He leaned down and kissed her, pressing his lips gently against hers, plucking and nipping, first her top lip, then her bottom. His arms came around her waist and he pulled her against his body, his tongue seeking hers, and finding it, sliding slowly, then more urgently against hers. She moaned into his mouth, winding her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the soft black hair on his nape as goosebumps lit out across her skin.
This man was her husband.
Hers.
And he loved her.
He groaned softly, releasing her lips and gathering her close as he leaned his forehead on against hers. “I’m a masochist for even suggesting we wait a week.”
She was inclined to agree with him, but didn’t. This is what he needed and she needed to support him. “No, Pres. It’s smart. When you see me on Friday, you’ll know I’m yours forever. You’ll know that I choose you and hopefully you’ll be able to start trusting me again.”
He sighed, a frustrated huff that almost made her smile.
Leaning away from him, she buried her fingers in his hair, pushing it off his forehead and grinning up at him. “Now go. And remember how much I love you.”
He released her slowly, his eyes dark and burning as he nodded, got into his car, and drove away.
***
The next morning, Preston woke up at Westerly, having decided the night before not to drive back into Philly at midnight and although his first instinct was to race over to Chateau Nouvelle and check on Elise, he knew that their plan was sound. She’d be learning lines and blocking scenes on Monday and Tuesday. Then filming on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and hopefully that would be enough of her “real life” for her to evaluate what it would look like with Preston in it. Lord knows that more than a week apart felt impossible.
Rolling onto his side, he opened his eyes and started. Jessica was standing beside his bed with her hands on her hips and a very, very disapproving look on her usually-pretty face.
“You’re married? You’re married? I just…I mean, I can’t even…YOU’RE MARRIED?”
He couldn’t help it—he did the worst possible thing when his little sister was on a rampage: he smiled at her.
But instead of beating him senseless with his own pillow, she surprised him by widening her eyes and smiling back. Her body relaxed and she sat down on his bed, in the curve of his body with her back to him, looking at his face over her shoulder.
“I haven’t seen that smile in a long, long time,” she said thoughtfully.
“I haven’t felt much like smiling.”
“And now you do.”
He nodded. “And now I do.”
“You’ve been married to a movie star for two years and none of us even knew? How could you keep that secret, Pres? Why?”
He sat up, pulling the sheet to his waist, as Jessica shifted to face him.
“We loved each other, but we weren’t ready,” he said. “We rushed into it and it was kind of a…disaster.”
Well, not all of it, he reminded himself, thinking of their wedding night. His body hummed with the hope that she’d be in his bed again this Friday.
“Elise Klassan is your wife,” said Jessica, obviously impressed. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Say…Don’t let her get away this time,” said Brooks from the doorway of Preston’s room, making his way to the bed and plopping down beside Jessica. “Because you have looked like shit for two years, my brother, and you finally look human again.”
“Thanks, Brooks. And good morning to you, too.”
“I’m serious. I know you got your life back on track, but you still weren’t happy. Suddenly you look a lot better.”
“You do,” agreed Jessica. “Is Elise why you moved home from New York? Why you were drinking so much?”
Preston took a deep breath and nodded. “Even though we weren’t ready, it hurt a lot when she walked away.”
“I’d feel like dying if Alex walked away,” said Jessica.
“Or Skye,” agreed Brooks.
“Then you understand how I felt,” said Preston. “I was lost without her. Even though the timing was all wrong, she was my wife, and I…I loved her. I still love her. I’ll always love her. It hurt like hell to be apart.”
“Does she know all of this?” asked Jessica, with a twinkle in her eyes.
Damn, but his little sister loved meddling. Thank God he’d already talked to Elise about everything or he could imagine Jess marching over to Chateau Nouvelle right this minute.
“Yes, she does,” said Preston firmly. “I don’t need any help.”
“Well, I can’t wait to tell everyone that my sister-in-law is a famous actress.”
“Not yet,” said Preston, his eyes full of warning. “We’re still working things out. I mean it, Jess. Mum’s the word for now.”
Jessica nodded solemnly.
“Not to be nosy—” started Brooks.
“Why stop now?” deadpanned Preston.
Brooks gave his little brother a look and continued, “What are you doing here… alone?”
“We’re giving it a week.”
“Ugh!” exclaimed Jessica. “What?”
“A week!” Brooks winced. “Why?”