Nathan
“Nathan! Cat! Over here!”
I couldn’t stop grinning. I’d walked thousands of red carpets. None of them would ever compare to tonight. My nerves fizzled with excitement and my heart… fuck, I’d never felt this happy.
Glancing down at Cat in her glittering silver dress, her golden brown hair curled around her face, the feeling only intensified. She smiled at me, her green eyes glistening with the flash of cameras around us.
Eight months ago, I thought I’d lost her forever. Some days, it still felt like a dream.
She’d been instrumental in the launch of Kings of Screen Productions, working part time to help us get all the legal pieces in order. I’d planned to hire a team, but she’d insisted and, honestly, I craved the tiny thrill of our old forbidden romance.
Eventually, Cat had to step back once she started taking on clients. I mourned the loss of the extra spicy thrill of fucking my attorney again, but if I couldn’t pretend we were doing something morally wrong then I had no business being an actor.
Unable to help myself, I leaned down, brushing my lips across Cat’s cheek. “You look gorgeous, babe.”
“You too.” She flashed me a heated look. “I’ll never get tired of you in a suit.”
I smirked. “Does that smile mean I get to pull this pretty dress up around your waist and fuck you in the limo on the way home?”
Cat flushed and her gaze darted around us. “Someone will hear you,” she hissed, turning her face towards me.
A good call; the news outlets had people on staff to read lips. The reminder should have made me stop, but I craved her feral heated looks.
I tucked her into my side, posing us for the next bunch of photographers. When they’d captured at least five hundred shots between them, I guided her away, ducking my head to whisper in her ear again.
“What about during the welcome cocktails?” I nuzzled my nose into her hair, my grip tightening around her waist. “I’m sure we could slip away for a minute or thirty.”
Cat laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You should have remembered that when you put this skintight dress on.” I groaned as we stopped. “Watching you put it on was pure fucking torture.”
Cat smiled for the cameras, pretending she hadn’t heard a word I’d said. But I could feel the way her body pressed against mine. If she could get away with holding my hand, her nails would have drawn blood by now.
“You didn’t have to watch,” she muttered from the corner of her mouth.
I shook my head, glancing down at her and projecting the image of a man utterly besotted with his girlfriend. It was true, of course. I just didn’t need the cameras seeing how much I yearned to throw her over my shoulder and run away with her.
The weekend after we got back together, I forced her to move in with me. It was safer for her with the guarded gate and the… Alright so that was only half of it, but we’d been apart long enough. I couldn’t wait any longer to wake up with her cuddled into my side, to experience every up and down of her new career or smother my amusement when she burnt anything she cooked unsupervised.
The mind-blowing sex was just a bonus… Lies.
You’d think I’d have had my fill after eight months, but the craving for her never waned. At this point, I hoped it never did.
“And miss the foreplay?” I bit my lip as I turned towards her, guiding her on. “Like fuck. I’m a masochist, Icy, not stupid.”
Cat chuckled, but before she could throw out a retort that would only make me want her more, reporters started shouting Jackson’s name further down the line. For a couple of seconds my friend froze up as the vultures fired question after question at him, shouting over each other in a mindless frenzy.
“Why were you involved with a married woman?”
“Did you know she was married?”
“What about her husband?”
“Do you make a habit of leading women on, Levi?”
What the ever loving fuck was going on?
He needed to keep walking. Mouth shut, shoulders back, head high, the paps don’t exist.
What did the stupid fucker do? You guessed it. He opened his mouth. Not that I could hear a word of it from ten feet away, but the reaction was instantaneous.
“Who is she?”
“How long have you been together?”
“Why have you never been seen together?”
“Is she real?”
His agent’s assistant paled as he responded. Jackson immediately tensed up. I resisted the urge to edge closer, wishing I could hear his responses. If I interfered, whatever he’d stumbled into would just get ten times bigger.
Finally, muscle memory snapped into place and he speed walked down the carpet, getting out of dodge as fast as possible.
“We can’t follow him, right?” Cat asked, her disappointment clear.
“Right,” I said. Tightening my grip on her before either of us got any ideas.
“What the hell did he just do?” she whispered as we moved up the line.
I had no idea, but it didn’t look good.
“Nathan, did you know Jackson was dating a married woman?” A reporter asked as we stopped.
“Who’s Roseline Butler?” Another asked.
“Is Jackson really dating this Roseline?”
How…? Oh shit.
I squeezed Cat, silently telling her not to say a word. I barely stopped my body from tensing up as the pieces clicked into place.
What the fuck did he do, and why did he involve Ros?
Over the summer, Ros had gone from open and chatty with Jackson to closed off and at times snappy. Every time we prodded him on it, he shrugged it off.
We made quick work of the remaining reporters, keeping our mouths firmly sealed unless the question related to the film and our premiere.
I’d never been so relieved to walk into a movie theatre. A crowd of people gathered in the foyer, all of them holding drinks and chatting like a scandal hadn’t just blown up outside the doors.
“So I’m going to say that was unexpected,” Cat said, her tone stunned.
“Understatement.” I pulled her into the gathered crowd, my gaze scanning for Jackson’s messy blond surfer head of hair.
I made it to the centre of the foyer with no luck. Cat hand landed on my arm, squeezing and pulling my attention to her.
“It’s not good, right?”
I tugged her into my chest and wrapped my arms around her, ducking my head to make sure no one else heard us, but also painting a picture of the loved up couple we were.
“Any other day, I’d say it’ll pass.” I pressed my forehead to hers, staring into her concerned gaze. “But today’s the worst day for a scandal.”
“We won’t let it detract from the launch.” She kissed me, quick and fast, meaning to reassure. I wish it had worked. “You’ve got a team of people trained for this at your beck and call. It’ll be okay.”
I hummed noncommittally. Making plans without all the facts would be pointless. I needed to get the bad news from the horse’s mouth.
Thankfully, we found him in a corner, frantically whispering into his phone, his eyes wide with panic. Jackson’s tie hung loose around his neck and he dragged a hand through his hair, sending it further into disarray.
“Of all the times not to screen me, Ros, now’s it. Pick up.” When he hung up, he turned, catching sight of us nearby. He winced. “How much did… you know what, I don’t care.”
“What's going on, man?”
“Nate, I love you, but not right now.” He spun in a slow circle, his head swivelling left to right as he scanned in the foyer. His frown deepened the longer he looked. “Have you seen Abi? I really need to talk to her.”
“I haven’t, but you can talk to me.” I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Maybe I can help.”
He clapped me on the shoulder, a smile flashing across his face for a flicker of a second. Then the frown returned and he brushed past me.
“I wish you could.”
Then he was gone, leaving us staring after him with questions swirling.
Cat’s hand tightened in mine. “C’mon, let’s go find our seats.”
“But—”
“You know where he lives.” She tugged on my hand. “You can question him later.”
Only I didn’t get the chance. The asshole snuck out halfway through the film.
* * *
Catrina
I practically had to hold Nathan in his seat through the film. It would not have looked good for all four of them to sneak out. A quick glance down the row confirmed that both Abi and Mona were dealing with the same problem.
Shaun and Finn couldn’t keep their eyes on the film either.
It made me furious at the press.
Like why today? Couldn’t they have held off for just one day and let the film launch?
Of course, I knew better. Over the last few months, I’d learnt how screwed up and instant gratification-focused the industry was. Didn’t mean my hope for common decency would ever fade.
One day, they’d stop hiding in the bushes outside restaurants to catch us off guard. Or tailing us through traffic like we were going to do anything more exciting than go grocery shopping.
Accepting Nathan into my life had been eye-opening — and sometimes terrifying — but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Even if he kept staring out the window instead of making good on his heated promises on the carpet.
“So I was thinking…” I let the words trail off, hoping that would be enough to grab his attention.
He hummed in response but didn’t so much as side-eye me.
My eyes narrowed on him. “We should let the divider down while we fuck. I’m sure your driver would enjoy the show.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, tone flat and unengaged.
“You’re going to regret saying that later.” I shook my head.
There was nothing else for it. I’d have to take matters into my own hands.
Hiking my dress up and over my knees — I slid on to the limo floor and crawled forward, ignoring the burn of carpet against my knees. It took my hands landing on Nathan’s thighs for him to finally look at me. His eyes widened, seeing me kneeling between his open legs.
“Cat, what are—”
“Nope. You had your chance to talk.”
I had no intention of letting him off the hook that easily, not after spending the last few hours watching his eyes glaze over. I didn’t really care what he had to say at this point; I just wanted my boyfriend to pay attention to me for more than two seconds.
“You promised me mind-blowing sex on the way home, Nathan.” My brows quirked. “Are you seriously going to let tonight be the first time you renege on a promise?”
“You’re right.” He groaned. “I’m sorry. It’s just everything with—”
Tired of waiting, I unzipped his pants and freed his cock. For a second, Nathan's mouth hung open as I gripped him. He instantly hardened and I dragged my hand down, pumping him until that surprised look faded, replaced with a familiar fire.
“Now are you paying attention?” I asked.
He swallowed. “I’m all yours.”
Satisfied, I wet my lips before leaning forward and licking the tip of his cock, swirling my tongue around until Nathan's lips twisted with pleasure. He shifted in his seat, trying to control himself as I sucked him deeper into my mouth.
My lips and tongue worked in tandem against him while my hands massaged his length, relishing in the small tremors that ran through him.
For the last twenty minutes, I'd sat in silent anticipation, waiting for him to reach for me. My panties were soaked before I got on my knees but now my pussy ached with the need to be filled.
Nathan's eyes fluttered close as I increased my pace, focusing on pleasuring him rather than the burning need to sink down on his cock. His soft moan encouraged me to keep going, exploring every inch of him with my mouth. I took my time, licking and sucking until he bucked against me.
His hands found my hair and he grabbed handfuls, guiding me over his length, fucking me as much as I did him. I moaned around his dick, making sure he felt every vibration.
His breathing became laboured and he tensed beneath me. I pulled away before he could come and met his gaze.
“Fuck,” he breathed. “That was…”
A smug smile spread across my face. I crawled into his lap, pushing my panties to the side. Forget stripping, there was no time.
I sank down on his cock, both of us sighing in pleasure as he filled me one delicious inch at a time.
“Less talking. More fucking.”
Nathan gasped, grasping my waist as I started riding him, finding a slow and steady rhythm that left us both trembling with pleasure.
“I can get on board with that,” he muttered, his voice hoarse. His gaze tracked down my front, his brow furrowing at my dress blocking his view. “This has to go.”
I chuckled as he scrambled for the tiny hidden clasps. A couple of rolls of my hips and he gave up unbuttoning my dress with a disgruntled grunt. He resorted to pulling the fabric tight behind me instead, using his grip on my waist to keep the dress back.
The way his blue eyes darkened as I sank onto him only heightened the pleasure spiralling inside of me.
The limo filled with our pants and gasps.
It would be a miracle if the driver couldn’t hear my strangled moans through the partition. A couple of months ago, I would have cared. The embarrassment would have burned through me, but the deeper I sank into Nathan’s world, the more I came to savour these moments of quiet between us.
It was rare that we were truly alone. We needed to grasp them whenever we could — even if it meant a limo driver overhearing me scream Nathan’s name.
We moved together, our hips meeting in a perfect rhythm that hit me right in the core. His grip tightened as I rode him harder and faster until we were both lost in the pleasure of it all.
I closed my eyes, giving in to the sensations coursing through me as Nathan's fingers dug into my flesh. One last thrust and I came apart around him. Burying my face in his shoulder, I screamed his name. Nathan followed me over the edge, panting against my neck.
We stayed like that for a few minutes, connected as we rode out our orgasm together.
“I’m sorry I zoned out on you,” Nathan whispered a little while later, his lips grazing my ear. “No excuse. I promised you I wouldn't exclude you ever again.”
I straightened up and took in his grim expression. “You’re worried about your friend. I get it.” I brushed his hair back with a smile, caressing his face. “If Jackson needs us, we’ll help him together, but until he asks, there’s nothing you can do.”
“But I—”
I pressed my fingers to his lips, silencing him. “If you were in his shoes, would you want your friends clamouring around you, or would you want them to focus on the business while you got your head screwed on?”
“I’d want them to help, obviously.”
My brows climbed. “Oh? So if you’d slipped up and lied to the press about me, you’d want your friends to explain the situation? Not you?” I kept my voice quiet, but Nathan would have to be obtuse to miss the deadly undercurrent in my tone.
“Fuck.”
My meaning finally sunk in and he slouched deeper on the seat, taking me with him. He dragged a hand across his face and sighed.
“I wish I could hate how often you’re right.”
I laughed. “Liar. You love it.”
I do.” He smirked, but his amusement was short-lived. “But I’m worried about him.”
“Me too.” I thread our fingers together and lift our hands up to eye level. “But until he asks for help, it’s just us so please don’t shut me out.”
Nathan smiled, his eyes shining with a love that never ceased to steal my breath. He cupped my cheek and leaned forward, capturing my lips in a soft kiss.
“I promise,” he whispered, his forehead pressed to mine as he stared into my eyes. “If you promise to keep reminding me when I fall short?”
I grinned. “You couldn’t keep me quiet if you tried.”
Nathan chuckled. “I love you, Icy.”
“Love you too, Playboy.”
I’d never cease to marvel at the mysterious turn my life had taken. From a one night fling in a bar to the hardest game of resistance I’d ever played, all to find this: the love of my life. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
