by Cat Johnson
Great. No pressure there.
But there was still one person in the room who would determine the future of this movie, and his name wasn’t Oscar.
Rick swallowed and dared to glance toward the back of the screening room.
Howard sat, still staring at the blank screen, eyes narrowed as if thinking, or maybe picturing the film after it had been edited?
Rick didn’t know how Hollywood directors thought or operated. Hell, the only thing he knew was that Howard had better have liked what he saw or they were screwed.
Howard’s gaze landed on Rick before he stood, drew his cell out of his pocket and headed out the door.
“What the fuck?” Eyes wide, Rick looked from Sierra to Jamey. “He left. What does that mean? Did he hate it?”
Sierra cringed as she shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Fuck.” Rick was about to lose his mind—and possibly his job. That didn’t stop him.
Knocking against chairs, he took off up the aisle and out into the sunlight. He spotted Howard ahead of him, walking toward the production office.
Rick sprinted and caught up with him easily enough. He passed him and stopped, blocking his way.
Brows high, Howard said into the phone, “I’ll call you back.” He lowered the cell and tipped his head as he leveled a stare on Rick. “Yes?”
Now that he had the man’s full attention, Rick wasn’t sure he wanted it. He swallowed and steeled his nerve. “I need to know what you thought.”
“Need to?” Howard smiled but not exactly in a jovial way. “You’ve got balls. You know that?”
“Yes, sir.”
Howard shook his head. “You get away with all kinds of shit by following it up with that sir, don’t you?”
“Not always,” Rick confessed.
Howard outright laughed. “Honesty. I like that about you.” He drew in a breath and let it out. “And I liked what I saw in there.”
Rick’s eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yes. It’s good. It’s real. It’s raw and primal. Those might end up being the best scenes of this damn film, and that includes the ones of your girlfriend rolling around naked with Jamey.”
Rick pressed his lips together as he moved past the allusion to the sex scenes and on to the important part of what Howard had said. He liked it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But don’t let it go to your head. You do anything to endanger or delay this production again and you’ll be outside that gate looking in so fast your head will spin.”
Rick couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, sir. Understood.”
Howard moved to step around Rick and then stopped. “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not too bad in front of the camera. Might be something you want to consider.”
Howard headed toward the office leaving Rick behind.
He was still standing there, flabbergasted, watching him go when Sierra and Jamey arrived.
“What did he say?” Sierra’s concern was clear.
Rick couldn’t blame her for being worried. Hell, he’d been worried himself.
Luckily he could end her worry and Jamey’s. “He loved it.”
“Woo! Yeah!” Jamey punched a fist into the air. “I knew it. I’m gonna go talk to him.”
As he took off in a sprint after Howard, Sierra smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Rick drew in and let out a breath now that his chest didn’t feel like a two hundred and fifty pound weight was on it. “We should probably go home and get some sleep, but I think I’m too keyed up.”
“I can’t leave anyway. Howard rearranged the call sheet. I’m shooting a scene with just me today, no Jamey. So we don’t fall behind.”
“Shit. Okay. I’ll stay here with you.”
“No. You should go home and get some sleep. You’re shooting on the island again tonight. Probably all night. You need your rest.”
He let out a laugh. “I’ve gone without sleep before.”
“Yes. But you had to then. You don’t have to now.”
He did have that list of bodyguards Jon had sent him just in case their plan didn’t work out and he got kicked off the lot. One of them could stay with Sierra for the day and escort her safely back to the hotel this evening.
Finally, he nodded. “All right. But only if you go home right after you’re done here today and get some sleep. You can’t be up all night and then work all day again.”
She pressed her lips tight. “Okay.”
“Good. It’s a deal then.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your trailer.”
“Or the makeup trailer. Jeannie will have her work cut out for her covering the dark circles under my eyes today.”
He shook his head. “You’re still the most gorgeous woman on this lot.”
“And you’re delusional. A mixture of lack of sleep and the high you’re riding because those scenes were amazing.”
He grinned. “Yeah, they were. I’ve gotta call Jon and Zane and tell them. Those SEALs kicked ass last night.”
“You miss it.”
“Miss what?” He glanced down at her as they walked in the early morning sunlight.
“The action. The camaraderie. The excitement.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Last night was just fun. That’s all.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen you in such a good mood. Well, maybe once.”
“Oh really. And when was that?” The first time they’d had sex, probably. That had been a pretty amazing day.
“That day I came to see you in the hospital right after you’d been shot. You were surrounded by your SEAL friends then too, all telling stories and reliving the past.”
He lifted a shoulder. “That’s what we do. Tell stories and relive the past. Doesn’t mean I want to go back and do it all again.”
“Don’t you?” she asked, looking far too serious for such a great morning.
He stopped walking. Confused, he turned to face her, taking both of her hands in his. “What’s this all about?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s nothing. Let me get to make-up so I can go to work and you can get some sleep.”
He studied her for a second. This didn’t feel resolved but she was right, they both had other things they should be doing.
More than that, after seeing those dailies and the discussion with Howard, he was in too good of a mood to let this odd discussion get him down.
CHAPTER 13
It was another long night of shooting, but Rick was as hyped up as if he’d downed a case of energy drinks.
There was something about the action. About being part of a team. Even if he was working with new guys tonight instead of his old friends, he’d still loved every minute of it.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed it all until now after getting a small taste of it again.
But he missed more than just being part of any team. He missed his team. His friends.
There was something he could do about that. Rick pulled out his cell phone and hit the contact listing for Jon.
Yeah, it was crazy early in the morning California time, but it was a decent hour on the east coast, and it would be during normal working hours if Jon and Zane were still overseas.
Jon picked up after a couple of rings. “Hey, it’s Mr. Hollywood. How are things going there?”
“Oh my God, dude. Everything went fucking perfect. It couldn’t have been better.”
“Really?” Jon laughed. “Well, that hardly ever happens.”
“I know!” Rick laughed too. “But I swear, it was like clockwork. The FNGs were great. Jamey was great. Hell, a couple of people even said I was great.”
“You, huh? They let you be in the movie? They must have really been desperate for warm bodies.”
“Fuck you. And yeah, they were.” Rick smiled, shaking his head at the teasing.
“Seriously t
hough, I’m happy it all worked out.”
“Yeah, me too. Thank you, and thank Zane too. For everything.”
“You can thank Zane yourself. He’ll be back out in Cali in a couple of weeks.”
“Good. I’ll have to take him out for a drink. And what about you? Where are you at right now?” Rick never knew where Jon might be when he answered the phone.
It could be anywhere from Detroit to Djibouti, knowing how widespread their business was.
“Zane and I had a whirlwind forty-eight hours in HOA, but I’m home again. For now.”
When he’d been tied to his boring guard job at the nuclear reactor in Virginia, he used to be envious of all their travel. Now that he lived out of hotel rooms half the year, he was definitely over it.
Jon could have his whirlwind trips to the Horn of Africa. Rick had finally learned to appreciate the pleasures of being home. He was sure Jon felt the same now he had a wife and kid.
“That’s good to hear, bud. I’m sure Ali appreciates having you home . . . you know, to help change poopy diapers.” Rick chuckled.
“Yeah.” Jon let out a snort. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ve gotta take out the trash. It’s getting a bit aromatic thanks to those diapers. And I gotta mow the lawn before it rains. And run out to the store and pick up some milk because we’re out.”
Hearing Jon talk made daily housekeeping and room service seem a whole lot better. Rick appreciated hotel life a little more after Jon’s To Do list. Perhaps he didn’t hate living in hotels and short-term rentals wherever Sierra was filming as much as he thought.
Rick smiled. “That’s a hell of a list. I’ll let you go get to it. I just wanted to give you an update and say thanks for the help.”
“No problem. It was fun. I’m glad it all worked out for you . . . and just so you know, I expect two tickets to the premiere.”
“You got it.” Rick smiled, and then sobered as he realized it could easily be months before he saw his friend again. “Miss you, dude.”
“Miss you too, brother. Say hi to Sierra for me.”
“You too—say hey to Ali. Talk to you soon.”
“You got it.” Jon disconnected and Rick pocketed his cell.
Yeah, he missed the guys, but there was something else he was missing just as much right now, if not more. Crawling into bed beside Sierra.
He slipped the hotel room keycard out of its slot in his wallet and shoved it into the door lock. The light turned from red to green—his invitation inside after a long night.
In fact, it had been two long nights, but now it was time for bed and sleep . . . and hopefully more than sleep when they both woke tomorrow. Or rather, later today since it was well past midnight and creeping closer to dawn.
He’d ridden the bus back to the lot with the crew and showered there, so in the suite he dumped his duffle bag on the floor inside the door and headed straight for the bedroom.
She’d left the living room light on but the bedroom was dark, except for the strip of light coming in from the open doorway between the two rooms, but he knew this room well enough by now to navigate his way to the bed in the darkness.
His weight jostled her on the mattress. He heard her draw in a deep breath and let in out on a moan. The sound had him getting hard immediately.
“You’re back,” she said, sounding sleepy.
“I am.” He slipped between the sheets and moved across the sprawling king-sized mattress toward her side of the bed.
“Good.” Sierra was on top of him before he even had a chance to reach for her, straddling him and his happy erection.
He palmed her ass and found she had nothing on beneath the short nightie she wore. “Whoa. Not that I’m complaining, but what brought this on?”
“I don’t know,” she said as she captured his face between her hands and moved in for a tongue-deep kiss.
When she broke for air, he said, “Damn. Something got into you. Tell me.”
“I don’t know. I had a good day on the set today. And I guess seeing you all SEALed out like that in the dailies this morning got to me.”
“Oh, did it?” He grinned.
She backhanded him in the arm. “Don’t sound so cocky about it.”
“Oh, I’m definitely feeling cocky.” He laughed knowing she could feel the very obviously aroused appendage beneath her.
They hadn’t done this in days. Not since that fateful night he’d lost his cool and punched Jamey.
He’d started to worry he’d done irreparable damage to their relationship. Sex wasn’t everything. It was nothing to base a relationship on, but it sure sucked when it was missing from theirs.
Who knew all it took was some war games and greasepaint to get his woman excited? He’d have to remember that.
Maybe they should take up paintball together or go to the gun range.
That was something to consider later. Much later. After he’d gotten back to where he needed to be. Inside her.
She squeaked as he used his own legs to spread hers wide. He’d have many more and varied sounds coming out of her shortly.
Just the thought had him groaning as he slid down her legs.
No doubt she knew what was coming. She’d argue with him over just about anything, always had and he suspected always would, but she wasn’t fighting him now.
Oh no. Instead she spread her legs farther apart to allow room for the width of his shoulders between them.
Rick slipped his arms under her thighs. With one palm beneath each of her ass cheeks, he raised her core to meet his mouth.
He reveled in her reaction as she threw her head back against the pillow and moaned with pleasure. Real pleasure, not the pretend movie kind. And he’d done it to her.
Pride filled him as he worked her into an orgasm before he slid up her body and thrust inside her. He took his own pleasure, allowing himself to follow her quickly down the path to orgasm.
He needed the release too badly to deny himself. Needed just as much to lay that claim on her body after the wedge he’d put between them recently.
His eyes had adjusted to the dimness in the bedroom and he could see well enough to appreciate her sated expression.
He’d never grow tired of staring down at this woman beneath him. Never weary of hearing her gasp from his touch.
She was it—the one for him. He’d felt it for a while but here and now it was clear as day. There was no doubt. He wanted to live and die loving this woman.
Until death do them part.
It was huge—thinking those words and what they meant—but not frightening. He’d never been more sure of anything before in his life.
But damn that was too serious a subject for him to tackle now.
Time for some lighter conversation . . . like how she’d gotten excited watching the dailies. That would serve as a good distraction from the serious turn his brain had taken.
If he knew one thing it was that Sierra expected—and deserved—a proposal worthy of a fairy tale. Blurting out will you marry me while his cock was still inside her wasn’t going to cut it, no matter how hyped up he felt.
Rolling over, Rick reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on so he could better see his woman.
There was nothing prettier than the post-climatic pink glow in the cheeks of a lady well satisfied. That was part of the reason for his smile, but not the whole reason.
Her sudden attraction to his SEAL past was . . . “So seeing me all SEALed out, as you put it, got you going. Huh?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m going to regret telling you that, aren’t I?”
“No. Not at all.” He hoped he could keep that promise as he said, “I just never pegged you as a frog hog.”
“I don’t even know what that is but I really do not like the sound of it.”
He laughed. “Just teasing you, princess.”
“Don’t tease. I’m being serious. I mean I know what you used to do in the Navy, but I never got to see you in action.”
; “Not true. I do believe we were shot at on the movie lot in Virginia. That was certainly some action.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t in all the accessories and stuff.”
That elicited a belly laugh. “Are you calling my body armor and rifle accessories, woman?” he asked.
“If the word fits.” She shrugged. “And the makeup too. I really liked you in the makeup.”
“Jesus.” Rick ran his hand over his face.
Her calling the camo greasepaint makeup was the last straw. He rolled on top of her before she completely emasculated him and he couldn’t perform.
Although judging by the renewed rock-hard length between his legs, that wasn’t going to be a problem.
“Again?” she asked, smiling as she teased.
It was an easy answer to give. “Again, and again, and again. Always.”
CHAPTER 14
“Did you see those dailies?” Jamey was so excited he was glowing, and it wasn’t just from the yellow hue of his ever changing bruise.
“Yes, I did see.” Sierra smiled, indulging him since she’d been seated between him and Rick in the screening room so he knew she’d seen them.
He rolled his eyes. “I know I’m being ridiculous getting so excited over dailies, but they were great, right? I mean I haven’t been in as many movies as you have. You’re like here . . .” Jamey raised his arm high above his head, and then lowered it and continued, “And I’m way down here. I know that, but what we’re seeing is still good, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s good.”
Rick and the SEALs he’d somehow borrowed from the Navy had killed it. Last night’s scenes were even better than the first night’s.
She couldn’t deny it, not that she wanted to. What was good for the movie was good for everyone involved in it.
Jamey was smiling again, satisfied she’d agreed with him. “That means a lot that you think it’s good too. I mean you’ve been in this business forever.”
Sierra pressed her lips together. Forever. Yeah. That didn’t make her feel old at all. “It sure feels that way.”
As they walked outside across the lot, Jamey cut his gaze sideways to her. “Did I ever tell you? The first movie I ever saw, I mean the first real adult one out at the theater, was yours.”
