His eyes hinted amusement. “Who said anything about dating?”

“And I definitely can’t do that with you.”

He leaned forward, challenge written all over his face. “Why not?”

“Are you serious? To just be a random number in a group of women? A notch in your bedpost that doesn’t mean anything?”

Micah put his hand over hers. His touch burned like fire on her skin. “You wouldn’t be random. You’re Maddie from the party.”

“God, Micah, that’s just…gross.” She slid her hand out from under his. “I’m not against one-night stands in general, but you said it before. You’re different. You’d be different.”

Micah leaned forward and placed his hand on her leg under the table, sending electric shocks throughout her body. “If by different you mean the most insanely hot, wicked pleasure you’ve ever felt, then yes, I’ll agree.”

His fingers moved in circles on her leg, and her mind filled with unwanted images of the insanely hot wicked pleasure Micah promised.

Shaking the fantasies out of her head, she removed his hand from her thigh. “Though I imagine what you say is true…” He winked at her and she had to look away. “That’s not what I meant. Most hookups you can love and leave. But not you. I’d see you everywhere after and I’m not talking about in person. And it would make me a major hypocrite. I don’t approve of how you use women like Kleenex—”

“Hey, no one’s ever complained.”

“I’m sure they haven’t.” His cavalier attitude about the whole thing just reinforced her decision. “And I’m sure you aren’t used to hearing those words, but I'm not interested, Micah. Not in the least.”

Okay, that was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

Micah fixed a somber stare on her for several long seconds and she began to wonder if he knew she was exaggerating her disinterest. But finally he said, “That’s too bad you feel that way.”

She took the last swallow of her beer, trying to drown the cloud that had settled around them. She hadn’t meant to take this to such a serious place. It wasn’t like they were breaking up. Strange how it felt like they were. “Hey, you were fun.” She patted his knee to lighten the mood. Okay, and to get in one last grope.

Micah glanced suggestively at his crotch. “I can still be fun.”

“Oh, no, no, no.” She pulled her hand away from his knee, blocking out the knowledge that he was hard again, suppressing thoughts of what she could do with that knowledge.

“Then what was all this?” He waved his hand, referring to Maddie’s, uh, gift.

Shit. She’d given him the wrong idea. That hadn’t been her intent. She was trying to end things. Not make him want more. “I owed you.”

“You really didn’t.”

She threw his words back at him. “I don’t believe that.” All right, maybe she’d done it just as much for herself as him. To give herself closure. Or maybe to prove something—that she wasn’t a prude, that she could make a move like that without getting attached. Hell, she wasn’t quite sure why she’d done it. Micah confused her so much she had no idea why she did anything anymore. In fact, if he asked her again, she might go to bed with him now.

Micah sighed. Was he really going to give up this easily? She was both relieved and disappointed. “I guess I have to settle for friends.”

She scoffed. Friends? That was ridiculous. He didn’t know the first thing about her, didn’t even seem interested in her beyond the physical. “We’re not friends.”

“We could be friends.” He rubbed his leg against her lower calf, sending tingles up her spine.

Besides, his version of friends didn’t seem the same as hers. She pulled her leg out of his reach. “No, we can’t. You can’t even keep your hands to yourself.”

“I can, and my hands aren’t even touching you.” He waved his fingers in the air to further his point.

“Whatever.” He was flustering her. As always. “Your feet, your hands, your things.”

Micah grinned. “Are you sure you want that? My things are awfully fun.”

She flushed. “We are totally not friends.” She didn’t even want to be friends with him—spend more time with him so she could crush on him even harder? No way.

Micah sat forward, suddenly serious. “Look, we have to spend the rest of the shoot together. Work together every day. And that means you might drop your tape measure in front of me and I might get all turned on and we have to be able to laugh about it like friends.”

He was getting cute. She needed another drink.

“Or Beaumont might want you to run lines. I still have a sex scene coming up. What if you get sent in to help with that?”

“I won’t.” Fuck no. She’d be naked within half a page. She signaled the waitress for another round.

“You won’t be sent or you won’t help?” He propped his elbow on the table and set his chin in his hand.

She glared at him then melted at his boyish expression. God help her. She kept up her protest, hoping he hadn’t realized her crumbling resolve. “Well, I might be sent, but I’m not helping.”

“What? That isn’t any kind of friend to be.”

She covered her eyes with her hands, hiding her amusement. “Because we’re not friends.”

When she removed her hands she found him grinning at her. He gave a half-wink. Oh, for the love of God. He knew he’d won her over.

His ocean-blue eyes sparkled. “You say that, but you don’t mean it. I’m fun. Even when I keep my things to myself.”

“All right, all right.” She sighed. “Friends.”

He sat back, basking in his win. “Awesome.”

Maybe they could be friends. She liked talking with him and hadn’t felt so relaxed in…she couldn’t even remember how long. She enjoyed his banter, almost as much as she enjoyed his hands on her.

No, she couldn’t think about that. They were friends.

The waitress delivered their beers, lingering to stare at the Hollywood star. Micah appeared not to notice. He raised his own beer and clinked Maddie’s bottle. “To newfound friendship.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She took a swallow.

“Now that we’re buds,” Micah said, setting his glass down. “I have to tell you: do not go on a date with that P.A. scum.”

Here it was. She’d known friendship wouldn’t work. “It’s not a date.”

Micah nodded toward the pool tables where Sam and Chloe appeared to be nearing the end of their game. “He thinks it is.”

“It’s not.” Though she wasn’t exactly sure that was true. “And it’s none of your business.”

He cocked his head. “We’re friends. Friends don’t let friends date douchebags.”

Again with the cute. He had charm down to a science. “He is not a douchebag. And I want to go to Breckenridge.”

“Let me take you.”

Maddie paused momentarily thrown by his abrupt sincerity. “First of all, no. That would not be a good idea.” Not a good idea at all. “Secondly, Sam’s from here. He’s a perfect guide.”

Micah scowled. “He’s a douchebag.”

“At least he’s not a playboy.” Low blow and she knew it.

He flinched slightly. “You don’t know that. He doesn’t want to show you Breckenridge. He wants to show you what’s in his pants. And I guarantee it’s not much.”

“Whatever, Micah.” She was not going back to a conversation about pants. That only led to thoughts of what was inside Micah’s pants. And she had already thought about and touched—God, did she really do that?—his love muscle way too much for one night. Correction, too much for one day.

And now she was thinking about his dick again, hard and inside her. Did she really have to give this up?

It was as if he sensed her resolve breaking. “Come on, I’d make it fun.” He gave his most devilish grin—the one that made Maddie weak in the knees and slippery in her panties. He lowered his voice as Sam and a few of the spectators returned to the table. “I think I’ve demonstrated that in the past, haven’t I?”

Maddie’s belly tightened at the soft, seductive quality of his voice. Dammit. She had planned for the evening to go one way: handjob then blow off. Instead he had complicated things with “just friends”, wandering hands, and an invitation to spend their day off together. She no longer had a hold on what was up or down with Micah Preston. What she did know was that a daytrip spent with Sam would pale in comparison to one spent with the hot piece of meat next to her, though Sam would certainly be safer. Well, somewhat safer—he would likely make advances of his own, but Maddie could handle him. Not necessarily true with Micah. She was befuddled.