Playing the Perfect Boyfriend (Gone Hollywood) (3 page)

He rolled off the bed and onto his feet. Before he even had the drawer open, Jade was tugging his shirt from his pants and practically tearing the buttons from the holes. As leisurely as the kiss had been, sex was likely to be anything but.

Then he looked into the collection of prophylactics and couldn’t suppress the grin that started to form. In addition to the condom, he drew out a pair of leather handcuffs. “Is there something you neglected to tell me?”

She had her lips pressed to his abs, just above his hipbone, and at his words she bit gently. Affecting a terrible Russian accent, she gazed up at him and said, “I vill tell you nozzing.”

Oh, yeah. This was a game he could play twenty-four-seven. He wrapped the cuffs around her wrists and then locked them onto a low bar of the headboard. Digging deeper in the drawer, he withdrew a small leather paddle. “Then maybe I’ll have to beat it out of you.” He slapped the thing against his hand, surprised at the amount of sting. He’d beat it out of her gently.

“Nevah.”

His teenage dreams had never been like this.

All night. They had all night long, and he was going to enjoy every single minute, regardless of the ache in his balls. Dean threw the suit jacket in the corner, shirt and tie rapidly following. He left his pants on, otherwise he’d rush. Picking up the paddle, he trailed the edge of it along Jade’s abdomen, watching as even that soft scratching contact caused her skin to pink. What would the paddle do when used for real?

She squirmed, watching him intently. That would never do. He stalked to the corner, retrieved his tie, and came back to the bed. “I think you have a great many secrets, Lady Jade, and you’re going to tell me all of them. You know why that is?”

“
Nyet
.” Jade arched a brow at him, as if daring him to continue the game.

He stretched the tie between his fists. “Because I already know the most important one. You are absolutely terrified of the dark.”

Jade played along, squirming beneath him as he fastened the silk tie around her eyes. Once it was secure, she fell still, her body twisted on its side. “Zis vill not break me.
You
vill not break me.”

Leaning close enough his lips brushed her earlobe, Dean whispered, “I don’t intend to break you. I intend to rock your world so hard it fucking shatters.” He drew back and tapped the paddle firmly against her ass cheek.

She sucked in a tiny gasp, but it was followed by a low groan and a blissful smile across her lips. “Is zat ze best you have, Agent Hartley?”

Fuck. She isn’t even naked yet, and I’ve never had a night this good.

“You want more?”

“I do not zink you have it in you.”

Dean grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto her stomach. Then worry made him pause. This was trouble waiting to happen. What if at some point she stopped playing? How the hell would he know? Before he touched her again, he thought back to their earlier conversation and dropped the act for a second. “If I do something you don’t like and you want it to stop, say college.”

“
Da.
” There was no stepping out of character for her, which meant it was game on.

The paddle struck her ass three more times in rapid succession. He’d been right; her cheeks were crimson wherever he’d made impact. His cock strained against the zipper of his slacks, and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her right now. Fisting her hair, he pulled her head back and growled. “Tell me. Tell me everything.”

Shivers raced through her skin, and Jade licked her full lips. Like she knew how much he needed her, she said, “I cannot. Zere is a…a block programmed into my mind. Ze only time I can accezz ze information is when I reach ze heights of orgasm.”

“Then for God and country, I suppose I must do my duty.” Grinning, Dean rolled her onto her back, his fingers raking down her skin, hooking in the fabric of her bra to drag it under the fullness of her breasts. A deep moan escaped him at the sight of her rosy areolae. He took one firm nipple in his mouth, sucking on it, pressing his teeth gently into the sensitive flesh until Jade arched her back toward him.

No longer willing to wait, he practically tore his pants down his legs, kicking free of them as he rolled the condom onto his engorged length. He did allow himself the time to slowly draw off her panties, kissing his way down her rounded abdomen and pressing his lips briefly to her bare sex. As much as he wanted to feast on her, he needed to be inside her more.

She was so wet; her taste coated his lips as he crawled up the bed. “Are you ready to tell me everything?”

“
Da.
Please.”

He roughly spread her legs, and at her encouraging moan, thrust into her, sliding right to the hilt. Her muscles immediately spasmed around his length, and he had to hold still for a minute or he’d have come on the spot. Planting kisses across her breasts and throat, he slowly withdrew, and only once he was certain of his control did he start thrusting in earnest. Pounding into her, reveling in the feel of her around him, the slap of skin on skin, the sheen of sweat building as she writhed beneath him.

She was magnificent, and all too soon for Dean’s taste, he leaned down close, taking her earlobe between his teeth until she whimpered. Then he said, his voice as commanding as he could make it, “You’re going to come soon. You’re going to come for me.”

Without any other warning, he grabbed her hair in one hand and covered her mouth with his, kissing her with all the hunger he’d felt since the moment she had driven up in her car, the need that had been building since she first told him to take off his clothes. He ground against her clit every time he entered her fully. Her breasts heaved, pressing to his chest, as she exhaled desperately into his mouth. Then she threw her head back as her muscles contracted around his length, squeezing, spasming, squeezing again, over and over as she cried out.

Dean thrust once more, letting himself come at last as she spilled every last one of her secrets.

Chapter Three

Jade stretched like a cat as she woke. It had been far too long since sex had left her so exquisitely exhausted. An arm wrapped around her from behind, and Dean nuzzled her neck, trailing kisses over her shoulder.

A girl could get used to this if she let herself.

And that t
hought was jus
t a stark reminder of the choice she needed to make. The one she thought she
had
made. After last night, she was sure she could convince Dean to hang around for a while, and she had no doubt it would be an amazing few weeks. But she’d be giving up her second chance at a nice, secure future with Isak. Likely, she’d be giving up her chance of having that kind of life…ever.

It was like two sides of her personality were at war. She craved the raw, unadulterated passion she’d shared with Dean—the sex had, quite frankly, been the best of her life. But guys like him didn’t stay. Isak was the type who truly believed in until-death-do-us-part. There would be no cheating, no divorce, no abandonment—not with a guy like him. Either way, she’d give up something she wanted, but which was the sacrifice she could live with in the end?

Jade gave a heavy sigh. Dean was nothing but a fantasy—beautiful, amazing, the kind of thing she could search for her whole life and never find again. But now she woke to find fantasy and reality colliding.

She’d promised herself that if she was allowed to indulge in the former overnight, she’d face the latter today. Isak had wanted her a couple of years ago. If he wasn’t with anyone—and Vicky was sure he was single—Jade could damn well make him realize
forever
didn’t sound so much like a trap to her anymore.

“Want to go for round two, baby?”

Even though she knew she was kicking Dean out, never to see him again, she couldn’t suppress the heartfelt laugh that bubbled past her lips. “No
Dirty Dancing
references; I haven’t done corners since I was ten. Besides, I think we’re well past round two.”

“True, and corners are overrated.” He shifted his hand, caressing the swell of her abdomen, the length of her hip, and finally coming to rest on her breast. “Pretty sure you’ve always been all curves.”

As a size twelve on a good day, Jade was never blissfully unaware of how far she strayed from the ideal body perpetuated by the media, though she’d never really cared. She preferred to embrace all life had to offer: food, alcohol, fast cars, men… She didn’t believe in going overboard—at least not too much—but the idea of forcing herself into anyone’s mold didn’t appeal to her.

Hollywood didn’t exactly encourage that sort of body positivity, though. And being surrounded by movie stars, models, and aspiring versions of both in her studio all the time, she couldn’t have avoided comparisons to them had she tried. She’d never had any trouble finding sex, or even the occasional guy who wanted more, but it always felt like they wanted her
in spite of
her size.

The way he touched her…Dean seemed different, almost like she had the figure he’d choose, even if presented with other options.

Which was just one more reason to get him out the damn door. His behavior didn’t jive with anything she knew about men, and she didn’t do well with contradictory messages. Men behaved in certain ways with her, and outliers to that had always been nothing but trouble—which was the last thing she needed right now.

No matter how good it felt.

“Round whatever sounds great, but I need to get home and clean up. I’m due back in a couple of hours for another appointment.”

Dean pinched her nipple gently, and her eyes rolled back at the reminder of how good last night had been. “I’m surprised you don’t keep clothes here. You have a bathroom with a fantastic shower and everything.”

She did, but he didn’t need to know that. And they’d used the shower—more than once—but she had to get some space before she forgot all her rules. Or her newfound commitment to give things with Isak another go. “Sorry, I forgot to restock my wardrobe after laundry day.”

It took every ounce of her willpower to roll away and climb out of the bed. Unwilling to face him, she kept her back toward him as she picked her clothes up off the floor and started dressing. Only when she realized there’d been no noise to signal Dean’s movement did she turn around to see him staring at her. Where she’d expected his brows to be drawn together in irritation, she found his gaze hooded with desire instead.

She’d basically just given him the morning-after brush-off. What the hell was he doing? “Uh…I need to lock up when I leave. And you should probably call a car.”

“I will, as soon as I’m done watching you.” Dean shrugged, not budging from where he lay, reclining on one elbow.

Every move he made had a sexy animalistic quality to it, like he was alternately thinking about fucking her and devouring her. It made her heart race and her palms go sweaty.

Damn it. I am
not
some lust-struck teenager. I’m a grown-ass woman.

The pep talk allowed her time to grab the crimson scarf she’d discarded last night then move across the floor and through the bathroom door. “You’re done now.”

In this particular case, out of sight didn’t equal out of mind, though. Inside the bathroom, she sagged against the door, desperate to open it and peek out—to watch him as he had watched her.

What the hell is wrong with you? Amazing sex or not, he’s just a guy. If you wanted you could have another one here before the end of the day. And he’s barely out of college. You were a damn checkbox on his bucket list. Get over it and get moving.

But she stayed right there, listening for telltale sounds that he was coming toward her. What would she do if he opened the door? She was dressed, but she didn’t want to be. She wanted to be naked again—with him.

For fuck’s sake, Jade, stop it.

Was it just the age thing? The gap between them
was
bigger than with any other guy before. Or was it nothing more than stress over meeting up with Isak again making her feel adrift? Making her look for something else to keep her from having to put up or shut up with the commitment thing. Because he might not demand it right away, but Isak wasn’t the kind to avoid it for long.

The reasons don’t matter, but your delay sure as hell does. Do you want Dean wondering what you’re doing in here? Do you
want
him coming to check on you?

As much as part of the answer was yes, the vulnerability she felt urged her to move.

She brushed her teeth as she pondered all the questions once more but didn’t find any answers—just some much-needed minty freshness. Her hair required a thorough conditioning before she’d be able to untangle the knots they’d worked into it last night, so she wrapped the scarf around her head. Good enough.

Once she got some distance from the crazy sexual intensity with Dean, she’d sort out everything else.

By the time she stepped back into the bedroom, Dean was dressed and chewing some gum. At her raised brow, he said, “I’m guessing, if you don’t keep spare clothes here, you most likely don’t have spare toothbrushes.”

“You’d be right.” Distance. She could keep this much until his ride arrived and he was gone from her life.

“Cab’s about ten minutes away, kitten. I’ll be out of your fur soon enough.”

“From baby to kitten?”

He shrugged—the rolling of his shoulders making her think of a big cat. The feralness. The raw strength. The hunger.

Shit, she needed air. “Come on. We can wait for your taxi outside.”

“Whatever you say.”

The silence grew heavier, less comfortable with every step toward the door. Once they were outside, with the studio locked up tight, Jade shattered it. “Why are you being so…pleasant?”

“Because I know you aren’t done with me.” His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her.

“That wasn’t our arrangement.”

“True, but then again, at that point you hadn’t said… What was it again? That God can go to hell because heaven was my mouth between your legs?”

Heat rose in her cheeks at the memory. “Look, I—”

“Jade?”

The single syllable made words dry up to nothing in her mouth, and the expression on her face must have been quite a sight because Dean’s brow wrinkled with concern. Two breaths to compose herself, and then she turned, taking in the sight standing there. Six-foot-four with the long, lean muscles of a runner. Dark blond hair with streaks of platinum shining through it. And those bright blue eyes that carried an innocence she’d never really understood.

“Isak. I didn’t know you were in town.”

…

She just lied through her teeth!

Considering the guy seemed totally focused on Jade, Dean had plenty of opportunity to examine the situation. While he didn’t know Isak Alfredsson personally, he had seen more than one of his films. Had Jade not just implied she hadn’t expected the Swedish superstar, Dean would have assumed Isak was the appointment later this m
orning.

But she was…off, even if she was covering it fairly well. Her posture had stiffened, her voice gone tighter—as if every part of her had suddenly cried out
be on your best behavior
. Something about the guy definitely got to her, which meant at some point he’d likely been in a position similar to where Dean had found himself this morning.

Isak Alfredsson was the competition.

Great. So much for his certainty that Jade wasn’t through with him.

“I landed in L.A. Tuesday. If I hadn’t had meetings all day yesterday, I’d have come to see you sooner.” Alfredsson hadn’t moved closer, almost as if he thought there was some reason he needed to keep his distance.

“I wish you would have called. It feels like forever since I last saw you.” Jade’s voice had a hint of the flirty quality she’d used with Dean last night, but without what seemed her trademark sauciness. She sounded formal, too formal. It was like in a one-minute span they’d switched channels from
2 Broke Girls
to
Downton Abbey
. This wasn’t right.
She
wasn’t right.

The way she talked to Alfredsson reminded Dean of putting on his public persona, like this side of her was all an act. Jade-lite, or something. Was this the
all-business
option she’d mentioned? If so, he was glad he’d missed it until now. And he was starting to regret not calling for the cab earlier—he felt like a damned interloper.

Seemingly oblivious to the diminished woman standing there, Isak smiled, and it was the sort of expression women everywhere swooned over. Dean really didn’t want to watch Jade become just another member of the hordes of women who fell at the guy’s feet, so he moved to leave—his ride would be there soon enough anyway.

“I wanted to surprise you, and when you weren’t home, I came here. I guess I should have known you were
entertaining
.”

Or maybe Dean would stay after all. The emphasis on Isak’s last word got his ire up and made all his muscles tense. He had no intention of leaving Jade to explain on her own. Something about this felt like she was going to need backup. “Look, buddy—”

“Oh. I apologize if we gave you the wrong impression.” Jade wrapped her arm around Dean’s waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. “We were doing a shoot yesterday, and Dean made a wisecrack about feeling like he wasn’t good enough for me since I’d never let him stay over at the studio. So…we stayed.”

What. The. Fuck? Dean was good at improv, but this wasn’t anything he’d been prepared for when they walked out of the building. Or when they’d woken up this morning. Or…ever.

But something about her words clearly struck Alfredsson, considering the way his expression shifted to one of surprise and a hint of wariness. “The two of you are…together?”

“Of course,” Dean said, hoping like hell he was reading the situation marginally right. “What did you think?”

The way he stared almost longingly at Jade without even meeting Dean’s eyes made two things very clear. One, Alfredsson came expecting her to be available. And two, when he found a guy here, he assumed it meant exactly what Jade had said their interlude would be—a one-night stand. He’d seemed disgusted by the second possibility but disappointed at the idea the first was wrong. Who the hell was this guy to her?

Jade nestled close, and Dean instinctively put his arm around her shoulders. He wasn’t protecting her exactly, but part of him felt like he should. She smiled up at him and said, “I have to assume Isak expected me to be exactly who I used to be, but people change.”

“Clearly,” Alfredsson said. “It is good to see you so…grounded.”

“Thank you. There have been times I’ve regretted how things ended between us, but it simply wasn’t the right time for me.”

They’d been a thing—not just a one-nighter, but a
thing
. Based on how demure she was acting, Dean had a tough time believing that life with Alfredsson could ever have been what Jade really wanted. He pulled her closer. “I’m glad timing worked in our favor, kitten. I’d hate not having you in my life.”

Jade smiled up at him, but it was tight, forced, like he’d said exactly the wrong thing. “Ditto.” She turned to Alfredsson and added, “Dean and I have to get going, but we really should catch up while you’re in town. How long are you staying?”

Isak nodded, disappointment disappearing behind a mask of professionalism. “That sounds wonderful. I’m in town for about two months. Obviously, it’ll be a busy visit, but I’m more than happy to make time for you.” His eyes shot to Dean. “The both of you, of course. I’d love to get to know the man who stole your heart. Call me. My number hasn’t changed.”

“It was good to see you again, Isak.”

Dean stood there with his arm around her until Alfredsson was out of sight—and hearing. Finally, he was able to let the illusion drop. “Well, that was awkward.”

Jade sagged against the hood of her convertible and buried her face in her hands. “This is a disaster!”

“Not for me.” Dean sat down next to her and nudged her with his hip. “The hottest woman in all of Hollywood is apparently my girlfriend. I couldn’t be happier.”