Under the Lights

by Rebecca Royce

  “You were here.” She reached out to touch the side of his face. “I wanted to be with you. I wasn’t sure if there would ever be another chance. I was hot for you. I thought I could, for once, get over my need to have things as I think they should be and live in the moment.”

  She didn’t think there would be another chance? “I haven’t done a really good job of showing you who I am, have I? My life, out there under the lights of the paparazzi can give an impression of me I can’t undo. I wouldn’t have come here last night—or tonight either—if there wouldn’t be another chance.” Assuming she wanted to see him again, too.

  “I didn’t know you were interested in me. We barely spoke to each other before yesterday.”

  He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I’ve watched you, Teirney. I know you weren’t paying attention. Didn’t notice me. That’s fine. I’m an attention hog. I know I need to capture yours. I can promise you I’ll be working really hard on it.”

  She sighed, her body shaking. “I’m so tired.”

  “Then let’s go to bed.”

  “You know how I said it has to be a certain way….”

  “Teirney, I said let’s go to bed. Come on, I assume you have a bedroom. I’d like to sleep in it with you, tonight.”

  Part of him wondered if she was about to throw him out. He’d go. He might sleep on her stoop if she told him to leave.

  “You know what? I’d really love you to sleep with me tonight. I think having you with me is best idea I’ve ever heard.”

  Phew.

  Chapter Four

  She lay in the dark back-to-back with Ian. It should feel strange. She was sharing her queen-sized bed with a movie star. Of course, she’d had him between her thighs the night before. But, oddly, simply lying in the dark with him felt more intimate than sex.

  He wasn’t sleeping; at least she didn’t think he was. His breathing remained light, and his body was stiff, pressed against hers. She clearly wasn’t alone in feeling how odd it was to be sharing sleeping space together.

  Ian had stripped to his boxer shorts and t-shirt for bed. She was wearing her own set of boxers and a white tank top. Of course, if she’d known she would sharing space with him, she would have put something on the bed besides her pink sheets. He hadn’t said a word about them, which made her like him even more.

  The clock ticked in the hall. Usually she loved the sound; it comforted her to sleep. Tonight she couldn’t stop counting the ticks.

  He rolled over and pulled her against him. “I can feel you thinking.”

  “Oh yeah? Are my deep contemplations keeping you awake?”

  “Yes.”

  He hadn’t shaved, and, when he rubbed his cheek against hers, it scratched a little. She liked the feeling. It had been the same the night before during their brief sexual escapade. His rough cheeks really turned her on. Next to her was Ian “un-put-together.”

  “How do you do it?”

  “Sleep?” He mock yawned in her ear. “I close my eyes and let the sandman come.”

  “Funny, no, I mean, how do you manage the attention? With all those people waiting to talk to you, to have some of your time, take your photo, know about your life? When Georgia threatened to go to the press about you, all I wanted to do was shake her.”

  He ran his hand through her hair, and she shivered. Her libido had shut off during the fight. Still, she liked the attention. In the dark, talking felt more personal, as if everything they said suddenly mattered more.

  “If you had shook her, it would have been a better fight. How did you wind up on the ground?”

  Teirney groaned. “Never mind. Forget I asked.”

  “Here’s the deal.” He kissed her shoulder. “My family members are really smart. My sister is a tech genius. My parents are both hugely successful. They wanted me to go to college. I bet you went, didn’t you? Spent four years in higher learning?”

  “Three actually. I found if I went all summer than I could finish faster.”

  “Uh-huh.” He squeezed her tighter. “I knew it. I always find the smart girls to be the hottest.”

  He did? Her cheeks heated. No one had ever complimented her intellect before. He continued speaking.

  “My grandmother knew I did not have any desire to go to school. She had been the person to really encourage me creatively. Acting wasn’t something I fell into. I was an athlete, played baseball, and I missed a season because all I wanted was to act in the school play. When I was eighteen, after I graduated, I went off, left my smart, successful family behind and tried my hand at Los Angeles.”

  “Do you really think you’re not smart? Or successful?”

  Ian sighed loudly. “It’s complicated.”

  “Sweetie, you are headlining a Broadway show. You have huge accolades. Movie credits. A hit television show on your resume.”

  “I get it. On paper, I’m really cool. Woohoo, Ian.” He laughed. “I used to treasure all the attention, as if it was some kind of indication I ‘made it.’ These days I know it means little to nothing. Some dude who was famous for killing his girlfriend might earn the same fascination.”

  “I don’t think….”

  “Anyway,” he interrupted, “I guess the answer I can give you is I’m used to it. Grateful to every fan. They make it possible for me to do what I still feel compelled beyond all things to accomplish every day.”

  “Wow.”

  “If it means anything, the only thing I wanted tonight was to talk to you.”

  “It means something.” Talk to me. Her heart rate had kicked up. She was never getting to sleep with all these thoughts in her head. Granny would need her very soon and…. He glided a hand over the waistband of her boxers. Goosebumps broke out all over her body.

  “Ian, I’m not really in the mood.”

  “I know. No sex. I respect your boundaries. I promise I do. You’re not falling asleep without some kind of release. How about a little hand play? All about you, sweet baby. Let me make you come.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t really have a better word to answer with. He wanted to get her off using his fingers? Without anything for himself?

  He sat up, turned her to face him, and then slipped his fingers inside her boxers and tugged until he’d shoved them off her legs. Ian scrunched closer to her, leaning on his elbow to stare at her face. With his other hand, he brushed his fingers over the curls outside her pussy.

  “You’re really beautiful, you know that, right?” He breathed the words in her ear. “The answer had better be ‘yes, Ian.’”

  She laughed. Teirney never gave her outward appearance much thought. She was certainly nothing to the women he interacted with on a daily basis. If he wanted to think she was beautiful, who was she to argue?

  “It’s been a while since I did this. If I do something you don’t enjoy, do me a favor, and tell me, okay? I’d like to make you feel awesome, for both of us.”

  “You don’t have to….”

  He didn’t let her finish. “Sweet baby, I need to. This is important to me. Your pleasure matters.”

  She was about to tell him he’d placed too much pressure on her orgasm when Ian inserted a finger inside of her. The slight hitch of his breath when he did told her he was also turned on. She let her eyes travel to see proof of her suspicions. His boxers tented. He was really hard, and he didn’t expect anything except her release?

  “Stop thinking. You’re wet, only not moist enough. I need to make you drench my fingers.” His thumb travelled until he located her clit. “Ah, there it is. Let’s see if I can’t make it come out and play with me?”

  He rubbed her gently in a circle. It had been so long since anyone except herself had really touched her there. She could get herself off fast and efficiently. Two minutes and done. Ian pleasuring her was so much better. Her body jerked from the intensity of feeling his finger on her sensitive bundle of nerves.

  “You like that, sweet baby?”

&nbs
p; She hated the name he’d given her, yet hearing it on his lips made her hotter.

  “Yes, I can feel it. You’re getting wetter. Your pussy is starting to react. What if I sped up a bit?”

  He changed fingers, using his index instead and speeding his circular motion until she had to close her eyes. Why was she getting so fucking turned on by his desire to learn what she did and didn’t like?

  His ministrations to her clit made a huge difference yet the intensity he poured into discovering her pleasure amped her desire.

  “I spent the day reading erotic romance. Trying to figure out what women enjoy. To someone else, my afternoon might sound ridiculous. I think for you, however, you’ll take it as I meant it, as a total tribute to just how hot I intend to make you. Over and over.”

  She opened her eyes to look at him and he tsked.

  “Don’t try to participate in the conversation, Teirney. Your only job at present is enjoying what you feel. In fact, close those eyes again.”

  She did as he said. For once, her brain seemed to be entirely turning off. There was only Ian in her bed, with his fingers doing amazing things to her sex. He stopped playing with her clit long enough to push two fingers inside of her.

  She jolted from the invasion. “You’re so tight. I loved it yesterday and the next time I’m in there you’ll come, hard, around my cock. If reading the erotic scenes taught me anything, sweet baby, it’s all women are different. The trick is to figure out what she likes. To spend the time to see how her body ticks. I think one of the things I’m learning tonight is you want to be talked to.”

  He added another finger, which she knew only because the pressure increased.

  “Ah.” She cried out as her muscles clenched around him. He sucked in a breath and pulled his fingers our slightly before pushing them back in. She arched. There was so much pressure inside of her and she didn’t know where it was planning to go, couldn’t remember ever feeling quite the same before.

  This is…this is…more.

  “Listen to me, you need to let go. I can feel it in how you’re clenching me. I want it, need to feel you do it, too. Please, come for me. Don’t hold it in, show me how beautiful you are when you lose control.”

  He was right. She craved the way he spoke to her, although she never would have guessed it before. Most of the time she wanted people to shut their mouths. It was Ian. She did need to hear his voice. Over and over again.

  Teirney came in a long exhale as her body let loose months of tension she’d had no release for. She wasn’t sure how long her orgasm went on. With her eyes closed, she still saw colors dance beneath her lids. A ringing sounded as her body twitched uncontrollably. Finally, she started to cool. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes to look at Ian.

  He tugged her tighter against him, and she could feel his cock pressed against her. He couldn’t be comfortable, yet the way he held her gave her no room to touch him or take care of him at all.

  “I knew you’d be a goddess when you finally gave in.”

  She smiled. He certainly had a way with words. “I’d like to take care of you.”

  “No.” He lightly kissed her neck before he pulled her down against him into their original spooning position. “Go to sleep, Teirney. All will be well. I’m here. And I texted my security earlier. Two guys are sitting in their car outside.”

  “Oh.” He’d given her a new piece of information. “Should we let them in? I don’t relish the idea of them stuck out there all night.”

  “They wouldn’t come in if you did ask them to. Guarding is their job. They watch the perimeter. I got them years ago when a fan got a little too intense. They’ll be here tonight and tomorrow. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Roman and Georgia are bullies. Still, it makes me feel better to know they’re watching you and your grandmother. You can sleep. We both need rest.”

  How was she supposed to go to sleep when she’d come so intensely? Everything about tonight should be wrong except in the dark, in the bed she had fantasized about him in for so long, it had worked. Ian was right.

  Next to her, his hips jerked slightly as he pressed his cock further into her backside. He moaned slightly, yet, seconds later, his breathing evened out, and she knew he’d fallen asleep. How had he managed to drift off with such a pronounced erection she didn’t know. Maybe he’d have very hot dreams. Perhaps she would star in them.

  She smiled at the thought. The sound of his sleeping lulled her into a calm. Assisted by her languid, post-orgasm release, sleep hit her before she knew it was coming. In Ian’s arms, she didn’t dream.

  Morning came quickly, and Granny’s calling for her woke her suddenly. Next to her, with an arm still slung over her body, Ian snored lightly. He hadn’t heard her grandmother, which didn’t surprise Teirney in the slightest. She was making the small sounds of a dying woman. If he wasn’t used to hearing them and didn’t know to listen for her, he wouldn’t.

  She got out of bed, hoping not to wake him, and was relieved when he didn’t move at all. Teirney liked her time in the morning. Taking care of Granny was one thing; chatting with Ian before she had coffee would be an entirely different situation altogether.

  As she got her robe, she watched him in slumber. He really was beautiful. Sometimes she let herself forget about his external perfection. There, in dreamland, with his guard totally removed, he was a fantasy come true. That face, which graced magazines, slept in her bed.

  Not that he was any less gorgeous when he was awake and alert. Even if she finally understood he didn’t see himself in the same fashion, which somehow, perversely, made him more likable to her.

  ****

  Ian woke slowly. His balls ached, and he reached to adjust his boxers before he let himself really become alert. It took him a minute to orient himself. Years had passed since he had regularly awoken in bedrooms not his own, or at least a hotel room he’d booked, and, for a second, he couldn’t remember where he had passed out. It was the smell that finally set him right. Teirney’s vanilla-scented pillows brought the night before rushing to life and he grinned at the memory.

  He had made her come. Ian settled on the pillows and stared at the clock on the wall. It was only eight o’clock, really early for him, considering the hours he kept. Where was Teirney? Didn’t she ever sleep?

  She had for a while. He’d awoken at some point and been aware of her resting in his arms. It had been so…nice.

  He rose, then pulled on his pants. Not that he expected her grandmother to be walking around the house. Still, he wanted to be respectful. If he met her, he didn’t wish it to be in his boxers.

  The house was quiet, and he followed a shuffling sound until he saw Teirney in the kitchen. She was putting pills into containers. He watched her meticulously line things in order before distributing them. There was a magic to her organization he admired. She must be wonderful in a crisis, considering she planned for every eventuality. It wouldn’t surprise him if she had some kind of bail-out bag somewhere in the house.

  “Morning.”

  She jumped before she turned around. “Hi. Sleep well?”

  “I did.” He stretched.

  She was put together and fully dressed, already in the all-black outfit she wore backstage. How long had she been up?

  “Did you?”

  “Yes, it was great.” She walked over to the coffee maker. “Want some?”

  “No, I’m good. I don’t generally have any until lunch. You didn’t sleep long if you’re already fussing about.”

  “Granny needs me by six. I’ve never needed very much rest. I get by very well with anything from two to four hours.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Human beings could only subsist on so little sleep for short periods. It seemed Teirney was really good at taking care of others, not necessarily herself. Maybe there were things he—well, his assistant—could acquire to aid her in caring for her grandmother. Would she accept his help? Probably not.


  One of the things he admired about her was her stiff back and proud chin. They weren’t yet at the place in their relationship where he could suggest letting him shelter her from the burdens of life. He took a deep breath. He was a Cancer, and, as much as he didn’t always give credence to astrology, he certainly knew he had the angst to go along with not being able to have things as he wanted them.

  His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to look at thirty text messages and five missed calls. Quickly, he scanned through them. Several were from women he used to spend time with on occasion. He deleted a voicemail and the texts from them. His need for their company had passed. He was falling hard for a woman who wasn’t sure about him yet. Life was funny. He knew twenty girls in the area who would jump to believe every word he said, and the woman he wanted kept her guard up better than anyone he knew.

  Except for last night. She’d shattered in his arms, and he’d known real joy for the first time.

  He had three texts from his assistant and an email from his agent. Those inquires he needed to take.

  “I’ve got to make some calls.”

  “Right.” She nodded as she chewed on her lip. “I assumed you’d have to get moving right away. So, don’t let me hold you here.”

  “Kicking me out, huh? I see how it is.” He’d win his woman over. And then he wouldn’t let her go.

  “No.” Her eyes got huge and she rushed forward, putting her hands on his arm. “I’m not sure how to do this thing. I mean what is it? Are we friends? That’s what I keep telling myself.”

  “How about we try this idea? I know you prefer to plan.” He didn’t wish her to panic. “Let’s keep things simple. Who do you have watching your Granny tonight?”

  “I’ve called the woman from around the street. She can help me every night until I replace Georgia. I can’t count on her forever. It’s nice she can help for a little bit. She knew Granny years ago, when, if you can believe it, Granny babysat her.”