His focus is wholly centered on me, as though we’re the only two people on set. His hands are tucked in the pockets of his track pants, pulling the material tight across his crotch. His hard length is pressing against it, and feminine triumph surges through my veins knowing I’m the one who put it there.
“On this next run-through, how about you toss the choreography out the window and show off your skills a little bit so Rem gets a better idea of what you can do?” Jackie suggests.
“You betcha!” I agree with a grin. I appreciate the opportunity to impress the sexy Stunt Coordinator. I bend, twist, and leap my way through the red laser beams. The set is completely silent when I’m done. All eyes are on me, so I’m the only one who sees the moment Rem’s control breaks.
CHAPTER 3
REMINGTON
That was hands down, the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I think I’ve got a new addiction, and I briefly wonder if I should call my sponsor. But I decide I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. Even if I did, I doubt there is a program out there that could diminish my new obsession with Ainsley Carruthers.
“Ainsley, let’s go,” I grunt before spinning around and marching off set. I want Ainsley all to myself, and my dressing room isn’t far enough away. I head to the studio exit and stop, turning back to make sure she followed me. When she’s a few steps away, I open the door and hold it for her as she steps out. Once we’re outside, I take her hand and lead her across the lot to my trailer.
She’s looking up at me with wide green eyes, and I can tell she’s not sure what to think. The irony is that I’ve never been so certain of anything. It’s abundantly clear to me that Ainsley is my future.
I’m afraid to scare her, but after watching her performance, I’m afraid that if I don’t kiss her right now, I’ll burst into flames. Opening the door to my trailer, I gaze at her hungrily as I let go of her hand and gesture for her to enter. She doesn’t hesitate, and that puts a huge smile on my face as I follow right behind her.
The door swings shut, and I flip the lock before snagging Ainsley’s hand and pulling her into my body. “I’m going to kiss you,” I growl before I crash my mouth down over hers. She freezes for a single heartbeat before she melts into me. Her head falls back, allowing me better access as I devour her sweet lips. My tongue slides along the seam, and she doesn’t hesitate to open for me. The taste of strawberries bursts on my tongue, and I groan while plunging my hands into her thick, silky hair. I’m hard as a rock and don’t bother to hide it, going so far as to push my erection further into her stomach so she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
A soft moan escapes Ainsley’s mouth, and it fuels my hunger for her. “Fuck,” I breathe against her lips. “I want you.” Her tits are pressing into my chest, her hard, little nipples poking through the spandex. Her hips move restlessly, and it’s clear I’m not alone in my need.
But this is fast. As much as I want to go full speed ahead, I have the feeling I need to back off so that I don’t scare her away. Not that I’ll go very far. I intend to keep her, and that means not letting her leave my side.
I manage to tear myself away from her, though it’s about the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. My chest is moving up and down rapidly, and my heart is pounding. My hands slip out of Ainsley’s hair and cup her cheeks so I can stare down at her beautiful face. Her green eyes are dark and hazy with lust, her face flushed a pretty pink, and her lips are swollen. She looks like she’s been thoroughly kissed. “You are gorgeous,” I murmur before giving in and giving her one more brush of my mouth over hers.
“I—that was—wow,” she sputters as she shakes her head. “I’ve never done that.”
I raise a brow. “You’ve never been kissed like that?” How could anyone kiss Ainsley without succumbing to an all-consuming passion?
“I’ve never been kissed before.”
My hands hold her face firmly between them, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I rest my forehead to hers. There is nothing that will stop me from taking Ainsley, but knowing I’m her first kiss, it beats the fuck out of my resolve to take this slow. Because, if she’s never even been kissed… “Baby, are you a virgin?” I almost choke on the question; my throat tight from the struggle to control myself. My eyes open, and I lock our gazes as I wait for her answer.
She looks unsure as she whispers, “Yes.”
It’s a fight to draw oxygen into my lungs, but I manage to suck in a calming breath. I do it again, and this time it’s a little easier.
“I don’t want to come on too strong, my little daredevil, but with you, I don’t seem to have any other choice.” Something in my tone causes her emerald green eyes to widen. “You are mine, Ainsley.” I run a finger along her bottom lip. “This mouth”—the finger journeys down to her breast where I slowly circle her tight nipple—“these tits”—I continue down until I reach the apex of her thighs and cup her there—“this pussy. They are all mine.” Ainsley looks shocked, but she doesn’t object or pull away.
The thick air around us begins to dissipate and I step back, ignoring the painful protest of my cock. Again, I’m grateful to be wearing loose pants, or I imagine I’d be suffering from some pretty severe cuts from the teeth of my zipper.
A knock on my door startles us both, and I growl at the interruption. I gently push on Ainsley’s shoulders, urging her towards the couch to the left of the door, then spin around and flip the lock before opening the door with enough force to make it bang into the wall. “What?” I bark.
Cannon takes a step back, and his eyebrows lift almost to the hairline of his buzzed, blond hair. “Whoa, dude.” He puts his hands up in a defensive pose. “No need to come out swinging.”
Fuck. I sigh when I remember that Cannon is here to run over the new choreography before we film the scene tonight at The Lennox. I glance over at Ainsley and debate my options. I know I should let her do as I suggested earlier, get a snack before her costume fitting, but I’m loathe to let her out of my sight for even an hour or two.
“How about I send Marie here for your costume change and have lunch delivered for both of you?” I suggest with a charmingly persuasive smile. At least this way, I know she’s here, in my space, waiting for me.
She smiles and it lights up her face, making me want to kiss the hell out of her all over again. I have every intention of seeing that smile every day for the rest of our lives. “Sure.”
I turn back to Cannon, and he’s leaning forward to catch a glimpse of who I’m talking to. When he sees Ainsley, his mouth drops open and his eyes go round as saucers. I move to block the door and snarl, “If you want to keep those pretty boy blues in your head, you’ll keep them to yourself and off my woman.”
Cannon’s surprised expression transfers to me, and he stares for a minute. “Your woman?”
My eyes narrow, and I spear him with a serious look before nodding.
“Is that Ainsley Caruthers?” he finally asks. I nod again, tempted to growl at him just for saying her name. “How long have you known her?” He crosses his arms over his chest and studies me thoughtfully.
“It doesn’t matter.”
A slow smile suddenly spreads across Cannon’s face. “No problem, Rem. Messaged received.” His tone is innocent, but his eyes are devious. I’ve known Cannon since I was twenty and we’re more like brothers than friends, so I know what is running through his head. He’s thinking of all the ways he’s going to give me shit about this.
“Ty know about this?” he queries, and I frown, narrowing my eyes in warning. Cannon’s grin gets even bigger. “I didn’t think so.” Again, I can read the intention in his tone. He’s looking forward to Tyson, and probably the Hayes brothers (who he also knows well), joining in on his plan.
But he’s forgetting something. I wait for it to come back to him, and then it’s my turn to smile as his fades. “Sorry, bro. You’re gonna have to find someone else to gang up on me with. Tyson has no room to talk.”
Cannon
grumbles something unintelligible, then turns and stomps away yelling, “See you in ten, Vaughn.”
I laugh and shake my head as I shut the door once again and face my girl. My amusement fades and is replaced by reluctant acceptance. “I hate that I have to go, but we shouldn’t be more than an hour, two tops.”
Ainsley smiles and stretches out on the couch, wiggling into the plush cushions and looking adorable as she gets comfortable. “No problem. Take your time”—she closes her eyes and sighs—“Wow, this is comfy.” I stare at her for another minute, then my mood darkens a little as I realize she’s still wearing that scrap of fabric from earlier. Quickly, I pad down the hallway to the bedroom in the back and dig through the drawers of my dresser until I find a T-shirt and sweat pants that are a little too small for me. She’ll still swim in them, but it’s better than what she currently has on.
I toss them at her when I return to the front room, then lean over, caging her between my arms. “Change. I’ll be back soon.” I give her a swift, hard kiss before standing back up. Grabbing a folder off of the table, I take the few steps to the door but stop before opening it and look back at her. “I expect you to be here when I return.” My tone leaves no room for argument. This is not a request, so I don’t wait for her to answer. Besides, if she doesn’t stay put, I’ll track her down and tan her sexy little ass.
CHAPTER 4
AINSLEY
When Rem returns, I’m half asleep on his couch. I probably should’ve taken off after he left me standing in his trailer, holding a ridiculously large pair of sweats and a T-shirt. But something kept me here the whole two hours he was working with Cannon. It might’ve been the butterflies that swirl in my belly just from looking at him. It could’ve been how his kisses make me weak in the knees. Or even the little thrill of awareness that raced up my spine when he ordered me not to leave. Whatever the reason, I found myself stripping out of my catsuit and putting on his clothes before raiding his fridge and making myself at home while I waited for the costume designer to arrive. Judging by the masculine approval in his green eyes, it was the right choice.
I tilt my head back to stare up at him after he stalks over to the couch. “You’re going to need to restock the vitamin water, cheese sticks, and salami. I got hungry before lunch came, so I rummaged through your fridge.”
Rem bends his knees to crouch down until we’re eye level. Then he glides his knuckles across my jawline. “How about you jot down a list of all of your favorite snacks and drinks while I take a quick shower? I worked up more of a sweat than I thought I would when I ran through the stunt choreography changes with Cannon.”
“I can tell.” I brush my fingers over his buzz-cut. “You must’ve worked pretty hard since your hair is slightly darker at the temples.”
His full lips curve up at the corners in a sheepish grin. “Yeah, it’s a damn good thing I don’t live somewhere that’s humid all the time because my hair is like a damn sponge. It’d never be dry.”
“That’s one of the things I love about Vegas.” I wind a lock of my hair around my finger. “I grew up in a small town in Iowa near the Mississippi River, and the humidity there was almost as bad as Florida. Controlling the frizz was a full-time job, but it’s way more manageable here.”
I let go of my hair, and Rem’s gaze drops to where it lands—right on top of my breast. His eyes fill with heat, and I try to swallow down the nervous lump in my throat. Even though I moved to Vegas a couple of years ago, I’m not into the party lifestyle like a lot of other people my age are. I’m still a small-town girl at heart, and I don’t spend much time around guys unless I’m at work. Rem might be my Stunt Coordinator, but what’s happening between us has nothing to do with work. You can’t get much more personal than passionate kisses and admissions of virginity.
“Your hair’s fucking gorgeous.” He brushes his lips against mine before standing. His gaze sweeps down my body. “Just like the rest of you.”
I feel the heat of my blush sweep up my chest and neck to my cheeks as I whisper, “Thank you.”
He grabs a pad of paper and pen from the table and hands them to me before heading to the back of the trailer. “Don’t forget to write up that list. I’ll give it to one of the production assistants later so I’ll always have stuff you like on hand.”
One small word in his statement jumps out at me. “Always, huh? It sounds like you think I’m going to be spending a lot of time here with you.”
He pauses in the doorway of the bathroom to look at me over his shoulder. “I don’t think it. I know it. And if you need me to, I’m more than willing to prove to you exactly how sure of that I am.” I quickly shake my head, making him chuckle. “Is my little daredevil afraid of the methods I might use?”
“I wouldn’t say afraid,” I deny, shifting to sit up on the couch and wrapping my arms around my knees. “It’s more like I’m a little worried about how you make me forget a promise I made to myself when I first started high school.”
He turns towards me and quirks up an eyebrow. “What’d you promise yourself?”
My cheeks fill with heat again, and I duck my head as I softly admit, “No sex before marriage. I want to be a virgin on my wedding night.”
I’m reluctant to lift my head because I’m scared of what I might see in Rem’s eyes. When a rumor went around my high school that I was saving myself for marriage, the boys mostly reacted in one of two ways. Either they avoided me like the plague because they knew they weren’t going to be able to get into my pants, or they tried even harder because they wanted to be the guy who got to pop my cherry. Rem doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who’d react like those boys, but even after only meeting him a few hours ago I know I’ll be devastated if I’m wrong.
“Look at me, baby.” I respond to the thread of command in his tone, and my heart races when I catch sight of his face. With his eyes full of determination, his lips firm, and a muscle jumping in his jaw, I have no doubt that he takes my vow of chastity seriously. “When I said you’re mine, I shouldn’t have only mentioned your mouth, tits, and pussy. If I gave you the impression that I’m just after your body, I’m damn sorry. That wasn’t what I meant at all.”
I add his willingness to apologize to the list of reasons why it’s good I decided to wait in his trailer. My mom always told me it’s a quality I should look for in a man. It’s not every day that a girl meets a hot guy who’s comfortable with admitting when he’s wrong, let alone one who’s so open about what he wants. “Thank you.”
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me make this perfectly clear. I want all of you. Body, heart, and soul.”
Whoa. That’s one heck of a declaration. Is he saying he wants to marry me? I don’t have the courage to ask, so instead I blurt, “It doesn’t bother you that you would be my first everything?”
“Fuck, no.” His denial is immediate and vehement. “I’m honored, baby.”
I beam a smile his way. “I’m glad.” It doesn’t escape my notice that he didn’t say that in a hypothetical tense.
“I’ve never given my heart or soul to anyone before you.” He shakes his head and runs a hand over his hair. “I only wish I hadn’t been a dumb fuck when I was younger so I could say the same about my body. But I’ve been celibate for at least four years now.” His beautiful green eyes turn warm, and he smiles softly. “I can’t help but think I’ve been saving my body for you, even if I had other reasons for my decision that I’ll share with you later.”
It’s probably a good thing he doesn’t want to talk about it now because my mind is completely blown by everything he’s already told me. I don’t think I can take much more at the moment. “Go, take your shower. We need to get moving if we’re going to get any work done on changing up my stunts before you have to head over to The Lennox shoot with Cannon tonight.”
“We,” he corrects.
I don’t understand what he means. “We?”
“You’re coming with me to The Lennox.”
> His explanation doesn’t help to clear it up for me very much. “I wasn’t planning on going since I’m not in any of the scenes they’re filming tonight.”
He narrows his eyes and pierces me with a firm look. “Consider your plans changed because you’re coming with me.”
He uses that tone of voice again; the one that says he’s not going to budge on this. “Alrighty then. We’ll have to stop by my trailer, so I can shower and change.”
“That reminds me.” He points at the pad of paper on the cushion next to me, and I pick it up figuring there’s something he wants me to write down for him. “When I give your list to the production assistant, I’ll tell them to move your stuff over to my dressing room.”
“Wait.” I’m not sure what I was expecting him to say, but it definitely wasn’t this. I look up from the notepad with wide eyes. “Why would you have them do that? My dressing room is fine.”
“Yeah, but mine has plenty of space for the two of us since it’s bigger.” He jerks his chin up and glances around. “And we’ll probably end up spending most of our time here since it’s more private. So, I’ll have them bring everything in your trailer over here.”
After that addition to my to-do list, he turns on his heel and heads into the bathroom—leaving me in a daze because he’d basically just told me we’re moving in together. At least while we’re at work, which is going to be the majority of each day while the movie is in production.
CHAPTER 5
REMINGTON
Ainsley’s promise to herself was a surprise, but it only makes my respect for her grow. And, it doesn’t change my plans for us, it simply moves up the timetable. It’s the perfect excuse to get my ring on her finger and have her walking down the aisle to me as soon as possible.
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