by L. D. Davis
“See you in the morning, Casanova,” I said and went back to my own suite.
*~*~*
My big scene with Felix was up, but the only way Emmet would allow me to go through with it was if he got to be there to watch it happen. I wasn’t too keen on the idea. I didn’t want to have to worry about the things that would be going through his head while I was working. I was nervous enough about all of the crew that would be watching.
“Are you nervous?” Trip asked me as Felix and I stood by the ominous looking bed.
I had a robe on until it was time to film the scene, but Felix was just as happy to walk around in his boxer briefs, showing off to the ladies on set and flirting.
“I’m nervous about doing this in front of a whole bunch of people,” I answered honestly.
“Sweetheart, I’ll make you forget about anyone else within miles of us,” Felix purred at my side.
I slapped his arm as I threw a quick glance at Emmet, who was staying out of the way but was still within hearing range. His arms were folded across his chest, and he was glaring at us. Glaring and scowling.
“I’ve kept only the essential people for this scene. Okay?” Trip tried to reassure me.
I nodded.
“Okay, I want to see passion here,” Trip said, back to business. “I know you’re nervous, but pretend you’re not. You’re an actress now.”
He gave us more directions as someone messed with my hair and another person arranged the bed sheets to look like they had been slept in. Before I knew it, it was time for me to slip off the robe and get into the bed. As I climbed into it, I looked at Emmet’s hard face. I offered him a small smile, and he forced one back.
Felix got into the bed beside me, looking more than a little giddy. We had several lines before the hot scene began. Trip wanted us to try hard to get it all in one take. Felix and I got into position, with me lying on my back and him lying on his side beside me. I knew I couldn’t just lay there like a lump, so I put my arms above my head, forcing my camisole to slide up my stomach. Felix put his hand on the exposed flesh. I tried to turn off the burning sensation I felt under his touch.
“Good, good,” Trip said.
I threw Emmet one last glance. It was hard to see his face with all of the lighting, but we were connected. I could feel his seething jealousy in my gut. I was forced to look away and concentrate on the task at hand.
Trip called out action. Felix became Drew, and I became Nina. We had a serious conversation as Felix’s hand roamed over my belly. There was a tightness there that nearly left me breathless. My nerves were a mess. It was incredible how I managed to say my lines and move and behave appropriately.
As he leaned down to kiss me, he whispered one word to me in a barely audible tone. “Relax.”
I had not kissed Felix since that first night in his limo, but my lips remembered his and burned with yearning as he kissed me slowly. I cupped his face in my hand as I pressed my lips to his. He groaned softly and slipped his tongue past my lips. His hand slid under my camisole and smoothed across my skin just under my breasts. I moaned softly and moved my hand from his face to his hair. Felix carefully moved until his body covered mine without breaking our kiss. There was no ignoring the erection that was pressed firmly against my thigh. Though I almost expected it, I was still surprised to feel it.
His hand moved over my hip and down my thigh. When he reached my knee, he gently lifted it. I took his hint and hooked my ankle over the back of his leg. His hand moved back up my thigh and then to my ass. Our kiss was losing its sweetness and becoming more wild and aggressive. I had both hands in his hair as I arched my whole body up towards his. He groaned and pushed against me. I moaned into his mouth and ran one hand down his strong back. We kissed and moved gently against each other for a long time while our hands explored one another’s bodies.
The volume of our moaning, grunting, and groaning had been increasing, but when Felix peeled away from my lips to kiss my neck, my moan was as loud as thunder in my ears. Before I could feel embarrassed about it, Felix’s teeth were nipping at my shoulder where he had pushed the strap of the camisole down. My fingers dug into his shoulders as he kissed across my cleavage.
Suddenly, we were rolling over in the bed. I didn’t hear cut, so I kept going, allowing Felix to pull me on top of him. We both gasped loudly. I stared down at him with my lips slightly parted and my hair hanging down one side of my face. He stared back with his mouth slightly open and his eyes hooded. He had rolled me directly onto his erection.
We were both shocked, but the film was still running. Felix gripped my hips and moved me slowly. Shamefully, I bit back a startled, yet salacious and carnal cry. Though the only sound Felix made was another gasp, his head had tilted back, and his eyes had closed as pleasure made his body tremor beneath me.
When he opened his eyes again and looked up at me, we stared at each other for a moment before I leaned down to kiss him.
“Cut!” Trip yelled.
Felix, surprisingly, looked just as thrown by the whole experience as I felt. With his guidance, I carefully and quickly moved off of him. He hastily covered himself in the bedding and I looked away with my face burning.
“That was fucking perfect!” Trip exclaimed.
“Good, because I’m not doing it again,” Felix growled. “I have to piss and damn it, can someone get me a sandwich? A guy’s gotta eat!”
I was relieved that he didn’t openly make a big deal about the uncomfortable situation. As I climbed out of the other side of the bed, a hand held out my robe. I looked up the hand and arm and met Emmet’s eyes.
“Thank you,” I said, as he helped me put it on.
When I turned back around, I looked up at him again, searching his face for his thoughts and feelings. With adrenaline rushing through my veins and all of the activity around us, I couldn’t get a good read on him. He put his hand gently on my face, and I closed my eyes with relief as I pressed my cheek into his palm. Emmet put his other hand on my hip and leaned over and put his lips close to my ear.
“As soon as it is possible I am going to erase all of his kissing and touching,” he whispered as his thumb stroked over my hip. The stroking sent heated waves of pleasure right to my core.
His lips softly touched my neck and then he pulled away. He looked down at me with a loving smile that made me fall in love with him a little more.
I didn’t care that I had just been in bed with Felix, that we were surrounded by people, that Trip was trying to talk to me or Felix was in the background being loud and obnoxious. I linked my fingers behind Emmet’s head, pressed my body into his, stood on my toes and pulled him down for a kiss.
When we pulled apart a moment later, I said, “Sorry. I just thought we should get a head start.”
Emmet chuckled and kissed my nose before releasing me so I could get back to work.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Though my last day of filming had been the same day I had my big scene with Felix, we had hung around L.A. for a few extra days. Emmet and I spent a lot of time at the beach, kissing and touching in the water and holding hands as we walked the shoreline. The chances of some paparazzi taking candid shots of us didn’t elude me, but I assumed since we were in L.A. there were many more important folks to harass, and that one spot in the tabloid the week before had been a fluke.
The day before our departure, Emmet and I went for an evening walk along the beach. I walked along in the surf, enjoying the spray on my ankles and calves while Emmet walked a few feet away in dryer sand. Now and then I’d crouch to pick up a colorful or unusual looking stone or pebble and drop it in a small bag I had slung over my shoulder. I was going to give them to Emmy to go along with the shells that we had collected over the years as kids.
Though I knew I should have been heading back to New York as soon as possible, we were going to fly to Philly and go back to New Jersey for a little bit. My mom had doctors’ appointments and personal business to tend to. Emmet wanted to
spend a little time at home before he got wrapped up in his internship, and I wanted to spend some time with Fred and Emmy. I even missed Sam and her cuckoo ways.
“So, I have something to tell you,” I said carefully to Emmet as I brushed sand off of a pink, smooth stone.
“Sounds like the beginning of an interesting conversation,” Emmet said warily.
I glanced over at him and put the stone in my bag. I didn’t see any point in beating around the bush. I had withheld the information from him long enough.
“Felix offered me his New York apartment. It’s attached to the penthouse, and I can live there rent free.”
Emmet didn’t say anything for a while, but his brow was creased with concentration as he was no doubt in deep thought. We walked along quietly for a few minutes. Earlier the beach had been crowded with sunbathers, frolicking children, and swimmers, but the crowds had thinned. There was still many people on the beach, but they were disappearing little by little. Several surfers were out in the waves, and I imagined they’d be there even after nightfall.
“When Felix finishes filming, he’ll be back in New York full time,” Emmet said, seeking confirmation.
“I suppose so.”
“So, you will be, in essence, living with Felix.”
I felt him looking at me as I picked up a purple stone and rolled it around in my hand.
“Yes,” I said and finally looked at him. “But I will have my own space. I even have my own private entrance in addition to the access through the penthouse.”
“I don’t think I like the idea of you living with him,” Emmet said, frowning.
“Don’t think of it as me living with him. We’ll be more like neighbors than roommates, and mom will be there with me too.”
He pushed a hand through his hair as he looked at a group of surfers ahead of us.
“Why is he going out of his way to help you so much?” he asked after a moment. “He gave you the dress; he paid for your flight and accommodations out here. He got you into the movie and now he wants to give you an apartment. What does he want out of it?”
“Emmet,” I sighed. “Just because he’s being kind doesn’t mean that he wants something out of it.”
“No man is going to give a woman all of that without expecting something in return, Donya. Don’t be naïve.”
I stopped walking again and spun to face him.
“I am getting really tired of people thinking I’m some stupid little girl!”
“I didn’t say that,” he argued. “But you have to admit that you are being stupid about this.”
“I’m not being stupid about this,” I snapped. “I didn’t ask for everything he’s done, but he’s not going to come asking for his recompense later, Emmet. I know he’s a pig, but he’s not that kind of pig.”
“Right,” he said with a humorless laugh. “You two are such great friends. You know him so well in so little time. You trust him one hundred percent.”
“We are, I do, and I do,” I said, nodding stubbornly. “You should take some notes on trust and maybe then you’ll be able to trust me.”
I walked away, but I was no longer walking at a leisurely pace. I walked to put some distance between Emmet and me before I swung my bag of rocks at his face.
A hand closed around my wrist and yanked. I splashed in the water as I was pulled into Emmet’s body. I pushed at him, but he grabbed my other wrist and forced my arms down to my sides.
“Stop,” he grunted. “Damn it, Donya, stop fighting me!”
I stood still, but wouldn’t look at him. I looked at the Pacific on my left, scowling.
“Hey, look at me,” he said, trying to meet my eyes. “Look at me,” he demanded.
Reluctantly, I looked up at him.
“I hate that Felix is helping you and not me,” he admitted angrily. “Maybe it is selfish and conceited, but I wanted to be your hero. I want to be the one that takes care of you and finds solutions for your problems. You belong to me, and I haven’t been able to do shit for you. Not because I can’t, because I can. I have the means to help you, but Felix keeps swooping in and saving the damn day.”
I tried to check my attitude and pissy mood before I spoke. I was still irritated, but I attempted to speak gently.
“I don’t need saving, and I don’t need you to save the day, Emmet. I need you there at the end of the day. I need to know that whether the day was saved or not that you are there in the end.”
He sighed heavily and rested his forehead on mine. He released my wrists and put his hands on my waist.
“He keeps kicking me in the ego,” he said, pouting.
I couldn’t help but to smile at his poked out lip. I tapped his boo-boo lip with my finger and put my hands on his chest.
“Here’s an ego booster,” I said. “You have me, heart and soul, and he doesn’t. You and I are connected in ways that no one else will ever be able to touch or understand. How’s your ego now?”
One corner of his mouth pulled up a little bit.
“You might want to say something about my body and my looks. I’m no superstar,” he said as his thumbs stroked my stomach.
“You’re my superstar,” I whispered. “And for the record, you’re the hottest guy that matters.”
“You didn’t say I was the hottest guy you know,” he pointed out.
“I don’t like to lie to you,” I teased.
He slapped my ass hard enough to make it sting, but I laughed nevertheless and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I need to be kissed,” I said, looking at his perfect lips.
“I better hurry up and do that before Felix sweeps in to save the day,” he said.
“Shut up and do it already.”
Emmet complied. The sun set as we kissed. It was a movie moment for the books.
Chapter Thirty
Emmy waved herself with a magazine.
“You had movie sex with Felix Hunter,” she said breathlessly.
I laughed and nudged her. “Stop saying that. It wasn’t sex. There wasn’t any penetration or oral activity.”
“But you were pelvis to pelvis in a bed half naked with his hands on you and his tongue in your mouth. That’s pretty damn close if you ask me. Just let me have the illusion in my head.”
“The fact that you want to imagine me banging Felix is a little disturbing.”
“I don’t care,” she said dreamily. “I can’t wait for you to move in with him.”
“I’m not moving in with him,” I said. “We’ll be like neighbors.”
“Whatever. The chances of ‘accidentally’ finding him naked are high.”
I laughed. “Please, when you visit me, don’t stalk my landlord.”
“I make you no promises,” she grinned.
We had been laying on her bed, reading magazines, eating junk food, and chatting for hours. I was going to have to work my ass off to lose all of the calories I was ingesting with Emmy, but it would be worth it. She was worth the calories and the days of starvation that would most likely follow.
“How did Emmet end up in California?” she asked a little while later.
“I asked him to join us,” I said with disinterest. I pretended an article in Elle was beyond interesting, but truly I had no idea what I was reading.
“Why? When you could have asked me? The better, hotter sibling.”
“You had school, and he didn’t,” I told her, though that wasn’t an explanation at all.
Emmet had said that eventually Emmy and the rest of the family would have to deal with our relationship, but I honestly didn’t want to have to deal with them trying to deal with our relationship with everything I had lying before me. In addition to moving forward with my career, my mother’s death was inevitable, and I wasn’t sure where my life would go after that, if I would have to fight for my independence or if I would be allowed to stand on my own.
As if to solidify my decision to remain quiet about it, Emmy followed up with, “Whatever. As long as you�
�re not screwing our brother like the tabloids think.” She shuddered in disgust.
“Wouldn’t be the worst choice,” I heard myself mutter and then bit the inside of my cheek to shut myself up.
“No,” she said and then paused thoughtfully. “It wouldn’t be the worst choice, but ew.”
“How are Mayson and Tack?” I asked, ready to shut that subject down.
Emmy sat up, and I sat up with her. I crossed my legs and dropped the magazine on the bed between us and looked at Em. The topic clearly pained her, but she was trying to play it cool.
“Mayson walked out of rehab. She’s dodging her parents and the police, on the run with that stupid asshole,” she said, staring down at her hands.
“What about Tack?”
“On a steady downward spiral. I tried talking to Tabitha about him, but she doesn’t seem to want to talk about it—or to me for that matter.”
“Well, it must be hard on her,” I said, trying to comfort her.
She shrugged and then nodded. “I guess I would feel the same way if it was Emmet.” She looked at me with a guilty expression. “Is it terrible that I’m more worried about Mayson than Tack?” she whispered.
I shook my head gently. “You were always much closer to Mayson than Tabitha and Tack,” I told her, and it was true. Mayson and Emmy were probably just as close as Emmy and me. Tack and Emmet had been close, but they had started to drift apart before the drugs, and Tabitha was always a little standoffish.
“I feel awful for Tack, I do,” Emmy said as if she had to convince me. “But what Mayson is going through is killing me. She’s one of the few people that I need to exist in this world.”
“I understand,” I said, rubbing her back. I had people I needed to exist in the world too. My mom…Emmy. Emmet.
I smiled at Emmy to hide the guilt I felt. Guilt, and then sadness, because as close as we were, she was unable to see past whatever face I gave her. While I could read her like a Dr. Seuss book, she only saw in me what I wanted her to see. I liked having that control, to be able to hide behind my face, but at the same time, I sometimes wished that she could figure me out and just as easily as I could figure her out. Sometimes I wished that I was wide the hell open for her and that there were no secrets between us.
