“I mean it. You don’t know how much it meant to have you here with me tonight. I’m always the one that comes in to save the day. It was nice, for once, to have someone to hold my hand, to support me when I needed it. It’s so hard watching James’s health deteriorate, but having you there made all the difference.”

“I’m glad I could be there. No one should have to go through that alone.”

His blue eyes focused on hers, and she noticed for the first time that he’d taken out his contact lenses. The stunning Caribbean blue eyes she was used to looking at were now the soft blue-gray of the northern seas. The color suited him more, and she liked seeing him without part of his Hollywood facade. “Your eyes are a beautiful color,” she said.

“They don’t pop on camera,” he said, deflating her compliment.

“That’s the camera’s loss.”

He watched her for a moment before he spoke. “Gretchen, I don’t want this to end.”

The surprise shift in the conversation threw her off and she sat up, pulling away from him and taking a few seconds to respond appropriately. “Neither do I, but what choice do we have? You’re going back to LA, and my business and my life are in Nashville.”

He nodded in agreement, but he had a firm set in his jaw that told her he wasn’t giving up that easily. “It would be complicated, yes, but I want to try. I can’t just walk away from you like this. Say you want to be with me—no contracts, no faking it for the cameras.”

Gretchen almost couldn’t believe her ears. He was serious. He wanted to be with her, truly be with her, and not just because his manager was behind it or they were enjoying the benefits of their arrangement. A woman like her being with a man like Julian was some kind of fantasy come to life. How could she say no to that, especially when just a look from him could make her chest so tight she could barely breathe? She certainly wasn’t looking forward to letting Julian go. She’d tried to keep her heart out of this short-term scenario, but with every minute that ticked by, she was losing the fight. Was it really possible that she wouldn’t have to give him up when his plane took off on Monday?

“I want to be with you, Julian,” she said, and she meant it. “I don’t know how we’d manage, but I don’t want to let this go, either.”

“Then don’t.” Julian leaned into her and pressed his lips against hers. He kept advancing, easing her back until she was lying on the cushions of the couch. His hands fumbled with the tie of her belt, opening the robe and pulling back to admire what was beneath it.

“Holy hell,” he said, running his fingers over the red satin-and-lace chemise. “You’ve had this on the whole time?”

“Just since we got here.”

“And we’ve been talking? If I’d known what you had under that robe, we could’ve found some more pleasurable distractions than talking.”

His lips met hers. Unlike the night before, there was less tenderness in his touch. There was a tension there, and she knew it was stress. He needed a distraction, and she was happy to be that for him tonight. She wanted him to lose himself in her and forget about all his troubles.

His hand glided up her outer thigh, pushing the robe out of the way and brushing against the lace edges of her negligee. “Did you know,” he asked, as his hand ran across her stomach, caressing her through the fabric, “that red is my favorite color?”

Gretchen smiled, parting her legs for him to draw closer. “Is it really?”

“It is now.” He punctuated the words by burying his face in her neck. He tugged at the plunging neckline of her nightie until her breasts were exposed and he could tease at them with his rough palms.

She still hadn’t quite adjusted to the idea that she was a sexually active woman now. She still felt as though she was fumbling around, but being with Julian made it so easy. All she had to do was close her eyes and do whatever felt right. So far, that hadn’t steered her wrong, and Julian certainly seemed to like it.

Drawing her leg up, she hooked it around his hip, pulling his firm desire closer to the slip of satin that separated them. Julian groaned when they made contact, rubbing himself across her most sensitive spot. The tiny panties that came with the chemise were hardly clothing, more an eye patch in matching fabric, but she supposed they weren’t intended for everyday wear.

Julian gripped the panties in his fist and tugged at them. They tore away without hesitation, and he tossed them onto the hotel room floor. Gretchen gasped in surprise, then started to giggle. There was a reason they were so flimsy. The giggles were abruptly stopped when the panties were replaced by Julian’s hand.

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One Week with the Best Man: Reclaimed by the Rancher - Page 44