“That’s it? Convenience? You weren’t swept away by passion?”
Dev exhaled a smoky plume. “You do remember who you’re talking to, don’t you?”
Funny, he’d expected more from his big brother. But he shouldn’t have. “Do you love her?”
“Like love worked so well for you.” And then Dev winced. “I’m sorry. That was a low blow.”
Love had worked for him. For a while. “Forget it. Did you at least get a prenup, so she won’t take us to the cleaners?”
“What? You think I’m stupid?”
“No. I’m just looking out for our assets.”
“While you’re covering Hudson assets, what have you found out about Dana and Doug Lewis?”
“Nothing yet. I’m working on it.”
“Any progress?”
He wasn’t about to share his strategy. “Some.”
“Let me know what you discover.”
“As soon as I know it myself.” And that meant he needed to turn up the heat and steam some information out of Dana.
And the desire to do so had nothing to do with how hot she looked tonight in that low-cut dress and those killer high heels.
Nothing whatsoever.
But damn, she looked amazing.
Good thing his hunger for her was temporary and could be turned off as soon as Honor hit the screen.
Otherwise, he’d be in trouble.
“The wedding announcement was a surprise,” Dana said from beside Max in the darkened car on the way home from the dinner party.
Max kept his eyes on the winding road. “Yes.”
“Did you know? Did Dev mention his plans at lunch?”
“No.”
He heard her sigh and then the rustle of her dress as she shifted on the seat. Her scent and each sound she made seemed amplified in the quiet confines of the dark car. But the lack of light also kept him from checking out her legs the way he had on the way over to Hudson Manor. He was damned lucky he hadn’t run them off the road.
How had he never noticed she had great legs before tonight?
“Does he realize what an amazing PR opportunity he missed? We could have had free airtime on every network and in a substantial number of magazines and web pages.”
That’s what he liked about Dana. Not only did she think like him, she reacted with logic rather than emotion. Karen had tended to go the opposite—He choked off that thought. He had to stop comparing the women. He’d promised Karen forever. The most he could offer Dana was for now, and then only because she might have the information he needed.
“He knew and he chose not to exercise that option.”
“We could still use it to create a buzz. It could be our slant on making Honor stand out from Willow’s film in case we can’t find out what theirs is about.”
She had a point—one too good to ignore. “I’ll ask Dev to talk to PR. What do you know about Willow’s film?”
He caught her sideways glance in the glare of an oncoming car’s headlights. “You could have asked me that the other night instead of accusing me of sharing information.”
She didn’t miss a beat at his abrupt change of subject. She never did. It was as if she could follow the convoluted twists of his mind. No one else had ever done that. And she was right. He could have asked, but wondering if she’d betrayed him combined with seeing her kiss Lewis had crushed any tact Max might have had.
“I apologize. I should have asked.”
“Doug said Willow’s film is a romance. He didn’t work on the project directly and hasn’t read the script, but from what he’s heard, there are quite a few similarities to Honor. I’m working on—” She stopped abruptly and turned to stare out the dark passenger window.
“You’re working on what?”
“Nothing,” she replied too hastily. “If I find out more, I’ll let you know.”
Dana was lying or holding something back. He wanted to know what and why. “When will you see Lewis again?”
Moments ticked past where the only sound was the car’s tires on the road. “I’m not sure. He’s on recce.”
“But you plan to see him when he returns.” He liked the idea even less now than he had before.
“Yes, Max. I’m going to see him. And you’re going to have to trust that I won’t share Hudson Pictures’s secrets. If you can’t trust me, then you need to fire me.”
Trust her.
He’d trusted her for five years. Why was doing so now suddenly so difficult? Because Hudson Pictures very likely had a leak, and all indicators pointed to Dana as the most likely source. She had the info, the opportunity and the connections.
But did she have the motive?
If so, he hadn’t yet figured out what it was. But until he knew for sure, he couldn’t afford to give her anything that could be used against them.
The stroke of Max’s hand down the length of her hair as they entered his darkened house just before midnight pleasantly surprised Dana.
But when he grasped a handful at her nape and pulled her to a halt he shocked her. Her breath caught. “Max?”
She heard the deadbolt click and then Max slowly reeled her backward, tugging just hard enough to make her nape prickle, but not enough to inflict pain. She never would have thought such caveman antics to be sexy, but the way her body instantly responded proved her wrong. Her skin tingled and her breath and pulse quickened.
He didn’t stop until her back pressed against the length of his front. His chest and thighs were warm, hard and strong as she leaned into him. His breath steamed her cheek a second before his jaw, rough with evening beard, took its place. “Take off your clothes.”
A lightning bolt of hunger made her gasp. “Here? Why?”
“We’re going to take a moonlight swim.”
Not a bad idea, but—“M-my suit is—”
“You won’t need it.” His free hand skimmed from her hip, over her waist to cup her breast. His thumb found her nipple and circled. Her flesh hardened beneath his caress. “Have you ever been skinny-dipping?”
She could barely think with the tangle of desire forming in her belly. “Um…no. What about your neighbors?”
“We won’t turn on the lights.” He released her hair and cupped her other breast with his hand. The dual massage melted her resistance, her arguments, and her ability to form sentences. He gave her a gentle shove into the center of the foyer. “Strip for me, Dana.”
Moonlight streamed through the high windows, angling down on the floor, onto her, like a soundstage key light. Max remained in the shadows.
“Have you ever stripped for a man?” he asked when she hesitated.
Her heart pounded a path up her throat. “No. Not…um like this.”
“Start with that sexy black dress. Take it off.”
Adrenaline hit her with a dizzying rush. Her spinning head had nothing to do with the wine she’d drunk with dinner and everything to do with the words he’d just uttered. But nervousness dried her mouth. Her purse slipped from her fingers and landed at her feet.
She