,” Zach said. “I thought you were going the other way.”

      “No, once you start moving toward me, I’ll just stay the way I am.”

      “Right,” he said. “Okay. Let’s give this another try.” He moved in and at the last minute, feinted to the left. She took his cue and tipped her head in the opposite direction and, this time, Zach deliberately missed her mouth completely, kissing her chin instead.

      “This shouldn’t be so difficult,” she said, her voice tinged with frustration. “We’ve already done it before.”

      “That time it was more spontaneous,” Zach explained. “I wasn’t concentrating so hard.”

      “Well, stop thinking then,” she said. “Just do it.” She sighed deeply. “Like this.” Kelly cupped his face in her hands and pressed her mouth to his. Gradually, the kiss softened as his tongue teased at her lips. She opened her mouth and he lost himself in her sweet taste. It had taken them a while to get here, but it was worth the wait, he mused.

      Zach slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto the bed to lie on top of him. A tiny moan slipped from her lips as he furrowed his fingers through her silken hair and molded her mouth to his. He couldn’t recall ever needing to kiss a woman as much as he needed to kiss Kelly. It was like a hunger inside him that ached to be satisfied. But the more he tasted, the hungrier he became—Kelly was like the Chinese food of kissing.

      The buildup, the anticipation, had been almost too much to bear and he was already aroused, his erection pressing against her belly. There was no time to think about consequences or regrets, about mistakes he’d made in the past. This was about lust, pure and simple—the need for two people to take pleasure in each other.

      His hands skimmed over her body, her shoulders and then her arms, her torso and her hips. She twisted above him, her fingers clutching at