Chapter One
Jenna Long, and her fellow passengers, exited from gate five into Melbourne Airport’s congested Arrivals and Departures terminal. The cacophony of voices raised in excitement and frustration made it impossible to think, let alone track down those waiting to meet their loved ones. The four hour flight from Auckland had been uneventful and on time, but there was little to spare. Jenna had to find Cait, and find her quick.
She scanned the sea of anonymous travelers, searching for the face of her friend. A friend she was yet to meet in person. With each long-legged stride, her excitement built. In all her twenty-eight years, she’d never won anything until the package from LunarCon arrived on the courier. The covering letter explained that as part of the terms and conditions, every ticket to a LunarCon event automatically put the purchaser into a draw for a Celestial Platinum Package to a future event of their choice. Included in the package were accommodation, priority VIP passes to panels and backstage meet-and-greets, vouchers for photo ops and autographs, and an invitation to the highly-coveted Celebrity Dinner; the location of which was top secret until two hours beforehand. Since she was the only one Jenna wanted to go with her, Cait had been the first person she told.
The giant digital clock clicked over to ten-forty-two. Eight minutes to find Cait and hop a cab to their hotel, twenty to change and make it back to the auditorium in time for the first panel. They’d be cutting it fine. Yet everything, from the availability of flights to having her teaching plan for the upcoming term organized, seemed cosmically-aligned to bring her here. Why would the universe start messing with her now?
“Jenna!”
Jenna heard her name in an unfamiliar Aussie twang which matched the tone and energy of Cait’s emails. She turned in the direction of the call and was body-slammed by a fast-moving concrete wall.
“Oh, shit! Sorry.”
A deep comforting voice growled in apology as huge hands lashed out, grabbed her biceps and pulled her back on her feet. She teetered a moment more on her two-inch heels but those hands continued to hold tight, biting deeper into her leather-clad arms to keep her safe.
Her senses drowned out the buzz around them and zeroed in to focus on every detail of the man who continued to hold her, still and close, deliciously close, and warm, and solid, and…
He hadn’t said anything other than the curse that’d rolled off his lips. The same lips whose taste had eluded and mocked her in her dreams for the past eighteen months. Jenna knew who he was. Knew by the sound of his voice and the way her breath caught in her throat while her heart beat a frantic tattoo against her ribs. The sweet tension wrapping itself around them was so familiar it made her sob.
He pulled her tighter into the full length of his body, something she’d wanted him to do since…she couldn’t remember when and she didn’t care. She finally raised her chin and gazed into brown eyes, framed by no-nonsense brows and steeped with seductive confidence.
“Jacob?” Jenna asked and rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. A cat could’ve come up with wittier opening lines.
Jacob swayed where he stood, eyes glued to those of the woman he’d looked everyfuckingwhere for. “Jenna?”
He felt her hands curve to his hips in an attempt to steady him and couldn’t silence the whisper of want that escaped his lips at her touch. They felt perfect and made him hunger for more as their warmth seeped through the layers of worn denim, and black designer cotton, to caress his skin beneath.
She was the most damned elusive woman on the planet. And yet, he knew if he asked she’d have a completely simple explanation as to why every avenue he’d tried had failed to produce any leads to her whereabouts. The last thing he wanted was to feel stupid in front of her. So he said nothing and pulled her closer against him. Now Jenna was in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.
“What are you doing here?” He chewed the flesh of his lower lip to avoid rolling his eyes or groaning in embarrassment. Lame, thy name is Jacob.
He watched as she attempted to catch her breath and followed the roll of her slender throat as she swallowed. Deep rose flushed across her cheeks and warm relief settled heavy in his chest. It wasn’t all on him. Whatever it was between them, she was affected too. The knowledge was more than a little heartening.
“A-Adam’s in town.” Jenna stuttered. She’d forgotten he chewed his lip when he was nervous. The desire to rasp her thumb over it and ease it free from his perfect teeth was difficult to ignore. “I came to meet Cait.”
“Right, yeah, of course.” He answered in what he hoped was a casual tone but she hadn’t bought it, and a crease appeared between her eyebrows. His finger itched to smooth it away.
He should’ve known. Adam Chase, Mr Tall-Blue-Eyed-Action-Hero, pulled women like they were moths to his fucking flame. And damned if Jacob could figure out how he did it. It wasn’t as if Jacob didn’t receive female attention. His muscular six-three body, tousled chestnut-brown hair, and predatory grin, pretty much guaranteed him his choice of willing bed partners. But there was no doubt, when it came to photo ops and autograph signings, Adam’s lines were noticeably longer.
They’d been friends since they met on the set of The Sacred Rose. The science fiction soldiers-of-fortune blockbuster that hurled Jacob’s Ethan Fox, and Adam’s Dante Jones into a three-film contract, and the two actors into the global spotlight. It was on a press junket to Australia then New Zealand the previous year where they’d met Jenna during a VIP brunch. He’d been captivated by the redhead with mischief in her eyes and a passion for their characters. It was crystal clear she was hot for him, and he’d been just as eager. Adam had ribbed him the rest of the weekend for being cockblocked by LunarCon’s stupid hands-off clause. He got it, he did. It protected everyone from potential law suits and bad press.
But as he flew back to the States without even her number in his phone Jacob had to agree with Adam. He’d been a fucking idiot, and missed his chance.
♥♥♥
“Jenna!” Cait yelled a second time and worked her way through the mass of bodies like she was swimming in treacle.
Thirty-feet to her left, a tall woman turned her head to answer, mid-length red hair glinting gold in the overhead lighting as she was bowled into by…
Holy shit! Cait couldn’t help the snort of surprised laughter and disbelief that broke free and startled the harassed mother-of-three she was squeezing past. Her week just kept getting better and better.
Cait made her way to the couple, for anyone with eyes could see that’s what they were - standing in each other’s space, oblivious to everything but each other.
“Cait?” Jenna pulled back, offering a grin so bright it momentarily blinded Cait with its intensity.
“You’re here.” Cait grasped Jenna’s hands and shook them while she bounced on the spot. But as she stared into the amused expression of the man watching them, she couldn’t work out if she’d meant the observation for him, or Jenna.
“I made it.” Jenna confirmed in a voice too low for anyone but Cait to hear and leaned into a tight squeeze of a hug, before pulling back to stand stunned between them.
Before the silence could turn more awkward than it already had, Cait pivoted to face the muscle-bound tower of gorgeousness and with a calm she didn’t feel, looked up, and offered her right hand.
“Hi, I’m Cait Dunham. Jenna’s friend.”