Playing the Part Read Online Free PDF Page B

taste still on his mouth. His dick had settled down but now stiffened in his jeans at her words. He shifted in place to try and convince it to follow the game plan.
    Piper noticed his movement, looked down at his crotch, and rolled her eyes. “But not tonight.” She turned to the young hostess at the front door. “Can you get me a cab?”
    “No,” he said quickly. “I’ll drive you home. I know where the studio put you up.”
    “That isn’t—”
    “I’ll be driving. Paying attention to the road. Hands at ten and two.” Mick’s gut unclenched a little when a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “All my body parts will stay on my side of the car.” He held his fingers up in a salute.
    “That’s the Girl Scout salute. Idiot.”
    Mick was relieved to see the Piper who didn’t put up with any of his crap was back. He liked her. “I never said I was a Boy Scout.”
    “I bet you’re always prepared, anyway.”
    “Seriously, I’d like to drive you home.”
    She nibbled a lip. “It’s just that the paparazzi flock you like seagulls, and I don’t like the press.”
    He snorted. “No one does. But in Hollywood, they’re essential. Like plasma.”
    “Still…”
    “Don’t worry. This restaurant keeps them at bay. No one will see you with me if I drive you home. I promise.”
    “I mean,” she said, her voice going intense, “I really don’t like the press. Or being in the public’s eye.”
    He hadn’t missed the people taking their picture after the kiss ended, but he’d definitely forgotten the paparazzi who’d followed him to the restaurant when he was wrapped up in Piper. Hell, he’d spent a lifetime cultivating the press’s interest, so the only time he noticed the paparazzi was when they weren’t around.
    But if she didn’t like the public attention, he’d make sure she was well taken care of. “I can’t do anything about those people back in the restaurant with their camera phones, but I can say that I know how to dodge the paparazzi. No one will see us together.”
    “In that case…I accept.”
    Mick opened his mouth to reply, but the arrival of his car stopped all conversation between them and pretty much everyone else at the front of the restaurant. He got that a lot. The dark blue 1968 Shelby Cobra GT-350 convertible with the white racing stripe was a righteous car to behold. She was his prized possession, and he accepted the gawking graciously on her behalf.
    Piper’s brown eyes were wide, and she was speechless as he led her around to the passenger door and let her in. He quickly made his way to the driver’s side, tipped the valet, and eased into the driver’s seat just as she found her voice.
    “Mick. This is a beautiful car.” Piper cooed as she caressed the car, her hands roaming over the restored leather seats.
    He tried not to think about how those hands would feel on his naked skin.
    “Thanks. Ali is my baby.” He revved the engine a little, loving the feel of her purring underneath and all around him. If he could marry his car, he might be tempted to take the plunge. “I bought her and my house with my first big paycheck.”
    “Why’d you name her Ali?”
    He glanced over and caught Piper watching him as he caressed his car, a bemused expression on her face. He considered making up a cooler sounding answer but opted for the truth. “Steve McQueen drove one like this, and he’s my idol. He had Ali McGraw, and so I have my Ali, as well.”
    “Good reason.” Piper settled back in the seat. “Is your house as dramatic as this car?”
    “It was, but I sold it. I do, however, have a vacation estate in Hawaii.”
    “That’s a tough commute.”
    “I have a housekeeper who takes care of it for me, and I get over a few times a year.” Mick buckled himself in and leaned over to check her belt as well. He’d had them retrofitted, but in the tight space it could get tricky to fasten them properly. The action required him to lean in close and touch the