by Madeline Ash
I guess Josh might have told you that I got the part of Dani. The film’s in preproduction now. I’ve run lines with Dee so many times she wants to be personally responsible for Dani’s arrest (spoiler alert) while avoiding all responsibility for any grievous injuries Dani may (definitely) incur in the process.
I miss you. And I’m so sorry.
Alexia.’
He’d read it five times. Read ‘I miss you’ at least twenty. Then, struck by the thought of seeing Alexia again, he’d clicked the link and been streaming for the past nine and a half hours.
The sight of her had messed him up all over again. His pulse pounded at her first appearance. His stomach churned at her voice, because he knew he’d never hear it directed at him again. His head spun, his heart ached, and jealousy boiled hot when her character finally kissed the jerk of a love interest.
And then… the ending happened.
He’d called her before he had the emotional capacity to think twice. He reached voicemail and rushed in after the tone.
“Alexia. It’s… I watched the finale. You didn’t tell me. You should have told me.” He knew it was television. That Alexia had only been acting. But it had been so real. The bullet hitting her neck. The blood, so much blood, and the agonised cries of those she loved. He’d watched her skin grow white, her breath laboured. Then the life had drained from her face. Her beautiful life. “It’s crazy, and it’s definitely because I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, but I need to know you’re okay. Send me an email, text me, call me, call Josh, damn it, but get in touch. I miss you so much I can’t bear it. Just… let me know you’re safe, okay?”
He hung up, breathing hard.
Within seconds, idiocy swamped him. She’d emailed him the night before, hadn’t she? Alive and well. She’d think he was losing it. And rightly so. He hadn’t been himself for months. Perhaps it was a gradual decline into madness.
Half an hour later, he dragged himself into Lullabar, unrested and mostly shaven. Josh glanced up from behind the bar and frowned.
“You look particularly smokin’ today, boss.”
“Shut up.” Parker passed behind him, unlocking the staff door.
“Oh, Lex just called.” Josh sounded uncertain about mentioning her. “She said I should let you know. She didn’t say why.”
His blood chilled. Alexia had chosen to call Josh, avoiding any form of direct contact.
“Parks? You okay?”
Parker was not okay and Josh knew full well why.
He closed himself in his office without answering.
*
The autumn sky was blue behind streaks of cloud and a hint of lingering summer warmth prickled Alexia’s bare arms. She slammed the door to the cab, nerves writhing in her belly at the sight of Lullabar. She had no luggage, just her handbag containing a toothbrush, underwear, and a few shirts. She hadn’t had time to pack – the first flight from LA to Sydney had given her three hours from the time she’d heard Parker’s voicemail.
He hadn’t moved on. His message had been proof of that, making her laugh at his sleep-deprived foolishness even as she’d cried at his genuine distress.
She could hardly believe she was here, doing this.
She could hardly believe she’d thought she could survive by doing anything else.
At two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, off-tourist season, it made sense that the bar was quiet. Only a few groups of people in the booths and Snark curled up in a new-looking basket by the counter. Josh glanced over as she walked in and promptly dropped the bottle of water he’d been drinking. Leaping back and wiping at his shirt, he exclaimed, “Lex or doppelganger, I can’t tell.”
“Lex.”
His mind seemed to boggle. “You just called me yesterday from LA.”
“Good recall.” She managed a weak smile as she stopped at the counter.
He shoved a hand through his hair, looking over his shoulder. “If you’re not here for Parker, you gotta go—”
“I’m here for Parker.”
Josh blinked at her. Wiped at his wet shirt again. And grinned. “Then shit, this is the best.”
She swallowed nerves. “He’s here?”
Josh gestured towards Parker’s office. She moved behind the counter as he swiped his card to open the door. She hugged him tightly, murmured, “Wish me luck,” and slipped into the dim hallway. Several seconds of heart-pounding silence later, she was opening the door to Parker’s office and stepping inside, watching him glance up from his laptop and blanch, tanned skin suddenly stripped of tone.
“I don’t – what?” he said, standing, disoriented.
Alexia weakened. She wanted to see this every day. Parker in his branded surf clothes, blond hair mussed with seawater. This man, golden and green-eyed and generous. The love of her life, loving her back.
Not trusting herself to speak, she gave a small wave.
He stared. “Alexia.”
“Hi.”
For a heart-breaking instant, Parker looked about to cry. Then he was striding towards her, taking her in his arms, and squeezing her so tightly against him she knew she’d never belong anywhere else. He pressed his face into her neck, breathing deep and then kissing, kissing all the way up to her jaw, her chin, and her lips with a pressure that conquered any distance left between them.
“I love you,” she said shakily against his lips, arms locked around his neck. “I love you and I’m so sorry.”
He was still, forehead against hers. Then he edged back. “You called Josh. Why didn’t you call me?”
She tilted her head, smiling warily. “Surprise.”
His features were set, serious. He hadn’t smiled yet. She took courage in the fact that he hadn’t let her go, either. “Surprise what? What’s on your list this trip, Alexia? A visit? Fly-in, fly-out sex? A surprise life together?” He shook his head, pained. “I don’t know what’s going on here.”
Yet his grasp held firm. If her plans weren’t to his liking, she suspected he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Surprise visit,” she answered, and watched his eyes close. She pressed her forehead against his, nudged his nose with hers. “For now, Parker. I left everything in LA. But I want to move here. I want to be with you. This trip is me hoping you still want to be with me.”
He pulled back. Held her arms. Stared like he knew this was a trick and he’d never forgive her for it.
“I mean it,” she whispered. “I love you. You’re my first everything. My only everything.”
“But your career. Your acting.” He hadn’t moved.
“I’ll have to travel,” she admitted, and his brows bunched. “I’ll have to work overseas for rehearsals and shoots.” And premiers and awards nights and promotional tours. “But when I’m in between parts – a time that’s never been appealing until now – I’ll be here. Getting up early with you. Helping out at the bar. Spending nights in your arms.”
“You’ll change your mind. You’ll regret that I ever—”
“No, I won’t.” Alexia knew that now. “It’ll work between us, Parker. I work hard for what I want. Nothing gets in my way, nothing stops me. That single-mindedness has been my downfall recently, but I want you in my life. I’ll put all my energy towards making this work.”
Awe crept over Parker’s face. “You’ll make it work?”
“I swear.”
Finally, he smiled. Wide, white, and ecstatic. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
He groaned and pressed his lips to her forehead. “When do you come back?”
“Another week, maybe. And filming will start next month. It’ll be a tight schedule, so it won’t be for at least another six weeks after that—”
“I’ll come with you.”
She halted. “What?”
Parker’s response was firm. “If you’re going to travel back-and-forth to make this happen, then I’ll travel, too. I’ll come with you, work from LA. Josh can mind Snark. Starting tomorrow.”
Delight shoved her into his arms again, feeling the fast beat of his heart and knowing hers raced with it. This was going to work. They would have a life together. A life based in Byron Bay, by the sea and surf. A busy life, travelling across the globe from the home they made, but it was more than possible.
It was how it would be.
“Surprise visit and surprise life together,” he mused, easing out of her embrace with a wicked grin. “Now what was the third thing that could’ve been on your list?”
Alexia heated as his hand skimmed her hip. “Fly-in, fly-out something…”
He shifted, crowding her body, mouth hovering hungry above hers. “What do you say we make it all three?”
She smiled against his lips. “Anything for my hero.”
The End
If you enjoyed The Playboy, you’ll love the other Hot Aussie Hero stories!
The Hot Aussie Heroes Series
The Cowboy by Margareta Osborn
Buy now!
The Hero by Amy Andrews
Buy now!
The Millionaire by Victoria Purman
Buy now!
About the Author
Madeline has always lived in Melbourne. She is emotionally allergic to spontaneity, and yet doesn’t mind the weather that drags her into rain when she’s planned for sunshine. She likes to call this her wild side.
She’s a Virgo, vegetarian, and once had a romantic suspense-style dream in which the hero was a shredded lettuce sandwich and the villain was a cherry tomato. The tomato got away. She took the dream as a sign that she’d better stick to writing contemporary romance.
Her stories have spunky heroines, strong heroes, and as much dialogue as she can cram in. As for why she writes romance, she’s in a long-term relationship with the genre and writing such stories makes it happy.
Visit her website at MadelineAsh.net
For the latest news from Tule Publishing, visit our website at TulePublishing.com and sign up for our newsletter here!