Chapter 22
twenty-two
. . .
Grant
It was probably careless to invite her to this wrap party and risky for us to arrive together, but apparently, I don't care anymore.
I want to spend all my time with her. As I watch her from across the room, I pretend I'm listening to whatever merger talk one of my colleagues is droning on about.
Sophia's laugh carries over the noise of the party—the genuine one she rarely uses in public, not her press-ready chuckle.
My fingers tighten around my glass of bourbon.
Blaze Winters, an up-and-coming hotshot actor from Everest Studios, has been hovering around her for the past twenty minutes.
He's got that look I know too well, the one that says he thinks he's about to land his next big star.
He's standing too close, touching her elbow too often.
Sophia's being polite and professional, but I catch the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.
It's not your business, I remind myself. We may have given in to a moment, but we're not together. I have no claim on her, and vice versa.
"Don't you think, Grant?" someone says, breaking through my thoughts.
"Sorry. What was that?" I force my attention back to the man standing next to me, but my gaze keeps drifting to Blaze and Sophia with their heads bent together as he shows her something on his phone.
I shouldn't be jealous. I've seen Sophia act, and I've seen her when she's real, and every one of her reactions with Blaze right now is a performance. He touches the small of her back, and something inside me snaps.
"Excuse me," I say to the group I'm standing with, already moving across the room. I don't have a plan, but my feet carry me toward them anyway.
"Sophia," I say, my voice carrying that studio executive authority I've perfected over the years. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to discuss the reshoot schedule for next week. Blaze, I'm sure you understand. Time-sensitive matters."
Her eyes meet mine, and there's a flash of relief followed by amusement. And my heart is hammering against my ribs like it's trying to escape.
"Of course," Blaze says smoothly, though his smile has an edge. "We'll catch up later, Sophia."
She nods graciously, but she's already turning toward me. "The reshoot schedule?" she asks once Blaze is out of earshot, one eyebrow raised.
"You looked uncomfortable. I was just trying to help." I try to keep my voice light and professional. Anyone watching would see a producer and his star talking shop. They wouldn't see how my hands itch to touch her, how I have to force myself to maintain this careful distance.
"Funny," she says, taking a sip of her champagne. "I didn't know I needed help."
"You don't." The admission comes out rougher than I intended.
Her eyes soften just a fraction, and I see the understanding there. It terrifies me. "Grant—"
"It's fine, Sophia. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted."
“I’m glad you did. I’d rather be with you.”
The party continues around us, but for a moment, we're in our own bubble, teetering on the edge of something neither of us is ready to name. And God help me, but I'm thinking some things might be worth the risk after all.
"Let's go."
The city lights blur past the car window, but I'm not really seeing them.
All I can think about is Sophia insinuating that she wants me.
My hand grips the steering wheel in an effort to control myself when all I want to do is touch her, put my hand on her leg, run it up her thigh, and see what's waiting for me under that skirt.
I finally break the silence. "You're quiet."
"Just thinking," she says as she turns toward me. "Do you think Blaze bought the reshoot excuse?"
My jaw tightens. "Does it matter?"
"Grant…"
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have…" I sigh, taking one hand off the wheel to run my hands through my hair. "It was unprofessional."
"That's not what I was going to say."
I pull into the driveway, but neither of us moves to get out. The house is dark. Hazel's at Sarah's for the night. The silence stretches between us, heavy with all the things we've been careful not to say.
"What were you going to say?"
"I was going to say…" She takes a deep breath. "When Blaze started flirting with me, all I could think about was how wrong it felt. How I wanted to be anywhere else but there."
"Sophia…" I stop, not sure what I want to say.
Before I can respond, she's opening the door to escape the awkward moment.
My hands race to unbuckle my seatbelt, and I jump out of the car and rush to meet her.
I shut the door behind her, leaving my hand there while raising my other arm to cage her in.
"It felt wrong seeing you near him. I want your attention, your laughs…to touch you."
I bring a hand down to tuck her hair behind her ear, and she brings her arms up and wraps them behind my neck. It's the permission I need to smash my lips against hers. I devour her lips like I'm starving, and when I hear a moan escape from her, I snap.
I bring my hands down to her legs and lift her so they're wrapped around my waist and carry her through the gate and toward the bungalow. She's got her hands in my hair and is kissing down my jawline to my neck, and I'm so hard my pants are strangling my cock.
I reach for the sliding door and wedge it open just enough for us to slide through and stumble over to the bed. She's laid out before me, and as much as I want to take her right now, I slow it down.
"Grant," she whispers, her eyes hungry, her face flushed.
"Lie back."
She does exactly as I ask her to, and I reach for her. I glide my hands over her thighs, pushing up her skirt to reveal a pink lace thong. It barely covers her bare pussy.
"Christ, Sophia. You are so fucking gorgeous."
She twists with need at my praise, lifting her hips toward me.
I move my hands to her shirt and push it up past her bra.
"Can I take this off?"
"Yes." She nods and raises her hands in the air.
I pull off her shirt and pull down her bra so her tits pop out over the top. My mouth finds her breasts, and my tongue dances over and swirls around her tight nipples. I bring my hand up to her other breast, unable to keep my hands off her.
I bring my face back up to hers and press into her lips again, and when I pull back to look at her, she's panting.
"Your body, these lips. I'd love nothing more than to fuck that sweet mouth and take that sweet cunt."
She responds by pulling at my shirt, struggling with the buttons.
"Can I take this off?" she asks.
I push back and pull the shirt off over my head. When her hands touch my skin, it feels like a bolt of electricity crackles through my chest. They are soft and delicate as they roam across my chest and abs. Before she can go any lower, I drop to my knees and pull her to the edge of the bed.
"Can I take your panties off? I want to see that perfect pussy."
"Yes."
My eyes follow her hands as she pushes her panties down her legs, and they fall to the floor. My mouth is almost drooling with need. I want to taste her, explore every inch of her body, and watch her scream with pleasure. She's glistening, slick with need.
"Lay that beautiful body back, pull your knees up, and open them wide, Sophia. I'm going to lick this pussy until you are begging me to let you come. I want to feel your orgasm on my tongue and my head smashed between your knees."
I breathe in her sweet scent and then slide my tongue up her center, swirling my tongue around the bundle of nerves at the top of her slit.
"Oh, yes. More of that, please."
"You like how my mouth feels on your cunt?"
"Yes."
My hands hold her thighs in place as I lick her slowly, exploring every inch of her. She whimpers and grabs my hair, grinding on my face. I'm so turned on that my dick is leaking precum, and I have to thrust against the bed for just a little relief.
"More, Grant. I need more."
I drag my fingers down the inside of her thigh, resting them at her entrance, teasing her.
"Is this what you want, Sophia? You want me to fuck you with my fingers?"
"Yes!"
I circle around her entrance with one of my fingers as I flick my tongue over her clit. She pulls my head closer to her, almost suffocating me. I thrust a finger inside her, and she instantly clenches around me, calling out my name.
"Grant, I'm going to come," she says, panting.
I slide another finger inside her and press my mouth against her, running my tongue up, down, and around her most sensitive parts.
Her knees tighten around my head, and her body convulses around me.
"That's right, baby. Let it go. Fuck my fingers and take what you need."
She explodes, and I hear her call out my name again as I keep stroking her, carrying her through her orgasm. When her knees release my head and she relaxes, I pull back and crawl on top of her, leaning in to kiss her again.
My dick presses against her, and she wriggles beneath me as she pulls me closer to her, breathless.
"See how hard you make me, Sophia? You make me want more."
"Take more, then."
Our eyes lock for a moment. Those words are filled with so much meaning.
I lean back in to gently kiss down her neck and her breasts again. and then I tell her, "Not tonight. Just you tonight."
My lips trail down the rest of her body, and I give one last kiss to her beautiful pussy.
Then I find her panties on the floor and slide them back up her legs.
When she sits up, I press my forehead against hers and take a moment.
I want her so fucking bad, but this was already way over the line.
It's not too late to stop what's happening.
We didn't fuck; we could chalk this up to the weird energy of the evening.
Sophia brings her hands to my jaw and pulls back, forcing me to look her in the eyes. She doesn't say anything, just watches me for a minute like she can read my mind and knows the conflict raging inside of me.
"Thank you for tonight," she tells me as she runs her hands through my hair. "Don't overthink it. I wanted you as much as you wanted me."
I reach past her, grab the blanket that's hanging on the arm of the chair beside the bed, and wrap it around her.
"Walk me out?" I grab my shirt off the bed and slide my arms through the sleeves before buttoning just a few buttons to keep it closed.
She nods and follows me to the door. When I turn to say goodbye, she reaches up and covers my lips with hers—softly, sweetly, as if she's confirming everything is ok. We are ok.
"Goodnight, Grant."
"Goodnight, Sophia."
My shoes tap softly as I cross the back patio over to my house, and I realize I never even took them off. I slide through the back door and turn to look back at the guest house, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sophia one last time, but the curtains are already closed, and my heart sinks.