20. Harley
harley
. . .
S eeing Laura trying— and failing —to cover the evidence of our night together made me smug.
I didn’t care when my makeup team lectured me about staying up too late because of the bags under my eyes. Or that the director was on one today. Or even that my co-star has been trying to flirt with me… again . I saw red as soon as her manicured hands trailed across my back.
I’m not hers.
I was Laura’s, and I wanted everyone to know it. I didn’t want anyone else to touch me.
If I hadn’t had such a wonderful night before she made that particular move, I might have just cut the offending hand straight off.
It had been hard to leave Laura at the hotel, alone. I hadn’t had time to follow up on whoever had trashed the room, and it weighed on me.
It was likely a rogue fan. One who saw me with Laura and got pissed. It wasn’t the first time they overstepped, but this time it was different. It was personal.
Now I had someone to protect.
But I wasn’t able to think about it too long because the love of my life herself decided to show.
Everything else became background noise.
She wore a button top with the sleeves rolled up her forearms and billowy pants that covered all the hickeys I left between her legs.
She was also wearing red flats, something I’d never seen before on her but was practical for the location.
I smiled as I noticed her attempt to cover up the marks I’d left on her neck with makeup.
It didn’t do much if you knew where to look. And I remembered every single spot.
I kept stealing glances at her. For most of the shoot she was sitting off to the side with Penelope, glasses on and hair down. There was always a drink in her hand and someone kept taking her food, which was another thing she never refused.
I wanted to run to her right away. Wanted to see how she’d react now that we were in broad daylight—if she would deny what had happened between us.
But I waited like a good little actor. I fed the camera my lines with a dazzling smile. I put up with the other woman’s touches and pretended to be so into her because that was my job. Until it was finally time for my break and I could walk over to Laura.
“It’s a bit hot over here. Let’s get you somewhere cooler?—”
“No need,” she said, cutting me off.
She didn’t look at me at all. Even through her sunglasses, I could tell that her eyes hadn’t lefther computer. She was typing away on it like a madwoman.
That didn’t surprise me or upset me. I knew what Laura was like. A workaholic to the bone. It was her passion that drew me to her.
But with the sun shining so bright, the flimsy umbrella that was placed behind her would do nothing to protect her if she sat there for too long.
Even I was feeling slightly faint after standing in the sun all day, and that was after all my water breaks. I hadn’t seen her take even one .
Well, unless you count alcoholic drinks as hydration.
“Get her some water,” I ordered Penelope. The girl merely nodded and ran off to go get some from the staff supplies.
I looked down at Laura, waiting for her to even acknowledge my presence, but she did none of that. I couldn’t help but frown now.
“My love,” I started in a low tone and placed both hands on either side of her chair, leaning toward her ear. “It’s okay to be shy after last night, but you don’t have to ignor?—”
Her head snapped up to mine, her glasses falling slightly, allowing me to look at her sharp gaze.
“Not everything is about you, Harley.” Her tone was back to the cool one she used inside my trailer when she delivered the restraining notice. The whiny, needy woman who shared my bed the night before was nowhere to be seen.
“No?” I asked and let my hand push her hair behind her ear so I could get a glance at the hickey she hadn’t covered. That was the only reason why professional Laura wasn’t wearing her hair up as usual.
Let me guess, you want to mark me as yours?
Ever since that snarky comment of hers, I couldn’t get the image of my name on her skin out of my head. I settled for hickeys, and while they did start a fire in me, I wanted something more. Something permanent.
“I have to catch up on work,” she replied with a frown.
“If you must know, I neglected some of it yesterday after the room was trashed. I can’t allow your stupid contract to stop me from my duties.
I’m fulfilling my end, but if you’re going to get annoyed about it, I suggest you find someone else to annoy. ”
Fuck. Those lips. Her pouty front. The anger twisting her face.
It was too delectable to ignore. If there weren’t so many people watching, I might?—
Wait, why the fuck am I hesitating?
I leaned down lightning quick and brushed my lips across hers, lingering just a second longer to see what she would do .
Then she leaned forward, looking to deepen the kiss, but just as her tongue darted out to brush across mine, I pulled away from her with a shit-eating grin as if to say, See how much you want me?
Her shocked expression turned to one of anger in a split second, but I was already stepping back and turning back to the crew before she could yell at me.
The giddiness that ran through me had me feeling like a kid again.
Even my co-star’s disgusted expression couldn’t dampen my mood.
“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not,” I said after I caught sight of what Laura had done to the bed. “We fucked all night. I made you come more times than I can count. And you still can’t handle a bit of cuddling?”
Unfortunately, we had to have dinner separately because filming went on for longer than expected. By the time I had gotten back to the resort, Laura was on one side of the bed, her hair up in a tight ponytail, typing away on her computer.
The oversized shirt and matching shorts set she wore was a nice present, but I couldn’t enjoy it.
Not when there were three pillows stacked between us. It might as well be a concrete wall.
I had explored her body. Had my mouth between her legs. Had her writhing against me and begging for me to put her out of her misery.
Yet somehow all of that meant nothing the following day.
Or maybe it means too much.
Maybe this was Laura’s way of trying to put some real physical separation between us. Because she couldn’t in that beautiful head of hers.
That giddy feeling that sprouted in me the night before was coming back full force. She needed some distance. She’d probably been nonstop thinking about what we did the night before.
It was a good sign. Great, even. And it was something I could give her.
“Deadly serious,” she deadpanned. The computer light was reflected in her glasses along with the mountain of text she was writing.
My worry for her never ceased. No matter how ecstatic I was at what happened, Laura was overworking. She hadn’t gotten up that much later than I had, judging from the time my message was delivered, meaning she hadn’t gotten enough sleep to be working as hard as she was.
That and the sun and heat would have done a number on her. There was a slight flush to her skin, but nothing overly burned.
At least there’s that.
“You got it, my love. If that’s what makes you comfortable,” I replied in a feigned nonchalance.
She only looked up when I started to take off my clothes. Like a moth to a flame. I remembered those same hungry eyes the night before. Remembered how they looked at me when she saw just how much she affected me.
“I’m not falling for?—”
“I’m going to take a shower,” I said and pushed off my pants and underwear in one go, kicking it to the side. “Feel free to stay there or join me. Your call.”
Her eyes drifted to the hair between my legs before letting out a huff and going back to her work. The slight redness creeping up the back of her neck caused a chuckle to escape from my lips.
I see you, Laura. Even if you don’t want me to.
But that was okay. I didn’t mind the cat-and-mouse game she wanted to play. I would win in the end. That much I knew.
So I let her sit there and stew while I treated myself to a nice long shower. I didn’t want to admit just how much the travel and the night with her, followed by a full day of filming, had worn me out .
I liked to keep a modicum of control. I needed my mask and a nice image. But I couldn’t keep it up if I was this tired. I was sadly only human after all.
The hot water relaxed my muscles and allowed me to reset my mind enough for the following day. I ran through the lines over and over again in my mind, but there were a few of them coming up blank.
I’ll have to study before tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t just spend all my time obsessing over Laura. I needed to make money. Needed to make sure we both had the luxury of doing whatever we wanted. And that started and ended with being the best actor I could be.
When I finished my shower and opened the bathroom door, I was shocked to see Laura still on the bed where I left her, but this time she was on her computer.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand, and I walked over to pick it up, Laura ignoring me completely.
That bitch
It’s a woman. Trying to find her identity now.
Attached were pictures of a woman in a dark hoodie, mask, and sunglasses. Beyond suspicious in a Hawaiian resort.
“That bitch,” as I liked to call her, was actually an informant I met back in New York. She was really good at what she did, even if she charged an arm and a leg for it.
She was also extremely annoying, but I would do anything to make sure Laura was safe.
My eyes flitted to Laura, who was looking at me with a frown, but when our eyes met, she quickly shifted back to her computer.
Let’s play this up a little, hm?
I let out a chuckle and started typing back .
If you get me the name and address by morning, I will double your rate.
My phone vibrated again, and I turned so I could see Laura out of the corner of my eye. She was watching. I let out another chuckle, though the message was nothing if not enraging.
Triple it and you got a deal.
I cursed inside but kept the smile on my face.
Double and a half.
Another vibration. Laura was scooting closer, trying to peek.
You’re not in a position to negotiate.
“Is that your co-star?” she asked, but I just typed back instead of responding.
Fine, but you better have it in my inbox by dawn.
Got it ;P
This time, Laura did manage to glance at my screen. No doubt seeing the emoji and nothing else, she suddenly huffed and bounded off the bed.
“Can’t get any work done here,” she growled under her breath and pushed past me.
I let out an amused chuckle and let her have full range of the bathroom while I headed to the bed. I changed into my nightclothes and grabbed my script before lying down on my side.
That’s when I heard the shower start. Laura was funnier than I thought . Almost childish in her reactions.
This should give me time to read over the script.
If only I managed to keep my eyes open.