I run my hands up her thighs and back down. “I’d never hurt you like that. And I promise to always be honest with you.”
She smiles, leans forward, and places a soft kiss on my lips. “It’s what I’ve come to expect from you. Part of the reason I like you so much. I always know where you stand.”
I nibble on her chin and along her jaw before bringing her into a full-body hug. She tightens her legs around my waist and wraps her arms around my back as I set my nose against the crook of her neck and breathe her in. She’s content to sit there while I hug her.
“I missed you, Peaches,” I murmur into her hair.
She hums, and I feel it straight through my chest on a path to my dick. “I missed you too. And I have a surprise for you, if you’d turn around and let me go.”
“I don’t want to ever let you go.”
She tightens her hold briefly. “Good answer,” she whispers against my cheek, before kissing the edge of my ear and running her teeth along it.
I chuckle and pull back, needing the room, or I’m liable to fuck her on the kitchen counter. Then again, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
“Turn around, pretty boy.” A coy smile spreads across her lips.
I step away as she slides off the counter. I turn around and see her kitchen table is set for two. Candles are burning, place mats set, fine dishware placed perfectly along with cloth napkins. She’s even added a bouquet of sunflowers, making her table bright and cheery to coincide with her romantic gesture.
“I’m cooking for you tonight. I’ve made my mother’s famous hot dish, a salad, and warm garlic bread.”
I mull over what she said. “You made me dinner, baby?”
She grins and nods. “All by myself.”
“You know how to cook?”
She shrugs. “A little. I know some of the dishes my mother taught me, and this one is my favorite.”
“Tater Tot hot dish.”
“Yeah.”
Not rack of lamb. Steak. Linguini, fish, or anything gourmet. My girl sets about making her man a meal and makes her favorite family recipe. Which also happens to be something a mother would make her small child.
“You did say Tater Tots, as in the square little fried potatoes we used to get back in the elementary school cafeteria?”
She looks around the room. “Is there another kind of Tater Tot?”
I cover my stomach, tilt back my head, and laugh to my heart’s content. “You are full of surprises.”
She snuggles up against my front, lifts her head, and pops up onto her toes. She kisses me firm and fast. “How about you go freshen up, put on some pj’s, and come settle in with a beer.”
“I didn’t bring pj’s.” I loop an arm around her waist and bring her body flat against my chest so she can feel every inch of me touching every inch of her.
Skyler grins. “Good thing I bought you a few pairs online and had them delivered. They’re stacked in a section of my closet. You can hang anything you want in there.”
“Moving me in already?” I tease.
She flicks her hair over one shoulder and frowns. “No. I wanted to make my man comfortable when he visits. I want you to feel like you’re at home here the same way you made me feel at home with your family at Lucky’s and in your apartment. No ulterior motives. I promise.” She crosses her finger over her heart.
I grin. “Thank you, baby.”
“Go! Get settled and come back. I’ll be waiting.”
My girlfriend will be waiting. I shake my head and smile while carrying my luggage to her room.
The next day, after what I found out is the best hot casserole ever and a fuck-a-thon with my girlfriend, we finally make it to the set. The director knew she was coming in late and planned ahead. Tracey meets us at the gate as Nate and Rachel exit the SUV and escort us to the entrance of the set.
Sky holds my hand, an ease about her I don’t feel within myself. The media is everywhere. The cameras are going off like a tornado around us, and my heart is in my throat.
My girl squeezes my hand. “Relax. They won’t bite. Much.” She winks.
The paparazzi are screaming out requests to Sky. Ever the professional, she turns her body toward mine and loops her arms around my waist.
“Get your pictures now, people. I’ve got a movie to film.” She laughs, and the crowd claps and whistles, some calling out questions.
“Based on your body language, I’m assuming you and Parker are still together?” one asks.
She answers him right away. “Yes. We’ve been together for a little over two months and are enjoying spending time together when our schedules permit.” She lifts her head and smiles at me while I look down at her pretty face. I want to kiss her so badly, but I’m afraid of breaking some type of Hollywood protocol rule I haven’t been informed of.
“What do you think about the pictures of the women he was with in Italy?”
“I trust my man.” She lifts her hand and places it on my stomach in a possessive gesture that speaks volumes. At least it does to me. I squeeze her shoulder, keeping her closely wrapped in my hold.
“Sophie Rolland is a personal friend of ours, and they attended the fashion show together. Martina was a dance coach hired by Parker to assist the models. You can’t believe everything you see in a photo!” She smirks, and the crowd laughs, taking picture after picture.
I stand there practically mute, holding her close, rubbing her shoulder and trying to smile as much as possible.
“Parker, are you excited about visiting Skyler on set?”
Sky nudges me, and I realize I’m supposed to answer the question. “Yeah. It will be great to see my girl in action and meet her coworkers.”
“What do you guys think of the media calling you SkyPark?” another calls out.
“Yeah, SkyPark!” another says.
Skyler and I both look at one another and start laughing hysterically.
“I guess I have my answer.”
Tracey butts in, an arm held out to each of us. “Sorry, guys, Skyler needs to get on set. Thanks for stopping by.” She ushers us through the gates, and Skyler and I both wave.
“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Tracey says as we follow her to the huge concrete building a good fifty yards ahead.
I lay my hand on Skyler’s nape, and she smiles. “You were amazing as usual. You never miss a beat. I don’t know how you do it.”
She grins. “Years of practice. Don’t worry, you’ll be an old pro in no time.”
And the best part is her thinking I’ll be around long enough to have mastered dealing with the press when it comes to her and our relationship.
I smile and bring her in closer to my side as we walk. “Have I told you today how much I like you?”
She licks her lips and pats my ass with her free hand. “I do believe you have, but I sure love hearing it!”
“I like you more than I like my burgers and beer.”
Her eyes widen, and she pretends to gasp in surprise. “Not sure I can handle the depth of those words, pretty boy.”
I nudge her shoulder playfully. “Hey, don’t be knocking my burgers and beers. Before you, they were my one true love.”
Oh fuck.
Insert foot right into mouth.
Skyler stops in the middle of the sidewalk and stares at me. She swallows slowly, her eyes searching mine while I suck in a harsh breath.
“Baby, that came out wrong.”
She narrows her gaze. “Mm-hmm. I’m going to let it slide, pretty boy.” She pokes at my chest. “You better watch it, mister, or I’ll start to believe you like me more than . . . your Tesla!” Her mouth opens into a wide O that she covers with her hand.
I shake my head and curl my lips. “You’re lucky my cherry-red baby didn’t hear you say that. You are a piece of work, Peaches. You know that?”
Skyler shrugs and smirks. “Never been accused of being easy.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” I get closer to her and grab her
by the hips, slamming her body against mine. “If memory serves, I got in this luscious body pretty easy . . . ,” I tease while slipping my hands around to her ass and gripping each cheek firmly.
She whimpers, and I squeeze her bottom again, harder this time, hopefully reminding her of the fun we had this morning. I got those cheeks nice and rosy pink with a handful of well-placed smacks to her heart-shaped ass.
“Guys, you do realize the paparazzi can still see you, which means the pictures of you guys kissing and groping one another will be tonight’s Hollywood news,” Tracey says. “Congratulations, Parker. Everyone’s going to know you’re an ass man.”
I groan and place my forehead against Sky’s. “Nothing’s sacred, baby,” I complain, pouting.
“It is. Just not when you do it outside of the privacy of our bedrooms or houses. Now you know, for next time.” Tracey responds while Sky snickers.
“I’m already going to have to call my mother about the Martina and Sophie press. Now she’s going to scold me for not treating you like the lady you are.”
“Aw, your mom thinks I’m a lady. That’s so nice. I love Cathy.”
“Oh, she loves you. By the way, she thinks Catherine Paige is an excellent name for her future granddaughter.” I nail her right in the gut with my innuendo.
With that offhand comment, I let her go and follow Tracey, this time an arm’s length from my beautiful girl.
“Excuse me? What have you been telling your mother?” she fires off, a hint of indignation in her tone. “Let’s go back to the future-grandchild part of this discussion.”
I shake my head. “Nope. Gotta get to the set. Besides, you need to introduce me to Rick the . . .”
Her eyes go wide, and her face takes on a warning expression as her eyes flick to Tracey.
I barely regurgitate something believable. “Rick, the costar of the movie.”
She sidles up to me and interlaces our fingers. “Nice save there, SkyPark.”
“Ugh. Did they really give us a Hollywood-couple meshed name?”
Skyler grins. “I actually like SkyPark. It sounds pretty cool. Remember Brangelina for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?”
I shiver.
“Or Bennifer for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.”
I suck a breath in through my teeth. “SkyPark works.”
“That’s what I thought. Come on, I want to introduce you to the team.”
“Lead the way, Peaches. I’ll follow you anywhere.”
“Aw, that was really sweet.”
“Was it? Huh.” I rub at my chin with the hand not holding hers. “Following you means I get an excellent view of your ass in those jeans.”
Skyler tips her face to the sky and groans. “Why me?”
SKYLER
I’m trying my best not to squeal with excitement. He’s here. Parker’s shooting the breeze with the director of the movie, laughing at her quips and making a friend out of her instantly. I have to admit, my man is smooth. He can charm anyone. He’s definitely charmed me.
Before I can introduce him to the camera guys I’ve become close with over the past few movies in the series, Rick enters the set. He sees me and rushes over, a happy, puppy dog–type bounce to his steps. Without warning, he pulls me into his arms and lays a series of kisses against my neck, making a loud show of it as if I were one of his family members.
“Skyler Bear!” He jostles me around in a bear hug. “How’s my best girl!”
I cringe and go stiff in his arms. He eases me back an arm’s length. “What’s got you down? Your guy not make it here yet?” His eyebrows rise up in question, and I’m about to answer when I’m physically pulled out of Rick’s arms by said guy.
Parker’s chin moves into my neck, and he loops an arm around my waist, plastering my body flush against his front. Tingles of anxiety prickle against my skin as he growls into my neck. “This does not bode well for you, baby.”
Ugh. I slump into his arms. “Rick, this is my boyfriend, Parker. Parker, this is Rick, my costar.”
“Yo, man! It’s awesome to meet you! Any friend of Skyler Bear is a friend of mine.” He smiles wide and holds out his hand.
Parker eases me to his left side, farther away from Rick, and takes his hand. He must squeeze it rather hard, because Rick’s eyes go wide, and he pulls his hand away fast.
“Dude! That’s one helluva grip you got there.” Rick shakes his hand as if he’s in pain.
“Sorry.” Parker squeezes my hip. “Didn’t realize my own strength.”
Sure, you didn’t. I narrow my gaze at Parker.
“It’s cool you’re here today. We’re shooting one of the racier scenes. Would be righteous to get your feedback on how to best hold and touch her. You know, since you know her intimately and all.” Rick leans closer to Parker, and a bout of anxiety ratchets up my spine.
Please don’t get into it, I silently pray, hoping Parker’s jealousy doesn’t come out swinging.
I can feel Parker’s body grow still, a tick in his jaw flickering like mad. He’s grinding his teeth. Shit. This is not going to be good. I have to get him away from Rick somehow.
“Um, guys, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this—” I start, but am cut off by Parker.
“Oh no, we absolutely should. Tell me, Rick . . .” The inflection on the letter k is scathing coming from Parker’s mouth. “What kind of feedback were you looking to get about my girlfriend?” His tone is filled with malice, and I can see his hold on his emotions is flying away like a flock of birds heading south for the winter. Problem is, Rick doesn’t even notice it. He’s oblivious to Parker’s jealousy because he doesn’t think of me in that light.
“Honey . . . ,” I try again.
Parker lifts a hand between us. “No, I’ve got to hear this. Go on, Rick.” Again, with the k sound thick on his tongue.
“Well, dude, don’t spread this around,”—he leans in closer to us—“but Sky and me, we’re having trouble showing chemistry on the screen during our romantic scenes. The director is not happy, and I could use whatever tips you’ve got.”
God. Rick is so sweet. He genuinely wants Parker’s help, and I desperately hope Parker can hear it in Rick’s voice and be the bigger man.
Parker backs away a bit from Rick, holds up a finger toward my blissfully ignorant costar, and brings me a few feet away before dipping his head down to my ear. This move curbs my anxiety hundredfold. The farther away Parker is from Rick, the better.
“Peaches, you didn’t mention the two of you were having trouble,” he whispers.
I purse my lips. “Yes, I did. Remember, I told you we had to reshoot some scenes.”
His brows pinch together as if he’s mulling over what I’m saying.
“Honestly, I haven’t had to do a role like this with intimate scenes since I was in a committed relationship to Johan, and he didn’t care one bit about who I was kissing or whether or not I was showing full nudity and such,” I whisper conspiratorially against his chest. He cups my cheeks.
“First of all, I’m sorry if I made you nervous when you needed to do your job. I trust you. Do I trust him? Fuck no. I wouldn’t trust any man who gets to touch you in any way. That’s who I am, baby. I think you get that. We both have a bit of a green monster living inside of us. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It doesn’t mean I’m going to interfere in your job in a way that hurts your career. I know you have to do these roles and scenes. I may not like it, but I respect it.”
I run my hand down his cheek and rub my thumb against his bottom lip. “Thank you.”
“Now what can I do to make this easier on you?”
I shrug. “Frankly, I don’t know. Rick and I are going to have to figure something out, though, because he was not lying. The director is unhappy, and I don’t need that kind of press spreading throughout the industry. It could affect my future roles.”
He firms his chin, leans down, and kisses me softly. “I may have an idea.”
I grin, loop my arm
s around his neck, and pop up onto my toes to touch his nose with my own. “I like your ideas.”
He grins. “You might like this one, you might not. I’m going to have a chat with the director if you trust me.”
I lick my lips, inhale fully, and let it out. I run my hand through his overly long hair, plucking at one of his curls on top. I love when his hair is overgrown and his curls pop out. It makes him seem younger, more vulnerable. “Parker, I’ve entrusted you with my heart. Which is far more important than anything you can do to my career.”
He smiles wide, and I love seeing his happiness. I want to see it more. I want to be the one who puts those beatific smiles on his handsome face.
“Be right back.” He goes over to the director, taps her on the shoulder, and she turns around toward him, giving him her full attention. My guy has that effect on all women. Their eyes always stray to him.
He really is gorgeous. Tall, tan, with light, crystal-blue eyes. A dashing bright-white smile. His chiseled jaw and high cheekbones give him a GQ effect that hits me straight through to the heart, and lower. I squirm, watching my man make gestures to the bedroom and bathroom set across the way. I leave him be, wanting him to do what he feels he has to do.
Tracey comes up behind me. “What is he doing?” She lifts her chin toward Parker.
I cross my arms over my chest and rub at my biceps. “He’s got some idea for the director on how Rick and I can work on our chemistry . . . romantically.” I purse my lips and glance at my best friend.
“I’m sorry, Birdie, I don’t think I heard you. Your boyfriend is talking to the director on how to best get you and your insanely handsome model costar to have more romantic chemistry on the screen?”
“Yep,” I state with absolute pride.
Tracey frowns deeply. “Am I the only one who thinks this is really freakin’ weird?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
It is weird. And charming. My man hears I have a problem and sets about helping me fix it, even if it’s something that would make any man uncomfortable. Because he cares more for me than the subject matter at hand. He wants me to succeed even at the price of making him uncomfortable.
He’s amazing. Wonderful. Sexy. Strong. Intelligent.
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