First Take (Star-Taken) (15 page)

A low rumble vibrated through his chest as h
e smoothed his free hand down her back to settle on her hip. “I’m going to fuck you with the toy until you come again.” His cock jumped, and she didn’t think he’d done it deliberately. He stilled for a moment, his voice low as he said, “Tell me if you need or want me to stop.”

She ran her tongue along
the length of his neck, sampling his delicious skin. “Mmm, okay.”

W
hen he pulled the toy out until only the tip stretched her, she bit him. The spiraled ridges of the plug set her nerve endings to singing in a way his finger hadn’t. He rolled his hips at the same time he thrust the toy back inside and she gasped. Alternately, she sucked and nibbled on his neck while he claimed her body, mind, and soul.

I love him.

The thought stole her breath. They hadn’t known each other long enough. It had to be just the intensity of the sex.

She clamped her lips tight to keep the words from escaping. It was just that she’d never felt so full, so complete. Still, she wanted more, needed more. She rocked back onto the toy when he retreated. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

“That’s it, babe,” Stephen said, his voice gruff.

He held the plug steady as she rode it and him faster and faster, the tension spiraling out of control. When h
e thrust his hips upward, at the same time she slammed downward, pleasure sparked from her clit. “Gonna come, babe.” He growled. “Come with me.”

Her orgasm ignited,
sending her flying even as she tried to choke back tears and not tumble into the abyss. He swelled inside her, and she screamed at the impossible fullness. It was too much. Spasms avalanched through her.

“That’s it, babe.
” The fingers of his free hand dug into her hip as he clenched his teeth. “I told you,” he pulsed inside her and more tremors rocked her, “you’d milk my cock.”

She bit the cord of his neck
. It was all she could manage with trembles shaking her core and leaving her limbs weak.

Though he said,
“Ow!” he didn’t pull away, but rather canted his head more.

Rachel
released her hold then licked the spot, savoring the saltiness. After dropping a kiss on his chin, she smiled and said, “Don’t be an arrogant ass.”

He chuckled then pu
lled the toy from her body. She gasped as another spasm rippled through her. Hugging her tight with one arm, he said, “You’re awesome, babe. You amaze me.”

She snorted.
“I didn’t do anything.”

“Hmm, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”
He turned his head and dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Can you move? I need to take care of things.”

She rolled off him and collapsed to the side of the bed before dragging a pillow under her head, her eyes sliding shut.
Jell-O didn’t have anything on her. There wasn’t a bone left in her body.

When the mattress
shifted, she cracked an eyelid and admired Stephen’s sculpted backside while he headed toward the bathroom. Once the door shut, she closed her eyes again. How was it possible to feel weightless and heavy all at the same time? She was glad she didn’t have to be the one “to take care of things.”

When the mattress
dipped, Rachel forced her eyelids open. She hadn’t even heard the bathroom door. She must’ve been drifting off to sleep. A woman could only take so much pleasure before rest became a necessity.

Stephen gathered her into his arms
and she hummed her approval, happily replacing the too-soft pillow for his shoulder. “I love the way you smell.” Edible. All hot and male with a hint of orange and spice.

He kissed the top of her head. “You’re obviously sleep-deprived. Get some rest.”

“’K,” she mumbled, hugging him closer. At least this time, she didn’t have the thought that he wouldn’t be there when she woke up marring the blissful lethargy dragging her toward dreamland.

~ * ~

THIRTEEN

Stretching, Rachel’s breath caught at the odd muscle twinges in her butt and thighs. She glanced over at Stephen. Sometime during the evening, she’d rolled away from him. His chest rose and fell with even breaths. The clock beside the bed read 10:00. They’d slept through dinner. Hopefully they could get late-night room service because her stomach growled.

She
grabbed the remote off the nightstand. There were other ways to wake him up, but this seemed the safest given her various aches. A stupid grin stretched her lips as she flipped on the TV then skimmed through channels, bypassing the news. Who needed to be depressed by the crap of the world at such a wonderful moment?

“Hey, babe.”

Facing Stephen, she smiled as he scooted upward to recline against the headboard. “Hey.”

He folded his hands on his stomach. “What’s up with the TV?”

“It was the safest way I could think of to wake you. I’m hungry, and I figured if I touched you in any way, shape, or form, another hour would be gone before we’d get around to eating.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Speak for yourself.”

Her swollen folds throbbed, and she sucked in a sharp breath at the little pinpricks of pain radiating outward. Apparently there was such as thing as too much sex. “You’re a very naughty man, Mr. Raymond.”

“Uh-
huh. Now turn off the TV so we can talk food and eating.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

Glancing back at
the TV, Rachel aimed the remote, her finger poised over the power button, but she froze as Stephen’s image appeared on the screen. She upped the volume.

Apparently Stephen Raymond just landed a role as the lead in a romantic comedy. What do you guys think? Can he pull it off?

“What is this show?” Stephen asked.

“It’s celebrity gossip, a TV wag rag.” She
slewed her gaze toward him. “You know wagging tongues, though I also think about dogs hot on a cat’s tail. They chase stories with lots of enthusiasm and little care for truth or the end result.”

He groaned. “Turn it off.”

She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me you got a new role?” The Sunday version of this show recapped the week’s gossip, so he must’ve at least found out at some point since they’d met, though more than likely, he’d known before that. Lots of planning went into making a movie.

He shrugged. “It’s a job.”

She pointed the remote at him. “Is that why you were asking me if I thought you could be a lead in a romance?” And was he keeping her around because she’d had a glowing opinion of his acting skills, and more importantly his ability to perform the role? But that was silly.

The TV caught her attention again.

Well, and we all know there’s been speculation regarding whether or not he’s gay. But here’s this picture of him and an unknown woman taken just this week, what’s the story behind it?

Rachel whipped her head toward the
screen. There was a picture of her being an idiot in front of her brownstone. “Oh my God.” When she’d pulled that stupid field-sobriety stunt, she hadn’t really thought there was anyone around to see. Hadn’t thought she’d see Stephen after that date, so no one in their right mind would see a story, silly or not. Was her family watching this?

“Rachel, turn it off
.” There was a hard edge to Stephen’s voice, but she ignored it. The show was like watching a ten-car pileup, painful to see and impossible to turn away from.

She’s cute, but why would he be interested in her? I mean if you were as hot as Stephen Raymond, would you settle for cute?

Stephen ripped the remote from her hand and punched the power button. “You shouldn’t pay attention to what they say. It’s all ignorant speculation.”

Rachel was horrified.
She’d wondered what it would be like to date a celebrity, and now she knew. There was no such thing as privacy. The most innocent thing could be twisted to suit the needs of the media.

She dropped her head into her hands. “Oh my God.” Her mom loved this show.
Her dad wasn’t supposed to be getting excited. Who in their right mind would want their daughter being speculated on in the press?

“I
t’s no big deal, Rachel.”

She lifted her head and
shot him a glare. “It’s no big deal to you maybe. Maybe you’re used to it, but I’m not, so it is a big deal to me.” Anger heated her skin.

After tossing
off the covers, she stood. Stalking around the bed, she picked up her clothing, her thoughts spinning a mile a minute. She opened her mouth and they tumbled out. “But then, I’m probably not a big deal to you. I mean if you don’t think signing a movie deal is important, why would a mere person figure as important in your life’s equation?”

A frown wrinkled Stephen’s brow. “You’re not
making any sense.” He raised his knees, tenting the sheet, and wrapped his arms around them. “Where are you going? You said yourself it’s late. We should talk about this.”

She slipped into her panties and jeans. “Talk about what? Why they think you’re gay? Are you hoping some photographer will catch us with lips locked on camera to refute that rumor?” She laughed
, but there was no humor in it. “I mean we both know it’s a lie, and surely it can’t be good for your future career as a romantic lead.”

She
slid into her bra, hooked the clasp then yanked on her T-shirt. God, how could she be so stupid? The way he took care of her, the things he did to her body, had it all been an act to further his career? She choked on the questions. Not really wanting to know the answers. The strength of her feelings—she shook her head. She’d lost part of herself and it hadn’t even been a week since they’d first met.

Rachel
glanced around for her shoes. She needed out, needed fresh air to clear her head and cool the buzzing from her ears. After grabbing a shoe from under a low table, she slipped it on then headed to the chair holding the other flat.

“Rachel.”

She scooped up the shoe. Using the chair for support, she stood on one foot while she slid on the shoe.

“Rachel.”

What else was she forgetting? She scanned the room. Her ID and phone were in the pockets of her jeans. Her gaze landed on her sweater near the nightstand. She strode over to pick it up, ignoring Stephen’s large presence in the bed.

When she bent over to grab the garment, Stephen latched a hand onto her upper arm. She froze as he said,
“Goddammit, Rachel, look at me.”

She
sucked in a deep breath and held it. Did she dare? She’d already proven she couldn’t trust herself around him. Why give him another opportunity to manipulate her? He was no better than Nate and her mother. She blew out a noisy breath. If she could stand up to them, she could withstand Stephen.

Eyebrow raised, she met his gaze.
The normal easygoing Stephen of the past few days was gone, but that was okay because Rachel was no longer taken in by his starry facade. She dropped her gaze to his hand and stared at it until he let her go.

After a heavy sigh, he said,
“I don’t do irrational. I don’t do emotionally charged arguments. I don’t chase women. I won’t follow you if you walk out that door.”

Tears clogged her throat, but she swallowed hard then
met his storm-tossed sea green eyes and smiled. “I don’t expect you to, Stephen. I’m just a woman, ‘babe’ to you.” She swept up her sweater. “I was actually a bit shocked you remembered my name. This conversation was the first time you’ve used it.” Without a backward glance, she strode to the door.

“Rachel.”

Ignoring the plea in his voice because it was all in her imagination, she wrenched open the door then was down the hallway before the latch clicked home.

He’s not coming after you, Rach.

She snorted. She wasn’t expecting him to, wasn’t listening for the door, wasn’t thinking this was going to play out like a scene from
The Proposal
. She was no Sandra Bullock after all. Like the gossips had said, she was only cute.

When s
he hit the Down button and the elevator bell immediately dinged, the doors sliding open. Taking a deep breath, she entered the car without looking back or turning around. She punched the button for the lobby and only after the doors slid shut with a soft
swoosh
did she relax against the wall, blowing out a breath, ruffling her bangs.

As the numbers counted down, she repeated to herself,
It was all an act.
But her heart didn’t believe her, the ache in her chest not diminishing one bit. She finger-combed her hair, fluffing the ends and bangs. Even if it hadn’t been an act, why hadn’t he shared the news about his upcoming movie role, and what was up with that speculation on his being gay? In all the tidbits she’d seen on him in the wag rags, she’d never heard that particular bomb. She would’ve remembered.

She shook her head. None of that mattered because Stephen wasn’t coming after her. He’d said so himself.

How can you be so selective in what you believe, Rach? Why can you believe that and not trust that everything else was real?

The elevator slid to a smooth stop at ground level, and she straightened as the doors slid open. He’
d told her none of it mattered and called her irrational. Well, maybe she was being a bit irrational, but the media exposure did matter. And how could someone who’d been so caring, suddenly shove aside her feelings like they weren’t important?

Stepping into the lobby, she paused to consider her options. She’d be foolish to walk across the park at this time of night. There were too many homeless with mental health issues who rested their heads there. As silly as it was, she’d have to catch a cab to return to the hospital and hope they’d left a car for her. She headed for the front desk. Her mom and brother probably had, her father had drilled it into their heads to have a way out of every situation.

Her steps faltered. Had she just manufactured an excuse to run scared from her feelings from Stephen? Had she latched onto the stupid gossip as a way out?

“Hi, how may I help you this evening?” The perky front desk lady asked as Rachel stepped up to the marble counter.

“Hi. Can you call me a cab? I need to cross over to the Med Center.”

The woman smiled. “Oh, dear, there’s no need for that. The hotel shuttle will drop you off at whichever hospital you need.”

Rachel smiled. “Thank you.”

“If you’ll just wait over there, I’ll let
the driver know.”

Heading toward the sitting area, R
achel sighed. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck. The stress of everything was too much. She needed to stop thinking, get herself home, and sleep. Then, maybe in the fresh light of a new day, her brain would work better. Reality bit sometimes.

And maybe some things are better left to fantasy.

~ * ~