Chapter 5
Irreplaceable
GREER
“What’s wrong?” Aiden walks up behind me. His warmth is enticing, but I ignore the attraction that I believed was one-sided. This job might be too complicated. But that didn’t stop me at any of my other homes. I’ll do what I can to make this work.
It’s worth it to get out of a bad situation. I’ve learned that over the years too.
“I didn’t grab my sneakers.” Sighing, I look down at the hot-pink flip-flops. I really don’t want to slap through their house all weekend while I wait for Chad to go to work on Monday. Besides, they start work Monday, and that means so do I.
“Hmm. Pretty sure Mason doesn’t want us to let you out of our sight.” Roarke grabs the hem of my T-shirt and tugs on it. “We could buy you some shoes.”
“No,” I say firmly. Never take money or presents from anyone. There’s always a catch. It gives them power over you. Always. “I have shoes. I just have to go to my apartment and get them.”
I don’t think I hid my wince well enough. Roarke heaves out a sigh and stands, towering over me.
“I have no choice but to escort you home, then.”
My gaze jumps up to his as my brain struggles to process what he’s saying. “What? No. No, you can’t come to my apartment. No.”
I can just imagine the pandemonium that would take place.
The fans and groupies would inevitably find him. Not to mention he’d see the dump I live in. It’s bad enough I look like a homeless waif in my current outfit, but for him to confirm that’s who I am…
He won’t want me after that. Maybe I don’t intend to do anything about this attraction (to any of them), but that doesn’t mean I want it to disappear in a poof of smoke.
“It won’t take me long. I just need to run there and back. I’ll sign whatever you need me to.” The words rush out of me. I’m not ready for Roarke to not want me. I’ll be the first one to admit that I need to feel wanted. Even if I’m not ready to explore it.
Roarke shakes his head as he tips my chin with his knuckle. My breath catches at his touch as hot and heavy desire floods my veins. “If you think you can tell me your ex implied you needed to blow him to stay there and believe I’ll let you go there alone, you have another thing coming.”
His stern crystal-blue eyes lock with mine. My body is hyped up being so close to him. Honestly, he could pretty much ask me to do anything and I’d probably willingly do it. His smile tells me he knows it too.
A shiver rushes through me at the feel of Aiden closing in on my back. Caught between the two of them, I’m lost to the sensations flooding my body. Fuck, they’re potent. I’ve never been really adventurous in the bedroom, but suddenly the thought of the two of them has my brain spinning.
“You shouldn’t go alone if your ex is an issue.” Aiden’s smooth, dark voice sends sparks dancing down my spine.
One, I’ve been going it alone for most of my life. Two, what the hell am I getting myself into here? I’m going to be alone with these guys day in and day out. I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out for long. They’re barely touching me and my panties are soaked. Seriously, there’s a bed right there, and my libido is fully aware of it.
I don’t want to disappoint them, though, and that holds me back. Guys like them are used to a certain caliber of women, and I’m not it.
“Come on, poppet.” Roarke grins. “How good would it feel to walk in with me on your arm?”
Chad would lose his shit. Seriously. Which would be epic. I’m pretty sure I’m not getting out of here alone, so I need to take some control. And that means rules.
“Fine, you can come with, but”—I hold up my finger—“I drive my car and you try to look like a normal human—”
“Do I look like an alien?”
“And you stay in the car,” I end before I lose my nerve.
His eyes darken and his thumb trails along my jawline, making shivers course through me. “Ashamed of me, poppet?”
A nervous chuckle bursts out of me. “No, but I don’t want to deal with a horde of groupies either.”
“Give me five minutes, then.” He chucks me under the chin before his gaze lifts to Aiden. He grins. “Keep our girl warm for me.”
Butterflies spin drunkenly in my stomach at his words. No one’s ever called me their girl. Even living with Chad, I didn’t feel like I belonged. We were more roommates than lovers.
Our girl. Those words tempt me. Every time Roarke claims me as his, the knot in my stomach eases.
Roarke’s smiling eyes meet mine. His grin softens into a smile that makes those butterflies flutter higher.
“Five minutes, poppet.” He walks around me, and for a moment, I just breathe, trying to find my common sense.
It’s not real. None of this is. It’s like the paper dolls I had as a child. Fun to play with and imagine, but eventually they fall apart or tear. This whole thing is terribly fragile, and I’m worried I’ll end up the torn one at the end of it when they finally throw me away.
I might interest them because I’m new, but that’s all I’ve got going for me. It will wear off. I need a reality check, and fortunately, seeing Chad will do that for me.
“What are you fighting now, little warrior?” Aiden’s words are soft. He lifts his hand like he’s going to touch me, and my breath stalls in my chest.
“This is a mistake.” The words tumble from my lips. I turn to look up at him.
His light blue eyes search mine. His lips are pulled down. He rests his hand on my shoulder. Even though he doesn’t put any weight on it, it scorches through my T-shirt, igniting the flames inside.
“Which part?” His voice is soft and luring.
“I’m not used to this kind of attention.” I glance toward the open door, knowing Roarke will be back soon. “I’m not anything special. I’m nothing.”
“Just because you aren’t famous doesn’t mean you’re nothing, Greer.” When I lower my eyes, his hand cups my cheek. So fucking gently that tears press on my eyes. Sparks tingle beneath the heat of his hand. “I believe you can do this job, or I wouldn’t have insisted on hiring you.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he presses a finger against my lips. My mind blanks as my arousal burns even higher.
“You may think you’re nothing special.” He tips his head like he’s studying me and making mental notes. “But I’m not attracted to a lot of people. There’s something here, and I want to explore it. With you. When you’re ready.”
#
Aiden left me speechless. But Roarke, of course, one-upped him by showing up in a baseball cap and sunglasses, like that hides who he is. He even threw on a T-shirt to rival Chad’s with a giant marijuana leaf on it. He doesn’t look “normal” even when he tries. He towers over me and everyone else. We’re approaching my car when he smirks.
“I should drive, poppet.” He crowds me against the side of the car, but I hold the keys firmly in my grip. My breath catches in my chest with him this close. But I’m used to people trying to push me around. He isn’t the first to try to overwhelm me with his size compared to me.
“She’s a temperamental beast and hates anyone else driving her.” I tip my chin and raise my eyebrow in challenge.
“If I’m forced to ride bitch seat in this hunk of”—he stops when I press my lips together—“metal, then I deserve some sort of compensation.”
“Compensation?”
His gaze drops to my lips, and I unconsciously lick them. I’ve had a little time to calm down my overactive hormones, but I’m very aware of his closeness and the fullness of his lips. How would it feel to kiss Roarke Flynn?
I’ve seen it so many times on screen.
He smirks with that knowing damn smirk and taps his finger against his cheek. “Put those lips right here and we’ll call it even.”
The butterflies stampede through me as he lowers to my level. My breath rushes out of me. I purse my lips and press a kiss to his cheek. His skin is warm and a little bristly from his stubble.
As I pull back, he turns his face to mine. All the air leaves me as we’re eye to eye, so close it would only take a small movement to bring our lips together. The blue in his eyes is like crystallized water so deep and so hypnotic, making me want to dive in and drown with him.
For a second, I believe he’ll close the distance, but then, grinning, he straightens and goes to the other side of the car. I suck a breath into my starved lungs. The car door opens and shuts, but I stand here, waiting for my emotions to bottle back up.
Fuck. I’m not going to last a day without Roarke convincing me to do more. I’ve always been in control of my desire. I’ve always put off kissing until I was certain of the guy, especially after what I went through. But somehow Roarke ratchets my desire up to almost unbearable levels.
I’m not the kind of girl who goes for a fling, but right now, I really wish I were. Because I have a feeling the experience with Roarke would be earth shattering. What if I could be that girl? What if I could just have sex with these four guys and have it just be about sex? That is what my new motto is about, after all. They’re willing for me to put it to the test.
I need to think it over. I need to figure out if I can or even want to. But fuck, do they tempt me.
Shaking off that feeling, I open my car door and get in.
Roarke grins. “Ready, poppet?”
Not even a little. I hold my breath as I turn the key to start Old Betsy, praying that just this once she doesn’t act like the raging bitch she is. She must be feeling kind today, as the engine fires to life.
“Are you positive this thing is safe?” Roarke’s hand is on the dashboard like he’s trying to hold her together.
“She rarely lets me down.” I give him a smile as I put her in drive and head down the driveway.
He presses a button on his phone and the gate opens. “We’ll need to install some apps on your phone so you can access the house.”
Nodding, I turn toward my apartment. Out of this nicer area and back into the city.
“So tell me about this Chad. How did he win you?” Roarke adjusts his seat again, sliding it back as far as it goes until he’s almost in the backseat.
I scrunch my nose. “He worked at the diner where I’m a server. Of course, he didn’t stay long at that job, but he was nice to me.”
“Is that all it takes, poppet? You need me to be nice to you?” Roarke reaches for the radio, but his hand pauses as he realizes it’s only an AM radio. His brow furrows, but he leaves it off.
“I don’t move in with everyone I think is nice.” I shake my head.
“You’re moving in with me.” Roarke smirks and his hand falls onto my thigh. “I can be very nice.”
The car swerves, and Roarke swears but doesn’t remove his hand.
“Don’t kill us, poppet.”
“Maybe let me focus, Benji.” I cock a smile his way.
He winces. “For fuck’s sake, tell me you didn’t watch that movie.”
“Oh, I did.” In his interviews, he always turns stony whenever someone mentions Guardian of Moondust. “The CGI was amazing, and your acting was top-notch.”
He draws his hand away. “Now you’re just being mean.”
It really wasn’t a good movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 2 percent, and that was generous. Though there is a subculture that adores it.
“I only did it because the money was good.” He looks out the side window as we near my apartment building. “I was young and needed the credit.”
“While I admit it wasn’t the best movie I’ve seen of yours, it was still better than two percent.”
“You’ve seen my movies, poppet?” His gaze finds me again and heat rushes to my cheeks. This guy’s ego does not need to be fed. “Have you seen all my movies?”
Biting my lip, I turn into the underground parking. He doesn’t need to know that I have that image of him in Lost in Vegas seared into my brain and bring it out at night when I need relief.
“You have, haven’t you?” His tone is so smug. I’m not going to give him this one. “Where the hell are we?”
The lights flicker as I make my way to my and Chad’s spots. At least the parking didn’t cost extra, but the whole vibe down here leaves a lot to be desired. It’s more murder hotel than home.
“I’m not staying down here alone, poppet. You’ll come back to my dead body.”
I park the car and turn off the engine. Chad’s Jeep is in his spot, so he hasn’t gone anywhere. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have someone over, though.
“Fine.” I release my breath and turn to him. “But you need to wait out in the hallway. Chad will recognize you. I don’t need him going all fanboy and wanting your autograph. Or worse, asking for you to put him in your next movie.”
Roarke gets out of the car. When I join him, he grins. “Was he your first actor, poppet?”
“Yes.” I arch an eyebrow. “But he didn’t exactly make me want another one.”
Roarke follows me to the elevator.
“An out-of-work actor isn’t the same as someone like me. I’m A-list all the way.”
I press the elevator button and look up at him. “I’m working for you. Not dating you. So you might as well be the same.”
The elevator arrives, and Roarke glances in the car with a doubtful look.
“This is a death trap, isn’t it?” Roarke backs up a step.
“It’s perfectly adequate.” I step in and jump to show it’s fine. “See, didn’t even move.”
“Your weight barely qualifies. I’ve been on less scary horror film sets, poppet.” He still looks skeptical as he joins me. I press the button and the doors squeak as they shut. When the elevator groans, his eyes widen and then narrow on me like it’s my fault.
“It’s just an elevator.” I watch the numbers, knowing he’s still looking at me.
The gears grind to a halt at my floor. The doors open to the dimly lit hallway.
“Fuck, poppet, are you trying to kill me?” He steps forward. “At least fuck me before I die.”
“I’m not trying to kill you. I’m just getting my stuff so I don’t have to come back here ever again.” Pretty sure living in my car would be preferable to this place. Even if I had the place to myself.
When I first turned eighteen, I tried living by myself. I’m used to other people. I didn’t like being alone all the time.
A little shudder rushes down my spine as Roarke follows me down the hallway to my door.
I pause with my keys out. “You really need to stay out here.”
His eyes narrow, but he nods. “Leave the door cracked. So he doesn’t do something stupid.”
Shaking my head, I unlock my door. All Chad does is stupid stuff.
I walk in and close the door almost shut. The living room slash kitchen is empty, which means Chad must be in the bedroom. Where all my stuff is.
I blow out a breath. I can do this.
The bedroom door is closed, so I decide to be a decent human being and knock.
The door opens to a confused shirtless Chad. His hair is all rumpled. Hmm, napping or fucking?
“Hey, babe, now isn’t a good time.” He glances over his shoulder. Ah, fucking it is.
A thankfully fully dressed woman steps into view. “Who’s this?”
“No one.” Chad smirks down at me.
“I need to get my things.” I cross my arms and glare.
He glances over his shoulder at the blond waiting behind him. “Give me fifteen minutes and then the bedroom’s all yours.”
Just what I want, to grab my stuff with the room smelling like sex.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” My voice rises. “It will take me five to clear out of here, and then you can fuck her all you want.”
Chad laughs. “You don’t really want to leave me, babe. Where are you going to go? We both know I’m the only one who will put up with you.”