Chapter 12 Boyfriend
Seeing that, Jeremy burst into laughter. "You crack me up every time I see you, Ellie," he said. "I swear, I haven’t laughed this much in years. You’re my new favorite source of entertainment."
Ellie’s eyebrow shot up as she narrowed her eyes at him, unimpressed. "Good for you," she muttered, her tone laced with sarcasm. She lowered her hand but couldn’t stop the suspicion creeping into her voice. "Are you following me?"
Jeremy took his time to eye her from head to toe, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Sure. Your body is made of gold. I’m very interested in spending all my time following you," he said, his words thick with sarcasm.
Ellie straightened up, her posture becoming more guarded as her hand fell to her side.
"What happened to you?" Jeremy asked with a grin. "I leave you alone for a few hours, and you’re so devastated that you try to jump off a bridge?"
Ellie snickered, leaning against the hospital wall. "I was almost murdered. Someone hit me with a car. And now here I am. What about you?"
Jeremy sighed, shaking his head. "I was practicing next week’s dance for a model show when my choreographer turned out to be completely useless. Couldn’t match the music at all, and I almost broke my back. Had to fire him before I came here to get checked out, just to make sure I don’t have any serious injuries."
Then his eyes gleamed with an idea.
"Oh, right. You’re a choreographer, aren’t you?" He tilted his head. "How about you come work for me? Be my choreographer for this show, and if it goes well, I’ll hire you for more."
Ellie blinked, caught off guard by his offer. "You want me to be your choreographer?"
Ellie bit her lip, her mind racing. To be fair, she was running out of money. And with Olivia back, her days with Sawyer were numbered.
“I’ll think about it and let you know,” she finally told Jeremy.
“No problem.” He grinned and pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange contacts. Give me your number, and I’ll call you.”
Ellie hesitated for a moment before taking the phone, typing in her number, and handing it back to him.
Jeremy chuckled but didn’t push it. His eyes flickered to the water bottle in her hand, then down to her bandaged foot. “Want some help getting back to your room?”
Her foot had already started throbbing again, so she nodded. “It’s just right there.”
“Got it.”
Jeremy slid his arm around her shoulders, and she placed her arm around his waist, letting him help her walk back. But with each step, the pain intensified. Limping on one foot was harder than she thought, and just as she stumbled, he caught her before she could hit the floor.
Without warning, he bent down and swept her off her feet, scooping her up into his arms.
“I can walk on my own,” Ellie protested, squirming to get down.
“Sure, if you want to take all year,” Jeremy teased. “I don’t have time for that. Just let me take you back—it’s not a big deal.”
He gave her a knowing look, and Ellie, seeing no way out, huffed and pointed toward her room.
Just as they reached the door, it swung open, and Sawyer stepped out, holding a lunch box.
His gaze landed on Ellie first, then immediately flicked to Jeremy. His eyes narrowed, and in an instant, his expression turned ice-cold as his glare locked onto her.
“Isn’t this the guy from yesterday?” Sawyer didn’t even acknowledge Jeremy directly. His burning glare stayed fixed on Ellie, making her stiffen.
Before she could answer, Sawyer’s sharp gaze snapped to Jeremy, and the intensity in his eyes darkened. Without another word, he stormed forward and yanked Ellie out of Jeremy’s arms.
“What the hell is he doing here? Did you call him here?”
Jeremy didn’t let go immediately, but when Sawyer’s grip tightened possessively around Ellie, he had no choice but to step back. Crossing his arms, Jeremy smirked.
“I’m her boyfriend. She got hurt. Isn’t it normal for a boyfriend to check on his girlfriend?”
The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop. The way Sawyer’s eyes burned could have reduced Jeremy to ashes. Even Ellie felt a flicker of fear—Sawyer had always been intense, but this was something else.
But Jeremy remained completely unfazed. In fact, a grin tugged at the corner of his lips, as if the tension between them only fueled his amusement.
Ellie muttered under her breath, “This bastard is going to get me killed.”
With a deep sigh, she turned toward Jeremy. "You should leave now. Thanks for stopping by," she said, forcing a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
Jeremy didn’t move.
Sawyer’s grip on her tightened immediately, his fingers digging into her arm as his gaze shot daggers at Jeremy. His voice was a low growl as he snapped, "She is my girlfriend. Stay the fuck away from her."
Jeremy let out a low whistle, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing. His smirk only deepened. "Damn, you’ve got a bad memory," he teased, his voice oozing sarcasm. "So, how did the proposal go last night? Do you have a fiancée now?" His smirk widened. "Last night, you proposed to that fancy chick, didn’t you? So how exactly is Ellie your girlfriend anymore?"
Sawyer’s hold on Ellie became more forceful, his jaw clenching so tightly it looked like it might snap. His voice dropped, low and threatening. “That wasn’t a proposal,” he spat, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. “And it’s none of your damn business.”
Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed into the hospital room, taking Ellie in with him before slamming the door shut.
Inside the room, Sawyer didn’t release Ellie. Instead, he marched straight to the bed and set her down, his hand still gripping her shoulder tightly. He leaned in, his face inches from hers, his eyes narrowing as he forced her to meet his gaze.
“Ellie,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “Where did you go just now?”
Ellie pulled out her water bottle, unscrewing the cap. “I went to get water.”
“With your new boyfriend?” Sawyer ground out, releasing her shoulders but trapping her in by gripping the edge of the bed. He leaned in close, his breath warm against her face. “Who gave you the courage to get a new boyfriend? Did you forget that you’re still mine? Or do I need to remind you?”
Ellie leaned back against the bed, trying to put some space between them, but his proximity made it impossible to think straight. The heat radiating from his body, his scent, his overwhelming presence—it was suffocating. Her mind wavered between processing his words and the utterly inappropriate urge to sink her teeth into his throat.
“Of course, I have a new boyfriend now.” She shrugged, then leaned in closer with narrowed eyes. “What did you expect? I already told you—I’m done acting.”
His eyes darkened, his jaw tight. “Ellie, you’re crossing a line now,” he warned, his voice dangerously soft.
“So what?” she snapped. “You’re already engaged to Olivia, aren’t you? You have your girlfriend, and I have a boyfriend. Same thing.”
Sawyer’s eyes flared with rage. “Olivia isn’t my fiancée,” he growled, his grip tightening once more. “And you’re not getting a new boyfriend!”
“Why not?”
“Because you already have a boyfriend.”
Ellie scoffed. “Where? Which one? Who?!”
Sawyer grabbed her wrist, his voice thundering. “Right fucking here! Me!”
Ellie flinched—not in fear, but in sheer surprise.
In the three years they had been together, he had never called her his girlfriend. Not once. She had always been a replacement. A stand-in. A placeholder for Olivia, his ‘true’ love.
Her chest tightened as she pulled back, speaking in a lower, more controlled voice. “You aren’t my boyfriend. I told you—I don’t want to act anymore. We’re done.”
Before she could finish, Sawyer reached over and grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her skin. “Ellie Madden, do you want to die by my hands tonight?”
“Ahh! Leave my face alone! It’s going to fall off!” she whined, slapping at his hands.
He released her with a scowl, his fingers reluctantly pulling away from her face. Ellie immediately shot him a searing glare, she snapped. “I paid a million dollars for this face! Are you crazy? Don’t grab my face like that ever again!”
Sawyer’s brow furrowed in confusion, his gaze flickering between her and the space where his hand had been moments before. “You’ve had plastic surgery?”
Ellie huffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Yes,” she said, as if it should’ve been obvious.
He leaned in slightly, his confusion deepening. “Where?” he asked, his eyes searching her face as if looking for the invisible changes. “Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”
“All over,” Ellie replied, her voice tinged with frustration. She rubbed her face gently, trying to soothe the sting of his touch. “You never asked,” she added pointedly, her eyes locking with his. “I was in a fire three years ago. Burnt my face pretty badly, so I had surgery to fix it.” She shot him a glare. “Don’t ruin it.”
Sawyer froze.
A fire? Three years ago?
His mind raced. Was it just a coincidence?
Before he could ask a single question, Ellie snapped, “Get out. What are you still standing here for?”
Sawyer straightened, his jaw tightening as his unreadable gaze settled on her. “You’re still my girlfriend. You signed an agreement.”
“So what?” Ellie shot back. “It’s my life, and what I say goes. I don’t want to be a mistress.”
“You’re not a mistress.”
Ellie crossed her arms, her posture defensive as she glared at him. “I am. You have your lover back—what do you expect me to do? Stick around as a third wheel? Or do you have some twisted fantasy about keeping two women at once?”
Sawyer almost grabbed her face again.
Ellie sighed, jerking back and instinctively shielding her face with her hands. “You and I are over. You can go live your perfect life with your Olivia. Just stop bothering me.”
Sawyer’s eyes narrowed as silence stretched between them. Then, without a word, he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a card, holding it out to her.
“One hundred thousand dollars,” he said calmly. “You stay with me until the contract is up. And you won’t get a new boyfriend.”
Ellie instinctively reached for the card, ready to snatch it, but at the last second, her fingers halted in hesitation. She bit her lip, thinking hard.
‘Even after knowing I was only acting as his girlfriend for money, why does he still want to keep me around?’ She studied his face, suspicion creeping in. ‘Could it be that this guy is actually in love with me?’
If that was the case, then maybe staying a little longer wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Just a few more months. Get the full payout.
A slow smirk spread across her lips—one she tried to hide but failed.
Sawyer saw it. His jaw clenched as he sighed internally. ‘This little gold digger… she gets so happy whenever I show her money.’
Feigning disinterest, he made a move to pull the card back.
But at the last second, Ellie snatched it from his hand.
“Deal!” she declared, flashing him a reluctant smile while barely hiding her glee. “Since you’re so insistent on keeping me, I’ll stay until the three years are up. Just to make you happy, of course. Wouldn’t want to leave any psychological burden on you.”
Sawyer’s jaw clenched as he grabbed her face again. “Ellie Madden!” he snapped, grabbing her face again. “How fast you change for money?!”
Ellie giggled, grabbing his wrist and trying to pry it off. “What money?” She quickly slid the card under the pillow, shaking her head at him, feigning confusion. “I’m obviously coming back to you because I love you so much. It hurts to even think about living apart from you.”
She pouted slightly, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “If I didn’t love you, why would I stay up until three in the morning just to make sure you took your medicine and didn’t wake up in pain next morning after drinking all night? Why would I go to your office just to check on you and take care of you? What kind of woman does all that if she doesn’t love her husband?”
Her doe-like eyes locked onto his, and her innocent face made him narrow his eyes, though her words stirred something inside him.
‘It’s true that she loves money, but this little gold digger isn’t completely unaffected.’ He thought to himself, watching her carefully. ‘Last year, when that heavy stone was about to fall on me during the new stage build, she pushed me out of the way and injured herself. Stupid woman! How can she just be pretending to love me when she’s willing to risk her life to save me?’
Sawyer leaned in closer, his grip still firm on her face. "So, you aren’t acting this time?"
Ellie smiled sweetly, but inside, her mind was racing.
‘I have to take this opportunity. I don’t have any other way to make that much money quickly. And I still need to find out if it was really Olivia who burned me three years ago. And that won’t be possible unless I stay around SNS.’
Her gaze locked onto his face. Even though he was just inches away, close enough that she could see every little detail—his frustratingly long lashes, his sharp eyes, his perfectly sculpted lips—she couldn’t find a single flaw. And the scent of him... so clean, so intoxicating, she felt like she could fall asleep right then without needing a scented candle.
Ellie smirked to herself, her thoughts drifting. ‘Anyway, he’s so handsome. Even if I have to stay with him for a few more months, it’s not like I’m losing out.’
But before she could answer his question, Sawyer caught that strange look in her eyes. His patience snapped.
"What the hell are you thinking about with that face, Ellie?"
Instead of answering, Ellie leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down onto the bed.
As their bodies pressed together, heat radiated between them, an electric current sparking in the space where their skin met. She smirked wickedly and winked, her voice dripping with mischief.
"Wanna do it?"
Before he could answer, she closed the distance, crashing her lips onto his in a fiery kiss. Her tongue tangled with his, teasing and demanding, her lips moving wildly, matching the rough hunger of his own. His hands found her waist, gripping her firmly as he deepened the kiss, pulling her flush against him.
A low moan escaped her throat as the taste of him overwhelmed her senses, sending delicious shivers down her spine. She clutched at his shirt, fingers curling into the fabric before tugging it up, breaking their kiss for just a moment to strip it from his body.
His hands were just as impatient, roaming over her curves, tracing the line of her spine before slipping beneath her top. His fingers brushed against her heated skin, making her gasp. With one swift motion, he pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it aside.
Their breaths mingled, heavy and ragged, as his lips trailed from her mouth to her jaw, then down the column of her throat. She tilted her head back, exposing more of herself to him, her fingers already working at the waistband of his pants.
His hands slid down her back, finding the clasp of her bra and undoing it with practiced ease. As the fabric fell away, his gaze darkened with desire, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips before he captured her mouth again, hungrier this time, their bodies pressing together, skin against skin, the last barriers between them quickly disappearing into the haze of their passion.
Panting with excitement, she kissed his neck. Wet kisses, sharp nips, and teasing bites trailed down his throat. The scent of her body filled his nose, intoxicating him. His body burned hotter with every second. Her lips moved from one side of his throat to the other, licking, eating, kissing his skin.
Her hand found his nipple, pulling, pinching at it, testing his limits. Her soft body rubbed against his rough one, every movement deliberate, every brush of her skin against his sending jolts of pleasure through him. Her leg wrapped around his waist, moving up and down, rubbing herself against his rod with unrelenting force.
“Ahh…” Sawyer’s soft groan vibrated through his throat and onto her lips. The sound sent a thrill down her spine. She moved lower, her teeth grazing his chest before nipping his nipple.
“Fuck…!” His broken voice, rough and strained, urged her to bite harder. She did. Her teeth clamped onto the sensitive bud, pulling, tugging, pushing him further into the abyss of desire.
“Fuck... Fuck, Ellie!” He hissed as pain shot through his nipple, only for pleasure to follow when her tongue swiped over it, sending tingles rippling across his chest.
His member ached, thick and heavy, tip leaking with undeniable proof of his need. Her mouth traveled lower, finding his rod directly. Fisting him in her hand, she lifted it, showing him just how hard he was.
A wicked grin stretched across her lips as she met his burning eyes, teasing him. He growled furiously, his muscles tensing.
Her grip on his thickness tightened in a punishing hold, her hand twisting, stroking, forcing him to endure the torturous pleasure. With every stroke, it swelled, turning darker, the veins pulsing beneath his hot skin.
Lowering her head, she took the tip into her mouth, sucking, teasing, pushing him to the edge.
“Ellie… slow down!” he growled, his shaft trembling with need, the trapped blood setting every vein on fire, his fingers gripping the back of her head.
She sucked and licked, reveling in the way his control threatened to break free. The raw, primal way his body betrayed him—set her own arousal aflame. Her core ached, drenched with her own desire.
She climbed on top of Sawyer, straddling him. Her bare wetness rubbed against his stomach, her heat branding his skin.
Her thumb traced his lower lip, wiping away the wetness in a slow, seductive motion. She held his gaze, something dark and dangerous swirling between his eyes. And then, she climbed higher, lowering herself over his mouth.
“Use your tongue on me.”
His hands moved to her hips, eager to pull her closer, but before he could settle them there, she gripped his wrists firmly. She shifted her position, guiding his hands away and bringing them higher, her fingers pressing against his skin with commanding force.
“Just your tongue. Hands off.” Her voice was a low, sultry command.