"It's been much too long since we've done this."

Raine had barely walked through the door before he had his arms wrapped around Emily, pulling her in close. He dipped his head down, easily finding her already-waiting lips.

"You're right," Emily agreed a couple of minutes later, coming up for air. "It's been practically forever since last night. Or was that this morning? Did we even sleep?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Never." She grinned. Her arms snaked up around his neck and she tugged his head down to hers again. Raine guided her two steps backward, until she was leaning against the wall in her apartment's foyer.

"Remind me," he said, tracing her lower lip with his thumb. "Where did we leave off last night?"

The desire in his eyes told her he remembered just as well as she did. Emily slid her hand under Raine's shirt and let her fingers roam the taut muscles of his abdomen.

"With both of us wearing a lot less than what we are right now, if I recall," she told him.

"Less clothes, you say?" Raine murmured. He ran his hand along her chest. "Why was that, again?"

"Much better to show you, don't you think?" Her hand drifted to the waistband of his jeans. He drew in a breath and she chuckled, then gave him a wicked grin. "And I will, after we eat. I promise." She moved her arm away, letting it fall back to her side.

Raine let go of the breath he'd been holding. "You're killing me. Can I talk you into a preview before dinner?" He circled his arms around her waist and pressed his hips to hers. Feeling him against her, her mind drifted back to the night before when she'd felt his warm skin against hers, instead of all these pesky layers of fabric.

"Incredibly tempting," she said, as Raine nibbled her earlobe. "Dinner's already cooking though. We might end up burning the place down if we keep this up right now." She reluctantly stepped out of his embrace.

"Details," he teased her.

Emily reached for his hand, noticing as she did that he was holding a small white envelope. "What's this?" She took hold of his wrist and raised his arm up to get a better look. Her name was written on the envelope.

He waggled his eyebrows, whisking his arm away. "Something I meant to give you last night. I got a little sidetracked."

"What kind of something?" she asked.

"You'll see. You're not the only one who can play the 'after we eat' game." He placed his other hand on the small of Emily's back and guided her out of the foyer and down the hallway.

"Wine?" she suggested, as they approached the kitchen.

"And after all that just now, the lady still wants to tempt me with an aphrodisiac," Raine announced to an imaginary audience. "Which means, absolutely."

She grinned at him. "Pinot noir or merlot?"

"Pinot noir." He set the envelope on the counter. "What are we cooking?"

"Lasagna. It's almost ready." She opened a cupboard and pulled out two red wine goblets.

"Anything else on the menu I can help with?"

She handed him a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. "This. The wine always ends up with pieces of cork in it when I open the bottle."

"No promises I can do any better," he cautioned. Despite his words, he expertly uncorked the bottle and poured each of them a glass.

"So what is that?" she asked, glancing at the envelope again. "It has my name on it."

"It does." He put the cork back into the bottle and then looked at her, his face not giving anything away.

"Are you really going to make me wait until after dinner to open it?" She pushed out her bottom lip, pretending to pout.

"Hmmm." He made a show of considering her question.

"I'll keep pestering you without mercy until you hand it over, you know."

Raine laughed at her eager expression. "Okay—you win. You can open it now." He handed her the envelope.

She slid her thumb under the flap. A square of cream-colored linen cardstock was inside.

"Looks like an invitation," she said, pulling the card out of the envelope. "What to?"

"You'll have to read it."

Emily's eyes moved quickly over the gold lettering. Once she'd read it, she paused, wondering if the invitation meant what she thought it did.

Raine took a sip from his glass, watching her closely. She could tell he was waiting for her response.

"This is an invitation to your movie premiere," she said.

"It is." He searched her face so intently, Emily couldn't help but feel as though he was trying to read her mind.

A million thoughts and emotions crowded her brain at once, each worry and fear trying to drown out the last. She fought to stay calm, at least on the outside.

"It mentions a red carpet time," she commented.

Maybe he hadn't noticed that part, she thought. Maybe he only intended to invite her to come see the film and wanted her to bring Shelby. She could share in his big night from afar, with a private celebration later.

"Yes," he answered. His gaze still didn't waver.

Okay. She took a deep breath. It was still possible she'd misread or misunderstood what was printed on the card, or what Raine had meant with that one-word reply, but he wasn't doing much to clear things up.

"Is the invitation to attend the premiere or to walk the red carpet with you?" she asked.

"Both."

She bobbed her head slowly, processing what he'd said. Walking the red carpet meant reporters, cameras, and screaming fans. It meant sound bytes on the evening television entertainment shows, and photos of her on Raine's arm being posted online and making their way around the world within seconds. It meant headlines, prying eyes, paparazzi, personal questions, nonstop speculation, and stares and whispers everywhere she went. Again.

More than that, it meant risking Zeeked and the rest of her writing career, just a few months after almost losing everything. One wrong move, or one small thing that looked like a scandal, and she knew from experience she could kiss Zeeked's advertisers and her freelance assignments goodbye. It had happened once before, and it had spiraled out of control almost overnight. It could happen a second time.

After all, she already had someone watching every move she and Raine made. Her conversation with Wally pushed itself to the edges of her mind. If Kami was willing to sensationalize an innocent photo, what else would she try down the road when she and Raine made their relationship public? Emily knew it wasn't something she could avoid forever, as long as she and Raine remained together. Yes, they were more serious now, and she wanted their relationship to continue to be. But did their new relationship status mean they had to put themselves out there in the public eye right now, simply because they'd taken that next step? She and Raine had been together for a few weeks, after all, and not a few months.

Then there was another question: Was it only a coincidence Kami had chosen this morning to send Wally that photo and claim she and Raine were involved? Or had she somehow known Raine would be giving her this invitation today? It was obvious Kami had been watching she and Raine like a hawk and was grasping at anything she could read into. Maybe she had inside info from another source, if Raine had mentioned to someone that he planned to bring a date to the premiere. Kami was in the entertainment industry, after all.

Raine continued to observe her. She knew his intense stare wouldn't ease up until she said something.

"Did Kami know you were planning to give this to me?" Emily blurted out.

"Kami?" Raine's forehead creased. "Why would I tell her?"

"She didn't hear you mention it to someone?"

He looked genuinely perplexed. "No. What does she have to do with this?"

"The timing is just so strange," she muttered, more to herself than to Raine. He touched her arm.

"Back up for a second. You've lost me." He no longer looked confused, but he did seem concerned.

"Before I give you an answer, there's something you should know," she told him.

"You're secretly an Italian-food-making ninja?" The amused twinkle in his eyes faded when he realized she wasn't smiling. "Sorry. The lasagna smells amazing, and I was trying to lighten the mood. You're being so serious."

A pit formed in her stomach. He really doesn't get it, she realized, reaching for her glass. She took a gulp of wine, then a second one. Her eyes watered as the acidic liquid hit her throat.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. The concern had turned into alarm.

"Wally sent me something today," she said, once she'd swallowed. She set her glass on the counter and sank down onto a counter stool.

"Something for your column?"

Emily shook her head. "No. A photo of you and me at yoga, apparently taken and sent to him by Kami."

"A photo of you and me sitting together at yoga?" Raine sat on the stool beside her. "That's not exactly an earth-shattering entertainment scandal."

"There was more. She claimed she could give him an exclusive account of things we'd been up to together during our class." She could tell Raine was struggling to hold back a laugh, but she didn't see anything humorous about the situation. "This really isn't funny."

She rubbed her neck, trying to ease the tension she felt building there. Raine gently moved her hand away and took over massaging her neck for her.

"I think it is," he replied. "She's going to tell him about things we've been up to in class? Which is what? Friendly small talk and then doing our yoga set so Satya doesn't chew us out?"

"I know that, and you know that," Emily said. "Anyone who isn't in our class doesn't, and you know what the tabloids do with this stuff and how much people can read into things. I'm just thankful Wally sent me the photo first and asked if we were seeing each other."

"What did you tell him?"

Raine looked oddly hopeful about something, she noticed—even happy. It was a strange reaction to all of this, at least from how she saw it.

"I told him Kami's an actress looking for some media attention, and she just wants her name in the headlines to help her own career." She shrugged. "You know that's true."

"It might be," Raine acknowledged. "What did you tell him about us, though?"

"Nothing," Emily replied. "Just that yes, I sit beside you in our yoga class sometimes and that it's no big deal. You know I'd never tell him we're seeing each other."

"Never?" His hopeful, happy expression vanished.

"Not right now."

He stopped massaging her neck. "I'm going to guess that means your answer to the premiere invitation is no?"

"Do I have to give you an answer right now?"

His mouth stretched into a grim line. "I think you just did."

"I thought you would understand why I need to think about this. I don't know if I'm ready for what happens when we walk a red carpet together with all those cameras and reporters and screaming fans. It's a lot."

"It was a lot a few weeks ago when we'd only gone on a date or two. I got that. But now? I assumed when you called me your boyfriend, and we agreed we were only seeing each other, and then you started staying the night, it meant you'd decided you were okay with it. Are you telling me I misread that?"

"You're upset." It was a statement, not a question. She knew he was from the way his shoulders stiffened and from the hard set of his jaw.

"Wouldn't you be, if the situation was reversed?" He didn't look at her.

"Reversed how?" she asked.

Raine focused his gaze on the counter. "Suppose you were dating a guy you'd gotten serious with and were crazy about, who'd said he felt the same way and acted like he did. How would you feel if, even after all of that, the guy never wanted anyone to see the two of you together and was always hiding your relationship from anyone he knew? Pretty much the entire world would see you as a doormat or say you were just his booty call."

She gripped the counter. "That's not fair, and you know it." Her voice wasn't much louder than a whisper.

"It's fair, Emily." Raine slouched against the back of his stool, closing his eyes. Emily couldn't tell if he was angry, tired, or frustrated.

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "This is different," she said. "You know you're not a booty call, and you know we're not just talking about telling family and friends. We're talking about millions of strangers intruding on our most private moments, and being chased by paparazzi, and tabloid reporters jumping on everything we do or say. We're talking about people like Kami thinking it's okay to pitch stories to entertainment sites." She touched his hand. "I told you before that I just need some time."

"Yeah, you did. And it sounds like you need a lot more of it." Raine got up from his stool and stalked out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Emily sprang to her feet and followed him to the foyer. "I thought we were going to have dinner? The lasagna will be done in a couple of minutes."

He kept his back to her. "I seem to have lost my appetite, and to tell you the truth, I'm feeling a little done myself right now."

"Don't go." Her fingers grazed his shoulder. "We should talk about this."

He stepped away from her and opened the door. "We will. But I think we both need some time before we do."

He walked out of her apartment, just as the timer for the lasagna went off in the kitchen. Emily didn't hear it, though, because it was drowned out by the sound of the door clicking shut behind Raine.