BARE_A Hollywood Romance

by Sarah Robinson

  "I'm ready," he assured her, returning to the original stance they'd started in. "When Elena gets here, we'll make sure it's perfect. It'll be the hottest dance scene the silver screen has ever seen."

  Teagan visibly swallowed, something painful flashing through her eyes.

  Was that jealousy? Reed was sure it wasn't, but he found himself wishing it was anyway.

  "Let's start from the top." Teagan lifted her chin and stretched out her arm toward him. "But this time, give me more."

  Reed smiled. She didn't have to ask him twice.

  Chapter Four

  "Five, six, seven, eight…" Teagan mouthed along with Reed and Elena's steps from where she was standing off to the side of the set watching them filming.

  Elena slid her hands across Reed's chest, pulling his shirt open as the buttons flew everywhere. She tossed her hair and spun to the side, but he pulled her back, twirling her into his body and dipping her down in the same way he'd done with Teagan just hours ago.

  She'd be lying if she said she was enjoying watching their performance. They were great, and their chemistry was undeniable. The movie was going to be a hit based on them alone, but that wasn't where Teagan's mind was.

  It was the way Elena rolled her body against his, feeling every inch of him. Memories of dancing in the sheets with Reed years and years ago flooded Teagan’s thoughts, and she couldn't push them away. When everything had been perfect…when the future was still stretched out in front of them, and fame and love were so close she just had to reach out and grab them.

  The way he felt pressed against her, his lips on hers, devouring every ounce of her soul as their bodies slid against one another, naked and wanting. He'd done things to her she'd never been able to replicate with a man since. Not that she'd dated a ton since Reed, but she hadn't been celibate either.

  There was a reason she was still single though. No one made her stomach flip like when he used to kiss her neck, trailing his tongue along the length of her body. Or the way she'd tremble when his hand slid between her legs and made every part of her come alive. And sometimes…she just missed the way he held her. The way they'd cuddle on the couch after a long day of classes, and how just his very touch could make her feel at home, like she belonged.

  There was a comfort to being in love, to knowing that the man on her arms was hers, and she was his. She'd felt that safety with Reed.

  She'd trusted him with everything she'd had…and then he'd left.

  Now here he was with a leggy blonde all over him, looking hotter than sin, and all she could think about was how he'd felt pressed against her earlier today. Confusing as fuck.

  "Cut!" Mario jumped up from his chair and walked on to the set. "Great job, Elena. Stellar performance, Reed. What did you think, Teagan? They follow your routine correctly? It looked sexy as hell."

  Teagan pushed her shoulders back and nodded. "They were perfect."

  Elena grinned, tossing her platinum hair over her shoulder and turning to Reed. She batted her long eyelashes and looked up at him from beneath them. "It's all about having the perfect partner." She trailed a finger down Reed's arm.

  Teagan glanced up at him, wondering if he was falling for the starlet’s blatant flirting. Reed was staring straight at her, his eyes molten in the way that pierced through her. He didn't even seem to notice Elena.

  Teagan swallowed and quickly looked away. It was too much, too intense, and she wasn't ready. She still hated him. Right?

  "Or the perfect teacher," Reed said, moving away from Elena and closer to Teagan.

  Teagan quickly stepped back and cleared her throat. "Right, well, thanks. I'm going to go." She gave them a quick wave and then moved toward the stage door.

  "I'll walk you out." Reed was suddenly beside her, his stride matching hers. "It's pretty late at night."

  She glanced over at him. "The set is guarded. I'll be fine."

  "Indulge me."

  She recognized the way he spoke—he wasn't going to back down. "Fine, but I'm just going to grab my bag from the dressing room and go back to my car. That's it. Nothing exciting."

  Reed didn't respond, but kept his pace beside her. A few minutes later, they entered her small office that was basically a closet. Nothing fancy, but just a place to store her things while she was on set. A futon, a lamp, a mirror. It was pretty bare bones.

  "This is your dressing room?" Reed looked around the tiny room.

  She nodded. "What's wrong with it? Holds my stuff just fine."

  Again, he didn't respond, but he looked upset. Though, she wasn't sure why it mattered to him.

  Teagan packed her bag and pulled on a light coat then grabbed her car keys. "I'm parked in the back lot."

  "I'll walk you there," Reed said.

  She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

  Reed seemed confused, his brows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

  "Why are you walking me to my car?"

  He shrugged his shoulders. "It's the right thing to do when you care about someone. Keep you safe."

  "Reed…"

  "Teagan, don't look for reasons to push me away." Reed walked farther into the dressing room and closed the door behind him, shutting them inside. "Don't pretend we don't both know eight years ago was a mistake—a mistake we could fix now."

  Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she stood there, not knowing what to say. She was not prepared to have this conversation—not now, maybe not ever. "Reed, don't do this."

  "I have to. I honestly can't look at you, or dance with you, for one more day and pretend I can handle this. Seeing you, touching you…it's killing me. I made a mistake, Teag. I made the biggest mistake of my life." Reed took her hands in his, pulling her closer to him. "I'm not asking for everything. I'm not even pushing my luck to ask for a second chance. I'm just asking for forgiveness."

  She exhaled in one loud breath, trying to push away the tears that were already sliding down her cheeks. She turned her gaze away from him, trying to will away everything she was feeling. "Reed…you left me on our wedding day. For a movie. We were supposed to chase our dreams together, and you ran after yours alone. You left me behind."

  He shook his head emphatically. "A movie? No, Teag…I didn't get that movie offer until days later."

  "What?" That made absolutely no sense. He left her to take the movie. He left her to chase fame and money and women. She'd told herself that for years. "You…but…why? If not for the movie, then why? Why did you leave?"

  Reed closed the gap between them, pulling her against his chest. "Looking back on it, I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I was doing you a favor…I thought I was helping you not have to choose between Broadway and me. I thought you'd turn down that role to be my wife, and I never wanted to be the man who stood between you and your dreams."

  Teagan's eyes widened as she stared at him. Suddenly, she tipped her head back and laughed out loud. Like, deep belly laughter erupting throughout her entire body and bubbling up through her throat. He hadn't wanted to stand between her and her future…and yet, that was exactly what he'd done.

  "Okay, now I'm confused," Reed admitted. "What's so funny?"

  She shook her head, trying to compose herself. He'd ended things between them so she'd take the Broadway role…that she'd already turned down a week before. She'd been waiting to tell him, to surprise him with the news. If she'd told him a week earlier, she'd be married right now. Her entire life would be different. "Life. Life is damn hilarious."

  "Does that mean we're…”

  She shook her head. "We're nothing, Reed. If you want forgiveness, you can have that. I forgive you. I forgive you for breaking my heart, but we…we are nothing." Teagan pointed between them, and as harsh as her words were, she was surprised to find that she actually meant them. Now that she knew the truth, a lot of her anger was subsiding, and for the first time, she realized she did forgive him. She wasn't going to spend another day harboring the pain he'd left behind. And yet, t
hat was where it ended between them. She still didn't trust him. She still didn't want to repeat her past mistakes. "We're coworkers, Reed. That's it."

  Reed squeezed her hand harder then placed her palm against his chest over his heart. His heart thudded heavily under her touch, and the heat between them mesmerized her. "Teag, don't push me away. I know I'm not the only one who feels the electricity between us."

  Teagan swallowed hard. She wasn't going to lie. "Chemistry is never something we lacked, Reed. But chemistry isn't enough for forever."

  He lowered his voice, leaning closer to her. "What about right now?" His voice was husky and low, his lips inches from hers. All she would need to do is lift her chin and press her mouth to his and they'd be kissing. God, she remembered his kisses…

  A shiver rolled over her, but she couldn't find her words.

  "Teagan," he repeated, moving even closer. His lips nearly caressed hers, and for a moment, she wanted to let him. She wanted to kiss him. "If we can't have tomorrow…if we can't have forever…can we have tonight? Can we live in the past for a few hours…and pretend? I don't know how to stay away from you, Teag."

  His lips brushed across hers and she leaned into him, unable to refrain from wanting just a little bit more. But he waited. He was waiting for her to say yes, to tonight, to tomorrow…to them. This was the moment she'd been waiting for, for him to come crawling back and beg her forgiveness. She'd dreamed of it, luxuriated in knowing that one day he'd regret what he'd done. One day, he'd want her again and she'd have the last laugh.

  And now here she was getting everything she'd dreamed of, and all she felt was more devastated than ever before.

  "No," she replied softly, her hand pressing gently against his chest to create more distance between them. "I forgive you, but that's all I can do."

  Chapter Five

  Reed groaned, rolling over in bed and grabbing at his cellphone that was somewhere on his nightstand.

  "Hello?" he answered, putting an end to its incessant ringing.

  "You up yet?" Jason's blunt tone came through the phone receiver loud and clear. "I've been calling you for a good fifteen minutes now."

  Reed ran a hand over his face, rubbing his forehead and stretching. "I'm getting up now."

  "You better fucking hurry," Jason instructed. "I've set up a charity event on set today. You need to be there within the hour. Paps will be there toward the end—look surprised to see them."

  "You called photographers?" Reed groaned and sat up, placing his feet on the cold wooden floor of his penthouse apartment in downtown Los Angeles.

  "Of course not," he replied. "I just might have mentioned it to someone who would call them. Listen, they're going to be there, so take a shower and put on your good-boy suit and smile those pearly whites for the fucking camera, okay?"

  "Got it." Reed hung up the phone, not bothering to say goodbye.

  Standing, he headed for the bathroom and pulled off the boxers he was sleeping in. He turned on the shower and waited a minute until the water warmed, then stepped inside. The stream of hot water hit his face and he just stood there, letting it wash over his body.

  He'd barely slept the night before, unable to stop thinking about his encounter with Teagan. Honestly, he wasn't sure what had come over him. He'd managed to spend two weeks in her presence without forcing his luck, but last night, he hadn’t been able to hold back. The way she'd stood there, watching him and Elena, the undeniable jealousy on her face as she mouthed along to their choreography.

  For the first time since she'd reentered his life, he'd seen hope. He'd seen a glimmer of a chance that maybe she'd forgive him, maybe she even still loved him. Then when they were in her dressing room, and he'd seen her tears, her desire, her sorrow—and he knew he was right. She did still love him, somewhere, somehow. But she didn't trust him.

  And without trust, there was no hope.

  So, he'd spent the night tossing and turning, trying to ignore the throbbing in his chest. Trying to ignore the heartbreak that he'd spent years pushing back and pretending didn't exist. The more he thought about it, staring up at the ceiling all night long, the more he realized that he'd never moved on from Teagan. He'd never grieved their break up because he wouldn't allow himself to.

  He still loved her, and he didn't want to stop loving her.

  The problem now was that he loved her enough to realize she didn't want him, and he had to respect that. And that fucking sucked. She'd made herself clear, and he wasn't going to push, but damn, he wanted to. He wanted to prove to her how wrong she was, how he'd changed, how he could be everything he'd once promised to her.

  Reed lathered shampoo into his hair then rinsed it out under the water. He reached down and grabbed his dick, thinking of how beautiful Teagan had looked dancing against him at their last training. He stroked himself slowly, then began to speed up. He wanted to satisfy the need he'd felt building inside him since the moment she'd first turned around on set and looked at him.

  His own climax began to build, and then just as quickly as he started, he stopped. Mid-stroke, he let go and turned the faucet to make the water raining down on him as cold as possible.

  Who was he kidding? He wanted to believe he'd changed, or could change for her, but could he? If he believed the latest tabloid covers, it certainly didn't seem like he had. Teagan didn't deserve a man who made covers with a sorority girl's tits bouncing off him. Hell, he didn't even deserve to stand here and jerk off at the very thought of her.

  Nothing about him had changed. He was the same guy who'd broken her heart eight years ago. He hadn’t deserved her then, and he didn't deserve her now.

  Finished with his showering, Reed stepped out from under the water and grabbed a nearby towel. After a quick dry off, he crossed his expansive bedroom and opened the double doors to his closet. Rows and rows of suits and designer clothes greeted him, along with an island in the middle with shoes and watches and other accessories he'd been sent over the years.

  He grabbed his phone and dialed the director's number as he walked back into the bedroom. "Mario."

  "Hey, Reed. What's going on?" Mario answered when he picked up the line.

  "I need a favor."

  Mario chuckled. "Well, sure. You're the star. What do you need?"

  "The choreographer—her dressing room is barely bigger than a broom closet. She needs a real office and a changing room."

  "Uh…" Mario began, stumbling a bit. "Well, we don't usually give crew a ton of space. That's really reserved for the talent."

  "She's the best fucking talent you've got on that set." Unable to stop it, Reed found his voice suddenly rising an octave.

  "Okay. Okay, I'll…get her a bigger space." Mario sighed. "Tell me nothing is going on between you two, though…right? Jason Allen promised me we'd have no issues with women on set."

  Reed rolled his eyes. Of course his agent had cock-blocked him. "She's an old friend. That's it."

  "Oh." Mario seemed pleased with that answer. "All right, I'll set it up."

  "Thanks, Mario. I appreciate it." With that, Reed hung up.

  He headed back into his closet and picked out a "good boy" outfit he was sure his agent would approve of. Despite the fact that it was a weekend, Reed found himself wondering if Teagan would be there. Hell, he'd enjoyed sleeping in today because practicing and filming all week was fucking exhausting, but he definitely missed seeing her.

  Forty-five minutes later, Reed was walking on to set and Jason was there waiting for him.

  "About time." Jason slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. You're going to love this."

  "What's the charity?" he asked, following him onto the main set.

  "Disabled Children Coalition. There's about twenty kids on set, all with different physical disabilities, who want to meet you and take pictures with their favorite actor. Plus, you're going to take them on a tour around set and explain acting and filming and all that." Jason opened the door to the set for him and ushered him inside. "These
kids love you, and they've been through a lot. Show them a good time."

  "You sound like you think I won't." Reed turned to his agent. "Kinda insulting, man."

  "No," Jason assured him. "I've seen you with your niece. You're great with kids."

  Reed nodded, because that was definitely the truth. He loved kids, and even more than that, he loved his niece, Nell. He and his younger sister were very close, and had been all their lives. She was often alone since her husband was in the military and currently deployed, so he stepped in as much as he could to help her with Nell.

  "You don't need to worry, Jason. I'm turning over a new leaf. No casual sex, no partying. Only work and more work." And that was the truth. He needed to be more serious about his life, and reflecting on his past, on Teagan, had really shown him that. He was going to make changes in his life, starting with cutting out the bad boy reputation he'd earned. "You won't see me on any tabloids anytime soon."

  Jason nodded, still looking dubious. "I've got all the faith in you, Reed. You've got this."

  Reed could still hear the skepticism in his voice, but he was going to prove it to him. He was going to prove it to Teagan, but most importantly, he was going to prove it to himself.

  It was time to expect more from himself.

  Chapter Six

  Teagan stretched her arms over her head in the empty studio and lifted onto the tips of her toes. She slowly extended one leg to her side, perpendicular from her body and then leaned her torso toward it. Returning to flat feet, she leaped to the side and swirled around, this time with one leg straight up in the air. She turned again and again, circling on one foot with her other leg pressed against her shoulder pointing up at the ceiling.

  She monitored her movements in the mirrored wall in front of her, paying close attention to every position of her body and movement of her muscles. Carefully, she made changes to the routine as she watched herself, perfecting every motion until she was satisfied with exactly how she wanted it to look. She'd be training Elena on this routine on Monday, and wanted it ready and concise by then.