Mick was the best stuff.
Loving Mick was definitely worth taking a chance on.
“So, did you decide what you’re going to do?” Chris asked.
She wouldn’t let the heroine in her book get what she wanted without making a leap of faith. It was time she did the same.
“I need to get a flight to California.” She stood, her legs a little wobbly, but it was from excitement and not fear this time. “It’s my turn to make the big gesture.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Mick stood on the red carpet, the camera flashes going off all around him and the seemingly endless crowd of fans screaming his name. He waved, smiled, signed autographs, and posed for photos. It was something he’d done hundreds of times before, but this time the wave of excitement didn’t pick him up and carry him along. His legs were as heavy as if he were wearing a pair of concrete shoes on the beach.
This was his big night. The LA premiere of the latest John Dark movie—the film that had garnered incredible reviews and already promised to be the most lucrative one to date. He’d even learned that morning that the studio was thrilled with his performance in Regan’s Gift. He should’ve been on top of the world, but all he could think about was what this evening lacked.
No Piper. No red dress. No stepping out for the first time as an official couple.
“Mick!” Scott Crews waved him over, and he headed to where the interviewer stood with a microphone and his film crew. Time to get to work.
“Hi, Scott. You look lovely tonight,” he joked as they shook hands.
“Thanks, Mick. Your fans were so excited to hear this will not be the last Dark film. Do you think this is the best one yet?”
“You know, I do. The stunts are amazing. The plot has tons of twists and turns to keep the viewer on the edge of your seat to the very end. It was fun to make and a blast to watch.”
“Your costar, Tanya Roberts, isn’t here tonight. Did you have anything to do with that?”
He’d known this would come up and was now glad he’d rehearsed the perfect answer. “Tanya and I decided we didn’t want our personal stuff to overshadow the LA premiere, so she opted to stay home. But I’ll see her in a couple of weeks in Toronto. It’s all good.”
Scott nodded, his smile widening, and the white light bouncing off his teeth warned Mick that the next question was going to be the ringer. “Fair enough. The fans are all wondering if Piper James will be here with you tonight.”
“No. That’s all over. Piper is in New York, getting on with her life.” He made sure his smile was even bigger to cover up the slice of pain shooting through his chest.
“I guess we hoped you guys would get back together after our interview.”
Mick opened his mouth to offer some witty retort that didn’t include “mind your own fucking business,” when the crowd just over his shoulder near the drop-off point for the limousines started screaming with renewed fervor and excitement. Film crews craned their necks to see what was going on, and after a few seconds, many of them swiveled to include him in their shot. All along the walkway people parted like the Red Sea.
Mick walked forward two paces, Scott following close at his elbow. He edged around a couple of people and saw what was causing all of the commotion.
“Holy shit,” Scott murmured.
He couldn’t have agreed more.
Piper stood on the red carpet looking a little overwhelmed but all kinds of gorgeous in the red Keiko dress. His dress.
Their dress.
Her hair was pulled up in a loose hairstyle that left lots of it curling down and around her shoulders, highlighting the creamy expanse of skin on her shoulders.
Mick fought the urge to sink to his knees under the weight of the shock and confusion. What did this mean? He knew what he wanted it to be, knew what his heart was screaming for as it beat hard enough to leap out of his chest. He gulped for air, steadying himself as he walked the dozen steps to stand in front of her.
“Nice dress.” He had to lean in close to make sure she heard him over the crowd and caught the citrus scent that was unique to his Piper.
“This old thing?” She reached down to make the skirt swish back and forth. “I had it in my closet just waiting for the right place to wear it.”
He laughed, the joy at just being this close to her escaping from him and making her smile wider in return. They must have looked like a couple of idiots to the million cameras turned on them right now, but he didn’t care. As long as she was looking at him like that—love and desire warring for dominance in her eyes—they could film whatever the hell they wanted.
“Piper, what are you doing here?”
Her smile faltered a little, lips trembling slightly as she took a deep breath. Did she really think he wasn’t glad to see her?
“I’m making the big gesture—breaking the rules—just like you taught me.” She lifted a hand to touch him but pulled it back. “Am I too late, baby?”
Mick stepped even closer, his body now brushing against hers as he snagged the hesitant hand and held it to his chest. “Too late for what?”
“For us. Am I too late to ask for another chance?”
“A second chance.”
“What?” Her nose scrunched in that adorable way he loved and he gave in to the urge to kiss the tip.
“Technically, it’s your second chance, since you kind of broke up with me over the phone that time.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight as she wove her arms around his neck. “But who’s counting? I think I’d give you a million chances.”
She sobered a little, her eyes muddying with regret. “I’m sorr—”
He shut her up with a kiss. She hadn’t hurt him on purpose. He didn’t need an apology. At this moment, all he needed was her mouth. She opened to him and he dove in, tasting her, possessing her, and saying without words that she never needed to apologize again. They broke apart, breathless but laughing.
“I love you, Mick,” she murmured against his lips in a tender kiss.
“I love you, too.” He touched her forehead with his own, letting his fingers skim down the exposed skin on her shoulder and arm until he could weave them with her own. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I almost gave up on you.”
“Never again. I promise.”
The sound of applause, catcalls, and wolf whistles drew them out of their own little world. Mick looked around—even the most jaded journalists were smiling and offering up their congratulations. It was all very touching, but he didn’t want to be in the middle of a crowd any longer.
“Wave at the nice people and then head over to the limo still parked at the curb,” he said, his lips brushing her earlobe with a kiss.
“What?” She waved as he instructed but looked up at him in confusion. “Don’t you have a movie to watch?”
“I saw it already. Now, follow me on the count of three. One. Two. Three.” He grasped her hand in his, making a beeline for the back of the limousine. Opening the door, he was relieved to find it unoccupied. He maneuvered Piper inside and closed the door behind them.
She moved first, hiking her dress up to allow her to straddle his lap. Mick gripped her hips, trailing his hands upward to sweep over the exposed skin of her back as she initiated the kiss. It wasn’t a tentative get-to-know-you-again kiss. This melding of their mouths was as if they’d never been apart, and Piper was demanding in her touch.
A voice over the internal intercom, disembodied and deep, sliced through the silence and broke them apart.
“Mr. Blackwell, where would you like to go?”
“Back to the hotel.” Mick ran his tongue along the tender outer shell of her ear, doing it again when she shivered. “And take your time.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t we have to go to the premiere?” Piper asked as she arched her neck, inviting him to continue to kissing her.
“We’ve got a least two hours before the viewing is done. Plenty of time to go to my hotel and then
hit the after-party later.”
Piper stilled, pulling back to look down at him. His heart ached because of the sadness in her eyes. He reached up to smooth away the lines of worry, but she shook him off.
“Piper, don’t—”
“Mick, let me.” She traced a finger over his lips, her eyes searching his own for something. When she found it, her own mouth lifted in a smile. “You didn’t screw up, baby. You get it right all the time.”
“Give me enough time and I’ll fuck it up plenty.” He tightened his grip on her, cupping her face so that she couldn’t look away. “We’re in this together. You and me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now, by my calculation, we’re down to an hour and forty-five minutes before we need to make a reappearance. All this apologizing is getting in the way of some awesome make-up sex.”
He claimed her mouth in a kiss that was dominating, full of the pent-up sexual heat that had simmered between them since they met and threatened to boil over every time they touched. He had no reason to hold back now. She was here. She was his again, and nothing was going to steal this moment from them. Suddenly ravenous for her, he plunged his hands into her hair, holding her still while he reclaimed possession of her mouth.
Piper whimpered, the sound rising in her. He gently traced a hand down the silky strap of her dress and drifted lower to cover her breast. Hell yes. She shivered against his caress, her nipple tightening against his palm as this exploration went from needy to voracious in a second.
Mick had intended for this to be an appetizer to the lovemaking he would serve up once they reached his private suite, but Piper had other ideas. He bucked upward when she cupped his erection, giving his aching length a squeeze and a stroke through the thin silk of his tuxedo pants. He could feel the heat of her against his skin, even through the fabric, and the need for her touch was overwhelming.
“Mick. I need you inside me. Don’t make me wait.” Piper’s breath was hot against his fevered skin, her soft lips skimming along his ear as she made quick work of opening his pants. When she spoke the sexy pout in her voice almost made him come. “Oh, I hate it when you wear underwear.”
He licked his lips, clearing his throat with another groan when she wrapped her slender fingers around his cock. “Special occasion. Commando seemed a little casual.”
Ghosting his fingers along the hem of her dress, he pulled it up as he traveled to the place where he needed to touch her the most. He watched her face as he made his journey; the sight of her eyes dilated almost to black and the way she bit her bottom lip in anticipation of his touch made him want to draw this out—but even he had his limits when it came to this woman. At the apex of her legs, he found her hot and wet, covered by the skimpiest bit of silk he’d ever touched. It took no effort to break the flimsy straps holding it in place, Piper’s gasp her only reaction.
She was beautiful with her hair tumbling over her shoulders, her lips wet and swollen, her dress rucked up. She was everything he could ever want—all he would ever need.
When she looked down at him, her smile tender and full of joy, he forgot how to breathe.
Yes, it was cliché and sappy, but in that moment he realized his world could narrow down to one person.
He shifted, looking for his wallet, then found a condom and sheathed himself quickly. As if she read his mind, Piper lowered herself down on him, and the world fell away as they joined as one body. Mick didn’t know where she began and he ended, and it was the most right thing he’d ever felt. The slide of flesh against flesh, hot breath mingling with wet tongues and sharp teeth was all he knew. Premieres, publishers, and fans all fell away as he lost himself in this moment with her.
Piper reached up, unhooking the latch on her halter strap to let the fabric slide down in a swoosh of silk. And then she removed her glasses, trailing one of the earpieces across her lips and in the lush valley between her breast before tossing them to the side. Her wicked smile told him she knew how much he loved it when she played off his “naughty librarian” fantasies, and he rewarded her with a quick thrust of his cock and a caress of her clit with his thumb. She gasped and tightened around him, and he got his own prize.
“Piper.” Mick whispered her name against the soft skin of her breast, his tongue circling the pink, tight bud her nipple.
Piper tightened her grip on his shoulder, fingers weaving through his hair to anchor him in place.
“Suck on me baby.” She gasped against his neck, her hips moving faster as she covered him with her wet heat over and over again. “If you do, I’ll come. I promise.”
Once again, she’d reached into his brain and tapped into the primal, animal side of him. Nothing switched off his brain, disconnected the part of his mind which told him to go slow and draw this out, like her husky voice whispering dirty nothings in his ear.
Mick circled her nipple one more time, flicking the tight bead with his tongue once before drawing the sweet morsel into his mouth and tugging in a sensual rhythm that matched the thrust of his hips. Piper cried out—not once, but in a steady pattern punctuating the rhythm of their bodies. She tightened around his cock, and he knew she was close, her moans and whimpers becoming sharper and more urgent with each joining.
“It’s been too long,” Mick ground out between his harsh pants of air sucking into his lungs. He was so close, but he wasn’t going without her. “I love you.”
At his words she stiffened, grinding down on him as her body rippled around his hard, aching length. Even though he wanted to see her come apart, he closed his eyes when the pleasure hit him like a flow of white-hot lava—surging up his spine and along his veins until every inch of his skin was tingling with the power of his release.
Piper collapsed against him, her muscles limp and relaxed. She nestled her head against his neck, breathing heavily in concert with him. The close quarters, the scent of leather and sex mixing together in their own private cocoon, reminded him of their first time together in his car.
“This has a little more room than Ali,” he observed.
“Hmm…?” Piper pushed up enough to look at him. She was stunning—hair slightly disheveled, lips swollen, and skin flushed with her passion—she looked sated, happy, and thoroughly fucked. Just the way he liked her.
“I was just remembering our first time together.”
“The night you seduced me into breaking the rules.”
“Hey. You were doing all the seducing.”
She raised an eyebrow at him disbelief.
“Okay…we were both doing our fair share of the seducing.” He pushed a curl off her shoulder, caressing the exposed soft skin. “I couldn’t help myself. From the first moment, I knew you’d be the one to make me throw out the rule book.”
“Me, too. The rules never seemed to stick when it came to the two of us,” she said.
“That’s because we had to create a new set. Totally custom, for just the two of us.”
She nodded. “I like the sound of that. Have you figured out the new rule book yet?”
“Love each other. Trust each other. Have lots of sex.”
He laughed at her eye roll and drew her in for a slow, soft kiss with just a hint of tongue. He pulled back and looked at her, the woman who saw behind the image—the only person he ever wanted to see that guy—and he was grateful she loved what she saw. “I think that’s all we need.”
Epilogue
One year later.
The Oscars were over the top.
Piper sat next to Mick in the front row of the Dolby Theater, wearing yet another gown picked out by her lover of over a year. This one, black and full-length with a short, sweeping train, featured a plunging sheer back with a delicate design of lace barely covering any part of her skin. Mick made the final decision, declaring that if he lost, everyone would be distracted from his defeat by his hot girlfriend. He’d then dismissed the sales clerk, locked the door, and made sure they could have limo sex in the dress—just in case the mood struck them agai
n.
Life with Mick Blackwell was anything but ordinary.
It hadn’t been easy, either. Lives on opposite coasts had proved to be difficult and the separation almost unbearable. Finally, two months ago, she’d packed up her apartment and moved herself into the Spanish-style home they’d chosen together in the Hollywood hills. She could write anywhere—her new publisher loved what she wrote—in fact, she wrote better when she was with Mick. They hadn’t killed each over him squeezing the toothpaste in the middle or over her subscription to People and were even now talking about getting a dog. It was getting downright domestic in the Blackwell-James household.
“Hey, are you checking out Matt Damon’s ass again?” Mick murmured into her ear, his breath hot and teasing against her skin. She didn’t have to turn to know he wore the sexy, secret grin he wore only for her. Lucky girl.
“Yep. It’s almost as nice as yours,” she murmured back to him, ducking away from the playful nibble he attempted on her tender earlobe. “You need to behave. The cameras have been on us all night.”
“Let them film us. All they’ll see is that I love you and I’m a winner even if I don’t take home the golden bald dude.”
Piper looked into his eyes, checking the green-gold depths for any signs of nerves or worry, but saw nothing except his usual mischief and love. Many had scoffed when his name had shown up on the nomination list for Best Actor, but Mick had taken it all in stride with his usual wit and confidence. Only in their most private moments did she see doubt creep into his eyes as he shared his fears and worries. That Mick, her Mick, belonged only to her, and she knew how blessed she was to know the man behind the image.
“I’m proud of you,” she whispered. “Your production company, the new projects, and your new Dark movie. You’ve worked so hard. You deserve to be here tonight. No matter how it turns out.”
“I—” Mick began, but his words were cut off by co-hosts returning to the stage.
“And now…the nominees for Best Actor.”
Piper clutched Mick’s hand, returning his excited grin when he glanced at her before returning his attention to the stage. He was the epitome of Hollywood royalty, dressed in a custom-made tux and graciously acknowledging the well-wishes from the people seated around them when his name was read along with the other nominees.
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