The Downfall of a Good Girl. Kimberly Lang
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to life.
Even she had to admit—privately, of course—that Connor was freakin’ gorgeous. Broad shoulders, lean hips, a smile that caused feminine flusters every single time…A woman would have to be blind or dead not to appreciate him based on looks alone, and she was neither. She wasn’t ignorant or denying of his attributes; she was just immune to them because she knew him.
Wow, it was getting hot in here. The man radiated heat like a generator. Vivi had to fan herself. She did not want to go on TV all sweaty and red-faced. The climate controls were next to Connor, out of her reach unless she wanted to crawl across his lap, so she’d settle for cracking a window for fresh air.
The windows on her side of the car didn’t seem to open, so that meant she’d have to open the ones on the other side. But Connor’s legs blocked easy access to those controls, too. Who designed this vehicle? She should just wake him up, but that would seem petty and she was not going to be petty.
At least outwardly. Inwardly was a different situation.
Vivi slid to the edge of the seat, pushed up, placed one knee in her seat and lifted the other leg over Connor’s. She was reaching for the handle on the other side to pull herself over without touching him when the driver braked hard, jerking her forward and then backward as the car came to a stop.
Vivi lost her balance and fell back, landing hard and ungracefully in Connor’s lap.
Connor had merely been dozing, but the sudden stop of the car jerked him awake a split second before Vivi landed in his lap.
His arms went around her instinctively to steady her as she slid sideways, and his first ridiculous thought was that Vivi was a nice armful. She was small, but compact: the butt pressed against his groin was firm, and the thigh under his hand lean and strong. The curves he’d admired the other day felt even better than they looked. His body tightened and his skin heated at the contact.
Vivi’s head was just below his shoulder, and the light floral scent that always faintly surrounded her filled his lungs as he inhaled. He could feel her heartbeat and realized that his other hand had landed directly on her breast; the soft curve filled his palm perfectly. Something flashed through him, landing in his lap with as much force as Vivi had.
He moved his hand away, brushing her hair out of her face instead. “You okay?” he asked as he uncovered her mouth.
“I’m fine.” She scrambled to an upright position and scooted off his lap into the seat beside him and began finger-combing her hair back into place.
The privacy screen slid open and the driver’s concerned face appeared. “Sorry about that. Some idiot ran the light. You two okay?”
“I think so,” Vivi answered, but her voice was a little shaky. “Connor?”
“Fine,” he answered. While it seemed like Vivi had been in his lap for a long time, he realized only a few seconds had actually passed. Still, though, his body had reacted like a horny teenager’s, as if he’d never touched a girl before.
This was Vivi, for God’s sake.
He shifted in the seat, trying to find a more comfortable position while he got it back under control.
Vivi’s face was flushed, and he noticed her hands were shaking the tiniest bit. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, really.” As the car started forward again Vivi moved to the other seat. “I was trying to get across to open the window when we stopped. Sorry I landed on you.”
Maybe it was a little warm in here. He jumped on the excuse and pushed the button to lower the window. Fresh air filled the car, dispersing both the heat and the tension in the air. “Better?”
“Much.”
Vivi swallowed hard, and when she lifted her eyes to meet his and smile her thanks, he noticed how wide they were. How the pupils had dilated until the blue was a thin circle. Color still flagged her cheeks, and her breath had a ragged edge.
Vivi couldn’t hold the look or the smile, and she began to dig in her bag, emerging with lipstick and a mirror. Her hands still weren’t steady, and she concentrated on the task like it was the most important thing she’d ever done.
He hadn’t been the only one affected by those few seconds, and it looked like Vivi was still riding the shockwave. That knowledge slammed into him, and the air felt warm again.
“Oh, look—we’re here.” Vivi spoke rapidly, with relief dripping off her words, and she had the door open before the car came to a complete stop in front of the studio. “I’m going to run in and freshen up real quick before we go on air.” Then she bolted for the building like the hounds of hell were on her heels.
Honestly, he didn’t blame her at all.
Vivi needed to splash cold water on her face, but that would only make her mascara run and then she’d look like a raccoon during the interview. She settled for wetting a paper towel and running it over her neck and under the collar of her shirt to cool her skin.
Checking under the stall doors for feet and seeing none, Vivi let her breath out in a deep sigh and braced her hands on the counter.
Sweet mercy.
I was in his lap.
And his hand was…
And the other was…
Oh, she knew exactly where each hand had landed. She felt branded from the touch.
His hands weren’t the only part of him that had burned into her skin. Her butt had…He’d…She’d… Dear heaven, she couldn’t have landed in that exact position if she’d tried.
Mortified wasn’t a strong enough word.
Maybe if she hadn’t been ogling him just seconds before she might not now feel like she’d intentionally given him a lap dance.
That was bad enough, but worse was the realization that for a split second she’d enjoyed the embrace.
And so did he, a little voice said. The evidence had been impossible to miss.
But then she’d fluttered and stammered and…Ugh. She’d seen that look: he knew. And with his ego…
Her quick wish that the floor would open and swallow her went ungranted. Instead she dug for a comb and tried to repair the damage she’d done to her hair with her fingers earlier. After a critical look, she shrugged and let it go at presentable. Hopefully that flush would fade before they went on camera, but considering she was going to have to face Connor, she’d probably look like a ripe tomato all through the interview.
Connor was a hottie, but she was immune. She was not so shallow as to allow good looks and an amazing body sway her. She liked men with substance.
Somebody tell that to my libido.
“Vivienne?” A young woman poked her head around the door. “If you’re ready, we really need to get you miked.”
“Coming.” Vivi checked her teeth for lipstick in a last-ditch stall for time, but she really had no choice but to follow the woman out into the hallway.
Connor stood about twenty feet away by the studio door, autographing a CD case. He handed it and the pen back to the waiting fan, then smiled as a third person snapped a photo. He looked up as the woman shooed the other two away. His eyes met Vivi’s briefly before he looked away.
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