Reluctantly Famous (12 page)

She smiles, the weight of Troy’s attack
seemingly lifted from her shoulders.

“
I love you too,
Dex.”

Allie – now

I watch Dex as he sleeps, his gorgeous face
slack and unworried, free from the tension he’s been carrying
around all weekend.

It’s so hard not to reach out and touch him,
to caress that soft skin over hard muscles. I shiver from the
memory of him using that powerful body to give me pleasure,
pleasure I never imagined possible. Dex freed me from my mental
prison, showed me that sex can be beautiful and loving, not just a
weapon to be wielded by an asshole.

He told me he loves me. We love each other.
I lay in the dark grinning like an idiot.

Unable to sleep, I kick off the covers.
After throwing on a tank top and cotton shorts, I wander into the
living area of my condo, sitting on the couch so I can stare out
the windows at the bright lights of the city.

Without thinking, I rub my palm over my
thigh, trying to alleviate the sting that pulses through it. I
smile as I remember the way it felt to connect with that bastard’s
face. Dex was going to hit him, but I needed to confront Troy
myself. I wanted to show him that I’m not the same weak girl I was
back in college, too afraid to press charges.

“
Al?”

I turn towards the bedroom to see Dex
leaning on the doorframe, wearing only a pair of low-slung sleep
pants. My eyes immediately drift down to the delicious bands of
muscle that frame his waist, pointing down towards his crotch like
an arrow.

Jesus, get a hold of yourself Forrester.

“
Sorry if I woke you. I
couldn’t sleep.”

Dex shuffles over to me, rubbing his eyes
with the heels of his hands. He drops heavily onto the sofa,
immediately wrapping his arms around my shoulders so I’m leaning
back against his rock hard chest.

“
You didn’t wake me. I
missed you. Anything I can do to help?”

His thumbs draw small circles on my abdomen
where my tank has ridden up a few inches, exposing a small strip of
skin.

“
No, I’m okay.”

I rub my palm on my thigh again. Dex reaches
over and takes it in his hand, bringing up to his face so he can
see.

“
Does it hurt?” He presses
a small kiss on the swollen skin. The rasp of his stubble across it
sends goose bumps down my spine.

“
Yes, but it’s good. I
like it. I know it sounds strange, but… it’s a reminder that I’m
stronger than I thought I was. That probably sounds
stupid.”

I try to tug my hand back, but Dex won’t let
go. “It doesn’t sound stupid at all. You are strong, Allie. Don’t
let anyone ever tell you differently.”

Dex drops my hand. Sliding his palms down to
my waist he lifts me up and turns me around so I’m facing him on
his lap. His fingers lightly skim up my arms, coming to rest on my
neck, where his thumbs gently stroke my jaw.

“
I meant what I said
earlier. I love you, Allie.”

His clear blue eyes penetrate right through
me. I inhale through a hitch in my chest that makes it hard to
breathe. My heart beats so hard Dex can probably feel my pulse
racing under his hands.

“
I love you too,
Dex.”

He leans in, tilting his head slightly so
our mouths can connect. His lips move against mine, sending streaks
of pleasure over my skin. I grind down on his lap, loving the feel
of the firm bulge pressing against me.

Dex groans, and he slides a hand up into my
hair, tightening it in his fist. He kisses me deep and hard, his
hips flexing up off of the couch, each strong thrust rubbing
against my wet heat.

“
Please,” I whisper into
his neck, bucking forward as he licks and bites his way across my
throat. “More.”

“
Fuck, Al.”

Dex hooks his arm around my waist and flips
me onto my back, his hard body resting on top of mine.

Yes
. He feels so good, his sinewy
muscles flexing under my hands.

“
Off.” He pushes up my
tank, ripping it over my head when I arch up for him. My hands
skate down his smooth back, shoving at the waistband of his pants.
Dex quickly gets to his knees and pushes them down, shimmying each
leg out until he’s gloriously naked. My eyes drop to his thick
arousal. I lick my lips at the thought of tasting him.

“
I know what you’re
thinking, and I love it. But right now, I want to be buried deep
inside you.”

He grips my shorts, yanking them off and
throwing them to the side. Dex crawls up my body, stopping to make
small swipes of his tongue along the way. By the time he reaches my
mouth, I’m writhing with need.

“
Dex, please.” My breathy
plea is rewarded with a deep, devouring kiss. His tongue invades my
mouth over and over until I’m sure I’ll come apart if he doesn’t
fill me up soon.

He slides his hands up my arms, pushing them
over my head to the armrest of the couch. Our fingers link and he
holds them there, his eyes fixed on mine as he shifts his hips and
enters me with one long, slow, torturous thrust.

“
Fuck, you feel so fucking
good.” His head drops to my neck where he bites and licks at my
shoulder. I wiggle my hands out from his so I can dig my nails into
his firm backside.

“
More Dex.
Harder.”

He huffs into my neck, his breath caressing
my ear.

“
Jesus, Al.”

Dex props up on his elbows and really begins
to move. With each powerful thrust, I lift my hips to meet him.
Electricity jolts up and down my spine, coiling in a growing ball
of energy low in my core.

A shift of his legs changes the angle just
enough for him to hit the perfect spot deep inside me. White-hot
sparks fly across my vision. The tension building suddenly becomes
unbearable, making each gasp for air more and more difficult.

“
God Dex, I’m…”

The pleasure detonates into a powerful
climax, bliss spreading throughout my body. I ride it out,
clutching at Dex’s shoulders as a wash of ecstasy overcomes me.

Dex thrusts a few more times before calling
out my name, pumping hard and deep, then collapsing on top of
me.

“
Holy shit,” he
pants.

“
Yeah,” I
agree.

My body is loose and limp. I couldn’t move
even if I wanted to. Dex moves his hands under me, then in one
quick move, flips over so I’m lying on top of him. I stretch out,
taking in the feel of his body, warm and soft yet hard and
strong.

I drop a line of small kisses across his
collarbone and up his throat, inhaling his wonderful, masculine
scent. When I reach his mouth, I brush my lips across his.

“
Ready to go back to bed?”
he asks, his hand gently stroking my lower back.

“
Sure.”

We slide under the sheets naked and Dex
immediately wraps his body around mine. My eyelids are heavy, the
heat from his skin combined with the contentment from our
lovemaking have wiped me out.

The last thing I feel before succumbing to
sleep is Dex’s breath on the back of my neck and the fact that I
feel safe and loved for the first time in a long time.

Declan – then

I can’t believe I’m doing this. Sighing, I
wait for the makeup artist to finish applying bronzer and other
weird shit to my face and body.

The door to the green room opens and I see
Marsha Crowder enter, Bluetooth headset in place, chattering away
while doing fifty things at once. She ends her call, turning her
attention to Lexi, the other model in the campaign with me.

“
You ready for the big
unveiling?” Marsha shows her perfect rows of teeth, looking back
and forth from Lexi to me, waiting for a response.

Marsha managed to get us booked on the most
popular morning talk show to unveil the giant ad across the street,
towering over Rockefeller Center. With my degree in marketing, I’ve
learned more from watching Marsha than I’ve gained from being a
model. Sometimes it feels more like an internship than a job.

“
Oh yes, Marsha. I can’t
wait,” Lexi squeals. She’s not kidding either.
This
,
modeling, morning talk shows, starring in ad campaigns, is Lexi’s
entire universe. Today is probably the greatest day of her
life.

“
How about you
Dex?”

“
Sure.”

Marsha narrows her eyes at me, but all I can
do is shrug. It is what it is. I’m here for the money, not the
exposure, and certainly not so I can strut around half-naked all
the time with women and some men openly and crudely gawking at
me.

“
Hmph,” she grunts. “Well,
we’re on in ten minutes, so we need to get outside.”

Lexi grins, bouncing out of her makeup chair
and out the door. I roll my eyes, tired of her child-like
excitement in response to everything we’re asked to do. If she were
told to strip naked and strut down Broadway, she’d do it, no
questions asked.

“
Dex.” Marsha stops me at
the door.

“
Marsha,” I mimic in her
serious tone.

She smiles, unable to hold back the grudging
respect she has for me, even when I’m acting petulant.

“
Have fun.”

I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, fun. Is that what
we’re calling this?”

“
When you see your
paycheck you will,” she says, handing me a black
Sharpie.

“
Probably.”

I follow her and Lexi out to the plaza, the
crowd that gathers to watch the show meets us with screams and
catcalls. People thrust out photos of my different ad campaigns, a
few of which I sign as I walk by. Girls squeal and grown women
reach out to touch me, making me flinch back from the barrier that
separates us.

“
I have no idea why I do
this,” I mutter under my breath.

I know exactly why I do this, though. My
parents, who think this is so far beneath me, who belittled my
decision to chuck my degree aside for a few years to earn some
money, have no problem letting me pay their bills and help them
out. They just don’t respect what I do.

We reach the center of the crowd, where a
large area is kept clear for the cast of the show and their guests.
They introduce the segment, going on about various things that I
tune out.

Finally, the huge sheet is pulled off of the
three-story billboard, revealing Lexi and me wearing nothing but
jeans. I face outward, the top button undone, staring out
intimidatingly over the city. Lexi stands with her back to the
camera, her head tilted over her shoulder in a sexy pout.

How fucking humiliating.

When it’s over, I rush back to my dressing
room and throw on my oversized T-shirt and cargo shorts. I want to
get the hell out of here before I crawl out of my skin.

A sharp rap at the door startles me. I’m
ready to leave this place, so I grab my duffel as I move to let in
whoever is knocking.

“
Declan Foster,
right?”

A man in a dark blue power suit is standing
in the hall regarding me curiously.

“
Yes, who are
you?”

I could be more polite, but my niceness was
all used up while I was being groped by the crowd.

“
I’m Corbin Lowell. Do you
have a minute to talk?”

Who the fuck is this guy?

“
Listen, I’m headed out.
What is it you wanted?”

Power suit, Corbin, leans against the
doorframe and smiles. He hands me a business card.

Corbin Lowell – Talent
Agent

Trinity Talent
Group

“
Okay. What does this
mean?” I start walking, hoping that power suit won’t follow me. He
does.

Persistent bastard.

“
Have you ever thought
about acting?” he asks.

We exit the studio, emerging onto a busy New
York sidewalk.

“
No.” I stop and face him.
“What is it that you want from me?”

“
Look, can I get you a cup
of coffee? I have an offer you may be interested in.”

I give in. I have nowhere to be for the rest
of the day. In fact, now that the campaign is officially launched,
I’m pretty much done with work for a while.

“
Fine. You can buy me a
coffee, Mr. Lowell. But I’ll let you know up front, that,” I point
back towards the television studio, “and that,” then I jerk my
thumb up at the huge billboard looming over us, “isn’t
me.”

He grins. “You’re right. You can be so much
more.”

Allie – now

“
Allie, wait up a
second.”

I turn to see my co-worker, scratch that, my
co-volunteer Leah, hurrying down the hall to talk to me. When Leah
sold her business to help manage Ryker’s crazy schedule, I quickly
tapped her for the charity.

Smiling, I put the thick binder I’ve been
carrying all morning down on the desk and come out from behind the
half wall that partitions off the nurses’ station from the rest of
the hospital ward.

“
Leah, I didn’t know you
were here today.”

The tiny, blonde-haired ball of fire strides
right over to pull me into a hug.

“
I’m not here today.” When
she releases me, I look at her questioningly, my mouth quirking up
in the corner. Leah laughs, “Well, I’m
here
today, but I’m
not volunteering today. I heard you were back in town and rushed
over to see you.”