by MK Meredith
Out of breath from both exertion and stress, she ducked under the low-hanging branches alongside the road. Straightening under the brush, she came face to face with a dark figure and slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream.
“Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Jimmy. Oh my God, you scared me to death.”
Jimmy laughed. “Calm down, girl. Deep breath. I was just checking out the surrounding acreage for shoot opportunities and came across your car.” He tapped the trunk and eyed her. “Speaking of your car. Why do you have it hidden?”
Addi’s words froze on the knot forming in her throat. Crap. She frantically searched her brain for a good excuse. “Oh, I was just trying to stay out of the way. With the new outdoor scenes coming up, I didn’t want to slow down production.” She waved off his question and opened her door, forcing her movements to be slow and casual. “Hey, I have a question.”
Jimmy dipped his chin. “What’s up?”
“This film. Is this really Roque’s pet project? Like, it’s not through a Hollywood studio or Gallagher studio?”
He snorted with a smirk that said, ’Where the hell have you been?’
“Uh, yeah. Why do you think he’s been so wrapped around the axle? The investor that pulled out contributed a large percentage, and boss man’s already got a shit ton of his own wrapped up in the thing. Every penny counts at this point. And there might not be enough copper to save it.”
Her stomach turned.
“Of course. Right.” She slid in behind the wheel and then started her engine, watching Jimmy stare and then disappear into the foliage through her rearview mirror. Once he was out of sight, she dropped her head to the wheel and blew out a breath.
Digging out her phone, she called Sam. She’d been trying to reach her but only getting voicemail. Her sister answered on the fourth ring.
“Addi?”
“Hey, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Yeah, sorry. It’s been crazy. Hold on a second.” Addi listened as Sam gave instructions to someone who sounded like a furniture deliveryman.
“I’m back. What’s up?”
“I’ve got a problem—an opportunity—and I’m wondering if it’s something Gage is interested in.”
“For Gage? What kind of problem are you talking about?”
“Sorry, wrong choice of words. Like I said, an opportunity. This film I’m working with. I can tell you more later, but I think Gage will be interested. I just wanted to see if we could meet up—”
“Oh, Addi, I love that you thought of him, but we just got home, and I’d hate for him to feel pressured to take on something like that for family. I don’t want him to feel like he had to take on something else… He’s got this next one coming up with Martin already—”
A heavy weight tightened in her chest, and a steady pounding set up camp behind her temple. Lifting her hand to her forehead, she forced out in a casual tone, “Oh, sure. No problem. Just a thought. I’ll let you go.”
“I love you.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Addi dropped her head back against the seat, staring through her front window at all the leaves and the flickering shards of sunlight peeking through. Kind of reminded her of the state of her life. Pieces. All in pieces.
Frustrated, she grabbed the steering wheel and shook it. Working on this film with Roque would be a great opportunity for Gage. She knew it. Now she just had to make sure they knew it. Her family wasn’t going to take her seriously if she didn’t make them.
She’d go to them once she had prepared, and they’d never have the chance to say no.
She pulled out onto the road. Between almost being caught, the news Roque was funding the film, and Jimmy finding her car, she already needed a drink. With her sister blowing her off, she might need two. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel in time with her racing heart. Calm down, Addi. Breathe.
That was the problem, wasn’t it? As soon as she thought she could, something else seized her breath. Welcome to adulthood.
If she could just make it through the next few weeks of filming, she’d be scot-free. But one thing was certain. She couldn’t keep living in her house now that she knew it wasn’t Gallagher Studio money but just Roque money.
She needed to find a cheap place she could stay until the film was over. It would put a dent into the money she’d saved, but she’d just have to have something lined up after this so she could make ends meet.
He could never find out what she’d done. He put every piece of himself into this project. There was no way he’d ever understand why she’d stolen from him. Like her family, he’d think she was too immature to handle her life on her own.
She sniffed back the tears and clenched her jaw. Her to-do list was short. Get a cheap hotel room. Find an investor for Roque. Work some of her own connections. Maybe then the sour feeling in her stomach would settle.
The hotel room she could take care of in under an hour and get back to work. Sneaking her things out of the attic might prove to be a bit more difficult. She’d do it at night. Though Roque paid attention to the security system time stamps like a warden, she’d figure it out.
She didn’t want any more reasons to disappoint herself. She’d done enough of that in her life.
A tentative smile pulled at her lips.
The Gallaghers weren’t the only ones with connections in Malibu.
Chapter 15
Roque slid his phone into his front pocket with a sigh. The day had raced past him in a blur of rejections and prior commitments from everyone he’d talked to, and now the hour had reached beyond the acceptable time for calls of business. He hadn’t given up, but there was little more he could do until he figured his shit out. Every minute was costing him money he didn’t have. Covering the director’s position short-term was one thing, but in the end, he wanted the expertise of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. And beyond that, he couldn’t afford to keep paying everyone until he secured the funds.
Addi had just returned, so it was as good a time as any. “Guys, hey.”
Heads slowly turned toward him as he walked into the front room. “Hey. Stop what you’re doing.”
That got everyone’s attention.
Addi stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
Pressing his lips into a thin line, he took in each concerned face. These were his friends, his supporters; they trusted him, and he’d let them down. He wanted to punch something.
“I need to call a temporary hold on the film.”
Gasps and chatter filled the room.
Putting his hands up, he called out, “Okay, calm down. It’s not over. But I lost an investor, and with Kemper pulling out, I need a few days to regroup. I don’t want you guys to worry. You’ll be receiving phone calls from me within the week.”
“But surely, you can keep filming. You’ll find someone.” The desperate look in Addi’s face only made him feel worse. She had a lot on the line as well. He understood that. He was letting her down, too.
With a shake of his head, he said, “It needs to be done.”
He watched as the crew packed up and cleared out, a cold, heavy stone dragging along the bottom of his gut.
“Hey boss, want me to stick around?”
“No, Jimmy. I’ll call next week.”
“I’ll be ready.”
The door closed for the last time, and he wandered out into the backyard, turning on his favorite jazz radio on his phone. He had so much pent-up energy, fueled by the desperate need to succeed, he thought he was going to explode.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
Pausing on the patio, he stared out across the ocean below. He smelled the honey scent of her, then felt the gentle touch of her hands, and tensed. Maybe a workout at the gym would ease the tension gripping him so tightly. It was time to call it a night.
He turned toward her. “Addi.”
She looked up at him and smiled. She understood what he was going through.
That sm
ile, delivered full force, nothing held back, and for him. He hadn’t even known how much he’d been waiting for it. Ridiculous. No one waits for a smile. But then again, he was in the middle of losing his fucking mind.
He sensed a shift in her, almost as if up until now she always faced him at an angle, only exposing a fraction of herself, but now she faced him, all of her, and she was stunning.
He wanted more. More what? Shit if he knew but more.
He pulled her close. “Tell me about why you write.”
“Because I can’t not.”
“But—”
“Shhhh. Roque?” The sound of the crashing waves below filled his head. Her requesting tone was not to be resisted, not this night or any night. His whole body tensed in anticipation. Fuck the gym. This was what he needed.
With slow precision he ran his fingers around her back, up her sides, and over the swell of her breasts until he cupped her face. Her breath hitched.
Under the stars, in the light of the moon, it was almost as if they had their very own stage, and the anticipation gnawed at him. He forced himself to take his time and slid his lips against her until she opened for him. He more than tasted, he savored, he worshipped, with his lips and tongue and fingers. His whole body joined in—a devout congregation if there ever was one.
As he pushed boundaries he hadn’t realized he’d constructed, the urge to bare her to the night air grew strong. He needed to feel the silk of her skin, the heat of her body wrapped around him, pulling him under. He’d happily drown in her, lose himself. That would be the sweetest relief from a day like this one.
Sliding his fingers under the straps of her top, he slid them down her arms until the flowing fabric pooled at her waist. With a hook of his thumbs against the fire of her skin, he shoved her shirt, slacks, and panties to the ground. She stepped out of the clothing and her heels as he let his own clothes drop to the ground, save the condom from his pocket. The cool ocean breeze gently brushed across his skin, sending a chill along his spine to the base of his neck.
He had to look down at her now that she’d removed her shoes. She lost a few inches, standing barefoot in front of him in nothing but a lacy, shell-edged bra the color of ripe peaches. Those breasts would make the juicy fruit weep with jealousy. His mouth watered.
The change in height reminded him of how much bigger he really was. She had height; he’d place her about five feet nine inches, but even so, toe-to-toe, he towered over her. A fierce sensation of need tightened his gut, and he yanked her to him.
She tumbled into his embrace, looking from side to side like she was nervous, a smile upon her lips. Lips he wanted to taste again. Taking her mouth, he sucked and nipped, sliding his tongue along her teeth to finally wrap around the sweetness of her own. Their gasping breaths met with the sound of rustling leaves, disturbed by the gentle currents coming in from the ocean. And he lost himself in the feel of her, the sound of her, and the flavor of the salty breeze on her skin.
He slid the condom down as she watched, the tip of her tongue sliding along her upper lip, all but killing him. He pulled her to him and lifted her, encouraging her legs to wrap around his waist. Nuzzling the flesh spilling from the top of her bra, he breathed her in, all of her, not just her scent but her being. Without understanding the urgency feeding his logic, Roque lost sight of his desire to savor as the need to devour drove him to his knees. The hard stone introduced pain but only increased his pleasure.
Taking her with him, mouths still fused, he slid into her with one powerful thrust.
“I’ve never done this before,” she gasped. “Outside, I mean.”
He held her gaze. “Neither have I.” And he found it was his new favorite place as if boundaries were optional and limitations nonexistent. No walls closing in, just the universe spread out before them.
A smile curved her lips in the moon light.
Leveraging the weight of her at her hips, with Addi’s arms in a fierce hug about his neck, he thrust in and then slowly pulled out almost to his tip before driving home once again.
She met him thrust for thrust, groan for groan, demand for demand. Trailing a blaze of fire along his jaw to his ear, she grazed her teeth against his lobe, then the side of his neck. Another graze from her teeth followed by the firm pressure of her lips against his raging pulse sent sensations of hallelujah down his spine, tightening his balls.
Pressure built, spiraled, climbed. The sound of their gasping breaths increased as their mouths fused once again, then they lowered together toward the patio.
She braced her feet on the ground, sliding up and down his length faster and deeper, again and again, making her own demands, serving her own needs.
His mind went blank to the unrelenting stone beneath his knees as Addi drove her tongue into his mouth, matching the rhythm of their flesh. Heat flared into an inferno as the pressure at the base of his cock exploded out in wave after wave.
He strained to keep his shout from echoing off the trees, instead releasing it in a growl of satisfaction.
Addi’s body tensed, tightened, then bowed, her arched back driving him still deeper into her. Her cry rendered the night silent as she pressed down again and again, grinding through her pleasure. Her walls contracted around him in waves until he lowered back onto his haunches, the cool stone soothing in the midst of such heat.
Forehead to forehead, they gasped for air. His blood thundered in his ears, his muscles burned, and the relief of it all washed over him.
Addi kissed his eyes, his cheeks, finally settling her full, lush lips back to his mouth where they belonged. A swift rush of gratitude filled him, and he tightened his arms about her.
She giggled. “I can’t breathe.”
He gentled his grip but didn’t release her.
“That was…”
“I know.” He didn’t want to hear what he just experienced put into words. There were no words. Just need.
Roque stared into Addi’s heavy-lidded, blue gaze. She’d given him a breather from reality, a break he needed before it broke him. Now he was ready to face it again and get everyone back on set.
There was a lot more than his success riding on this film.
Addi didn’t waste any time driving to Gage and Sam’s house the next morning. It was amazing what a great bout of sex and a good, guilt-free—well, almost—night of sleep could do for a woman.
Sleeping on a real bed and showering with the light on had seemed like such a luxury.
Roque had been so tense, so angry, she’d wanted to soothe him. There was nothing better than skin against skin to decompress. He’d lost himself in her as she had in him. The connection when they were together was so different from anything she’d ever experienced. It must be the desperation of the situation. From the moment they’d met, she’d been in panic mode, and he’d been in production mode. That was a lot of energy between two people. And boy, was it explosive. She’d never look at the moon the same way again.
Throwing her car into park, she hopped out, walked up the steps, and lifted her hand to knock on the door. Accepting help for herself was one thing, but using her connections to help a friend was a no-brainer.
Friend.
She smiled at the realization. They’d become friends. Friends with benefits, apparently.
It swung open before she could knock.
“Addi!” Sam threw her arms around her, squeezing so hard she almost lifted Addi off her feet.
“Hey! How was the honeymoon?”
“Amazing. Come in. Check out the new place.”
Addi looked around. Bare floors and stark walls couldn’t obscure the beauty of the layout and the plan. “This is going to be amazing.”
Sam nodded. “We love it. It’ll be ready by Thanksgiving. We got the keys a few days ago, so good timing.”
“I bet you guys are exhausted.”
Her sister led her into the kitchen. “Are you kidding? I could take on the world right about now. And Gage is going crazy wanting to get back to
work.”
Addi laughed, looking at her sister from head to toe. She was practically glowing—nothing else could express how her sister shone better than the old cliché. “You’re changed.”
Sam pulled her in for another hug. “I’m almost afraid to talk about it. I’m so happy.”
Pulling back, Addi held her sister’s gaze. “No one deserves it more than you. It’s wonderful.” She bit her lip and walked around the island of the big kitchen. “Speaking of Gage, I have an idea for him.”
“Nothing I like better than being talked about by two beautiful women.” Gage Cutler sauntered into the room in socked feet, loose jeans, and a light gray T-shirt. Addi had to blink a few times when his startling green-blue eyes met hers with a twinkle.
“Hey there, big brother.”
He laughed while bringing her in for a hug. The movie star smelled of warm nights and the ocean. She’d have been happy to stay there breathing him in if Sam hadn’t slid under his arm.
Addi pinched Sam’s arm playfully. “Party pooper.”
“Ha!”
Gage grabbed a coffee pod for the coffee maker.
Addi wrinkled her nose. “That is sacrilege.”
Sam grabbed one, too. “Well, if we had you making our coffee every morning, we wouldn’t even think of it.”
Satisfied, Addi leaned her elbows on the island. “I know you’re busy, but you’re looking for projects, right? Just in general. Directing opportunities?”
Gage sipped from his cup. “If they’re good, always.”
“I have one that I think you’d be perfect for. Hear me out before making a decision. Okay?”
Gage looked from Sam back to Addi. Sam stepped beside Gage and laughed. “Addi, come on. Your ideas tend to cause more trouble than good. They’re always fun, but—”
Biting her lip against the hurt, Addi held her ground. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Since when are you the sensitive one?”
Looking back to Gage, Addi waited. He kissed Sam on the temple, then moved over to a large kitchen table, the only furniture in the place so far it seemed. Pulling out a chair, he motioned for Addi to sit down. Then he grabbed the one beside hers, swung it around, and straddled it, resting his arms across the back. “Whaddya got?”
