Stumbling Into Perfection...

Chapter 18

Holly woke up with a start, her mind racing before she even finished realizing she was in her hotel room. She'd spent most of the night with Tony trying to figure out what to do with her CD. Scrapping it was unacceptable. Not after how hard she'd worked on it.

She knew why she couldn't sleep. The apprehension and guilt about involving Jennifer was eating her alive. Jennifer's recovery was still fragile and the last thing she needed was to be involved in Holly's drama again.

Tony, of course, spent the evening freaking out as he paced back and forth in his hotel room. Holly's success had changed him in some aspects. Where he'd been supportive and gung-ho about whatever crazy idea Holly and Jennifer had, once she'd hit the big time he was now cautious and nervous about everything.

Any time Holly suggested releasing the CD on her own, he freaked out and started lecturing her about the fact that he had children to feed.

Holly knew releasing a CD on her own could tank her career. Not to mention her entire life. The record company would be livid. She'd surely be sued for every penny she had.

She sat up and glanced around the room, running her hand through her hair while she glanced out the window. She needed to figure out a way to do this on her own.

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Harry stared out onto the Miami cityscape from the lounge chair on the balcony. Jennifer had fallen asleep an hour ago, after he'd taken her three more times. She'd barely been able to keep her eyes open after the last time.

He couldn't help himself. Having her in his arms was a dream come true. He was insatiable, unable to even think about closing his eyes until he knew every inch of her skin.

Once she was safely asleep, he pulled his boxers and t-shirt on, grabbed a bottle of water and walked outside to take a moment.

He needed a moment to understand exactly what had happened last night. He could have been mistaken but it sure seemed like they'd crossed some kind of imaginary line that she had drawn in the sand. He almost felt the fear and anxiety between them completely disappear.

He heard the sliding glass door behind him open and he turned his head. She stood in the door frame, wrapped in the sheet from the bed. Her hair was cascaded down her shoulders, her cheeks still flushed.

She looked almost childlike in her innocence. A look he'd never seen on her before. She had a sudden simplicity, an unfamiliarity with the situation before her.

He reached his hand out to her,

"C'mere..." He whispered.

She took a few chaste steps towards him. He thought she might turn and bolt for a moment. But once her skin touched his she relaxed. He pulled her into his lap, allowing her to settle in and get comfortable before he reached up and put his hand to her cheek. She let her eyes fall shut as she leaned into his hand.

He'd awoken something inside of Jennifer she'd never experienced before. A kind of curiosity. Where her past sexual encounters had barely been blips on the screen and involved her making excuses to get the hell out of the room; being with Harry only caused her to want to know more. A timid smile played on her lips as his hand dragged from her cheek down her neck,

"You look a little nervous. Everything ok?" He asked, his voice low.

She nodded,

"Yeah. I'm just..." She let her sentence trail off. She couldn't believe how eager she was to be near him. She diverted her eyes down, "I'm a little overwhelmed." She admitted softly.