“Um, Jules, is everything okay?” Claire peeks her head in my office, forcing me to cry even harder because it’s not okay. Nothing’s okay. I don’t look up at her because she has a fiancé and she’s happy and younger than me, which adds insult to injury.
“I think she’ll be okay,” Kayden says, making me peek my eyes through my fingers to find him staring at me. It’s intimidating how he looks at me, because it’s not like he simply stares. It’s more like he can see into me. See my spirit, my soul, which is worrisome because if he sees that deep into me then he would be running away any minute now.
Claire looks over to me, and I nod to her through my tears. She slowly closes the office door, locking Kayden and me inside. Kayden moves from his chair and holds his hand out toward me. “Can I try something?” he requests, waiting for me to give him my hand. I look at my hands—all snotty and nastified—and wipe them against my jeans.
Kayden takes my hand, pulls me up from my sob party for one, and walks me to the door. Positioning my back against it, he takes my other hand into his. His proximity to my body is extremely close and somewhat petrifying. The cold wood from the door touches the back of my neck, creating powerful shivers. He positions himself in front of me, his body demanding my attention. He’s at least six-foot-four, which makes me appear short at five-foot-eight. Is he going to kiss me? Because I’m not going to kiss him. I don’t even know you!
“I’m not going to kiss you,” he explains.
Oh. My lips frown for a moment, but I hope he doesn’t notice.
“Well, not yet at least. Close your eyes.”
“Kayden, I understand you really want this job but let’s forget about it. It’s a stupid idea and it’s hardly a real acting job. How about an ‘IOU’? I promise you another audition for a great role and…” I argue all of the reasons why this actor shouldn’t be hovering over me, and I’m pretending to try to pull away. Truth is, I really want to pull him closer and have him press against my body, allowing him to slowly introduce his tongue to mine. He raises an eyebrow toward me; I arch one back and sigh, closing my eyes.
His face presses against mine. The scratchiness of his beard brushes against me as my hands fall to my sides. “Stop comparing yourself to your sister.” His hands slide to my lower back, and before I have the power to go weak, he tightens his hold, pulling me closer to him. When I hear him mention my sister, I go to open my eyes but he stops me. “Keep them shut. You’re nothing like her. And she’s nothing like you. Forgot about all of the losers who didn’t know what type of treasure they let get away. They don’t exist anymore. No one on this planet does. It’s just you and me for these five days. There’s nothing to worry about. No commitment. No planning. Just us and our holiday.”
I can feel his lips mere millimeters away from mine as the words roll off of his tongue with such ease. For a minute, I forget we are standing in my office—er, my boss’s office—and that my mascara is still running down my cheeks. I forget we met five minutes ago when I offered to pay someone an obscene amount of money to be my made-up boyfriend. I forget who Richard, Danny, and Lisa are. All I want to do is find the taste of the man with his hands around my waist.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he warns, edging his face closer to mine. “Unless you stop me.”
I don’t speak a word; I have no reason whatsoever to want to stop him.
When his lips find mine, I feel as if I’ve won the sexdorable lottery. His lips are soft, addicting, and gentle at first before the kiss grows deeper. I place my hands on his chest, stilling myself from tumbling over as his tongue slowly brushes against my lips. The way his rock-hard abs feel against my touch, makes me moan for more. My hips involuntarily rock in his direction, and he lifts me up against the door, kissing me harder, deeper, in a way that makes me feel as if we have been sharing these types of kisses for a lifetime. He allows my legs to wrap around his waist, and he holds me, making me feel so safe at his touch. His fingers stroke through my curly locks of hair, and when he pulls his mouth away from mine, I cannot help but miss his taste, his heat, his made-up passion. His eyes open to find my blues staring back at him, and he tilts my head, giving me one last kiss before I feel him smiling against my mouth. When my feet find the ground, my knees almost forget how to keep me standing, but Kayden’s hand is around my back, holding me, protecting me from falling.
“Well then…” I clear my throat once, “You are a fantastic actor,” I say, breathless, and emotionally drugged up on Mr. Sexdorable.
He doesn’t step back, and I hold his stare, my eyes flooded with his greens. He smirks a small amount and shrugs, “I figure if we’re going to do this then we should have our first kiss now instead of in front of your family. That would take away from the awkwardness of it all.”
“You didn’t even audition for the part yet.”
His tongue runs across his lips and he moves his hand through his dark hair. “I guess I jumped the gun.”