Romancing the Runway. Linda Hudson-Smith

was her absolute favorite thing to do. She looked across at the dance floor, where patrons were grooving to the smooth piano tunes. “The feeling is mutual.” She scooted her chair back from the table and waited for him to extend his hand.

      As Xavier took Kennedy’s hand into his, guiding her out onto the dance floor, his smile defied description. The heat emanating from his hands warmed her through and through. The heat grew feverish as he gently pulled her in close to his body, leading her in a seductive slow dance. A light breeze just might help cool things down, she thought.

      The intense desire Kennedy had to lay her head against Xavier’s chest was no match for the common sense busy kicking her in the shins. Her strong attraction to him couldn’t be denied. Nor would she try to deny it, but she had to proceed with caution.

      Her thoughts flew her back to the beach modeling gig in Malibu, where his fiery hands had explored her anatomy with relaxed ease, touching her like this, caressing her like that. His lips had come within micro inches of hers—and it had been doubly hard not to make the sweetest of introductions. She shivered at the thought of a passionate lip connection.

      Kennedy had been checking him out the entire day. And she had made it her business to find out if Xavier was in a relationship. She had had her fill of men who thought it was okay to date more than one woman at a time, especially without making them aware of the intent. All of the sources she’d spoken to had been very reliable, which was the main reason she’d accepted his invitation to dinner. According to Xavier De Marco’s peers, the man had a stellar reputation.

      The many things Kennedy and Xavier soon learned they had in common amazed them. They liked the same music, loved sports—and each possessed a strong desire to see the entire world to experience life in other cultures. Both were champions to the underdog. They were also in just the right profession to have it all.

      Xavier realized Kennedy was lost to him again, her mind off to somewhere else, but he was okay with it this time. She was safely in his arms and the night was still very young. “The Look of Love” was playing softly and “Never Can Say Goodbye” had just ended. He hadn’t planned to go inside when he took her home, that was, if she even invited him in, but he knew he wanted a host of encore dates.

      Kennedy was something special. Xavier’s instincts had told him that much. Even though he didn’t believe in dogging women, period, he wouldn’t ever think of half-stepping with this woman. She deserved his all, his everything, and he was sure she’d come to demand the same from him. He didn’t plan on falling short of her expectations.

      The quiet ride to her home in the close confines of his convertible Mercedes Benz 350 CLK had her breath catching every few minutes. He smelled so good, so manly. After all their hours together, his light citrus-scented cologne still stirred her senses. As she studied his hands on the steering wheel, she saw that he had tight control, without being uptight. It was like he caressed the wheel, holding it steady and sure. She felt safe.

      The radio station Xavier had tuned in to was one of those late-night romance fests, where the DJ had a smooth, silky voice and knew all the right buttons to push to heat things—and bodies—up. Every song was soft and sensuous, sweet, sweltering and sexy.

      The more she thought about it, the more she was sure she’d love for Xavier to wrap her up in his arms securely, stroke her limbs tenderly, kiss her hungry mouth passionately and tenderly nibble on her earlobes until her heart thumped wildly.

      Laying her head back on the headrest, Kennedy closed her eyes. These were the kinds of provocative moments one savored when becoming lost in the array of intimate possibilities. Xavier was the kind of man Kennedy had often daydreamed about, only to later meet up with him in her bedtime fantasies. Waking up alone was always disappointing.

      Taking the keys from Kennedy’s hand, Xavier opened the door and handed the heart-shaped ring back to her. “Want me to make sure there’s no boogeyman inside?”

      The lighthearted teasing from Xavier made Kennedy laugh. “I’m not scared of any old boogeyman.” She flexed her arm muscles. “This girl got muscles. If someone jumps out at me, they’d better be ready for action. I got some serious, kick-butt moves.”

      “Okay, Miss Tae Kwan Do.” His expression suddenly turned sober. “I really enjoyed myself. You’re refreshing. Any chance we might do this again?”

      “Any chance we might not?” Kennedy shot back. Xavier was impressed by how quickly she’d fired right back. “Or was that just your way of asking me out again?”

      He eyed her with intense curiosity. “What if is was? How would you respond?”

      Laughing, Kennedy shook her head from side to side. “Since you haven’t asked me anything specific, I don’t know how I’d respond.”

      He took hold of both her hands. “Will you go out with me again, Kennedy?”

      “I’d love to. Nothing would give me more pleasure.” She openly flirted.

      “What about tomorrow evening? I’d love to cook dinner for you, at my place.”

      Kennedy appeared impressed. “You can cook?”

      “One of the best male chefs around. Dad has major cooking skills and I inherited every last one. Mom is a fantastic cook, but she can’t dethrone my father.”

      “Can’t wait to have my taste buds check out your credentials,” she teased.

      “Just tell me what you want…and I’ll prepare it.”

      “You got a deal.” The mischievous, bad-girl side of her took over, as she began thinking up a complicated meal for him to fix. “Beef Wellington is one of my favorites.”

      Onto her devious mission, Xavier failed at keeping a straight face. “I see you like to get your jokes on, but I can do beef Wellington, girl. What time should I pick you up?”

      She angled an eyebrow. “What if I just drive myself there around seven?”

      “Whatever works better for you. I’ll call in the morning with directions.”

      “Look forward to hearing from you.” She grew silent, allowing her gaze to sweep over his handsome face. “I had a really good time, too. You are great company.”

      Leaning into her, Xavier brushed across her cheek a light, airy kiss. “Tomorrow.”

      Suddenly a flurry of bright white lights flashed before their eyes. A group of photographers came at the startled couple from every angle. Kennedy’s front porch had been invaded. The flashbulbs were darn near blinding, causing them to use their hands as eye shields.

      Kennedy and Xavier lived to pose in front of the camera by day, and often by night, loved their jobs as top supermodels, but both hated being completely caught off guard by the ever intrusive paparazzi. Where had all these men come from? There had to be at least ten to twelve cameramen. How long had they been following along behind them? It was indeed hard to tell since neither had spotted a single one.

      Was this wild scene just the preview of things to come? Kennedy couldn’t help wondering what she should expect. They’d been so careful to keep their plans for tonight under wraps. Were they going to continuously be hunted down in the darkness of night like wild game and trapped with nowhere to run? She recalled getting injured a couple of times while trying to flee from flashing bulbs. Kennedy recalled with crystal clarity how she had tripped and fallen to the ground in her frantic escape from the camera-toting paparazzi.

      As Xavier did his best to shield Kennedy from the cameramen, he couldn’t help wondering if this was the beginning of the end for them. It was tough enough to deal with a new relationship, but these types of wild scenes had proved to be game changers for him in the past. It would take an exceptionally strong woman to suck up this madness, even a professional model like he was.

      Chapter 2

      Xavier’s four-bedroom Santa Monica beach home was