Dream (Fighting Fate Book 5)

by Maree Green

  As I watched her turn and walk away, I smiled. Olivia: 1 Hannah: 0

  Chapter 56

  Josh

  Throwing the cushion across the set, I glared out at Steven’s silhouette. “That’s it! I’m done,” I yelled, the veins in my neck straining I was so pissed off. “If this is what you call professional, I fucking quit!”

  Between forgetting her lines, missing her marker, not ‘feeling it,’ and getting a case of uncontrollable giggles, Hannah had now made us two hours behind schedule. We were on a closed set to shoot a scene that demanded her to be mostly naked. She claimed it was compromising her modesty beyond what was in her contract. It was bullshit. She was still wearing her fucking underwear.

  Steven strode forward, his face unreadable. “Just give me a minute, Josh,” he said, heading straight for Hannah. I hoped he threatened her with breach of fucking contract. I was fucking over her shit.

  Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down, but it was hard to do when I knew Liv had been waiting in my trailer for me for the last four hours. I still wasn’t convinced Hannah hadn’t said anything nasty to her when I’d left her on set earlier. But she hadn’t seemed upset, so I decided to let it go. For now.

  As Steven finished up talking to Hannah, he made his way to me, his expression all business. “Can you do one more take?” he asked.

  It was a no-bullshit question. I could tell he needed me to be the professional here. But, fuck me, she was making it hard. “One,” I said.

  He gave me one sharp nod. “That’s all I’m giving her.”

  Turning away from the set, I tried to take a few more breaths. I needed to look as though I cared about Hannah’s character in this scene, and at the moment, all I wanted to do was strangle her.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to put Liv in Hannah’s place. I tried to think about how I would feel if I really was Jesse McGuffey and Liv really was being traumatized by her dad. I thought about how that would make me feel.

  As Steven called us to our places, I straightened my shoulders and slipped into character. I would not allow Hannah Bryant to alter my professionalism.

  The clapper snapped, and take seventeen started rolling. Hannah rushed forward, panicked and scared, but to me, she was Liv. The protective instinct I felt was real. I needed her to be safe. Grabbing her, I crushed her to me, holding her as she crumbled in my arms. Anger and frustration simmered in my veins. I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore. I was going to do everything I could to take away her pain.

  As the scene played out—finally to the end—I took her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers.

  “Cut! That’s a wrap.”

  Dropping Hannah like a hot potato, I turned and walked off set without a backward glance. At this point in time, I’d be happy if I didn’t see her again for the rest of the coming week, and then some.

  Lance’s eyes narrowed as I walked up to the trailer. “Don’t say a fucking word,” I said, not prepared to deal with anything any of them might have to say right now.

  “She’s asleep,” he mumbled as I reached for the door.

  Hanging my head, I sighed. I just hoped she wasn’t going to be pissed at me.

  Closing the door quietly behind me, I moved to the bed at the end of the trailer and looked down at Liv’s sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful lying there with her eyes softly closed and her hair fanned out around her. So perfect and pure. Untainted by the egos of superficial divas who’d do anything to get what they wanted.

  Lowering myself to the edge of the mattress, I tried to push the guilt aside, reminding myself that it had been her decision to try this with me. But, deep down, I knew the guilt was justified, because her decision had been made using a very limited knowledge of what being with me could mean.

  With gentle fingers, I traced the waves of her hair near her temple, begging the universe to protect her and allow her to keep her optimistic view of the world. If being in my world squeezed even an ounce of that from her, it would crush me. The light she emitted was the part of her I loved the most.

  As she drew in a soft, deep breath, her eyes fluttered open to gaze up at me, kind and loving. The pale blue of them never ceased to draw me in. To me, they were hypnotizing,

  “Hey,” she said with a sigh, her lips curving up contentedly.

  “Hey, beautiful. Sorry I took so long.” I tried to repress the irritation that came from remembering why that was.

  Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over mine. “I don’t mind. You have a job to do. I understand.”

  She understood now. But what would happen over time? Would these moments wear her down? Would the time I gave her in between be enough to keep her happy? Or would she start to feel as though I was spread too thin for her—that what I was giving her wasn’t enough anymore?

  Pain flared in my chest at the thought. I never wanted that to happen, but I didn’t know how to take that possibility away. What did I need to do to show her that even though the public had a piece of me, she had the rest? I wished I could give her more than that, but I couldn’t. It was all I had. But it was hers.

  “Would you mind if we didn’t go out tonight?” I asked, drawing my thumb over her cheek. “I just want to hold you, Liv. I just need to be with you.”

  Her gaze softened even more, and she reached up to cup the side of my face with her hand. “That sounds perfect.”

  Something that felt an awful lot like fear laced with desperation trickled through my veins. I didn’t understand it, but the urge to show her how much she meant to me was almost overwhelming.

  Lowering myself down to my elbow beside her, I ran my fingers through her hair. “Do you have any idea how much you scare me, Liv?”

  Her brow twitched with concern, her gaze searching mine for understanding. “I do?”

  Stroking my thumb over her lips, I watched the way they parted as she drew in a breath. “In more ways than even I could possibly know.”

  “I don’t want you to be scared,” she whispered.

  My lips curled into a sad smile. “It’s inevitable, beautiful. I’ll always be scared of hurting you. Of this industry hurting you. Of not being enough for you. And I’ll always be scared of losing you.”

  She brushed her fingers through my hair. “That’s a lot,” she said, her eyes shining with understanding.

  “It is.”

  “Then come here and kiss me, and maybe I can make you feel better,” she whispered, rolling her body toward me.

  There was no maybe about it. I already knew it would. But that wasn’t why I leaned forward and brushed my lips over hers. I did that because she wanted me to. And I knew there wasn’t a thing in the world I wouldn’t do if she only asked.

  Chapter 57

  Olivia

  I woke to the sounds of Sam singing to the radio in the kitchen. It was accompanied by the occasional clanging and banging of pots and pans, so I assumed she was in one of her crazy cooking moods again. I could only hope today wasn’t one of those days she decided to experiment, because I wasn’t sure my stomach could handle it this early in the morning.

  Blinking up at the ceiling, I sighed with contentment. A part of me was happy to be home again, in my own bed, but a whole larger part of me was already missing Josh. As short as the weekend had been, it was amazing. He hadn’t let me doubt for one second that he was happy I was there. Being with him like that made me ten times more sure I’d made the right decision. He was definitely worth it.

  Rolling out of bed, I shuffled to the bathroom to relieve myself before making my way out to the living room. As the mouthwatering aroma of bacon drifted into my senses, I smiled. There was no way Sam could mess bacon up. Well, I hoped not anyway.

  Glancing around the room, I frowned at a pile of mail on the coffee table. “What’s all this?” I called out to Sam.

  She appeared in the doorway, a spatula in hand. “Good morning, ogre,” she said, grinning. Then her gaze fell to the mountain of mail. “That, is your fan mail.”r />
  I recoiled. “Huh?”

  Her eyebrows twitched. “The price of dating one of the world’s most drooliest men.”

  Moving back to the couch, I sat down and stared at the letters with wide eyes. I was having a lot of trouble getting my head around it. It was seriously creeping me out. “Is this normal, Sam? Why would people send me letters?”

  She shrugged. “Open one and see.”

  I was scared to touch them if I was to be honest, but she was right. I needed to know what the hell they were about.

  Picking up a random envelope from the top of the pile, I ripped the top off and pulled out the little piece of paper, my heart beating faster as anxiety started creeping in. Unfolding it, I read.

  Hi Olivia, I just wanted to let you know I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and I’m so happy that you’re dating Joshua. He’s my favorite actor in the whole world and I think it’s amazing he’s with such a nice girl. Good luck! Sally.

  “Aww,” Sam said as she read over my shoulder. “That’s so nice.”

  It kind of was. But it was unexpected. Picking up another, I ripped it open and pulled out the note.

  Dear Olivia. I cried when I saw the pictures of you with Joshua. He’s the most perfect guy in the world, and it makes me sad to know I’ll never get to be the one he’s pictured with. I hate to say it, but you look really nice, so I’d rather he be with you than someone like Hannah Bryant. If you break up, can you PLEASE give him my number??? I love him so much! Tracy.

  I dropped the letter in my lap and looked up at Sam. “Whoa.”

  Sam nodded. “I’ll say.”

  Looking over the rest of the pile, I shook my head. I couldn’t believe so many people wanted to let me know what they thought of me dating Josh. It was insane. Picking up a pink envelope, I turned it over and pulled the top open.

  LEAVE JOSHUA ALONE YOU ATTENTION SEEKING WHORE! HE’S WAY TOO GOOD FOR YOU. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT AN UGLY SLUT! YOU’RE A NOBODY AND YOU’RE ONLY TRYING TO USE HIM, SO JUST GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND DIE! HIS FANS ARE THE MOST LOYAL ON THE PLANET AND WE WILL DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT HIM FROM GREEDY BITCHES LIKE YOU!!!

  Gasping, I dropped the letter like it’d burned me and sat back. My pulse jumped into a sprint as nausea punched me in the stomach.

  “What the fuck?” Sam said, picking the offensive thing up off the floor. “What kind of deranged person does things like this?”

  I swallowed, trying to convince myself I wasn’t going to be sick. My hands were seriously shaking. “I—” I shook my head. “I can’t open any more. Take them away, Sam. Throw them in the trash or something.”

  She nodded. “Go and have a shower and I’ll take care of them.”

  Dazed, I stood, making my feet carry me toward the bathroom. The ferocity in that letter had completely unhinged me. I mean, the girl told me to go die. Who said that kind of thing to a total stranger? It was crazy.

  Stripping, I turned on the water spray and tried to focus on my breathing, but I couldn’t stop the threatening words of the letter from echoing inside my head. In a way, I was angry at myself for not seeing it coming. I mean, I’d thought about his fame in the context of how recognizable he was and the vast number of paparazzi that hounded him wherever he went, but I hadn’t thought for a minute about the level of love his fans had for him, and just how far they would be willing to go to claim ownership of him. I wasn’t even sure Josh knew that.

  Accepting that this was a part of dating Josh was a hard pill to swallow. Up until this point, everything had been well and truly worth it, but I wasn’t so sure this was. I’d previously joked about how scary things had been when it came to integrating into his public life, but this was beyond smoothing over with a laugh. This was genuinely terrifying.

  Distractedly, I shut off the water and stepped out to dry myself. I knew I just needed to give myself some time to let it all sink in, to wait until I was calmer so I could see it from a slightly different perspective, but right now, it kind of felt like the beginning of the end. And my body was already starting to feel the effects of the pain it would bring.

  Once I was dressed for work, I took a deep breath and said a few affirmations that would hopefully get me through the day, before making my way out to the living room again. The pile of letters was gone, but sitting on the couch, arms crossed and gaze firm, was Gardner.

  “You need to move,” he said, his voice lacking emotion. “This apartment isn’t safe.”

  I frowned. Did I miss something, or was he referring to the threatening letter? “Uh, this is where I live, Gardner. I can’t just move. It isn’t that easy.”

  “It’s not safe,” he said again. “There are no security measures here at all. Anyone can just walk straight up here to your door. It’s dangerous.”

  Nausea rolled through my stomach. Of course, I knew that, but I’d been trying not to think about it because it was something I couldn’t do anything about. This apartment was all I could afford. “As much as I agree with you, Gardner, I don’t have much of a choice. I’m committed to half the expenses here with Sam, and it’s all I can afford, so I’m just going to have to do the best I can with the situation I’m in.”

  His jaw tightened as he watched me. Then, with one swift nod, he uncrossed his arms, pushed himself up to stand, and walked from the apartment. Two seconds later my cell phone rang. I didn’t even need to look at the screen to know it was Josh, and for the first time since I’d met him, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to talk to him.

  Chapter 58

  Josh

  Stepping from the car, I was thrust into a scene not too dissimilar to that of a media circus. Daniel and Corey pushed the surging bodies back, trying to make a path for me, as Cain and Lance pushed in behind. People screamed and cameras clicked, all trying to get whatever piece of me they could.

  Keeping my head bent low, I went with the movement the guys created, tensing as the crowd pushed in harder.

  “Move!” Daniel ordered, shoving at a bunch of paps, who were attempting to duck under his arms. I heard Lance grunt and a scuffle of pushing behind me, but I continued to move, Cain pushing me forward with Corey.

  Someone grabbed at the sleeve of my sweater, gripping it tight and pulling it hard enough to rip. Yanking it back out of their grip, I moved with the swell, pushing my way forward until we were through the doors and traveling up the stairs. When we reached the top of the first flight, I came face-to-face with a hulk of a man I assumed was Gardner.

  He gave me a dry look and quirked an eyebrow. “Welcome to hell.”

  He wasn’t fucking wrong. He’d warned me the week after Liv had come to see me in Florida that she couldn’t be any more exposed or vulnerable to threat if she tried. And it was only a couple of days after that when I found out about the letters she’d been getting.

  I’d lost count of the number of arguments I’d had with her over the last few weeks about her need to move to a safer location, but I wasn’t going to argue with her any more. The way I was feeling right now, I was ready to grab every belonging she owned and shove them in a fucking suitcase, and drag her ass out of here, compliant or not.

  Jerking his head, Gardner stepped to the side. “Apartment 305.”

  Drawing in a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down. It had been almost three weeks since I’d seen her, and the last thing I wanted to do when I saw her again was to argue. I would get my way, but first, I needed to have her in my arms.

  Striding down the hall, I knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later, the door was pulled open wide and Liv stood blinking up at me. The fact that she opened the door so freely scared the life out of me.

  “Josh?” she said, confusion etched on her face. “What are you doing here?”

  “I told you I was flying in today,” I said, stepping closer to her. “Did you forget?”

  She took a step back with me, worry widening her eyes. “No, I . . . I just didn’t think you were coming here,” she said quietly. />
  I continued forward, slowly working her inside so I could close the door. Taking her hand, I started toward the rear of the apartment, to where the bedrooms seemed to be. “Which room is yours?” I asked, eyeing the doors.

  “The one on the left.”

  Towing her inside, I closed the door and locked it before picking her up and pushing her against it, taking her mouth in a long overdue kiss.

  As she melted against me, I coaxed her mouth open with my tongue, sliding it inside, stroking it over hers as I gently thrust my crotch against her. Liv moaned, her hands clenching in my hair and her legs locking around my hips.

  This was one of the things I loved about her most. The way she got so lost and allowed herself to let go and just feel was the biggest turn-on there was.

  As she broke the kiss to catch her breath, her head tilting back to expose her neck, I moved my hands under her dress, sliding my fingers under the edges of her panties, stroking their tips over her folds. I groaned at how wet she was, while she gripped me tighter, panting with need.

  My cock ached, straining against my jeans, begging for a release.

  Reaching between us, I fumbled with my fly, loosening it enough to grab a hold of my cock so I could place him where I needed him to be. Liv pushed herself higher, clinging to my neck, working with me so the tip slipped inside her, and then she slowly lowered herself down again, taking me all the way in.

  I squeezed my eyes shut tight, stars exploding on the backs of my lids. “Fuck, baby. God, I want to come in you right now. You make me so fucking hard.”

  Liv whimpered. “Oh God, Josh—”

  I lifted her higher, pulling out a fraction, before thrusting harder. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I murmured against her open mouth. “You make me so fucking crazy.”

  Moving her hips in short, frantic bursts, her body tightened, coiling, gripping, her breath growing shorter and shallower, until she was shuddering in my arms and she was gulping at the air, writhing in ecstasy.