Hollywood & Vine (12 page)

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Madison giggled. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to have to dig a hole in the desert.”

“Gotcha. But for the record, and I may kick myself for saying this, I don’t think he’s a complete asshole. I don’t mean he isn’t how he portrays himself, but I think there’s more to him.”

“Well, good luck to whoever decides to take on that project.”

“Yeah,” Josie mumbled. She turned her attention back to work and pushed all thoughts of Anders from her mind. In a couple of hours, she would see him. She’d deal with him then.

“H
ey, Ivy,” Anders greeted when she stepped inside his trailer later that morning.

“Anders.” She dipped her chin and moved across the room to the rack of clothing, removing what he needed to wear for the next scene. Her heart was beating faster than normal, and her breathing was choppy. She was nervous and she hated herself a little for it.

Anders frowned when she wouldn’t make eye contact. It set him on edge. “You can’t back out. You know that, right?”

Josie spun around, her brows pinched in confusion. “What?”

“You agreed to go on a date with me. You can’t change your mind.”

Josie let out a harsh breath, her expression a mix of disbelief and annoyance. “First, I can do whatever the hell I want, Anders. Second, what are you talking about?”

“You.” He waved his hand in her direction. “You’re being weird.”

“I just walked into the room,” she said, her words slow and measured. “I’ve said one word to you. How am I being weird?”

“Exactly. We’ve been in the same room for almost five minutes and you haven’t called me an asshole yet. It’s weird. You’re being weird.”

Josie cracked a grin. “Asshole.”

Anders opened his mouth then snapped it shut. Chuckling, he cupped the back of his neck and looked down. “Okay, now things feel normal.”

“You’re insane.”

“I wasn’t before you came along. This is all your fault.” Anders crossed the room and pulled the garments from her hands.

“So before you were just an asshole, but now you’re an insane asshole. And that’s my fault?”

Anders hung the clothes back on the rack, the movement bringing them close enough for Anders to smell the sweet scent of her perfume. “Yeah,” he exhaled, his voice low, “that about sums it up.” He drew his arm from the rack, dropping it behind Josie and letting his hand slide down her back and rest on her hip.

Josie shivered from the slight pressure of his fingers pressing into her waist. “Well at least you’re aware that you’re an asshole.” She barely recognized her voice.

“I’m not an asshole, Ivy. People just can’t handle that I make no apologies for who I am. What you see is what you get.”

Josie shook her head. “For some reason I don’t believe you. I think there’s something else to you. I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”

Anders dropped his hand and stepped away. The air around them, once thick with tension and heat, was now barren and ice-cold. The softness in Anders’ face shifted into a hard mask, his stance rigid. “Don’t waste your time. What you see is what you get.”

Josie reeled back at the sharp, cutting tone of his voice. She held up her hands and turned away, pulling clothes from the rack again. “I didn’t say I was going to bother. I was trying to pay you a compliment by saying I didn’t believe you were the shallow asshole you show to everyone. I was mistaken. My bad.”

“Fuck.” Anders pushed his hands into his hair and ground his teeth. He wondered if they’d ever have a conversation that didn’t end with one of them biting the other’s head off. Somehow he doubted it. “Can we talk about something else? Tell me something about yourself.”

“Anders,” Josie sighed, resigned. “You don’t want to know anything about me. You don’t have to pretend. I know what the deal is, remember?”

“So I’m not allowed to ask any questions about you?” He didn’t understand why that bothered him, but not caring about the answers was different than being denied them.

“Why do you care?”

“If I knew, don’t you think I would tell you?”

“How about we talk about our date. The one I apparently can’t change my mind about.” The playful tone of her voice and small smile on her face disarmed Anders from his rigid stance. She made him angry enough to put his fist through a wall one second and completely relaxed the next.

“Well you can’t,” he retorted, indignant.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Okay, what’s the plan?”

Anders shifted his weight. He wasn’t sure how to tell her his plan without pissing her off. He hated feeling unsure and awkward; it wasn’t who he was. The fact he had to work this hard for a girl still pissed him off. “What about Friday?”

Josie hesitated. She’d promised Holden she’d look at a few buildings he was interested in for his restaurant. He was at the point where he had enough money and wanted her opinion.

Anders took her hesitation as something else. “Unless you already have a date that is. I wouldn’t want to interrupt again.”

“Friday’s fine. Now tell me where before you say something else that pisses me off. I’m so close to junk punching you and telling you to fuck off for good.”

“My friend Owen offered to let us use his place,” Anders said in a rush. “It’s just we’d be hounded in public, and paps are always around my house.”

Josie’s feelings were a mix of relief and anger, followed by resignation. He was hiding her, but that was better than being photographed and labeled as Anders’ latest conquest. “So day after tomorrow? You’ll get me the directions?”

“Yeah, um, what food do you like?”

Josie sighed and stepped closer, unbuttoning the shirt in her hands. “Order whatever you want. Food won’t be what we’re focused on anyway.”

Anders hummed and tugged on the shirt, pulling her closer. “You’re probably right.”

“I usually am.”

“I don’t have to film again until next week so I’ll text you the time and address, okay?”

“Okay.” Josie wasn’t surprised by his dismissal. Normally she stayed until he dressed and even then he somehow managed to detain her a little longer. Now that he’d secured a date, her presence was no longer necessary. The realization brought a sense of relief she wasn’t sure how to feel about.

Anders leaned down and pressed his lips against the swell of her cheek. “See you Friday.”

A
s promised, Anders texted Josie with the time and address of when and where to meet. His texts didn’t stop there, however. He sent her random messages filled with questions. He seemed determined to know more about her personal life. She didn’t want him to know her in that way
―
it blurred lines she had no interest in crossing.

The night of their date, Josie stepped into her skirt. The soft material fluttered against her skin. Pulling on her top, she looked at her reflection and sighed. The outfit was more casual than the one she’d worn the first time she’d slept with Anders. But unlike the first time, the effort to get his attention wasn’t necessary. Tonight, Anders was a sure thing.

While Josie made her way across town, Anders turned Owen’s oven on low and pushed several trays of food inside. He chuckled at the ridiculous amount of food spread on the kitchen counter. Josie had been a complete pain in the ass by refusing to answer his questions. She wouldn’t even tell him what kind of food she preferred. Granted he wasn’t all that concerned with the food, but her unwillingness bugged him. He knew how much of a hypocrite that made him, but he was more of a “do as I say, not as I do” type of guy.

When the doorbell rang a half hour later, he’d just finished setting up everything. His stomach tightened in anticipation. This would be the first time he didn’t have to worry about prying eyes. Rolling his neck and relaxing his shoulders, he opened the door.

“Hey.” Anders smirked, his eyes lingering on her skirt.

“Are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going to invite me in?” Josie was both amused and annoyed at how he seemed to have trouble tearing his eyes away from her legs.

“You can come in, but I don’t intend to stop staring.” He stepped to the side to let her pass, never breaking his intense perusal. She always looked nice at work, always put together. Except for the day she tried to kill him via leather pants, she kept her clothing pretty conservative. The way her oversized sweater exposed her shoulder and her mid-thigh skirt moved around her legs, though, she might as well have been naked for the effect it had on him.

“Wow, this is a nice place. I’m surprised your friend was okay with letting you use his house to fuck some girl.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“So you didn’t tell him you were bringing a girl here to fuck?”

“I told him…” Anders tugged his hair, already feeling cornered and uneasy. “I told him this was a date. Owen knows about you.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Josie couldn’t hide the absolute surprise she felt, or her confusion.

“Um, he knows. About you. About everything.”

“You told him about me? Why would you do that?” Josie’s heart rate accelerated at the thought of someone knowing who she was and why she was here. It was one thing to confide in Madison—they were best friends and Josie trusted her—but she didn’t know Owen. Josie glanced at the door and wondered if she should forget the whole thing and bolt.

“Hey, what are you doing? Stop. Calm down.” Anders stepped closer and grabbed her arm when she shifted toward the door. “You were driving me crazy. I didn’t know what to do, so I talked to him. He was with me when you agreed to the date and offered his place. Nothing more.”

“So he doesn’t think I’m some cheap whore he can have a shot at when you’re done?”

“No,” Anders snapped. The memory of his conversation with Owen suggesting the same thing still angered him. “There’s no fucking way I’d ever allow that.”

The possessive tone in his voice caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. “We’ve had this conversation. You have no say in what I do.” While Josie had no intentions of sleeping with Owen, she’d be damned if Anders would make decisions about her life.

Anders saw the fire light in her eyes as she spoke, her rising anger unmistakable. As much as he wanted to challenge her, she was right. He had no right to tell her what she could and could not do. He shook his head, a humorless chuckle slipping past his lips as he pulled her closer. This date was already going to hell and it hadn’t even started. He needed to get things back on track so he could get her out of his system once and for all.

“Can we start over? Please?”

Josie nodded. “What are we eating?”

“Oh, now you want to talk about food,” Anders joked. He slid his hand down her arm and linked their fingers before tugging her toward the kitchen. “So we’re clear, you’re responsible for what happened here.”

“What happened where?” Josie slowed to a stop, her eyes growing wide. “Holy shit! What did you do?”

Anders laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he stared at Josie. “You refused to help by telling me what you like to eat, so I ordered from all my favorite restaurants.”

“Anders, there’s enough food here to feed an army. We can’t eat all this.” Her protest died on her lips and her mouth began to water as she eyed the plates of pasta, pork roast, steak, potatoes, and other dishes she couldn’t even name. “You’re going to need a forklift to get me out of here.”

Anders stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground before easing her back down. Bending his knees, he dipped his head until his cheek rested against her hair and his lips brushed her ear. “Nah, I’ve lifted you before, remember? I can take care of you.”

Josie’s stomach tightened as her fingers dug into his forearms. The feel of his chest pressed against her back, the smell of his cologne, and the tickle of his breath against her skin almost made her forget about the food altogether. “Yeah, I remember.” Her words were no more than a strained whisper. Anders shuffled them awkwardly toward the food, unwilling to unwrap himself from around her.

“Do you want some wine?” His voice had taken on the same low, soft tone as Josie’s. It was as if both were afraid to talk any louder for fear of bursting the fragile bubble surrounding them.