DAREDEVIL
FIONA DAVENPORT
Copyright © 2019 by Fiona Davenport
Cover designed by Perfect Pear Creative Covers
Edited by Manda Lee
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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CONTENTS
Daredevil
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Epilogue
My Father’s Best Friend
Chapter 1
About the Author
DAREDEVIL
Ainsley Carruthers has never been afraid to take risks. When she’s offered a stunt role in a movie, she jumps at the chance to try something new. But she might be taking more of a risk than she realizes when she falls for a sexy man with a dark past.
Remington Vaughn has fought hard to conquer his demons and come out on top. When he’s given a chance to rebuild his Hollywood career, he doesn’t expect to find a new addiction...Ainsley.
Warning: It’s not just the hero who’s over-the-top in this one; the heroine is too—literally! But that just means more yumminess for you because she’s an aerial silks performer, and her flexibility meant we could get super creative. Be prepared for this Hollywood with Alexa Riley story to leave you wanting more.
CHAPTER 1
REMINGTON
“Remington.” Sammy, one of the production assistants, pushes open the door to my dressing room and sticks his head in. “Jackie wants you on set in studio B.”
I lift my head from my computer and glance at my watch. “Cannon and I aren’t scheduled to film until tonight.”
Sammy shrugs. “I’m just the gofer today,” he says before disappearing into the hall.
Quickly, I hit save so that I don’t lose the changes I’m making to the choreography and close the lid. On my way out, I grab a stack of resumes to go over with the director. We still haven’t cast a stunt double for one of the female crew members. We’re getting down to the wire and need to pick someone, but I’m not truly happy with anyone in the pool of candidates.
It’s worrying me because I need this job to go perfectly. This movie is my chance to get my career back on track after a hiatus of several years. I was a child performer and late in my teen years, I let the wrong people influence me and turned to drugs and alcohol as a means of dealing with the pressure and intense schedules. Not that it’s an excuse, but I was also dealing with some very heavy personal issues.
When I was twenty-one, I went to set high and got injured. I was incredibly lucky that it was only minor; however, the incident earned me a black eye in the film industry, and I hit rock bottom.
My best friend drove me to a rehab facility and walked me inside. I did my stint there and then laid low for a few years, getting my shit together. I’ve been clean ever since and even do outreach for kids in the Hollywood scene who need someone to steer them in the right direction.
A year ago, I felt ready to get back to what I loved, but clawing my way back in has been a struggle. I knew I needed the right agent to help me, and TAG Management is the best in the industry. The owner, Tyson Grant, reps my friends, Austin and Theo Hayes, and they were happy to make the introduction.
Tyson was a hard sell, and it took me six months to crack him. Eventually, he agreed to take me on as a client, and he’s worked his ass off to help me attain my goals. When he came to me with the offer to be the Stunt Coordinator and lead stunt man in a movie about a Las Vegas casino heist, I jumped at the chance.
I’d known Jackie Halliday, the director, from my early days and was excited to work with her. She’s trusted me completely with my job, and it’s another reason why I’m determined to be the best.
I walk on set and head straight for the Director’s chair where Jackie is deep in discussion with her Assistant Director. The set dresser is messing with props and I frown, wondering why this studio is already being prepped.
For the most part, we’re filming at The Lennox Hotel and Casino, but for scenes that have to do with the vault and security areas surrounding it, we’re using an offsite production studio. This set is designed for those sensitive areas, and they are some of the most stunt-heavy scenes in the movie.
“Hey,” I greet Jackie as I come to a stop beside her chair. “Cannon won’t be here for another hour, and then we have to rehearse the changes I’ve made to the choreography.”
“Yeah, last minute change to the schedule,” she says as she turns in her seat to look up at me. “We’re going to run through Beatrice’s laser stunt.”
Now I’m even more confused because the papers in my hand are the candidates for Beatrice’s stunt woman. I hold out the stack of CV’s towards her. “These are the best of the last group of resumes sent by the agency. Did you hire someone?” I don’t say my next thought out loud but it hangs between us, and she knows it. Without consulting me?
“No—"Jackie shakes her head—“well, yes, sort of.” She takes the pile and shoves it at her assistant. “We’ve both been disappointed with the casting call for the stunt woman for Beatrice”—she grins at me—“but I found the perfect one.”
I quirk my brow and fold my arms over my chest. While I prefer to have the last say over the casting in my department, especially since my work involves so much risk and requires a lot of trust, I know Jackie wouldn’t go around me on purpose. So, this woman is obviously special. Still, I need to give her my stamp of approval. “What’s her background and what work has she done?”
Jackie stands and waves at me to follow her, walking a short distance away from the set so our conversation is private. “She’s a trained acrobat, and her specialty is aerial work, mostly with silks. I saw her at Cirque de Rêve a couple of months ago, but we weren’t sure if we could get her out of the last year of her five-year contract.”
I nod, that kind of training is definitely an asset to Beatrice’s choreography.
“She’s never done any film work”—she holds up her hands when I begin to sputter a protest—“but, I promise she’s exactly right for this role. However, this is why I called you on set. Let this be her ‘audition’ of sorts.”
I narrow my eyes and run my hands over my buzzed, light brown hair. “Except, she’s already been signed, hasn’t she?” I guess.
“Yes, because she’s not just doing the stunts. We’ve hired her to play Beatrice as well as do her own stunts.”
I glare at Jackie, and she sighs in exasperation. “Just give her a shot.”
Rolling my eyes, I gesture for her to lead the way back to her seat, which now has another that has “Stunt Coordinator” stamped on the back next to it. “Let’s see what you’ve saddled me with.”
I decide to stand so I can move around the set and watch from multiple angles. The lights in the studio dim and the maze of lasers, two feet up from the ground, turn on. Grabbing the pen and notepad in my back pocket, I take up residence near the start of the maze, planning to take notes so I can decide whether the stunt needs any redesigning.
“Where do you want to start from, Jackie?”
My whole body freezes at the sound of the husky voice. Well, everywhere except my dick, that particular appendage is suddenly standing at attention. A minute later my muscles relax (again, my dick is the exception), and I slowly turn to get a glimpse of the owner of the sexy voice.
; The first thing I see is long, dark red hair flowing down to right above a perfect, heart-shaped ass. She’s twisting it up in a bun, and it gives me the chance to sweep my eyes over her from behind. Her back is toned and strong, nipping in at a tiny waist. From what I can tell, she’s only a few inches above five feet, but she has long, shapely legs that will look spectacular wrapped around my waist. I have no doubt they are strong enough to handle any of the elaborate ways I’d like to fuck her. Thoughts of the flexibility it takes to do the kind of work she does almost has me coming in my pants like a fucking teenager. I discreetly adjust myself, grateful I’m wearing track pants and not a full-body stunt suit.
I haven’t been with a woman since before rehab, but I instantly know this isn’t a simple reaction of sexual deprivation. My celibacy has been voluntary, but the truth is, I haven’t been tempted even once to take a woman to bed. No, this draw I feel, this ferocious chemistry, they are all for her and only her.
She turns to walk to the fake entrance on set, giving me a full view of her perky tits, not overly large, due to her athletic build, but just enough to fill my hands and mouth. Her face is oval, with deep green eyes, a Greek nose, and full, pink lips. Our babies are going to be gorgeous.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone halt in their steps, and I glance over to see one of the grips, ogling my girl. That is the moment when I realize just what the fuck she’s wearing. Or more accurately, isn’t wearing.
It’s a skin-tight catsuit, which in and of itself pisses me off. I don’t like that other men can see every nuance and curve of her body. To make matters worse, the leotard isn’t all black. There is a black band around her tits, a swirl of fabric that comes from the back and attaches at the opposite hip to a boy short. I’m close enough to see that the rest of her is still covered by nude spandex, but the fact that she looks practically naked has rage surging through me.
I stalk towards Jackie and slash my hand through the air when I bark, “She can’t wear that shit. Call wardrobe and have them put her in something else.”
Jackie’s eyes rise to her hairline before her eyes narrow and her jaw firms. “You are not in charge of costumes unless they hinder the stunt, Rem. And you and I both know, that outfit is the best fit and fabric for this scene.”
I shake my head emphatically. “No fucking way, Jackie. She’s practically naked!”
“Excuse me?” That husky voice makes my cock painfully hard when it interrupts my tirade. Glancing to my right, I’m confronted with those emerald green eyes that are currently full of fire.
Son of bitch. She’s so fucking sexy, I have to fight my every instinct to drag her back to my dressing room and mark her as mine.
CHAPTER 2
AINSLEY
“What the heck else would I wear when I’m trying to avoid setting off the alarm? If it’s not hugging my body, it’s going to hit one of those beams no matter how good I am.” I wave my hand towards the maze of lasers and barely resist the temptation to roll my eyes. “And I’m wearing way more than normal when I perform.”
Piercing green eyes sweep down the length of my body, and I feel a blush spread across my skin. It’s not because I’m embarrassed by what I’m wearing; I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I was used to performing in less than this. The pink tinge is entirely due to how hot the guy staring at me is.
I’d spotted him talking to Jackie when I walked onto set. With his square jaw, full lips, high cheekbones, and tall, athletic build, he’s the kind of guy who’s impossible to miss. It had taken everything I had in me to force my attention away from him. I can’t afford to mess up the unexpected opportunity that’s dropped in my lap. The studio bought out my contract, so I don’t have another job to fall back on. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want to lose this one since they’re paying me about three times as much as I made performing in Cirque de Rêve. My agent pushed my unique skill set during the negotiations and got me a nice bump in pay since they wanted me mainly for my ability to do my own stunts.
I’m jerked out of my thoughts when Rem—of course he has a total hot-guy name—moves closer to me and snaps, “I’m not saying you should wear something less form-fitting, but the nude spandex isn’t necessary. Viewers will think it’s mostly skin that they’re seeing.”
Jackie tilts her head to the side and asks the question I’m thinking, “I’m still not seeing how that impacts the stunt, Rem.”
He swings a strong arm towards the laser maze. “They’ll be distracted by her body, which will lessen the visual impact of the stunt. The audience should be completely focused on the skill it takes to evade the lasers.”
It’s hard to argue with his logic, and some of my tension loosens. Jackie taps her finger against her bottom lip while she considers his point. She doesn’t look convinced, so he adds, “Thieves choose black because it blends into the darkness. They don’t want to be noticeable, and she’ll stand out too much in that costume.”
That clinches it for Jackie, and she nods in agreement before calling out, “We’ll need a costume change for Ainsley before we get this on film. Another catsuit, but make this one black from neck to toe. No nude material.”
Rem’s chest rises and falls as he heaves a deep sigh.
He seems way too relieved by the costume change, but I don’t know why else he’d be concerned about what I’m wearing. The reasons he gave make sense because they’re focused on the movie and not me. But when his intense green gaze lands back on me, I have the sneaking suspicion his true reason for objecting has nothing to do with the movie.
Jackie moves to Rem’s left side to introduce us. “Ainsley, this is Remington Vaughn. He’s our Stunt Coordinator and lead stunt man. He will be the one you go to with any concerns about the stunts we have you doing. Not that I expect you to have any issues”—she waves in the general direction of the set—"This should be a cakewalk compared to some of the tricks you did in Cirque de Rêve.”
I offer her what I hope is a humble smile. “Even if the stunts are easy for me, I’m sure I’ll be challenged by the acting part since I’ve never been in a movie before.”
“You’ll do great,” Jackie reassures me before turning to Rem. “This is Ainsley Carruthers. Our perfect Beatrice.”
Rem holds out a hand, and I’m even more aware of him when our palms slide together. “I think I’m starting to see why Jackie wanted to hire you so badly.” His fingers tighten around mine before he lets go. “She mentioned that you’re a trained acrobat and do a lot of aerial work?”
I have to clear my throat before I can answer. “Yes, I did gymnastics growing up, mostly acro routines. Then I discovered silks and never looked back. It’s just so exhilarating and beautiful.”
“I’d love to see you on silks sometime.” Rem’s eyes darken to a forest green, and I get the feeling that he’s imagining me on silk sheets instead. “I can amp up your stunts to better match your skill set.”
“Yes! I love that idea.” Jackie claps her hands together and grins. “It’ll help set us apart from all the other Vegas heist movies. How quickly can you pull together some ideas?”
“That depends on how soon Ainsley is available.” Rem takes another step in my direction. At this point, he’s close enough that I can feel his body heat coming off him in waves. “I’d like to work with her on these since she’s the expert on aerial moves.”
I’m not the kind of person who experiences stage fright, not even when I’m dangling from a ribbon thirty feet in the air without a net beneath me. I have a well-earned reputation for not letting nerves get to me, but the idea of spending time with the movie’s sexy Stunt Coordinator sets off a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my cool around him, not when my reaction to him is anything but chilly. I’m lucky that the black material on my leotard is thicker than it appears, or else my pebbled nipples would be obvious to everyone on set.
“I want to do a few run-throughs of the laser choreography so I can get a feel for which camera an
gles will work best, but it shouldn’t take too long. Since I don’t have Ainsley scheduled for any other scenes, she’s all yours for the rest of the day.”
“All mine,” Rem echoes, his full lips tilting up in satisfaction. It sounds so different than the way Jackie said it, with an undertone of sexuality that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Do you need me to adjust Cannon’s schedule to give you more time with Ainsley?” Jackie asks.
“No.” Rem shakes his head. “We should be wrapping up the laser scene when he gets here. Ainsley can try on the new costume and grab a snack while I run through the changes to our choreography. They’re relatively minor, so it shouldn’t take long. Then I’ll focus on her stunts for the rest of the day.”
Jackie’s attention shifts back to me. “How does that sound to you?”
I couldn’t tell her that the studio might’ve saved some money if they’d shown me a picture of Rem before I signed on for the project. Working with him is a perk I’m looking forward to. Instead of making a fool of myself by blurting all that out, I keep it professional as I nod and answer, “Like we’ve got a great plan.”
“Excellent. I like when things come together so nicely.” She beams a smile at both of us before heading over to her chair. I notice there’s one next to her for Rem, but he doesn’t follow. As I move to the start of the laser maze, he sticks close to me. I can practically feel his eyes on me while I reach up and stretch my arms. Once they’re loose again—I’d already done a full warm-up routine before coming on set—I bend over and touch my toes. My heart races when I hear a masculine groan rumble up Rem’s chest. I’m deeply aware of him watching as I finish my stretches.
My years of training in the aerial arts pay off as I move through the choreography Jackie had me memorize earlier. With my core strength, upper body strength, and flexibility, it is more of a continuation of my warm-up routine than a challenge. This is a good thing because if it had been more difficult, I might’ve had issues since I can feel Rem’s gaze on me the whole time. When I make it through the maze and back again without triggering the alarm the first time through, he’s the first person I look towards.
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