International Guy_Paris, New York, Copenhagen

by Audrey Carlan

  I kiss her temple, an idea forming in my mind, something I’ll need to enlist Bo’s assistance with, much to my chagrin. He’ll eat it up too.

  “I’m going to make sure you can see the world and the people around you for who they are, and I’m definitely going help you show the world your truth.”

  7

  “What are you reading?” I ask, pulling on a pair of jeans and zipping them up.

  Skyler is in bed, the morning light shining into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, proving it’s going to be another beautiful day in New York. She’s got a book on her knees and is focused on the pages.

  Her pretty brown gaze shifts from the page to me. “Bared to You by Sylvia Day. It’s the third time I’m reading it.”

  “You reread books?” I’m rather shocked by this.

  “Doesn’t everybody?” She blinks sweetly, pressing her lips together.

  “Uh, no, I don’t think so, Sky. If you’ve read a book already, why the need to read it again?”

  She tips her head, her golden hair falling over the bust of the hot-pink slip nightie she’s wearing. A surprise for me last night. One I enjoyed immensely. Enjoyed feeling it against my skin even more while I slept too.

  “Uh, because it’s awesome. Actually, I think you’d like it. Reminds me of us a little. It has this blonde-haired rich woman who’s just moved to the city. She’s been broken by life and love in the past, but she’s moving on. She meets this insanely hot, dark-haired, intense man, also rich, also works in the city, also broken by life, but not really by love. Anyway, they meet and there’s this crazy, off-the-charts chemistry between them. I mean, well . . . kind of like us.” Her cheeks pinken.

  “I’m listening and liking what I’m hearing so far.” I wave my hand in a circle, signaling her to continue.

  She chuckles, sets the book down, and sits cross-legged, which I’ve found is her seated position of choice, be it on the bed, couch, or even a stool. She’s got those long legs of hers up and cocked under her ass.

  “Well, a lot of stuff happens to them, dealing with their lives and business. They end up working together on a project.”

  “Interesting,” I prompt playfully, so she knows I can glean the similarities between this fictional duo and the two of us.

  “Anyway, they have crazy-amazing sex, like off-the-charts hot. Best I’ve ever read.” Lust coats her features, and I watch while she licks her lip and bites the plump bottom one. My dick notices too.

  Down, boy! We need a freakin’ break.

  “I want to read this book,” I state flatly, not even kidding. If it has wicked-hot sex, I’m all in.

  She lets out a full laugh, her face lighting up beautifully. “I think it’s just that I’m so taken with it because the woman, Eva, is trying to find herself in a way. She’s trying to find her own footing. Be her own woman. Show the world who she really is. And the man, Gideon, he just wants her. Wants all that he sees. The goodness, the ugly, the demons she carries, maybe because he recognizes them in himself, but I admire both of them. I wish I could be more like her. Bare it all, you know?”

  I nod, climb onto the bed, and kiss her. Soft at first, then with more intent. “I like you just the way you are too. And I want to read the book.”

  She pushes on my shoulder. “You’ve made your point.” On a smile, she kisses me quickly and mumbles the word coffee against my lips. “Your turn to make it.” She reminds me of what I already know.

  “Got it. Read your book, baby, and I’ll be in the kitchen with the coffee. Need to make a call to my partner, so take your time.”

  She reaches for the book and opens it to where she was. “’K,” she murmurs, eyes already back on the page.

  I pull away, leave the room, and head to the kitchen, where my phone is charging. Once I pick it up I press speed dial two.

  “What’s shaking, Dream Maker?” Bo’s gravelly rumble comes through the line along with a yawn.

  “You still in bed?” I accuse, and glance at the digital clock on the microwave. “It’s ten thirty, dude. On a Monday. Why aren’t you at work?”

  Bo makes a disgruntled sound and offers a gruff “Hold on,” followed by the unmistakable sound of bare skin smacking bare skin and a woman’s playful curse.

  “Get up, babe, I gotta take this. Private-like. Then I gotta head to work. Catch you later. Yeah?” It sounds a bit muffled, like he’s covering the phone.

  I cringe as another unmistakable sound reaches my ears. Open-mouthed kissing. I hold the phone out and shake my head.

  “Park?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.” I bring the phone back to my ear.

  “What’s up, man? Or did you just call to give me shit about sleeping in? Long night—as I assume you heard, brother,” he jokes in that familiar tone of his.

  I chuckle, not being able to help it. Hearing his voice after a week of nothing fills me with good vibes. Bo and Roy are my constants. My brothers from another mother. We’re used to seeing each other regularly, and without sounding sappy, I miss the guys. Both of them.

  “Need a favor on this case, brother.”

  “Yeah? Anything, man, you know that.” His tone is no longer joking but serious. When it comes to one of us needing the others, it doesn’t matter what it is, we hop to. Supporting each other and sharing our expertise has gotten us to where we are today.

  “Need your photography skills, man. I want you to do a private shoot for Skyler Paige.”

  “No shit?”

  “No bullshit. I want to do something I’m calling Bared to You.” The book title she just said weaves into my brain. “It’s a play off the title of one of Skyler’s favorite books, but the concept is going to be intense.”

  “How so?”

  “I want you to photograph her doing things she loves, in the clothes she usually wears, in her home as well as, er . . . naked.”

  Without hesitation, the jokester comes back. “For the first time ever, Park isn’t capable of pleasing his dream girl. You need to call in for reinforcements.” He laughs.

  “Fuck you! That’s not it at all. You know I got me some.” I close my eyes and grimace, running my hand through my hair. Shit. He goaded me to get info, and he got it. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Skyler didn’t walk in and catch me admitting I’m sleeping with her and the callous way I just admitted to doing so. She’s nowhere in sight, probably lost in her romance. Thank God.

  “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Knew you’d tap that sweet ass, brother. Skyler Paige. You lucky son of a bitch.”

  I growl into the phone. I don’t like his tone or the way he’s referring to Skyler’s ass. “Man, this shit is serious. I need your skills behind the camera to tell a story to the world. To her fans and any future directors who want her for their movies. She’s got to make some changes, and part of that is sharing herself with the world. The real her. Not the shit her team and publicists have created, but the real deal. The woman I’ve come to know and care a great deal about.”

  Bo clears his throat. “Okay. Cool. I got you. We can do that. When you thinkin’?”

  “Soon as you can get here. Want this shit to hit the press while I’m here with her to help soften any blows. But have Wendy book you a hotel. You are not staying here. No way, nohow.”

  He bursts into a full-bellied laugh. “Course not. I’d screw up your game.”

  “There is no game with Skyler. We’re just having fun.” Though I hate the way the words sound the instant I say them.

  “Fun. Like you had with Sophie?” He chuckles.

  “Yeah . . . I mean, no.” It dawns on me that what I have with Skyler should feel exactly the same as it felt with Sophie, but it doesn’t. Sophie’s amazing, and I love her as a friend, but now that I’m sleeping in Skyler’s bed, I have no desire—What. So. Ever.—to go there with Sophie again. Maybe it’s the “being a continent away” thing?

  I run my hands through my hair and cross my bare feet over one another to ponder this
a little.

  Why doesn’t it feel the same with Skyler?

  Not being able to come up with any answers on the fly, I change the subject. “Anyway, how soon can you get here?”

  “Day or two? Need to close up some contracts with Royce today, get my equipment set up. Wednesday good?”

  “Yeah, start thinking of some shooting concepts. We want to show who she is to the world. Who she really is. Consider some of the best ways to do that, but still have her be classy, successful, sexy, and down to earth.”

  “Man, the muse is flowing already. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

  “Thanks, Bo.”

  “Like I said, anything. See you then.”

  He hangs up the phone as Skyler enters the room. “What’s on for today?” she asks excitedly. Every day that I’ve taken her out of the house, not only has her demeanor changed, but she no longer seems in a funk. Still, I’ve got work to do when it comes to her career. I’ve avoided talking about acting since I got here just over a week ago. It’s time to bring her work world back out into the open.

  “Actually today, we’re going to stay in. Make popcorn, order pizza, eat sundaes, and watch a couple of your movies.”

  She frowns. “My movies. You mean what I have on DVD?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. I mean a couple of the movies you acted in. And you have to pick them.”

  Her happiness seems to slip right off her face before my eyes. “I’m not really in the mood to watch one of mine . . .”

  I move around the island and hook her around the waist, bringing her close. Once I curl my hand around her nape and tilt her chin up, those endless brown depths capture all my attention. In them I can see it all.

  Her fear.

  Her anxiety.

  Her desperation.

  “Peaches, this is not a test. It’s not meant to harm or hurt you. It’s meant to bring you back. Remind you of what you once loved and allow you a safe place and person to freely experience whatever it is you’re going to feel when you are reminded. I’m here for you. To help guide you to that happy place once more. It’s there, waiting for you to enter, but you gotta do the work. Take the challenge. Brave the ride.”

  She swallows and her eyes tear up, but no tears fall. “It’s scary.”

  “I know. I’m right here. So you can hold on to me. You’re not alone. You’re not ever alone.”

  Skyler closes her eyes, firms her chin, and gifts me with a small resolute smile. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  I grin and cup her head with both hands, bringing her lips to mine. I kiss her for a long time before pulling away. “Proud of you, Peaches,” I whisper against her lips. “Now pick out two movies you were in that you can stomach having me watch.”

  She groans. “What if my favorite is a chick flick and not one of my action films?”

  I cringe. “Okay, new deal. One chick flick and one action film.” I raise my eyebrows. “Deal?”

  “Deal!”

  “Oh my God! I love this part!” Sky is sitting cross-legged on the couch, her back ramrod straight, her hands to her chest in fully displayed glee. “Watch, watch what he’s going to do!” She points at the bad guy on the TV. “He’ll bring out the gun, and then I do this cool grab-and-snatch and kick him in the . . .” One of her legs explodes out from her toward the direction of the flat screen.

  I watch with admiration as her onscreen self kicks the ass of a much bigger man. “Shit, babe!” I get into the action and hold her shoulder, enjoying her role-playing the moves in her seat as her character wipes the floor with another bad guy. “Jesus Christ. You’re incredible!” My dick hardens in my pants, and there’s no denying that seeing her on the screen kicking butt is a mad turn-on. Ribbons of arousal ease through my chest and down toward the height of my need.

  She jumps up in the air and runs around the table in a circle that mimics a touchdown dance. “And she scores the kill! The audience goes wild. Haaaaarrrrrrrhhhhh.” She cups her hands around her mouth, making the noise that mimics a screaming crowd at a football game.

  “Get over here!” I grab her around the waist and tug her into my lap, where she shifts and straddles my thighs. “You were amazing. Are there more of this series?”

  Her eyes light with joy. “Yeah! Another one I have in the cupboard. Actually, I’m set to film the third one next month.” Her face contorts and her body slumps. “Shit.”

  I run my hands up and down her back. “Sky, you’re unbelievably good at your job. The chick flick was intense, funny, and heartwarming.”

  She tips her head and mocks me with a smirk.

  “Okay, so the story line was cheesy as fuck, but your acting sold it. Then this action flick. Hell, I’d see it again. You were beyond gorgeous, a badass, and you had me believing every kick, punch, and hit as if I were watching it happen right before my eyes in real life. You’re that good. The way you immerse yourself into a character, it’s like you’re a different person.”

  Her form perks up. “You really think so?”

  “Peaches, I know so. Feel this.” I thrust up.

  Her eyes seem to widen as her ass makes contact with my hard cock.

  “Yeah, that’s how much you turned me on watching you kick mad ass on the screen. As a matter of fact, take your shirt off.”

  She grins, hooks her fingers around the edge, and tosses her tank off without any complaint. Her bare tits bounce in front of my eyes, and before she can say boo, I suck one peak into my mouth, flicking and laving at the tip. “You were so goddamned hot on screen.” I thrust up, my erection painful in my now-tight jeans.

  Her laughter turns into a moan as she tips her head back, arching her chest. “Glad you like my movies, honeeeeey. Oh, yes.” The yes comes on the heels of me wiggling my hand down the front of her yoga pants and under her panties, dipping right into her heat with two fingers.

  I finger-fuck her while spending some serious quality time with her succulent tits. Her breasts own my soul. Shit, they’re as soft as velvet and fit splendidly in my hands as there’s a bit more than a handful, but the best is how responsive she is when my mouth is on them. She squirms, sighs, and practically comes out of her skin with one hard suck. It’s superb to watch, and I thank my lucky stars I’m the only bastard in the world right now who gets to touch her this way.

  Eventually she loses her mind, riding my fingers until she goes off like a rocket. But my girl is greedy and always wants seconds. With a speed unmatched by previous lovers, she’s out of her pants and naked as the day she was born. Her fingers are the quickest and most nimble ever as she gets my jeans open, my dick out, and her wetness sliding down the length in record time. Seconds really.

  “Fuuuuuck!” The word comes out long and drawn out as I rest my head on the couch.

  She licks the length of my neck with the flat of her tongue, the wet sensation sending a river of synapses firing all throughout my body. “Put your hands on the back of the couch and don’t touch me,” she demands into my ear.

  “Say what?” I grip one of her hips and force her down hard on my cock until she cries out. “That’s what I thought.” I do it again and again until she’s riding me the way I want.

  “Do it, honey. Want to control this time. Enjoy fucking you after you got turned on from watching my movies.” Her voice is breathy, filled with need.

  I lick my lips, grind my teeth together, and give up control, putting my arms out wide and curling my fingers into the fluffy couch pillows. She better give it to me good, or I’m taking over.

  “Fuck yeah.” She rocks her hips, her eyes lit up like a Christmas Eve parade while she bounces on my cock. “You like that, honey? Me fucking myself on you?” Her voice is sin and sanctuary with every breath.

  “Jesus!” I grip the cushions tighter, watching her tits bounce delectably. I wish I had one in my mouth, her sugary taste on my tongue . . .

  She places one of her hands on my shoulder for leverage, the other she runs up and down her sultry curves, and pinches her nipple
until she cries out. She moves her hand down her belly to where we are connected. Two of her dainty fingers hit each side of her clit and down below where my cock is slipping in and out, touching me in a feather-light caress while she touches herself.

  I lose it.

  Everything fucking gone.

  My eyes are glued to her fingers and where her body is undulating, sliding up and down on my length like a filthy yet beautiful private porno. My cock is glistening with her essence with each retraction, disappearing deep into her tight sheath on the downstroke. I’ve never watched anything more erotic than Skyler taking my cock, letting go of all inhibitions in front of me. Giving me that gift. Making it mine to hold on to forever.

  “Love the way you fuck me, Peaches. Way you let go. Beautiful. So fuckin’ beautiful,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “But you need to get there and get there fast or I’m going off deep inside your sexy body. Can’t hold off much longer,” I say in a growl, wanting to grip her hips, root deep, and live there for oh, about a million years.

  She moans and moves those fingers faster. They’re a blur between us.

  Tipping my head back, I close my eyes and thrust up, using all my might, needing to get deeper, but still trying to let her have her control.

  “Oh my God! Parker!” She cries out, her body locking down, the walls of her sex a searing-hot vise around my dick.

  “Shit!” I roar, and let go of the cushions because I can’t not touch her anymore. I wrap her up in my arms and pound her down on my shaft until both of us are crying out our release. My body tightens, and my balls swell with the need to blow, my dick getting so hard I could die from the pleasure-pain of it. Once her body clamps around mine, I let go. Fucking bliss with every shot of my release inside her body.

  It goes on and on, as if I haven’t fucked her into oblivion since our first-time shower sex the other day. This woman brings out something carnal and animalistic in me. Something I’m unable to control. Not to mention, some of the hottest sex of my life.