“Then what is this? Some form of rebellion? Didn’t you ever sneak out as a kid?”
She swallowed hard, unexpected emotions welling up inside her. “No.”
His expression softened, and she felt a lightening in the tension around them. “Well, lucky for you, I’m awesome at it.” His eyes shimmered with an unexpected playfulness. “You want to have fun? I’ll help you have fun while keeping you safe. I’ll school you in the ways of the wicked, but I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger.”
“What does that mean? You’ll teach me to sneak out?”
“If that’s the itch you need to scratch, yes.”
He stepped closer, looking deeply into her eyes as he said, “Let me keep you safe, Remi. Trust me.” It came out as a plea as much as it did a demand.
Now she was breathing hard for a whole new reason.
He eyed her outfit. “If tonight is about going incognito and you’re comfortable in what you have on, then go for it. But know that you don’t have to. I’m here so you no longer have to live your life in a box. I’m not going to shuffle you from car to building and lock you away. That’s no way to live when there’s a whole world out there waiting for you to light it up.”
She didn’t know exactly how to respond beyond “Thank you.” I’m sorry felt too pat, and there was no way she was going to admit why she’d wanted space from him, especially now, when space was the last thing she wanted.
“Just tell me one thing,” he said in a gentler tone. “Were you testing me? To see if I’d quit?”
“No,” came out fast and loud. She tried to soften her vehemence to a more casual tone and said, “I like you. I don’t want you to quit.”
He exhaled loudly. “That’s a start. I’m on your side, Remi.”
“Thank you. I’m not used to being around someone like you. You see things about me, in me, that other people don’t.”
“It’s part of the job. No big deal.”
It was a very big deal because he saw what she needed, what she wanted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you or make you angry.”
“I’m only angry because you could get hurt. I’m sure it’s frustrating for you to have someone breathing down your neck all the time. But if that scumbag followed you from LA to New York, then your life could be in danger every moment of the day. Like it or not, Remi, you need me. And guess what, Princess? I need you, too.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” she said softly, wondering why Princess sounded sweeter now, like an endearment.
“I’ve never failed at a job, and you hold all the cards. You fire me and I fail. See? It goes both ways.” He motioned toward the door. “We’d better shut off the shower and get going so Piper doesn’t get the wrong idea.” As he unlocked the front door, he eyed her skirt and boots and said, “So, are we partying Madonna-style tonight?”
“I think so. I need a night when nobody knows my name.”
“I’m cool with that, as long as you know who you are.” He placed his hand on her lower back as they walked inside and said, “Because once you lose sight of that, you’re screwed.”
Remi had always believed she knew exactly who she was: Aiden’s younger sister and an actress. It wasn’t until she’d met Willow and formed a circle of real, true friends that she’d realized how much richer life was with them in it. She’d added friend to her short list after sister and actress. As her friends fell in love and started forming their own families, Remi had begun taking a closer look at her own life and realized—or finally acknowledged—how lonely she was and that she wanted to be more than a friend, sister, and actress.
Achieving Oscar-winning, America’s-Sweetheart status took a perfect storm of elements. She’d gotten lucky with her career. If only she could get as lucky in her personal life.
Mason had never been a fan of nightclubs, though he understood the draw of a place to let down one’s guard and connect with another lonely soul with whom to hole up for an evening of meaningless sex. It had been a long time since Mason had stepped foot into a place like Decadence, where bad decisions lingered in every drink. Testosterone-laden men and scantily clad women bumped and ground to the pounding beat, the scents of lust and foreplay drawing them closer, the haze of alcohol taunting them into submission. Mason stood by the crowded dance floor where Remi and Piper had been dancing and chatting since they’d arrived more than an hour ago. At six four, he had a clear view of the room. He sized up men and scrutinized women, cataloging the faces of every person in the place, just in case he needed to draw upon them later.
The combination of dim lighting, lust-filled hazes, and Remi’s hair tucked beneath her baseball cap seemed to do the trick of hiding her identity. She was sexy as sin in that skimpy leather skirt, her toned stomach peeking out, begging to be licked with every sway of her hips. She’d seemed nervous when they’d first arrived, but she’d downed a shot of tequila, and the liquid courage had done its job. The girl had serious dance moves.
Moves he’d like to see in the privacy of a dark bedroom.
Moves he should not be thinking about.
The door to the club opened, and a group of guys blew in, loud and boisterous. They headed directly to the bar. The door opened again, and Remi’s friend Willow walked in with her husband, Zane. Zane Walker was an actor-turned-screenwriter and had starred with Remi in a romantic movie last summer.
Willow scanned the dance floor and pulled Zane through the crowd toward Remi and Piper. Remi squealed when the curvy blonde appeared before her. The girls fell into a giggling group hug, and then Remi hugged Zane. Jealousy clawed up Mason’s spine. He had no business caring who Remi hugged, and Zane was married, for God’s sake. She obviously wasn’t interested in him. What the hell was wrong with him?
“I didn’t know you were coming!” Remi exclaimed.
“Bridgette and Talia called it an early night, and I wanted to dance. Piper texted me earlier,” Willow said loudly. “I hear you got caught sneaking out!”
“I was hoping she’d at least get spanked for it, but apparently hottieguard is a gentleman,” Piper said.
“That’s my cue to leave you girls alone.” Zane said something in Willow’s ear, kissed her, and then he joined Mason off to the side. “You’re Remi’s new bodyguard, Mason, right? Bodhi’s friend?”
Mason shook his proffered hand. “Yes, but we’re keeping the bodyguard thing on the down low tonight. Remi’s here incognito.”
“That explains the baseball cap. I’m Zane Walker.”
“I know.” When Zane’s brows slanted, Mason said, “Part of the job. Background checks on people close to Remi.”
“Oh, right. I guess that makes sense.”
A guy danced over to the girls, and Mason readied himself to intervene, but as the guy leaned closer to Remi, Piper inserted herself between them, shaking her head, and the guy backed off.
Zane chuckled. “Has she been doing that all night?”
“Pretty much.” He liked Piper, despite her role in Remi’s attempt to sneak out. She’d been watching over Remi since they’d arrived, and when their friend Everly had shown up briefly, she’d watched out for her, too. Piper seemed to have a nose for sniffing out douchebags, and she had no problem shutting them down.
Remi glanced over, as she’d done several times. Mason tried to convince himself she was just making sure she was safe, but there was no mistaking the sensuality in each and every furtive glance, or the spike in temperature they caused.
“Don’t let Piper’s size fool you,” Zane said. “She’s the fiercest of all the Dalton girls. She’s everyone’s protector, including Remi’s and Aurelia’s.”
Mason had studied people long enough to know there was more to the brazen siren than she cared to let people see. The same way he knew Remi was a hell of a lot more than just a gorgeous actress.
“But don’t let Remi fool you, either,” Zane said. “She gets prickly, but who wouldn’t? I hated all the bullshit that came along with being a celebrity, and I n
ever had a stalker. She’s been dealing with a lot these past few months. She’s an incredible person—you should know that. She’s got a big heart, and she would do anything for her friends.”
“Yeah, I get that impression.” Mason spotted a guy watching Remi from across the room, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
Zane lowered his voice and said, “I hear Remi gave you the slip earlier.”
“She tried and failed,” Mason said distractedly as the guy he was watching wove through the crowd, his eyes trained on Remi. Remi was too busy dancing with Willow to notice, and Piper was now dirty dancing with a dark-haired dude.
“Excuse me,” Mason said to Zane and strode onto the dance floor behind Remi, locking a threatening gaze on the guy. Mason put his hand on Remi’s waist, and her head whipped around, eyes wide. Mason didn’t miss a beat, dancing as if they were together as he spoke directly into her ear. “There’s a guy at ten o’clock heading your way. I don’t like the look of him.”
The actress in her must have taken over because she fell effortlessly into a seductive dance. Her hips swayed and her ass brushed against his groin, making him hard as steel despite his focus on the guy, who was now standing still, watching them. Remi’s arm snaked into the air, blindly finding the side of Mason’s face, and slithered down his neck to his shoulder. She turned in a hip-swaying, shoulder-rocking dance. Neon lights rained down over her beautiful face, reflecting in her eyes as they danced thigh to thigh, chest to chin. She moved sensually, hungrily, against him, meeting every thrust of his hips with a seductive move of her own. Mason knew he should put space between them, but the guy was still watching—and Remi felt fucking incredible.
Mason noticed several other men watching as her hands slid up his chest and down his arms. He was quick to shoot them warning glares, though he was sure there was also pride in his eyes, because holy hell, Remi was hot. She moved like she was born with rhythm and sensuality coursing through her veins. Every sway of her hips amped up his arousal as she turned around again, brushing her ass against his cock. His hand belted around her waist, pulling her closer, staking claim as he lowered his chin, shooting a darker, even more menacing look at the original ogler, sending him retreating with a sheepish look in his eyes. Remi’s ass pressed against him, her hands sliding down his outer thighs. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony, brushing and taunting. If she were anyone else, he’d be taking her to his bed tonight.
On that thought, he stepped back, putting space between them. Remi glanced lustfully over her shoulder. Her gaze quickly morphed to confusion, and then something akin to hurt brimmed in her beautiful eyes. Fuuck.
With the threat alleviated and a knot of guilt burning in his chest, Mason strode off the dance floor.
“Whoa, hottieguard has moves,” Piper said loudly.
Fucking hottieguard. He didn’t want to be anyone’s hottieguard, but he couldn’t deny the possessiveness pulsing inside him, the desire to make Remi his, to protect her from all the ogling assholes and help her find the life she so desperately wanted and didn’t quite know how to live. He gritted his teeth, watching the guy across the room to be sure he wasn’t dumb enough to approach her again.
“Damn, dude,” Zane said. “The way you two looked out there, I’d have sworn you were a couple.”
“All part of the job.” The lie came easily, but he wasn’t fooling himself. Remi Aldridge had the power to slay him, and if he was going to protect her, he couldn’t let that happen.
As the night wore on, Remi’s glances came more often, hotter and more intense than ever. Suddenly the music died down and the din of the people rose. Women cheered and guys shouted.
Mason moved closer to Remi just as the room went nearly pitch-black. He swept her into his arms, his senses buzzing like live wires, ready to fend off any threat. In the next second a fast, staccato beat rang out and neon lights flashed over the stage. Women screamed, and the crowd surged forward amid whistles and catcalls. Smoke rose at the back of the stage, and a muscular dark-haired guy burst through a curtain wearing a bow tie and skintight pants.
Women waved dollar bills, chanting “Geno! Geno!”
Mason’s eyes dropped to Remi, who was clutching his shirt and looking up at him with those entrancing hazel eyes like he was the main event.
Holy. Fuck.
There was a half-naked man tearing off his clothes onstage, and the most beautiful woman in the room wanted only him. But damn it, that momentary blackout was a perfect reminder of why he needed to keep his hands off her.
He released his grip, but she fisted her hands tighter in his shirt, snagging a few chest hairs. The beat of the music accelerated, competing with the pounding of his heart.
“Dance with me,” she said heatedly.
She rolled her plump lower lip between her teeth, her hazel eyes darkening and widening at once, pleading with him as they had when they were dancing at the fundraiser, chipping away at his resolve.
He gritted his teeth and said, “I’m here to watch your back, Remi.”
“How about you watch my front, instead?” she practically purred.
She began swaying seductively, still clinging to his shirt. The beat slowed, but Mason’s engine revved faster. Blood pounded through his veins as he tore his eyes from Remi and scanned the crowd of dancing, cheering women and men. Zane’s arms were around Willow, and Piper was waving dollar bills. The song came to a crescendo, causing another surge toward the stage. A group of women knocked into Piper, sending her stumbling into Remi and knocking Remi’s hat off. Mason steadied them both.
“Is that . . . ?” A woman pointed at Remi and yelled, “It’s Remi Divine!”
Several people whipped around, converging on them like walls closing in. Fear rose in Remi’s eyes. Thinking fast, Mason said, “My girlfriend gets that all the time!” He hauled her against him as he pushed toward the door, knocking people out of the way with his broad shoulders, clearing stragglers with a powerful sweep of his arm. Piper, Willow, and Zane were on their heels as they burst from the bar into the cool, dark night. Mason kept Remi close as he blazed a path toward the SUV.
“Holy shit!” Zane exclaimed as a few people stumbled out the door behind them.
“That was insane!” Willow said.
Piper said, “Hottieguard, you’re pretty kick-ass.”
Mason had Remi tucked safely against his side, but there was nothing funny about the way his insides were thrumming or about what could have gone down if he’d given in to his desires and been caught off guard.
Another excellent reminder of why he needed to keep his python in his pants.
CHAPTER SIX
THURSDAY MORNING REMI awoke feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. She’d heard her girlfriends talk about inescapable lust and combustible heat, but Remi had never actually experienced any of those things until she’d met Mason. Now that she’d experienced the heart-pumping, toe-curling thrum of white-hot desire, she wanted more of it. She’d left the door wide open last night when she’d asked Mason to dance, and though he’d sent a clear message about being there to watch her back, not to cross professional boundaries, she knew in her heart that he felt their connection just as strongly as she did. She just wasn’t sure what to do about it.
She dressed in a sports bra and yoga pants, hoping to work off some of her sexual frustration, and then she combed through emails, taking care to respond to all of Naomi’s messages. When she finally headed downstairs to the gym, every step made her vibrate with excitement about seeing Mason. It was more than physical attraction that had her flying high. It was everything about him—even the fact that after only a couple of days, he knew her well enough to be waiting at the bottom of the driveway when she’d tried to sneak out.
The man paid attention to details.
And, sweet heavens, he knew how to dance. Her heart raced just thinking about the feel of his body against hers, his hand splayed over her belly, his hard heat p
ressing against her ass.
Her pulse quickened as she peeked into the kitchen, expecting to see him there, but the room was empty. She looked out the patio door, but he wasn’t walking the property line, either. He was usually right there, wherever she was. He definitely had Spidey senses. She headed down to the gym on the lower level, wondering where he was. She knew he wouldn’t have gone far.
His voice floated out of the open doors to the gym. “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry,” Mason said. “I hate that I have to cancel, too.”
Remi stopped cold, listening despite knowing she shouldn’t.
“I’ll make it up to you after I finish this job.” He paused, and then he said, “A few weeks. Three, maybe four. Then things will go back to normal.”
He had a girlfriend? Why on earth had he danced with her the way he had?
“I miss you, too. Okay. See you soon, sweetheart.”
Back to normal? Sweetheart? Tears burned her eyes. I’m such an idiot. He was just doing his job, and she was throwing herself at him. His voice whispered through her mind. I’m here to watch your back, Remi. She leaned against the wall, feeling sick. How could her radar be that far off?
Just breathe, Remi. Just breathe, and everything will be okay.
She had to fix this, to find a way to make things okay without totally embarrassing herself. If she needed a bodyguard, she wanted it to be Mason, even if they could only be friends on a professional level. She trusted him, and she liked him. The clink of weights jostled her brain into gear. Maybe she was worrying too much. So what if she’d misread him? He was hot, and he’d danced like he’d wanted her, even if he’d been doing it just as part of his job. Any other woman would have thought the same thing. She told herself she had nothing to be embarrassed about, and even if she didn’t quite believe it, she was a professional actress. She could save face like a pro.
She pushed from the wall, rolled her shoulders back, and forced a smile. Piece of cake. She flexed her hands a few times, and with a bounce in her step, she entered the gym.
This is Love Page 7