Behind the Scenes (2 page)

Parker rose from his chair and approached her. She forced herself to remain still, while ever
y fiber of her being told her to get the hell out of the room. Parker Banks was danger personified to a way of life she’d remained true to forever. She would never be the groupie girlfriend, content to accept however many minutes Parker chose to bestow on her. Given his track record, the average time between hot to not in his bedroom was around three months.

“What are you doing here?”

He stood directly in front of her. Close enough that she could smell the light scent of his shampoo and detect the slightest trace of peppermint on his breath. “Acting.”

His answer was too pat, too simple. “Isn’t this sort of taki
ng a huge step backwards, Hollywood?”

He shook his
head. “No. When Emma described the role to me, I had to have the part, had to claim opening night.”

“You might come to regret that
request. Angie broke her ankle. I’m filling in.”

His smile grew
and realization dawned hard.

“Angie didn’t fall, did she?”

Parker shrugged as Becca struggled to take a deep breath. What were he and Emma up to? What were they trying to achieve?

“
I see. I think Emma should find another—”

Parker grasped her face in his hands, tugging her c
loser. “You’re not going anywhere but on that stage, Bec.”

Her lungs seized
at the thought of acting out her private fantasy with the man who actually starred in it night after night.

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
“I’ve missed you.”

She couldn’t help it. S
he scoffed. “Yeah. Every time I turn around, the tabloids are proclaiming how lonely you are with the current Miss Drop Dead Gorgeous Blonde. I imagine it’s been pretty rough for you.”

Parker didn’t t
ake offense at her snide comment. “I see you’re still a smart ass. Nice to know that hasn’t changed.”

“I’m not
doing this.”

Parker stroked her cheek, the touch an incredible blend of comfort and seduction. Becca’s nipples tightened and her stomach clenched.
Then he pushed her back against the closed dressing room door. “You’re wrong. You are.”

“Parker—”

He reached for the hem of her t-shirt. Becca jerked, gripping his wrists to stop him from tugging the cotton over her head.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting you accustomed to my touch. You can’t flinch like that on stage. You’re supposed to want me.”

Oh, she wanted him
, but she couldn’t let him see that. She refused to be another name on his list of sexual conquests. Her heart simply couldn’t take it if he seduced her, then tossed her aside.

Rather than
admit the truth, she latched onto the out he provided. “Which is exactly why this won’t work.”

He
shook off her grip and slipped his hands beneath her shirt, stroking her bare skin.

She tried to force air to her lungs, but somewhere along the line, she’d lost the ability to breathe.

Fortunately, Parker didn’t try to kiss her. There was no way she’d find the strength to break away from him if he did. One taste and she’d be a goner.

“That’s better,” he murmured when she relaxed under his soft caresses. “Should I build the scene for you, Becc
a? Tell you what’s going to happen on the stage tonight?”

“Emma said she would do that.”

Parked placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, his breath hot against the sensitive skin there. “Emma’s not coming back here.”

His words confirmed her suspicions.
After Becca revealed her fantasy, Emma had asked if she had anyone in mind to play her leading man. Becca had blurted out Parker’s name before she could think better of it.

Fucking margaritas. She’
d tried to pass it off as a joke, but clearly the damage had been done. “The two of you set me up.”

Parker shook his head. “No. Emma helped me set
us
up.”

“
There is no us.”

“Are you so sure of that?
” His lips descended on her ear and, taking the lobe between his teeth, he bit down gently.

“I don’t want this.”
Yeah right. Liar liar, pussy on fire.

It was Parker’s turn to scoff.
“You’re not going to push me away anymore. This was inevitable.”

Becca closed her
eyes, fighting for the ability to step away from him. It was a futile effort. “This is just a fantasy, Parker. Playacting. So give me the scene. And let’s get this over with.”

Chapter Two

Parker resisted the urge to fist pump the air. Becca would go onstage with him and he’d show her why the reality of the two of them was going to be a hell of a lot better than her damn fantasy. He wouldn’t rest until she realized exactly how much he wanted her.

His mother had always accused him of being a closet romantic, swearing that for all his swaggering and strutti
ng around women, when love came it would take him down hard and forever. Parker had dismissed his mother’s comment, calling it a load of bullshit until the day he laid eyes on Becca Preston. She’d given him a sassy smile, then made a dirty joke. Two minutes later, he’d fallen in love with her.

Unfortun
ately, bad timing and Becca conspired against him. Now that he had his career on track, it was time to take control of the personal front. When Emma called him a couple of months ago and shared Becca’s fantasy, he’d decided he wasn’t going to let Becca’s fears and fucked-up ideas about actors and infidelity stand in his way.

He grasped her t-shirt and pulled it over her head before she could refuse him again.

Becca started to cover herself, but he clasped her hands, tugging them to the door, holding them against the wood by her head. She struggled for a few seconds, but lust soon took over, slowed her motions, overpowered the part of her that wanted to resist him.

Now that he knew her secret, he was ready. He’d k
eep her so aroused she couldn’t find a reason to walk away.

“You’ll be on
stage alone at first,” he whispered.

“On the bed?”

“Yes. The fantasy is a dream sequence.
Your
dream.”

She closed her ey
es to avoid his penetrating stare. Was it embarrassment or annoyance that drove the action? Becca cleared her throat, betraying her discomfort. “Emma misunderstood.”

He laughed quietly. “No, she didn’t. And if
you continue to lie to me, Bec, I’ll punish you.”

Her eyelids fluttered, her narrowed gaze finding his
. She wouldn’t be easily commanded. He was glad about that.

“Big words.” She trie
d to sound tough, but he was on to her game now. In the past, she’d pushed him away with that stupid
no actors
dating rule. That wasn’t going to work this time.

He lowered her hands, placing them at her sides. “Leave your hands
there. Don’t move them unless I give you permission to do so.”

Parker
unhooked her bra. She tried to keep the lace in place, but he was stronger than her. He pulled it away easily, then pushed her hands more forcefully to the wall. Becca whimpered softly, turned on by his power play.

That knowledge
encouraged him to take things to the next level. He started to tackle the buttons on her jeans.

“Parker.” Her eyes dilated and her breathing became m
ore labored. He’d been around the block enough times to understand the reactions were pure lust, not a trace of fear.

“No more talking, Becca.
You want this. I want this. Let’s stop pretending otherwise.” He stripped off her jeans and panties quickly, quietly instructing her to toe off her shoes as well. Becca’s hands balled into fists, but she kept them pressed against the wall. Once she was completely naked, he stepped back and took his long, first leisurely look at her body.

Becca’s skin flushed slightly under his perusal, but he knew her
. Knew it wasn’t driven by modesty. She was hot. Red-hot. He’d intended to stoke her arousal, turn her on, then send her out on the stage, heavy with lust and need. It would serve her right for pushing him away, for denying them years of this.

Unfortunately,
he wasn’t in the mood to wait.

Parker reached for the tie on the robe he’d donned while waiting for his leading lady to arrive. Becca’s eyes widened when he shrugged off the material.

“Fuck,” she murmured.

He grinned, taki
ng her curse as a compliment. His dick was rock hard and he was finished playing games. “Open your legs, Bec.”

She blinked rapidly. “You can’t seriously intend—”

“This is exactly what I intend.” Parker bent down to retrieve the condom he’d slipped into the pocket of his robe. He donned it quickly, then lifted one of her legs, drawing it high.

“
Wet?” he asked.

She chuckled, the sound so purely Becca, Parker fought not to laugh with her. “What do you think?”

She was indomitable. Perfect.

Fucked.

He placed his cock at her opening and shoved in hard, fast. Becca’s head flew against the door as her hands reached out to grasp his shoulders. He didn’t correct her for moving them. Instead, he drove in deeper.

“God, Parker.”

Her voice grounded him, helped him stay in control. While there was nothing he wanted more than to take Becca with reckless abandon, he had a game plan. He pounded inside her one more time, then froze, balls deep inside her hot cunt.

Her eyelids fluttered open, confusion furrowing her eyebrows. “Don’t stop.”

He grinned. She didn’t get it. Yet. But she would. “You’re mine.”

Becca didn’t like his assertion. He knew she wouldn’t. “For now.”

His smile grew. Bringing the independent powerhouse Becca Preston around to his way of thinking would take time. But for Parker, the only outcome that was acceptable was the one where she wore his wedding ring on her finger. “From now on.”

She pushed against his shoulders, trying to shove him away. This time…he did react. He pulled free of her body, bendi
ng to retrieve the belt from his robe. Before she had a chance to react, he captured her wrists and secured them behind her back.

“What the fu—”

Parker kissed her, roughly. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, demonstrating exactly how much control he had over her. She twisted against him, trying to free her hands, but her efforts were futile.

After several tumultuous moments, she stilled, her lips softening against his as she not only accepted his kisses
, but began to respond. Only when she calmed did he release her lips.

“That’s better.
Good girl.” The comment stung. He’d known it would. In all her life, no man had ever tried to control Becca. She’d been raised as Hollywood royalty, a lifestyle that had chafed from the cradle. Men deferred to her, tried to win her favor, in hopes of getting close to her father…or the family fortune. As a result, she’d donned a prickly suit of wicked barbs and dark scowls and held the hounds at bay, never letting anyone get close.

Until him.

He lifted her leg once more and pressed his cock deep inside her. This time, he moved slower, taking care to find every hot spot. Parker set a different pace with easy thrusts and slow retreats.

Becca’s eyes drifted closed, so he took advantage of the moment, studying her face. On the surface, she looked blissful, relaxed, happy. But the crease in her forehead told him that while she enjoyed this act,
part of her was still fighting against what he was offering.

“Open your eyes.”

She obeyed instantly and Parker’s cock thickened even more.

She groaned. “God.” The word escaped on a breath.

Something told him this hard-on wasn’t going anywhere soon. He’d wanted Becca Preston for years, and while he knew his condition was going to get a lot worse before it got better, he couldn’t resist trying to take a bit of the edge off.

He pulled her long dark hair to one side and placed a kiss on her neck
, tugging her tresses hard enough to get her attention. Her breasts were so close he could feel her tight nipples against his chest. He intended to spend hours feasting on those sweet cherries later.

“I’m going to fuck you tonight after the show, Becca. I’m going to take you back to my place and spend
hours pounding myself into this tight, hot pussy of yours.”

“No. Now is all you get.”

Parker nipped her shoulder, then shook his head. “Now is just an appetizer.” He pressed inside her one last time, deeper and with more force than he’d used all night.

She gasped, thrusting her hips forward, offering a silent invitation for more.