Deadly Obsession (24 page)

Placing his elbows on either side of her head, Nic rocked his hips, sliding his cock back and forth along her folds. A tingle began again where he was rubbing her, and she marveled at his expertise. In the past, she’d always had trouble achieving climax, but he’d brought her to that point easily.

As the tension mounted, she closed her eyes. He lowered his mouth to hers and after another deep kiss, slid his lips over to her ear and nibbled. Wave after wave of sensation flashed over her, through her. She’d die if he didn’t bury himself inside her soon. Gathering her courage, she reached down between their bodies to palm him. He was hard steel encased in smooth silk. Chills ran up her spine in anticipation of being stretched to the limit, of having him fill her completely. Her toes curled and she purred with delight.

As if electrified by her reaction, he wrapped his hand around hers and guided his cock to her opening. She released him and wound her arms tightly around his neck, tilting her hips to ease his entry. He covered her mouth and slid his tongue between her lips even as he pushed himself home. She arched her back, moaning as the slow glide triggered every nerve ending in its path. Moisture blurred her vision. The moment she’d fantasized about for so long was finally happening.

Balancing on his elbows, he cradled her head in his hands while keeping his hips still. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

Lauren shivered as the husky tones of his voice washed over her. “Yes.”

“You’re so tight. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

Smiling at his concern, she ran her hands down the ropes of muscle on his back until she could curl her fingers around the tight globes of his butt. The expression on his face as she pushed down with her hands and pushed up with her hips almost made her laugh. Nic The Lover was nothing like she’d imagined.

He was better.

She hadn’t expected him to cherish her. Hadn’t expected the tenderness in his touch. Hadn’t expected the reverence in his eyes. On screen, his love scenes tended toward the hard and fast variety, and while they could try that another time, this time she rejoiced in the arms of this quieter, more loving Nic.

A tightening feeling began to build up in her core as he withdrew one inch at a time until only the head of his cock remained inside her. When she could stand it no more, he plunged. He repeated this over and over until she cried out. “Nic, please!”

With a knowing look, he grinned at her. “Tell me what you want,
chérie
.”

“More!”

Lowering himself completely on her, he gripped her bottom, tilting her hips up, and began pounding into her with short hard strokes. With his face in the crook of her neck, he kissed and nipped at her shoulder. Suddenly she was desperate to feel his teeth on her breasts. She gripped his head and tried to push him lower. When he didn’t understand, she made a mewling sound of displeasure. He lifted his head and she knew by the sexy look on his face that he was teasing. With a seemingly innate understanding of her needs, he raised himself to his knees, pulling her tightly against him so her bottom rested on his thighs.

Bending over her, he tugged one of her nipples between his teeth. The feeling, between a tweak and a pinch, along with the relentless pounding of his cock, sent her over the edge. As her world exploded into a kaleidoscope of color and sensation, she clutched his head against her and called out his name.

He released her nipple and pressed her down onto the bed. Pushing up on his hands, he thrust high and deep a few more times before achieving his own release and collapsing on top of her.

With the sound of his rapid breathing in her ear and the feel of his heart thumping against her chest, she lay in his arms and marveled at how happy she was to be here, with him. She’d missed this closeness to another person, to a man. Holding him in her arms, being held in his, sharing this basic, primal pleasure.

He lifted his head and pressed a tender kiss against her lips before rolling over and pulling her so she lay on his chest. With her finger, she traced the curves of his lips, his eyebrows, and the skin around his eyes.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have done this.”

Cracking open an eye, he shot her a penetrating stare. “Why not?”

“You just got out of the hospital. If I hurt Nic The Lover, women the world over will hate me.” Something flashed across his face. Anger? Pain? Hurt? Whatever it was, she’d hit a nerve.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “
Chérie
, I’m perfectly fine.”

She rubbed the crease between his brows. “You’re upset.” When Nic averted his gaze, anxiety fluttered in her chest.

“Kaden will be back soon. I’d better hit the shower.” He rolled her to his side and slid off the bed. “Are you hungry?”

“I’ll get supper started, and then I’ll have a shower. I saw some steaks in your freezer. Does that sound good?”

Shooting her a quick look over his shoulder, Nic acknowledged her words with a single nod. The bathroom door closed with a resounding thud. Lauren pressed a hand to her suddenly queasy stomach.

Their relationship had barely begun. Was this already the final curtain?

After the shower, Nic barricaded himself in his office. Kaden had returned, and he could hear him chatting with Lauren in the kitchen as she prepared supper. Sex with her had been everything he’d expected it to be, and more. The exquisite taste of her lingered on his tongue and her blissful moans echoed in his ears.

But her comment about sleeping with Nic The Lover pissed him off.

Had he been expecting—even hoping—she would see through the act? He scrubbed his face, hard. He was seriously messed up. So what if she thought of him as Nic The Lover? Maybe it was better that way.

And now that he thought about it… that she’d worn her dead husband’s dog tags even while they’d had sex, that fucking pissed him off too. She’d seemed eager to get in bed with him, even leading the way at times, and for sure she’d enjoyed herself. It was his name that had echoed off the walls when she’d come. She certainly hadn’t been thinking about Todd then.

Of course her husband had been important to her. But Todd had died five years ago. Her home was filled with photos of him and his clothes still hung in her closet. Wasn’t that enough? Why did she need to keep a reminder of him around her neck, even when she was having sex with another man? It didn’t take a degree in psychology to know something was off about that.

But hey, who was he to judge? They all had their crosses to bear. His was Rachel. And maybe Lauren’s was Todd. If this relationship with her continued, they might find themselves in a position where they had to either share their secrets or….

Fuck
. Enough of that. He turned on his computer to see how the press conference was being received. He checked a few mainstream entertainment sites. They’d kept their reporting close to the facts. Good. There were some mentions of a possible stalker, but thanks to Becker, he’d expected that. As he typed in the address of a high-profile blog site, trepidation stiffened his fingers. Bloggers were not held to the same standards as mainstream sites. Their
news
often held more fiction than fact.

Seconds later, he sat frozen, staring at the slander on the screen. The author of the celebrity gossip blog claimed Nic was a Rohypnol addict who regularly indulged in the drug for its disinhibiting effects, which apparently enabled him to act sexually with women. It went on to say he had drugged Summer so she would sleep with him and that he had paid Lauren to take the nude photos of him and Summer together all in an effort to cover up his homosexuality.

What kind of person would say shit like this about him? About Lauren?

Hollywood was fickle when it came to most aspects of filmmaking, but it was consistently conservative when it came to an actor’s reputation. An actor could be on the A-list one day and on the blacklist the next.

If he didn’t find Summer and clear up this mess soon, he’d be lucky to get a role as an extra in one of her porn flicks. And he wouldn’t have enough money to continue funding the ranch for Rachel. He couldn’t let that happen.

He picked up his desk phone and dialed Vivian. Seconds later, she answered.

“Hello darling. Is everything all right?”

“No. When I got home, Kaden found a message on my bathroom mirror, written in blood. We called the police. They’ll probably want to question you.”

“My God. You’re sure it was blood?”

“The police tested it.”

“Are you okay?”

“I managed not to pass out. So, I guess that’s good.”

She chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone has their foibles.”

“Speaking of foibles, have you seen what’s being posted about me on the internet?”

“No. What are they saying?”

“Only that I’m a homosexual Rohypnol addict who uses the drug so I can have sex with women. If this ruins my career….” He paused and took a calming breath. “You know why I need this.”

Silence.

“Vivian?”

“Yes, I’m here. Don’t overreact. The police believe your version of the events. But maybe we need to step things up a bit to make sure the public believes it too. You need to show everyone that nothing has changed. You’re still Nic The Lover, and you won’t be intimidated by anyone.”

“Any ideas on how to do that?”

“Do you trust me, darling?”

That was easy. “You know I do.”

“Then take my advice. If we handle this right, it’ll actually boost your career. Before this, you were a household name in America. After this, you’ll be a household name around the world.”

He sighed. She’d been saying stuff like this since the whole mess started, but instead of getting better, things were getting worse. “What’s your advice?”

“First, send Lauren back to the hotel.”

Not going to happen. “What else?”

“Stay in and rest for the next couple of days. I’ll arrange for someone to accompany you to the Make-A-Wish fundraiser. You’ll go as Nic The Lover, in full force. By the end of the evening, women will be falling at your feet, and anyone who ever doubted your virility will be proven wrong.”

“I’m a good actor, Viv, but I don’t think even Nic The Lover can make that happen.”

Her chuckling came over the line, loud and clear. “Don’t be silly, darling. All you need to do is be your usual sexy, charming self. Nature and pheromones will do the rest.”

Nature and pheromones, huh? But there was one problem with her plan. “I’m taking Lauren, not some silly starlet. And, of course, Kaden will need to come too.”

“The bodyguard, yes. The department store photographer, no.”

Letting out another sigh, he rested his head on the back of his chair. Hadn’t they resolved this already? “Vivian. If I go, she goes.”

“Have you considered how she’ll feel when you start acting like Nic The Lover? If I recall correctly, it didn’t end too well that time in D.C.”

No, it hadn’t. But, as long as he didn’t pull a Paparazzi Kiss on her, she’d be more than happy to spend the evening with Nic The Lover.

After all, that’s who she thought she was fucking.

CHAPTER 12

Nic was still upstairs brooding. How could they patch things up if he didn’t come down, if they didn’t talk about it? Lauren sighed as she tossed a Greek salad. She didn’t even know what she’d done to upset him.

“Need help?”

Lauren jumped at the sound of Kaden’s voice and pressed a hand to her pounding chest. He crossed the kitchen to stand beside her, peering at her face. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. I didn’t hear you come in.” She handed him the salad bowl. When he turned to take it to the table, she made her voice sound casual. “Have you been Nic’s bodyguard long?”

His shoulders stiffened. “Why do you ask?”

“Just making conversation.”

Shrugging, he set the bowl on the table. “On and off for the last year.”

“Does he enjoy the fame and glamour?”

Kaden rubbed his chin. “He likes the fans but not the press so much.” He sat on a barstool at the breakfast counter. “A few months ago we went to see a Kings game with some hockey friends of Nic’s. The paparazzi caught up with us as we left and trailed us to the car. All the way, he kept up the banter, trying to charm them into leaving, but it didn’t work, and some of his friends got pissed.”

“Good thing they didn’t have their hockey sticks.”

“Yeah, I had to step in before all hell broke loose.”

“What did you do?”

“I threatened to shoot them if they didn’t back off.”

She stared at Kaden, frozen for a full five seconds. “You pulled a gun?”

He laughed. “You should have seen the look on their faces. A lot like the one on your face right now.” Then, his smile faded. “Nic kept it together, but when we got home, he punched a hole in the wall.”

“So the keeping his cool part was an act?”

“Yeah, he hates having his privacy invaded. And this has to be really hard on him. He’s had more people in his house today than in the whole time I’ve known him.”

“You’re a good friend.” She patted his hand.

“Trying to steal my girl, Kaden? Isn’t your lovely nurse enough?” Her back stiffened at the edge in Nic’s voice. His mouth was stretched into a straight line, muscles working in his jaw. Not sure whether he was angry or jealous, she kept her mouth shut.