He cut a split-second look at his phone. “How’d you know—”
“The tone of your voice. It’s always the same when you talk to your mom.” She put one hand on the back of the booth, the other on the table, and rested one knee on the seat. “You use a different one when you’re talking with your agent. And another when you’re talking with friends.”
He hesitated, searching for a clue to her state of mind. “What’s happening right now?”
She took a slow breath and glanced at his shots. “Are you going to drink those?” She didn’t wait for an answer, just picked up one of the shot glasses and tossed the liquor back.
Surprise sizzled across Chase’s ribs. “Z, you don’t drink like that.”
“Not normally. But nothing about this situation is normal.” She reached for another and downed it.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He pushed the other drinks out of reach. “What is going on?”
“I’m here to apologize.” Nerves jumped in her eyes. “And since I suck at it, I thought I could use some help.”
He wrapped both hands around hers. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. You have every right to protect your career. You were right—”
“No, you were right. I am scared. Terrified. Of you. Of us.” She took a slow, deep breath and darted a look around the bar as if she were searching for an escape. “To be honest, I’d rather be jumping off a roof right now.”
He dragged her to the seat beside him. “Hey. It’s just me.”
“There is no just to you, Layton. That’s the problem. You’re too damn everything. Too sexy, too grounded, too smart, too funny, too talented…” She angled toward him. “You don’t have an arrogant bone in your body. You’re sweet as hell. And you so fuckin’ get me.”
“I have plenty of faults.” Including being mystified by her more days than not. “I’ll list them if it will make you feel better.”
She put up a hand, signaling she didn’t want to hear them, then grabbed the last shot and tipped it back.
“Zahara.” He pulled the glass from her hand and made sure the beer was well out of reach. “Weren’t you drinking wine earlier? You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“Lead stomach.” She lowered her gaze to the booth, took a breath, then met his eyes again. The vulnerability in her gaze fisted his gut. “Here’s the thing. You’re not the kind of guy I could have a fling with. We’re too close. I care too much. But you’re not the kind of guy I could do long-term with either, even if I could do long-term, which is totally uncharted territory.”
Chase was struggling to follow her. She’d gone from fling to long-term, then back to nothing.
She laughed, shook her head, and shifted toward the edge of the booth. “Which means I shouldn’t be—”
Chase grabbed her arm with one hand and cupped her face with the other. When he still met resistance, he tossed patience to the wind—and kissed her.
The impulsive move surprised them both. But the second the supple feel of her lips registered, all of Chase’s apprehension melted. Zahara hummed, her lashes fluttered, and she pressed a hand to the side of his face.
Time seemed to stop. Relief and affection expanded in his chest until his ribs ached. He pulled back just enough to tip his head a little more before kissing her again. And again. And again. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t dive in either.
Chase broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. He found himself breathless from a few chaste kisses. “We’re good together, Z. I’m crazy about you. You know that. You’ve become my best damn friend over the last couple of months. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to mess up your career. I just want you.”
She didn’t respond, but she was still there, one hand gripping his thigh, the other sliding around the back of his neck. Her touch lit him on fire. Her delicate floral scent made him dizzy.
“You were scared today when you jumped off that cliff,” he told her. “But you made sure you had all your safety measures in place, and you jumped. That scene will be epic on the screen. Just as epic as we’d be together.”
When she still didn’t respond, he took her face in both hands and kissed her again. Deeper. She parted her lips and met his tongue like she’d been starving for him. Lust flooded Chase’s system, a series of sizzling sensations taking over his chest, his gut, his limbs, his brain.
He couldn’t begin to count the number of times he’d fantasized about this moment. Hundreds? Thousands? Not one matched the thrill of the real thing. She tasted like tequila and raw heat, and she kissed with the same intensity she did everything, with direct, focused deliberation and finesse. She kissed him right into a sexual haze that lightened his head.
When she pulled back and licked her lips, another heavy dose of lust shot through Chase’s veins. Her eyes were dazed, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was because of the tequila or him.
“Tell me what you need to jump, Z.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”
Chase kissed her again. Letting go of all his fears of scaring her away, he kissed her the way he wanted to make love to her, in wild, deep strokes. Instead of resisting, Zahara melted. Her body softened and leaned into his. Her kiss relaxed, allowing him to explore deeper.