I have to tear my eyes away from her parted lips. “You’re acting crazy. You’ve been acting crazy since this whole thing began.”
She reaches for me again. Her eyes are beseeching yet desperate. She’s innocent, tender, tempting, and all my resistance disappears. I don’t care who knows. I don’t care what the consequences are. I’m tired of lying to myself, to her, and to everyone else. I close my eyes, reaching for her, cradling her body, trembling as I touch my forehead to hers. Then I lift my gaze to lock with hers. “You’re so beautiful. So…innocent. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Then don’t,” she whispers, her voice quivering. “Don’t.”
I lower my head. My eyes on her lips.
“Door opens,” I hear Cruz call the cue as if from far away.
There’s a shocked female voice. “What’s going on here?”
That’s my cue to step back from Liz, to face the new arrival with an expression of guilt and shame, but my hand remains around Liz’s waist. My eyes remain on hers. She’s trembling, lips parted. A small breath escapes her, fanning my chin. I can feel her heart pounding as her body presses against mine.
I’m taut as a bowstring. I want to kiss her, so badly I can already taste her lips. The sweet ache of desire throbs in my groin.
Fuck.
Abruptly, I step back from her, and her face goes from pale in one moment, to bright red in the next.
“That’s about what I have in mind…” I’m talking to Kyle, but I don’t meet anyone’s eyes. My voice feels thick.
“I’m...” Liz’s voice is a squeak. “I need a few minutes,” she blurts, half running, half walking off the stage, leaving me with an almost irresistible impulse to follow her.
“That was impressive,” Kyle says. I hardly hear him. My blood is coursing hot, my body drawing me to Liz with an unfamiliar force…a force I know she’s feeling too.
“Everybody, take five.” I go back to my seat, unable to shake the knowledge that I’ll need a hell of a lot more than five minutes to recover from what just happened.
Chapter Nine
Liz
How do you get rid of an attraction that makes it almost impossible for you to function? I desperately need to know. It’s wrecking my thoughts, how I can hate Aidan in one moment and in the next, I’m sneaking glances at him, my head full of fantasies, or getting goosebumps just from hearing his voice.
I can remember with a tortuous clarity how it felt both times he’s touched me. I’m as hooked on him as if he’s a drug and I’m an addict.
“It’s hard to believe it’s your first job,” Kyle is saying. We spent most of the morning taking promotional shots for the play in full costume and makeup. Now, the others are posing, making jokes and shooting fun videos for their social media while I stew in my thoughts.
“Hmmm?”
“I said…it’s hard to believe it’s your first job. It’s pretty sweet working with someone who’s as talented as you.” He flashes me a charming grin and I smile back.
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
He shrugs. “You have something special.”
“Thank you,” I reply, sincerely flattered to be getting compliments from someone who’s been in the business for years.
“Too bad Aidan doesn’t tell you that enough.” Kyle continues. “Why is that anyway? What’s with you two?”
“Nothing.” I shrug and chuckle nervously. My denial is probably as convincing as that of a Disney villain. I’m not lying though. There is nothing between us. He’s just my director. He gives me notes, and I perform. The fact that I can still remember what it felt like to stand mere inches from him and feel his skin under my fingertips, feel his face touching mine, his breath feathering my hair…The fact that the mere thought of that day fills me with intense longing…well, that’s my business.
Kyle looks doubtful. “You sure?”
“Of course.” I laugh. “I’d never met him before my audition.”
“Must have been one hell of an audition then.” He looks at his watch. “We have about an hour before we have to get back to rehearsals. Wanna go get lunch together? I know a place.”
My stomach rumbles as if on cue. “That would be great.”