Cole stood and grabbed her elbow, preventing her from leaving. “I’m not finished.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” He glanced down at her lips. He leaned in close to her ear and inhaled her fresh, floral scent. It was the same scent she’d worn the day she left him, the one that had been haunting his dreams for the past two years. “But if you make the first move, then all bets are off.”
She leaned back from him, but not before he caught the hitch in her breath.
“I’d never make any advances. I’m a professional.” She glanced down at his chest and then jerked her gaze back up to his eyes. “This is strictly professional.”
“We’ll see.” He let go of her elbow, barely hiding his smirk. The chemistry between them was still there, whether she wanted to admit it or not. “Do we have a deal?”
“Deal.” She held out her hand. He grabbed her fingers and pulled her close, brushing his lips against palm.
Her breath caught in her throat. She pulled back and stared at him. In that brief moment, Cole saw what he had been looking for, what he had been craving ever since he had first heard that Georgia Evans had gotten out of rehab.
Desire, longing, need. Each one flashed through her features in rapid succession. Then her emotions vanished just as quickly as they appeared, hiding behind an expressionless mask.
“Don’t do that.” She pulled her hand from his.
“For the public, my dear.” Smiling, he took out his sunglasses. He’d give it one day of shooting, maybe two, then the beautiful Georgia Evans will be right where he wanted her—in his bed.
Where she should have been all along.
“See you on Monday.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the café, whistling to himself.
Things were turning out better than expected.
***
Damn Cole.
Damn herself. What was wrong with her? She had a brain, didn’t she? So why did one smile from him turn her to mush?
Georgia tossed the script on her dresser and shoved her fingers into her hair with frustration.
“Basta!” The stylist scolded. She tossed the hairbrush onto the cart. "Lady, you're messing up my work. Now I'm going to have to start over.”
“Sorry.” Georgia forced herself to hold still and let the woman do her work. She tried to recall her lines, but all she could think about was the way that just a little brush of Cole’s lips over her hand had made her go weak in the knees.
And now she was going to have to act with him. It figured that Kevin had chosen one of their more intimate scenes to shoot first.
"You're so lucky, girlfriend." The stylist grinned at her emphatically. She took a small section of hair and teased it out. "There are a lot of women who wished that they could be in your shoes right now. Shooting love scenes with Cole Anderson,”
She fanned herself with her hand as Georgia cringed. Clearly the woman didn’t know about the history so soon.
“Yeah.” Georgia had read about all of the women who had wanted to be in her shoes. Cole had just been named Population Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for the second year in a row, and women of all ages were coming out of the woodwork to meet him. Just this morning, two women had stopped her on the street outside of Black Towers to see if Georgia could get them inside to get Cole's autograph.
They didn't want her autograph. Oh, no. They wanted Cole’s. Georgia didn't know why that fact hurt so much, but it did. She supposed it was because Cole had started his career only two years before she did, and while he seemed to keep climbing the ladder to fame and fortune, Georgia was starting over.
"Okay. All done." the hairdresser took off Georgia's robe and stepped back. "What do you think?"
Georgia looked at herself in the mirror and frowned at the teased up hair and heavy makeup. "Are you sure this is necessary?"
"It's a flashback scene from your goth days." The stylist scowled defensively. “This is what the director wants.”
Georgia rolled her eyes. She’d never embraced the Goth culture, but if she had, she doubted that she'd have worn so much eyeliner. “It’s great.”
“On set in five!” Someone shouted from the door.
“Okay.”
As the hairdresser packed up her things, Georgia picked up her script again. This scene was a first kiss scene, which meant that like it or not, she and Cole were about to get up close and personal.
Actually, she was pretty sure that she was going to like it. That was the problem. Was she going to fall under Cole Anderson's spell just like the rest of the women around the world?
No, she decided. She wasn't going to become another Cole Anderson groupie. She was going to act professional and get through the scene with minimum fuss, and decidedly ignore how his touch made her insides tie up in knots.
Sliding from her chair, she did one last check of her hair, makeup and wardrobe and went out to the set. Cole was standing by the cameraman, going over part of the script. As soon as she arrived, he looked up and met her gaze, an easy smile forming on his lips.
“You look amazing.” His eyes roamed over her as she approached, and Georgia cursed as heat pooled low in her belly.
Cole looked pretty sexy himself, in his tight jeans and ripped T-shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Granted, they had dyed his sandy hair black and gave him an entire pencil’s worth of black eyeliner, but it didn't detract from his appeal. The tattoo he’d gotten while they were dating peeked out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt and Georgia stumbled as the bottom half of a series of letters stared back at her.
He still had that?
Seeing her name still inked on his arm? It was almost… primal.
“You still have the tattoo,” she said once she came within earshot.
“The tattoo?”
She motioned to his arm.
Cole lifted up his sleeve. Georgia looked at the cartoon version of herself as a siren, with her name curled below it in flowing script.
Yeah, she liked that he still had that ink. She liked it far more than was healthy. It made her want to grab him, shove him down on the floor, and stake her claim.
She wasn’t entirely sure that she’d be able to resist doing just that for the entirety of shooting. Taking this part had been a bad idea.
“You seem surprised.” Cole studied her face, eyes shuttered.
“I thought you would have had it removed long ago.” She looked up at him from beneath thick spikes of black mascara.
“Why would I do that?”
She shrugged. “It's part of your past.”
“Don’t you remember what I said? Just cause it’s in the past doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” Cole’s features rippled with emotion and longing, and Georgia felt his words like a punch to the gut. “I don’t want to forget.”
“Well, I do.” She blurted, turning away. She didn’t want to be cruel, but revisiting their relationship? It only made her think of the pain, the fear that she’d felt, pregnant and alone.
She tore her gaze away from Cole and looked at Kevin. "Are we ready?"
“Of course." Kevin turned to address the cast. "Okay, so this flashback takes place at the after party of a rock show. Cole, as Spike, you've just come off stage and Georgia, as Haven you're waiting and eager to see him. . .”
Georgia tried to concentrate on the director's instructions, but it was difficult. Cole had moved next to her and she could feel the testosterone coming off him in waves.
"Okay, let's do this. Places everyone!" Kevin went back behind the camera, and everyone took their spots on the small stage.
Georgia hadn’t expected to be aware of anything besides Cole and her own internal struggle for the entirety of the shoot. But as the familiar hum of a set rumbled to life around her, instead she felt the long-lost quickening of excitement.
This—this was a part of herself that she’d sorely missed.
And it was really, really good to be back.
Chapter Six
“Why do I fall for my leading ladies so much? Well, sometimes it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. You kiss someone every day for a month, you’re going to get some feelings.”
-Cole Anderson, Population Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive
Cole-as-Spike slid his arms around Georgia-as-Haven’s waist. “I missed you, baby.”
“Did you really?” She slid her arms up around his shoulders and threaded her fingers through his hair. The rational side of her knew that she was playing a part. Her character was supposed to be falling for Cole, hard. Unfortunately, there were so many similarities between this situation and the night Cole first kissed her so long ago, that it was hard to keep the two separated. Cheesy as the dialogue in the script was.
“I don't want you to go home tonight.” He tugged her closer, her hips coming flush against his. She felt a surge of heat, and the spark in Cole’s eyes told her he felt it too.
She shook her head. “I don't do one night stands.”
“Who says I’m asking for one night?”
She raised her head and met his gaze. “Then what are you asking for?”
He slid his hand around to the side of her hip, and she gasped at the contact. “I'm asking for you to not think so much. I'm asking for you to take a chance and see where all of this leads.”
“I have a reputation—“
“I don’t give a shit about your reputation.” He tightened his hold on her, thumbs strumming over her hips, and Georgia arched into the touch. His voice lowered and became thick with emotion. “I don't, and you shouldn't either.”
He dropped his gaze to her lips. “The world outside doesn’t matter baby. The future doesn’t matter. All that matters is right, here. Right now. You and me.”
Georgia tilted her head, bracing herself as Cole leaned forward, closing the last of the small distance between them.
Cole was a good actor, but Georgia knew without a doubt that he hadn’t kissed any other actress like this. Raw need welled up inside of her as she pressed her body closer. Cole immediately responded, sliding his hands down over her backside and holding her closer, something not called for in the script but that caused heat to surge between her legs. Georgia felt his erection pressing up against her through his jeans. She resisted the urge to groan and instead tightened her grip around his shoulders, clinging to him as if she was drowning, and he was her only lifeline.
When he finally moved past the seam of her lips and entered her mouth, she was ready. She met his tongue and stroked it, letting him fill her body and soul.
Cole curled his fingers into her flesh and made a low, needy sound as he worked over her mouth. Georgia responded by lifting her leg and hooking it around his hip, also unscripted. Cole's hand immediately went to her thigh, and Georgia whimpered as his long fingers moved over her skin.
“Cut!”
Kevin's voice was like a bucket of ice water, sizzling as it yanked Georgia back to reality. Georgia jerked away from Cole's grasp and stumbled back, blinking hard, trying to return herself to reality.
“That was fucking hot.” Kevin marched over, grinning. “If I didn't know any better, I would have said that you two still had the hots for one another.”
“Imagine that, hey Georgia?” Cole caught her eye. She looked away quickly, but found her gaze drawn to the unmistakable length of his erection, pressing against the seam of his jeans.
Georgia didn’t respond as she tried to clear her head. Cole was just acting. She knew this. He’d shot steamy scenes with a ton of Hollywood starlets over the years. Unfortunately for her, the lines between fantasy and reality had blurred, leaving her feeling unsettled. Cole's kiss had awakened a myriad of emotions, emotions she had buried long ago. Now that they were out, she had to deal with them, but she could possibly deal with them here.
“Yeah. That’s funny.” She lifted her chin and cleared her throat. “Can we take five?”
The director glanced at his watch. “It's close to lunch time. Why don't we take an early lunch? The next scene is much longer and we need to do a set change.”
Kevin retreated, and Georgia started toward the safety of her dressing room.
“Wait.” Cole grabbed her elbow, forcing her to stop.
“Yes?” She carefully blanked her features, wiping the last shred of emotion from her face before turning to meet his gaze.
Cole took a deep breath and pushed his fingers through his dyed hair. “I think we need to talk about that, don't you?”
“Talk about what?”
“What we just did. It was . . . intense.”
Yeah, it was, although to Cole, it was just part of the job. She forced herself to remain calm as she gave him a nonchalant shrug. “There's nothing to discuss. We were just acting, that's all.”
“Yeah, acting.”
“You're a good actor, Cole.” Too good. For a moment there, Georgia had been transported back to that night of their first kiss. It had been at a rock concert too, much like the one they had kissed at all of those years ago. The situation had been similar, although Cole wasn't a rock star. He was just a famous actor who had gotten her back stage passes to her favorite band as a birthday present. While waiting for the band, they’d started to drink. They’d started to kiss. They were swept up with the other groupies, and eventually ended up partying with the band in the back of their tour bus.
Georgia’s first job had been on a talent variety show featuring kids, and she’d had a very carefully controlled environment at all time. That night with Cole had been the most fun that Georgia had ever had. The next day, she’d been the one to make the next move, the one that ended with Cole taking her virginity.
“Actor, right.” Cole cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. “That's what they pay me the big bucks for.”
Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back. Really, she needed to stop living in the past. That rock concert had been ages ago. Their relationship had been ages ago. None of it had to do with the here and now. At one time they might have been close, but then they had gone their separate ways. After this project, they'd go their separate ways once more.
“Yeah, that’s what they pay me for, too.” Her voice was quiet as the implication of his words sunk in. This was just a job to Cole. He wouldn’t mind getting her back in his bed, but nothing more.
Cole owed her nothing, and she certainly didn't owe anything to him.
She wouldn’t analyze why that made her feel hollow and sad. Nor would she think about everything that could have been. There had been plenty of times when Cole could have visited her in rehab, but instead he had chosen to move on with his life. He had dated other women, went on to other projects. Meanwhile, Georgia’s life had gone on hold as she dealt with her addiction and her baby’s death.
“I’ll see you after lunch,” she said as she turned on her heel and retreated to the private sanctuary of her dressing room.
“Georgia, wait.”
She hurried her steps, eager to put more distance between them. Cole was getting under her skin, just like he did all of those years ago. Georgia was going to have to be careful, or else she was going to get her heart broken all over again.
***
Two Days Later
“Cut!”
Cole tried hard not to roll his eyes as Kevin strode over toward them on the set.
“What is it this time?” he asked.
“It's not right. Something's not right.” Kevin waved his hands in the air as he talked.
“I don't understand,” Georgia said. “I thought we were doing fine.”
“The chemistry's all off.” Kevin glanced at Georgia and then refocused on Cole. “Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but make it stop, okay? I want to see some of that passion I saw the first day.”
“Fine by me.” Cole held up his hands in mock surrender.
Georgia snorted. “We are being passionate.”
“No, you're being argumentative.” Kevin put his hands on
her hips. “Something's going on. Georgia, you're recoiling every time Cole touches you. It’s coming through on camera.”
No kidding. Cole crossed his arms. She was doing far more than that, but he wisely refrained from comment. For the past several days, they had been shooting the same set of scenes over and over, trying to get whatever it was that the director wanted. Nothing was working. Cole agreed, the entire project felt 'off,' and it all had to do with Georgia. After that first day of shooting, she had effectively closed the door on any type of relationship, romantic or otherwise. When they weren't shooting, she was hiding in her dressing room, claiming that she needed to study her lines. Not once had she gone out with Cole to try to convince people that they were friendly, let alone getting back together. Her chilly attitude was beginning to affect the other staff. Even when she wasn't in a scene people were stumbling over their lines and messing up cues.
Cole was sure that the tabloids weren't helping. When word broke that both he and Georgia would be working on a project together, the paparazzi had come out of the woodwork, looking for a story. It seemed as if Cole couldn't go anywhere anymore without someone flashing a camera in his face.
“Look,” Kevin said, turning to Georgia. “I know that you are feeling pressure with this project, but trust me, you can do this. If I didn’t think you could, I never would have hired you.”
Georgia looked as if she wanted to say something, but instead pinched her lips shut. Her cheeks stained pink, and Cole resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her waist and give her comfort. His touch wouldn’t be welcome. She had made that abundantly clear over the past couple of days.
Kevin let out a big sigh. “Why don't we break for the weekend? Relax and let loose a little. Use this time to really think about why you're here, and what you hope to gain from this project. On Monday, I don't want to see any more of what went on today. Understand?”
Cole nodded and Kevin turned to Georgia, repeating the question. “Understand?”
“Aren't we shooting the big sex scene on Monday?” Georgia bit her lip and Cole watched as a tremor passed through her.
Caught on Camera (Black Towers Book 1) Page 6