by Alice Raine
I was prepared to wait for the physical side of things to develop, but I was still desperate to spend as much time with her as possible, so I had decided that it was time to step it up to an evening date now I finally had a weekend off. A meal somewhere, maybe a moonlit walk along the beach. I fully intended to progress from a chaste kiss on the cheek too, and get my first real kiss from her.
‘So, what are you doing Friday night?’ I enquired, trying to keep my tone light but probably sounding like an excited teenager.
‘Friday?’ Caitlin smiled and her cheeks flushed in that way I adored, but before she could answer we were interrupted by the sound of a camera shutter nearby. Caitlin’s attention was immediately drawn to it and a frown creased her brow. ‘She just took a picture of us.’
Glancing at a retreating girl, I saw her giggling with a friend as they rejoined a group on a guided studio tour.
‘Yeah? I didn’t notice.’ I shrugged. ‘It happens so much I’m kind of oblivious to it now. It’ll probably end up on some random star-spotting blog.’
I felt Caitlin’s fingers tense around mine and then her eyes darted to mine in alarm. There were several seconds of silence as if her mind was working overtime. ‘A blog?’
Putting my coffee down, I tried to work out why Caitlin suddenly looked so horrified. Her cheeks had paled, her hazel eyes were wide and glazed, and her mouth was parted.
‘Umm...well, maybe. A lot of the people who do these tours like to spot as many celebrities as they can. Sometimes they put the pictures on Facebook, sometimes they end up on a blog. I’m sure it was just harmless, don’t worry.’
Cait ripped her hand from mine and almost fell from her stool as she stumbled backwards. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. Shit! I’m such an idiot.’
What the hell? To say I was stunned was an understatement.
‘Why would you care if someone took a picture of us?’ I asked softly, hoping to calm her down. As she remained staunchly silent, one thought came to my mind that made my stomach drop. ‘Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?’
Caitlin pinged her elastic bands twice and huffed out a breath before turning on her heel and striding away without a single word, leaving me gaping at her retreating back. That hadn’t exactly been the answer I’d been hoping for.
How had we gone from enjoying a nice coffee date to her running away? The horrified look on her face was now searing into my brain. I was about to go after her, but seeing as she’d rather publicly shunned me, I thought better of it and instead stormed back to my dressing room so I could stew in peace.
Cait
Gasping for breath, I came to a halt at the exit and sunk down onto one of the stone benches in the sunshine. I couldn’t believe I’d run away from Jack. Again. I groaned, wincing as I tried to count how many times I’d done something similar in the short duration of our acquaintance. It was becoming too numerous to count, and Jack didn’t deserve my appalling behaviour, especially not now we were a couple.
Crap.
Blowing out a long breath, I rubbed at my temples and replayed the last few minutes through my mind. The trigger had been when he’d said we might appear on a blog; it had hit me just how careless I was being with my behaviour. I’d been so wrapped up in the giddiness of spending time with Jack that I’d become sloppy. Jack was famous, his picture was in some paper, magazine, or gossip column practically every week.
And now my picture might be there too.
To be honest, now I’d considered it, it was a miracle I hadn’t already been snapped with him. I’d probably only avoided it because he’d been so busy that we hadn’t had the time to see each other much beyond our daily coffee breaks.
What if Greg ended up seeing the picture? He’d be able to trace where I was. Swallowing hard, I shook my head. I knew the chances of that happening were miniscule, but I hadn’t lived the last three years without Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for nothing, I wanted–needed–to stay under the radar. Being seen with Jack was the complete opposite.
No matter how slim the risk, I couldn’t chance the press snapping a picture of Jack and I, and Greg seeing it. If he turned up it would destroy everything–my new job, my new relationship...my fresh start.
So I’d panicked and run away.
Slapping myself on the forehead, I buried my head in my hands. The expression on Jack’s face had been one of complete confusion. There had been no trace of his usual jovial self. The one man I wanted to get closer to, and I was pushing him away at every turn.
I couldn’t leave it like this. I was supposedly an adult, attempting a relationship. He deserved an explanation, and if we stood any chance of making things work, then I needed to dig up some bravery and tell him about my past, even if the thought of sharing it completely terrified me.
Swallowing down my fear, I decided to do it then before I chickened out.
Seventeen
Allie
I’m not sure I’d ever held my breath for quite so long. Hearing the door close, I released my breath in a whoosh and looked at Sean with wide eyes. ‘Holy shit, that was close.’
Sean had been practicing his knot-tying skills on me in the kitchen. When I say he was ‘practising his knot skills’, what I really mean is he had stripped me naked, attached my wrists together, and proceeded to tie me to the pan rack that hung from our ceiling.
And that’s when the front door had opened.
So yeah, I’d been naked and trussed up in our kitchen and Cait had come home early. I was positive that she was supposed to be working until late, but thank goodness she hadn’t come through to the kitchen or glanced in our direction, because I was in direct line of sight of the front door.
Sean, who was also naked, had flicked a glance to the opening door, and then raised a finger to his lips to signal my silence as he stepped into an alcove to hide.
Cait might have left again, but my heart was still galloping in my chest, and there was a film of nervous sweat building on my brow. As I raised my eyes to Sean, I saw none of my panic reflected on his face. He looked pretty goddamn gleeful, actually, and so did his groin, because he was still fully erect. He was unbelievable. I was a quivering wreck, but apparently he was still good to go.
Keeping my cool when I was basically hanging from the ceiling was incredibly difficult, but I gave it my best attempt by flashing a disbelieving glance towards his eager cock. ‘You’re like the frigging Duracell bunny.’
My breath caught as I watched Sean begin to strut towards me, his swagger indicating just how confident he felt, which immediately sent a shiver of anticipation running through my trussed-up body.
As I took in our surroundings I couldn’t help but smile and think that kitchen sex was becoming a regular occurrence for us. Perhaps Sean had a culinary fetish I didn’t know about.
My smile faded as I registered his determined expression, then he leant forwards and placed a hard kiss on my lips, closing in so tight I could feel the insistent nudging of his erection against my belly.
‘Cheeky.’ Kissing me again he raised his hands and began caressing my breasts, his thumbs circling my erect nipples and making me rise onto my tiptoes and arch into the delicious contact with a muffled moan. ‘That mouth of yours will get you in trouble,’ he added, before I felt a pinch on my right nipple that ripped a gasp of shock from my throat.
Sean took a step back, his eyes twinkling with mischief as they dropped to my chest while the painful pinch continued on my flesh. ‘That should keep you in line.’
Looking down, I saw a plastic clothes peg was now attached to my nipple, and felt my brows shoot up into my hairline. What the heck?
‘Found it on the shelves when I was hiding,’ he murmured. ‘Makeshift nipple clamp,’ he explained, his face glowing with excitement. ‘Is it OK? I tested it on my little finger first.’
Even with Sean’s kinkiness recently, this was quite surprising, but it was actually not that painful. There was a spark of pain, but given how ar
oused I was, it simply added to the thrumming sensation between my legs and I found myself nodding as my cheeks flared. Not that I should be embarrassed in front of Sean any more, we’d done so much together; belts, balconies, hair gripping...Sean was pulling out all sorts of tricks with bondage and kink. Obviously from the moisture collecting between my legs, I was pretty fond of it too.
‘Beautiful,’ he whispered, his eyes travelling down my body and back up again. ‘Shame there weren’t two pegs. Perhaps I’ll have to invest in some real clamps.’ Closing the gap between us, he lowered his head to run the tip of his tongue over my trapped nipple, and any comment I’d wanted to make vanished into a breathy gasp. The sensation of his warm, wet kisses on the tight flesh was incredible as I threw my head back with pleasure and tugged uselessly on my restraints.
Continuing to kiss me, Sean briefly transferred his attention to the other breast, swirling around the tip before applying a similarly tight pinch with his finger and thumb. Once he had well and truly worked me up, he trailed his hand lower, drifting his fingertips over my belly and to the searing heat between my legs. A growl rose in his throat as he dipped a finger into my moisture before plunging two inside.
My head was swirling with desire and my hands repeatedly tugged on the restraints, wanting to touch him, but it was no good. Sean’s knot work was proving to be as good as a top ranking Scout.
Leaning back, Sean stared into my eyes and simultaneously tweaked the peg on my nipple while pressing hard circles on my clit, a duel sensation that was so good it nearly threw me into a climax. ‘Oh god...’ My voice was hoarse, brow damp, and eyes unfocused. I couldn’t believe how much one little peg could heighten the sensations, but god, did it.
‘Fuck, you’re so sexy, Allie. I can feel you tightening around my fingers.’ Sean bit on his lower lip then increased the speed of his fingers as he crooked them and found my g-spot.
‘Come for me, baby. Come all over my hand.’ It was too much: his fingers, his skilled thumb on my clit, the dirty words, and then, as the first clenching spasm of my orgasm began to rip through me, he reached up and pulled off the peg. A rush of blood flooded the tip, causing a surge of pleasure to shoot through my body, flinging me into a huge climax that had me swinging from the ropes and yelping my release until he dived forward and caught my cries with a deep kiss.
Gripping my quivering arse, he squeezed the cheeks and started to lift me. ‘Up you go,’ he urged, and somehow I managed to prompt my shaky limbs to climb up his body and wrap around his waist. Supporting my weight with one hand, Sean reached up and unhooked my wrists from the pan holder and turned us towards the kitchen counter.
My wrists were still joined, but I looped them behind his neck and held on as he carried us across the room and placed me down. As my bum hit the cold marble Sean kissed me and trailed his lips to my ear. ‘My turn.’ And with those heated words he spread my thighs and plunged home with a yell.
Holding on to him as best as I could with my hands tied, I wrapped my legs around his waist and gargled out my pleasure as his next thrust went deep enough to make me see stars.
‘Love...you...so...much...’ His words were punctuated by four hard, deep thrusts, and then, gripping my arse, he dragged me right to the edge of the counter and tilted me back slightly so he was at the perfect angle to bury his entire length inside of me, root to tip.
Seeing as his entire length was pretty damn impressive, I really frigging felt it when he ground in and paused for a second before pulling out and repeating the move.
‘Fuck!’ It was Sean who cried out first, but with the depth of that last penetration, I wasn’t far behind him. It felt like he was trying to crawl his whole body inside of me.
‘Not going to last much longer,’ Sean panted as he landed another perfect hit to my g-spot that made my channel convulse around him as a second orgasm neared. ‘Look at me, my gorgeous girl.’
As our eyes met and I saw the intensity in his gaze, I couldn’t help but profess my love for him. ‘I love you too, Sean.’
Growling at my words, he nodded and pulled his hips back again, sliding smoothly from within me before blinking once and jerking forwards with a roar and one final toe-curlingly good thrust that launched us both into explosive climaxes. He shuddered against me, gathering me into his arms as his hips flexed his cock in and out of my quivering sex while we both continued to shatter with the power of our joint release.
Wow. Just wow.
If kitchen sex inspired him this much, I’d have to make more effort to cook in the future.
Eighteen
Jack
As I let myself into my dressing room I slammed the door with a satisfyingly loud bang and cursed as my mood descended to a diabolical low. Caitlin’s departure stung like a whip lash and I sunk into a chair as I tried to work out what the fuck just happened.
First she hadn’t wanted physical contact, and now she didn’t want to be seen in public with me? It had to be said that this was another first for me. I’d thought things were going so well until that moment. Was it the age gap bothering her? Or was she just not as into me, into us, as I was?
I had quarter of an hour before I was due back on set–quarter of an hour that should have been spent with Caitlin, making plans for Friday night–and my mind was no way focused enough to concentrate on reciting my lines.
Treating myself to a scorching shower, I was just pulling on my trousers for the afternoon shoot when the phone on the counter rang. I padded across to the phone, frowning as I went because it was rare that this line got any calls.
‘Hello?’
‘Hey, Jack, this is Brandon on security, I’ve got a girl who says she needs to see you. She insists she’s a friend of yours. Cait Byrne?’
My eyebrows popped up, and the corner of my mouth tweaked with a smile. No matter how upset I was, the thought that Caitlin was here instantly had me feeling just a little bit better.
The word ‘friend’ niggled at me far more than it probably should have, though. She was my girlfriend, why hadn’t she said that?
Not voicing my annoyance, I levelled my tone. ‘She is. Can you bring her round?’
‘Sure thing.’
‘Great, thanks, Brandon.’ Hanging up, I quickly rubbed my hair dry and chucked the towel aside before dragging my shirt on and buttoning it up.
I was tempted to open the door and await her arrival like a keen puppy, but seeing as she’d snubbed me rather spectacularly, I forced myself to play it cool and leant up against the counter behind me instead.
She might be here to finish with me, who knew?
There was a timid knock and I took a moment to compose myself before calling out, ‘Come in.’
I watched the door handle turn and tried to form my face to be as neutral as possible as Caitlin glanced nervously around the door and then stared directly at me. She froze for a second, her body tensing as she drew in a breath before she gave a tight smile and hurriedly shut the door behind her.
She looked far from relaxed, which certainly made two of us. I noticed she was clutching a folder to her chest in a white-knuckled grip too–what was in there?
‘Do you have some time to talk?’ she asked hesitantly, as her spare hand slid down her arm to the elastic bands. If she started to ping those bloody things, I would really find it difficult to hold back from reaching out for her.
Glancing at my watch, I nodded. ‘I’ve got to be on set in ten minutes.’
Caitlin winced, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted longer or if my brusqueness upset her, but after the way she had freaked out earlier, I didn’t exactly know where we stood.
‘I...I’m sorry for earlier. After my rude behaviour, I wasn’t sure you would even agree to see me.’ She suddenly looked so fragile. The confidence and spunk I’d been getting used to seemed to have completely deserted her now.
Shaking my head at the ridiculous idea of me ever turning her away, I had to fold my arms to resist the urge of pulling her into
a hug, as I desperately wanted to.
‘Of course I would see you,’ I murmured. Her huge eyes turned to mine and filled with relief. But what was the cause of her hesitancy? ‘That’s not to say I wasn’t a little upset by the way you ran away from me,’ I added. As much as I wanted to move on from today, I couldn’t ignore how much it had affected me, and I needed her to know that. I did, however, gentle my tone so I didn’t sound like a complete bastard.
Caitlin’s chest lifted and fell in a huge sigh, and she gave the elastic bands at her wrist a pluck that made my teeth grate together. I was supposed to be her distraction technique, not those bloody elastic bands.
‘I know, and I’m so sorry. I want to explain...’
Ushering her towards the small sofa, I took a seat beside her and watched as she fidgeted nervously. ‘Let me start by saying my freak-out had nothing to do with you. You’re...well, you’re perfect,’ she whispered, her cheeks flushing a deep pink. Her words made my heart speed up with hope. I was far from perfect, but I liked the fact she had chosen that word to describe me.
‘It’s me that’s drowning in baggage,’ she said quietly, swallowing hard, and I noticed her eyes were now glassy as if she were on the verge of tears. Seeing Caitlin like this made my chest clench. I hated that something was upsetting her. I wanted to comfort her, help her, but for now I supressed the urge and chose to remain quiet.
‘I...I want to tell you about my past,’ she whispered, and I felt my chest tighten at the enormity of her words. ‘Ten minutes isn’t enough time for that, so I’ll leave some for another day.’
Pausing for a second, Caitlin closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and after expelling it through her nose, she looked at me. ‘You’ve probably guessed as much, but my ex was abusive.’
The words rushed from her mouth, and even though I had guessed as much, I still found her blunt honesty shocking. Every muscle in my body tensed up as I bristled with hatred toward a man I had never even met.