I COULDN’T FUCKING believe my own words.
I wanted her. Fuck, I wanted her so badly. Wanted her panting and writhing beneath me as she came on my dick. I wanted to thrust myself up into her, drive her into the bed, fill her tight cunt with my cum. I wanted to see it dripping out of her.
I couldn’t risk it. I’d been there before, and I wouldn’t put either of us through that fucking torture.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured against her shoulder. “I can’t.” She relaxed beneath me, and I felt her nod. “I’m sorry, Ashlyn.”
She whispered into my ear: “Roll over, Corey.”
I did, bringing her with me, my arms around her beautiful body. I ran my fingers down her side, over her soft curves. My cock throbbed angrily.
She pushed herself up and away, and I closed my eyes, trying to calm the raging heat in my groin. Then I felt her mouth on me again, and my eyes flew open. She had me in her throat before I could say anything, sucking expertly at me once more, her mouth and her hands taking me exactly the way I needed. I groaned and grabbed at her hair, my hips lifting.
It was over before I could even protest. She swallowed my cum, drinking me down as I shot my load into her soft, warm mouth.
Corey Knox, you are the luckiest son of a bitch in this world or the next.
She slid me out of her mouth and kissed my stomach, then glanced up at me and smiled. There was mischief in her grey eyes.
I laughed weakly. “Can I take you home to LA with me?”
She chuckled and kissed her way up my body, over my chest. Her fingers brushed against my tattoos. “I don’t think you could find a suitcase big enough,” she said.
I grinned. The words came out of my mouth before I could even think about what I was saying.
“I could do this every night for the rest of –” I stopped.
The rest of my life. Had I really been about to say that?
She smiled sadly and lifted herself away from me, sliding to the edge of the bed. I sat up.
“Ashlyn.” She glanced at me. “You can’t run, angel. You live here.” I smiled wryly.
She laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of humour in it. “The bathroom door locks,” she said.
I grinned and pulled her back onto the bed. She lay on her side, and I curled against her, my chest pressed to her smooth back. I slipped one arm under her neck and wrapped the other around her waist, cupping the warm flesh of her stomach in my hand. Her skin was like velvet; I never wanted to let go.
I buried my face in her hair, breathing in her perfume, the smell of amber and patchouli filling my senses. She settled back against me and made a soft, satisfied sound. Lying there, holding her, I found something I hadn’t realised I’d been missing. A slow warmth started inside my chest and spread through my body as I kissed the bare skin of her shoulder between her auburn curls.
It felt good. It felt safe. It felt right.
It felt like home.
“We finish shooting next week,” I murmured into her hair.
“Mm.” I couldn’t see her face, and I wondered what she was thinking. “Does that mean you’ll be heading back to LA?”
“Yeah.” I kissed her hair again and pressed my cheek to the back of her head. “Come with me.”
She stiffened in my arms, and the warmth in my chest became an icy hand around my heart.
“Angel, don’t do that.” I turned her towards me, took her face in my hands. “Don’t shut me out, Ashlyn,” I whispered. “Please.”
She shook her head. “I can’t come with you, Corey.”
I clenched my teeth. “So now you’re back to ‘I can’t’?” Her gaze shifted, away from me. “Angel, I’ll take care of everything. I’ll take care of you. I swear it.” I kissed her, but her mouth wouldn’t yield under mine. “Think about it,” I whispered against her lips. “Please.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I’ll...” She took a deep breath and looked at me. “I’ll think about it.”
I brushed the loose hair from her face, studying every line and curve of her. Her grey eyes, with that dark ring around the irises. Her smooth, round cheeks. Her soft lips. I brushed my thumb against her mouth. I wanted to remember everything, memorise every little thing about her.
She traced the ink on my chest with her fingertips, and I leaned in, kissing her again. This time her mouth opened for me, and I found her tongue with mine. My hands slid deeper into her hair, and my cock twitched between us.
She broke away and laughed softly. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.” The look in her eyes was enough to tell me that she wasn’t just talking about the sex.
I grinned crookedly and kissed her nose, then pressed my forehead against hers.
“We could go away together.”
She pulled back, her palms against my chest, pushing me away. “Don’t be absurd,” she said.
I frowned. “What’s so crazy about that?”
She laughed again. “You’re a fool, Corey Knox.”
I grinned again. “Yeah, but I’m a fool for you.” I reached to kiss her again, but she dodged, rolling over and sliding off the bed.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” she said, leaning down and kissing my forehead.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’d better come back.”
She snorted.
“I’m serious, angel.” I studied her as she stood there, smirking. “If you don’t, I will break down the fucking door and drag you back in here.”
She grinned down at me. “Break down a door? Really?”
I shook my head and gave her a mock glare. “I’ve done it before, angel. It’s not hard when you know how.” I grabbed at her, but she laughed and dodged me again. I smiled as I watched her leave the bedroom, her hips swaying, her gorgeous ass rocking with every step.
My phone beeped, and I dove for my jeans.
It was Mel. Of course. I’d managed to avoid not only reporters and cameras, but Mel’s watchful eye, too.
Where are you?
I sighed. Busy, I sent. What’s up.
There was a brief pause. Then: You’re with her, aren’t you?
I swiped angrily at the phone.
What do you want, Mel?
You’re an idiot.
I growled. I’m turning off my phone now, I sent.
Wait.
I waited.
Lexi’s here. Looking for you.
I frowned. Lexi had her own rooms at the Ritz. What was she doing at my suite?
Why? I asked.
She won’t say. Just that she wants to talk.
I shrugged and tapped my phone. I’ll see her on set tomorrow.
She won’t like that, Mel sent back.
Her problem, not mine. Night, Mel.
I buried my phone in the pile of clothes and lay back on the bed as Ashlyn stepped through the doorway. There was a faint beep from within my jeans. She looked around.
“Is that my phone, or yours?” she asked.
“Mine,” I said, holding out my hand. She stepped up to the edge of the bed and took it, and I pulled her forward, drawing her down next to me. I stretched out one arm, and she curled up on her side and edged back against my chest. My phone beeped again.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
I shook my head. “Nope.” I wrapped my other arm around her waist again, holding her tightly. One more beep.
Fuck off, Mel.
She glanced at me over her shoulder. “What if it’s important?”
I lifted my head and kissed her lightly. “Nothing’s more important right now,” I murmured, and she laughed softly, resting her head on my arm and settling herself against me once more.
We lay together for a long time: my cheek against her hair, inhaling her perfume; her full, curvy body pressed against me, fitting perfectly in my arms. Her cat jumped up onto the bed and lay down across my ankles, his furry belly soft and warm. I felt him start to purr, and his soft rumble filled the room as Ashlyn giggled quietly into my forearm.
I smiled into her hair. I didn’t want to think about tomorrow. Or the end of the shoot. Or what came after. I just wanted to lie here, enjoying the feel of an angel in my arms. But Mel’s texts kept running through my head:
Lexi’s here. She wants to talk.
Why the fuck was she looking for me? Hadn’t we said everything we needed to say, two years ago? She’d screamed at me and walked out, and I was glad to see the back of her. If not for the current show, I could happily have lived the rest of my life without ever crossing her path again.
I clenched my teeth against the memory and tried to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long fucking day.
#
MY ALARM WENT OFF, soft music playing from somewhere at the foot of the bed, and I lifted my head and blinked blearily. I must have fallen asleep. Where was I?
Then I felt Ashlyn in my arms and remembered.
Oh, yeah. I was in heaven.
I kissed her hair and carefully slipped my arm out from under her neck. She shifted in her sleep, then yawned and looked over at me as I crawled off the bed. Her cat landed on the floor with a thud, shaking his head and meowing at me.
“What time is it?”
“Four.” I stroked her foot. “I have to go to work.” I pawed through the pile of our clothes and pulled out my jeans and t-shirt. “Go back to sleep, Ashlyn.” I didn’t want to leave her there, but things had been rough on set already, and I knew Rudy would be expecting a lot from me today.
She stretched and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “There’s a clean towel in the bathroom,” she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes. “If you want to have a shower.”
I smiled, that warm feeling spreading through my chest again. “Thanks, angel.” I slipped out of the bedroom and padded down the hall. The cat chased my ankles, and I stuck out my foot, rubbing the top against his soft belly. He meowed again.
In the shower, under the pulse of hot water that washed Ashlyn’s scent from my body, the AD’s words came rushing back to me.
When you find one, you gotta grab her and hold on.
Solid advice, Rudy.
When I pulled aside the shower curtain, I saw Ashlyn standing at the sink, filling a cup with water and taking a small pill. I frowned and stepped out of the tub, snatching the plastic wheel off the counter.
“What the fuck is this?” I didn’t need to ask. I knew what it was.
She blinked at me. “My birth control pills?” She plucked the case from my fingers.
I stared at her, my mouth hanging open.
“What?” she said. She opened a drawer and dropped the pills into it.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose.
“Angel,” I said softly, “why didn’t you tell me about them last night?” I opened my eyes and looked down at her.
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
I grabbed her, lifting her onto her toes and kissing her fiercely. “Ashlyn.” I blew out a hard breath. “I could have been inside you last night. All fucking night.”
Her hands were cool against my chest. “I thought there was a specific reason you wanted to use a condom,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“Yeah,” I snapped. “So you wouldn’t get pregnant!”
She smiled and bit her lip. “Oops.”
I released her and threw my hands up. “Oops?” She giggled softly. “That’s all you have to say? Fucking oops?”
She tapped a finger against her cheek and looked up at the ceiling. “Sorry?” she said, grinning at me. I laughed weakly. She held out the towel, and I snatched it from her hand. “You should have said something last night.” She wagged a finger playfully at me as I dried myself off. “This is why communication is so important in a relationship.”
I stopped what I was doing and just looked at her, a slow smile making its way across my mouth. She’d said relationship. That warm feeling spread through my whole body, right down to my feet.
She leaned in and kissed the lion etched into my chest. “Finish getting ready. I’ll make coffee.” I turned my head and watched her perfect ass as she left the bathroom.
My little piece of heaven just got bigger.
#
AND BEING ON SET WAS a ripe slice of Hell.
Lexi was waiting in my trailer when I arrived. I stopped short and glared at her, then slammed the door behind me.
“Hey, handsome.” She tossed her dark hair and smiled sweetly at me.
“What do you want, Lex?” I folded my arms across my chest.
She waved airily. “I went up to your suite last night.” She stepped towards me, running her long nails over my forearms. “You weren’t there.”
“Yeah, I was busy.” I stepped away from her, towards the table, and glanced down. Newspapers decorated the surface; it was the usual crap, and I was getting tired of it. I dropped a hand to the newsprint, shifting it under my fingers.
“Mm-hm.” She leaned against the cabinets. “With your little barista?”
My head shot up. You son of a bitch, Mel.
“She’s a nobody, Corey.” Lexi glided towards me. The overhead light was harsh, and did nothing for her. How had I ever found her beautiful? “You need a woman who’s in the business.” She rested her palms on my chest, and I felt my blood pressure rising.
I grabbed her wrists and squeezed, lifting her hands away. She gasped and gave a little moan. “She knows the business,” I said darkly, dropping her arms as though they were on fire.
Lexi chuckled. I knew her well enough to know that she was trying to sound sexy, but there was an edge behind her laugh. Her next words set my blood boiling.
“A little coffee shop starfucker knows the business?” She tossed her hair again. “My sweet ass she does.”
I clenched my teeth and growled. “Don’t call her that.” Fury was rising in my chest.
“Or what?” Lexi flashed me her bedroom eyes. “You gonna spank me, big boy?” She pursed her lips, blowing me a kiss.
I snarled. “I wouldn’t touch you with gloves on.”
She laughed again. “Oh, come on, Corey.” The sound of my name on her lips made my skin crawl. “You’ve never been the type to get involved with a fan. Don’t be stupid.” She stepped closer, pressing herself against me, and I leaned back as far as I could. “You need a real woman,” she whispered, drawing a finger down my neck. “One who understands you.”
I shoved her back, and she stumbled, then found her balance. The look she gave me was one of pure hatred.
“You know what happens to men in Hollywood when they’re accused of sexual assault, don’t you, handsome?”
I stared at her. “You wouldn’t.”
She shrugged. “Wouldn’t I? Maybe you should think about that.” She raked her eyes over me, and I felt like a piece of meat in a butcher’s shop. “We used to be good together, Corey.”
My reply was strangled. “We haven’t been good together for years, Lex.”
She stepped towards me, but I held up my hands and glared at her again. “We could be again,” she murmured.
“No,” I said sharply. “No, we couldn’t. Goodbye, Lex.”
She studied me for a long moment before running her fingers through her hair and messing up her perfectly-styled curls. Then she slowly started to undo the buttons on her blouse, stopping just over her breasts.
I stared at her again, horror rising in me. “What the fuck are you doing?” My voice was hoarse.
She glanced up from her open shirt. “No publicity is bad publicity, Corey.” She winked at me and blew me another kiss, then opened the door to the trailer and stepped down. The door clicked closed behind her.
I looked down at the papers spread across the table, feeling panic grip my chest. This kind of publicity, I did not need. Fuck Mel. Fuck Lexi. Fuck movies, fuck Hollywood; fuck the whole fucking business. I curled my hand into a fist and slammed my knuckles into the table, cracking the melamine.
What the hell had I got myself into?