Heather pressed her foot down on the gas, heading the truck toward the rear of the empty parking lot. Though she’d never had a real interest in learning to drive, she’d adored the three weeks of lessons Seth had given her, and not just because it meant spending time with him, sneaking off together almost every day to a nearby church lot after shoot. The rush of picking up speed, of having utter control of a vehicle—incredible.

She’d also discovered driving was a good way to blow off steam when she’d had a long day or when she needed to relax, like tonight when she was anxious about her Jenna Markham interview the next day. If she did drugs she’d guess she’d been high when she agreed to do the damn thing. But it wasn’t drugs—it was Seth.

“Now, ease on the brakes.” He sat next to her, his knee bouncing with obvious anxiety.

She threw her foot on the brake pedal, her head lashing forward from the sudden stop.

“Ease! I said ease!” His hand shot out to brace himself on the dash. “You’d think you’d have that down by now.”

“Come on, my way is more fun.” The best part of their lessons was messing with Seth, who seemed to find her preferred method of driving quite stressful.

“It’s more like a roller coaster ride, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily make it more fun.”

“Are you sure? Let’s find out. Hold on!” With a saucy grin, she turned the truck toward the center of the empty lot. Gaining speed she did her best attempt at a donut. “Woo hoo!”

Seth curled his fingers into her thigh, his other hand still gripping the dashboard. “What are you…? Heather! Oh my God, you’re going to kill us. Heather, stop!”

She slammed her foot on the brake again, not because she didn’t know how to slow down, but because she enjoyed seeing Seth’s pained expression.

“Okay, I can’t take this anymore. We’re done for the day. Trade me places.”

“Killjoy.” Heather put the truck in park, turned it off, and scooted out from under the wheel. She inched her dress up so she could move over Seth, who sat in the middle of the bench. But instead of continuing over him, she straddled him and stayed.

“Whatcha doin?” he asked, his hands already finding their way to her ass.

“It seems my teacher’s a little stressed.” She ran her hands down his arms, thrilling in the feel of the tight muscles poking out underneath the sleeves of his T-shirt. “Maybe I can help him relax.”

“Hmm, hard to say since you’re the reason he needs to relax.” He ran his fingers up and down her back in delicious random strokes. “I’m surprised you aren’t stressed, what with your big interview tomorrow and all.”

Heather was definitely nervous about the Jenna Markham interview. She’d turned down the request so many times that when Lexie finally told them ‘yes’ on Heather’s behalf, Jenna’s people had to call back and make sure it was legit. It had been a pretty big change of heart. Before she’d met Seth, Heather would never have considered spilling her guts to Jenna on national television. But now she was sort of okay with the whole idea. More than okay, she was actually looking forward to it.

“The Jenna Markham thing? Piece of cake.”

“Well, then, if you’re stress-free, maybe you can help me join you.”

She smiled, then leaned in to claim his mouth, letting her smile disappear into his. She started the kiss soft and sweet, gently grazing his lips before she let her tongue tango with his, building into a fire that spread through her chest right down to her center.

God, she loved kissing him.

Loved.

That word. Seth had said she wanted to be loved. She hadn’t stopped thinking about it in the three weeks that had followed their camp date. The three glorious weeks that had followed. They had spent every free moment together on set, and though no one said anything, their affair wasn’t a secret from the cast and crew. Good thing everyone had signed non-disclosure agreements, otherwise Seth and Heather would be plastered all over the gossip mags by now.

They were careful off set, always leaving separately, and meeting in private locations. The lot they practiced driving in was always empty. Seth hadn’t been to her house and she hadn’t been to his, still spending their nights apart for fear of a paparazzi bust. Instead, her trailer had become their love nest. There were as many of his possessions there as hers, his clothes littered the bedroom floor, his manly body wash hung in the bathroom caddy. She would live there with him if she could. Holed up with all she ever needed—a kitchen, a bed, and Seth. As it was, they were always the last to leave the lot at night.

It wasn’t lost on her that she’d spent her entire adult life running from the trailer she grew up in and now the trailer that she half-lived in with Seth was her favorite place to be. Ironic and absolutely fine.

And through all their time together—through every shared shower and lunchtime delight—Seth’s word had clung to her. Loved. She had wanted to be loved.

It wasn’t untrue—in fact, it was maybe the truest thing anyone had ever said about her.

But there was so much that was left unsaid, questions that Seth’s comment had sparked. Was he saying that he loved her? Or that he could love her? Or that he wanted to do the action of loving which didn’t necessarily mean the feeling of loving? Or did he simply mean that he knew she wanted to be loved?

He hadn’t brought it up again, and she didn’t try to either. Mostly because before she could address it, she’d have to figure out what she wanted him to mean. More than that, she’d have to figure out how she felt about him.

And that was a mystery she hadn’t yet solved. Not entirely.

She felt things for him, things that weren’t just sexual. She’d gotten past his lack of status and he no longer reminded her of her own history. And the rough sex—she was getting used to that too. Craved it, in fact. She couldn’t wait to be manhandled and played with, even when they’d just gone at it.

But there was still something that held her back from saying the “L” word. She suspected that something had to do with how she felt about herself. How could she love another person when she couldn’t love herself? It was a familiar notion, trite even, but that didn’t keep it from holding weight. Before she could move on with Seth, she’d have to let go. The surprising thing—the amazing, wonderful, magical thing—was that for the first time ever, Seth made her feel like she could. Truly and completely let go.

She was ready.

And her next-day interview with Jenna was the perfect opportunity to both let go and move on. It was time.

But first, she had to get her brave on and ask Seth the question she’d been avoiding.

After one last sweet sweep of his lips with her tongue, Heather put her hands on his shoulders and pushed back. She took a moment to gaze at him, struck not for the first time by how good-looking he was. Reaching her hand up to his face, she rubbed her thumb across his jaw, scruffy from the long day.

He covered her hand with his. “What’s going on in that pretty head? I can hear the wheels turning.”

She brushed her teeth across her lip. “I was just trying to figure out what we’re doing.”

“Well, you were learning to drive, and I was teaching you. Which wasn’t going so hot. Now we’re making out. And that’s going real hot.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She laughed. “I meant, what are we doing?” Her voice lost its volume, not of her own accord. “You and me. Together.”

“Oh. Yeah. I wondered when this conversation would come up.” His eyes remained on hers, which was both reassuring and unnerving.

She grabbed a handful of his shirt in each of her fists, needing something to channel her nervousness into. “It might have come up sooner, but usually another thing comes up and talking gets postponed.”

“That other thing is threatening to come up now too.”

Heather followed his eyes down to his crotch where she already felt movement.

“Down boy, down,” he said.

“Soon, I promise.” Though, she was tempted to forget the talking this time too. Seth’s dick was quite a distraction.

Peeling her eyes and her mind away from his growing erection, Heather returned her stare to his face. “So? Thoughts?”

Seth sank into the seat and moved his hands to run them up and down her bare thighs. When he spoke, it was slowly and with caution. “I think we’re more than just sex. Don’t you?”

In contrast, her response was quick. “Yep. Definitely.” Her eyes flicked back to his stiffy. “Though the sex is really, really awesome.”

“Yes. It is.”

“But there is more to us.” She bit her lip again. “Right?”

“I let you drive my truck. Nobody drives my truck. No matter how good they are in bed.”

“That does imply a certain level of fondness for me.” His hands on her thighs…they were doing crazy things to her. She had to regroup or the conversation would be lost in physical connection. “So then what are we?”

His hands paused. “Are you asking if I’m your boyfriend?”

“Actually, I was asking if I’m your girlfriend.”

He cocked his head. “I’d like to think you are.” He cleared his throat. “I do think you are. I have for a while. But I know that you’re wary about these things. I don’t take what you’ve already given me for granted.”

I do think you are. It was hard to concentrate on everything he’d said after that, she was so giddy after his simple declaration. What had he said? Something about taking it slow for her? “I appreciate that. That you’ve put up with my need to go slow.” Wary, he’d said. “And I am wary. Because of what the media will turn it into. What they’ll say about us. But lately, I don’t really give a shit. They could say whatever they want about me and you, it doesn’t matter. And I…enjoy you so much, I want to tell everyone.” The words tumbled out. She couldn’t have stopped them if she’d wanted to, and she didn’t want to.

His brows rose, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he’d stiffened. “You want to go public about us?”

He wasn’t ready. She’d thought he would be just because she was, but maybe she’d misjudged. “I was thinking maybe. Yeah. In my interview with Jenna Markham tomorrow. Maybe that’s stupid? I’m sorry, I guess I assumed that you would want that, but I don’t want to—”

He cut her off with a finger to her lips. “Heather. Stop it. I didn’t say no.”

“So what do you think?”

His hand trailed down her throat, caressing her skin. “I could think of worse things than being paired with a beautiful and talented movie star.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding, elated by his response, yet still mindful of what she was asking. “You can’t take this lightly. This would be huge.”

“I know.”

“The press can be really uncool. They seriously encroach upon your life.”

“I get it. I’ve thought about it already.”

“You have?”

“I have. How could I not? I’m with you all the time. I see it from the sidelines. It’s brutal, I can tell. And I hate that you go through it alone. I’d be honored to share that spotlight with you.” He stretched forward to rub his nose against hers. “But mostly just because I want to be everywhere with you. And if that means I have to put up with a bunch of dickwads with cameras and gossip mouths, then so be it.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

“Yeah, you’re supposed to do nice things like that for your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend.” A lovely thrill ran through her veins at the word.

Seth leaned back. “Are we too old to be saying girlfriend/boyfriend? Because I am thirty-eight, you know.”

“I’m still twenty-nine, so we’re good.” Wait, she should probably tell her boyfriend her real age. Though she’d never told Collin her real age. Then again, she and Collin were never that serious, and Seth…Seth was different.

“Damn, I’m robbing the cradle,” he said.

Covering her face with her hand, she said more to herself than to him, “It’s not a good idea to start an official relationship with a lie.”

Seth tensed. “What did you say?”

She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She didn’t ever tell anyone her real age. “I’m not really twenty-nine. I’m thirty-three.”

“What?”

“Twenty-nine is what’s on my resume. Thirty-three is what’s on my birth certificate.”

He relaxed and laughed a wonderful sexy laugh that made her thighs tickle. “My girlfriend lies about her age? That’s great.”

“Girlfriend.” Was it possible she’d never tire of that word? Just hearing Seth say it made her girl parts squeeze with need. “I really like the sound of that.”

“Me too.”

“I mean, really, really.” In the small cab of the truck, she could smell her desire. “Like, I have to have you. Like now.” She sat forward and began kissing up his neck and underneath his jaw. And could she help it if her pelvis was suddenly twitchy causing her to wriggle on his lap?

“I can’t argue with that.” She felt him grow harder underneath her, but he didn’t kiss her back. And he was still talking. “But Heather, before you go public about us, I have to…we have to talk.”

“Um-hmm.”

He grabbed her face between his hands and waited until she looked up from under her heavy lids. “I mean it. We have some things that need to be said.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She was sure she knew what he wanted to talk about—the details of how their relationship would work in front of the media. It wouldn’t be easy, and talking about it more was a good idea. “But not now. Now I want you.”

He considered for a moment. “Okay.” He sounded resigned. “Get off me so I can drive us someplace.”

“No.” She dug her nails through his shirt into his chest. “I want you here. Now.”

“Are you sure?”

Heather saw the desire in his eyes. She knew his hesitation was about her. “Right here, right now.”

“It’s not quite dark yet. Someone could—”

“I don’t care. Fuck me.”

“Well, damn. I can’t argue with that proposition.” He took her then—fiercely—stealing her breath as he licked into her mouth and sucked at her lips.

Heather closed her eyes, happy to let Seth take over, his body telling her what to do and how to feel. It never ceased to amaze her how freeing it was to become a slave to him, to give in completely, to surrender to his love. Perfection.

His hands reached to the straps of her dress, tugging them down her arms. They broke their embrace just long enough for her to slip free, the material at her torso falling below her breasts.

“Lean back,” he told her now. “Put your elbows on the dashboard.”

She did as he said, shaking with anticipation as she rested against the dash.

“Good girl.” He pulled the cups of her bra down underneath her breasts, exposing her already alert nipples. He licked his lips and she longed for him to put his mouth on her bosom, to tug and bite as he liked to. But he didn’t, not yet.

He sat back and made a sound of approval. “You’re so goddamn gorgeous like that. Your tits on display just for me. One day I’m going to put you in handcuffs so I can spend all the time I want on those tits and you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it except moan and come.”

Fuck, when he talked dirty to her she was a goner. And handcuffed? She’d sign up for that in a heartbeat. “I own a pair.”

“You do?” His hands crept under her dress, his eyes locked on hers.

“They’re fur-lined.” She twitched as his touch reached the thin crotch of her thong. “They were supposed to be my prop at the plays. I left them in the car that night.” His fingers slipped under the material, finding her tender skin. “Ah! Hence why I needed your drill.” Her speech was breathy and likely incoherent. She had no idea why she was even attempting conversation.

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. We’ll put them to use.” His thumb settled into rubbing a circular pattern on her clit. Without removing his hand, he leaned forward and took a breast into his mouth, tugging with his teeth. “And what about now?” he asked, briefly releasing her nipple. “Do you still need my drill?” He resumed his play, moving his free hand up to squeeze her other breast as he sucked and bit the one already in his mouth.

A fleeting thought of being really impressed by his extraordinary hand and mouth coordination was buried by the more urgent need to have him between her legs. “If you mean do I need your cock, then yes, I do.” And oh, did she. Was there a word that meant needier than need? Because whatever that word was, that was how much she needed him.

“Ask for it.”

And now he wanted her to talk more? “Seth, I need you.” She shifted her weight to lift a hand to his hair, an awkward move with her body still braced against the dash and her pussy going crazy from his ministrations. “I need your cock,” she panted. “I need your mouth. I need you.”

“Ask.” He increased the pressure on her clit and relaxed the sucking, a combination that threatened to throw her over the edge.

“Please, Seth. Please. God, I’m about to come.”

“Wait.” Seth released her abruptly and sank into the back of the bench leaving a cold emptiness in the places he’d been touching her. “I want to come with you.” His hands fumbled with his jeans. Then he wriggled them down enough to release his cock. It sprung out of its denim prison, hard and long. She could see it throb as he put a hand around her to pull her closer, his other hand returning to her crotch to move the fabric away from her opening.

He tucked the tip of himself inside her and brought her upper body toward him so that their mouths were only separated by a few inches. “Come with me,” he said.

She nodded weakly and he plunged in. In, in, so far in. Sitting on top of him, straddling him like she was, she could feel him so entirely; feel him so deeply as he moved inside her. She moaned, already close to orgasm. She could go now, before he even pulled back out.

But he’d asked her to come with him and even though she could probably come now and again with him, she accepted the challenge to wait. For all the time he’d spent waiting for her to get her shit together, she could wait for him this once.

Seth controlled the activity, even with Heather on top. He placed a strong hand on each side of her hips and brought her body up and down on his cock. She helped as much as she could, as much as he’d let her; pushing up with her thigh muscles which were already quivering from the effort it took to keep from releasing before he was ready.

He’d be there soon, she was certain. His tempo was brisk, his pelvis pumping into her rapid fire, his expression strained with intense focus. It was hot and so erotic to be face to face with him, to watch him work so hard for this thing he desired—this thing that was her, this thing that would be shared just between them. The connection between them at that moment, it was nearly too much.

She was done for.

Her orgasm overtook her slowly, starting with the clenching of her thighs and ass, then spread down her legs like a gathering storm until it reached her feet. Then her toes were curling and she was screaming, screaming his name, falling limply into his arms.

And while she did, while her skin and bones disintegrated into a blaze of heat and combustion, Seth came with her. His moans became a poetic harmony to her screams, his taut muscles a perfect brace for her languid body, his touch a salve for her burning skin.

She recovered slowly, her head buried in his chest where the thud of his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing fell in sync with her own. She felt unspoken words between them, things they both needed to say but which seemed trite after the poignancy of what had already been said with their lips, their bodies.

I love you.

Those were her unspoken words. They were on the tip of her tongue, itching to be voiced, the only urge left in the wake of her post-orgasm. It wasn’t time yet, though. One more thing she had to do first—the interview. Then. Then she could move on. Then there would be time for all the I love you’s.

Maybe even a lifetime of them.