Chapter Eleven
A short while later when they stepped out under the full moon, Valentina’s her breath caught as she took in the incredibly romantic, and unexpected, scene. Water crashed on the rocks just below a table set for two, with four portable heaters ringing the white tablecloth.
A vase in the center of the table held a single pink rose.
The meaning of the flower he’d picked was loud and clear as he extended his hand to her: desire and passion.
“Hungry?”
She nodded, knowing there was more than enough moonlight for him to see that she was hungry for far more than food, if he looked closely. He held out her chair and when he sat down opposite her, the table was small enough that their knees bumped underneath, making her smile through the nerves that attraction had brought front and center. He poured a glass of cabernet from Marcus’s winery and handed it to her.
He lifted the covers off their plates and her stomach grumbled in appreciation at the lobster and crab before her. She had no idea how he’d managed to get such delicious food delivered to the island. Their tour guide had left them alone again and there was no chef or waiter around as far as she could see.
“I agree with your stomach,” he teased, and picked up his fork to dig in.
Valentina took her first bite and a small moan of pleasure slipped out. “So good.”
She didn’t see that Smith had stopped with his first bite halfway to his mouth, his eyes dark, hungry, as he watched her.
But she couldn’t miss how hoarse his voice was suddenly, as he said, “I’m glad you like it.”
When was the last time she’d eaten a really good meal? She honestly couldn’t remember, with the long hours she’d been putting in since filming began.
She took another bite and her eyes closed on their own. “I forgot how much I like good food.” She tried to tamp down on the greed racing through her veins as she turned her focus back to him. “This is amazing. Your boat. The private tour. Dinner.” She reached for his hand without thinking. “Thank you.”
He slid his fingers into hers. “I’m glad you invited me to come with you.”
She couldn’t keep the smile off her face, not when he’d gone to all this trouble for her and it had been such a wonderful night already.
“Well,” she teased, “I could see how much you wanted to see Alcatraz again. Do you have some story ideas kicking around in your head about it?”
“Maybe. You?”
She was surprised by his question. Surprised enough to say, “I can’t stop wondering about the women on the island.”
“Makes sense that the only women on the island were married.”
She nodded. “It does, but who says they were all happily married?” At his raised eyebrow, she explained, “What if one of them was in love...but not with her husband?”
His eyes lit. “Are you asking, what if one of them fell in love with one of the prisoners?”
“Yes,” she said as the excitement over her brand-new idea took even deeper hold. “And what if he’d fallen in love with her, too, even though both of them knew there was no way they could ever be together?”
Smith didn’t say anything for a long moment and she wished she’d never said a word.
“I love the idea, Valentina.” His thumb slid across the sensitive skin on her palm as he said, “Tatiana told me about the script you’ve been writing.”
“I’m going to kill her.” It was one thing to tell George when they’d known him practically forever. It was another to spill her secret project to a man she’d been trying so hard to keep as an acquaintance. Even if he was getting closer every day.
“You know how little sisters are,” he agreed, though it was clear that he loved Tatiana spilling Valentina’s secrets to him. “I’d like to see it.”
“My screenplay?”
“Yes. Tatiana told me what it was about and I have a feeling I’m going to like it. A lot.”
She shook her head, pulling her hand from his. “No.”
“You love to say no to me, don’t you?” he teased, but there was an undertone of frustration beneath it. “Do you think I’m doing a good job with Gravity?”
“Of course I do. You’ve got us more on track than any of the other movies Tatiana has worked on.”
“Then why won’t you let me see your script?”
“Because I don’t want you to think that’s why I’m here with you tonight.”
Smith’s free hand was warm as he brushed it across her cheek. “I would never think that, Valentina. Never.”
God, it was so tempting to lean in closer to him.
No.
She. Would. Not. Ask. Him. To. Kiss. Her. Again.
Trying to turn her focus from anything but his shockingly seductive mouth, and how much she wanted to feel it pressed against hers, she asked, “What else has my darling little sister told you?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Her heartbeat kicked up. Even in her weakest moments, she hadn’t told her sister about her feelings for Smith, about the way he turned her inside out.
“Always so worried,” he murmured. “You know Tatiana loves you too much to ever hurt you in any way.”
Of course Valentina knew that. But she’d been hurt by family before, by a loving mother who had all but disappeared after their father’s death when her daughters needed her the most, and then had come back as another woman entirely.
“Besides, it’s not Tatiana’s fault that she spilled the beans. I was grilling her for anything she would tell me about you.”
“What else did she spill?”
“How you were a total Bon Jovi fanatic as a teenager.”
Valentina had to laugh at herself. “Their songs are really quite intelligent and poetic if you listen to the lyrics.”
“I agree,” he said with a grin. “I’ll make sure to tell Jon about his beautiful fan.”
“You know him?” she asked before muttering, “Of course you know him. Just so you know, I may have to smother my sister with a pillow tomorrow night. Sorry you’re going to have to find a new co-star this late into filming.”
Smith was the one laughing this time, but then his expression shifted into a more serious one. “She also told me how you dropped out of college to manage her career.”