I’ve read about this sort of thing before.

Lights going off.

Fireworks exploding.

An instant, soul-searing connection.

I’d always rolled my eyes and written it off.

But as Glenn’s tongue licked into my mouth, as his hand slid down my back, aligning my curves to the hard, muscled planes of his body, I saw lights explode behind my eyes. Fireworks went off.

I felt a connection that was unlike anything I’d ever felt.

And more.

My heart was about ready to leap right out of my body.

My body was ready to do whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted, however he wanted.

It didn’t matter that there was a man lying at my feet, or that my fist throbbed from where I’d punched him in the nose, or that he’d grabbed me and tried to kiss me—and who knew else what.

All that mattered was the feel of Glenn’s hands on me and his mouth on mine.

He rocked his hips forward and pleasure burned in my veins, stronger and sweeter than any drug I’d ever touched, making me lightheaded.

Then, as everything in me clamored for more, he slid his hand on my hip up, the heel brushing against the outer curve of my breast.

Yes…I thought. Please…

In the back of my mind, though, a small voice whispered, What are you doing?

Shut up! I shouted at the voice.

What about Florence?

What about…

Shit.

I slid my hands between us.

His chest was hot through his T-shirt, and I could feel his heart racing, pounding every bit as hard as mine.

I wanted to push his shirt up and feel every inch of his skin. He was lean and long, and I wanted to learn his entire body with my hands. My mouth.

But I couldn’t.

“Stop,” I whispered, turning my face from his.

His mouth slid to my ear, and I heard him murmur my name. The sound of his voice, raspy and rough, almost broke me.

“Stop,” I said again, louder, pushing him back.

He tensed. “Maya?”

“We have to…Glenn, we can’t.” It hurt like hell to say those words, and it hurt even more to push him away from me—but I did it.

He let me go almost reluctantly, and when he was a few feet away, I smoothed nervous hands down my clothes.

A low moan came from the man down by our feet. I gave him a scathing look as he rolled onto his hands and knees, then lurched upward. He caught sight of me first and his face folded into an ugly scowl. “You fuckin bit—”

“Watch it,” Glenn said, catching him from behind with his arm around his neck.

The man was shorter than Glenn by several inches, and all Glenn had to do to pick him up was straighten to his full height. The man dangled, his feet kicking, and I gaped at them both, dismayed.

“You want to apologize to her, you hear me?”

The man was going red in the face. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Slowly, Glenn lowered him back down, but he didn’t loosen the hold enough for the man to break free. It didn’t stop the guy from running his mouth though.

“Fuck, she was flirting with me, man. How was I supposed to know you two had a—”

Moving so fast it left my head spinning, Glenn drove a fist into the man’s kidney. Then he jerked him upright again.

I didn’t feel sorry for the guy. He’d grabbed me, slammed me against the wall and tried to kiss me. I’d slammed my foot down on his insole—exactly as I’d learned in a self-defense class—and he’d let me go, but only for a moment. Then I’d plowed my fist into his nose. After what he’d done, I didn’t feel bad to see him getting his ass handed to him at all.

But Glenn was brutally fast, and strong, and it was…mind-boggling. He was definitely not just a pretty face on the big screen.

“You’re going to apologize this time—to her. And if you don’t do it, I’m going to beat you into a bloody, broken pulp.” He said the words with such utter calm, it was more than a little scary.

“Sorry.”

Apparently, my would-be molester thought so, too.

He stared at me with wide eyes, sputtering the word out a second time. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I won’t ever—”

Glenn let him go and shoved him in the back, hard. “Get the hell out of here. Now. And don’t ever let me see you around the set again.”

“I…sir, I work here.”

Glenn glowered at him. “Not on this set you don’t. I see you again, I’ll beat you senseless. Don’t try me.”

The man was gone without another word.

Glenn took a step toward me, eyes hot and intense.

“Don’t,” I said, holding up my hands. “We can’t.” He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “I can’t do this to Florence. I hope you understand.”

Something that looked like confusion flickered across his face, but I took off, moving away as quick as I could—before I changed my mind.

I heard him call my name, but I didn’t slow down and I didn’t look back.

I couldn’t afford to.

* * *

He came inside almost ten minutes after I did.

I wouldn’t look at him.

It was another thing I couldn’t afford to do.

My mouth still burned from his kiss.

My skin still buzzed from his touch.

I wondered if I’d ever be able to kiss another man without tasting him, without comparing that man to Glenn.

I didn’t know, but I was horribly afraid I wouldn’t like the answer.

“So, what do you think?”

I jolted when Florence practically jumped out at me.

I must have looked guilty or something, because she gave me an odd look and reached out to touch my shoulder. “Are you okay? You look like somebody just walked over your grave.”

“I’m fine,” I said automatically. And my voice cracked.

Dammit.

“Honey…”

Everything from the past two days seemed to crash down on me, and I could feel tears burning my eyes. Uncertain about what to say, I waved a hand toward the door, thankful Glenn had already come in. “I was outside. Some man was out there, tried to kiss me. I’m still a little freaked out by it.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my goodness…are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Glenn was staring at me. Hard. I could feel it. Deciding to just go with it, I let my gaze flick in his direction without really looking at him. “Um, Glenn Jackson came out, and at just the right time. He grabbed the guy and pulled him away, then hit him. He must have heard me shouting. He’s a knight in shining armor, that man.”

Florence shot Glenn a quick look, then leaned. “Really? He saved you?” That dazed, dazzled look entered her eyes again, and she pressed a hand to her heart. “Wow. That’s…well, I mean, I hate to hear what happened, but I’m so glad he was there.”

“Me too,” I said softly. And I meant it. I thought I could have handled it, but I was also glad I hadn’t had to find out. Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, I swiped my fingertips under my eyes, catching the few stray tears. “It’s just...left me quite shaken.”

Florence eyed me for a moment longer, then leaned in and hugged me. I hugged her back, needing the plain and simple comfort of a human touch.

The past few days had been too much.

But again, guilt rose, gnawing at me with greedy teeth. I squashed it down. I’d stopped him, hadn’t I? I hadn’t asked him to kiss me, and after my body had gotten over the holy-hell hotness of him, I’d stopped him.

“I’ve got to get back over there.” She gestured toward the set and Glenn.

But he was gone.

The director came scurrying over, his round, pink face at odds with his skinny body. He wrung his hands, looking aggravated. “You’ll have to run through your scenes by yourself for a little bit longer. I sent Mr. Jackson off to wardrobe. Apparently, he was taking a break earlier. We need him to get measured for his wardrobe now. We’re risking falling behind schedule already.”

Florence gave him a benign smile. “Of course.” And when she stepped around him, she kept a wide distance between them.

His beady eyes came to rest on me, and I stayed back. The way he’d swatted her on the butt still lingered in the back of my mind, and if one more man put his hands on me without my okay…

I thought about Glenn.

He hadn’t asked, but I’d been okay with it. Maybe he’d seen it in my eyes. And he’d stopped as soon as I’d told him to.

The director turned on his heel and strode off. Apparently, he’d seen something that very clearly read not okay on my face.

I would have put him on his ass if he’d even tried.

* * *

I’d been in 1962 Hollywood for a week.

It was like living in not just another time, but another world.

Women were treated so…different. There were some men who seemed to almost revere women. I couldn’t go into a room without having men stand up, and I was constantly having them pull out my chair and open doors. I didn’t know how to handle that. But on the flip-side, there were more than a few who thought women were just as a commodity.

Not a day went by without a guy smacking a woman on the butt or sending some honey off to get him some coffee or a snack.

Once—and only once—a guy decided to show his appreciation for my butt and I’d elbowed him in the gut. When he grabbed my arm, I pulled my fist back to hit him.

That was when Glenn had shown up.

Since then, nobody laid a hand on me. And that was when I noticed that when he was around, nobody hassled any female. Women sighed when he entered a room. I’m sure his knight in shining armor bit was only a part of it.

Me, I was having a hard time trying to avoid his eyes. Everywhere I went, it felt like his eyes followed after me.

He wasn’t obvious about it, which was good, but more than once I’d felt him looking at me—and that alone made my heart race, made my breathing catch.

I had to stay away from him.

But it was getting harder and harder to resist him.