Jane Millionaire

“By a few years. Rob was barely eighteen when they married. Mandy had a few films to her credit, but wasn’t the instant success Rob was in front of the camera. Or behind the camera, for that matter. She was a beauty, I’ll give her that. Still is, but if she’d been as smart as many gave her credit for, she’d have hung onto her marriage to Rob.”

“What happened?” Yep, her propensity to ask questions that were known of her business was one heck of a bad habit. She could have bit her tongue, but JP didn’t look irritated that she’d asked.

He considered her with his unusually light blue eyes before he answered her with slow deliberation. “Rob’s ex wanted things he wasn’t able to provide at the time.”

“Funny,” Jill mused, letting JP’s response soak in. “That’s pract

ically what Rob said word for word.”

Not-so-shameful guilt plastered itself onto JP’s face. Jill’s eyes widened and she play punched him. “You sly dog, you.”

The sofa springs groaned beneath JP’s laughter. “Well, someone has to edit the tapes.”

# # #

Rob stopped halfway through the studio doorway. Fifteen feet in front of him, Jane and JP huddled on one of the overstuffed sofas.

Jealousy slapped him in the face.

What were they doing? Why was Jane smiling pretty as you please? She hadn’t smiled at him in over a week.

As much as it pained him to admit it, he missed her. For that matter, how could you miss someone who was everywhere you looked? Who was the entire focus of your work?

And how could he be jealous of a man twice his age? One he respected and trusted with his life?

Stupid. JP might be a big flirt, but he was harmless where Jane was concerned. JP’s career ranked first in his life, always had, always would; just ask any of his ex-wives.

But Rob wasn’t so sure about himself. Not anymore. He hadn’t questioned his lifestyle until recently, and now that he had, he couldn’t say he was satisfied. He had an expensive house filled with expensive toys. A big house. A big lonely house.

Was that why it never bothered him to be gone for months at a time on a shoot? Because when it came down to it, he had nothing to go home to except an empty mansion in Beverly Hills?

He didn’t like the thought any more than he liked how cozy JP and Jane looked. He popped his neck from side-to-side, hoping to ease some of the tension knotting there.

Both JP and Jane turned at the cracking sound, as he’d known they would.

“Rob.” She jumped to her feet. She wore casual clothing, jeans and a clingy dark green knit shirt. He couldn’t help but notice how her breasts gently bounced with her quick movements.

He forced his gaze to her face and his mind from thoughts of peeling her clothes from her body. Not that he couldn’t still see the image plastered in his mind.

JP’s eyes narrowed, suspiciously. “There you are. Have a good shoot?”

Had the old man known he stood in the doorway?

“We finished the last group of bachelors.” He never looked away from Jane.

“How did it go?” she asked, gazing intently at him with her big green eyes, although she didn’t bestow a smile on him. Not even a tiny one.

Damn, he wanted a smile. Her smile. Just for him. Insane as the desire was since her interest only complicated matters more.

But he was beyond caring. He’d already decided he’d gone irrational with longing. She’d worn him down, made him insane with her kiss.

He wanted a smile. That wasn’t too much to ask for, surely?

“As expected, the kids gave them hell. You’ll get to watch the videos later tonight.”

“With you?” Her bright eyes took on a hungry appearance. Hungry was good. No. Hungry was not good. That was why he’d avoided her as much as he possibly could--cause he was starving, and she was banned from the menu.

“Actually, I’ll be taking care of that,” JP interrupted. “Rob has other plans for tonight.”