He chuckled. “Beast mode after this. Guarantee it.”
“And you say I’m the one with the big head. Haven’t you heard of taking things slow?”
“I’m not good at waiting. Neither are you. Otherwise we wouldn’t have—” he raised his voice to a falsetto “—hoo-hoo on our first date, Jenny.”
She laughed, the throaty, husky sound he loved. “Keep your voice down.”
He glanced at the menu. “You always eat dinner at nine o’clock?”
“It was the only time I could get. Griffin Huntley reserved the entire room for him and his wife before this. It was their date night.” That was a huge rock star. Now he was impressed.
Jake looked around the cozy space. “Griffin Huntley eats here? It must be good.”
“Yes, it is, sir,” the waiter, a tall, thin man said, appearing suddenly at their table.
Jake smoothly covered. “The lady and I will have your best champagne. We’re celebrating.”
“Very good, sir.” The waiter left.
Claire tilted her head with a sunny smile. “And what are we celebrating?”
A rush of affection surged through him. She was everything—sweet and fiery, sexy in an effortless way. Glamorous, yes, but not superficial. There were layers. He was a goner, even with the Jenny/Claire twist.
He took her hand and stroked the underside of her wrist. “The beginning of something great. At least I think it will be great. I fell for Jenny, but the jury’s still out on you.”
Her hazel eyes danced with amusement. “I could run circles around Jenny.”
He brushed his lips across her knuckles and felt someone staring. He looked over to where her bodyguard, Frank, was standing at the entrance to the room like a soldier. Their eyes met, and Frank’s gaze flicked away.
Jake leaned across the table and whispered, “So does Frank just stand there the whole meal?”
“Yes,” she whispered back. “He always stays by the main access point to a room with a visual on any alternate access points.”
“And does he go with you to your…” He hesitated, but he had to know. “How do you have sex?”
She grinned devilishly. “The usual way.”
He didn’t laugh. Frank was creeping him out the way he stared. He kept his voice low. “So he’s like right outside the door?”
She shook her head and whispered, “He’ll check to make sure the room is okay, and then he stays in his room below mine.”
“Can he hear everything?”
“I hope not. I don’t know.”
He thought about that, glancing over at the stone-faced giant again. Talk about a cock block. “So he’s always with you?”
She nodded and whispered, “It’s necessary for my safety. And his number is programmed in my cell. I’m supposed to wear this emergency one-touch bracelet to contact him too, but it’s ugly.” She wrinkled her nose.
He bit back a laugh. The woman had a shadow that she fully accepted but not to the point of messing with her outfit. “Oh, it’s ugly.”
“Yeah.”
“So you only like fashionable security devices?”
She took a sip of water, hiding a smile. “And there’s so few of those.”
A basket of warm bread arrived. He offered her the basket, and she shook her head. “Too many carbs.”
He took a slice of sourdough for himself and slathered it with butter. “Jenny wouldn’t care about carbs.”
“Jenny’s not doing a sex scene on film in her teeny groin cover.”
He closed his eyes. He did not want to think about Claire nearly nude with another man even if it was simulated sex. He opened his eyes to find her staring.
“Does it bother you?” she asked.
“Nah. I’m sure he sucks in the sack.”
“It’s not sexy at all. It’s very technical, getting the staging right. Plus the crew is right there.”
He changed the subject. “So what’s next for you? Where do you go after you finish filming this movie?”
“We wrap on Fierce Longing two days before Thanksgiving. That’s ironclad. Everyone has plans to fly home for the holiday. I’ll do some postproduction in LA, then Vancouver for three months for another film. I’ll be in Connecticut again next October to film the second movie of the trilogy. We’re staggering the Fierce movies one a year. There’s Fierce Longing, Fierce Craving, and Fierce Loving.”
He took a bite of bread and chewed. “I should read those books. They sound dirty.”
Her eyes lit up. “They are. But also a really powerful story of love and redemption.”
The waiter arrived with their champagne, opening it with a muted pop and then pouring a small amount in each of their glasses.