At the moment though, all I wanted was Xander in my bed, dealing with the throbbing sensation between my legs rather than the piece of plastic I’d have to contend with instead. I’d just have to rely on the concoction of images I could pull up in my mind of the dark, dreamy superhero with a wicked smirk, stubbled chin and a tantalizing tongue that knew exactly how to hit every nerve ending just right.
* * *
The last month has been both heaven and hell. I spent my days at Victory Studios working my ass off, ensuring the show stayed on track to hit the expected targets set as well as making sure Travis stayed off my back. My stalker had suddenly decided to disappear as quickly as they appeared in my life. I was grateful the threats had amounted to nothing and I thought that maybe I could call the bodyguards off. Xander was having none of it, even though none of us have noticed a thing out of line. It also didn’t mean that they weren’t watching from afar. It also meant that with no leads, there has been no chance of catching the culprit, which hasn’t been easy on either Xander or I.
Cassandra has been a pain in my backside, never giving Xander and I too long together but it’s causing the chemistry to build higher and I’m not sure how much longer I can last without making a distraction to get us both alone for five minutes in the store cupboard. I nearly threw it all away yesterday when the scorching heat became too much and Xander whipped off his shirt and walked around in his low-slung cargo pants. I almost couldn’t handle it when he walked over to the snack table and opened a bottle of water, took off his glasses and allowed them to dangle from his fingertips and just poured the full contents over his head, allowing the water to cascade down his front. Fuck! He was sexy!
I wanted to head over and lick each droplet from his heated body and tease him so he’d go wild and fuck me against a wall. I’m sure I was drooling desperately but Cass noticed too quickly and dragged me away from the situation. My focus never waned away though as he placed his glasses back on and ran his fingers through his soaked hair. I wanted to do that. It should’ve been me but my stalker was still out there. That’s when I noticed Barrett was still on my tail following the pair of us. I wished it was Xander. It was pure torture. I needed to get out and away from the two familiar places I’d become accustomed to and live again.
“I’m having lunch out today,” I stated to the room the moment Travis shouted “cut” and the camera ceased to film any longer. “I have a meeting I’ve avoided for way too long now so I’ll make it business orientated. I want to head to Fido’s. Can you secure the place?”
“Who with?” Travis interrupted. “I think that determines a lot on whether you can go or not.”
“Actually, it doesn’t. I’m in a public place. I’d take one of the guys with me for security. Damn, I’d even take Cass if you want me to.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “I need fresh air. I need normality but if you have to know, it’s Stuart Castleford.”
“The guy who was in that blockbuster that was just on screen?” Xander questioned, his eyes trained on me as he waited for my reaction.
I could see Cass’s gob-smacked, open mouth expression in my peripheral vision to the side and I hoped she didn’t utter a word about my past with Stuart. This was business. Nothing else. Certainly not about our previous relationship but I know if Xander knew about it, he’d turn into a man possessed. Maybe that would be a turn-on but I didn’t need any drama when everything was going so smoothly.
“Well, not like it’s any of your business,” I snapped, hoping that Xander realized I was my own person and that I didn’t need his permission to meet whoever I liked. If he thought that then this would never work. I could understand being protective and needing to know where I was going but point-blank having control of my actions was a no-go. That was a huge red flag and one that I wouldn’t stand for. “It’s a proposition. A potential for the pair of us to work on a piece together.”
“That could do wonders for your career,” Cass excitedly said before she grabbed my wrists and leaning closer. “Are you sure that’s all though?” she whispered in my ear.
“Yes! Nothing else.” I glanced over at Xander who luckily was on the phone, organizing my request and hadn’t noticed the outburst from me. That’s not to say that Barrett and Memphis hadn’t noticed though. Shit! “It’s nothing. Okay?”
“Well, I hope it’s not,” Barrett chimed in before glancing over at Memphis and nodding. “Because Xander is coming with you to this meeting—alone.”
I dropped my face into the palm of my hands and rubbed them up and down, thinking how bad this could get. Stuart was a wind-up merchant when he wanted to be. If he got the slightest whiff that Xander and I were associated as more than business alone, then he’d play his games. Fuck, this could get messy and very quickly.
“Table’s booked; let Stuart know.” Xander winked at me before heading off out of the room.
No way I can get out of it now. Damn. I just have to hope that Xander reins in his obsessed eye-fucking gazes at me and I can then try and control my hungered lip bites.
Looks like it was time to pull out my best skills. Lights, camera, action…
* * *
Time had passed so quickly this morning as we shot the various takes with Travis that I hadn’t realized how soon I needed to be ready to leave. All I needed to do was perform a quick outfit change into a form fitting blue dress that accentuated my curves, brush through my long hair after taking it out of the awful bun I’d had it styled in for the shoots and reapply my make-up to match and I’d be done. Twenty minutes tops.
Thankfully, Stuart was still in the area and free at the time; a miracle in its own right with how jam-packed his schedule was of late. It hadn’t stopped the nerves in my stomach all morning knowing that the others had realized that Stuart and I had been an item. It’s not as though it wasn’t common knowledge, especially as the media printed stories when we first started dating and again when we had our amicable split. Although, unless you followed the gossip columns religiously, you may never have spotted the link. Afterall, it was prior to our big names, when we would do anything we could just to get five minutes of airtime on the screen with the small time shows.
I just didn’t want Xander to think I had hidden something from him when in reality, there was nothing of any importance for him to be aware of in my eyes. Stuart was an ex for a reason and Xander was my future.
“Are you ready to go?” Xander asked as he popped his head around the corner of my dressing room door, allowing his gaze to take me in. I felt his stare through those frames and it made me wonder if his gaze could melt the thin layer of clothing that encased my body with how heated it was. Damn, he was sexy. “Car is out front.”
“Absolutely. Let’s go,” I purred, allowing my hips to move in a tantalizing motion before letting out a giggle and turning around to see Xander’s eyes mesmerized on my ass. “Sorry. I’ll behave.”
Xander silently moved by my side, his gaze moving up until it fixed on my lips, He paused and leant into my side. “I can’t fucking wait until this charade is all over with,” he whispered into my ear, “and your stalker is caught because all this tension between us… I’ll snap without a moment’s hesitation. You think I’m possessive now…” His heavy breath pants against my skin. “Just wait until your pussy is screaming out, desperate for more of my cock after I’ve only just filled it. I’ll make you desperate and needy, begging for more.”
“Xander…”
“Time to go, kitten. We have a meeting to attend.” Xander smirked as he grabbed his long length, rearranging it in his pants before indicating for me to start to walk. “After you.”
“Damn, you’re so infuriating!” I steamed at him. “It’s like you’re enjoying this.”
“Just ensuring you know who you belong to. Now get to the car kitten before I change my mind and stop you from leaving.”
ChapterSixteen