“His background checks out fine,” Ethan said, but his eyes were trained on Foster.
I could feel my eyebrows knitting together. “I don’t understand.” I looked at Foster. “What is the matter with doing a love scene today?”
Silence stretched for far too long, and I was officially frustrated... until realization clicked in my head. “Foster, are you jealous? Is that it?” More silence, but now the blond was turning an alarming shade of red. I scoffed. “Well, that’s ridiculous, considering you’re sharing me with two other men.”And you haven’t touched me yet, I added in my head.
He looked at me, blue eyes icy and sharp. “Ethan and Cal are different, and you know it.” That cool anger drained from his face. “I’m sorry, Adrianne. I have no excuse. It just makes me uncomfortable.”
Damn him, I thought. If he was a prick about being jealous, I knew how to react to that. I’d dealt with jealous exes in the past because of exactly the same thing. But how could I be mad at him for being uncomfortable?
“You don’t have to go to the set,” I told him. “Ethan and Callan can come with me, and you can head to the office today.”
Foster shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said. “I apologize for throwing a tantrum.”
I would hardly describe the civil conversation as a tantrum, but Foster rarely spoke at all, so I suppose it would qualify for him. “It’s okay,” I said and started gathering the breakfast plates to take them to the sink. Passing the coffeemaker, I pushed the button to get Foster’s second cup brewing. it would go into a thermos for the drive to the studio. Then, he would get another at the coffee cart outside.
As I was rinsing off the plates, he came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms. “I am sorry,” he said against my neck, pressing kisses there.
I shivered and tipped my head to the side. “I said it’s okay. I wasn’t lying about that.”
He hummed against me. “I know, but still.” With one more kiss, he turned me loose, and I tried not to whimper out loud. “I need to shower.”
Callan shot up from his seat and ran for the stairs. “Not if I get there first!”
The two men went tearing through the house, and I laughed at their thumping overhead. I looked at Ethan. “You don’t think they’ll come through the ceiling, do you?”
He laughed. “It’s always a possibility, but I think Foster has good enough sense not to.”
Before I could defend Callan’s common sense, my phone rang. I snagged it from the charger. “Hello?” For a moment, there was nothing on the other end of the line except for breathing. I could tell that someone was there. They just weren’t saying anything. “Hello? I’m going to hang up.”
“Don’t,” the person—a man, by the sounds of it—commanded. “Don’t hang up, Dr. Falconi.” He moaned in my ear, and a shiver of repulsion ran down my skin. I made eye contact with Ethan, who crossed the kitchen to my side and plucked the phone from my fingers. He pushed the ‘speaker’ button, and the breathy moans poured into the sudden silence of the kitchen. “I knew they’d find just the right person to bring you to life. I can’t wait to—”
Ethan ended the call. “Adrianne,” he said, but his voice sounded very far away. I tried to say something to him, but my throat felt like it was going to close in on itself. “Adrianne, you need to breathe.”
But I couldn’t make my lungs work. It was like that first night Callan brought me home, only worse.That creep has my number, my mind kept repeating over and over.He can get in my house, and he can reach me at any time.
Vaguely, I could hear Ethan calling for Callan, but it wasn’t until I was pulled back against a damp chest that I realized that he’d come running. “Breathe with me, Princess,” Callan said in my ear. “Come on, just like before.”
I did what I could to follow the movement of his chest, his inhales and exhales, and as soon as I could match the rhythm, my throat opened again. Callan crushed me in his arms.
“Sweet girl,” he crooned. “It’s going to be okay.”
Shame burned through me. I didn’t want to be this damaged, frightened person with them. I wanted to be strong and beautiful. I wanted to be everything that they made me feel.
“I suppose this means I need to change my number,” I panted out.
“I’ll handle that today after I speak with the police about how this person got your number to begin with,” Ethan promised. “I’ll make sure it’s unlisted. No one will be able to reach you unless you want them to.”
I nodded. “Thank you.” I leaned back against Callan and realized that he was naked. He’d literally jumped out of the shower to come to me. “Thank you, Callan.”
He kissed the crown of my head. “Anytime, Princess,” he said, and then he cleared his throat. “I should go get dressed.” I held onto his wet arms for a moment longer but then finally released him.
When Callan, Foster, and I were ready to leave for the day, Ethan pulled me into a hug before I walked out the door. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? Leave your phone here. If you need anything, Foster and Callan can take care of it.”
I nodded and tipped my head back, and he kissed me. “Tonight,” I murmured. When he let me go, I handed him my phone and slipped my arm through Foster’s. “Let’s go, boys.”
9
FOSTER