by Melody Anne
I compared our images in the glass. Veronica had chosen to dress as a sexy cat. In a black, body-hugging dress, with a tail pinned to the back and a pair of ears propped on her head, she was the very definition of last-minute costume. Annoyingly, she still somehow managed to look incredible.
She had left her hair down and lined her eyes with smoky grays and charcoals that would’ve looked perfect in a Cover Girl commercial. Six drawn-on whiskers flared from her nose and up her angular cheeks. Her long, lean legs emerged from the short dress and continued into a pair of black stilettos that made me imagine my own ankle twisting if I tried to walk in them. When Reggie handed me a similar pair, I groaned. I apologized to my feet as I slipped them on.
“Who am I supposed to be, anyway?” I asked.
“Betty from the Archie comics, of course!” Reggie said. “You look just like her!”
I tugged at my skirt again and she slapped my hand away. “I thought Veronica was the slutty one. Betty was the shy one.”
“Oh, please. Did you ever read those comics? They were both slutty.”
“I still don’t understand why I have to dress like this, and you can get away with your outfit.”
Reggie looked infinitely more comfortable than me in a long skirt and peasant blouse. She’d borrowed my hair straightener and her usually wild mane now shone past her shoulders. A pair of small Lennon-style sunglasses and a peace sign on her cheek completed the look.
“Yeah, Regan.” Veronica looked up from her fingertips. “What are you dressed as?”
“I’m a hippie, of course,” Reggie replied. “And it’s Reggie.”
“Hippy is right.” Veronica said. She must’ve mouthed it, as Reggie appeared to be oblivious. My roommate didn’t look up as she sat on her bed, trying to tie a headband around her forehead. I saluted Veronica with my middle finger in her defense.
Veronica opened her mouth to reply, but I was saved by the door opening behind her. I bit my lip to suppress a giggle as Clint sauntered into our room. With his brown leather jacket, bolo tie, and signature hat and boots, he looked like he’d walked off the set of Dallas. I half expected him to start trying to sell me oil or let us know our horses were parked out front.
Clint had jumped at the chance to be our designated driver for the party, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Reggie’s advances had started to get her noticed. His eyes landed on her before they swept the rest of the room.
“Ladies,” he said with a tip of his hat. “Y’all are looking lovely tonight, I must say.”
“It’s about time, cowboy,” I said. “And did you perhaps forget this was a costume party?”
“No need for costumes when you already got the perfect look,” he said.
“Point taken.” I glanced at the alarm clock on our desk. “We’d better go. We’re crazy late as it is.”
“Fashionably late,” Veronica corrected. She started out of the room without looking back and Reggie’s hand slipped into mine. I wobbled in the ridiculous heels like a newborn calf taking its first steps. I pulled my roommate closer to keep me steady.
“I can’t believe we’re going to hang out all night with Gavin Hartley and Leila Clarke!” Reggie said. “And who knows who else!”
At the mention of Gavin’s name, my stomach lurched a few times over, like an engine being choked. The image of his naked back seemed to be permanently imprinted on my mind. Not that it was such an awful image to have there. But it was certainly going to make having any sort of conversation with him awkward.
I swallowed and nodded as we left the building and headed toward the parking lot. “They’re nice. Not what I expected at all. Gavin is incredibly sweet.”
Veronica stopped and looked over her shoulder at us. “He is, isn’t he? He’s the perfect catch.”
Reggie’s hand tightened in mine. “He is,” she said. “I can’t believe you get to date him! It’s pretty awesome that the writer of Viking Moon and the star are together. It’s like a match made in heaven!”
My heart gasped in my chest and grew heavy as we piled into Clint’s truck. “Yeah, a perfect match,” I muttered. “Who would’ve thought?”
• • •
The stars of the Viking Moon series were put up in Fernbrooke’s nicest hotel for the duration of filming, which was where the Halloween party was being held. Considering we only had two hotels, “Fernbrooke’s nicest” wasn’t saying much. I braced myself to spend the night crammed into a tiny room, suffering from lack of oxygen and covered in sweat. To my surprise, they’d opened almost an entire floor for the party, so we were free to roam from room to room. This did nothing to ease the stuffiness, however, as the sheer quantity of guests far outnumbered the rooms on the floor.
People had clearly gone all out when it came to their costumes. The floor was filled with princesses and vampires, gypsies and animals. And about every version of sexy-something I could think of. Most of the costumes made my short skirt and blouse look like I’d come dressed in a parka and ski pants.
I stood beside the bar of a randomly chosen room and watched Reggie and Clint talking on a love seat. My lips tugged at the corners as my friends shifted closer.
About freaking time.
I could read what they were saying to each other, but it seemed like a private conversation so I averted my eyes and focused instead on the glass of red wine someone had thrust into my hand when I’d entered. I took a sip and grimaced.
The wine stung my tongue and burned my throat as I took another sip. I coughed and wrinkled my nose against the sharp substance.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I found myself staring into the chest of Tanner Dryden, the actor who played Thora’s brother, Elof. He’d been another perfect casting choice. On set, he wore a red wig to match his sister’s tresses, but in real life he was blond. Taller than Gavin, but just as muscular, Tanner sported shoulders women fainted over. He was dressed as a sexy vampire from a popular television show, with dark jeans, a black tank top, and fangs. I needed to tilt my head to see his lips above me.
“Not a fan of red?” He pointed to my glass.
I shook my head. “I tend to prefer sweeter drinks. This both tastes and smells like feet.”
He laughed and eased the insulting drink out of my hand. “I think I know something you might like better. Follow me.”
He grabbed my hand and led me out of the room and down the hall. I motioned to Clint and Reggie that I was leaving as we passed them, but they didn’t seem to notice anyone else was even in the room with them.
As we moved through the hallway, I scanned the crowd for Gavin. I spotted him in the corner, pressed up against the wall.
Veronica leaned into his hips, her bare leg coiled around his calf like a perfectly tanned serpent. Gavin’s gaze flicked over her shoulder, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he was more trapped than actually enjoying himself. His eyes stopped on me. They dropped to Tanner’s hand entwined with mine. A muscle in Gavin’s cheek twitched, and for a split second, I wondered if he might actually be jealous. Then Veronica grabbed his face and broke him out of whatever he’d been thinking by shoving her tongue down his throat.
Right. Because Gavin had any reason to be jealous of Tanner. The author in me really got the best of me sometimes. It sucked having such a vivid imagination.
Something locked around my chest and I forced myself to look away from them and instead focus on the golden head leading me away from the crowd.
We stopped at a room next to the ice machine and Tanner slipped a white card out of his pocket and into the slot on the doorknob. A red light blinked to green and he pushed open the door, holding it for me.
“Is this your room?” I asked. He nodded and I scrunched my eyebrows.
“If you like, I can grab you a drink and bring it out. You don’t have to come in.”
I glanced down the hall. Gavin and Veronica hadn’t moved. Her dress rose to a dangerous level as his hands roamed her body. I considered my options. The heat of all
the partygoers had already collected in the air of the hallway, strangling any coolness from it. A breeze wafted from the opened door and slithered against my skin. Pushing a lock of sweaty hair from my brow, I shook my head. I entered the room and immediately shivered with pleasure as the air-conditioning hit my bare legs.
The room was large but comfortable. Taylor took my elbow and guided me to the love seat in the corner, past the king-size bed that rested against the wall to my left. I exhaled in relief as I sank into the plush corduroy.
“So,” Tanner said, “you prefer sweet, right? Wait here.”
He went to the mini fridge and grabbed some tiny bottles and a can of Sprite. As he mixed, I turned to look out the window. The view was nothing special. Fernbrooke didn’t really have anything special to see, but Tanner had a decent view of Honeycomb Lake. In fact, if I looked hard enough, I could just make out the spot where the accident had happened . . .
Tanner touched my shoulder and I jumped, almost knocking a glass out of his hand.
“Whoa,” he said. “You okay? You seem a little tense. We can go back to the party, if you like.”
“I’m fine. It’s so warm out there. I’m enjoying the air-conditioning.” I took the glass from his hand and sipped. My mouth tingled with a combination of the burning alcohol, the bubbles from the soda, and something sweet I couldn’t quite discern. I murmured with delight and took a larger gulp.
“You like it?” Tanner sat beside me on the love seat, the heat of his thigh pressed against mine.
I downed the rest of the drink and placed the glass on the desk beside me. “I loved it. What was in it?”
“Rum, Sprite, and pineapple juice. It’s a favorite of mine. You want another?”
The warmth of the rum already spread through my chest and into my head, buzzing around with a pleasant tingle.
“Are you in the practice of giving underage girls alcohol?” I asked.
“Well, I am Swedish. We’re not quite as strict about it there. You’re not going to tell on me, are you?” He winked a perfect blue eye and my stomach flip-flopped.
I laughed. “No. I won’t tell. I’m just thankful you got me out of there. It was hard to breathe.”
“I noticed on set you tend to stand as far away from anyone as you can get.”
“You noticed me on set?”
“Yeah. You’re pretty hard to miss.”
His hand rested on my knee, and I flicked my gaze toward it and swallowed. I started to consider that second drink.
“So, are you having fun playing Elof?” I asked, forcing my eyes to his face.
Although he portrayed the villain, he was light where Gavin was dark. His blue eyes were playful while Gavin’s often seemed clouded. Except for his size, the two could have switched roles. He’d had quite the modeling career before becoming an actor. His etched cheekbones and boyish grin had adorned many a magazine.
“It’s a great part,” Tanner said. “There’s something freeing about playing the villain. No one has to like you in the end. You can do whatever you want and get away with it.”
His hand inched up my leg, dangerously close to the hem of my skirt. My heart hammered in my rib cage as his face moved closer to mine. His smile was positively devilish. The perfected Elof grin.
“Well.” I fought to find words as my tongue twisted against the roof of my mouth. “There are people who like rooting for the villain. Elof has a lot of fans.”
“He does. Aubrey wrote him well.”
“Thanks.” He furrowed his brow and I clenched my hands so as not to smack myself in the forehead for the error. “I mean, as Aubrey’s assistant, I feel proud when someone compliments her work.”
“So you’re a fan of the books, too?” he asked. The faint scent of alcohol escaped his mouth and hung in the air between us.
“Of course. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I wasn’t.”
“And, in your opinion, am I doing a good job playing the villain?”
I looked down at my hands as they twisted in my lap. “Yeah, you’re great. You’re, um, super hot.”
Crap. Did that really just come out of my mouth? Was it too late to leave this room?
Tanner’s finger touched my chin and tilted my face to his.
“So are you.”
I had no time to compose a retort before his mouth was on mine. I gasped at the sudden contact, then closed my eyes as he probed further, his lips pressing against me, almost bruising my mouth. His tongue slipped between my teeth. The vibrations as he moaned tingled against my lips and jaw. His tongue found mine and I groaned against him.
This seemed to be all he needed as his hand snuck beneath my skirt and started to stroke my thigh with soft, teasing fingers. I tried to tell myself all the reasons this was a bad idea. I barely knew him, except for what I’d read in the press. This was the longest conversation I’d had with him. There was no part of me interested in a relationship with him.
But when he pressed me into the armrest and his fingers traveled upward, grazing the delicate fabric of my panties between my thighs, all logic went out the window. My mouth sought his, hungry for his lips, his teeth, his tongue. He tasted like pineapple, rum, and the overly sweet soda. I wound my fingers through his hair and tugged him closer. Tremors coursed through his body as he moaned again, sending shock waves through me.
I wasn’t a virgin in the physical sense. There’d been one boy in my last year at Deaf school, Billy Jordan. We were both outsiders, both struggling to find acceptance in a world we felt had deserted us. I didn’t love him and he didn’t love me. One day, after school, we’d snuck into an empty classroom and he’d pulled my skirt up over my thighs, slipped my underwear to the side, and delved into me. There’d been no sound, no emotion, and no promise of anything afterward. I hadn’t even said good-bye to him when I went to a different school. It was the least pleasurable moment of my life. I’d never bothered to tell Jin about it. He probably assumed I was still a virgin.
Being with Tanner was different. Although I didn’t love him, either, unlike Billy Jordan way back when, Tanner knew what he was doing with his hands and mouth. It was like he had a map of my body, knowing which spots would make me respond. The weight of him against me was crushing, but I didn’t push him off. I’d never felt a man want me this way, with such urgency. Tanner’s want was very apparent when he pressed against my thigh.
To my disappointment, his hand left my skirt and moved to the buttons of my blouse. I whined in protest as his lips disappeared from mine and slithered to my collarbone. His tongue trailed down my front and he planted a kiss at each spot he popped a button open. I shivered and arched my back against the armrest to give him easier access. He finished unbuttoning and one of his hands slipped into my blouse, cupping a breast. His finger teased me through the thin fabric of my new bra before he pulled open my shirt.
My body hummed in approval and my insides clenched in anticipation of his next move.
Much too suddenly, he stopped. I cried out for him to continue, but it was like someone had pressed pause on a show right at the moment the main character had dived off a cliff. I opened my eyes and lifted my head. He stared at the front of me, his jaw slack, and all traces of lust vanished from his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Silly Elise. I knew what was wrong. The same thing that had been wrong every other time I’d let anyone see what lay beneath my clothes. At least Billy had had the sense to simply lift my skirt and be done with it.
“These . . . these scars. What are they?”
I folded my blouse closed and felt shame creep up my face in hot red flashes. “I was in an accident years ago. The same one that left me deaf.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d been in an accident.” He crossed his legs. “But you know what? It’s probably for the better.”
He sat back on the couch and rubbed his eyes, as though he was trying to erase the memory of what he’d just seen. With shaking hands, I began to do up the
buttons on my blouse.
“It’s better that I had an accident?”
“No,” he said. His eyes remained hidden behind his hands, but I could clearly see his mouth. “But we work together. We shouldn’t do this, you know? Also, how old are you? Like eighteen? I’m twenty-five. It’s not right.”
“I’m nineteen,” I said. I sat up on the couch and pulled my skirt farther down my thighs. “And Aubrey and Gavin are together, even though they work with each other.”
“Well, yeah,” Tanner fumbled, “but, like I said, I’m so much older than you. It’s not cool.”
Shame heated my face with the fury of a thousand irons. The room had grown hotter than the hall outside. “I see,” I said. His words should’ve made me feel better, but they didn’t. I’d seen it in his eyes, that moment of disgust. Like he thought I was a diseased animal. It had nothing to do with our age difference or our jobs.
“You should go back to the party,” he said. “Have some fun.”
He still refused to meet my eyes.
I nodded and got up from the couch, my legs wobbling beneath me. Tears gathered in my eyes, blurring the bed and television as I ran past them. I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I opened the door and stumbled out of the room.
And right into Gavin Hartley.
I ran into Gavin’s chest full force, but he barely stumbled. His torso was a sturdy wall against my cheek, the kind that took years at a gym to build and wouldn’t be lost with even a straight month of the cupcake diet. He gripped my shoulders and steadied me, holding me away from him so he could tilt his face to mine.
Are you okay? he signed.
Dressed in an unbuttoned white shirt with black pants and a scarf around his head, Gavin had the sexy-pirate look nailed. He shifted his eye patch to his forehead and studied me with kohl-rimmed eyes.
I brushed the tears off my face with the back of my hand, careful not to smudge my makeup. Like I hadn’t been humiliated enough. Now Gavin Hartley had seen me cry.
I’m fine, I signed. I chanced a look back at Tanner’s door in the hopes he’d run out contrite and apologetic after the realization that he’d been a complete douche. The door remained stubbornly in place. It’s nothing.