The next few minutes happen as if in slow motion.One second Luca is standing next to his older brother, his fist raised. The next his arm is soaring through the air, and before I can even move, his fist is colliding with Dante's face. Dante isn't prepared for the strike, and the blow knocks him over backward.It takes a second for the people around them to notice. But one by one, they all turn. The happy party smiles shift into expressions of shock and surprise. A couple of people cry out.All this before I find the ability to move. Ashlyn is frozen, too.We both snap into action at the same time, nearly tripping over each other - and over the poor waiter picking up the broken glass - in our effort to get to the door. We squeeze past each other to get inside, and we push through the crowd almost as one.By the time we reach the men, Rafe is already there, pulling Luca off of their brother.Luca looks nothing like himself. His golden hair falls in disheveled strands across his fa

Of all the ways I thought such an eventful evening might end...well, let's just say that dealing with the police was definitely not part of the plan. And neither was having the paparazzi snap pictures of the entire ordeal.But of all the things that happened last night, the whole "almost having sex with Luca" thing is what's been freaking me out the most. Which also means it's the thing I'm trying hardest not to think about.Fortunately, no charges of public indecency or whatever are being pressed against us. But the media sure got plenty of pictures of Luca and me with the police. And plenty more of me half-naked on top of Luca.It's now 8 AM the following morning, and I'm running on approximately forty-five minutes of sleep and two - going on three - cups of coffee. I've spent most of the night sitting up in bed, trying to make sense of everything that's happened. Oh, and also frantically refreshing all of the big celebrity news websites on my laptop, watching the story unfold in

Luca is right. The story only gets bigger over the next few days as more and more news outlets start covering it. As I think we both suspected and feared would happen, most of the sites choose to focus on the most dramatic and negative aspects of the story: the "arrest," the half-naked photos of me, and - of course - Luca's attack on Dante.Amusingly, I suspect that a public rift between two members of the Fontaine family will only mean good things for any of their projects - the public loves some juicy family drama - but I also know that that is the absolute last thing anyone in that family wants. Part of what makes them such a powerful force in this industry is that they stand together - and everyone knows it.Well, knew it.I don't know a lot of things about the real Luca, but I do know he'll do anything to bury this story about him and his brother. No doubt he and his family have already attempted to throw their usual weapons of damage control - money and influence - at the prob

Luca sits back in his chair, a strange mixture of emotions on his face. "Of course. Go ahead.""Thanks." I hit the button to answer and leap up from my seat. "Javy? Can you hold on one minute?"Quickly, I glance around for a quiet corner of the patio. Finding none, I head back into the restaurant. Maybe I'll find some privacy in the bathroom."Why didn't you call me?" I hiss into the phone as I make a beeline for the restrooms. "Did everything go through? Are you okay?""Maybe. Not really." I can hear the anxiety in his voice."Hold on one more second," I say. I push against the door to the women's room, but it's locked. Occupied. Shit.I glance around. Another woman is already coming down the hallway, so I won't have any privacy if I stay here. And I don't want anyone who recognizes me to try and eavesdrop on this conversation. That might be a disaster for both me and Javy."Just another minute," I tell him. "I'm in a restaurant. I'm going to head outside."I stride quickly ba

His fingers dig into my ass, and I moan as his tongue delves into my mouth. After two years, I know the taste of him quite well, but he's never tasted as wild and as sweet as he does right now.He shifts his hips, and I can feel his arousal pressed between my legs. I should ask him to grab a condom, but my tongue is currently otherwise occupied. And I can't bear to stop this, even for a second. I need this connection to him, ache for it more than I ever thought I could. We might still be strangers on so many levels, but at the end of the day, Luca knows me in a way that no one else does. He and I share a secret that no one else in this world can truly understand, even those who know our relationship is fake. We share an understanding - and, I suspect, even a loneliness.For all that he doesn't know about me, he's seen a side of me that no one else in my life will ever get to see.He's kissing me deeply, but his hips haven't moved again. I shift impatiently against him, longing for h