Permanently though? Actually that’s not a bad idea. Waking up to Jess every day certainly wouldn’t be a hardship. That’s if I even manage to keep hold of the house.
Her tongue swipes along her bottom lip while she considers this. “Stay with you? I don’t know… this is all a bit—”
“Sudden?” I swipe a thumb over that damp lip. “Yeah, it is. I was a dick. And I don’t doubt if things were different we would be moving at a slower pace and I’d be doing my best to make things up to you.” Then I recall her soft flesh pressed against me and grab her ass. “Then again, maybe not.” She laughs, the sound swirling through me and setting warmth alight in my chest. “Look, I’m not asking you to make any decisions. I know you’ve been alone for a long time. Just let me keep you safe and when this is over we can talk about us.”
“And what? Have a normal relationship?” Sadness dims those green eyes. “I don’t think things will ever be normal with me. What if your friends find out? Or what if we have kids and they find out or their friend’s find out?”
I silence her with a swift kiss before drawing back. “Slow down. Firstly, my friends will accept you no matter what, because if they don’t, they’re no friends of mine. Anyway, you know they’re good guys and if you make me happy—”
“Do I?”
“Hell, yeah. Too happy.” She wriggles against me and I hiss. “I can’t think straight around you and I need to think straight.”
“What about your job? Won’t it affect your reputation, dating a porn star?”
“My personal life has nothing to do with my job.”
“Am I going to get in the way?”
I don’t know if she means now or later on in my life. I squeeze her. “Never.”
Soft fingers trace swirls over my chest. “I really don’t think you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”
“I know that you’re sweet,” I kiss her nose, “and sexy,” then her chin, “and funny,” now her cheek, “and you drive me insane and you work too hard and you’re stubborn and independent.” Finally I kiss her lips and her tongue darts out to meet mine. I surrender briefly to the kiss. “I know you’re a whole host of trouble, but I also know you’re worth it. But maybe you don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for with me.”
“Maybe I don’t.” Jess’s lips tilt. “But I’d like to find out.”
It’s obvious where this is going. I’m hard, she’s hot and willing. If my libido had its way, I’d lock her in a room and do nothing but make love to her but I need to gain back my focus. If I’m going to protect her, I can’t be wanting to fuck her every two minutes.
I force myself away and slide out of the bed, ignoring her pouty expression. “Get your stuff packed and we’ll head back to mine.”
Her gaze tracks me as I dress. It takes every ounce of control not to jump back in bed with her. But not only do I need to protect her, I have to show her it’s not just about sex. Do the honourable thing and all that.
I bend to give her a quick kiss on the lips. “Now, get dressed and packed.” Before she can tempt me further, I leave the bedroom.
The DVD that triggered it all still sits on the side. She won’t want me looking at it and I sure as hell don’t even want to think about the content but something caught my eye yesterday. It didn’t look like a normal DVD you’d pick up in a shop. The cover isn’t professional and when I turn it over there’s no barcode on the back.
“What are you doing?”
I turn to see her in a robe, clutching her arms around her waist. “Jess…”
“Hunter, please throw that away.” Her eyes glimmer.
It seems I haven’t assured her enough that her past doesn’t matter. I close the gap and fold her into my embrace. The coconut smell of her makes my knees judder. “It’s okay. Look, I wanted to see if it could tell us anything.”
She stares up at me. “Other than the fact I was a porn star?”
“The cover is strange. Do you know why?”
Jess glances at the DVD and winces at the sight before snapping her gaze back to me. “It’s a studio only copy. It was never meant to be distributed. The stuff I did would only ever have been online. Not worth making DVDs of girls who aren’t well known.”
“So how did someone get a hold of it?”
Her mouth drops open slightly and her brows knit. “I don’t know.” She puts a hand to her mouth, steps back. “Only someone from the production company could have got hold of this.”
“That explains how they know about your past.”
“But how did they find me?”
“Coincidence? I realize you’ve tried to hide yourself but there’s no mistaking your face, Jess. If someone knew you, I’m sure they’d recognize you.” Unfortunately, I know that for sure, but I’m not going to tell her that now.
“It’s someone at the studio doing this. It must be.”
“Can you think of anyone who might want to do this?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not sure. I met lots of people. Some of them were nice, many weren’t but I didn’t think I’d made any enemies. Unless…”