by Stratton, M.
“What a nosy assistant I have.”
Hannah bumped her shoulder. “No, seriously, what did you talk about? It looked really intense there at the end.”
“It was.”
“You’re not going to say any more?”
“No, not here.”
Beau came up to them with a water bottle in each hand. “Sorry it took so long; I had to take care of something for Will quickly.”
“Oh, no problem,” Lissa replied.
“These events must be a lot of work for you,” Hannah mentioned.
“It’s not too bad. After we arrive and go through the line, I can relax a little bit. Then we go from here to the party, and following that I’m free to do as I please.”
“Have you known Will long?”
“Oh, yes, we went to school together. I’ve known him for ages.”
“Ohhh…” Hannah rubbed her hands together. “Tell us all the good stuff about Will. What was he like as a kid? Got any embarrassing stories?”
“Hannah…”
“What? Like you don’t want to know.”
“Be that as it may, don’t pump the man for information.” Lissa closed her eyes after the words came out of her mouth. She couldn’t look at Hannah, because she knew exactly what was going on in Hannah’s mind, and she would end up laughing.
“Want to tell me what you are dreaming about to put that smile on your face, darling?” It was strange how quickly she could recognize his scent and the feel of his body next to hers. With his hand resting on the small of her back, his long fingers hooked around her waist and pulled her in. She could feel the sparks Hannah spoke of flowing between them.
Lissa opened her eyes and looked up at him over her shoulder. “Can I get back to you on that?”
“Will, it’s time,” Beau said.
“What’d I miss?” Royce came up full of energy. “We ready to go in yet? Cool. Hey, Hannah, baby, come sit next to me?” He offered her his arm.
“I’d love to.” Hannah placed her hand on his arm, grinning like a fool.
Lissa was trying not to look Hannah in the eye. For both of them, this was so surreal and if they looked at each other, it would all be over. They’d both been on their best behavior; neither one had made a fool of themselves yet, and they certainly didn’t want to start now. ‘The Dork Sisters’ was what they called themselves.
Since they weren’t in the spotlight, she started to relax a little bit and didn’t worry as much about tripping. They both made use of their long legs and were at their seats in no time. Sitting down in the row with Hannah on one side of her and Will on the other, she suddenly remembered what it was like to be a teenager on her first movie date. Was he going to want to hold her hand? Would he put his arm around her? She mentally scolded herself; they weren’t on a date, and she needed to keep her head out of the clouds and her feet planted firmly on the ground.
A few minutes later, both Will and Royce went up on the stage along with the other actors and director from the movie. Their speeches were short and they had the audience laughing. Cameras flashed and there was a festive atmosphere in the theater. As Will walked back to his seat beside her, their eyes locked and neither could look away, even when he sat down. Soon enough, the lights dimmed and the movie began. Her attention was torn between the movie and the man sitting next to her, his legs spread wide to accommodate their length in the small space. Every time she moved, she knew he was right there. What would he think if I accidently touched him?
It was a little chilly in the theater, so between that and her nerves she was shaking a bit. She thought she’d hidden it well since Hannah wasn’t giving her strange looks. Hannah was the one who was always cold, not Lissa. Hannah always brought a sweater with her, even when it was a hundred and ten degrees outside in the desert.
She should have known better, though. He seemed very observant, because he took his suit jacket off and tapped her shoulder. When she looked over, he held it up and motioned for her to lean forward. Carefully, he draped the jacket across her shoulders and made sure the front was pulled as close together as it could get.
Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “Thank you for not arguing.”
His warm breath tickled her neck and gave her the chills. Turning to him, she whispered back. “I don’t argue.” Settling back in her seat she enjoyed his warmth which was left on the jacket, knowing she’d be smelling his scent on her for the rest of the night.
Soon, she was lost in the action and depth of the movie. She’d always rooted for his character, the villain, as did thousands of women around the world. He brought a fragility to the character. He’d done his homework, and somehow you knew every little thing he did on screen, every subtle little thing was meant to give the viewer insight into his character. To make him more ‘human’ so the viewer would sympathize with him, to understand why he did what he did. There was something about his swagger in the movie which was so sexy. He could be doing the worst things, yet it was so graceful; a refined power which came from deep inside him.
Before she knew it, the movie was over and she sat there blinking when the lights came up. When she looked over at him, he was smirking at her and had a raised eyebrow. “What?” she asked and raised her own eyebrow at him.
“Well, I guess you could say you enjoyed the movie.”
“What gives you that idea?”
“You were completely caught up and lost in it.”
“Well, yeah. I did tell you I liked the movies, and we’ve been waiting for it to come out.”
“I must say it was almost as enjoyable seeing you watch the movie as to make it.”
Hoping her face wasn’t turning red again at the fact that he’d been watching her throughout the whole movie, she said, “I find that hard to believe. Who wouldn’t want to be able to fly around, have superpowers, and do bad things with no repercussions or feelings of guilt, without knowing right from wrong.”
“Isn’t that what you do with your writing, though? You can explore that inner part of you without having to worry about right and wrong.”
Lissa smiled at him. “Yes, totally. I really don’t like to hurt people, and I actually go out of my way to make sure they’re happy. When I write, I don’t have to worry about being nice all the time. I can be evil, and I can say whatever I want and not have to think about their feelings.”
He stood and offered his hand to help her up. She started to shrug out of his jacket but he stopped her. “Unless you’re warm, you can keep it on for a while.”
“Thank you, but here; I’m fine now.” She returned the jacket to him and watched as his long arms slid into the sleeves, amazed something so simple could be so sexy.
Lissa had no idea what was going to happen next. There was an after-party, but since he hadn’t specifically said anything about that, she didn’t want to assume they were invited. She glanced at Hannah who was deep in conversation with Royce.
“So…” she said, truly at a loss as to what to do.
“So…” he mimicked.
“Thank you for inviting me out. I really enjoyed the movie, and the company.”
“Oh, darling, the night’s not over yet.”
Lissa tried to keep the smile from spreading across her face but was unable to stop it. “It’s not?”
“Not unless you’d like to call it an evening.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t.” Unable to stop the grin along with the butterflies from happening, she gave in and let it shine.
“Wonderful.” He held out his hand for her. Once she laced her fingers through his he started walking up the aisle, waving to the fans screaming his name from the balcony. When they reached the lobby, he continued. “You’ll enjoy it a lot more. We’ll be able to relax, and both of you can talk to the other cast members.”
Once Hannah and Royce caught up to them, they walked out of the theater and to the car waiting for them. Climbing in, Lissa took a seat next to Will all the wa
y in the back while Royce and Hannah took the captain’s chairs in the middle. Both men rolled down their windows and waved to the crowd waiting for a glimpse of the stars.
It was a short ride to the venue, and once again Will helped her out of the SUV. However, this time he kept her hand in his and didn’t stop on the way up the red carpet; he just waved to the press and fans who lined the sidewalk.
They walked through and found a table to sit at, but Will and Royce had to make some rounds before they could relax. Since they were left alone, the two of ladies were finally able to talk.
“Quick, now you pinch me,” Hannah said. Lissa reached under the table and pinched her leg. “Ouch. Yep, I’m not dreaming. Holy cannoli, Batman! Can you believe we’re here? We just saw that movie with two of its biggest stars and now we’re sitting at a table where the rest of the cast is in the same room, and we’re going to be able to talk to them, too. Us, just a couple of friends from Tucson, here with all the glitz and glamor. Oh, and we’re both looking fabulous. Seriously, Lissa, this is crazy. I don’t think I’d believe it if this happened in one of your books. My mind is going a mile a minute, and I can’t focus on one thing at a time!”
“Me, either. It is crazy, Hannah. Totally and utterly crazy. He’s… I… We’re…” She threw her hands up in the air. “I have no idea. How can two people know so much about each other?” When she saw Hannah’s frown of confusion, she said, “I’ll explain everything later; just stay with my thinking here. How can these two people know so much about each other, and then when they meet it’s even better than they expected? And to have feelings, right away. We’ve got to be crazy. Well, they do say there is instant attraction between people; it’s the chemicals, pheromones, something. But to think ‘Hey, if I ever meet this person, I know we’re going to friends, or more, or something with a connection’ and then bam, it happens. I’m crazy, right?” She pointed at Hannah. “Don’t answer that.”
“Breathe.”
“I don’t want to breathe. I’m in the middle of a freak-out here.” Lissa’s hand beat a quick tempo on her leg which was also moving at a fast pace.
“Well, you’re going to have to because they’re on their way back here.”
“Shit, shit, shit, shit.”
“Lissa, Lissa! Look at me.”
Slowly, she turned her panicked eyes to Hannah. “What?”
“You’ve got this. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, brilliant, talented, and wickedly twisted. He’s obviously smitten with you. Kick back, relax, and go with the flow. Isn’t that what you’d tell me?”
Lissa smiled at her friend. She didn’t know where she’d be without Hannah, and she always knew exactly what to say to Lissa. “Almost. I’d leave out the funny.”
Hannah shoved her shoulder. “Ha. I’m funnier than you.”
“So you say.” Lissa leaned over and gave her a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered in her ear.
“Any time boss.”
“Shut up,” she giggled.
“See, I’m funny.”
Later in the evening after everyone had a few drinks, the DJ started playing music. Unable to stop herself, Lissa moved to the music while talking with the stars milling around. There was a constant stream of them coming over to talk with Will and Royce when they were seated at the table. They were also far enough from the dance floor that they could actually hold down a conversation without shouting over the music, but near enough to appreciate the music.
No matter where they were all evening, even if he was far across the room, she always knew where Will was and when he was looking at her. She’d get the feeling and look up, and there he was, staring at her. There was something about it that was so sexy, almost as if they were having conversations from across the room. Lissa worried it was one-sided; she had such an imagination and could interpret his look differently from what it actually meant.
During a lull in the conversation, Hannah leaned over and said, “Let’s dance.”
Lissa didn’t have to be asked twice; she jumped up, gulped down some water and the two of them walked onto the dance floor. She’d always loved to dance and would allow the music to take over her movements. Feeling the groove, she moved her limbs to the beats and the melody of the song playing. For the first time that evening, she was completely lost in the moment and wasn’t thinking about the fact that she was surrounded by famous men and women.
The tempo switched by the third song to something a bit slower and more seductive. Changing her movements, she spun around and could feel him looking at her. There, coming through the crowd on the dance floor, was Will, his eyes locked with hers. The blue lights rhythmically faded in and out with the music, the dry ice machine creating an otherworldly feel as he came closer. She moved for him, her body telling him what she was unable to say.
Standing in front of her he started to move, snaking his arm around her waist and bringing her in close to him, their bodies pressed against each other and moving as one. Placing her hand on his shoulder, their eyes remained locked together, unable to stop. She could feel his solid muscles move beneath her hand as they danced, each knowing instinctively what the other was going to do and matching their moves accordingly.
Arching back, her neck was exposed and he leaned over her, sliding his lips over her skin. With his large hand spread across her upper back supporting her, he brought his other arm around lower, pulling her even closer to him. Gracefully, she raised her hands above her head and she could feel the rumble in his chest as he growled, the music dictating they needed to slow down.
Lowering her arms and placing one on each of his shoulders, she pulled him closer and they danced, their lips only an inch apart and their eyes looking into each other’s soul. And still the music slowed. Their bodies continued swaying to the beat as he moved his lips across her skin yet never touching, just out of reach but close enough for her to feel his breath. He took one of her arms and moving his lips from the palm of her hand up her arm as he lifted it back over her head.
She wanted more. She needed more. She wanted his lips on hers. She felt weighted down by longing for him, and he knew exactly what buttons to push to make her weak. She felt the music speeding up and they started to move faster and faster along with it. Finally, they were both lost in the frenzy of each other.
Suddenly, someone bumped into them and it was like a record scratching. The moment was lost as they stumbled, but he made sure she didn’t fall.
“That was intense,” she said breathlessly, looking anywhere but in his eyes.
Holding her hand, he pulled her off the dance floor and to a quiet part of the room. He sat in a chair, pulled her down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “Lissa, about this connection we both feel… you have to know I completely respect you. I’m very old-fashioned and I want to get to know you first, but these feelings I have and what I know is completely at odds with that. I want to… I need to take my time, but I don’t know if I’m able to.”
Lissa looked down and played with her bracelet, wondering exactly what he was getting at. She wasn’t sure if he really liked her, liked her too much, was trying to let her down easy, or was looking for a piece of ass.
He tilted her chin so she was looking at him. “I’m not explaining it well. I don’t want you to think this is something cheap. Part of me wants to be a caveman, drag you away and keep you all to myself. However, the other part wants to take a page out of history and court you, romance you and give you everything you could ever want. Look at how easily I almost lost control out there on the dance floor with you. You do this to me.”
“Well, that sounds very nice.”
He smiled. “Which part?”
“All of it.”
“How about I romance you and then drag you off to my cave?”
“I think I might be able to live with that.”
“Excellent.” His eyebrows bumped up and down quickly. “Should we seal our compromise with a kiss?”
> “Well, Mr. Martinsson.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I believe you have another brilliant idea.”
“You’re making it very hard to be a gentleman.” His lips were as close as they could get to hers without touching them. “I want to ravish you so badly.”
“I so want to be ravished by you.” She played with a curl at the back of his neck which hung over the collar of his white shirt.
“Darling, we really should join the party before people come looking for us.”
As they walked back toward the table, they were stopped by more cast members. She enjoyed watching him interact with them, seeing how close they all were. Each of them made her feel welcome and one had actually read one of her books.
By the time the party was over, she was exhausted and her feet were killing her, so the four of them hurriedly climbed into the car. As they drove through the deserted streets, he pulled her over so she was curled into him. She wanted to take her shoes off, but knew if she did her feet would hurt even more. Instead, she was relaxed by his warmth and how he rubbed her back. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep nestled into him.
“Maybe we should go to the back entrance.” His voice rumbled in his chest which was under her ear. “I hate to wake her.”
“No, I’m up,” she mumbled and moved in closer to him.
“Shhh… don’t argue.”
“I don’t argue.”
His quiet chuckle filled the space between them. “Royce, see what you can do.”
“On it. We might actually have two sleeping women on our hands.”
“Just resting my eyes,” Hannah said. “I don’t need much sleep. I’m good.”
“Me, too,” Lissa whispered.
Hannah quietly laughed. “She lies. She’s a sleeper.”
The next thing she knew, a strange set of strong arms was picking her up. Before she could blink, she was out of the SUV. Blinking her eyes she looked up at the driver and then over at Will as she placed in his arms.“I’m too heavy for this.”
“Please, you’re light as a feather.”