Bared Read online

  Oh, yes, it was quite the sacrifice, but she could do it. Closing her eyes, she waited. And waited.

  Finally she opened them again.

  Only to find his filled with amusement. “You’re supposed to kiss me, remember?”

  Right.

  Oh man, Amber, you have no idea what you’re asking of me…

  He cocked a brow. “Problem?”

  “No—” Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and then licked her lips. “No problem.”

  His gaze darted to her mouth. “You always were a tease.”

  That got her. Tease? Well, tease this…and lifting up, she went after him.

  4

  IF RAFE HAD HARBORED any doubts about which twin he had, they vanished now. Emma’s eyes were open, wide and unsure as she moved close, and though he felt the urge to laugh at her, he didn’t, because, for whatever stupid reason, he wanted the kiss.

  He wanted it from Emma. Unsettling, that.

  Her lips touched his, in a short, achingly sweet little kiss that was over before he could blink.

  She lay back on the bench, shot him a nervous smile. “There.”

  “Yeah. There.” He straightened and tried to collect himself, wondering why, when he’d hoped to catch her red-handed and humiliate her for this little stunt she’d pulled, he felt as though he had just won the lottery?

  The storm was messing with his head. So was his need for this shoot to be over. He’d just talked on the phone to his sister Tessa, who was still in such a state of early marital bliss that it had been almost painful to hear. He was happy for her, thrilled she’d found someone to put that joy in her voice and yet, at the same time, it’d left him feeling a little…empty.

  Damn.

  Time to go home. Past time. “Stretch out,” he demanded, forcing himself to get back to cool and distant. He looked through the lens. God, she was beautiful—the setup, the location, the outfit…Everything was just right.

  He knew within two minutes he’d already gotten all the film he needed, but he shot a little bit longer, if only to keep her there sprawled out for his eyes only.

  Her nipples were hard. Was she cold…or excited? With Amber he’d had a shot at guessing, but with Emma, he had no idea. He’d teased her with his comments—“remember this” and “remember that”—hoping to startle her out of this ridiculous ruse. But in the end, he’d teased himself, for Emma hadn’t caved.

  She did seem to be having trouble breathing and still looked a little wild-eyed, as if uncertain about what he would ask her to remember next.

  It made him want to tell her Amber had come to his room for wild sex after every photo shoot.

  When he finally set the camera down, she crossed her arms over her body. “Is that it?”

  When he nodded, she sat up, still hugging herself. “Can I have my robe?”

  He wanted to tell her to walk over and get it, exposing her hot little ass, but even he wasn’t that big of a jerk. He tossed it to her.

  When he had his camera in its case and she was completely covered again, he looked at her. She’d done everything he’d asked, including things he shouldn’t have asked, and still a part of him wanted to push her.

  “Good shoot.”

  With a nod, she started walking, presumably back to the hotel room she’d taken under her sister’s name. He waited until she’d brushed past him before he took her arm, holding her back. “Amber.”

  “Y-yes?”

  He’d been going to tell her they’d never really kissed, that he knew who she was, but she looked so sweet, so damn unexpectedly sweet, that he got mad all over again.

  Walk away, said a little voice. You don’t care. You’re one shoot closer to done. Just walk away.

  “Rafe?”

  “Nothing.” He let her go, and turned away.

  “’Night.”

  “’Night.”

  By the time he got back to the hotel, she was nowhere to be seen. Just as well.

  And when he checked out early and caught a late flight back to Los Angeles, he figured he’d never see her again.

  Also, just as well.

  EMMA WORKED THE ENTIRE NEXT WEEK around the clock. She’d figured it would be hard to forget Kauai and all that had happened there, but her writing distracted her.

  Her writing always did. She nearly forgot to eat and sleep when she buried herself. Well, she nearly forgot to sleep, anyway, because, quite honestly, there was little that could make her forget to eat.

  Not even one tall, dark and mouthwatering photographer with a voice that made her pulse leap and a touch that had nearly kicked her heart right out of her chest.

  He hadn’t a clue, of course. Which made it worse, somehow. Was she that deprived of a man’s touch that his professional one could send her skittering toward orgasm?

  Yes, she had to admit, she was that deprived and it had been self-inflicted. Her work was her life and she’d always told herself it was all she needed.

  Still was, she assured herself.

  And yet, if it had truly been just work for him, why had he wanted that kiss? Her heart leaped again, as she remembered how warm and firm and yummy his mouth had felt on hers.

  Nope, she wasn’t going to go there, wasn’t going to think about him and what the weekend had done to her. How he’d gotten her into the smallest thong on the planet, how she might or might not have blown her cover.

  Was it possible he’d guessed the truth?

  She had no idea.

  But if she thought about it too much, the suspense would kill her, so she didn’t think about it. Besides, what did it matter? She wasn’t going to see him again.

  The week went fast. When she wasn’t at the studio making daily last-minute changes on the script for the network Powers-that-be, or in story meetings and staff meetings, she was at home, in her little house in the hills of Laurel Canyon, fingers pounding out page after page on her laptop, ignoring everything and everyone around her.

  She had quite the new theme going for her storylines and it excited her so much that she spent most of her time at the keyboard alternating between grinning like an idiot and fanning her hot face as the pages flew out of her.

  Apparently Kauai, and everything that had happened, had inspired her.

  Ironic that she could thank Amber for helping her for once, however unintentionally. She’d definitely shaken up all the main characters on her show, putting more steamy sex into one week’s worth of stories than she’d put in all year. Her head writer was going to love it. The viewers were going to love it.

  She’d even proposed introducing a new main character, a tall, dark and gorgeous photographer who had a voice of silk and a way with his hands—

  The phone ringing at her side had her jumping a little and she laughed at herself when she picked it up, assuming it would be someone from the studio to yell, cajole or plead—

  “Hey, sis.”

  “Amber,” Emma said in surprise. “Boy do I have a lot to say to you.”

  “Really? I heard Kauai was a big hit.” She sounded like she was amused.

  She was always amused. Amber had that gift, she could find the humor in anything, even when life handed her a bowl of sour grapes, which it had often enough.

  “I got word that those shots you took in my place are going to be the best of the bunch so far.”

  Not a “thank-you,” not a “great job,” but then, Amber wasn’t known for her gratitude. “I wish you’d been more forthcoming with the details of the shoot.” Emma thought of that filmy white wrap and how many people probably had looked at those shots so far, including Rafe, and felt her face heat.

  “If I’d been more forthcoming,” Amber said, “you wouldn’t have covered for me, and I needed you.”

  “You always need me.”

  “Oh, Emma. You have no idea what I’m going through.”

  “Of course not, because I don’t have a life.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Look…” Em