Page 38 of Kiss & Collide
She turned to look at Chase, just emerged from hair and makeup, and she had to swallow down a little gasp. They’d put him in a tux, but unlike Dev, they’d left his bow hanging loose, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned. The tux—Italian, expensive—fit him flawlessly. They’d leaned into the scruff, grooming it, but leaving it there to add shadows to his remarkable jawline. And the product in his hair had it doing that stand-up-and-flop-over thing that was just … damn.
“You look good,” she murmured. That was a staggering understatement. He wasspectacularlyhot. For just a second, Violet felt slightly intimidated byhim, which was a wild new sensation. What had she created when she turned her sights on Chase Navarro?
“I feel—” He reached for his hair.
“Don’t touch it. It’s perfect.”
He finally cracked a small smile. “Thanks. This is some spectacle, huh?” His eyes swept over the park, the Seine streaming past them on either side, and the banks of Paris. And just like that, he was just Chase again, all unpretentious, casual charm.
“Paris is great,” she said when she’d found her voice again. “One of my favorite cities.”
“Ah … this is my first time here.”
She turned to gape at him. “What? You’ve been living in Spain since you were fifteen and you’ve never been to Paris? How is that possible?”
“Hey, I’m not one of these jet-setting Formula One stars. I’m a scrapper. I go where the races take me. And they’ve just never brought me to Paris.”
“That’s …” She shook her head. “Honestly, that’s tragic, Chase. What do you think so far?”
He grinned. “It’s great. I can see the Eiffel Tower from my hotel room.” He started to stuff his hands in his pockets. It was wildly endearing.
“Take your hands out of your pockets,” she said instead, “you’ll wrinkle.”
“Bossy.” But he did as she commanded, then his expression turned a little devious. “Hey, maybe tonight,” he murmured in a voice so low nobody but her would hear it, “I’ll press you up against the window, so you can look at the Eiffel Tower while I fuck you.”
In an instant, her body was on fire for him.
“You sound awfully confident.”
He chuckled, a low rumble that did something to her deep in her belly. “You gonna come over?”
She hesitated. Her conversation with Leon flashed through her mind. But just imagining him putting his hands on her, imagining him doing what he’d just described, set her on fire. She couldn’t resist that temptation. “Yes.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
God help her, so was she.
“Mr. Navarro?” one of the PAs called. “We’re ready for you.”
He leaned in so he could whisper in her ear, “Keep thinking about it.”
There was little chance of her doing anything else. “Get out of here. Go be pretty.”
He chuckled. “See you tonight, Violet.”
IT TOOK Afew hours, but they finished the big group shot that would be the two-pager kicking off the spread, and now they’d moved on to pairings. Chase was with Madison Mitchell.They had Chase leaning against a tree while Madison reclined against his chest as they both stared at the camera, a picture of sexy rumpled couture. Madison was beautiful, with huge Bambi eyes, long golden hair, and a killer body. Her pale pink gown surrounded her like a cloud. They were amazing together, so much combined gorgeousness they were almost hard to look at.
Madison Mitchell. She was popping off right now, too. One of those young actors who suddenly seemed to be everywhere. She’d played somebody’s sister on some cop procedural for a couple of seasons, until she broke out into leading roles a couple of years ago, with a Netflix rom-com followed by a couple of major theatrical releases. She could be perfect for Chase. Just what Violet had been looking for.
She watched them together for another minute, Chase’s hands on Madison’s waist, her golden hair spilling across his chest, and imagined them as a couple.
It gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her chest … jealousy?
No, no. This was not good.
She smoothed her hair out of her face. She was supposed to get Chase in the spotlight. Well, Madison was the key to that.
With a quick survey of the crowd, she spotted Madison’s PR person, watching the shoot from a few feet away, and casually made her way over to him. She’d told Chase this sort of thing happened all the time in celebrity circles, and while that was true, she’d never actually set one up herself. Did you just bring it up directly, or was it all done in coded language, like buying drugs?
