CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The flash of the cameras had Tyler squinting as he and Billie sprinted from the airport into the limousine, ducking their heads and ignoring the barrage of questions from reporters. It seemed everyone wanted to snag a photo of the newly engaged couple. They’d managed to get out of Los Angeles quietly but there had been a posse of press waiting for them when their little charter jet had touched down in San Diego. It might have been better to simply drive but Tyler became antsy on any road trip more than an hour or so.
They’d arrived for the yearly comic book convention, although this would be Tyler’s last since his contract for the Thunder movies was complete. While he enjoyed the energy and the ability to be close to his fans, the three days of the convention were also fucking exhausting. Every year after he finished, he took a few days in Hawaii to rest and relax. This time he was taking Billie with him.
His fiancée. That he’d seen naked less than a week ago.
The images of Billie au naturel were burned on his brain as if with a branding iron. And just as permanent. Even when she wasn’t right there with him, he somehow came around to seeing her naked in his head.
Go for a run? See Billie naked on the trail.
Have a meeting with his publicist or agent? See Billie sitting on the table, those pert breasts exposed.
Those images – sexy, beautiful, and gorgeous as fuck – were driving him slowly out of his mind. He’d seen a myriad of women nude in his life and not one of them had affected him like Billie had. He was acting like a teenage boy with raging hormones, not the grown man he was supposed to be.
He’d had to force himself to look her in the eye so his gaze wouldn’t wander farther south. This morning when they’d been waiting for the car to take them to the airport, he couldn’t help but notice her smooth, tanned legs and her subtle curves shown off by the royal blue dress she was wearing. She’d pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail that accentuated her exquisite bone structure and emphasized her green eyes.
It was wrong to pant after his best friend. Wasn’t it?
Except that she wasn’t just his friend anymore. She was his fiancée and she’d be his wife before the end of the year. Maybe this was what was supposed to happen. Tyler hadn’t quite been prepared for the wave of desire that ran through him whenever Billie was near him. He’d always thought she was beautiful but this was something different, something far more.
He hungered for her.
That appetite wasn’t going to just go away on its own.
The limousine door closed and the vehicle pulled away from the curb and into the flow of traffic. Curtis, the new assistant, who seemed to be doing a great job so far sat across from them, an iPad balanced on his knee.
“We’ll get you checked into the hotel,” Curtis stated, perusing his list. “Then you have an interview with Dark Night magazine along with a photo shoot for the cover. That should take until mid-afternoon. Then I have you scheduled for a late lunch before heading to the gym. I know you wanted to get in a workout. Tonight you have dinner with the Thunder cast.”
A relaxed, fun meal with his co-stars was definitely one thing he was looking forward to. Billie had met all of them but there was a part of him that couldn’t wait to show her off as his future wife.
Where did that thought come from?
“I’ll look around the hotel while you work,” Billie said. “I might even get a nap in before tonight. I know how you guys like to party.”
It would be a late night but Tyler had already decided not to drink as much as he had with Sam. No need to have a repeat of the other morning. Billie just might slap him if he ended up drunk in her bed a second time with no invitation.
Curtis had stopped looking at his iPad, his brows pinched into a frown. Tyler was beginning to recognize his assistant’s expression of worry and panic.
“Curtis? Is everything okay?”
Being new, the younger man would often be concerned about things that didn’t need to be worried about. He’d learn eventually. So far he was doing well, considering Tyler had pretty much just thrown him into the role with only Billie to show him the ropes.
“No. Yes. Well…it’s just…the magazine thinks they’re interviewing both of you. Together. Garrett said something about this being your first interview as a couple. Is that not right?”
Fuck. Billie had stiffened next to Tyler, her fingers curling so tightly around her handbag that the knuckles were white.
She hated surprises. She didn’t even like them on her birthday.
As an actress, Billie was fine with the press. She’d done photo shoots and given interviews so Tyler could only assume that her reticence was because they were going to be asked about their impending nuptials.
Curtis’s gaze was darting back and forth between Tyler and Billie, his face pale. “I think I was supposed to mention it to you. I’m really sorry.”
Before Tyler could respond Billie piped up. “It’s fine. It’s not like we didn’t know this was coming at some point this weekend. Good thing I brought plenty of clothes. I’ll just need a few minutes to do my hair when we get to the hotel.”
“No problem.” Curtis’s pale face had turned pink. “I’m really sorry, Billie. I was trying to get everything set up for the convention and I guess this slipped through the cracks.”
Billie smiled at the young man and Tyler was once again reminded of how sweet and kind she was. So different than many of the people in Hollywood. No wonder she’d been practically chewed up and spit out by the industry. She was tough but this town was hell on people in general and women in particular. Tyler reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze of gratitude.
“It’s really okay,” she assured him. “You’re learning and there are going to be bumps in the road. This is actually rather minor. You’re doing a good job.”
“Thanks,” Curtis said with an eager smile. “I really like this job.”
That made Tyler laugh. “I’d like to hear you say that in about six months after we’ve racked up tens of thousands of miles in the air and you haven’t seen your friends or family in weeks. I actually had an assistant who threw a plate of tacos at my head.”
Curtis’s eyes had gone wide. “She hit you?”
“She missed.” Tyler chuckled at the memory. “And quit immediately. I think she has a nice, calm job now at the DMV. Not everyone is cut out for this life.”
“I like it so far. It’s so exciting.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Curtis. I hope it continues.”
They arrived at the hotel and luckily there was no welcoming committee of paparazzi waiting for them. The bellman handled the luggage while the three of them went to the front desk where a smiling woman stood behind the counter.
“Mr. Gaylord,” she exclaimed, her smile widening. “We’re so glad to see you again this year.”
Again? He remembered staying here last year but he didn’t remember her. He met way too many people to commit all of them to his memory banks.
“Good to be here. Are our rooms ready? We’d like to get unpacked before our next appointment.”
“The same suite as last year.” The hotel clerk leaned forward to accept his credit card, showing off her ample cleavage. Frankly, Tyler was a leg man. Specifically Billie’s legs. “I have your keycards all ready for you. Is there anything I can do to make your stay more…pleasurable? I’m happy to be of service.”
One glance over his shoulder told Tyler that his fiancée was finding the exchange with the desk clerk amusing. Her lips twitched and she was clearly trying not to burst into laughter. He was lucky that she wasn’t threatened by all the female attention he received from fans.
“I think we have all that we need.” He accepted the two key cards and the clerk handed another set to Curtis. “Thank you.”
The clerk named Lucy wasn’t giving up without a fight. She giggled and fiddled with a strand of her blonde hair. “There are a few new restaurants in the area that you might want to try while you’re here. I’d be happy to show you when I get off of work later.”
“I’m pretty booked up–” he began but Billie interrupted him.
“That’s a great idea,” she replied with a gleeful smile. “Except that Tyler and I are going to be in interviews and photo shoots all day. You wouldn’t mind showing Curtis, would you? That would be very helpful. Thank you so much. This hotel has amazing service.”
Score one for Tyler’s fiancée. She was smart and beautiful.
Lucy’s eyes went round with surprise and she didn’t answer for a moment. “I guess I could do that.”
Curtis didn’t seem to get what was happening, though. Frowning, he shook his head. “Won’t I be with both of you?”
Billie tapped her chin and nodded. “That’s right, Curtis. You’ll be with us. Looks like we’ll have to say no to your very kind offer. Thank you, though. It was very thoughtful.”
Lucy looked relieved and a little embarrassed. Curtis still looked confused. And Billie wore an angelic smile.
Tyler held up his keycard. “We need to unpack but thank you again, Lucy. You’ve been very helpful.”
The three of them didn’t say much as they rode the elevator to the sixteenth floor. Curtis gave them a few reminders about appointments the next morning but Billie didn’t say anything. Tyler was planning to give her some praise for her smooth move down at the check in desk. It couldn’t be easy being his intended bride around all these predatory females, yet she never complained.
Their bags had made it to the room ahead of them and Tyler gazed longingly at the huge bed in the suite. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and he would love to crawl under the covers and catch a nap. No such luck. The next three days were jam-packed with work.
Curtis pulled open the drapes so the sun shone in and they could look out over the San Diego skyline. “I’m on floor twelve, room twelve-oh-eight, but if you need anything all you have to do is text me. I’ll be back in about an hour so we can head to the photoshoot. Is there anything I can get you before then?”
“Wait.” Billie was scowling as she gazed around the opulent suite. “Is this it? Shouldn’t there be two bedrooms?”
Curtis looked confused again which was becoming his default expression, the poor bastard. He had no idea that Tyler and Billie were a showmance and there was no reason for him to know. Now he had to be wondering why one of the biggest womanizers in Hollywood had a separate bedroom from the woman he was going to marry.
“Snoring,” Tyler said before Billie or Curtis could say anything. “I snore loud enough to wake the dead. Poor girl often has to crawl away into a separate bedroom to get any rest. I should have told you, man. Sorry about that. We usually get a two-bedroom suite so Billie can get away from me if she needs to. When the initial arrangements were made Billie wasn’t planning to attend. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
This might actually be a good thing. He and Billie forced together to act like a newly engaged couple for a long weekend. They could both use the practice.
Wearing a strained smile, Billie nodded in agreement. “Tyler’s right. I forgot that the original arrangements were only for him. It’s not a big deal. I was just confused for a moment.”
Curtis started tapping on his iPad. “I can try to change–”
“No point,” Tyler said crisply. “It’s convention weekend and there won’t be a hotel room to be found. Don’t worry about it. If my snoring gets too bad, I’ll just bunk out here on the couch. I’ve slept on much worse on location.”
“If you’re sure?”
Curtis didn’t look sure at all. Billie, however, had recovered her composure and she appeared completely unruffled by the room snafu. She was a terrific actress.
“Quite sure,” she replied, grabbing the handle of her suitcase. “I better get started unpacking.”
She disappeared into the bedroom and Curtis tugged at his collar, looking uncomfortable.
“Did I screw up? Is she mad?”
“She’s not,” Tyler assured him. “Billie doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t worry about a thing.”
The assistant seemed to accept the explanation and then headed to his own room, leaving Tyler to deal with Billie. Cautiously he entered the bedroom, unsure as to what mood she’d be in.
“Hey, babe. Thanks for not yelling at Curtis.”
Her back was to Tyler and she was hanging up her clothes in the closet.
“It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know.”
Was she saying that Tyler should have known? That this was his fault? He’d take the blame if that would make this situation better.
To complicate matters, he was warming to the idea of sharing a room and a bed with her. He’d meant it when he said he wouldn’t rush her but this certainly might move them along at a quicker pace.
“Then I’m sorry.”
Whirling around, she frowned at his apology. “What are you sorry for? Did you make the reservation?”
“No, but I feel like I should have done something.”
“It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. We’ll just have to bunk together. I can sleep out on the sofa.”
She could but…
“Billie, it doesn’t make any sense for you to sleep on the couch.” His arm swept over the bedroom. “The bed is huge. It would fit you, me, and maybe Sam too. We can both use the bed and get a decent night’s sleep. We’re going to need it this weekend. We’ve shared a bed before and it wasn’t a big production.”
“I think Sam should stay in his own room.”
Laughing, Tyler walked over to the dresser and twisted open one of the complimentary bottles of water. It turned out convincing a woman to sleep with him was thirsty work. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to do it. High school, maybe?
“I’ll let him know that he’s not welcome.” Tyler gingerly stepped out onto a limb, hoping it didn’t snap out from under him. “We need to get used to this. We’re going to be traveling quite a bit and sharing a room isn’t going to be optional after the wedding.”
“Okay.”
Billie turned back to her unpacking and didn’t expound on her answer, which immediately had Tyler’s warning sirens going off. When she stopped talking was when they had issues.
“Are you upset?” he asked again. “We can talk about this.”
“I’m not upset,” she said without even a glance at him. “But I hope that at this point you can admit that I was right. More is changing than my last name and you know it. We may have shared a bed in the past but that was then and this is now. It’s different.”
Tyler couldn’t argue the facts. It was different. He was aware of her in a way he hadn’t been before.
And he didn’t want to go back to what they’d had. He didn’t want to be just her friend, but he wasn’t sure exactly what he did want. It was probably time to figure it out.