When Dreams Come True (The Star Series Book 1)

by Stratton, M.

  She tried to stay in the background, almost hidden, but Will always knew where she was. If there was any kind of delay, he’d find her and they’d stare into each other’s eyes. Seeing him tap into the powerful man striding around like he owned everything and everyone, speaking her words, was such a turn-on.

  When it came time to take a break, they went back to his trailer. She could tell he was tense by the force he used to grip the knob and open the door for her. As soon as they were both in he flipped the lock, its click echoing in the quiet space. Slowly, she turned around and they just stood there, not moving. Instantly she was wet just from the look on his face. He was going to take what he wanted, and what he wanted was her.

  With a growl he sprang for her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the floor as he pinned her against the wall. His body held her in place while his hands found her breasts, roughly pushing her shirt and bra out of the way so he could tease her nipples.

  Frantically, she tried to get her hands between their bodies so she could unzip his pants, whimpering when she couldn’t. She tried to wiggle to free herself, but he wouldn’t allow it. He grabbed her hands and raised them above her head, his strong hand able to pin both of them together, making it nearly impossible for her to touch him like she wanted.

  He ran his other hand up the back of her thigh under her skirt, and his fingers danced around seeking out the places which gave her the most pleasure. Her breathing became heavier and sweat broke out across her skin. Pressure was building and he was teasing and tormenting her—slow then fast, harder than slower, never letting her go over the edge.

  When his fingers left her, she wanted to scream in frustration but hearing his zipper she smiled, knowing what was coming. She felt the head of his cock next to her before he slowly slid into her, then out, over and over. Their faces were only inches apart, eyes locked on each other, and with each thrust he was deeper and deeper inside of her. Their breaths intermingled, the rasping sound of air whooshing from their lungs filling the trailer. Their individual scents became one, surrounding them.

  As he moved faster and faster, she felt herself going over the edge. It took everything she had not to close her eyes and just feel. She wanted more, needed more, and needed him. Keeping her gaze locked on his she started her tumble, the connection they had was made stronger when he followed right behind her.

  As the days passed into weeks, they were in their own little bubble. Lissa would either accompany him to where they were filming, or stay at their lake house getting some of her work done. She’d actually started on a new book and was excited to work on it. Watching a movie being made was both exciting and boring. Sometimes it took so long between takes, while other times it was rapid-fire and they were able to get what they needed quickly and move on. It was a little disjointed watching them film out of sequence, but seeing it all come together was amazing.

  They were also able to spend time with the other actors, and Lissa loved to see their transformation from regular person to the character she had created. For the most part, they were spot-on with their interpretation and it made her giddy seeing it all unfold.

  They even allowed her to be an extra in one of the scenes. She was a waitress at a diner, and she totally loved the fact that, not only were her books used as a prop, but she was also going to be in the movie.

  Hannah and Beau were always around, doing what they did and still having ample time to relax. Lissa wasn’t so caught up in her own love life that she didn’t notice Hannah spending more and more time by herself. But whenever she tried to talk to her about it, Hannah would change the subject or suddenly have something else to do. Tapping her pen on the desk and looking out over Lake Michigan, Lissa wondered if she should call Royce and see if she could find out what was up. Or maybe have Will call him. Or maybe just see how he was doing and not even bring Hannah up, but then he’d probably see through her.

  Bringing up her calendar, she was surprised to see she had a signing coming up in a few days. “Hannah!” Lissa jumped up and ran out of the room looking for her, and they ran into each other on the stairs. “I have a signing in Boston this Saturday.”

  “Oh, that. yeah, I know.”

  Lissa blinked at her. “And that’s it? What about books? Swag? Panels? Flight, hotel, car? You know, all that stuff?”

  “It’s all taken care of. You should know that.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But what, Lis? You know I have this; I always do.”

  “But… but we normally talk about it.”

  “And you’ve been busy. I handled things like I always do. I was going to make sure we started packing tomorrow.”

  “Shit. Tomorrow.” Lissa sat down hard on the stairs.

  “You’ll be fine. You’ve done tons of these.” Hannah plopped down next to her.

  “Yes, but this time I’m Will Martinsson’s girlfriend, and he’s staring in a movie about my book. It’s going to be different.”

  Hannah raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that really what you’re worried about?”

  She sighed. “I really need to work on that poker face.”

  “You haven’t perfected it yet, and somehow I’m willing to bet you won’t master it before Will comes home.”

  “Shit.”

  Patting her on the back, Hannah said, “That’s the least of your worries.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I’m guessing Will has also forgotten, and we know how well that will go over. Or, he hasn’t and he’s… how to say it… enforcing his own plans on our trip which we don’t even know about yet.”

  Lissa sighed; she knew which one it was. “Let’s find Beau and see if we can figure out what he has planned.”

  “Oh, if I had to guess, I’d say we’re traveling with security, have cars hired to drive us so we don’t have to worry about it, and he’s most likely upgraded our suite. Oh, and there will be a huge bouquet of tulips waiting for you along with chocolates and champagne and a romantic note about how much he misses you. How’s that?”

  “What’s the point of you making all the reservations and plans if he’s just going to go behind you and change them?” Lissa started walking down the stairs.

  “Because he’s a man in love and wants to take care of you. It’s not such a bad thing.”

  There was something in Hannah’s voice which made Lissa stop and turn back toward her. She managed to catch a tortured expression on Hannah’s face before she could hide it from her. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  “Because I can’t.”

  “What kind of bullshit is that? Haven’t we been there for each other for years? You sure as hell wouldn’t let me off the hook.”

  “Lissa, please. I just can’t.” Hannah’s chin quivered and tears welled up in her eyes. “Please, there’s nothing you can do. This is something I have to handle on my own.”

  “Damnit, that bastard broke your heart, didn’t he? After all this time. You said you wouldn’t let him in, that he couldn’t get in. What’d he do? Let me know so I know exactly how to kill him in my next novel.” Lissa waved her away, “It doesn’t matter; I’ll make it my most over-the-top kill yet. Everyone will be cheering when I finally slice him to pieces. I’ll—”

  “Melissa! Stop! It’s not like that at all.” By that point, Hannah couldn’t stop the tears from running down her cheeks.

  She was scared; it had been a very long time since she’d seen Hannah so hopeless. All Lissa wanted to do was take the pain away. “Honey, please tell me.” They stood there looking at each other, but Hannah only shook her head. “Fine, then I’ll find out from him.” Lissa pulled her phone from her back pocket and started to dial Royce’s number when Hannah’s hand reached out to stop her.

  “Lissa, it’s not what you think.”

  “Then fill me in already.”

  “He didn’t break my heart. I broke his.”

  Hannah had been right;
Will had done what she had said and more for the trip to Boston. It was actually a good thing he did, because there were more press and paparazzi around than she would have ever thought possible. Once they found out Will wasn’t with her most of them disappeared, although a few hoped to dig up some kind of scandal about her and stuck around. Then there were some who were generally interested in her and her work and wanted to interview her.

  Something good did come from her going to Boston, though: she found her voice. Just like in telling a story, everyone had their own specific voice, and she’d found hers when it came to the press. Luckily, they had some extra time built into their schedule as Boston was one of her and Hannah’s favorite places to go, so she was able to sit down and do some extensive interviews.

  Heading back to Chicago for the final week of the shoot, Lissa couldn’t wait to see Will. It had been just over two days since they were together, but it felt like longer. She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but being away from him had wrecked her. She’d hardly gotten any sleep. There was something about staying in a hotel which brought back Paris, then adding the fact he wasn’t there… Her brain wouldn’t shut off long enough for her to fall asleep, or stay asleep.

  She was also worried about Hannah. After she admitted she’d broken Royce’s heart, she became tight-lipped and wouldn’t say another word. Lissa was tempted to call him herself and see what else was going on, but she knew he’d call her on the fact she hadn’t said anything to Will yet about how Paris was still affecting her. So she took the chicken way out and hoped Hannah would come to her before she’d have to call Royce.

  It was strange how quickly she’d gotten used to people calling her name and taking her picture. Having the security around helped, which she hated to admit, especially going through a busy airport like O’Hare. When they got to the car, she shouldn’t have been surprised when Will was there, grabbing her and pulling her down so she was sitting on his lap. When the door closed behind her, she frowned at him. “What about Hannah?”

  “Well, hello, darling. It’s so nice to see you, too. I’ve missed you so.” He held her tighter and kissed the side of her neck.

  “Yes, all that and more, but what about Hannah?”

  “There’s another car for her.”

  “Why?”

  Will sighed. “Why do you think? Because I wanted to spend time alone with you. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable as I sat here with you on my lap and not being able to keep my hands or lips off you.”

  Lissa grinned. “Oh, well then, in that case don’t let me stop those hands or lips from doing what they do best.”

  “If I must, I must.”

  “You must, you must.”

  As they got closer to wrapping the movie, Lissa had more and more mixed emotions. While she knew she wasn’t going to have to say good-bye to Will, since they’d still be traveling together, it was bittersweet to see the movie come to an end. It’s almost like a summer camp feeling. You spend so much time with a small group of people and you form a bond, but then you all have to go back home and you don’t know if you’ll see each other ever again.

  She, of course, was worried about the movie. She constantly wondered if anyone would really like it or if it would be a bomb and no one would ever make another one of her books into a movie again. But she also looked on the bright side: someone had actually made one of her books into a movie. She compared it to the moment she’d held her first paperback in her hand. It made it all real, that one book would be around, people would buy it and then put it on their bookshelves. They’d buy the digital copy and it would be on their device, or in the cloud, and they could read it whenever. She’d touched someone, and they’d carry her book inside of them. Of course, she hoped they’d like it and it would be a positive memory. And it would be the same way with the movie. There’d be someone out there who’d watch it and it would mean everything to them. It even had the potential to be someone’s favorite movie of all time. Just like each and every book she wrote, the possibility was there, as well.

  Most of her time was spent worrying about Hannah and trying to get information from Will and Beau about Royce without making it seem out of the ordinary or having Hannah overhear. She’d just found out earlier that night about the fact that Royce and Will would be filming another movie together the next year. Hannah didn’t know yet, and Lissa was stressing about when to tell her.

  With all those thoughts going through her mind, she was surprised when she started to become drowsy. Curled up in Will’s arms, she closed her eyes and hoped she’d sleep through the night. She knew her body, and mind, needed it.

  The dream started out as it always did. She was in the small café in Paris getting her and Beau some coffee. There was the old man telling the tourist about the history of the building and how he’d met his wife at that table sixty years before. If she hadn’t stopped to listen to part of his story and then decided to add pastries to her order, she would have been gone before the man came through. But she did, and in slow motion one of the cups started to tip as the bag began to slip out of her hands. Before she could stop it, the coffee spilled and the man slid and fell. Quicker than anyone thought possible he was up and swinging a gun around, ordering them all to put their hands up.

  There was a mother with a young child in her arms across from her, fear in her eyes as she tried to calm the wiggling child. Lissa heart was breaking and she did what she could to distract the boy until the man came up to her and backhanded her across the face, telling her to pay attention and get down on the ground.

  Because Lissa had been in disguise she was wearing more jewelry than normal, so she reached out a hand and let the child play with the pretty bracelets which caught the lights and reflected. It worked for a little while.

  That was when the dream changed, where everything went wrong. First the old man tried talking to the gunman, and he was shot. Then the child wouldn’t stop crying at the loud noise which scared him, and the mother couldn’t calm him down. He was shot and the mother wouldn’t stop screaming until he shot her, as well. Lissa couldn’t look away from their lifeless bodies until the door slammed open and Will came through the door.

  In slow motion, she watched as the gunman swung his arm around and aimed for Will’s heart. Lissa leapt up from the floor screaming, hoping to distract him, but she didn’t. Red spread across Will’s chest as he fell to his knees, his eyes locking with hers. She tried to run to him, but the pain exploded in her back and she fell short. Both of them had their hands outstretched to each other, but they weren’t close enough to touch even as they took their last breath.

  As always, Lissa woke with tears falling from her eyes. Her first instinct was to slip out of bed like she always did, but instead she lay there, rolling over on her back and looking up at the ceiling. Slowly, she reached a hand out to where Will was; feeling his warmth, she craved more. Pushing all the excuses aside she curled into him, letting the heat of his body seep into hers. She couldn’t help it; she started to shake and the tears flowed from her eyes. Reaching up, she placed her hand on where the bullet tore through his chest in her dream.

  “Will… Will…”

  “Mmmm…” he replied.

  “I…” She tried to stop the tears so she could talk but was unable to.

  His eyes flashed open and even in the dim light of the moon she could see the concern in the blue orbs. “Darling, what is it?”

  Slowly, with her breathing shallow she told him of her nightmare, reliving it all over again. She told him of the other nightmares and nights spent worrying about him and everything else. Of not being able to sleep no matter how exhausted she was. They spent the rest of the night talking about what happened in Paris, and how it affected both of them. She wasn’t the only one who had recurring nightmares about that afternoon.

  “Why now?” he asked. “Why are you telling me now?”

  They sat on the bed together, her back resting against his chest; his arms
around her made her feel safe. She played with his fingers which were laced in hers. “Because I finally realized I was being stupid not telling you.” She sat up and turned to face him. “Will, I love you with everything I have, every broken piece of me. I can’t see my life without you in it. But I was scared, scared of something like that actually happening. You being taken away from me. Like somehow, if I kept this to myself, I’d make it not happen. I’d somehow keep you safe, and with me.” She shook her head. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that’s always been my thinking. If I stress and worry about it enough, it doesn’t happen. But in doing so, I’m not ever really giving it, or you, my all. I’m not even living my life to the fullest.

  “And I want to. Oh, my God, I want to so bad with you.” She placed her hand on the side of his face. “You make me feel so safe and protected. I know you’ll do whatever you can for me. You know what I need before I even do, and you’ll get it for me. And all the while, you let me live my life. You’re there for me holding me up, either when I’m weak and can’t stand on my own or to help me reach whatever I desire. You make me feel both taken care of and independent at the same time. I don’t have to worry about us turning into my parents because we’re different people. We treat each other differently.”

  Lissa quickly and lightly kissed him on the lips. “I should be doing the same for you.” She stopped him by placing a finger across his lips. “Don’t tell me I do or some other bull, because I know the truth. You’ve given more than I have, and tonight is a perfect example. How long have I kept this from you? How long did I not know you were having the same nightmares? Even with how much I love you, I’ve still held something back. Well, not anymore.” She smiled at him. “Not anymore. Will, my soul is yours; do with it what you will.”

  He surprised her by pulling away from her and climbing out of bed. She had a moment of panic before her brain caught up and knew everything was okay. He wasn’t leaving her, or angry with her. He opened the top dresser drawer, pulled something out and walked back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it while looking down at the small wooden box.