Bulletproof (12 page)

All I could hope was that she was telling me the truth and that she hadn’t given it away to some selfish asshole like I had. That familiar wave of regret shuddered down my spine as I briefly relived my first experience with Jordy Lehman. I’d only been fifteen, hardly the best example for Jody. I should have lied and never told her, but on the night before I left for college, we’d stayed up with Ella talking until dawn and everything had come out.

“Thank you.” I took the water bottle and uncapped it as I walked back to the bathroom. Jody was standing at the sink looking wrung out. The bags under her eyes were dark, making her look a decade older than her tender nineteen years.

“Here you go.”

She grabbed it off me with a shaky hand and took a few sips.

“I’ll take you home.”

Spitting the water into the sink, she shook her head. “No, you should stay.”

“I don’t mind, Jo-Jo.”

“Morgan, I want you to stay. All I’m going to do is crawl into bed and sleep this off.” Her eyes skimmed the floor.

I resisted the urge to tell her off for drinking too much.

“Hey, is everything okay in here?” Ella’s head appeared in the doorway.

“Yeah, Jody’s just had a little too much to drink.”

“Jo-Jo,” Ella chided. “You naughty girl.”

Ella’s sweet grin made Jody laugh; it was a punchy one that sounded almost like a sob. I rubbed her back and guided her toward the door.

“I think I’ll take her home.”

“No, Morgan...” Jody started to argue.

“We can.” Ella shook her head. “Cole and I have an early start tomorrow anyway; I was just coming in to say goodbye.”

“Are you sure?” Guilt sat heavy on my shoulders. I was Jody’s sister; I should be the one taking her home.

“Yeah, of course. Cole’s saying goodbye to everyone now.”

Ella stepped around to Jody’s other side and gave her middle a squeeze. “Come on, you drunk squirt. Let’s get you home.”

Jody gave us both a tired smile. We guided her out of the bathroom, and I collected her stuff, handing it to Cole. He kissed me on the cheek and promised to take care of her. Crossing my arms, I watched them leave, worry making my face tight.

Sean approached me with a concerned smile, and I forced myself to relax.

“You okay?” He rubbed my arm.

“Yeah, a little worried about Jo-Jo, though. She got so drunk tonight, she actually threw up.”

“Really?” He turned as they disappeared through the doorway.

“Yeah, I know. I always thought a drunk Jody would be wild, but she’s obviously one of those tired, sedate ones.” I frowned. “She just sat in the corner quietly downing straight vodka.”

“You want to go, make sure she’s okay?”

“No, Ella said she’ll take her home.”

Sean pulled me against him and kissed my cheek. “She’ll be okay, baby. Why don’t you come and forget your troubles on the dance floor with me.”

I grinned as he pulled me back into the open space, letting his arms drift around me. I laid my head on his shoulder, and the slow music swirled around us. His soft touch soothed me, and I closed my eyes, trying to let go of my worries for Jody.

If only I could.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

SEAN

“I said turkey on rye, not chicken; are you fucking deaf!”

I cringed as I watched a small glob of spittle fly from Travis’s mouth. He was once again going off at Morgan. I hated the way he spoke to her, and I really wished I hadn’t just walked past the door and heard it.

“There was no turkey available today, so I made you the next best thing.” Morgan’s voice remained calm, as usual.

“It’s not the next best thing. If I want turkey, I expect you to get me TURKEY!”

I heard the splatter of food and assumed Travis had thrown his plate onto the floor. Why did he have to treat her like this? She was brilliant at her job. Everyone on set thought so. She was more organized than Lisa, anticipating people’s needs before they’d even asked her to.

Everyone loved her.

Everyone except Travis.

Morgan pulled in a slow breath. “You told me I had to urgently send three emails and before I can do that, I need to make two phone calls, so which is more important, the turkey or the emails?”

“Don’t give me lip, princess, okay? Clean this shit up, get me the right sandwich, and then go do your fucking job.”

“Okay, thank you for helping me prioritize.”

“Smart ass,” Travis mumbled as he flew out the door, Lisa hot on his heels.

I jumped-to, pretending I was walking down the hall toward them and missed his big hissy fit. He slowed his pace to let me pass.

“Hey, Sean.” He greeted me with a friendly smile, and I had to force my lips north. “Great job today.”

“Thanks.” I nodded and waited until he was around the corner before ducking into the onsite office.

“Hey.”

Morgan glanced up from the floor, flicking a piece of chicken from her finger to the plate. “What’s up?”

“Just checkin’ in. You good?”

“I’m always good.” Her reply was sharp, like staccato.

I cringed, closing the door and crouching down beside her. I reached for a piece of bread to help her with the clean.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it. Your filming’s up for the day. You should get going.”

“I’m gonna wait for ya.”

“You don’t have to do that, Sean.”

“I know, but I want to.” I kept my voice light and soothing, trying to ease the tension radiating off her. Ever since Thanksgiving she’d been wound tight. I knew she was worried about her sister. Jody had flown back to school a few days ago, just left for the airport. She’d asked her father to take her, not even giving Morgan the chance to say goodbye. It had really hurt, not that Morgan would admit that to me.

I wanted to make it up to her, make her feel better, but Travis had been on a rampage today and I had barely had a chance to see her.

Morgan stood from the floor, picking a piece of grated carrot off her knee. “I better go make another sandwich for His Highness. Seriously, Sean, you don’t have to stay; I can just see you later...or tomorrow.”

I moved into her space before she could storm from the room. “I’m stayin’.”

“Okay, fine.” She stared at the floor.

Resting my fingers under her chin, I gave it a gentle nudge, compelling her to look at me.

“What can I do to make it better?”

“You can tell Travis to stop treating me like shit.”

I swallowed; it sounded noisy in the still room. Morgan’s tension was palpable, and I knew my answer wouldn’t dissipate it.

“You know I can’t, baby. If I speak up again, Travis will make your life a thousand times worse. I have to stay quiet. No one can find out about us, remember?”

She tutted and glanced away from me, her jaw working to the side. “I appreciate the fact that you’re trying to protect me...and your career. I get it. But it also makes me feel like you’re ashamed to claim me. I know it’s dumb, and I know I’m probably just saying this because I’m feeling wrung out and beat up right now, but come on, Sean. This whole secrecy thing is starting to wear thin. I want to be your girlfriend, not your secret lover.”

Her statement surprised me. I had no idea things were wearing thin. I thought she was happy keeping this a clandestine operation.

Her face crested with sadness before she stepped out of my reach. Her shoulders pinged tight and she moved around me, pausing at the door to give me one final look.

“Don’t stay. Go home and get some rest. You’ve got a huge day tomorrow.”

She walked out the door before I could tell her I wasn’t going anywhere. With a heavy sigh, I ambled back to my room.

Morgan had it wrong. It had nothing to do with shame. She was gorgeous. I’d be proud to wear her on my arm, but I couldn’t put Travis in his place again. I hated that this argument had reared its ugly head once more. I thought we’d dealt with it. I couldn’t jeopardize this job. It was doing wonders for my career. This was the shot Rhonda and I had been looking for. This was my big break. Ratings were increasing with each episode. People liked me as Harley. They liked seeing my softer, emotional side and to be honest, I liked playing it.

I didn’t miss the guns and the bullets. I loved the dancing. Travis had been sweet as pie to me since his little threat speech, and although I despised the way he spoke to Morgan and some of the other crew, it was hard to deny his creative brilliance. This show was his baby, and it was thriving.

I slumped onto the couch in the dressing room and rested my head back against the wall. Although Morgan and I didn’t get to see each other as much as we wanted to, we were making it work. Late-night phone calls were still a regular, and now that Morgan had her apartment, I was able to stop there a few nights a week for a little quality time before dragging myself back home. My answer for always declining her invitation to spend the night was, “I don’t want to get caught leaving in the morning.” But that obviously wasn’t cutting it anymore.

I
did
want to spend the night. There’d be nothing sweeter than falling asleep with her wrapped in my arms. I was just trying to be careful. That was why I hadn’t taken her to my place; I didn’t want anyone seeing her car or watching her come and go.

I scrubbed a hand over my face. Was I just being paranoid? It suddenly felt like it. I grimaced. I couldn’t believe she thought I didn’t want to claim her. I had to make this right. Sitting forward, I pinched my chin as an idea lit the corners of my brain. It wasn’t high risk, but it would still make a statement. Grabbing my jacket, I snatched my bag off the floor and headed for the parking lot.

*****

Three hours later, I sat in my car watching the exit Morgan usually left from. I kept my eyes on the door, feeling like a stalker as I waited for my girl to finish work. The parking lot was basically empty. There was only her car and two others. I saw Lisa walk out, a big yawn stretching her mouth wide. About ten minutes after she had driven off, I watched Con leave the building. The only car left in the lot was Morgan’s.

With a frown, I jumped out of my car and ran across the empty space.

“Hey, Sean, you forget something?” Stan, the security guard, made me jump as he stepped under the light.

“Uh, yeah, am I too late to collect?”

“No, man, just remember to lock up when you leave. I’ll be patrolling the grounds all night.” His eyes wandered over to Morgan’s car, and he gave me a knowing smile.

I winced.

“Don’t worry. We haven’t said a word.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, tapping his shoulder as I walked past, suddenly hyper-aware of how much the guards probably saw.

I walked into the empty studio, heading straight for the office. It was empty. With a frown, I made my way to the main studio, but that was dark for the night too. I continued down the hallway, checking each room until I finally ran upstairs to the dance rehearsal studio. Morgan was sitting crossed-legged in the middle of the floor. Her back was straight, her eyes closed. To anyone else, it would have appeared as though she was meditating, but I knew better.

It hurt to watch her looking so strung out, her sad face taut with stress. I wanted to comfort her, to make it better.

“Hey.”

Her eyes popped open. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you I was staying.”

“I thought you left.”

I shrugged. “I came back.”

She glanced at her watch and whispered brokenly. “Why?”

“Because I love you, and I want to make you feel better.”

Her sigh was heavy.

My faced bunched with a frown as she rubbed at her temples.

“There’s nothing you can do, Sean. Things are just the way they are.” She sounded resigned, like she’d had to give herself the same speech multiple times before.

I swallowed, wondering how to play this. My eyes grazed the dance studio and a smile lifted the corner of my mouth. “Nothing I can do, huh?”

She shot me a dry glare, but I could see her lips fighting a smile as she took in my expression.

With a low chuckle, I headed for the stereo and pressed play. Yeah, I knew it was a sly move. When it came to Morgan, her best aphrodisiacs were music and dancing. And I also knew that if anything was going to make her forget the world for a few minutes... sex worked like a charm.

I didn’t know what sound would come out of the speakers and was relieved when Cody Simpson started singing “You Got Me Good”.

Morgan’s eyes stayed on me, her brown orbs sparking with desire. I walked toward her, losing my jacket before stretching out my hand. She gazed at it for a few reluctant beats before placing her fingers on my palm. I pulled her off the floor and against my chest, running my hands down her body and lightly kissing her nose. Spinning her away from me, I lifted my arm over her head and wound her back to my side. I could feel her muscles loosening as she gave into the music...and me.

We swayed against one another, my hands trailing down her sides. Her back arched, her ponytail skimming the floor as I swung her around. As she lifted her head, I pulled the band, letting her blonde locks run free over her shoulders. Damn, she was beautiful.

I ran my fingers, feather-light, over the soft skin of her neck, hooking my thumb beneath the fabric of her tank top and sliding it off her shoulder. My lips followed, skimming over her smooth flesh.

The light beat of the song rained over us, Cody’s easy voice casting a spell on the room. Morgan’s hips kept swaying as she lifted her hands to the soft pulse of sound. With one swift move, I lifted her shirt, pulling it over her long arms. The fabric fell from her fingertips, my hands trailing back down her arms. I bent my knees and flowed with her, gliding over her curves.

My dark skin against her silky white torso made me smile. She was like milk, her supple skin practically glowing in the soft light. My hands ran over her hips, taking her pants with me. She stepped out of the wide leggings, her leg stretching over my shoulder. I stood, capturing her thigh against me and leaning back to the music. Her eyes were closed, her head falling back, being led by the potent sound. My lips found the pulse in her neck. It thrummed with the soft rhythm. I licked the beat, energy sparking inside my mouth as I trailed my tongue between her perfect breasts. Her nails scraped up my back, pulling my shirt off. Our naked torsos melded together, still gyrating to the velvety cadence floating around us.

I spun her around so she was facing away from me and pulled her back against my stomach, running my hand between her legs. A sweet moan reverberated in her throat, the sound always making me feel triumphant. She slid her panties to the floor, flicking them off her toe as Cody Simpson’s voice faded and Beyoncé took over. The ethereal strains of “Halo” echoed off the walls as my hands traveled the plains of Morgan’s skin. Each curve sent my insides into hyper-drive, the liquid sway of her hips turning my blood to boiling.

Morgan dipped to the floor, her hair sliding down my torso before she spun, and with painstaking slowness, rid me of my trousers. Her smile was wicked as she pulled them off and threw them across the room. They slid toward the mirrors, my belt buckle clicking on the hard, wood frame.

My eyes stayed on Morgan, mesmerized by the magic of her naked body. Her fingers skimmed up the backs of my legs, tickling me, enticing me, driving me to the edge of sanity...but I couldn’t give in. This wasn’t about my pleasure; it was about hers.