One Wild Night

by A. L. Jackson

  But I knew, when I thought back to tonight, to this trip, it would be Paxton’s face that I remembered.

  The realization of that sent a tumble of apprehension through me, knowing this was going to hurt when it all came to an end. Because I liked Paxton Myles more than I should probably admit. In a way that had become so much more than one night.

  Trying not to think about the future, I forced myself to smile at him from over my shoulder. “I’m going to go freshen up.”

  Hands stuffed into his pockets, he rocked back on his heels and cast me the sweetest smile. “Don’t be long. I’ll miss you.”

  “Sure you will.” It was the barest tease and I knew I needed to get out of there with the way the man was looking at me. With the way he just kept getting deeper and deeper under my skin.

  I headed into the bedroom and into en suite restroom, toed off my shoes, and let my hair down.

  I tugged my shirt over my head, then gasped a little breath when I looked up into the mirror to find Pax standing right behind me.

  “Pax.”

  Really, I shouldn’t have been all that surprised. But I guess what had caught me off guard was the look in his eye right then.

  I thought maybe it was different than anything that had ever been there before.

  Intense and determined.

  He edged forward and my heart hammered.

  His gaze never wavered from mine as he looked at me through the mirror as he reached up and unwound the shirt I had clutched in my hand.

  “Let me help you with that,” he murmured, his breath skating the bare flesh at the crook of my neck.

  Chills rushed down my spine.

  He inched even closer, his chest grazing my back as he let his palms slide down the outside of my arms as he leaned in and whispered at my ear, “I saw what just flashed through your eyes, you know.” His words sounded like a quiet demand. “I saw exactly what you were thinking.”

  “And what was that?” I barely managed around the thick knot that rose in my throat. A knot lifted by the sudden intensity that had gathered in the tiny space.

  So fierce I was sure the man’s presence had become an entity of its own.

  His hands skated back up my arms, running over the caps of my shoulders before he was winding my hair in one hand, angling my head to the side as he pressed his mouth to my pulse that was thrumming wildly in my throat. “You were thinking about the end, Kaylee Rose. You were thinking about the night when I don’t get to make love to you before we fall asleep and the morning I don’t wake up with you in my arms.”

  “I’d be a fool if I didn’t think that day wasn’t coming.”

  Then why did the thought of that rip me apart inside?

  God, I’d let myself get so damned deep, coming here with him, getting swept up by the whirlwind that was Paxton Myles.

  Being with him made me feel as if I was the only woman in the world. As if when he looked at me, I had become his focal point.

  I shrugged a shoulder, though it took about all the energy I had to do it. “We don’t even know each other, Pax. Today was…”

  Wonderful.

  Amazing.

  I want to do it over and over and over.

  Never let it go.

  Never let you go.

  “…Unforgettable. But you and I? We’re from very different worlds.”

  He gave my hair a little tug. “Who says those worlds can’t become one, Kaylee Rose? Who says?”

  An incredulous chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m pretty sure about every person in the whole damned world.”

  “And I say fuck the whole world because I want you to be a part of mine.”

  I blinked at him through the mirror. “We barely know each other.”

  He released my hair and set both his hands on my waist. He pressed himself against my bottom. “And that doesn’t change the way we feel, does it? These last few days…”

  He paused, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, as if he were gathering himself, trying to find the right words. “The last few days have been the best of my life, Kaylee. The best. I invited you to come with me because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Because for the first time in years, I was actually excited about something. About someone. And I don’t want that to end.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked him, the words breathless.

  He cocked one of those grins. The kind that captivated the world on the screen. And tonight …it was fully directed at me. “I’m saying I want us to figure this out, Kaylee Rose. That when I step out, the whole goddamned world knows that I’m taken. That I belong to you and you belong to me. That you’re mine. No speculation or questions. We just are.”

  Flooded with emotion, a tear slipped free. “You want me?”

  He groaned and pressed himself closer to my back, and he buried his mouth in my hair as he muttered the words at the top of my head. “God, yes, Kaylee. I want you. That’s obvious enough, isn’t it? I want all of you. What do you say? Do you want all of me, too?”

  He was back to flashing me that grin through the mirror.

  So confident and sweet.

  “As if you don’t already know the answer to that,” I said, swatting at the tear staining my cheek.

  “You’re willing to try this out with me?” he prodded.

  I spun around to face him. “God, Pax, of course I am. How could I not? You are so different than I ever could have imagined. I’ve never felt like this.”

  He hugged me against him and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Good. Now that that’s settled, get your fine ass in that bed.”

  Leaning back, I grinned up at him. “Always ordering me into your bed, huh?”

  A chuckle rippled from his strong chest. “I think you’d best get used to it, Kay. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in it.”

  “Is that a threat or a promise?” I let the tease wind into the words, my happiness too big to contain.

  Because Paxton Myles had just become mine.

  He stepped back and jerked his shirt over his head, one side of his mouth quirking up in a delicious grin, mischief playing in his eyes. “Both.”

  Chapter 16

  Paxton

  “Red or black?” Kaylee dangles a hanger holding two very different dresses from each of her forefingers. Except I'm not looking at the dresses. I'm looking at Kaylee standing stark naked, her perfect body on full display. Her breasts heavy and nipples taut. The curve of her hip teasing me as she waits for my answer. Snapping out of it, I answer.

  “When in doubt always wear red,” I respond, stepping into the shower.

  She gives each dress another look and hangs the black one back on the garment rack. As I shampoo my hair, I watch her through the glass-encased shower. She twists her hair up on top of her head and collects an armful of bottles before opening the shower door.

  “Hope you don't mind company,” she says, her eyes dropping to my growing erection. All she has to do is be within a foot of me and I can't control myself. Her voice cracks as she watches me lather body wash on my chest. “The hair and makeup people will be here in twenty minutes and I need to rinse off.”

  I lick my lips as goose bumps pepper her skin and her nipples form into hardened peaks. “I only need ten minutes to do what I plan to do with you,” I growl at her.

  I reach for her arm, pulling her to me. My dick is growing harder when I see how affected she is by me. Water runs in a stream over her shoulders, through the valley of her breasts, and down the apex of her thighs to the spot I want to devour over and over again.

  I move her behind me, turning to press her back against the marble wall, and she gasps when her back makes contact with the cool stone. Her eyes are heavy as she watches me position her exactly how I need her, sliding a knee between her legs. She widens her stance just slightly to make room for my leg.

  I drag my tongue across her collarbone, nibbling at the soft flesh as my fingers pinch a hardened nipple causing her to elicit a deep moan. “Put your hand
s on my shoulders,” I mumble against her neck.

  Her trembling hands land on my shoulders as my palms trace the curves of her body resting on her perfectly round ass. Her eyes find mine, just as I lift her and she gasps loudly.

  Our chests are pressed together, allowing me to feel the rapid beat of her heart. Her knees are spread wide, allowing me access to the very part of her I need right now. My dick presses against her warm center, and I look to her for permission.

  Her head falls back as I press against her, still waiting for her to allow me into her.

  “Kaylee,” I growl against her neck as she rocks her center gently across my thigh. Her arms tighten around my neck as she lifts herself away from me. Disappointment floods through me, but then she suddenly lowers herself right on top of me, and now it's me that's groaning.

  “Jesus Christ, Kay,” I hiss as I fill her completely. She's seated on me all the way to the root, her tight walls expanding to take me in. “I'm not going to last long, you feel so fucking good.” I begin to thrust, fast and needy. I'm overwhelmed by Kaylee and how fucking amazing she feels.

  “You said you only needed ten minutes,” she teases me.

  I won't last ten goddamn minutes if she continues like this. She rocks her hips harder against me, fucking me as I hold her pressed against the shower wall. Her hands find my face, and she tilts my head up so she can kiss me. Our tongues dance with each other as she rocks her hips back and forth, fucking me. She twists her fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck as her orgasm builds. I can feel her fighting against it, but little does she know I'm ready to come along with her.

  “Pax,” she pants my name over and over again as I take over and slam into her. “I'm so close.” Her eyes close and her head falls back against the marble as I continue to fill her, harder, and deeper than I've ever been before. Everything about her in this moment is beautiful. Her vulnerabilities. Her trust. Everything.

  “Just feel it, Kaylee,” I say as I thrust into her one last time, filling her to the hilt. She wraps her arms around my neck tighter as her entire body comes undone. Her thighs shake around me, and her entire body writhes between me and the wall, and I finally lose it along with her, filling her with my release.

  I slide out of her, gently setting her to her feet. She steadies her wobbly legs and finally looks up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

  “What are you doing to me?” I whisper.

  She chews on her lip and her lips twist into a perfect smile. “The same thing you're doing to me.” And that is when I fall head over heels for Kaylee Rose Burton.

  “Don't be nervous,” I whisper in Kaylee's ear as her death grip on my hand tightens even more as our limo approaches the theater. She has barely said two words since we left the hotel, but I can't keep my eyes off her. Her hair is styled up with a few locks of soft curls bouncing around her shoulders. She looks stunning in the fitted red dress that displays every fucking perfect curve of her body.

  “Don't be nervous,” she mocks me. “I want to hurl right this second and we're not even out of the car yet.”

  As we roll to a stop, the back door of the limousine opens quickly. I glance to my left and give her hand a little squeeze. “This is easy. Just smile. Don't answer any questions. Remember everything Kenneth told you.” She inhales sharply and offers me a tight smile. She's so out of her element, but goddamn it, this is exactly where she's supposed to be.

  With me.

  I offer her an encouraging smile in return. “Ready?”

  Wit is her trademark, and I'd expect nothing less from her in this moment. “As I'll ever be.”

  “Then let's do this.” I slide out of the back seat carefully, never dropping her hand. The moment my feet hit the ground, the yelling, screaming, and flashes of light begin. I raise my right hand to offer the press a short wave as I help Kaylee exit the car as gracefully as possible in a floor length fitted gown.

  She pulls herself tightly to my side as she puts a giant smile on her face. She's made for this. Her red lips are pulled to perfection as her eyes twinkle in the light bulb flashes.

  “Kaylee!” The yells begin for her now. Security ushers us slowly down the red carpet to the step and repeat backdrop where we’ll stand for pictures.

  “Keep smiling, Kaylee. This is where I want you to focus on one thing and don't take your eyes off it. The lights will blind you if you try to look at the cameras.”

  We step up to the wall, standing in front of a giant image of my face from the movie poster. Kenneth stands off to the side, waiting to take us to the press line.

  He arrived in a separate car just ahead of us. A clipboard pressed tightly to his chest, he smiles proudly as Kaylee does exactly as she's been told. Kenneth works the press line like a pro, getting me in and out in less than ten minutes.

  “That wasn't so bad, was it?” I growl in Kaylee's ear as we're ushered to our seats in the theater.

  With a small laugh, her lips pull upward. “Maybe for you. For me it was pure torture.”

  “Get used to it. This is the first of many,” I respond, reassuring Kaylee that this is exactly where I want her. By my side. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever? I shake the thought from my head and turn my attention to the screen just as the lights begin to fall.

  The applause is startling…humbling actually. Cheers, whistles, and hoots fill the theater as the credits roll. My heart pounds and my cheeks flush at the standing ovation. Kaylee leans in and presses a sweet, long kiss to my lips. “Simply amazing,” she says, her soft lips brushing mine as she speaks.

  “You think so?” I ask, and she nods her head swiftly.

  “Except for that part where you were naked in bed with that—”

  My laugh cuts her off. “I like it when you're jealous. It's cute.”

  “Not jealous, just—” She pauses, thinking about how she's going to position this.

  I answer for her. “Jealous. And I love it.” I've been throwing that love word around a lot today, and it's totally unlike me. She rolls her eyes and smirks. Kenneth weaves through the crowd, his head bobbing up and down through the mass of people. When he finally reaches us, he wraps his hand around Kaylee's arm, tugging her gently toward him.

  “I'm going to take you with me to the green room. Everyone wants to congratulate Pax, and it's safer there.”

  I know exactly what he means by safer. Safer from the press. Safer from Kendall, who's lurking nearby, and safer from the overwhelming atmosphere that movie premiere's entail. Kenneth senses Kaylee’s unease, and honestly, the faster I can bullshit with these people, the sooner we can be out of here. The people can be stifling. I appreciate Kenneth looking out for Kaylee, and I shoot him an appreciative glance.

  I pull Kaylee to me, wrapping my arms around her waist. Her entire body hums at my touch. I can't wait to be buried inside her again in a couple of hours. I grow hard thinking about the way her entire body quivers when she comes, or how her back arches when I slide into her.

  I drop my forehead to hers, and she closes her eyes. “Go with Kenneth. I won't be long.” She sighs and kisses the side of my mouth. “And in no more than two hours, I want those lips wrapped around my cock again.”

  “Pax,” she hisses and slaps my chest jokingly.

  “I'm serious. I want all of you, Kaylee.” Her lips, her body, her heart. What the fuck has happened to me?

  “Then all of me you'll have.” She pulls back, her eyes finding mine. She could tell a million stories with those eyes. I see her fear, but also her sincerity. She's like no one else I've ever met. Kenneth reaches for her arm, pulling us out of our moment.

  “I'll take good care of her. Now go mingle.” He pats her arm and waves me off. I watch him guide her toward the side exit of the theater, and I’m anxious to get this over with so I can get back to my girl.

  Chapter 17

  Kaylee

  “I hope you’ll be comfortable in here. Paxton shouldn’t be too awfully long.” Kenneth hovered at the green room door, as if he were tor
n between staying there to watch over me and stepping back out with Paxton where he really belonged.

  I threaded my fingers together. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”

  He gestured with his chin toward the elaborate wooden buffet that was set up against the far wall. “Help yourself to whatever you need. And if you need anything else, call.”

  Warmth spread through my chest, and I nodded back as a small smile touched the corner of my mouth. “Thank you for watching out for me. I truly appreciate it.”

  With a curt nod, he exited the room and let the door fall shut behind him. It muted the bustle of voices and laughter that filtered in through the main room. Voices and laughter that vied for the attention of the man who had somehow managed to steal all of mine.

  All of my focus.

  All of my sanity.

  Honestly, I was grateful to step away so I could get a breath. Grateful to have the time to process what I’d just experienced. Watching the movie at Paxton’s side had been a jarring, stark reminder of who this man was. A reminder of his talent and fame. A reminder of the demands of his life and the brilliance he brought to the screen.

  I was still having a hard time processing that I was here at the premiere in London.

  At his side.

  By tomorrow morning, I would be plastered all over the tabloids again. This time by choice.

  I kept scrambling around inside myself, searching for reservations. I kept waiting for reason and logic to finally set in and remind me of who I was and who I’d always wanted to be.

  I was a kindergarten teacher.

  A girl who’d always wanted a modest and simple life.

  A roar of laughter echoed from the walls.

  And this?

  This didn’t even come close to a semblance of simple.

  God…I couldn’t even bring myself to call it normal.

  It was a fantasy.

  Impossible.

  And here it was…right in front of me.