RileyI rolled my eyes at Ethan's antics. He was too cute for his own good, but the sad part was that he was more than aware of it, and taken."I'm going to have his children. I've decided." Charlotte let out a girlie sigh next to me.Jace picked up a plate. "I don't see what the hype is all about. He seems like a regular dude with a little bit of make-up and a fruity-ass haircut."My need to defend Ethan roared to life, but I pushed it back down. He didn't need to be defended, and I'd never seen Jace get upset or jealous over another guy. It was almost humorous."Don't be a hater," I mumbled and pressed my shoulder against his as we moved down the buffet."Why would I be hating on him? He just has everything in the world that any man could possibly want, and then some. The fucker has the perfect life." Jace rolled his shoulders and sighed."Well, he doesn't have me." I was only teasing, but the look on Jace's face said that he didn't have me either. Not that I was the end all be all.
Riley"Awesome." Ethan glanced down at his plate. "You know it's hard to maintain a relationship when we have to travel so much. Not to mention how jealous guys get when their girls are making out with someone else on screen."He glanced up as I sat back in my chair. Our relationship was going to be a fucking roller coaster at best. I could only pray that our highs were going to be good enough to sustain the drop offs."I remember you telling me that." I smiled. "Right before you reworded my question to make it less about you and more about actors in general.""It's hard to let someone in, Riley. I'm sure as we get to know each other more and work together for an extended period of time, you'll come to know more of me than you ever wanted to." He pushed his food around the plate, but kept his gaze locked on to mine. I was beyond intimidated and yet there was no way I was breaking the stare. Something hot as hell sat between us. Maybe it was fame that birthed lust between two co-stars.
EthanBitch. Man she was such a bitch. A bitch I wanted groaning my name and begging for more of what only I could give her."Dude, really?" Deza moved to stand in front of me as she wiped at her eyes. She'd been crying."What?" I reached out and brushed my hands over her shoulders before looking behind her for Darren. I was going to whoop his ass if he hurt her. "Where is he?""No. We're good." She rested her hands on my chest. "His mom had a heart attack and isn't doing too well.""What were you getting onto me for?" I turned my attention back to her, grateful that she was okay. I didn't have many people in my life that I'd defend, but Deza was one of them. Something told me that Riley was soon to join the crew."Your dick is halfway up your stomach. Are you seriously thinking that no one is going to notice that?"I glanced down and released her before tugging my shirt out of my pants and rolled my shoulders. "Better?""Yeah." She patted my chest and glanced over her shoulder. "What
Ethan"No. Really?" She glanced over at me with surprise on her face."I know, right? First time since I was a kid with too much gusto." I wagged my eyebrows and turned back to watch Riley. "There's something about her.""You know that you need to be careful. Falling for a co-worker is death to an actor’s career." She pressed her head against my arm and chuckled softly. "And just so you know, they aren't together.""Who isn't together?" I turned my face toward her and thought about kissing her forehead just in case Riley was watching, but decided against it. I might be a class-A asshole, but having anyone believe that Trish was cheating on her new man was out."Riley and her date." She moved away from me and seemed to be studying them. "I've watched lots of romance films in my life. You know, trying to get better. I swear I can do just about anything but fake lust.""Yep. You do suck at faking the sexy stuff." I laughed as she yelped and popped me in the stomach playfully."You turd."
Two Days LaterRiley"Are you sure I can't go with you?" Charlotte gave me the saddest look I'd ever seen on her face."No, but next time I'll make sure they let me bring a friend, okay? Today we're going over stuff for the movie. You know they can't have anyone else hear that but those of us who signed our lives away to them." I turned around in the bathroom, making sure the white cotton dress I had over my shorts and bikini top looked the part. Casual, but elegant."Isn’t Ethan's brother going? He's not signed his life away." She flopped back on my bed and let out a long groan. "Besides. I want to meet him. He's so funny in Ethan's bio.""I guess I need to read this damn biography." I ran my fingers through my short hair before grabbing a tube of hooker-red lipstick and putting a little on. I needed more color in my face, and Nancy wasn't exactly available to help a sister out. Funny how quickly I'd come to want the attention that my future was going to provide."Did you hear me? Li
Riley"Of course. We were going to discuss a few scenes from the film, so you had to be here." He winked and offered Deza help too. She took it and thanked him before kicking off her sandals and pulling off her top. Ethan whistled playfully at her, and I couldn’t help but enjoy their relationship. If he and I didn't turn out to be lovers, I had to hope we could at least be really great friends like they were."Look but don't touch." She wagged her finger at him."Damn. I thought I was your type." His lip turned down into a frown."Not even close, Mister. Your skin is far too light for my liking." She shrugged and turned to walk toward the edge of the boat."I can get it dyed. I'm sure Nancy has something that would help us out. No need to let our love only go skin deep, Deza." He glanced over at me as his lip rose in a sexy smirk. "You like black men too, Riley?""Who doesn't?" I dropped my bag and purse on the boat beside me and kicked off my sandals. "They have incredible packages t
EthanLiam might be a total cock, but his idea of taking Riley below deck and making her moan was a delicious one. I let my mind dance along the possibility."Get on the bed." I nodded toward it as she watched me with a need that burned the inside of my soul and left me wanting to bend over and pant like I'd run a hundred miles. "How do you want me?" She reached up and undid the strap around her neck, letting the top fall down as she worked on the string around her back. Her perky breasts were enticing, her nipples budded and a dark pink. My mouth watered at the sight of her being so innocent, when I knew she wasn't. "On your back, baby." I slipped my shorts over my hips and watched her eyes widen a little. She'd seen a little bit of me through various wardrobe mishaps and perhaps in the lining of my shorts when I got aroused around her from time to time, but never naked. Never fully erect and ready to take advantage of the passion that lay between us. "Beautiful." She moved toward
RileyHis answer stung me in a way that left me wanting to find a bathroom and let out a few tears. I glanced back toward the water and swallowed the hot ball of anger in my throat. Why had I even asked? It wasn't my business. I'd already made that determination, and to follow through with asking him about the girl only left me looking like a love-sick idiot, which I wasn't."That's very true." I shrugged and let out a soft sigh as if I was totally taken by the beauty of the ocean. "Whoever she was, she was beautiful."He snorted and shook his head. "This life isn't easy. It's not like I can have a real relationship. All I have is a few warm bodies to keep offering me false hope that there is more to love than a quick fuck."Now he was cracking. Some nefarious part of me wanted to clap and release a maniacal laugh. I wanted down into his heart. Wanted to know who the real Ethan Lewis was. It would take time to find him through the layers of lies and false character roles he'd taken on
Four Months LaterEthanNo matter how many times I went to the premier or opening night, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I was worried about my woman, but knowing her, she was handling it better than me. Deza had her in one of the dressing rooms at the large theater downtown where we did all of our opening nights."She needs to have some time to herself where you're not humping her damn leg like a Chihuahua in heat." Deza had been quite clear on why Riley wasn't coming with me to the premier."You want a turn?" I'd tried to hump her leg a few minutes earlier as she came in to check on me, but it hadn't gone over too well. Something about her big ugly boyfriend out front and him not liking me as it were.His loss. He's eating those words when the two of them finally retied the knot. It was me that got them back together, though neither one of them seemed to want to admit it.It was a thankless job."You know it's weird." Deza moved up in front of me and reached up, adjusting my tie.
RileyWe walked into the wedding dress shop, and everything became real. All of the struggle and strife we'd been through to reach this point.I turned as tears blurred my gaze and reached for Ethan."Baby, what's wrong?" He leaned down and pulled me against his chest as a salesman spoke up behind us."How can I help you, Mr. Lewis?""Nothing. I'm just overwhelmed. I'm sorry." I pressed my hands to my face and leaned against him.He brushed his hair down the back of my head. "My girl and I want to see some wedding gowns. The best that you have. And I'll put down a thousand dollars to have you leave us be back in the dressing room for about an hour once we have a few of your best.""Done, Sir. I'll gather them now."He kissed the top of my head. "We can come back, Ri. We don't have to do this now.""No. I want to." I forced myself to look up at him. "I just feel out of place.""But you fit in at the mall?" He chuckled, but the sound fell flat. He got it. I was out of place there, but a
Ethan"This is Ethan," I mumbled into the phone, trying to keep my voice down, though there was no way in hell anyone could hear me over the noise at the mall."Ethan Lewis?" A woman stopped in front of me.Fuck me. I pointed to the phone and shook my head no, pulling it away and mouthing that I was a look alike."Oh. Never mind." She gave me a snarl and walked on."Deza?" I put the phone back to my ear. "I'm in the mall. Come get me before these crazy bitches tear the flesh from my bones."Deza's laugh filled up my ear, accompanied by Frank’s. "We have you on speaker. What the fuck are you doing at the mall on a Saturday? And a public mall at that.""Riley forced me to." I pouted and watched for signs of my girl in the windows of the store she was shopping in. "She's still wearing rose-colored glasses about this shit.""I'm taking it she didn't see those horrible pictures the Daily Star posted about her being-" Deza started.Frank finished it. "Pregnant with Ethan's alien twins?"The
Two Months LaterEthan"Why did we decide to do this?" I narrowed my eyes and the pretty girl that sat across from me. The one that had my heart racing and body purring every time she walked into the room."Because." She lifted her eyebrow. I knew that look. "You said that we would get to where we could go out in public and do normal things for our age. We're in our early twenties. We're eating at the food court. Period.""At a public mall." I glanced around and realized every-fucking-body was staring and pointing. I groaned and turned back to her. "If it's not bad enough that every tabloid has taken pictures of you and swollen your stomach for you with photoshop. It makes you look like you're pregnant with my alien twins. What more do you want?"She laughed, and I forced myself to sit back and chill out. "Nothing, baby. I wanted noodles at the mall. I'm tired of being in the house or at private parties. I want to live where everyone else does. I want to shop at Old Navy!""They have
Riley"Bumpy?" The little boy's blue eyes sparkled as he wiped at Ethan's hands over his legs. "Bumpy?""Oh jeez. Thank you so much." The mother jogged up and scooped the little guy up in her arms. "I'm so sorry." She paused as her eyes went wide. "Oh my God. You're Ethan Lewis and Riley Phillips. I love your movies," she pointed over to me, "and you were beautiful in the Spring play at UCLA. You're in the next Eon movie together, right?""Yeah, we are." I smiled over at Ethan, but he was too busy watching the little boy. Did he want kids? We'd had a short conversation about it, but I couldn't remember his response. His own upbringing had been as bad as mine, if not worse.Poverty sucked. Not being loved was way worse."Baby." I tugged on his hand."Oh. Sorry. I got lost there in my head for a minute." He reached out and patted the little guy on the head. "Take care, hmm?""Thank you again." The woman turned as the little boy chirped the word, 'bumpy' a handful of times."You want bab
RileyButterflies danced in my stomach as we drove along the coast and finally pulled up to a white castle that overlooked the water. A maroon Lexus convertible sat in the driveway.I glanced down at my clothes and gave Ethan a look. "Really? Why didn't you tell me to dress up? Whose house is this?"He laughed and pulled behind another large moving truck. "Ours, baby.""What?" Shock raced through me as he got out of the van and left me sitting there. "Ours?"Did he buy a house on the beach? I'd just mentioned wanting one the day before. Late in the day on the day before.I got out and jogged to catch up to him as a bunch of guys I didn't know walked out of the house."Alright. Just bring everything in from the garage, and Riley will tell you where it's going." He reached back and took my hand, half-pulling me into the house. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. I was majestic. Huge. White."Ethan." I was breathless, and my heart hurt in my chest. "Did you buy this place yesterd
EthanI knocked on Charlotte and Riley's apartment door and moved back, the red flowers in my hands holding one white rose.Riley opened the door rubbing her eyes. "Baby? What are you doing? It's before ten."I handed her the flowers and pulled her into my arms, laying a few kisses on her lips and smiling down at her. "Get dressed. We got shit to do.""This early?" She blinked and looked around as if confused. I'd never seen anything more perfect in my whole life."Yeah." I moved away and pointed to the moving truck. "Our trucks waiting right there. Let's get your stuff and get moving. This day isn't going to wait much longer for us."Her eyes widened, and she turned her attention back to me. "Wait. I'm moving in today?""Yep." I walked past her and winked at Charlotte. "Jace coming to help?""Already here, man." He walked out from the kitchen and extended his hand to me. "I never thought I'd see the day where I'd help someone steal Riley from me, but I guess it's come, hm?"Charlotte
EthanRiley wasn't too thrilled when I took her back to her apartment after we got sloshed at the party, but I told her my stomach was upset and I would see her the next morning. Not a good thing to do with a possessive woman in love.I turned off my phone an hour after getting home and took a long shower as excitement bubbled up inside of me. I had big plans for the next day and had been texting on my phone all fucking night to get it all set up for her.She was going to be blown the fuck away. Just knowing that it would be my fault had me giddy as I rolled out of bed the next morning. It was still early, but I was good with it. I wanted everything to be perfect.I pulled out my phone and texted my brother, Deza and Riley’s best friend, Charlotte to make sure everyone knew where they needed to be and what part they were playing."And here you thought I was just sitting on my hands." I glanced down at my phone. The picture of us eating ice cream like two little kids always made me smi
RileyI laughed and got dressed quickly as excitement bubbled in my stomach. I'd never been to an end of production wrap up party. Obviously, because I'd never wrapped up a movie before. It sounded like fun, and if we were going to be drinking and dancing with all of our friends, how could it not?Darren is coming.Worry raced through the center of my chest as I thought through how that could be good or bad. It seemed that there were a lot more chances for things to get messed up than go well.I forced myself to stop thinking about all of it and went back to feeling grateful. Ethan and I were spending almost every night together at his place, and he was dropping hints all the time about us getting married or having kids, or at the very least, moving in together.It was going to happen soon. I could feel it in my bones.I checked my hair and lipstick one more time before walking out of my dressing room and taking the long way over to studio six. I passed by the practice rooms where Cla