Someone I Used to Know

chapter Fourteen

Adley


“I can’t believe this happened.” I sat shell-shocked. It was crazy. Insane. “What the hell?”

Madeline flipped the page of her glossy magazine. She was elegantly draped across the sofa in her trailer. I turned away from her disinterest, but Fran didn’t appear to have heard me. Her attention was stretched between the three cellphones, a laptop, and the multiple legal documents surrounding her where she sat in the small kitchenette that was currently acting as her temporary emergency workspace.

Three heavy knocks rattled the door. I screamed.

“Don’t open it!”

Madeline’s upper lip trembled upwards, disgusted with my outburst. Fran didn’t even flinch, in full on damage control mode, powering through another frantic text message. Despite their lackadaisical responses, I was still pleased because neither one of them had made a move to answer the door.

“It’s me.” Alfred’s deep voice rumbled from outside.

I flew at the door. I’d never been so happy to have the mild-mannered Hawaiian in my life.

His huge form eclipsed the outside world as he hunched over to fit in the doorframe. He spoke to us calmly, “The police took him to the station. They’re going to hold him as long as they can.”

I exhaled deeply, relief filling up all the space the air abandoned inside of me. I finally understood why Madeline carted her bodyguard with her everywhere she went, even to the seemingly safe movie set.

A man had somehow snuck onto the lot with one of the tour groups, and taken a quick detour to where we were filming. He’d been deranged, shouting things at Madeline that would have had any shrink salivating. He’d charged us as I stood frozen, horrified by the surreal events unfolding before my very eyes, and just as suddenly, it had been over. Alfred was on him before the stalker even got close enough for us to get a good look at him, dragging the thin man away, without needing the assistance of the security guards who arrived a second after him.

I’d spent a majority of the three months I’d been here marveling at the insaneness of Hollywood. I’d thought I’d been submerged in it like a helpless victim propped up in a dunking booth at the fair, taking shot after shot from these circus people, but now I felt as if I’d been sheltered all along, cocooned from the true horrors that Madeline and Declan endured every day.

The difference was that they had chosen that life; I hadn’t. It was a sacrifice they made to get to do the thing they loved and were passionate about. I certainly couldn’t fault them for that, but I was without a doubt that it would never be the life for me. My anonymity was my life vest in this turbulent sea. I clutched it tighter than ever before, convinced it was the only way I could retain even a shred of sanity.

“Production is shut down until further notice.” Alfred didn’t look thrilled to share the news.

“What?” Madeline screeched. Of course, that made her upset. Crazy bitch. “We can’t afford to lose a whole day of filming this late in the game!”

I tuned them out after that, as Fran jumped in to talk her down from the threatening, level-orange fit that was about to commence.

“There’s someone outside to see you,” the big man mumbled down to me out of the corner of his mouth. He could be a ventriloquist with that minimal lip movement.

I nodded, nerves too shot to care who my caller might be. I didn’t even bother to get permission, walking passed a soothing Fran and an irate Madeline. My heels were heavy, banging down each step as Alfred let me by.

It was Declan.

He hadn’t even had time to get in costume, still dressed in the dark jeans and black button-up he’d been wearing that morning. The sleeves were rolled up though, and he was also sporting a few more wrinkles than the last time I’d seen him, displaying the stress of the day’s activities where his relaxed expression did not.

I was happy to follow him back to his trailer and away from the craziness that was Madeline Little. My mind was still locked in the moment when Madeline’s stalker had burst towards us, his eyes striking in their intensity, and body calm with resolve.

“Lunch?” he asked, reclining backwards onto the kitchenette’s counter.

Against the granite, his fingertips found the rhythm of his unspoken nerves, and I nodded just to give him something to do with his hands. I doubted I’d be able to eat anything, but the chances of him actually being able to whip up something edible were slim to none. It was a win/win.

I sat at the cushioned booth opposite of him, peeking out the blinds while he worked. One strong slip of plastic bent under the weight of my fingertip, allowing me to observe the outside world unobstructed. Everything out there looked a little different; every person a little more suspicious.

The microwave dinged, and a mouthwatering aroma pooled into the room, calling my attention back to him. I watched him, admiring the line of his broad shoulders and sneaking a peek at his ass, before he sat across from me, setting down a steaming bowl of pasta for both of us.

My appetite suddenly returned, and I ate without question. It was freaking delicious. I didn’t know exactly what it was, something like spaghetti but with a plethora of different cheeses to accompany it. And it was messy. I tried to keep it under control, but by the time I’d finished and Declan was staring at me with barely-contained laughter, I knew I’d failed.

“You could have offered me a napkin,” I told him coldly, fighting off the instinct to wipe my face with the back of my hand. I had manners, even if he was lacking.

He shrugged, folding his own used napkin into a small square before placing it in his empty bowl.

“I’m running a bit low at the moment. That was my last one, I’m afraid.”

Fantastic.

My glare didn’t offer me nearly as much satisfaction as I would’ve liked, so I kicked out at him under the table. He dodged me knowingly, and I only succeeded in ramming my toes into his seat.

The ugly noise I made from the pain and embarrassment only made him laugh harder.

“Just think of the service you’d be doing for the rest of the cast and crew by walking around looking like a two-year-old with their first plate of pasta, Adley. You could provide a much needed laugh for everyone.”

“There isn’t even a foul enough word to describe how I feel about you, Davies,” I told him dryly, as I stood up, heading to the small bathroom in the back. I had no intention of sporting a tomato sauce mustache, even if it made the movie a million dollars.

He smiled charmingly as I passed him. “I’m certain it doesn’t exist then, because if anybody knows curse words, it’s you.”

I tried to close the door behind me, but he squeezed in, despite the general lack of space. The toilet and sink practically overlapped each other, and the shower was so small I doubted Declan could use it without propping a leg outside. There was barely room for me to stand alone in the tiny chamber, much less accompanied by a six-foot-plus man breathing down my neck.

“You have absolutely no concept of personal space, do you?” I spun around in attempt to make him back off, and instead found myself planted in his chest.

“If you can’t manage to eat without getting it all over your face, I doubt you can clean up properly on your own,” he said in a simpering voice meant to patronize. Snatching up a washcloth from the basket on the toilet, he reached around me and had the damp object on my face before I could object.

I slapped his hand, taking the washcloth for myself and scrubbing the whole bottom portion of my face just to make sure I left no evidence. When I was finished, I tried to turn back to the mirror to check, but I found myself encircled by the Australian holding me hostage.

“Hold on. You missed a spot.” His voice was deep as he dragged me impossibly closer. Sometimes it amazed me how big he really was. From far away, his stature could be misleading. It could be the way he held himself or his deceiving thinness, but being so close to him, ensnared against his hard looming body, I felt tiny. He was warm, tall, broad; the perfect form to collapse into on hard days, or hide behind when the world wouldn’t leave you alone. If there was a way to remove his vocal chords, I might have considered keeping him.

My chin was pinched between his thumb and forefinger, holding me so I couldn’t look back at the mirror and remove it myself.

“Let me,” he breathed. I held perfectly still, telling myself it was because he hadn’t given me any other choice, but the way he gazed right into my eyes as he slowly leaned closer made it hard for me to breathe, much less flee.

I had absolutely no intention of telling him he’d forgotten the washcloth as his lips pressed the lightest kiss to the corner of my mouth. My lips parted with a breathy intake at the surprisingly erotic sensation. I’d never been kissed there before. He stayed close, only barely not making contact as he grazed across my lips to the other side. He teased me, dragging out the moment before finally pressing his mouth to the other corner.

Oh…my…God. Heat rushed to the pit of my abdomen, and my knees wobbled so severely I might have fallen over if Declan hadn’t been pressing me into the sink.

His face lit up, tugging the right side of his smile higher than the other.

“I think I just found one of your secret spots, Ms. Adair.”

I felt silly for blushing, and even sillier for the lightness that still floated through my head.

“Secret spot?”

“You know, those particular areas that get you all worked up. I mean, other than the obvious ones, of course…Like how it drives me crazy when you bite my ear, or there’s this one spot on my jaw that makes me want to lose it every time you even breathe on it.” His expression held a smidge of bewilderment. “I thought you’d figured that one out. You always go to it.”

I shrugged lightly with a tiny grin, a little proud at my unknowing accomplishment. “I just like your birthmark. It’s sexy.”

“So no one else has ever kissed you like that – on the corner of your mouth like I just did?” Something was building in his eyes. Something I couldn’t understand, but seemed important, like I should know. I was staring down a freight train, watching it barrel towards me, unable to stop what was coming.

I looked down in denial. “I think I’d remember it if they had.”

My chin was suddenly jerked up, and I met his blazing eyes full on. Whatever had been building momentum when he asked me the question, had exploded, lighting up their silvery depths.

“Don’t ever let anybody else kiss you there,” he commanded in a calm voice that didn’t match the fireworks I saw in his gaze.

Umm, excuse me? I wanted to tell him to f*ck off. He had no right to tell me what to do. But there was something about the way he said it, or maybe it was the way he was staring at me that at least made me curious in the request.

I tilted my head to the side, as if seeing him from a different angle would help explain.

“Why?”

“I just want it to be mine,” he said simply.

He stared down at me with so much honesty, I had to fight the urge to look away. My heart was swelling in my chest until I wasn’t sure if there was enough of me to contain it. It was impenetrable to jabs, as I desperately tried to pop it. I wanted to purge myself of it – of him – of feeling anything at all.

But as much as I hated what was happening inside of me, I couldn’t deny him, pulling our mouths together and nodding into his lips. No one else would ever kiss me there. That secret spot would always belong to Declan Davies, even if none of the rest of me ever did.

He kissed me slowly, bending me backwards, cradled in his arms until the back of my head was pressed into the mirror and I was half seated on the sink.

God, I could kiss him all day.

The thought jarred me. It was only one of the many warnings signs I could no longer ignore. It had happened so slowly, each small movement forward, tricking me with its insignificance, until I found myself caring deeply for this man, looking around with no idea how I’d gotten there.

Separating only our lips, his forehead rested on mine as he spoke softly, “Where are you right now?”

I nipped his bottom lip to prove that I was right here with him and not lost to my worries.

He didn’t give in to me, waiting for an answer I’d never give.

“I know a way to get your attention.” His accent only grew more pronounced as a dangerous look split across his face.

The symphony of emotions that smile evoked almost made me miss the sneaky dart of his eyes towards the shower only a step away from us.

“Oh no you don’t.” I clamped both hands on the ceramic beneath me. There was no way he was getting me into that shower. Not in the middle of the day when an AD could come call him to set at any moment. He’d have to drag me kicking and screaming.

“Oh yes I do.”

I saw my mistake then, as his face grew exuberant at my challenge. I really never stood a chance as he overpowered me easily. That didn’t mean I didn’t put up a hell of a fight though, wiggling against him (which only made things worse, inviting both our libidos to the party) and trying to use the ticklish, weak spots I’d discovered against him.

“But you’ve been such a dirty girl. A good washing is just what you need.” He pouted like a child, even when his man-sized body held me captive.

I got ahold of my laughter enough to glare up at the Aussie caveman pressing me into the wall. His legs were between mine, preventing me from kicking him or fleeing, but also granting me the feel of his growing erection at our playful struggle.

“Don’t you dare,” I warned him. His hand lingered dangerously close to the nob that would shower us both – fully clothed – if he turned it.

“Declan!” It was all I could manage to squeal in my disbelief as we were blasted with water. It was freezing, not having time to warm up yet, and the spray hit me right in the face.

He howled with laughter as I sputtered against the liquid pouring into my mouth. He was getting just as wet as I was, his black shirt darkening into a slick layer against his skin. I looked down at the pinkish white top I was wearing, and found that our impromptu shower was having the opposite effect on me, lightening it to a translucent shade that plastered to my body.

“What I wouldn’t pay for a picture of you right now.” His eyes glued to the change in my attire, as he shook his head in depraved delight.

“Well, you look like a wet dog,” I lied with a snarky smile.

He looked like something that had been dreamed up in every woman’s universal fantasy. The water pulled his dark hair loose until the ends curled on his face and neck. It made me wonder if all that usual messiness wasn’t hiding a hint of curl.

I reached up to twist one of the freed locks around my finger.

“I do…” He trailed with a sharp intake of breath, as my hand slid away from his hairline and down his jaw.

I watched, mesmerized, as silky water droplets followed my lead as I pointedly detoured just before his birthmark to trail down the muscles of his neck that flexed as he swallowed under my attention. I took my time with each button down the long line, enjoying every new bit of damp skin that came with it. His sculpted chest melted into a defined torso, and my greedy hands were always quick to seek out the subtle V at his hips that led me below his jeans.

The water pouring down us was warm by the time his shirt made a heavy splat onto the floor at our feet. He grabbed for me, but I placed a hand on his bare chest, stopping him. I wasn’t done enjoying the view.

“You’ve had your time to play, now it’s mine,” he said.

I couldn’t argue with that. He scooped me up, treading his arms around my waist and lifting my legs clear off the ground so I would wrap them around him. Pushed back up against the wall for support, his hand went straight for the button on my shorts.

I heard the distinctive sound of a footstep on the wood flooring in the kitchen area, and my head snapped up. From my position, I could see clearly over Declan’s shoulder. The glass shower door wouldn’t have done much for privacy, but we couldn’t even close it with two people inside the space meant for one.

Nothing was blocking me from the perfectly clear view of Cam stepping around the corner and stopping with dumbstruck confusion at the sight that was laid out as wide open to him as it was to me.

I shoved Declan away hard, ignoring the fact that he was holding me. He skittered backwards while I nearly lost my footing in the standing water clogged by Declan’s discarded shirt.

“I’m back early,” Cam said numbly, his stare blank. “Surprise.”