I was positive the highlight of my night was the moment that Gloria won the Oscar for best director. I choked up when I saw Dane wipe away a tear as he watched his mother walk up the stairs to the podium. The entire auditorium rose to their feet and gave Gloria a much-deserved standing ovation as she took her Oscar from Ben Affleck and turned to face us.
My smile probably could have lit up the entire theater. It was a perfect moment—one I knew I’d never forget. What a great night for a movie that so many studios had passed on. I was so happy that I felt like I was floating on air. The only thing that would’ve made it better was if Gage was there.
During the commercial break before the best actress category was announced, I looked at my phone again. I frowned as my thumbs flew across the screen as I composed a text to Gage asking if he was okay. When I put the phone down, Dane was studying me.
“Are you okay?”
Embarrassed that I’d been caught basically pouting at my phone wishing Gage would text, I put my game face on.
“I’m good.”
“Nervous?” he pressed.
“I don’t know what I am right now. I’m somewhere between going over a speech in my head and preparing my smile and clap when they announce someone else’s name.”
“I’d forego worrying about the smile and clap. You’re about to take this thing.”
No sooner did he say that than we were given the signal that the show was coming back from commercial. I swallowed nervously and looked back to the stage.
When they announced the presenter for the Best Actress category, I stopped breathing. It was supposed to be Christian Bale, but I swore they’d said Gage Ryan instead. Had I heard that right? A quick glance at Allie confirmed that I had. I could tell because she looked shocked. I turned back to the stage, wondering if there’d been a mix-up. When I saw Gage step out onto the stage, a giddy feeling rushed through me. He was there. Somehow, some way, he’d made it back from Georgia. I nibbled at my lower lip as I got lost looking him over. It had only been a week since I’d last seen him, but it felt like an eternity. I fell into an almost trance-like state as I studied just how good he looked in his tux. God, he was sexy.
“This year’s nominees are . . .”
I startled and blinked rapidly when Allie elbowed me in the side, a reminder that the cameras would be on me at any moment. I forced myself to stop drooling and focus on the moment at hand.
After each of the five of the names in the category were announced, I watched his face as he opened the envelope. I felt the smile on his face like it was a caress against my naked skin.
“The Oscar goes to Morgan Kelly for Dimming Her Light.”
All I knew in that moment was that Gage was watching me, so it took a second to register that I’d won. Dane, Gloria, Garrett, and Shaelyn were on their feet applauding as Allie hugged me.
“Am I awake? Did Gage show up to present the award, and was it my name he called?”
She nodded as she helped me stand. Everything seemed to fade away as I hugged Gloria, Dane, Garrett, and Shaelyn before I made my way toward the stage. Lifting the hem of my skirt, I began to climb the stairs, all the while praying that I wasn’t about to pull a Jennifer Lawrence. When I reached the top, I breathed a sigh of relief as I made my way to where Gage was standing with the golden statue in his hand.
Oh, my God. I just won an Oscar, and my boyfriend had somehow managed to surprise me by showing up to present it.
When I safely reached the top of the stairs, I stopped in front of Gage. As was Hollywood custom, when he held his hand out to give me the Oscar, I leaned in to hug him.
It was supposed to be quick, but I held on a second longer than I should have because I wanted to bask in the warmth of his hand against the exposed skin on my back. When he straightened and looked down at me, his hazel eyes were heated, and I knew he was thinking about the hours we’d spent in bed together the previous weekend. We stared at one another as he guided me toward the microphone, but I barely noticed we were moving. When I finally opened my mouth to speak, I bombed.
“Holy shit.”
The sound of hundreds of gasps and nervous laughter brought me out of my trance. My hand flew to my mouth as I stepped back and turned to face the crowd.
Oh.
My.
God.
I’d just cursed in front of all my peers and the tens of millions of people at home watching.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurted as I turned away from Gage and frantically tried to gather my wits. “Obviously this is a huge surprise,” I laughed. “I’d like to thank my parents, my best friend Allie, my amazing director, Gloria Garrison, for giving me the chance . . .”
Other than thanking Dane, Garrett, and Shaelyn, I don’t remember the next ten seconds of my speech at all. After I finished and stepped back from the microphone, Gage put his hand on my back and began guiding me off the stage. That quickly, I was back in the vortex of how it felt for him to touch me. I’d just won an Oscar, and it was barely even registering because all I could think about was him
“You came,” I whispered.
“I’ll always be here when you need me,” he answered.
I figured anyone watching likely assumed the single tear that rolled down my cheek was because I’d won an Oscar. The truth was that I choked up because of how overwhelmed I was by what he’d done for me.
Eighteen
Gage
It took everything I had in me to stop my hand from shaking where it touched Morgan’s back, a reaction which only she was able to pull from me. I was so fucking proud that she’d won her first Oscar, but that hadn’t stopped my cock from hardening the instant she’d leaned in to hug me. My cock pressed against the zipper of my custom-tailored tuxedo slacks—something I was going to have to consider the next time I met with my tailor since it had also happened at the Golden Globes. When she’d turned to face the podium, I slid slightly to the right so the scarlet colored material from her dress blocked the camera’s view of my crotch.
As she spoke, her intoxicating scent wrapped around me, pulling me further under her spell as she thanked everyone who needed to be thanked in her husky voice. Then I was ushering her off the stage with my hand at her back, caressing the skin exposed there when what I really wanted was to get my hands all over her body.
I also felt the insane urge to rip her dress to shreds and then light it on fire for good measure. I couldn’t have cared less how much it cost even though it was probably upward of fifty thousand dollars if I had to guess. I’d have been more than happy to pay for the damn thing, and it wouldn’t have made a dent in my account. But I didn’t want anyone to see her naked.
Not that it covered much of her tits with that plunging neckline. During that moment when we’d stared at each other after she’d stepped away from me, they’d bounced seductively with each breath she took, and I thought they were going to pop out of her dress. I’d been so convinced of it that I almost whipped off my tuxedo jacket to keep her covered. While she’d been giving her speech, I’d been obsessing with the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction. If Mario had been up there with us, he’d have been whispering in my ear to figure out a way to make her pop out of her dress, and then I would have been forced to kick his ass.
Knowing the risks of getting caught by the press—especially while they were still speculating over who’d given her a hickey in Georgia—I probably should have stepped away from her as soon as we were off stage. Should have dropped my hand from her back, at the very least. Pretended she didn’t affect me the way she did, at least until I could get her alone to talk about us going public as a couple so she’d have some say in how it was handled. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though. Instead, I accepted a glass of champagne from a server and remained at Morgan’s side. She grabbed a glass, too, and promptly lifted it to her lips.
“Whoa,” I breathed out, yanking the half-empty glass from her hand. Startled blue eyes blinked up at me as her plump, red lips parted on a g
asp. “It’s going to be a long night with plenty of people shoving alcohol into your hand. You’re going to want to slow down the pace a little.”
She tilted her head to the side, and dark curls spilled over a pale shoulder. I wanted to slide my fingers through the silky locks, wrap them around a fist, and tug her head back so I could claim her lips. “It’s either down a glass of the bubbly or jump your bones in front of everyone backstage. And I’m sure there’s at least one person here who’d like nothing more than to snag a photo while you banged me against a wall because it’d make them a millionaire.”
Her bold claim, as ridiculously worded as it was, made me roar with laughter. Several heads turned our way, and I was grateful for the fact we were still backstage and hadn’t headed next door yet. If we’d been at the Dolby Theatre already, every single camera would have been aimed our way at the rare public show of my humor. Years in the business had taught me to only show the media what I wanted them to see in an effort to keep my private life exactly that—private.
I bent low and whispered in her ear, “I love that you’re as funny as you are gorgeous, but you should probably avoid talking about me fucking you right now if you want me to be able to walk without a steel pipe in my pants.”
“Sorry,” she breathed out, blinking up at me with bright eyes. “I’m just . . . I can’t . . . you’re really here.”
“Of course, I am. I meant it when I said that people in committed relationships do what they have to do to make time together,” I reminded her. “There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to miss my woman winning her first Oscar.”
“You have no idea how much it means to me that you figured out a way to be here for this.” She blinked away the sheen of tears before they spilled down her cheeks. “I think I was more shocked to see you on stage than to hear my name called as the winner.”
“That makes sense to me since you were a shoo-in for the award, and it’s not like you expected me to be here.” Thinking about all the strings I’d had to pull to set my plan into motion, I offered her a sheepish grin. “Hell, I wasn’t even one-hundred percent certain that I’d be able to swing it until last night.”
She swatted my arm and gave me a mock-glare. “And you still kept it a secret from me when we talked earlier today. I totally thought I couldn’t reach you because you were stuck on set and would miss it if I won.”
“What can I say? I wanted to surprise you.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m honestly surprised that nobody put me asking to present the best actress award you were nominated for at the last minute together with your hickey from the mystery man in Georgia while I was filming there and came up with us as a couple.”
“About that—”
“Sorry to interrupt,” one of the backstage directors murmured. His eyes darted back and forth between Morgan and I before he cleared his throat. “They’re ready for Miss Kelly in the photo room.”
“Oh, okay,” Morgan sighed, the light in her eyes dimming slightly. “I guess I’d better get going, then.”
She took a step away from me, but I didn’t let her go far before I handed both our glasses to the backstage director and placed Morgan’s hand in the crook of my arm. “Sorry, beautiful. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Not when I came all the way here to be with you.”
I led her to the person who was assigned to escort her out the back of the Dolby Theatre to the adjoining Loews hotel as though it was the most normal thing in the world for us to be walking arm-in-arm. As if it was something everyone had seen us do regularly. But the way our escort’s eyes widened in shock before she swiveled on her heel reminded me that the outside world was going to consider the sight of us together to be headline news.
As our escort lifted a hand to push the doors open to the pressroom, I called out, “Wait!” I knew what was waiting for us on the other side—a hoard of photographers from around the world. Each one was hoping to snap the picture of the Oscar winner holding their shiny trophy that would be picked up by every major magazine and newspaper. Snagging one of me at Morgan’s side would be a major coup for all of them. “Give us a moment.”
She moved a few feet away and turned her back toward us, allowing us what little privacy she could.
“Maybe I should wait out here.”
“What’s waiting for me in there? A firing squad?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” I laughed. “They’re shooting photos instead of bullets, but the damage can be almost as brutal.”
“Oh.” The happiness in her eyes dimmed, and the blue turned darker. “I see.”
“What do you think you see?”
Her chest expanded, her tits rising up and down on a deep breath. “I’m worried that you aren’t sure if the legendary Gage Ryan is ready to be photographed with his new girlfriend. Even if we’re building something pretty special between us.”
“You think I’m legendary?” I grinned hugely until the rest of what she’d said hit me, and I yanked on the statue she was holding. Thank fuck for the ridiculous heels she was wearing because she stumbled into my arms. “I don’t give a damn who sees us together or how many pictures they snap. I just don’t want to take away from your big day. And if I walk in there with you, there won’t be any going back from it. Think carefully before you let me claim you publicly.” I leaned closer, our lips only inches from each other. “You might think you understand the depths to which the vultures are willing to go to get their next story, but you’ve seen nothing like what they’ll do if they see us together tonight after all the gossip about the hickey I left on your neck.”
Those bright blue eyes narrowed, and her pert nose wrinkled in distaste. “You’re worried about this, why exactly? You’ve been photographed with plenty of women throughout the years.”
I’d never liked possessive women, but her show of jealousy made my cock harder than it already was. There was no denying what she’d said because it was true. But there was one difference between any other woman and Morgan. “Because none of them were you,” I admitted softly. My reaction to her was fiercer than anything I’d ever felt before, and I had no doubt it would be clear to anyone who saw us together.
Her eyes slid shut, and a sexy sigh escaped her mouth. I tilted my head and grazed her lips lightly with mine. Fiery desire shot through me at the touch, as small as it was. One tiny kiss from her lips was enough to have me pushing her back against the very door I’d stopped her escort from opening—only to have it swing wide when Morgan’s back hit the solid surface, to the sound of surprised gasps and clicking buttons as lights flashed around us.
Nineteen
Morgan
Gage’s lips were as to die for as I remembered, and he smelled so amazing that I wanted to rub myself against him forever. I’d missed him so much that my appetite for him—which, it should be noted, was already massive—spiked even higher with every soft swipe of his tongue. I ignored the sound of something hitting the ground with a thud as I lifted my hands to his shoulders and sighed. He growled low in his throat, a sexy vibration that I felt everywhere, causing me to melt into him as my back came up against something solid. Whatever it was wasn’t stationary because it immediately began to move, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I held him tighter and leaned in closer.
In addition to being breathless, every cell in my body felt alive and I was seeing hundreds of flashing lights behind my eyelids. That had to beat seeing stars by about a mile.
“Oh my God! Are you getting this?”
“Is that Gage Ryan? Fuck me!”
What sounded like hundreds of voices started shouting at the same time about exclusives, editorials, and Facebook live. Gage stiffened, keeping me against him as he lifted his head and looked over my shoulder.
“Well, shit, beautiful,” he groaned. “We’ve got an audience.”
“No shit you’ve got an audience, Sherlock,” a voice at my side whisper-shouted.
My shoulders sagged when I realized it was my publicist, Laney Lemon. It was like being b
usted drinking by my mom. If my brain wasn’t so addled, I’d have remembered that she’d always planned to meet me for the press conference if I won. Chalk that up to yet another thing that had flown right out of my head the second Gage reappeared.
Before I could answer Laney, a helpful sounding voice yelled out, “Hey, Morgan! Your Oscar is on the floor!”
My stomach dropped as I looked down and realized they were right. I was really batting a thousand. Gage kept his eyes on mine as he bent down and grabbed the Oscar.
“Are you two dating?” Laney whispered.
Gage gave me a reassuring look as he stood and handed me the statue.
“Hello, Lemon,” he said kindly. I wasn’t too surprised that he knew her. She seemed to know everyone.
Without hesitating, he continued, “Yes, Morgan and I are dating,” he answered.
Laney was a blur of movement as she pushed me aside and pulled the door to the pressroom shut behind her.
“You’re dating Gage Ryan, and you never told me?” she shrieked. “The first rule of Hollywood is that you tell your publicist everything. I can’t represent you to the best of my abilities if you’re too stupid to give me the details! I asked you fifty-seven trillion times why you were in Georgia and never once in all the times you evaded the question did I ever guess that you were seeing him!”
My stomach clenched uncomfortably as I gaped at her. “I’m, um— ”
Gage: A Love Under the Lights Novel Page 10