“Brace yourself,” she said as she opened the door. “And try not to knock anything over if you can.”
Tiny didn’t even begin to describe Amelia’s living space. Between the stove, the table and the futon bed, there was just enough room for us both to stand without touching one another.
“Wow,” I couldn’t help saying.
“Yeah, I know it’s small.”
“It’s awesome.” It really was. I’d always liked cozy space, and there was something about the place that oozed with Amelia’s personality. The textures of the rough brick walls and polished wood floor together reminded me of her. Despite the limited space, it was extremely tidy, much the way that Amelia always looked carefully groomed. Posters for The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables took up most of the available wall space. Above the bed was a shelf lined with rows of books and plays. It really felt like a place you could hide from the world in.
“Hey, you read Madeline Stevens?” I grabbed a hardcover copy of To Swim with Swans off the shelf and turned it over in my hands.
Amelia looked just a little embarrassed to have her personal belongings examined. “I got really into her books after a bad breakup last year,” she said.
“Sorry to hear that.” My heart melted at the broken expression in her face. Whatever happened last year clearly still hurt her. I waited for her to say more about it, but she didn’t, so I just slid the book back on the shelf, adding, “To Swim with Swans was there for me during a hard time in my life, too.”
I realized Amelia was fidgeting with the buttons on her shirt as I surveyed her apartment and I remembered what I’d come up for.
“So…” I walked over to the futon. “Do we just…”
“I guess so.” Amelia approached me, green eyes wide with fear, but I also swore I saw determination in her face. She really was gorgeous. Her soft features contrasted with her drastically short hair and masculine clothes to create a look that was all her. Sure, she could probably get more work as an actress if she sold herself as hyper-feminine like I did, but Amelia didn’t seem like the type of person who was interested in changing herself. She was perfect as she was.
His plush pink lips parted just a bit as she stood right in front of me. I put my hands on her hips and swallowed loudly. She started to lean in to get her face closer to mine, but as she did, she forced me backwards until I flopped onto the futon, pulling her down with me. Her lean body pressed against mine, her legs between my knees. My breath felt hot as it gushed in and out of my chest. Why was this so completely unnerving to me?
As I looked into Amelia’s nervous eyes, I realized there was something in them that resonated with me, and that connection was the reason why I was a mess of sweat and nerves. The thing I saw in Amelia’s eyes, well, it made me want to get closer to her. It made me want this.
I put my hands to either side of her face and pulled her lips the rest of the distance to mine. Our tongues met hesitantly at first. My thumb ran a slow circle over her earlobe to the rhythm of our shy kiss. Amelia pulled away, but only to nip at my lip in a way that brought a moan from my chest.
I was kissing a girl and moaning over it.
My body was so confused as I inhaled her floral perfume. The sensation of her skin against mine made my pulse race, but as my hands grew bolder, the strange curves of her feminine shape kept me from getting too comfortable. My brain kept screaming, It’s a girl! You’re kissing a girl! As if I needed to be reminded.
Woman or not, Amelia was an amazing kisser. Even as we grew more comfortable, she kept a languid pace. Her hands slid up my neck, into my hair and she pulled my lips tight against hers. I felt like I could melt into her kiss. When she let out a little moan of excitement, heat surged between my legs that shut my brain up for good. Apparently my body didn’t care if Amelia was a woman when she had lips like that.
She pulled away slowly, eyes clouded over, lips flushed and glistening. God, she was gorgeous.
“Well…” She swallowed and laughed nervously. “How was that?”
“That might’ve been the best kiss of my life,” I said honestly.
“I’m sure you say that to all the girls.” She snorted, button nose wrinkling adorably.
“No, really. That was, umm, it was a great start.”
“Start?”
“Well, I mean, we’re going to have to get used to a little more than that. You read the script. I don’t need to tell you about the shower scene.”
Of course, there would be no full nudity in the movie, but there would be scenes where we’d have to be very comfortable with each other.
Amelia’s eyes bulged out of her head. “You’re not suggesting…”
“It couldn’t hurt.” I smiled innocently.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Is this how you trick all those poor unsuspecting actors into bed with you?”
“What? No! I’ve never—” I cut myself off just as I was about to say, I’ve never done anything like this with a co-star before. I’d almost forgotten that Amelia, like the rest of the world, thought I’d actually dated Oliver and the men who’d come before him. I suddenly felt uncomfortable about lying to Amelia.
“You’re right,” she said, taking a deep, bracing breath. “We’re going to have to show some skin in this movie, so we might as well get comfortable around each other now. I really don’t want a repeat of today’s rehearsal.”