Page 16 of Nathan
“Tomorrow. I have a few hours in the morning before I have to pack and fly to London, where I’m doing interviews all evening and Monday morning.” Serena gave another sigh. “After that we go to Berlin and then comes the Scandinavian countries.”
“Hmm…” I leaned against the tufted leather in the booth. “I can’t let you leave without a proper Irish experience.”
“Really? Do you have any suggestions?”
“Maybe.” I lifted one of the many glasses for another sip and waited for Serena to do the same. She went for the pineapple drink again before setting it back on the black table. Another warm and flirtatious smile lit up her eyes, and it didn’t escape me that her hand moved closer to mine and made my pulse race faster.
“I could show you Temple Bar. That’s kind of a must-see when you’re in Dublin.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. I didn’t book security.”
“Why not? I thought you Hollywood stars had security all the time.”
She shrugged. “Some do, especially pop stars with screaming fans who would maul them in ecstasy if they got close. My fans are older, calmer, and for the most part respectful, so I don’t have the same need. I live in a gated community and have a state-of-the-art security system. If I know I’m going out to social events, I’ll book one or two bodyguards, but on these press tours, all I do is sit in a closed room doing interviews. It’s in my contract that I can request security if I wish to go out, but I didn’t plan on leaving the hotel tonight.”
I gave her my most charming smile. “Then let me be your bodyguard for the night.”
Again, Serena spun the ring on her finger. “I want to, but…”
“Do you want to see some of Ireland or not?”
“It’s just that big crowds of people can get out of hand in no time, and if people are drunk, it’s even worse.”
I gave her a comforting smile and touched her shoulder. “Do you have a hoodie and some jeans? We’ll walk in the shadows and watch from a distance. It’ll be fun and trust me; if someone doesn’t understand a no, I’m fully capable of protecting you.”
She was sitting close to me, watching me as I spoke.
“Come on, Serena. It will be the kind of adventure that you dreamed of when you were a kid who fantasized about traveling the world. Give your inner child something to remember.”
My words affected her, and with a sparkle of mischief, she leaned closer. “You could get me into a lot of trouble with those gorgeous eyes.”
The edges of my mouth lifted. “You think I have gorgeous eyes?”
“Very.” The heat in her smile made my heart beat faster. She was close enough that I could lean in and kiss her.
Another strong jolt of electric energy ran through me when Serena touched my hand. We both looked down at her finger on top of mine, and then our gazes met again.
I took the next step by intertwining our fingers. The way her chest rose told me our touch affected her as much as it affected me.
The smooth skin on her beautiful cleavage was flushing red as her eyes kept darting to my lips. I leaned in but paused when we were nose to nose. “I’ve been thinking about you… a lot.” It was the truth.
Serena wet her lips. “Good thoughts?”
I groaned a little because when it came to Serena, my emotions ran between extreme desire, confusion, anger, and disappointment. “Do erotic thoughts count as good?”
She squeezed my hand, and instead of waiting for me to make the final move, Serena kissed me.
I was stunned at first, but arousal quickly took over and made me kiss her back. The kiss was loaded with the deep sexual hunger I’d carried for Serena since we’d spent four days together in January.
Out of breath, Serena pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Not here.”
“Where then?” It was only supposed to be one kiss, but my body was fucking vibrating with lust for her.
“Do you want to come to my room?”
There was a war in my head shouting for me to say no. This woman had hurt my sister.
“Just so I can change to the hoodie and jeans?” Serena added.
