Breaking Free

by Cara Dee

  He thought about her all the time, missed her, and she was the first person he looked for when he walked on set.

  She was holding up, but the few times he'd caught her spacing out and looking lost were awful for Tennyson.

  It was over and done with, though. As much as he wanted to be there to comfort her, reassure her, he couldn’t. It would only make it worse when she was trying to move on.

  *

  The famous words came in the afternoon three days later.

  "That’s a wrap, everyone!"

  There were hugs and hoots of celebration, and Tennyson smiled and shook Noah's hand before he was off to join the others. Tennyson's work was far from done, and with everything going on with Sophie, he didn’t feel like celebrating.

  Instead, he retreated to his trailer and stayed there until it was time to head back to Vancouver. There was a luxurious hotel and a wrap party waiting, and Tennyson would make a quick appearance since several studio people would be joining, Asher included. But Tennyson sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to it.

  There was a knock on the door to his trailer and he expected it to be Tyler saying they were ready to leave, but it was Kelly.

  "I didn’t mean to disturb," she said, "but I wanted to thank you. It's been really cool working with you."

  Tennyson forced a polite smile and inclined his head. "You've done a great job, Kelly."

  It was true, no matter how small her part had been. She'd arrived last night for one of the last scenes, in which Sophie had located her sister, though the outcome hadn't been the one she'd hoped for.

  Tennyson had shot an alternate ending as well, and he honestly hadn't decided which one he'd go with yet. It depended on how it went in post-production with the editing and meeting with the producers.

  "Tennyson," he heard Tyler call out. The kid had finally dropped the "sir." "We're ready to head out."

  There it was. Production was over, and next up was a nice hotel room.

  "Got it," Tennyson said with a nod. "I'll see you tonight for the party, Kelly." He managed another smile, and then he followed his PA toward an SUV.

  *

  "You're stalling, Tee."

  Tennyson shot his brother a glare and wished he'd never let the bastard into his hotel room. He'd barely gotten out of the shower before Ash was knocking on the door.

  Tennyson's bags were packed, so that limited the selection of what to wear. It was a fancy shindig on the rooftop terrace, so he pulled on a pair of black dress pants and picked out a dark blue button-down.

  "When's your flight tomorrow?" Ash asked, looking absently around the suite. He stood in the middle, hands in his pockets, all suited up.

  "Eleven. Aren't we on the same one?" Tennyson grabbed the only leather belt that hadn't been packed.

  "No, I promised Dad I'd take Mom to a charity thing in Portland. I'll be back next week."

  Tennyson nodded in understanding and buttoned up his shirt.

  Asher wasn’t done being chatty. "I saw Sophie in the bar downstairs. She's on the early flight back." Tennyson knew that already. He'd picked the later flight for a fucking reason. "I take it you two aren't dating anymore?"

  "Did we ever?" Tennyson muttered. Other than for publicity. And that was thankfully over. The studio had gotten the buzz they'd wanted, and now they would continue riding the promo wave he and Sophie had started. "But no, she and I are done."

  Ash hummed. "You weren't this down when you broke up with Trisha."

  Not that crap again, Tennyson groaned internally. It seemed Trisha came up in conversation every time he spent time with someone in his family.

  He tied his shoes, halting when he spotted a tiny stain. The shoes were black and polished, so the little dot of purple stood out when you got close. Right there, on the side.

  It was paint. The purple paint Sophie had been covered in when they took part in Safe, Wild, and Sound.

  With a sigh, he stood up again and ran a hand through his hair.

  After tonight, he would get his life back in order. Back to normal…

  "You love her, don’t you?" Asher looked at him strangely, almost in wonder. "Jesus Christ, Tennyson. She's twenty-one."

  "You don’t know what the fuck you're talking about," Tennyson warned. He went for the door and ripped it open. "You coming or not?"

  Not waiting for Asher, Tennyson headed toward the elevators and hit the button.

  Could this night be over, already?

  He hung his head, unable to forget Asher's words. Or perhaps accusation was more accurate. Love. Tennyson couldn’t wrap his head around that. Was it even possible? It was merely three months ago he'd been introduced to the party princess, and only a month had passed since he'd kissed her for the first time. Fuck, how things had changed. But now they were going back into the real world, where everything tended to be different. Movie sets were like alternate universes.

  What applied there didn’t necessarily work when a production was over.

  *

  Twenty minutes later, Tennyson had managed to push aside his personal issues for the moment. It was like a dull ache that pulsed inside his chest, but it beat the sharp pains from before. And he was able to listen to Noah and a few others talk about future projects.

  Some hundred people had gathered on the rooftop, not counting the staff of waiters that flitted around with trays of champagne and finger food.

  Tennyson had skipped that and gone for a regular beer.

  "So, what about you, boss?" Noah asked, finished with his own story. "What's next for you?"

  "You mean after eight weeks of post-production?" Tennyson smirked wryly.

  "Jesus." Noah shook his head. "That’s all you'll get?"

  "Studio deadlines." Tennyson shrugged and tried to find Asher in the crowd, but he couldn’t be seen. "After that, it's back home. I have a few projects that're waiting to be green-lit."

  Problem was, there was one part that would've been perfect for Sophie.

  Noah dipped his chin. "You live in northern Cali, right? I've been thinking about leaving LA myself, but it'll have to wait. I'm actually showing Sophie my place tomorrow."

  That sure had Tennyson's attention. "Why?"

  "My place looks exactly like the one across the hall," Noah answered, grabbing another glass of champagne as a waiter passed. "And I know it'll be up for sale soon because the dude who lives there is relocating. So Sophie asked if she could see my place and maybe check if my neighbor's willing to sell directly to her."

  "I see." Tennyson nodded and stared at his feet, frowning. Well, this was good. How it was supposed to be. Sophie was starting her life as an independent young woman. She'd need her own place to live, obviously.

  "I should probably call my roommate and tell him to clean." Now Noah was frowning, too. "Excuse me."

  He walked out with his phone in hand, and Tennyson avoided talking to some studio execs by finding a corner to nurse his beer. Ten more minutes, then he'd call it a night.

  Pulling out his phone, he did a fair impression of looking busy, but then the last person he expected to interrupt him did.

  "I see you found a good hiding spot."

  Tennyson's head snapped up, and he saw Sophie standing in front of him, a nervous little smile on her lips.

  "You caught me." Unable to help himself, he drank in the sight of her. She wore a little black number, tight enough to show off the curves she was getting, and with just enough cleavage to make men beg for more. With a small shake of his head, he averted his gaze and took a swig of his beer.

  Sophie took a small step forward and set down her champagne glass on the high table next to them. "I…I don’t know why I came over." She bit her lip.

  Tennyson swallowed and set down his beer, too. "You don’t need a reason." Once again, his eyes sought her out. She was all grace tonight, beyond beautiful, though he could see she was uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" He wanted to touch her but doubted it would be appreciated.

  She smiled, b
ut it faltered slightly. "Under the circumstances. What about you? Are you all right?"

  Her honesty made it easier for him to be truthful, too. "Not today, sweetie."

  Sophie nodded with a dip of her chin, and he caught the glistening of her eyes before she looked down.

  "Hey." Throwing caution to the wind, Tennyson closed the distance and hugged her close to him. "Don’t be sad." He kissed the top of her head, relieved when she hugged him back just as tightly. "I'll always be a phone call away. You know that, right?"

  She nodded against his chest, but he didn’t quite believe she'd actually call.

  "I want to give you the number to my house in Mendocino," he said quietly. Because once he got home after LA, he would turn off his cell phone. Too many industry contacts had his number, but he wanted Sophie to be able to reach him, and he told her as much. "Can you give me your phone?"

  She eased away and kept her eyes downcast as she retrieved her phone and handed it over.

  He added his number and smiled a little at the photo of Max and her in the background.

  "I need a minute—I'll be right back." Sophie wiped her cheek and rushed away from him.

  Tennyson cursed and followed. Fuck if he was going to let her be alone right now.

  "Tee!" he heard Asher call behind him.

  Tennyson ignored it, too focused on the girl he was chasing. The dark waves of her hair bounced with each step, and her heels made clicking sounds on the marble floor.

  Once they reached the long corridor, the marble was exchanged for carpet, and the music from the party faded.

  "Sophie, wait up." He picked up the pace when she reached the elevators, doors already open.

  "Not now, Tennyson." She sniffled and repeatedly pushed the button for the doors to close. But his hand shot out and stopped the doors before it was too late.

  He pushed his way inside and met her teary glare by cornering her. "You don’t shut me out, Sophie. Ever." He had no right to utter those words, but he was suddenly overcome with anger. It was enough that they were over, but if she came up to him and started crying, she couldn’t expect him to be fine with that.

  The doors closed and Sophie placed a hand on Tennyson's chest to keep what little distance remained. But when he took another step toward her, she didn’t resist anymore.

  The tension thickened between them. Anger and hurt mingled with undeniable desire.

  Fuck. Tennyson's gaze dropped to Sophie's chest. It heaved with quick, shallow breaths. Fuck, fuck.

  Her face crumpled, which broke the last of Tennyson's resolve. He was there in a heartbeat and kissed her hard, his hands coming up to stroke her cheeks, her jaw, down to her neck.

  "Ugh, bastard," she whimpered into the kiss. At the same time, she pulled him closer and pushed her tongue into his mouth.

  Tennyson groaned and angled his head for a deeper kiss, and the ding of the elevator only made him act faster. "Tell me to stop—otherwise, I'm carrying you to my room right now."

  She didn’t tell him to stop.

  Maybe she was as weak as he was.

  Wrenching away from Sophie's addictive mouth, Tennyson reached for the buttons, only to see they were already at his floor. Her room was evidently on this floor, too.

  "Come on." He grabbed her hand and exited the car, but true to his word, he didn’t stop there. He lifted her with ease, and Sophie let out a needy noise and wrapped her legs around him.

  While he blindly searched for the key card in his pockets, he pressed Sophie up against a wall and kissed her hungrily. Jesus Christ, it had been too fucking long. Two weeks without her body next to him, two weeks without her soft lips, two weeks without her sweet laughs.

  "I wish I could hate you," Sophie admitted, out of breath. "It would've made this so much easier."

  Perhaps she was right, but fury was enough for Tennyson. It fueled him as he carried her to his room and kicked the door open. Fury toward the guy she'd meet some day. The lucky motherfucker would get to sleep on Tennyson's side of the bed.

  He slid his fingers underneath the straps of her dress and pushed them down, quick to expose flawless skin, perky tits, and a toned stomach. She'd gained more weight, too. And it was mouthwateringly sexy.

  Lowering his head, he dropped kisses all over her skin while he removed the last of her clothing. "Get on the bed."

  They fucked for all the right and wrong reasons that night.

  It was rough, angry, and desperate.

  For hours, they got lost in each other one last time.

  They were completely spent at around four in the morning, but with the clock ticking, one lazy kiss grew heated again. Sophie got him hard with her perfect mouth, and then she straddled him and sank down on his cock.

  "I wish it could've been another time and place, too." Tennyson spoke the words quietly, huskily, between openmouthed kisses to her neck.

  He'd never forget her saying that when they…broke up…two weeks ago, and it summed it up perfectly for him. It was exactly what he wished for. A time and place where they wanted the same things in life. A time and place where they weren't going in opposite directions.

  Sophie swiveled her hips, taking him deeper, and he moaned through clenched teeth.

  "I met you too soon," she whispered, grazing her teeth along his scruffy jaw.

  "Fuck," he panted. Gripping her hips, he slammed her down on his cock and elicited a cry of pleasure from Sophie. "You're killing me, baby." In every way.

  Close wasn’t close enough, so he flipped her over and covered her body with his. The desperate frenzy returned from before, and they were all over each other as they chased their orgasms.

  When they finally came, it was quiet, bodies rigid with tension, and completely still.

  It was goodbye.

  He didn’t say a word—neither did Sophie—but it was all around them.

  Tennyson knew he'd wake up in a few hours alone.

  Chapter 20

  So it begins, Sophie thought grimly. Landing at LAX brought her back to reality, and paps were waiting for the next Princess Pierce scandal. Men with cameras crowded her as she exited the airport with Noah and Brooklyn, and she wished Daniel were here.

  Instead, he was in a car with Max, and they were driving to Toronto. Sophie would join them there the day after tomorrow when her new job started.

  Daniel had come up with the idea the day before they wrapped. He said he wanted to think things over about the whole management thing, and a few days on the road would help.

  "Where's Tennyson, Sophie?"

  "Is it true you got married last night?"

  "Pierce, over here!"

  Sophie was glad they were having their luggage delivered. It would've been impossible to get through with bags.

  "You need a damn bodyguard, honey," Noah muttered. He pulled Sophie close and wasn’t afraid to push back when the paparazzi bumped into them. "Dude, fucking watch it."

  Sophie kept her head down and followed Noah and Brooklyn toward the car that was picking them up. Well, not Brooklyn. She was taking a cab straight home, and she was nearly bursting with excitement to see her daughter.

  "Who's the guy, Sophie?"

  "Are you and Wright over?"

  "Sophie, why so shy?"

  For every question, Sophie imagined the comments that would follow on the internet. No matter how reporters spun it, she wouldn’t come out looking good, and she'd be ridiculed all over again.

  Sophie and Brooklyn managed a quick hug and promised to meet up soon, and then they split up. Noah ushered Sophie into an SUV, and Brooklyn headed toward the cabs.

  "Jesus Christ." Sophie huffed a breath and made sure the door was locked. She couldn’t believe she'd loved this kind of attention before. Every time she was spotted in a tabloid, it'd made her feel validated. She was somebody.

  She had a feeling her past and present would collide one of these days, but for now, she didn’t want to look back for even a second.

  Noah asked her if she want
ed to check in to her hotel first or go straight to his place, and she chose the latter. It was part of the whole "looking strictly ahead." Her future home in this case, hopefully.

  "What's the plan for you and Steph?" she asked, knowing Steph was off on her next job already. A production in New Zealand, if Sophie wasn’t mistaken.

  "Huh? Oh, that was just casual." Noah got comfortable after giving the driver his address. "We're usually more discreet. This isn't the first time we've hooked up."

  "Ah." Sophie looked out the tinted window, and apparently she'd gotten it all wrong. She thought Noah and Steph were, like, together now. "How do you do it?" She peered back to Noah again, genuinely curious. "How do you not get attached?"

  She wasn’t a stranger to casual sex, obviously, but Noah and Steph had a lot in common and liked hanging out. Sophie had been all about the spotlight and looking good on some Hollywood bad boy's arm. She hadn't given a shit at all about real.

  "We're friends." Noah shrugged. "Different priorities, different goals. Neither of us is interested in a relationship, and we're always on the road or looking for the next gig."

  "Hmph." Sophie didn’t find that helpful at all, and she slumped a little lower in her seat. She and Tennyson had different priorities and different goals too, but that didn’t explain why she was a mess inside. It didn’t explain why she'd kept one of his T-shirts, why she'd snuck out of his hotel room this morning like some coward, or why she'd nearly flipped her shit when a security agent at the airport in Vancouver wanted her to take off the necklace Tennyson had given her.

  It was a fucking necklace. She didn’t have a bomb hidden underneath the silver feather.

  *

  Sophie had lived in LA all her life, but she had no memory of ever being in Pacific Palisades. It was close to Malibu, so she'd heard of it, of course. Thousands of times. She knew many celebrities lived here, but she'd never actually been. Or maybe she had, but the neighborhoods blended together too much. It was difficult to tell.

  It was beautiful, though. They passed mansions, country clubs, expansive hills, and a lot of surrounding nature for Max to go nuts over. The ocean was close, too.