Dash had seen beauty. As a director, it was what he did: searched out the perfect shot, the best lighting to frame the moment up there on screen. That split second when the image right in front of you told a thousand stories, conveyed more emotion and passion than words ever could alone.

But he’d never seen anything as stunning as the sight of Ellie’s face as she came undone. The light, dazzling in her eyes, the flush of her skin, and the slow aching part of her perfect lips as she exhaled a silent cry of ecstasy.

He wanted to capture it, frame it. Burn it into his memory for the rest of his life—and make her look at him that way all over again.

Right now.

He shut off the water and gently guided her from the shower. Dash wrapped them both in fluffy towels as Ellie seemed to surface back to reality. She gave him a breathless smile.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Dash echoed, dropping a kiss on her lips. He was so turned around—and turned on—he couldn’t think straight. “Bedroom?”

“That way.” Ellie led him down the hallway to her room, shutting the door behind them. Right away, he peeled her towel off again, revealing that gorgeous expanse of smooth, damp skin. God, he could lose himself in her and never come up for air.

Ellie reached for him, smoothing her hands over his chest. She leaned closer, a teasing smile on her face. “Your turn,” she whispered, pushing him down on the bed and sinking to her knees.

Dear Lord.

Dash didn’t know what he did to deserve this, but as Ellie’s gorgeous mouth slid over him, the last coherent thought he could muster was, thank you. Whatever twist of fate led him to this woman, it was a goddamn miracle.

And what she was doing with her tongue…

He groaned, falling back against the pillows. The world disappeared, contracting to just that room, that moment, and the slow slide of her mouth, teasing him to breaking point. Dash tangled his fingers in her hair, finding the maddening rhythm and holding on for dear life. Dan, she was incredible, but there was no way he wanted this to end, not until he had her crying out his name.

He pulled her away, gasping.

Ellie gave him a mischievous smirk. “Can’t stand the heat?” she teased. She retrieved a condom from her top dresser drawer then came to straddle him on the bed, carefully tearing open the packet and sheathing him in one swift seductive motion. Dash kissed her, hard, as her grip lingered. She nipped his lower lip.

“God, I want you,” she breathed, the most perfect words he had ever heard.

Dash leaned in and kissed her, but just as her body moved to meet him, he pulled away.

“Not so fast, sweetheart. I’m just getting started,” he told her, suddenly rolling her beneath him on the bed. He pinned her hands up above her head, loving the damp slide of her bare skin. Ellie squirmed beneath him, the light of desire still bright in her eyes.

He slowly kissed his way down her neck again, savoring every taste. He took his time, lavishing attention until she was squirming beneath him, gasping in breathy little pants that make him ache to have her.

Not yet.

Dash kissed lower, swirling his tongue over her ribcage and into the hollow of her bellybutton. Ellie’s stomach tensed, and he smiled against her.

That’s right. You know what’s coming.

Lower still, he make her wait, dropping gentle whispers of a kiss down over the curve of her hip and thighs. Ellie parted her legs, restless, inviting, but still Dash tormented her, licking up her inner thighs then moving away to kiss her stomach, her knees.

Ellie made a noise, part moan, part pure frustration.

He lifted his head. “How are you doing up there?”

“Just fine,” she said, but he could see the impatient clench in her jaw. “I could do this all day.”

Dash chuckled. “Excellent.”

God, she was beautiful. And even though he’d planned to tease her longer, he couldn’t hold back. He settled between her legs and licked up against her in a slow, deep stroke. Ellie gasped, and then her body was arching up against him. He lapped at her, savoring the feel of her body, every movement, every touch answered with a ripple of sensation. Faster, he couldn’t hold back, not with her moans of pleasure driving him on and her body twisting tighter, needing more.

“Please,” she was moaning. “Dash, please.”

His pulse beat like a wild drum in his ears, power surging through him as he dug his fingertips into her lush thighs and took them both higher. Deeper, faster, until she was writhing beneath him.

“Oh god,” her voice rose. “Dash!”

The pure need in her voice made him break. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He reared up, pulling her closer and burying himself deep in that sweetness with one wild thrust.

Ellie broke around him in a heartbeat, coming with a cry that was swallowed up by his kiss. Dash groaned, the heat and friction driving him so close to the edge it took everything he had not to come undone. He moved again, and this time, she moved with him.

God.

Ellie’s mouth found his, a deep, soulful kiss as her arms came around him, her hands sliding over his body, driving him on.

He couldn’t hold back; the heat was consuming them both. He surged into her, over and over, until the tension was too much, coiled and ready to be unleashed, and with a final moan, Ellie came undone again.

“Dash!”

The sound of his name on her lips took him over the edge. With a final thrust, he let go, drowning in the explosion of pleasure. It ripped through him, a tidal wave destroying everything in its path, and building him back up, a new man.

Her man.

Dash didn’t know how long he lay there, but damn, if he never moved again, he would be just fine with that.

He rolled over. Ellie was lying collapsed, half under the covers, her eyes closed and a look of sheer bliss on her face. Dash felt a surge of manly pride. He’d put that smile there—and he was going to do it a dozen more times before he left.

He leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder. She answered in a muffled voice.

“I’m hungry.”

Dash chuckled. “This is the part where you’re supposed to be murmuring sweet nothings in my ear.”

Ellie turned her face to him. “You’re right.” She grinned, then dropped her tone to a seductive whisper. “Baby, I’m hungry.”

“Better.” He gently brushed hair from her cheek. The silky strands were tousled around her face like a halo on the pillow. “You got any food here?”

“Leftovers, in the fridge.” Ellie groaned, and half-heartedly tried to sit up. “It’s so…far…away…”

He laughed. “Is that a hint?”

She grinned and collapsed again. “You writers, you’re so perceptive.”

Dash swung his legs down and winced as his bare feet hit the cold floorboards. “What do you want?”

Ellie yawned. “Chips, and dip… And there’s some cake too, in the bread bin. Tea, ooh, and ice cream.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“What?” she protested, giving him a good-natured shove. “I worked up an appetite.”

“Yes, you did.” Memories of that work flood Dash’s brain—and rushed south too. He got up before he had second thoughts and pinned her down for another round. “You’ll need your energy back soon,” he warned her. “I’m just getting started.”

“Promises, promises.” Ellie laughed, giving him a playful spank as he reluctantly pulled on a bathrobe, and left her gorgeous and naked in her warm bed.

The things men did to provide for their woman.

Dash made his way to the kitchen and hunted down her requests. His stomach rumbled loudly, approving of the fuel break. Still, food was a necessary evil right now compared with gorging on Ellie’s delicious body. He couldn’t wait to go back and finish what they’d started—over and over again.

She drove him crazy, a desire like nothing he’d ever felt before, but it was more than that too. She was fascinating, captivating, and he would do anything to figure out what made her tick. Just like unraveling a character in one of his movies, Dash wanted to know what drove her, what excited her—and how he could make it happen and put that irresistible smile on her face every damn day for the rest of their lives.

Hold up.

He stopped his renegade thoughts from running away from him. Take it slow, figure it out, he reminded himself, but still, he couldn’t help wondering what came next. This wouldn’t just be a one-time thing, a vacation fling; there was no way that would ever be enough. Already, he could picture her in LA, soaking up the sunshine—taking off on those adventures she’d been planning so long, showing her all his favorite haunts by day, and exploring her gorgeous body every night.

Dash had never been reckless when it comes to women, but right now, he was ready to take a shot and do whatever it took to make this chance encounter something real. If there was one thing he’d learned from spending his life absorbed in other people’s stories it was this: you could sleepwalk through your entire life waiting for something more; an extraordinary moment; an undeniable connection. And if you were lucky enough to find that special something balanced on a stepladder hanging tinsel on a Christmas tree?

You grabbed hold tight, and you didn’t let go.

He put the water on to boil for tea, then assembled a tray with the rest of her requests. “You better get ready for a sugar crash,” he called ahead, maneuvering out of the kitchen. “Because this lot will wipe you out.”

He headed back towards her bedroom, but a flash of color made him turn. Ellie was in the living room, wrapped up in a massive red toweling robe. Dash changed direction and set the tray down on the table. “You got the fire started, perfect,” he said, looking forward to getting her out of that robe once it warmed up.

Ellie didn’t reply. She was sitting on the couch—and he realized she had a laptop open in her lap.

“Hey, no work, you’re officially off-duty,” Dash scolded her.

“You’re not.”

Her words were brittle and ice cold, and they stopped him in his tracks. Then he realized, it wasn’t her computer she was looking at—it was his.

“What are you talking about?”

“The camera zooms in on ALLY, twenty-two, a flame-haired siren with a secret sweetness.” Ellie’s voice was scathing. Accusing.

Dash felt a chill.

The words were familiar. He’d written them only a couple of days ago.

She was reading his script.