Tinseltown by Stephanie Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

after breakfast, and he didn’t expect them back anytime soon.
    Drying off with an oversized white towel, he stepped out into the humid bathroom and rubbed a spot on the mirror, so he could see his reflection clearly. He had two days’ worth of stubble, and the dark circles under his eyes persisted from the lack of sleep the previous night. Since he and Deb wouldn’t be sharing a room tonight, sleep would come easier.
    He smirked. Yeah, like that would happen. The spunky little woman wouldn’t leave his thoughts alone. And it troubled him. Even when he liked someone, he usually wasn’t this contemplative. But of course, he had never been thrown into a marriage before. Or thrown into a family’s Christmas festivities and figured out it was all he wanted in life.
    Nor did he experience the same amount of physical pleasure when simply kissing another woman as he did when his lips were on Deb’s.
    Wrapping the towel around his waist, he gathered his razor and cream and filled a sink with water. Most women preferred him stubbly, saying it gave him more sex appeal, but since he was staying with Deb’s family, who seemed to be so up on tradition, he decided it was best to keep a clean face.
    He puffed his cheeks and began to shave. Then, without warning, the bathroom door swung open, and Deb rushed in. He nicked his jaw when he startled and uttered an oath under his breath.
    “You’re never going to believe what I found today!” she exclaimed, not seeming to notice he was in the middle of something. Good thing he hadn’t been on the toilet.
    “What’s that?” He grinned at her child-like excitement and how she continued without any regard to his state of undress. He raised his razor and began again, ignoring the blood on his face. It wasn’t the first or the last time he would cut himself.
    “I found the perfect dress to wear to the premiere! Forget all the free designer clothes, this one is perfect!” she said. She held a bag over her arm.
    “Let’s see it.” Things like this were important to women, so he humored her.
    Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink as she unveiled the dress. It was a chocolate-brown satin dress with a slit that would expose her leg all the way up to her hip. His mind wandered so quickly, he nicked himself again.
    “Ow!” He slung the razor down in the water.
    Deb frowned at him, and she probably thought he looked like a nearly nude Santa with half a beard. Her eyes traveled over his chest — a chest he worked hard on — and he could tell she appreciated his effort by the way her eyes roamed his body, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. She swallowed deeply, and her eyes fluttered to the towel then up to his face.
    “You’re… bleeding,” she said.
    Zach grinned and stepped toward her, like tiger approaching its prey. She would learn the consequences of her behavior.
    “That’s because someone barged in here without knocking and distracted me twice, and I cut myself. People pay good money to see this face, and I’d hate to retire early.”
    She swallowed again. “What do you… um, think of the dress?” Her back bumped into the wall.
    He grinned and framed her head with a hand on each side against the wall. “I think I’d love to peel it off of you, just like a Christmas present, and see what’s underneath.”
    Her face deepened to red, and she licked her lips. “In that case…” She didn’t meet his gaze.
    “In that case, you better let me finish shaving before I do exactly what I want, Mrs. Sparks.” He grinned at her but hid the desire he felt. A whiff of her perfume reached him. The exotic vanilla and cinnamon aroused him more each time he inhaled. “And another thing?”
    “Hmm?” she asked, squirming beneath him.
    “Stop wearing that perfume. It drives me crazy.” He pushed away from her and watched her all but run to the door. But she stopped before exiting and turned to him.
    “Why?”
    “What?” he asked, his mind already imagining far too vivid