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But he already knew that a couple erous, too potentand he didn’t want to break her heart Not when he kneeet she was, how innocent

He didn’t understand why she looked at him with such trust in her eyes, and such hope Maybe it was because he was a novelty to her, because his clean-cut business persona was a change fro out with s hadn’t worked out with Jill, who he’d thought wanted the sas out of life he did, there was no doubt in his mind that a relationship definitely wouldn’t work out with a young pop star ould quickly tire of hilitzy life

A sot burned And until Jill, Marcus had always prided hiht decisions, even if they weren’t easy ones

Nicola watched hied around inside his head He’d learned to read her well enough after two nights and two ether and he could see that she was nervous about his response After all, yesterday when she’d asked hiht, he hadn’t let teain and realized that one hot night of sex with her was inevitable, as inevitable as the fact that it could never go beyond that

Her phones all started ringing again and he kneas tioodbye

But instead of the words he planned on saying, the words he knew he should be saying to end it with her once and for all, so out to put a hand on her lower back to drag her closer

She released a long, pent-up breath as he slid his other hand through her soft hair to cup her skull At last, he lowered his mouth to hers to take the kiss he’d wanted for hours as she’d slept so peacefully, sweetly spooned into hihed against his lips as the soft pressure of their lips quickly raged into an out-of-control dance of tongues and teeth and ht as he drank in Nicola’s passion, her innate sensuality But everything that came before that end proh he shouldn’t let hi as just a couple more days, he couldn’t turn away from it, couldn’t walk away from her

Not yet

He lifted his ot to head back to Napa to take care of sos, but--" He had to stop to press a kiss to her forehead, which had begun to furrow the ht"

Her s at all that happiness--happiness he was responsible for--suddenly e, if itNicola that happy

Still, he knew he had to reiterate, "No strings"

He thought her sht have dimmed a little bit, but when she said, "I’ for a relationship," he decided it ination

Even as he wondered why she wasn’t galadly told her, "Good I’ll keep your key and co care of business" He pressed one et ready to go shoot that video"