Page 7 of Full House

CHAPTER THREE

“And action!”

Nate’s hand cupped Victoria’s jaw, his thumb skimming her cheek. Her heart pounded with the rhythm of his strokes. The look in his eyes—the heat that entered them—had her…

Totally flubbing her lines.

“Cut!”

Victoria took a step back, losing the heat of Nate’s palm. She turned to Simon. “I’m so sorry. Can we try that again?” Only she wasn’t sure trying again would help.

They were shooting the first kissing scene of the film, and to say she was nervous would be an understatement. For the past few days she’d been all but glued to Nate’s hip—not that she was complaining—and in that time, she’d learned Nate was more than just a pretty face and that behind his gruff and standoffish behavior, lay a really nice guy.

Okay, so maybe really nice was a bit of an exaggeration as she did notice he was lacking in the patience department and tended to be short with people. And while he never yelled, it was easy to tell when he wasn’t pleased with something. But she also noticed he was always nice to her. Not once had he complained about being stuck with the new girl who didn’t know her way around. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable and at ease.

So really, could she be faulted for having a wee bit of a crush on her leading man? Could she be blamed for being anxious at the thought of kissing aforementioned crush? Not really, but it was her responsibility to make sure she didn’t miss her cue and botch her lines.

“Let’s take five.” Simon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She felt a hand engulf hers and looked up to find Nate’s gaze still on her. “Come with me a minute.”

The grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her across the studio and into an unoccupied room that had racks of clothing taking up most of the available space. He hit the light switch before shutting the door and pressing her back against it.

His hands bracketed her head as he leaned in close. “I know what your problem is.”

Victoria tried to make herself one with the door, laying her sweaty palms flat to the cool metal to keep her hands from straying to the tempting sight before them—Nate’s hips. She licked her lips before whispering, “You do?”

“Mm-hmm.” He leaned in closer, and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips. “Would you like me to help you with your problem?”

“Um.” Her brain couldn’t form a coherent sentence overwhelmed as it was by sensory overload.

His scent engulfed her—something musky and clean and man—making her more and more light-headed with every inhale she took. The raspy sound of his voice—part purr and part growl—caressed her ears and made things below her belt tingle. His heat surrounded her, coated her skin, warming her to her core, and left her feeling flushed.

He was so close, he was all she could see. His arms in her peripheries, their muscles straining the fabric of his shirt sleeves. His chest right in front of her, peeking through the open buttons at his collar, revealing smooth, tanned skin. The light stubble on his jaw when she tipped her head back, the hairs slightly darker than those on his head. His lips, tempting her imagination and having her conjure up all the interesting things they could do to her. And his eyes, a rich, warm brown surrounded by dark, thick lashes.

He was the whole package that flipped every one of her switches.

“Just say, yes.”

What was she agreeing to, again? Did it even matter? The answer would always be yes. She’d barely gotten the word out when his lips were on hers.

Nathan Reed was kissing her!

And, oh man, could he kiss. The lips she’d just been fantasizing about, her imagination didn’t hold a candle to the reality. Just a mere brushing of them on hers sent electric tingles through her. Never had she been so effected by such a light touch, and she couldn’t imagine what would happen if he deepened the kiss.

He didn’t leave her wondering long.

Sweeping along the seam of her lips, his tongue demanded entrance, and she had no control over how quickly she complied with its enticing request. Her whole body felt the impact of his kiss. Her blood warmed, her nipples hardened, and she grew wet between her legs. And it was only a damn kiss. No other part of his body other than his lips even touched her.

She heard a moan, and she was vaguely aware it was her that made such a needy sound because it was answered with a growl.

The kiss grew more demanding and felt almost desperate, as though he’d been waiting forever to kiss her when she knew that was impossible as they’d only known each other a week. But she still recognized the feeling because strangely, she felt the same. She opened her mouth wider, becoming braver, her tongue dueling with his. Her hands found his hips she’d been so desperate to reach for before, latching on, her grip tight with her fingers digging in. It was the best friggin’ kiss of her life. The kind one could only imagine in their dreams.

The kiss turned gentle, a soft grazing of his lips, and when they finally parted from hers, she whimpered. She was discovering, when it came to Nathan Reed, she was a greedy, greedy girl.

He backed up a step, letting his hands fall from the door. But before she could issue a protest, he raised the right one, cradling the side of her face.

“Now, say your line.” His thumb stroked her cheek.

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