Hollywood & Vine (13 page)

“Red?”

He nodded against her shoulder and squeezed her again before stepping away. “It looks like I’m going to learn about you whether you want me to or not.” Anders smirked and twisted the cork out of the wine bottle.

“You’re impossible,” she sighed. Reaching out, she grabbed a shrimp and popped it in her mouth.

“You’re joking, right?” Anders filled her glass before filling his own. “It’s like you work for the CIA. Everything is top secret.”

“Whatever. I’d try to explain, but we’ve managed to go five minutes without wanting to kill each other. Let’s enjoy it.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

One hour and a second bottle of wine later, they’d put a surprising dent in the vast amount of food. The alcohol had loosened them up and put them more at ease. While most of their conversation remained superficial, little things began to slip through, and they found themselves enjoying each other’s company.

“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Josie moaned, shifting in her chair.

“Is there anything left? I’ve never seen anyone eat like you.”

“Oh, shut up. You’re just pissed because I ate the last egg roll.”

“You promised to share.”

“Well I lied. Sue me.” Josie shrugged. Her glassy eyes, red cheeks, and playful smile were anything but apologetic.

Anders tsked. “Looks like I’ll have to eat all the desserts myself.”

“What?” Josie sat up in her chair, her eyes comically wide. “You didn’t tell me there was dessert. What do you have? Are you holding out on me, Anders?”

“How can you even think about eating again?”

“Easy. Side pocket and alcohol.”

“What?” Anders laughed, pushing up from his chair and grabbing Josie’s hand. He didn’t understand how she could eat another bite, but if it kept her smiling, he’d feed her until she did need a forklift.

“Side pocket. It’s like an extra stomach reserved for desserts.”

“Like a cow?”

“Did you just call me a cow?” Josie gasped, smacking his shoulder with her free hand. Anders caught it and brought it to his mouth, biting gently on her fingers.

“No, stop it.” His smile widened as he pulled her until they were chest to chest. He dropped her hand and wrapped his arms around her as he walked her backward into the kitchen. “What about alcohol?”

“Munchies,” she mumbled. The warmth from the wine and his body pressed against her made her head swim. She lifted her hands, brushing them up his hips and to his waist. She slipped her fingertips under the hem of his shirt and dragged them around his back until she clasped them around him.

Anders’ eyes fell shut. The feel of her nails scraping over his skin caused his muscles to clench. He’d wanted to have her like this since he ran into her at the studio almost two months ago. Now that the moment was here, he didn’t want to rush it. He couldn’t explain why, and trying to figure it out would most likely piss him off.

He guided her to the counter and stopped once her back pressed against the stone. “What’s your favorite cake?”

“Huh?” Josie blinked. The wine combined with Anders made it hard to think.

“Cake. What’s your favorite?”

“Anders. We’re going to do this now? You still want to ask me questions?” Josie pressed her hands into his skin and ran them the length of his back and down again. He clenched his jaw, unsure if it was to control his reaction to her hands or because she fought him at every turn.

“I bought cake. A lot of different kinds. They’re small. I wanted to give you one that you’d like.” His voice was low and controlled and Josie knew they were on the verge of another argument if she didn’t answer the damn question.

“Um, white?”

Anders narrowed his eyes before walking to the refrigerator. He pulled out a tray with a couple dozen petit fours and set them on the counter. “I have no idea what flavors these are. I asked for two of everything.”

“Anders, I can’t eat all of these.”

“Well fuck, I hope not! Or I’m going to have to go back to my cow theory.”

Josie reached forward and pinched his side, causing him to jerk in surprise. “Ivy, didn’t your mother tell you it’s not nice to pinch.”

“Didn’t your mother tell you it’s not nice to compare a girl to a cow?”

Anders cocked his head to the side and studied her for a moment. A slow smile spread across his face as an idea began to form. “Here.” He grabbed one of the cakes and lifted it to her mouth. She raised her brow, but when he grazed the icing-covered sweet over her bottom lip she relented. Her eyes rolled back when she bit down.

“Oh my God.”

“I want to play a game.”

Josie licked the icing off her bottom lip and opened her eyes, meeting Anders’ part-mischievous, part-serious gaze. “What kind of game?”

“One that ends with both of us naked.”

“Well, I like this game already. What are the rules?”

“I tell you something. You guess if it’s true or not. If you’re right, I lose a piece of clothing. If you’re wrong, you do.”

“Anders,” Josie sighed, dropping her gaze.

He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head. “Humor me? Please?”

“Fine. But you go first. And I’m eating cake.” It was the most ridiculous, juvenile idea Josie had ever heard. They didn’t need to play a game to get naked. They knew how the night was going to end.

Anders leaned on the counter across from her. He didn’t want to tell her anything too personal. After all, this was a way for him to find out things about her, not give away his deepest, darkest secrets.

“Before I got into acting, I wanted to be a geologist.”

Josie laughed and shook her head. “No way. False.”

A sly smirk pulled at the corner of Anders’ mouth. “What piece of clothing are you going to shed, Ivy?”

“What? Are you serious? You wanted to play with rocks all day?” At Anders’ smug nod, she made a sound of disgust and kicked off her shoes. “That wasn’t fair.”

“Your turn.”

Josie looked at the cakes beside her before turning to Anders, her face blank. “I love to cook.”

“Not even a little,” he answered right away.

“What? Why?”

“Because of the way you ate tonight. I’m going to hazard a guess you don’t eat like that all the time. If so, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as you did.”

“My brother’s a chef. I can eat like this anytime I want.”

Anders nodded, happy to have gotten another piece of information without having to reveal anything in return. “So I’m wrong?” he asked, grabbing the hem of his shirt. “You do like to cook?”

“Fuck,” she groaned, her frustration clear. “No. I hate cooking. If it wasn’t for Holden, I’d starve.”

“Well then, it looks like you’ve lost another piece of clothing.”

Josie narrowed her eyes at his smug expression. He might have thought he was winning by getting her to tell him things, but a few more wrong answers and the only question he’d be asking was please. She reached behind her and gripped the zipper to her skirt, sliding the teeth apart until the material fell to the floor. She bent down. Her eyes locked with Anders’ as she retrieved her skirt and tossed it on the counter.

“Your turn.”

Anders swallowed hard, his throat tight. He wasn’t expecting her to lose her skirt. She stood in front of him in just her panties and an oversized sweater that hung halfway off her shoulder. He wondered how good of an idea this was after all.

“Um, I played baseball until I blew out my knee.”

Josie laughed. “Lie. You wanted to play with rocks. An athlete that does not make.”

“Fair enough.” Anders tugged his shirt overhead, not bothering to go slow or tease her. Every second he took was one second he couldn’t see her half-naked body. “Go.”

“Someone’s in a hurry.” Josie bent her knee, propping her bare foot on the cabinet behind her. She grabbed another petit four as she thought about what her next confession would be.

“Ivy…,” Anders warned, his patience wearing thin.

She hummed and licked the icing off her finger. Her eyes slid from his chest to the button of his pants where the material was beginning to strain. She no longer wanted to tease him either.

“I’ve never been in love.”

“Lie,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “Not a lie.”

Anders’ lips parted in disbelief. He wasn’t sure why, but something in his chest tightened at her admission. He kicked off his shoes and licked his lips before speaking, his heart pounding so violently he thought it might come through his chest.

“I’ve never wanted to kiss someone as much as I do you.”

“Right now?”

“Ever.” His voice was strong and clear as he spoke, leaving no doubt that he meant what he said. But Josie needed to hear him say it.

“Lie.”

“Lose your shirt, Ivy.”

“Fuck,” she exhaled, pulling her top off. She stood in front of him in nothing but her bra and panties and she had no intentions of answering enough questions to get them off. She was going in for the kill. “You were my first and only one-night stand.”

“Lie.”

Her chest heaved, and she gripped the counter by her sides until her knuckles whitened. “Not a lie. I wanted you that much. Lose your pants, Anders.”

His pants fell to the floor, and he was on her before she could draw in a breath. He gripped her waist, his fingers digging into her skin as he lifted her to the counter. She wrapped her legs around his waist and twisted her fingers into his hair as his mouth crashed against hers. They both moaned the moment he shifted his hips, pushing against the heat throbbing between her legs.

He flexed his fingers, one hand moving to cup her breast while the other slid to her ass. He rocked against her as he pushed her chest back. Breaking their kiss, he trailed his mouth down her neck, licking and sucking every inch of exposed skin he could reach.

He yanked the lacy material of her bra to the side and pulled her nipple into his mouth. Josie moaned, her head falling back as she clutched his hair, holding his face to her chest.

“God.”

“Fuck, Ivy.” He pulled back and grabbed her hands, placing them on the counter and dropping to his knees. Josie lifted her head, her eyes heavy, her harsh breaths pushing past parted lips. He lifted her foot to his shoulder and leaned forward.

Turning his head, he kissed the inside of her thigh before biting down. Josie’s entire body jerked and her legs began to tremble as he repeated his kiss-bite torture higher and higher up her thigh. He wrapped his hands around either side of her panties. “These need to go.”

“Uh-huh.”

He tugged on her panties the same time they heard a loud bang and the sound of laughter. “What the fuck?” Anders jumped to his feet as the voices got closer. He looked at Josie, who sat frozen, her eyes wide with panic. Snatching her shirt off the floor, he tossed it in her lap. “Put this on.”

Josie hopped down and scrambled to yank on her shirt, then grabbed her skirt, her hands shaking as she pulled it on. Anders managed to get his pants on before Owen rounded the corner with two girls.

As soon as his eyes landed on Anders, his smile vanished. “Oh shit.” His gaze slid over to Josie and he finally understood why Anders had put forth so much effort.

“What the fuck, Owen?” Anders snapped, pushing Josie behind him and out of view, partly because he didn’t like the way Owen was looking at her and partly because he recognized one of the girls with Owen. “I forgot. Damn, Anders, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I can see why it would’ve slipped your mind.” His voice was clipped as his eyes flicked over to the model he recognized.

“Anders Ellis.” She smiled, her eyes focused on his chest. “Who’s your friend?”

Anders stiffened. The one thing he tried to avoid was someone finding out about Josie and it happened anyway. “None of your fucking business.” Josie took a step away from Anders, the hard edge to his voice sending a chill down her spine.

“Wow, you don’t have to be mean. I was only curious what she’d done to deserve all this.” She waved her hand around the kitchen covered in empty food containers and bottles of wine.

“And you’re not important enough to ask those kinds of questions. So, like I said before, mind your own fucking business.”

“I should go,” Josie whispered. She moved to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed her purse, avoiding the watchful eyes of the two girls.

Anders spun around. “What? No. Wait.”

Josie shook her head, her stomach in knots. She didn’t know if it was because of how adamant Anders was about not answering questions about her or the way he spoke to the girl, but she wanted to get out of that room and away from everyone in it.

“We can leave,” Owen offered, looking between Anders and Josie.

“No, not necessary.” Josie looked at Anders. “I’ll see you.”

Anders stared at her
―
nostrils flared and eyes narrowed
―
his body and mind at war. He wanted to go after her, stop her from leaving and ask why she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Still, his feet remained planted by the part of his mind that demanded he remained indifferent. He couldn’t run after her. He couldn’t show weakness. He couldn’t give the other people in the room the impression he cared one way or the other if she left. Because he didn’t care. He didn’t.