Chapter 9

Ethan

"I should be rich enough at this point to have someone else pack for me. You do it. You dress me better than I dress myself anyway." I tossed a t-shirt at Deza and dropped down on my bed in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.

"Cover that up. God." She walked into the room after bitching at me for ten minutes from the living room to hurry up. As if we had any-fucking-where to be that night. We didn't, and I was pretty sure the plane wasn't leaving without me.

"Don't be jealous. Get over it and I'll let you pet it too." I laughed deep in my chest as she tossed the t-shirt back at me and pretended to gag. "Keep it up. I know I'm close to breaking you down."

"Breaking me down." She turned and put her fist on her hip. "And what pray-tell does that mean?"

I sat up and licked my lips. "You tell me what the hell pray-tell means and I'll give in to your harassments. You can have an hour with me, okay?"

"I live my life with you, and you're too young to know what pray-tell means." She turned back to the closet and grumbled softly under her breath.

I moved to my stomach and wiggled my way to the edge of the bed, putting my chin in my hands and waiting for the opportunity to strike again. She worked through my clothes, pulling out various things and draping them over her arm.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit." She glanced back and lifted her eyebrow at me. "Are you checking me out?"

"Duh. Your ass looks good in those jeans. You're way too little for a big boy like me, but I can appreciate the ass for sure."

"I hate you sometimes." She turned back around as I rolled onto my back and scooted up a little more, letting my head hang off the bed.

"No you don't. You say it too much. People that really hate each other show it, and you only show me love." I smiled as she walked up beside me and dropped the clothes on the bed next to me. "No one else would put up with me... but you do, and it's because you love me."

"This is true." She sat down beside me and brushed my hair back, digging into my scalp with her fingers. Chill bumps covered my skin as I moved over and rested my head on her thigh. "I think I'm still in love with Darren. It's been ten years, and all I've thought about was him."

"Really?" I lifted my eyes to check her expression. I couldn't really tell if she were kidding or serious. She'd never mentioned Darren to me. To think that we had a close relationship and I didn't know that her ex-hubby had stolen her heart was pathetic. Maybe the relationship was one-sided, as in her taking care of me and me doing nothing in return.

"Really." She popped my forehead softly and got up. "Come on. We're going to be late. I know your King-I-Shit, but it's rude to waste other people's time."

"Agreed." I got up and pulled a pair of jeans over my legs as she stopped by the doorway and turned to watch me.

"Do you think I should give him another try?"

"If you think what you're feeling is love, then yes. I don't think it comes around very often. Seeing that you've not been with anyone since we've been together as a team, I'd say that you need to figure out if it's because of him or not." I pulled a shirt over my head and tucked it in. "What? Why the funny look?"

"Because you never cease to amaze me. You're so unbelievably dickish most days of the week, and yet there is a side to you that I don't believe anyone gets to see."

"It's the side where the sun don't shine." I turned and twerked.

The sound of her laughing as she walked down the hall warmed me. For the first time in my life, I wanted to protect her, to find out who Darren was and make sure he was on the up and up before D gave her heart to the bastard again only to have him give it back.

"Weird." I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth. My eyes moved across my face, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't look like a zombie. I wasn't sleeping too well at night, but the rest of the time was spent thinking about Riley or making love to myself. Something about it was working for me.

I moved back and reached down into my jeans to readjust myself, hoping to make my shit look less obvious. I turned to the side and shook my head and tried again. Nope.

"What are you doing?" She glanced into the bathroom and lifted her eyebrow at me.

"Trying to make my dick lay down. You wanna help?"

"Why are we always on this subject?" She walked in and glanced down. "It looks fine. What are you worried about?"

"It's taking center stage. Look how badly it pokes out."

"No one would believe this crazy shit, not even if I videoed it." She walked out of the bathroom. "Get your stuff put in your suitcase and let’s go. I'm leaving in three minutes. With or without you."

"Lies," I muttered and pressed my hand to the front of my pants as I walked back in the room, as if I had the ability to force the fucker to lay down. What was a blessing to most was a huge curse to me. Somehow being around Riley and having the bastard grow to its full potential should have horrified me, and yet it felt comfortable, right. Maybe it was because she promised to protect me, and had done a pretty damn good job of it so far. And we were only getting started.

I grabbed my stuff and walked to the front door as Deza opened it and walked out.

"You were serious? You were going to leave me?" I closed the door, locked it and muscled my bag out to the curb where the limo waited.

"Yep. I told you I was." She greeted the driver as I got into the back of the car and sunk down into the plush leather.

"Did you guys rent out a villa in Rio? You know I hate the thought of staying in a hotel where people can paw at me every time I leave my damn room." I tried to stifle the concern that Deza wouldn't have taken care of all of it. I'd never known her not to be at the top of her game where I was concerned.

"Of course we took care of it. We're in a seven-bedroom condo on the water. The scenes we're shooting over the next week and a half are all within a three-mile radius. We got a chef, a few maids and some other miscellaneous help. No one should bother you unless the bar you choose to go to has other tourists there. That's all on you."

"Not happening." I ran my fingers through my hair and contemplated talking to Deza about Riley. I knew how strict she'd been thus far about me and my pretty co-star not getting too cozy, but my proposition to Riley for us to be fuck-buddies was different. It was a safe way to live a little and yet not have to hide the evidence of simply being young, dumb and human.

"What are you thinking about? I can see your mind spinning over there." She crossed her arms across her chest. "It looks like you're plotting out something that I'd not be too thrilled to hear."

"Really? You can't give me the benefit of the doubt? I was thinking about what kind of flowers to buy you for your birthday next week."

"Bullshit. Spill. What's up?"

"Nothing." I pulled out my phone and ran through a few apps like I had anyone I wanted to talk to. I rarely showed up on social media because it was overwhelming. Besides, Deza had some poor schmuck who got paid to be me online. That was a fucked up job.

"I'm going to put you in the back of the plane by yourself if you don't tell me what's up." She reached over and squeezed my knee tightly.

I yelped and swatted her hand away. "I'm going to put you over my knee and pop that sexy ass of yours a few times if you don't watch it. I'm not ten anymore, and you're not in charge."

"Yes, I am." Her expression tightened as her bottom lip protruded.

"Don't do that." I rolled my eyes as she sunk down into her seat, pouting. "Come on, D. You know I can't deny you when you get all pouty. It's so cute it hurts."

"Tell me then." She turned in her seat and stared at me, still looking pouty.

"I can see why Darren likes you so much. He's missing out. That bottom lip would feel so good gliding over-"

"Never mind!" She pushed at my shoulder as I laughed. "I don't want to know that bad. Shit."

"You're not going to like what I have to say, and you're going to shut it down before I can get it out of my mouth, so no. I'm not telling you a damn thing about my thoughts this morning. My life is the same old shit all the time. I figured out a way to liven it up a little," I paused as she groaned loudly and pressed her palms to her eyes, "and keep myself safe doing it."

"You don't know the meaning of safe." She sat up. "Remember last summer when we were filming in the Bahamas and you went on that hang-gliding tour without checking into the company at all?"

"That was a fucking blast. You're just salty that you didn't come with me."

"No. I'm still pissed that you almost died, Ethan. This isn't just about your career. It's about your life."

"Which, by the way... sucks." I straightened my shoulders, not willing to back down. "Money and fame buy you one thing. You wanna know what it is?"

"Happiness?" She gave me a sheepish grin.

"Right. Try again. Loneliness."

"You're choosing that life because you refuse to trust anyone's intentions, Ethan. Not every woman is after your money or your man-beast." She glanced down at my lap. "Some of them might actually love you."

I snorted. "That's rich. They can't love me, Deza. They don't know me. They've watched me wear a million masks. Why am I the only one that gets this? Right, because it's my life."

"Tell me what you're thinking about doing, and I'll support it if I can."

"You don't. I promise." I moved toward the door as we pulled up to the hangar bay where the plane sat ready for us to take off.

"I will try. Just tell me. Trust me." She gripped my arm and softened me with the look on her face. She cared about me without a doubt, but part of that care was her overprotective side that drove me batty. I was a grown-ass man. I didn't need someone taping bubble-wrap around me every goddamn morning. It was getting old, and so was I - alone.

I got out of the car and walked to the back to pull out my luggage. The driver looked a little surprised when I refused his help and lugged the large suitcase out on my own.

"Ethan. Please?" She took her bag from me and walked on my left as we approached the plane. "Please."

"Fine." I turned to face her as we stood at the bottom of the stairs. The plane opened the door for us, and I lowered my voice just in case. "Riley and I were talking about how hard it is to travel and not have companionship. It's one thing to sleep with someone you know and take your chances, but to do it with a stranger in another country or some crazed-ass fan... it's just getting old, D. Okay?"

"What did you guys decide would work best?" Her face visibly paled.

I laughed. "Nope. See that right there. That look says that you're going to shut me down."

"Did you decide to be fuck buddies?" She gripped my arm and jerked me toward her. "That's not happening."

"We didn't decide anything. I offered and she failed to respond."

"Good for her. You know as well as I do that lust is a precursor to love."

"No, I don't know that story at all. Lust has been nothing but lust for me. Just another warm body to try and fuck only to end up miserable and alone." I pulled from her angrily. I shouldn't have said anything.

"I'm sorry you're going through some shit, Ethan, but this is a no go. It's not happening. Period."

I glanced up to find Riley standing in the doorway in a pair of short white shorts and a pink tank top. She looked good enough to eat.

"Morning. You guys okay?" She leaned over to look down at Deza. "What's a no go?"

"Nothing. Morning, beautiful." I moved past her into the plane and left her to talk with D. She could let the pretty bombshell know that my offer was void, not that she'd taken me up on it in the first place.

I wasn't that lucky...