Star Struck (Hollywood Heat) Read online

  “Thank you.” She licked her lips. “I mean, you’re welcome.” Her cheeks heated to a delicious shade of pink.

  “So.” He grinned. It was killing him to not touch her, especially when she was so very near. But he held back, letting the tension pulse through his veins. “You had a nice time?”

  “I did.” She wanted to touch him, too, he could tell. Her hands still fidgeted at her sides, her eyes flitted back and forth from his eyes to his lips.

  He lowered his mouth, his breath mingling with hers. “A really nice time?”

  Her breathing was heavy. He couldn’t begin to explain what that did to him. “Yes, a really nice—”

  Before she could finish talking, he’d covered her mouth with his. Their teeth clicked as his tongue slipped in to claim her deeper, his hands circling around her waist to draw her closer. She responded by fisting his hair, pulling him to her with equal force, as though neither of them could get as close to each other as they desired. As though inside each other was the only acceptable place to be.

  He’d missed this the last time—the kissing. He wasn’t soft or precious about his sex, but he did enjoy kissing. He’d wanted to kiss Heather then, had planned on kissing her fiercely before he embarked on round two. But round two never occurred because she’d somehow gotten mixed up in her head.

  And this time, though he wanted to cherish it and enjoy the feel of her tongue gliding across his gums, wanted to suck on her bottom lip until it was raw, he couldn’t slow himself down. He needed the rest of her, needed to release the straining ache inside his jeans.

  Either feeling the same need or sensing his urgency, Heather jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his hips. Surprised, he leaned back onto the set for support, shifting his hands to hold her underneath her ass. She tilted her hips up, stroking him with her crotch. Shit, it was so wonderful. So goddamned good.

  She bucked again and this time he thrust up against her, reveling in the squeal she let out when he did. He thrust again, dry humping her as his mouth continued to explore hers. And the way she rubbed against him in return—he wouldn’t be surprised if he creamed himself before he even got his cock out of his pants.

  “Yes, yes, right there,” Heather said when he’d tried a new angle. “Right fucking th—”

  “Everything okay?” A bright light shone in his face.

  “What the fuck?” He brought one hand up to shield his eyes, letting Heather down in the process, and looked across the studio toward the source of the light.

  Shit.

  It was one of the security guards. Why he felt he had to shine his bright-ass flashlight in their faces was beyond Seth. It wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong. And the set was already lit.

  Heather turned away from the guard right away. Realizing she wouldn’t want to be caught in a compromising position—she did have fans that would run with the knowledge—Seth stepped in front of her, letting her hide behind him. “Hey, sorry,” he said to the guard. “I had a few things to finish up on the set. My friend was keeping me company. But we both have clearance to be here.” He pulled his security clip off his belt and walked up to the guard to show him, hoping his badge would be enough to clear both of them.

  The guard studied Seth’s badge then handed it back without saying a word.

  “See? Everything’s fine.” Seth clipped his badge back on his belt. “Thanks for checking us out.”

  The guard eyed him suspiciously, his eyes glancing down at Seth’s tell-tale erection. Then he shone the light back in Heather’s direction. “Ma’am? How about you? Everything okay?”

  Was the guard concerned about a woman in distress or only that the woman might be a somebody? It had to be irritating to never know people’s intentions. Right now, the idea that the guard might just be after a scoop had Seth clenching his fists at his side.

  Fortunately, Heather was used to it. Keeping her head down, she lowered her voice. “All good here.”

  “Then may I suggest you keep it down in the future?” The guard turned off his flashlight and put it into its holster.

  “We will. Thanks again.” Seth stayed where he was, watching as the guard left the studio. When he was sure they were alone again, he turned back to Heather.

  They burst into laughter.

  Heather snorted, wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh my God. That was awful.”

  “Was it really?” Sure it had gotten his adrenaline pumping, but the encounter would certainly make the evening memorable. Not that he needed any help remembering anything where Heather was concerned.

  “No, not really.” Her laughter settled into a wide grin.

  “Come on.” Seth held out his hand for her. When she took it, he led her around the wall, farther behind the set. “We have more privacy here. In case he comes back.”

  “Or we could go to my trailer.”

  The thought of having to wait until they made it to her trailer made his balls throb. “We could,” he said reluctantly.

  “Let’s not, though.”

  “I like that plan better.” He tugged her back into his arms and started in on her neck with the same fervor as when they’d left off, biting up to her earlobe.

  Heather’s hands pressed against his chest, tracing the outline of his muscles through his shirt until she reached his waistline. There they worked at the fastening of his jeans. Then her palm was on him, circling his cock with a firm grip.

  “Jesus, that’s so good.” At least that’s what he meant to say. It came out more of a moan than intelligible speak.

  She slid her hand down. Then back up. And then down one more time before he remembered.

  “Shit, Heather, stop.” He pushed at her hands, trying—though not very hard—to extricate himself from her wonderful grasp. “I don’t have a condom. We have to stop.” He didn’t generally keep his wallet stocked. The only reason he’d had protection before had been in hopeful anticipation of getting inside Heather’s pants. Which had worked out better than he could have expected. But then when it hadn’t ended so hot…well, he hadn’t bothered to repack.

  He was deeply regretting that.

  Heather, however, didn’t bat an eye. “Not a problem,” she said. She placed a hot kiss on his chin, followed by another on his neck, then one at the skin just above his T-shirt. “I’ll take care of you,” she murmured, sinking to her knees.

  Next thing he knew, her hands were replaced with her lips. Fuck, her warm mouth, sucking down his crown—he had to concentrate not to blow his load right there. She slid her hand up his stem as her mouth took him in deeper, her hollowed cheeks touching him on all sides with each pass in and out, sending sparks of electricity through his body.

  A part of him wanted to let her run the show. He had wondered if his controlling nature had been what scared her off before. It gave him pause now—tempting him to hold back.

  But that wasn’t who he was, and he couldn’t pretend that it was. He was already withholding so much of himself from her, not telling her why he was on her set, what he really did for a living. He didn’t want to lie about this too.

  Plus, the look in her eyes when she let go—he knew she experienced her best pleasure when someone else was taking care of her.

  His decision made, he gripped her head tightly with both hands, and he took over the tempo, speeding up. She grasped his thigh with her free hand, probably trying to get her balance, but when she tried to take her other hand off his cock, he stopped her. “No. Keep it there.” She replaced it, stroking up and down, meeting her mouth on each plunge. “Yeah, just like that.”

  He held her in place as he fucked her mouth with abandon, thrusting so deeply he hit the back of her throat. And the sounds she made as he moved inside her! So. Fucking. Hot.

  His release snuck up on him, but not so fast that he couldn’t warn her. “I’m about to come,” he managed through gritted teeth. “You need to decide how you want to handle that.” Not removing his hands from her head, he loosened his grip so that she coul
d pull away if she didn’t want him coming in her mouth.

  She didn’t move. Instead her eyes peered up at him and he knew then that she’d swallow. Not just that she’d swallow, but that she was looking forward to it. That was all it took to push him over the edge. With a final thrust, he pressed inside her, spilling his seed into her mouth with a groan.

  She licked him clean, rocking with him until he was completely finished.

  Man, she was the most amazing woman he’d met in years.

  After tucking himself back into his jeans, he held his hand out to help Heather to a standing position. He kissed her deeply, like he’d been longing to, showing her his gratitude, his appreciation. He hoped it showed her his amazement at discovering the woman he thought he had totally figured out was actually so much more.

  Ten

  “Your turn,” Seth said against Heather’s mouth, his fingers stroking the skin just above the top of her jeans.

  She kissed him once more, then pulled away, moving out of his arms. For half a second he wondered if she was freaking out again, but then she smiled. “Don’t worry about it, tool boy.”

  “I’m not worried. I want to.” And, man, did he. Watching Heather come—there was nothing like it. “And tool boy? I assure you, I’m no boy.”

  “Oh, I know.” He could hear the grin in her voice, even though she faced away. “But, really. It’s not necessary. It’s good for me to do something unselfish every now and then.”

  “Well, that’s certainly true.”

  She peered over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. “Ha ha.”

  “But trust me when I say that going down on you is not a chore.”

  Her cheeks colored. “Good to know.”

  He followed her to the set’s living room, planting himself in a doorway as he watched her mosey around the space. She wandered to the back of the couch and trailed her hand along the back of the furniture piece. “You know,” she said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, “another week and we won’t need condoms. Assuming you’re clean.”

  “I am.” He missed her touch already, but what she was saying made up for its absence. He strode toward her, stopping at the end of the sofa. “So we’re planning to have sex again?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just saying that if we did then we’d be safe.” She circled the other end of the couch to face him. “Of course, first I’m going to have my period, so we’d have to wait past that.”

  “I’m not afraid of blood.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  He hated having the couch between them, but even more than the physical barrier, he hated the unspoken circumstances of their last sexual encounter. It had to be cleared up before they could move on. Otherwise, he’d be walking on eggshells with her. And he was not a walking on eggshells type. “And if we did end up fucking again, how can I be sure you aren’t going to freak out?”

  “How can I be sure you aren’t going to jump in bed with Bobblehead?”

  His brow furrowed. “Bobblehead?” She had to be talking about her costar. Bobblehead actually fit the eager-to-please star. To be sure, he asked, “You mean Natalia?” There was that jealous blaze in Heather’s features again. It warmed him to see it, but he couldn’t stand that Heather thought that the little wisp of an actress had anything on her. There was no one that compared to her. Certainly not for him. “Let me assure you, I have zero interest in Nat.”

  “Nat,” she said under her breath like a curse word. “You were sure giving her your attention. And not just tonight.”

  She’d been watching him. Good. Yes, he’d spent time with Natalia the last several days, but it was always her who had sought him out. He didn’t give her any reason not to, though. Maybe he’d been trying to stir Heather up.

  He repeated his last words. “Zero interest in Nat.” She scowled, not satisfied. “Would you be happier if I told that to her?”

  “I would.”

  “Done.” He was making a commitment to her with that agreement. Normally that would have his stomach churning. Instead, he felt oddly relaxed.

  But he wasn’t the only one who needed to give assurances. She hadn’t yet answered his question. “Are you going to freak out on me again?”

  She shifted from one foot to another. “I don’t know.” She turned away, this time going to examine the prop photos on the wall. “I’m not sure myself, really. But I don’t think I will. Did you always want to be a carpenter?” Her voice lilted up with the abrupt subject change. “Or work on movies?”

  “Not exactly. And yes.” He didn’t want to talk about that. First of all, it reminded him he was lying to her. Second, the topic she was avoiding was the one that interested him. “Maybe it would help if you told me what set you off. When you freaked out, I mean.”

  “Maybe.” But she jumped right back to the lighter conversation. Lighter for her, anyway. “Then if not a carpenter, what would you want to do?”

  “Design.” He tried not to flinch as he said it, barreling into his next question for her. “Was it the sex itself?” He hoped not. Just remembering her bent over her dining table as he pounded into her made him hard again.

  “No, it wasn’t the sex. Design? Like set design?”

  “Production Design.” This was his opportunity. He could tell her the truth—that he already worked in design, that he was good at it. It was understandable that he hadn’t said anything before. He’d tell her he hadn’t wanted the cast of the plays to know. And then it just never came up. He could say he took the job on her film simply as a favor to a friend. He could even tell her that part of the appeal was that she’d be there.

  But even though they’d jumped some hurdles in their relationship, or whatever it was they had, he remembered why he lied in the first place. Because he wanted her to want him even if he was the person that she thought he was—a set carpenter. Because that’s who he used to be. That’s where he came from. And he was proud of that. If she couldn’t accept him as that guy, then there was no future between them, just like there had been no future with him and Erica.

  Huh. That was weird. He hadn’t been thinking about Heather in terms of long lasting, but now that he had, it sounded right. He wanted a future with her.

  So he let the opportunity pass and turned the truth time back on her. “Did it bother you that we barely know each other?”

  “Not that.” She shook her head to emphasize her answer. “Production Design’s pretty ambi—”

  “Then the spanking,” he interrupted, focused on getting to the bottom of her freak-out. Focused on not discussing what he did for a living.

  She took a deep breath in and then let it out.

  Bingo. It was the spanking that had bothered her. “You liked it though—your body did, anyway.” He took a step toward her and stopped when she took a step away. “But not your head. What’s up with your head, Heather?”

  “It’s just…” She lowered her eyes. “I can’t. Seriously, I can’t talk about this.”

  He wanted to push her. Partly because he thought he understood, but also because he was pretty certain she’d feel better if she talked about it.

  But after all the progress they’d made, he wasn’t ready to scare her off. Instead he asked, “So if I were to spank you again…?”

  She turned toward him, a shy smile spreading across her face. “I would like it.” Then her smile faded. “Are you planning to spank me now?”

  “No,” he laughed. But now that she’d mentioned it, he was sorely tempted. “You probably deserve it. For being a bitch last time and not talking to me about what was really going on.”

  “I suppose I had that coming.” She met his eyes, holding his gaze with such steadiness he wondered what she saw when she looked at him. A guy who worked with his hands. Who didn’t measure up. Who didn’t fit the mold of her perfect fairytale life.

  Or maybe she saw what he hoped she could see. A like soul. Someone who made her face her bullshit, but didn’t leave her alone to do it.
A guy who could take care of her but never make her feel weak while doing it.

  Or could she see the guy who was keeping secrets from her while demanding she be open about hers?

  Without any warning, she moved to him, burying her head into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Seth. This is hard for me.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her tresses. Any doubts he had about keeping his secrets vanished in that instant. She was opening up to him in a way that he suspected she wouldn’t have if his supposed status hadn’t forced her to. Though he wasn’t an advocate for lying, he felt justified.

  Well, mostly justified.

  Maybe his doubts hadn’t completely vanished after all.

  He couldn’t think about that, couldn’t dwell on his guilt. He had to stay centered on her, helping her through her issues. “I’m sorry it’s so hard for you. I think I can understand.”

  “You can?” Her voice was muffled in the fabric of his T-shirt. How much of a girl would he be if he said this was his new favorite shirt?

  “Yeah, I understand.” He spoke carefully, voicing his suspicions. “The spanking makes you feel…dirty.”

  Her head nodded into his chest.

  “And slutty?”

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice choked.

  He kissed her temple. “Especially because you like it.”

  “Yeah.”

  Gripping her gently by the upper arms, he pushed her away just enough that he could bend to look at her directly. Her eyes were brimming with tears. He’d hit the nail on the head. Even though he’d suspected, it wrenched his gut to see her so uncomfortable with herself. With who she was. Why was it always the women who exuded the most confidence who were the most fragile inside? “But it doesn’t make you either of those things, you know.”

  She lowered her head and he squeezed her arms. “Heather? You know that, right?”

  This time she met his gaze. “I know. Well, I’m starting to know.”

  “Keep going in that direction.” He cupped her chin with his hand and ran his thumb over her cheek. “And if you feel uncomfortable, talk to me.”