Alex led me by the hand, out of his bedroom and down the hall-way to another room.
“I’ve not been in here since she left. Actually, scrap that. I came in once, to see what she’d left behind. I hoped that she’d come back and collect it all. I wanted to try and persuade her to come back.” He pushed open the door, letting me enter first.
“It’s bigger than yours!” I exclaimed. “How come? This is your house, not hers!”
He shrugged. “Sometimes, it was easier to give her what she wanted.” His features were downturned, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.
I could hardly believe that the hot headed, vile man I had originally met, was the same man standing beside me now. “I think you gave her far too much, Alex.”
He shrugged again. “I loved her. I’d have given her the world, if she’d asked me.”
“And now?”
His features hardened. “And now I know exactly what she was like, how she behaved and how she used me to further her career. I despise her. I hate that every day I go in to work, she’s there, strutting around, pretending to be all innocent and sweet.”
“Huh, I fail to see how anyone can see her as innocent and sweet.”
“The media. She has them exactly where she wants them.”
Not if I had anything to do with it. I had Anthony’s business card tucked in my pocket. It would only take one phone call for her world to come crashing down. But I wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t something I was going to do without discussing everything with Alex first. I didn’t want to cause him any more painful memories.
“Bathroom,” Alex said, heading to a door across the room. I followed him, entering the very bright pink and very girly room.
“It’s very—”
“Pink!” Alex exclaimed as he opened the cupboard over the sink. He shut the doors and turned toward another cabinet. “Ah-ha, here you go. Any of this any good for you?”
I stood next to him, seeing a sealed box of tampons in the cupboard. “They’re fine,” I said, reaching for the box.
“Anything else you need?”
I glanced at the rest of the items in the cabinet, sniggering at the tube of haemorrhoid cream. “No, there’s nothing else that I need in here.”
I headed out of the bathroom, desperate to get away from the overbearing pink.
“You should get rid of all her stuff, Alex. There’s no need to keep it.” It was strange that he’d kept it. I’d have thrown it out in the street on top of her stupid head as she was leaving.
“I know. I’ve just sort of left it.”
“It’s almost as if you’re hanging on to her things for a reason, as if you’re hoping she’ll come back,” I added tentatively.
“Fuck, no! I never want her back.”
“But all this!” I glanced around the room. There were clothes still hanging from the wardrobe, shoes dotted around the floor, and jewellery on the dressing table. “Are you sure that you aren’t still in love with her? Just a little bit?”
“Ella, please.” He stepped in front of me and held my face in both his hands. “The day that she told me she’d killed our baby, was the day I fell completely out of love with her. I have no feelings for her that way, none at all.” He kissed my lips and then pulled me into a hug.
“Okay,” I said.
“Now, didn’t we have some food to eat?”
“Yes,” I replied, heading to the door. “Come on, I’m starving.”
We left Amy’s room, crossed the landing, and entered Alex’s room.
The two silver domes were still on the bed, silently calling out to me to free the delicious meal underneath.
“What have you cooked for us?” I asked.
Alex’s jaw twitched as he knelt on the bed next to the tray. He reached for the handles on the top of the domes.
“This is all very grand, you know,” I said. “I feel like there should be a drum roll or something.”
I settled on the bed, mimicking his position. When he lifted the silver domes I burst out laughing, as did Alex. The grand reveal showed two plates of cheese on toast.
I wanted to speak, but couldn’t. It was several seconds before either one of us could talk. I wiped away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. “Cheese on toast!” I shrieked.
“My favourite.” Alex shrugged, and feigned a look of surprise. “How dare you laugh at my masterpiece?”
My shoulders shook as I giggled. “I dread to think what’s for desert.”
Alex raised his eyebrows. “Desert! You never said you wanted desert?”
“Well, of course I do. I’m female.”
“That I had noticed.”
My giggles swiftly stopped as a serious look crossed Alex’s face. “I’m going to miss you so much when I’m in Los Angeles,” he said.
“No, you won’t. You’ll be glad to get away from my madness. And you’ve only just met me, remember. You’ll not miss me that much.” I was sure he’d be too busy to miss me. I, on the other hand would be stuck in a studio with Amy and Rowan, and dealing with the photographers outside my house. I’d miss him like crazy.
“I will miss you,” he said. “I know I’ve only known you for a short time. My feelings should scare the shit out of me, but for some reason they don’t. It actually feels quite . . . nice.”
“I understand. I feel the same.”
“Do you know, Ella?” His hand reached across to mine. “I know I told you this before, but seriously, you’ve made me laugh so much. I honestly think I’d forgotten how to. You’ve changed me already, and for the better, I hope.”
I nodded. “We had an agreement, I promised to help you. But I don’t think either of us expected this.”
“I didn’t think I even wanted this. But look at us? I can’t imagine things any other way now.”
I breathed in deeply. “Neither can I.”
“Hey!” he exclaimed, making me jump. “And we haven’t even slept together yet!”
I rolled my eyes at his remark. “Eat your cheese, Alex, it’s getting cold.”
I hadn’t realised just how hungry I was, and managed to quickly eat Alex’s skilfully created meal. The wine washed down the tanginess of the cheese, and we had remained on the bed, drinking the wine, after Alex had moved the tray onto the floor.
“Now,” he said, his eyes lighting up with mischief. “I think we’ve waited long enough to familiarise ourselves with each other. Would you mind lying down so that I can give you my undivided attention?”
“With pleasure,” I replied, already shifting backward up the bed.
“Lie down,” he said. “I intend to complete a thorough investigation.”
I giggled, doing as he asked. But my amusement soon stopped when he crawled over the bed toward me. Like earlier, he held himself above me, his arms supporting his weight.
His clean-shaven face inched close, and I shut my eyes, expecting his lips to meet with my own. But they didn’t. I felt the softness of his hair against my ear and his lips upon my neck. I tipped my head to the side, giving him even greater access to my skin, and as he slowly kissed up my neck toward my ear I let out a whimper. His smile pulled against my skin before he resumed kissing along my jaw.
I lifted my hands from my sides, unable to keep my emotions under control for any longer, and reached for his shoulders. I wanted to feel the weight of him on top of me. But he stayed where he was, ignoring my attempt to pull him closer.
Bending his head to my neck again, he trailed his tongue downward before running tender kisses along the base of my neck.
I breathed deeply, relaxing in his arms, enjoying his attention. But it was only fair that I gave him some of my attention. I slipped my fingers under the back of the elasticated waist of his pyjama bottoms, wanting to reach lower, hoping that I’d get to play with things currently out of reach and hidden by the cotton fabric.
I scratched my nails lightly across the skin just under the covering of the pyjamas.
“You really do like my ass, don’t you?” Alex said, his lips moving against my skin.
“I certainly do,” I replied seriously. I mean, what girl wouldn’t like it? We’d been treated to quick flashes of it in one of his films, but it was so quick that even the pause button on the DVD player struggled to catch it.
His face was suddenly above mine, and he gently lowered his body so that he was lying on top of me with his upper body weight still supported on his elbows.
“I wonder what else of mine you’ll like.”
I pulled my hands out of his pyjamas and let them snake up his back. “I think you’ll struggle to disappoint me.”
“Is that so?” He settled his lower body settling against mine as I relaxed against him.
“What are you planning?” I asked, wriggling against the hardness that was resting in just the right place.
He raised his brow at my action. “Well, not too much tonight, remember.” He inclined his head toward the box of tampons on the bedside table.
I sighed. I’d forgotten about my impending visitor.
“I best pop to the loo,” I said, hating my body for its inconvenient timing.
Alex kissed my lips before sliding to my side.
“You do realise that once we have the green-light for things, we’ll not be leaving this bed for a week,” he said, resting on his elbow.
I smirked. If I had my way it’d be for more than a week.
I shuffled to the edge of the bed and picked the box of tampons from the bedside table.
“I’ll only be a minute,” I said before heading to the bedroom.
I was as quick as possible, wanting to be back in his arms, and snuggled up to his warm body.
When I emerged from the bathroom he was leaning back against the headboard, fidgeting to get comfortable.
“Come here, Ella,” he offered, reaching his arm out as a gesture for me to join him. “I’ve got a busy two days ahead.” He yawned as I snuggled into his side. “Everything needs wrapping up, so Wednesday is clear for the closed set.”
“Closed set?”
He hesitated. “Hmmm, I’ve got a sex scene with Amy.”
“That’s not going to be much fun.”
“Not at all. But I wanted you to know that I will be acting. I will be incredibly professional. I’m just not sure whether you should watch it.”
“Watch the sex scene?”
“Yeah. I mean, I have no problem with it, it’s only acting after all, and I’ve done other scenes that are just as sexually charged as this one, but I’m not sure it’s something that you should watch. Not now.” His arm tightened around my hip. “But the decision is yours. I just wanted you to know that if you decide to duck out of the studio whilst it’s happening, then I understand.”
I nodded against his chest. I’d never thought of it as Alex had said. How would I feel about him simulating sex with Amy? I’d probably want to drag her off him by her hair, and beat the life out of her. I sniggered at my thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” Alex asked, shifting position so that he could see my face.
“I was thinking that maybe I could have a bit of a bitch attack on her, drag her off you, throw her to the ground and beat the shit out of her.”
“I like the idea, but it really is highly unprofessional.”
“I know. But I can just imagine the look on her face.” I snaked my arm around his waist, tightening my hold on him. Talking about Alex simulating sex with Amy had reminded me about our current predicament. I was beyond pissed off that things wouldn’t go any further tonight. “I’m sorry,” I said, knowing how frustrated he must be as well.
“About what?”
“About my body deciding to call a halt to everything.”
He chuckled. “It’s not how I imagined our first night together.”
“No, it’s not how I dreamt our first night would be.”
He shifted position and kissed the top of my head.
“I don’t think your dreams will have done me justice, Ella. But I’ll let you be the judge of that when you’ve experienced what I can do with my tongue.”
“You . . . you don’t mind that I’ve imagined this, dreamt about it even? It doesn’t bother you?” I asked.
“I have no problem with it at all. I’m sure that if I had known of your existence, I would have dreamt about you, Ella. But you kept yourself hidden from me.”
I breathed deeply, wondering whether to tell him about the time he had seen me. It was only briefly. I’d gone to the premier of the first film, Starworld, and managed to have a snatched photo with him as he’d chatted to the fans. He’d told me to enjoy the film.
“I didn’t hide. You just had to find me,” I whispered.
His face dipped toward mine.
“Ella,” he breathed. “You found me, remember. I’m so sorry I was such as ass when I first met you.”
“Shhh . . .” I lifted my head from the comfort of the pillow and pressed my lips against his. I didn’t want him getting all melancholy about how he had behaved when we first met. He’d had his reasons.
My hands grasped at his hair as I kissed him, but it wasn’t long before he took control. His mouth expertly teased mine, lips against lips, tongue against tongue, as our actions became more heated. A moan escaped me as his hips shifted, the pressure from his lower body was deliciously hard yet again, and impossible to ignore. He rubbed against me as the kiss continued, and I writhed underneath him, seeking even more friction.
Alex groaned into my mouth before breaking our kiss and rolling onto his back. “You’re evil, Ella, pure evil. The way you move, shit.”
I reached across him and slipped my hand under the front of his pyjama bottoms.
Alex grabbed my hand. “Oh no. No, no, no! There’s no way I’m letting you get hold of me tonight. I want to fully explore your body before you even touch mine.”
My stomach suddenly griped, and I pulled my hand away from Alex’s grasp. I rested it on my stomach, wiling the cramp away.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “My stomach’s aching a bit, that’s all. You sure you didn’t feed me dodgy cheese on toast?”
Alex chuckled. “Much as I hate to say it, I think we need to get some sleep. We can save our passion for another night.”
“Spoilsport,” I muttered.
“Under the covers, Ella, get comfy.”
As much as I wanted the fun to continue, his suggestion made sense.
I shuffled under the sheets, and Alex joined me, flicking the bedside lamp off before facing me.
“Turn around, Ella. I can cuddle you properly from behind if that’s okay.”
“That’s okay,” I replied. Okay? It was like my own personal heaven. I turned my back to him, and he immediately snaked his arm around my side, settling his hand across the bare flesh of my tummy. He nuzzled his chin into my neck, kissing the back of it through my hair.
I was spooning with Alex Denton. This was beyond my wildest dreams.
“Night, Ella,” he whispered, planting a kiss on my shoulder.
“Night, Alex.” I wriggled my bottom against him.
“Behave,” he hissed as I felt the reaction my movement had caused.
I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.