Hollywood Roommates

by Elizabeth Briggs

  “No.” He stirs his drink slowly. “I originally planned to be a lawyer.”

  “Like Brooke.”

  “Like our entire family.” His jaw clenches. “I always loved acting but my parents never approved of it, and I never considered pursing it as a career. I finished law school, passed the BAR exam, and then Matt convinced me to audition with him for a small role in a TV show, mostly to keep him company that day. Then I got the part. No one was more surprised than I was. And my parents never forgave me.”

  “Wow. Do you ever regret giving up a legal career?”

  “Never. I hated law school. I only did it because my parents made it clear that’s what the Eastons did. Acting was always my secret passion and now I get to do it and get paid for it. Win-win.”

  “And your parents?” I ask.

  He smirks. “Oh, they barely talk to me.”

  “I’m sorry. But hey, at least they have one child who is a lawyer.”

  “Yes. Although she ruined it by being gay.” He chuckles, a low sound that is sexier than anything. “My sister and I are both disappointments to our parents.”

  “You’re both following your hearts. Your parents will have to come to terms with that.”

  “If only it were so easy.” He tilts his head as he considers me. “I suppose your parents were the kind who always encouraged you to do whatever you want.”

  “Yep. Mom is a professor, dad is a vet. We grew up with books and animals. Guess it’s no surprise I became an English teacher and my sister became a vet.”

  “You’re lucky.” It seems like he might say more, but then he downs the rest of his drink and stands up. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

  I watch him go with a touch of sadness. Once again, just when I think the two of us might be bonding, he takes off. It’s clear he doesn’t like me and is counting down the days ‘til I find my own place.

  Why do I even bother with him?

  Chapter Sixteen

  SHANE

  Nadia steps forward and rests her hand on my bare chest. “I know who you really are. What you really are. But I don’t care. I still want to be with you.”

  Her lips touch mine and all I feel is revulsion. It’s hard to believe a few months ago I enjoyed kissing her, when all I want to do now is rinse my mouth out the second this is over. There’s no tongue action, but we make it look passionate for the camera, even though we can barely stand to be near each other. When the director yells, “Cut!” it’s a damn mercy.

  Nadia and I practically leap apart, and she sneers at me as I slide my arm across my mouth to wipe the taste away. Cherries, that’s what she tastes like. I can’t stand them anymore. Another thing she’s ruined for me forever.

  Not to mention, there’s only one woman I want to be kissing, and it sure as hell isn’t her.

  “We both know you miss these lips,” Nadia says, as she pours antibacterial gel all over her hands. “I can tell every time we kiss.”

  I give her a scathing look. “It’s called acting. You should try it sometime.”

  Jackson, our director, sighs at me and Nadia like we’re kids who are misbehaving. “You two, take a break. And when you come back, I want your A game.”

  I give him a sharp nod and head toward the door leading outside, where my trailer waits. But I’m stopped by one of our executive producers, Martin.

  “Shane. A word, please?”

  Inside Martin’s office, two other producers are inside, Wendy and Liam. I have a sudden flashback to being called in to the principal’s office as a kid.

  “Have a seat, Shane,” Martin says. He doesn’t sit though, just props himself up on the cabinet behind his desk. A power position, my father would say. I decide to remain standing.

  “I’m fine. What’s this about?”

  Martin’s lips press together when he sees I won’t sit. “We wanted to talk with you about Nadia.”

  “Specifically about you and Nadia,” Wendy adds.

  “There is no me and Nadia. Not anymore.”

  “That’s the problem,” Liam says.

  I cross my arms. “It’s not an issue.”

  “We disagree, and so does the network,” Martin says. “The two of you used to have great chemistry. Then everything changed at the end of last season.”

  I give him a stare that I hope conveys how much a waste of time I find this conversation to be. “You know what she did.”

  He waves his hand. “Yes, of course. But at the end of last season, ratings were down and viewers weren’t happy.”

  “I’m not sure how that’s my fault,” I grit out.

  Wendy folds her hands in her lap and speaks patiently. “We spent two seasons building the romance between your characters, but then after you got together the relationship felt flat because it was obvious to everyone that you two hated each other.”

  “What exactly are you saying?” I ask.

  “Nadia’s talking about leaving the show,” Martin says. “Maybe doing a spinoff series for the network.”

  “Good riddance. We don’t need her anyway.”

  “The network disagrees,” Liam says. “They’re threatening to cut our show order. Twelve episodes instead of twenty-four.”

  Every muscle in my body tenses. “They can’t do that.”

  “And if that happens, you can guarantee this will be our last season,” Martin says.

  “We’re fighting for the show,” Wendy says, her voice calm. “But you need to prove to everyone that you and Nadia can work together. Viewers want romance, even on a superhero show. You have to give that to them. Either it needs to spark again, or we need to figure something else out to save our show.”

  I run a frustrated hand through my hair. “What am I supposed to do? You’ve seen how she is.”

  Martin gives me an even look. “Figure it out. Talk to her. Go to therapy. Get back together with her if you have to. I don’t fucking care. But if you don’t, we’re all going to be out of a job in a few months.”

  They dismiss me and I storm out of the office, past the makeup department where Nadia is getting touched up, and out the door to the lot. As the star of the show, my trailer is the biggest one, and I throw open the door with a loud bang.

  “I’m guessing the kissing scene went as well as expected then,” Hannah says, from her spot on the leather couch inside. She’s Asian, gorgeous, and the only person who makes work tolerable these days. Her legs are propped up on my table, but I’m used to it by now.

  “Even worse,” I say, as I head to the mini bar. “The producers all called me in for a meeting.”

  Hannah sits up straight, her long black hair falling around her shoulders. She’s not in her geeky hot outfit anymore, which means she must be done shooting for the day. Hannah plays Jenna, a hacker and the best friend of my character—Talon—on the show. “What did they want?”

  I pour myself a vodka and slump onto the couch across from her. “This season is going to be our last unless I can work shit out with Nadia.”

  “Holy crap. What are you going to do?”

  I run through my options as I sip my drink. Getting back together with Nadia is not an option, especially when I can’t stop thinking about Allie all day long. There’s got to be some other way to save the show, but I’m coming up blank so far.

  “Damned if I know,” I finally say. “But I’ll figure something out.”

  I have to.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ALLIE

  This house is freezing. I don’t understand why I need to wear a sweater in my bedroom when it’s 85 degrees outside. I blame Shane. He gave me strict orders not to touch the thermostat, which he keeps set to Arctic levels even when he isn’t here all day.

  No more.

  I creep upstairs like a burglar until I find the controls, then adjust the temp from 65—seriously, his electric bill must be ridiculous!—to 75. I’ll have to make sure to change it back before he gets home.

  When I’m back in my room I turn on my TV (the
one we rescued from Parker) as background noise while I get ready for my date with Keith tonight. An episode of Shane’s show Talon is airing, one from the beginning of last season. I check the guide and discover they’re running an entire marathon of it in preparation for the new season starting soon.

  Is it weird that I’m watching my roommate’s TV show when he isn’t here? It almost feels voyeuristic, like I’m spying on him at work. I’ve seen a few episodes before—Parker watches it—but now it’s different because I actually know Shane.

  I can’t turn it off though. I tell myself it’s a good way to get to know him better. Not to mention, he’s shirtless a lot in Talon. There’s no way I can pass that up.

  I quickly get sucked into the show and before I know it I’m sitting cross-legged on the bed with my mouth open as Shane’s character Talon makes up with Nadia’s character Diana after she found out he’s a superhero and realized he’s been lying to her for a year about it. Shane pulls Nadia against him and crushes his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. I’m both jealous and turned on, because from what I can see he is a damn fine kisser.

  My door flies open and I shriek. Shane looms in my doorway and I hit a button on the TV to hide what I’m watching, but that only makes it worse because the screen pauses on a close-up of him and Nadia kissing.

  “You touched the thermostat,” he says, his voice like steel.

  “Um. Yes. But in my defense it was really cold in here and no one else was home.”

  “Don’t touch it again.” His gaze travels to the TV and his eyes harden at the sight of him and Nadia. His mouth twists, as if he’s disgusted that I’m watching his show. “And turn that off.”

  He storms out of the room without another word. I should probably let him go, but I’m tired of him treating me like this. Since facing Parker, I’m more confident than ever. Besides, Shane and I connected last night. Or at least I thought we did.

  I get up and chase after him, into the hallway between our rooms. “What, am I not allowed to watch your show either?”

  He turns back to me with a scowl on his gorgeous lips. His piercing blue eyes drift down to my red vintage dress that hugs my body and ends right above the knee. “Are you going out?”

  “I have a date,” I say, standing up a little taller.

  His eyes narrow. “With that guy from last night?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “You can’t go.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

  I blink at him. “Why not?”

  He doesn’t answer, only stares at me with so much heated intensity I worry the carpet under us might spontaneously combust. He looks at me like he wants to tear me apart…and also tear off all my clothes.

  I huff. “I’m sorry I messed with your precious thermostat. And I’m sorry I was watching your show, even though it’s really good. And I’m sorry you have a stick up your ass all the damn time.” I put my hands on my hips and face him down. “But you know what I’m not sorry for? Having a damn date. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish getting ready.”

  I turn away, but he catches my hand and pulls me back to him. Before I know what’s happening, his arm slides behind my waist, his other hand tangles in my hair, and his mouth is on mine.

  He kisses me hard, with an angry, fiery passion, like he’s trying to win our fight with his lips and his tongue. I give it back to him just as good, my fingers tight on his jaw, my body pressed close against his. We kiss like we want to devour each other.

  “This is why you can’t go,” he says, before capturing my mouth again. I’m immediately swept away, desire unfurling throughout my entire body as he gives me a kiss that puts his one with Nadia to shame.

  I somehow come to my senses and push him away. “What about the roommate contract?”

  “Fuck the roommate contract.” He presses me back against the wall, one hand over my head while he leans in and kisses me again, like he can’t bear to stop now that he’s started. I let him tilt my head, possessing me with his hands and his lips and his entire body. I’m trapped, but there’s nowhere else I want to be.

  He finally releases my lips and I sigh, but then his mouth is trailing down my jaw to my neck. He inhales me like a drug, practically nipping at my skin as he kisses his way down to my collarbone. All I can do is relent to his control, while he takes his time tasting me. Damn, if Shane is this good a kisser, I can only imagine what it’d be like to be in bed with him.

  “What the fuck?” Matt’s voice says behind us.

  Oh shit.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ALLIE

  My eyes pop open and I glance over at Matt, horrified. Luke stands beside him. Both of them are shooting daggers at Shane with their eyes, and a hot rush floods my cheeks.

  Shane lifts his head lazily from my neck and glares at the guys. “Do you mind?”

  “Yeah, we fucking mind,” Luke says.

  “You made us sign your stupid roommate contract and now you’re the one breaking it?” Matt asks. “Seriously?”

  I push Shane away and he reluctantly takes a step back, allowing me to catch my breath. All three guys are glaring now, their bodies tense as if they might tackle each other to the floor right in front of me. I have to fix this somehow or I’m going to be out of a home again. More than that, I don’t want these men I care about to be fighting with each other.

  “I’m so sorry,” I tell them, even though I don’t really have anything to apologize for. For one thing, Shane kissed me. For another, I can kiss whoever the hell I want. Yet I still feel guilty, like I somehow cheated on Matt and Luke, which is silly because I’m not with any of them.

  “Looks like Shane only had us sign that contract to make sure he got to her first,” Luke says to his brother, his voice a low growl.

  Shane crosses his arms. “It wasn’t like that at all.”

  I nod quickly. “We were fighting and it just kind of happened. It was only one kiss. Really.”

  “That looked like more than kissing to me,” Luke mumbles.

  Matt’s gaze turns to me, with heat in his eyes. “If I’d known kissing you was on the table, I would have done it ages ago.”

  My eyebrows dart up. “Really?”

  Shane rolls his eyes at all of us. “I’ll tear up the roommate contract right now. Will that make you two feel better?”

  “Not really,” Luke says. “You broke the rules and have an unfair advantage in winning her over now.”

  “Winning me over?” I ask, not quite believing my ears.

  “What about the clause in there about what happens if someone breaks the contract?” Matt asks.

  Shane stiffens. “I shouldn’t have put that in there.”

  “What clause?” I ask.

  Matt arches an eyebrow. “The clause that says if one roommate does something with you, the other two can do the same thing in the sake of fairness.”

  “Only if both parties are interested,” Shane adds.

  “What?” I practically yell. “I don’t remember agreeing to that!”

  “It was at the bottom of the contract,” Shane says, with a lazy shrug.

  I can’t decide if I’m offended, horrified, or really excited and turned on by this new twist. “So what you’re saying is...to make this right I have to kiss both Matt and Luke. If they want to, that is.”

  “Oh, they definitely want to,” Shane says, glaring at them again.

  Luke’s glower is just as intense. “Hey, you’re the one who wrote the contract, and you’re the one who broke it. Don’t blame us for this mess.”

  “Fine. If Allie kisses both of you, we’ll be even,” Shane says. “Then we can drop this entire thing. Happy?”

  “All right,” Luke says, while Matt nods.

  “And you’re okay with this?” I ask Shane incredulously.

  Shane drags a hand through his lush, dark blond hair with a scowl. “I’d rather keep you to myself, but I also want everyone in this house to get along, and it does seem like this is the bes
t way to keep the peace here.”

  Keep the peace, maybe. Or more likely make everything more sexually charged between all of us. But kissing all three guys… I won’t lie, the idea sends a rush of desire between my legs. I want all of them, but this seems like a bad idea for so many reasons. I’ve read enough books to know that love triangles always end badly for someone. And this is a love quadrangle, so it’s even worse.

  “What happens if it turns into more than kissing?” Matt asks.

  “Then everyone else can go that far with her, too,” Shane says. “If Allie wants to, of course. We won’t make her do anything.”

  Oh, Allie definitely wants to. The thought of being with all three of them should feel wrong, but instead it feels so very right. Then again, what girl would turn down three of the sexiest men in Hollywood, who all want her for some strange reason?

  “Are we agreed then?” Shane asks. He holds out his hand to the others.

  “Agreed,” Matt and Luke say, as they all shake hands.

  I gape at the three of them. “Um, don’t I get a say in this?”

  Shane turns back to me. “Of course. Nothing will happen without your consent. Are you all right with this plan?”

  “Yes. I think so.” I bite my lip. “Except… Do I need to kiss Matt and Luke now? In front of you?”

  “No,” Shane says.

  “Good.” I take a deep breath, my head spinning. “I’m okay with this, but I need some time to think about all of it. This whole situation is very unusual.”

  “Take as much time as you need,” Luke says.

  “I’m guessing you won’t be going on that date tonight after all.” Shane’s lips curl up in a smile that reminds me of a cat after it’s caught a mouse. Guess he got what he wanted after all.

  “No date,” I say. “I have more than I can handle with you three already.”