I waited for him to ask what so many others would have if I’d shared that—who she was. This sort of salacious desire to know about the fallen TV vixen. Instead, he just said, “I’m sorry. Everyone deserves a parent who cares.”
“I imagine you had a hard time with that too, being in the shelter as a kid.”
“I was one of the lucky ones, at least, and found an amazing mom and dad. Not everyone’s so lucky, and if life’s shown me anything, it’s that sometimes the ones stuck with a family they didn’t choose have it a lot worse.”
“Well…it was what it was, and we’re fine now…or as fine as we can be, but that’s all that matters, and if you don’t mind us just leaving that there, that’d be great.”
“I respect that. Thank you for sharing as much as you did.”
“Thank you for listening,” I said, meaning it.
This wasn’t something I talked to a lot of people about. Certain aspects, particularly about my past, I preferred to keep close to my chest. Because of my past, privacy was something I’d learned to cherish.
12
Jace
“How about we get a pizza?”
“A pizza? Really?” Dax asked.
“Ah, that’s right. You and the diet thing. Well, we can go out if we have to.”
“I can probably get some chicken wings on the side, and that’ll be plenty for me.”
Since we’d spent the day running around, neither of us had wanted to leave the confines of Dax’s hotel room, which worked just fine for me.
I enjoyed Dax’s company. Messing around with him had been a blast, and I appreciated how cool he’d been about my level of experience, or lack thereof. He’d allowed me to enjoy things at my own pace, and if ever an experience could have shown me exactly how into guys I was, this was the one. Because damn. And after we finished, he didn’t chase me off or let things get weird.
We ordered some pizza and wings. Dax said he needed to respond to a few emails and did so on his laptop while I watched TV. Neither of us chatted much, not feeling like we needed to fill the space with random conversation, which made me feel even more relaxed with him.
When the pizza finally arrived, I got it while Dax finished sending an email. I set it on the counter and opened it, grabbing a slice and diving right in.
Dax hurried in shortly after. Like me, he was still wearing just a towel around his waist.
He looked me over.
“You know,” I said, “you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to give me a big head.”
“I like the kind of big head I give you,” Dax teased, approaching me. He raised his hand to my face and ran his thumb across my bottom lip. As he pulled it away, I noticed some cheese on his thumb, which he eagerly licked off, reminding me of the way he ate my cum when we were messing around.
“I thought you were watching your calorie intake.”
“Nope. Just watching what I eat, and cheese is fine with my diet.” He looked me over once more. “And apparently, pizza is just fine for yours.”
His lips curled into a sly smile before turning serious again. “Okay, but I do want to prepare you for everything tomorrow, so we need to at least go over a few things. Hacksmore’s plane will land tomorrow morning, and he wants to get together for dinner and have a little chat, vibe everything out, and then we’ll sign on the dotted line and let that be that.”
“Lord, I hate to think that he might find out he doesn’t even like me all that much.”
“It’s just a formality. The Skype session was more than enough for him. Trust me on that.”
“Oh, what’d he say?”
“I’ll tell you when I need to get that head big again, how’s that?”
I enjoyed a laugh, sitting at the kitchen island and having some more of my pizza while Dax devoured his wings. He discussed some of the details of the contract that my uncle had already reviewed with me before I got on the flight. Mainly about clauses, non-compete, morality, mediation, renewal…any number of things that could have come up while I was having to live my life under the confines of the contract.
“…And now I might just have to suck your dick to make up for boring you to tears.”
It was evident he’d picked up on how miserable I’d been through his whole chat.
“I wouldn’t complain if you did, but I went through most of it with my uncle, and it all sounds good.”
“I figured, but I do want you to understand, as much as you can, what you’re signing. It’d be one thing if I were dealing with an actor or a model who’s used to this kind of stuff, but I can assure you, from my experience in this industry, it’s a good contract in your favor. I tried to make sure Hacksmore wasn’t fucking you over.”
“I trust you.”
Dax did a double take. “Well, you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t trust anyone in this industry. It’s a dog-eat-dog business, and people who seem trustworthy are more than likely just conning you for their own best interests.”
“Are you saying you’re conning me?”
“What? No, but you need to be careful. I do worry about you in this industry.”
“Dax, I spend my life walking through burning buildings. I can handle a little danger or people being assholes. And I told you, my mom gave you her stamp of approval, and that’s good enough for me.”
He seemed to force a smile at that, but I could tell he was apprehensive, and I couldn’t figure out why. “I do worry about you, Jace.”
“It’s sweet that you worry, but I’m fine. And I’m tough. And I should look it.” I winked, trying to get him to lighten up, and I earned a laugh, which was good enough for me.
I wasn’t sure what or who had burned him. I could tell by his conversation about his mom that something about this whole industry weighed on him, but considering how long he’d been working in showbiz, I wouldn’t have thought he’d be this rattled on my account.
I’d survived a lot. Certainly, an endorsement deal wouldn’t be the thing to do me in.
“Yeah, you’re fine,” Dax said, shaking his head as though trying to shake his worry away.
A part of me was offended that he felt the need to worry about me, since I could take care of myself, but another part of me thought…it was kind of cute. Reminded me that Dax was a better guy than he cared to let on.
“On that note, I think you’re all set for tomorrow, and we can get this ball rolling and make you a star, Jace Kruse.” He grinned, though the trace of discomfort was still visible in his expression.
“Sounds good.” I pushed to my feet. “I’ll scram and get my beauty rest, and let you get busy.” I headed into the living room, where I threw off my towel and slid back into my clothes.
Dax escorted me to the door. He had his hand on my back as I stepped out of the room, and when I turned back to him, he offered a friendly smile.
“I’m glad you’re working with us, Jace. And not just because of the perks.”
“I’m glad I’m working with you guys too. Perks and all.”
Something about gazing into those bright hazel eyes and seeing that mouth of his reeled me right in again, and I planted another kiss on him, which was weird for me. I never would have done something like that with another lover. Not for any particular reason, but something about Dax was so goddamn irresistible. I just couldn’t get enough of touching the guy!
He kissed me back, his hand resting against my side, and I slid my hand around him, against the small of his back, pulling him to me, up against my body.
I heard a sound, and it took me a moment to realize the door had slammed shut behind him. But we just kept right on teasing and tasting with our lips and tongues.
Finally, Dax pulled away and muttered, “Ah, fuck!”
I opened my eyes and followed his gaze to a guy with chocolate-brown hair, all bright white teeth as he grinned ear to ear. He wore jeans and a nearly neon-pink button-down shirt with a navy-blue tie.
He glanced between us as Dax said, “Did you need somethin
g, Carter?”
“This is your assistant?” I reached out to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”
“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” He kept glancing between us as though he was ready to give Dax hell about being caught lip-locked with me in the hall in just a towel.
I pulled my hand away from Carter’s grip, since he seemed to have a difficult time parting with it.
Carter said, “We can all go right back in there, and you guys just tell me what you need me to do. Hahaha. Kidding. Unless you need that.”
“Carter,” Dax said sternly.
“Or if you just think that’d be hot.”
“Carter!”
“Or if there’s something you wanted to try that requires more than two people. I’m very flexible, by the way. I do Pilates, yoga—”
“Carter!” Dax barked, the sound echoing through the hall.
“Oh, is that my name?” Carter asked, his gaze still fixed on mine. “Sorry. I forgot for a few moments there as I was looking into your eyes.”
I laughed. “Dax, I’ll see you tomorrow. —You’re a sweet kid, Carter.”
I started down the hall, figuring it’d be best to let them deal with the awkwardness of everything that had just transpired.
“I’m also an easy kid! Only twenty-four! Room 473.”
“Jesus, Carter,” Dax groaned, low enough that I figured he didn’t think I could hear him. “Have some self-respect.”
“Me? Ooh, look who’s talking.”
“He can probably hear you.”
I beamed and let out a satisfied sigh as I relished every goddamn moment we’d spent together that day.
Oh, Dax Munro. You intrigue the fuck out of me.
13
Dax
JACE: Rumor has it you’ll be back in town next week. When you gonna come see me?
Despite my attempt at keeping serious and professional, I submitted to the tug at the corners of my lips. All I could think about was Jace’s cheeky smile when Carter caught us outside my hotel room.
Jace knew perfectly well I’d be back in town the following week for his first photoshoot, scheduled three weeks after we’d signed his endorsement deal.
“What are you all smiles about over there?” Carter asked from the chair on the opposite side of my desk.
When I looked up, he was keying away into his iPhone as though he was so busy, he shouldn’t have been able to notice me making a dumb face over Jace’s message. Although, I figured I was just that obvious.
“Did you get a message from Hottie Firefighter?” he pressed.
“Maybe I got a text from someone else.”
His gaze shifted to me, one brow rising slightly higher than the other as he offered a suspicious glare. “Sure, Jan.”
“Okay, it was him.”
“Of course it was. How much have you guys been texting since London?”
Too much. Jace and I had been exchanging messages almost daily for the past three weeks. Nothing major, just checking in with each other.
“I don’t know,” I lied.
He rolled his eyes. “I can’t tell who you’re lying to more: me or yourself.”
“How am I lying to myself?”
“You gonna keep pretending you don’t have a little bit of a thing for Hottie Firefighter?”
“Can we not call him that? His name is Jace.” Although, maybe because I recognized how much more he was than that stupid nickname, I was fine with using it when I was talking to Jace.
“Okay, what would you like me to call your boyfriend?”
“God, you know that’s not an option.”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“You said ‘that’s not an option.’ You didn’t make it sound outside the realm of possibility. This guy’s got you crushing a bit. Come on, tell Dr. Carter.”
“You’re not a goddamn doctor, and I’m not crushing. We had fun, and I wouldn’t mind having fun again. That’s the extent of it.”
He hummed “Here Comes the Bride.”
“You are just begging for a severance package, aren’t you?”
“Oh, please. Who else is going to sneak down to the concierge to grab you a card when you’re standing outside your hotel room in just a towel?”
I hadn’t realized what a dumbass move it was to let the door slam shut behind me when Jace and I had been having our little goodbye make-out session.
“No shame in being attracted to Mr. Overnight Sensation. Last I checked, his Instagram video announcing the deal with Hacksmore had fifty million views.”
“Fifty-seven, last I checked.”
“Stalk much?”
“Clearly, this part’s in the job description.”
While I worked different media outlets to get press for the Kruse/Hacksmore deal, at Elliott’s and my encouragement, Jace created an Instagram page we could link sources to and a video discussing the upcoming deal. Elliott hadn’t been sure how effective it would be as a marketing tool, but I knew once people became aware of the personality that went along with the image they’d become so captivated by, they’d find themselves as enamored by Jace Kruse as I found myself becoming.
A crush, no. I was too practical for that.
We both had jobs to do, and especially with deals signed, we needed to prioritize our work above everything else. I didn’t tend to get involved with clients, but in Jace’s case, I doubted my ability to keep my hands off him, though I didn’t figure it would become a big issue. He seemed fairly chill about the whole thing.
However, the gun had been fired and the race was on to get Jace to the top of every headline to generate publicity for the campaign that was officially underway—something that was helped by a leak inside the Fever Fight campus, revealing his plans to donate money toward a new and improved rec center as well as plenty more toward their library. I wouldn’t have disclosed those facts, as I knew how personal it was for Jace, but it easily generated even more hype for the up-and-coming celeb. Timing was everything in my business. We needed to strike while the iron was hot—and Jace Kruse was so very hot in every possible way. And seemed to only be getting hotter by the minute.
I finally chased Carter out of my office with some calls he needed to make before our trip back to Fever Falls. But secretly, I wanted a chance to respond to Jace’s message in private, without having to worry about Carter’s prying eyes. Not that he would see what I was texting, but clearly, I was struggling to maintain my typical cool expression.
Missing me already? ;) I messaged.
JACE: Eh, you’re alright. That dick, tho…
I laughed out loud, like a fucking idiot, which reminded me why it had been a good idea to get rid of Carter before replying.
ME: LMAO. Well, he misses you too.
JACE: Careful with compliments. You know how those give me a big head. And I’m trying to be innocent at my family barbecue.
ME: Are you seriously at a barbecue?
JACE: Of course! Mom loves a good old-fashioned barbecue.
Sometimes Jace and his family were too goddamn perfect.
ME: How’s the fam?
JACE: Keeg is trying to play fetch with Mac, which just looks like Keeg throwing a ball and then walking Mac to it. Wish you were here.
It irritated me how excited that made me. Considering I had to be out there next week to handle our first major publicity project, I knew it wouldn’t be too long before I was back in his sights once again.
There was something refreshing about Jace still being the same guy I’d met out in Fever Falls. A part of me had been worried, and was still worried, about losing him to those things I knew poisoned so many others, and while it was too early to be sure whether or not that would happen, I was rooting for Jace. I wanted him to prove me wrong about what I’d come to expect from guys who fell prey to deals like this.
* * *
For the next few days, the Hacksmore account was our number-one priority as we prepared for the early stages of th
e campaign, trying to get the maximum amount of exposure for our new golden boy.
Carter, Elliot, and I headed to Fever Falls the following week.
“I’ve got Lena Hermosa’s flight and hotel arranged for this Thursday,” Carter noted as he and I sat in the back of the Tesla the car service had sent to transport us to the hotel. Elliott had booked a slightly later flight than us, so we’d have to meet up with him later and discuss some of the details we were arranging.
A YouTube influencer, Lena Hermosa would be our first major interview. While Elliott had encouraged us to go with a bigger network, not only would she maintain Jace’s small-town, good-ol’-boy image, but her reach would create an immediate social-media frenzy in the same vein as so much of what Jace had managed to accomplish already.
Carter added, “I’m assuming you already saw that Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana are vying for a new social-media police hunk.” Carter knew me well enough to know I stayed abreast of the hot topics of our industry.
“Of course I saw. Figured copycats would start crawling out of the woodwork. I’m sure Freyda Inc. will be managing their accounts. Maybe if they’d just tried a little harder to woo Jace Kruse…”
“Not sure they could physically accomplish the sort of harder we’re talking about.”
“Jace had already made up his mind before any of that, so it was my impressive PR skills that made that happen.”
Carter glowed, as though he was so pleased with himself for knowing about the secret little tryst between Jace and me. And as I checked my phone in my pocket and saw a message from Jace, I decided to wait until I reached the hotel to respond, since I didn’t need Carter giving me hell over our innocent fun.
When we made it to the hotel, the moment I was safe inside my room, I checked Jace’s message: Let me know if you want to meet up once you’re all settled in.
I was a little tired from the flight, but my desire to see Jace again far outweighed my grogginess.
#BURN (Fever Falls Book 2) Page 8
