“Let’s hope so. I need to look good today.”
“You always do.” Lauren took in the shapely behind that peeked out from beneath the towel.
“Maybe.” Grace sighed. “But it’s different now that the press knows about us. Every paparazzo in Hollywood will take about a million photos of Grace Durand and her lesbian lover.”
Lauren swallowed around the lump lodged in her throat. As a former publicist, she had a lot of experience with the press, but so far, she had always been behind the camera, not in front of it. “I think we should—”
Grace let her towel drop to the floor and stood in front of the closet completely naked. Sunlight streamed in through the skylight, making her skin—flushed with the heat from her recent shower—seem to glow.
Lauren forgot what she’d been about to say as she stared at Grace. Her gaze tracked a single drop of water that ran down the long lines of Grace’s neck. God, does she have any idea how beautiful she is?
When Lauren fell silent, Grace glanced over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow at her. “You think we should do what?”
Go back to bed and forget about the premiere and the paparazzi. “Uh, never mind.”
Grace stretched with feline sensuality and walked over to the dresser in the corner of the loft.
Nearly hypnotized, Lauren watched the soft sway of her hips.
Once Grace reached the dresser, she bent a little and opened one of the drawers, directing Lauren’s attention to her firm ass. Then she turned, her breasts swaying enticingly, and slipped a pair of dark red panties up first one long leg, then the other. The smooth silk slid over her skin with a seductive slowness.
Lauren’s mouth went dry. She leaned forward on the bed so she could take in every sensual detail.
Grace swiveled back to the drawer and bent over it. When she straightened and turned, she held a strapless bra and slung it around her back with practiced ease. Her fingers moved slowly to the front clasp and closed it; then she cupped her own breasts, settling them into the cups.
Heat swept through Lauren’s body. She had thought that nothing could be more erotic than watching Grace take off her clothes, but this reverse striptease was making her breath catch and her heart beat triple-time.
The rustle of silk teased her senses as Grace lifted the off-the-shoulder dress over her head and let it slide down her body with excruciating slowness. Somehow, she managed not to get it tangled in the hair clip. The dress settled around her curves, cradling her like the hands of a lover, and Grace smoothed her palms over her hips. Every movement seemed to linger for a second longer than strictly necessary.
Was Grace playing with her, putting on a show to tease her? Lauren wasn’t sure. Grace’s expression was innocent and self-absorbed, as if she was completely unaware of Lauren’s rapt attention, but then again, she wasn’t a three-time Golden Globe winner for nothing.
The fabric stretched over her ample chest as Grace reached up. She took out the hair clip and set it on the dresser. Her long, blonde tresses cascaded onto her bare shoulders. Grace looked up and met Lauren’s gaze. Her full lips curled into a knowing smile, and there was a twinkle in her ocean-blue eyes.
She knew exactly what she was doing. Tease.
“Ready?” Grace asked.
The low, intimate tone of her voice sent a shiver through Lauren. “Oh, yeah.”
Grace quirked a smile. “I meant, are you ready to go?”
Nothing was further from Lauren’s mind than leaving the cottage and having to share Grace with hundreds of fans and paparazzi. “It’s not your premiere. We could stay home.”
“You know we can’t,” Grace said, regret obvious in her voice. “The media will make up all kinds of stories about Nick and me having a falling-out over my newfound sexual orientation if I don’t show up at his premiere. Zip me up?” She walked over to Lauren, a swing in her step, and presented her back.
Lauren regarded the zipper through narrowed eyes. Why would she cover up this beautiful body when all she wanted was to see more of it, to caress, kiss, and worship every part of it? She got up from the bed and stepped closer—close enough to feel the heat of Grace’s body against her own, even through her clothes. “There’s a problem.”
Grace craned her neck and peered over her shoulder. “What problem? Is there a stain on the dress?”
“No. But you did this all wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Yeah.” Lauren moved even closer, her chest now brushing against Grace’s half-bare back, separated just by the thin material of Lauren’s blouse. “You didn’t do this in the correct order. See, this is how it’s done.” She reached out and trailed her fingertips over Grace’s hips, allowing herself to enjoy the smooth silk and the heat she could feel beneath it for a moment before sliding the dress down. With her lips, she followed its path and placed a string of soft kisses along Grace’s spine.
Grace clutched the dress to her chest before it could drop to the floor. “We don’t have time for this,” she said in a halfhearted protest. “We need to get going.”
“You need to take the dress off to make it down the ladder anyway.” Lauren kissed Grace’s shoulder blade and then lightly licked it. “I’m just helping.”
“Helping?” Grace laughed. “Your kind of help will make us late.”
Lauren shrugged. She moved the soft hair aside, pressed her lips against the nape of Grace’s neck, and swirled her tongue over the warm skin. A contented hum escaped her as she breathed in the peach aroma of Grace’s shampoo and the even more appealing scent that was all her.
Goose bumps broke out all over Grace’s body.
Delighted, Lauren traced them with her lips and tongue. She coasted her fingertips down Grace’s sensitive sides until the dress, which was now pooling around Grace’s hips, stopped her. “God, Grace, I want to touch you all over.” She nipped one shoulder with her teeth. “But if you really think we should get going…”
The dress landed in a heap on the floor. “We have to make this quick,” Grace said, her voice rough.
“No problem. I can do quick.” After Grace’s little dress-tease, she was more than ready.
Grace tried to turn and step out of the pool of fabric around her ankles, but Lauren stopped her by wrapping both arms around her from behind. “Oh no. Stay just like this. I’m directing this scene.”
“You’re a screenwriter, not a director.” Grace again tried to turn around.
Lauren trapped her against her own body. “Up here, I get to be whatever I want. Today, I want to be a director.”
A visible shudder went through Grace.
Lauren grinned, knowing how hot Grace found it when she took control.
“A rather hands-on director, I hope,” Grace said.
“Oh yeah. Very hands-on.” Lauren splayed both hands over Grace’s hips, enjoying the feel of the sensuous curves beneath her palms, and pulled her even closer until their bodies were pressed against each other all along their lengths, Grace’s bare back against her breasts. For a moment, she wished she were naked and could feel every inch of Grace’s skin sliding against her own, but she knew if she undressed now, they’d never make it to the premiere, so she focused on Grace. Lightly, she scraped her teeth up the side of her neck, lingering for a moment to kiss the pounding pulse under her lips and to taste her skin.