Louisa George - Hot Docs On Call - Hollywood Heartthrobs

But Jake caught her up and pulled her to a complete halt. ‘What...? You think...? Me? With Cameron? Are you for real?’

‘It wouldn’t be the first time that has happened to me.’

‘Hell, no. You’ve totally got this upside down. Not at all. Not at all. I was asking...’ again the serious frown and a pause ‘...to see who would be on the private plane, who to expect generally. How many people I have to look after.’ He gave an embarrassed wince because clearly he wasn’t convincing anyone with that line. ‘But really? Has that happened before? A guy has taken you out so you could introduce him to Cameron?’

‘Yep. One too many times.’ Lola closed her eyes briefly at the memory, the sharp sting of betrayal. How gullible she’d been...and was continuing to be. Would she never learn? ‘But she is very beautiful and rich and famous and on another level. Why wouldn’t anyone be attracted to her?’

Conversely, then, why would anyone be interested in her?

Jake’s jaw stiffened, his eyes blazing in the streetlight, his grip on her arm firm. ‘I am not attracted to Cameron Fontaine.’

‘Then you must be blind.’

Strangely, out of nowhere a smile formed on his lips. ‘Oh, no, my vision is perfect.’

‘Then you must be gay.’ Please, for the love of all women, including Cameron Fontaine if absolutely necessary, do not be gay.

‘No way.’ He stepped closer, so she could see his chest rising and falling, could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. Could smell the most exquisite scent of man and medicine and spice.

‘Then what...?’

‘Then this.’ And he was suddenly too close. Not close enough. He pulled her to face him and his fingertips lifted her chin. ‘This, Lola.’

His mouth pressed against hers, gently at first, and her body responded in a flush of heat that pooled deep in her core. Every part of her craved him, craved to touch him, to kiss him, to feel him against her.

Initial instinct told her that she shouldn’t kiss him back, but something deeper, something intense had her opening her mouth and tasting him. And he tasted good. So good. She felt as inquisitive as the doomed teenagers stepping into the dark basement, and as filled with adrenalin. Knowing, like them, she was headed to disaster but doing it anyway.

She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as his tongue slid past her lips, stoking the furnace that had lit inside her. She moaned at the pleasure of him filling her mouth, of the curling clench in her gut, at the sensations that ran up and down her spine, just being in his arms.

Leaning her against her car door, his hands cupped her face and he pressed harder against her, kissing her open-mouthed, and wet and hungry. She could feel how much he wanted her. How much he wanted something from her.

And like listening to an old-fashioned vinyl record scratching to a stop, she felt a visceral catch as her body stiffened. She put her hands on his chest and pushed a little away from him. ‘Stop. No. This...this isn’t...’

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ But he didn’t let her go as he hauled in deep ragged breaths, kissed the top of her head and stayed close.

‘I can’t stop thinking about Cameron and there are too many questions racing in my head. Too many reasons not to do this. Please, I think you should just go.’

‘Lola, believe me, this is not about Cameron. She is the furthest thing from my mind. I don’t want to go. I want to stay right here, doing this.’

* * *

Damn it. Jake’s hands dropped from her face as he struggled to control his breathing. God, she was hot. He couldn’t describe the way he felt with her pressing against him, kissing him. The fun she found in her life despite everything, the positive spin, the humility. She was a bundle of energy that he wanted to capture, to slow down, to have in his bed. And he’d blown it by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Each time he thought he knew what he was doing, things took a very unexpected turn.

Error number one: inviting Lola out for dinner in the first place, when he should have gone home and packed for the break he clearly needed. Because, no matter what he might have said about it being a non-date, the words and the reality were on two very opposing sides.

Error number two: mentioning Cameron at such a defining moment. He’d been thinking about trying to convince Lola’s boss to seek medical help, and had wondered whether he should suggest Cameron confide in the baby’s father too. He couldn’t tell Lola that Cameron was pregnant. That would betray a professional confidence and was something he would never do.

But he did want to keep kissing Lola. ‘I was stupid to mention her. I’m sorry I’ve ruined the moment.’

‘I’m sorry? So you can actually say it? Now, there’s a revelation.’ Lola gazed up at him and he could see the hesitation and the desire still there, and that she was fighting it. Resigned to it being over. ‘It was already heading in the wrong direction, right? It wasn’t a date, you said openly that you didn’t want that, and things have just gotten a little out of control.’

He huffed out a long breath. ‘I wanted to kiss you.’

‘And I wanted to kiss you back.’ She gave him a small smile that was at once coy and sexy.

That gave him some hope, as he wasn’t finished with the kissing. Although everything she was saying made absolute sense, his body had other things on its mind. ‘So we could have a re-run?’

The red hair swung as she shook her head. ‘No, Jake. It was an itch that we had to scratch. But it’s done now and I don’t think we should do it again. I get the feeling we want very different things.’

‘I don’t know what I want, Lola. At least I did yesterday. I did this morning. Now I’m not sure, but I think it definitely involves you and a lot more kissing.’

‘See? Now I’m messing things up for you.’ She turned away from him and unlocked her car. Climbed in. Wound down the window. All in the quick-paced way that she did everything. ‘I think it’d be a good idea if I’m not around when you come over to see Cameron. Don’t worry, I’ll make myself scarce.’

Then she gunned the engine and was gone.

She was right. Kissing was messing with his head. A few days on location with a demanding celebrity would see him back to his normal self—one who didn’t do random kissing in the street with a woman he’d only just met.

Although he had a feeling that getting back to normal might take a little time, and that a certain Lola Bennett would be stomping through his dreams tonight.

CHAPTER FIVE

JAKE HAD TO admit that flying by private jet was going to be pretty damned cool. He wasn’t easily impressed, but he was looking forward to this part of the potentially mind-numbing trip more than anything else. Somehow he’d managed to score a flight with Cameron, and he needed to find time to talk to her about his suspicions of her pregnancy and what antenatal care she should be having.

Thankfully he could concentrate on that, and then try to get some shut-eye after failing to get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in his life. Medical school then interning—being woken up at any time of day and night and expected to respond immediately with both a ready smile and a correct diagnosis—had taught him to be able to sleep anywhere he needed, any time. He could power up and down on demand as easily as his trusty laptop.

Except for the last few nights—when he hadn’t been able to get the taste and smell of Lola, along with memories of her easy laugh and mesmerising smile, out of his head. All the more reason he needed this break—mind-numbing or not—to reaffirm his work focus and equilibrium. He would approach it as he did everything else, with single-minded determination to do it to the highest standard.