"Yeah." He turned to face me and brushed his fingers down my bare arm, knocking sand off of me. "Trisha and her husband are getting a divorce, and I honestly think it's because this life is hard, but also because they weren't friends to start with."
"Did they meet on a set?"
"No." He reached for me again but dropped his hand before he touched me.
I yearned to feel his hands on my skin, lost in my hair, his body pressed tightly to mine, but it was too much, too soon. "And she's devastated?"
"Oh yeah. It sucks going through life alone." Sadness filled his eyes. "You understand some of that, I would assume, but you'll get it even more once your fame skyrockets. And it will."
"I can't imagine how that must feel." I reached out and took his hand into mine, needing to feel connected to him in some way.
"It sucks beyond anything I could describe with any level of accuracy." He squeezed my fingers and released me. "Thanks for coming out here with me. I have a lot of shit to think through, but knowing that you and I aren't at each other's throats is going to make it a lot easier."
"Things to think through?" I whispered roughly as I took a step closer to him. My heart swelled in my chest and my nipples budded from his nearness, though I'd blame the cold if he brought it up. I certainly wouldn't put it past him, though his mood was serious at the moment.
"Yeah." He licked the side of his mouth and reached up, brushing his hand down the side of my hair. "People try so fucking hard to tear down every good thing in your life when you're in the bright lights, Riley. I can't do it much longer."
"Acting?" I felt like an idiot, but my brain wasn't working so well with him standing so close. He was the epitome of my wildest dreams.
"Acting." He confirmed. "I wanna retire and get married. Have some kids and build a big fucking mansion in the hills where no one can find me."
"Sounds dreamy." I smiled, picturing myself right beside him.
He cupped my cheek and leaned in, brushing his nose against mine. "Maybe if this friendship thing works out, you'll consider playing my sugar momma?"
I laughed and leaned toward him. "I don't know what I'll consider, but kiss me before you leave me."
"Always." He pressed his lips to mine, the kiss soft, light, friendly. I blinked twice, and he'd turned, jogging back toward the hotel. "See you tomorrow, Beautiful."
"Until then," I whispered and turned back toward the water. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was a start.
Again.
Chapter 7
Ethan
I had to run the night before, or I wouldn't have been able to leave her be. She meant too much to me, and standing there under the moonlight with her hair down and eyes wide with innocence? Fuck me. It was too much.
"Hey, buddy." Seth patted me on the back as he walked up beside me. "You ready to start your day with a little bit of stretching?"
I glanced down the hallway and smiled over at him. "You on the floor too?"
"Nope. I was waiting outside your door all night like a fucking fangirl." He batted his eyelashes at me. "I slept behind the fern."
I rolled my eyes and stopped by Liam's room, knocking on the door. "Let me in."
"Who's this?" Seth lifted an eyebrow and nodded toward the door.
"My playboy bunny of a brother is here. I promised him I'd come down if he came with me."
"And he's going to want to take a Pilates class this morning?" Seth chuckled, knowing Liam would vomit over the thought of being so feminine.
"Nope. That's why I'm dragging his ass with us. We might as well enjoy watching him suffer."
"What?" My brother barked as he flung open the door.
"Oh. Someone had a little too much to drink last night, no?" I wagged my eyebrows and leaned around him to see the two girls from the night before sawing logs on his bed. "Have fun?"
"Fuck off." He pressed the palm of his hand to the side of his head. "It's too early for the annoying sound of your voice." He tried to close the door, but I pressed my hand to it. I was getting good at not having someone slam a door in my damn face.
"Not a chance. You told me that if I put on my big-boy panties and came down here that you would go where I went. You promised. Get dressed. We are due downstairs for some group exercise in five minutes. No more fucking around, Mister." I rolled my wrist and fluttered my hand in front of his face.
He swatted at it and growled. "Not happening, Ethan. I need more sleep, dude. Fucking two girls all night and finishing off a bottle of wine by myself-"
"Cry me a river." I gave him a stern look. "Get dressed. Now."
"Or?" He moved toward me aggressively. There was my big brother.
"Or I'll tell mom that's a come stain on her bedroom floor and not glue." I put my hand in the center of his chest. "Or how about I tell her that you had a threesome every weekend in her bed while they traveled. Or-"
"Fuck, dude." Seth turned and started laughing. "You have so much on this idiot."
"Fine. I'll meet you down there." My brother popped me in the face and walked back into his room.
"I'm waiting right here. Don't test me. I'm in the mood to watch someone bleed in the name of love." I let the door close and turned to find Seth laughing still. "Much better. There's no reason why I should have to suffer alone."
"Damn... I'm so glad I don't have brothers. Sisters aren't much better, but they don't know my secrets." He paled a little. "At least, not most of them."
"Well, I know all of his." I thrust my thumb back toward the door over my shoulder. "I don't mind being an immature ass and spilling. It would be fun to watch him backpedal his way out of years of dicking mom and dad over."
"They deserved it though, right?" He smiled.
"Oh, yeah. They're asshats for sure, but still, watching Liam do Pilates is something I'm not willing to pass up." I moved back as the door flung open and my brother walked out, looking like warmed over shit.
"I hate you," he mumbled and walked toward the elevator.
"Well, the feeling is not mutual. I love everything about you." I got into the elevator and blew him a kiss as he growled low in his chest.
"How are things going with Riley?" My brother asked, turning the conversation and surprising me a little.
I cleared my throat. "Good. I guess." I shrugged. "We talked a little last night and decided to be friends."
"Ugh. Friends? Really?" My brother threw his head back and let out another long caveman sounding groan. "Why the fuck is wrong with you?"
"I think you should skip the shit and just propose," Seth offered.
"What?" I turned to face him, ignoring Liam. I was used to his shit and often wondered if he wouldn't be a better actor than I was. He was far more dramatic, even on my worst days.
"Propose to her, man. She's in love with you. You're in love with her." Seth lifted his hands, questioning me like I was an idiot.
"Marriage is for quitters, dude." Liam glanced back at me and Seth as he walked off the elevator and bumped into a beautiful blonde with huge tits. "Oh. Sorry."
"You guys are both smoking dope." I walked out and looked around the lobby for a familiar face. Riley was standing with Deza near a cafe, the sight of her sending a wave of desire straight through me.
"I'm just saying." Seth moved up beside me and smiled. "You're wasting precious time. She's going to be someones forever. Might as well be yours."
"This isn't the movies." I scoffed.
"Actually, it is." He winked and walked away from me, headed toward a long hallway.
I should have turned around to see if my brother needed rescuing, but it was Riley. Right there. Dead in front of me. In tight yoga pants and a tank top that left so much skin on display. My cock twitched, growing hard fast.
"Morning, girls." I moved up in between them and smiled. "You both look lovely."
"Thanks." Deza shook her head. "See? I told you he was fine. All you have to do is-" she glanced down and pretended to gag. "Really?"
"I'm sorry." I
covered my cock with my hands and smiled at my girl. "You do very bad things to me, but you knew this, didn't you?"
She burst out laughing and turned back to the teller, paying for her juice as Deza made herself scarce. "You don't have a modest bone in your body. Do you?"
"I'm not so sure I agree." I leaned closer, pressing my mouth close to her ear from over her shoulder. "I have a huge boner that I'm trying really hard to keep hidden. Does that count."
The teller looked up, the woman's eyes going wide. Shit. Why couldn't I go anywhere without making a fucking scene? "Anything else?" The older woman's voice was tight with tension.
"Nope." I took Riley's hand and pulled her toward the hallway where Seth disappeared. "I don't think it's fair that you're able to hide things when you're turned on."
"I'm not turned on." She glanced over at me, her cheeks a light pink, her breathing slightly off.
"Yeah, you are. You're thinking about my monster cock. Admit it."
We stopped, and she turned to face me, her eyes moving down toward my stomach as she shook her head. "I'm not, and stop being so dirty." She glanced back up at me, the vein on the side of her neck beating wildly.
"No?" I reached out and brushed my fingers down her side. "I think someone is lying."
"Hey. Where the fuck did you go?" Liam and his perfect timing.
"See you in exercise class." She turned and jogged down the hall, giving me a beautiful view of her ass, jiggling in her pants.
"Ugh. Fuck you, man. What the hell?" I reached out and pinched his nipple.
He yelped and swatted me away. "What? You left me back there with that chick I almost plowed over."
"You do really well on your own with big-breasted women. What are you bitching about?" I turned and walked down the hall. My dumb ass of a brother got the hint and followed beside me.
"Dude, I knew her. We slept together sometime last year when I was down here for business, and I never called the bitch." He popped me in the stomach. "You know the drill. Stay on stand-by in case a brother needs your help."
"A brother?" I snorted and opened the door to the class. "You're too white for that shit, and we all know your cock is this big." I held up my pinkie.
"Just because we weren't all blessed with a fire hose." He stopped and pulled my arm, forcing me to stop with him.
Everyone I worked with was standing in the center of a large room as the instructor seemed to be giving instructions. You could have heard a fucking pin drop.
"Oh Lord," Frank said and turned back to the instructor. "Just keep going and ignore that last comment. We all get paid a lot to work with that guy."
Liam pressed his hand to his mouth and turned to me, laughter pouring from his lips. "I'm sorry, man."
"Fuck you and your shrimp dick." I walked toward the group, eying Riley's ass in her tight yoga pants. How badly I wanted to move up behind her and cup her cheeks, squeezing ever so softly as she squirmed. Friends wasn't going to cut it.
"That's it. We're measuring our junk tonight. Your room or mine?" Liam moved up beside me and stretched his arms to the ceiling as some of the extras turned and gave him an odd look.
"Ignore him. He has turrets." I shook my head and gave them a frown.
"Hush and do what the lady tells you to do," Frank barked from in front of us.
"Do what the lady tells you to do." My brother glanced over at me and pointed his fingers before snatching it down as Frank glanced back again.
We were acting like we were ten years old again. It was nothing new.
The instructor took back over the class, and we got into the swing of things, stretching and trying to hold our balance in various positions. Each was more dicked up than the last, but it was humorous, to say the least. Liam almost pulled his groin out three times, which made the event more than worth it from my point of view.
Every chance I got, I turned my eyes toward Riley, memorizing the long line of her back as she arched it, the thick curve of her breasts, the graceful bend of her legs. She was too much woman for me, and I didn't deserve her in the slightest, but I couldn't help but offer God anything if he would just give me a second chance with her.
"Alright. Great job today, guys." The instructor clapped her hands and smiled over toward Frank. "Everyone is invited back but those two." She pointed toward us.
"What? I did that downward dog thing better than her. She's just jealous!" My brother yelled, pretending to be highly offended.
"You're not bringing him again." Deza gave me a look as she walked out of the classroom.
"Asshole." I glanced over at Liam.
"You wanted me up. You got the shaft." He winked and turned to walk out the door. "And don't come looking for me again today. I need more sleep, more sex, and a lot more wine."
"Hey, Ethan. Come here for a minute." Frank walked up beside me, wrapping his thick arm around my shoulders as he walked me toward the mirrors.
I watched Riley catch up to Deza and walk out of the room without glancing back. Fuck.
"What's up?" I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I'd see her in a little while.
"How are things going with Riley?" He released me and turned to face me, his expression beyond fatherly.
"Good?" Discomfort rushed through me. Frank and I were close, but not that close. "We talked through a few things."
"Let me give you a piece of romantic advice. I was thinking about it lying in bed last night."
I lifted my hands. "Not sure I want to hear this."
He gave me a look. "I've been happily married since-"
"Jesus was a baby. I know."
"Hush and listen, you moron. If you want to win over a woman, you have to use romance. It all starts with flowers."
"Nope. Bad idea. I already tried that, and-"
"Which one of us is married with kids?"
He had a point. Maybe listening to him wasn't the worst way to spend my morning. Especially if it changed the way I was most likely spending my night.
Alone.
Chapter 8
Riley
"Great job today." Frank stood in front of all of us later that afternoon and smiled. "Thank you all for getting back to work. I think we'll be able to wrap up the rest of the film over the next few days for the parts that we're filming down here."
I glanced over to my right to find Ethan watching me. He'd been doing it all day, and I would have been lying to myself if I didn't admit that I loved it. I'd worked hard the night before in the room to walk through everything we'd done and been through together.
My conclusion was simple. We had some shit to work through, but all in all, if he were willing to come after me, then I was going to try hard to meet him in the middle.
"Riley. Come walk and talk." Frank motioned for me to join him.
"Sure." I glanced back at Ethan and waved, wanting him to know that I was thinking about him.
He blew me a kiss, embarrassing me. Silly ass.
"That boy." Frank shook his head. "I swear. I've never seen him act this way around anyone for any length of time."
"Oh yeah?" I moved up beside the older man and slipped my hands into my jean pockets. "You think he's putting on a show for all of us."
"Not in the slightest." He glanced down at me as we moved along the shoreline. "I think he's found a good woman and doesn't want to let her go. It's how I felt when I met my wife."
I wasn't sure how to respond to him, so I didn't. Did Frank really think that Ethan and I would end up together long term? That I would one day be his wife? He had to. He wouldn't have made the comment otherwise. Right?
"Listen. Not to change the subject from something warm and bubbly, but I need to apologize to you, kiddo." He stopped, and I followed his lead, turning to face him as a frown formed on his mouth. "Ethan spoke up about Clayton coming back to work with the studio, and I didn't listen. And I should have."
"Okay." I nodded.
"I'm not sure why Mr. Welms holds such a grudge against Ethan, but he a
pparently did." Frank let out a long sigh. "I've been working with Deza to protect Ethan for most of his young life, and this time, I really messed things up."
"You didn't know what Clayton was planning." I reached out and squeezed Frank's thick shoulder. "How could you know?"
"I should have seen it coming, and even more so," he paused and glanced out toward the ocean, "I should have listened to Ethan. He's a pain in the ass most days, but he's like a son to me."
"Then apologize to him." I released Frank and offered him a kind smile. "There's no reason to apologize to me."
"Sure there is. I'm partially at fault for letting Clayton get in. Between him dicking with Ethan and this misunderstanding with Deza, our boy almost lost everything that matters to him."
"He's still got you two and his job." I bit my tongue, not ready to let anyone know that the sexy bastard most likely still had me too.
"And he would trade all of that in for a chance with you again." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You want to grab something to eat? My treat."
"No, but thank you." I looked around, trying to find him. "I'm pretty tired after working all day today. I know it's silly, but I've been laying in my bed for two weeks, contemplating the meaning of life. Walking in the sand for half an hour yesterday had me whooped. Today? I'm toast."
He chuckled and nodded. "I understand. Enjoy your evening, and take this as my apology for any part I played or didn't play in everything that happened. I'm truly sorry."
"Me too." I gripped his hand and squeezed before turning and walking back up the beach. A peace settled over me knowing that I'd resolved everything that I needed to with Deza and Frank. Ethan was the last one on my list to clean things up with.
I couldn't find him anywhere as I walked back to my room as languidly as possible. Where the hell had he gone? I yawned loudly as I got on the elevator, the elderly couple beside me looking over with faint terror on their faces. I laughed, unable to help myself.
Ethan would have given me shit over my horrible yawn. Everyone that loved me did.
Debt Collector Page 82