Falling Star (Combustible Book 2) (14 page)

“Using your name?”

“An alias.”

He nodded. “Got it. So you hide a lot?”

She shook her head. “Not like this. And not until the abduction. But I wanted out of Hollywood before that asshole got his hands on me.” She dropped her eyes. “Afterward, the press hounded my every move, probing me with questions they had no right asking, assuming I did something to provoke my stalker. I could hardly stand being under the lens before the ordeal, and after, they made my life a real hell.”

“You don’t want to go back?” he asked softly.

“I can’t live like that anymore. I want a normal life, out of the spotlight.”

He caressed her face. “That mean you’re ready to let me in?”

A snort escaped. “You aren’t intimidated that I was an actress? That if anyone finds out where I am, and tells the wrong people, so-called reporters will show up and disrupt everything?”

“I’m not concerned with them. It’s the stalker I’m worried about.”

“Me too,” she admitted

He stared into her eyes and asked, “Who’s the friend you went to see?”

The question she dreaded. Everything hinged on how he took her answer. “Ryan King.”

His mouth fell open. “Your ex?”

“We’ve never been together like that.” She braced herself, ready to pull away.

Amused, his head tipped to the side. “You two have gone to many award shows and red carpet events together.”

“Yeah. Staged. And we’ve co-starred in how many movies?” She rolled her eyes, hoping he’d realize the truth. “Besides, he’s been committed to the same person for years. But neither of them wants to go public with their relationship. So he went as my escort because I wouldn’t date co-stars after what happened with Jackson Crabtree.

“Why is that?” Trent asked.

“Because he was more interested in the spotlight than me. He thrived on the extra attention, liked the cameras, loved seeing himself in the tabloids. I never did. So I dumped him.”

“Okay, but you can’t deny you and Ryan have chemistry on screen.” Trent squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “I can’t count the times I wished I could trade places with him.”

She snorted. “Yeah, well, I’m glad you’re not. Regardless of what we look like on screen, he’s much closer to my big brother than a hot date.”

His eyes opened and narrowed at her. “I find that hard to believe.”

Standing, Ella tried to turn, but Trent grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap, catching her face. “Let me rephrase. I trust you weren’t interested, but I can’t imagine a man in his position not being interested.”

“Yeah, well it wasn’t like that with Ryan. He was my brother’s first client. We’ve been friends a long time.”

“All right. I trust you. But, why did you ditch your brother?”

“Sam was my agent too. He thought I just needed a break… that I’d want to go back to acting after a few weeks. Sam doesn’t understand how badly broken I am. That camera flashes scare the hell out of me now. That my privacy had been torn away and ripped to shreds. Relaxing was out of the question because someone was always watching. I needed to get back to me, but I couldn’t do it in or near LA. The reporters wouldn’t leave me alone, and some of them were downright horrible to me.”

“What happened to your brother?”

Tears burned her eyes. She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Ryan is convinced he left before someone tore his house apart. He hasn’t answered any emails. I have no clue what happened to him. Ryan doesn’t know either. There’s a missing person’s report, but no one contacted me, which is my fault. No one knows where I am. Not even Ryan.”

“So the police here still don’t know about the stalker?” Trent tipped her face up, capturing her gaze. “You need to tell them, all of it.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. One person opens their mouth and mentions Raven to someone who gets excited about being near a movie star. Someone posts a picture. Next thing you know, the media is here, hounding me, or everyone around me, until they ruin my life again. Then my stalker shows up since he’ll know where I am.”

“Which is why you need to tell the police. If they know to look for him, they can catch him.”

“I don’t know. What if they’re the ones to say something?”

“At least, think about it. Please.”

She nodded, unsure if she really would.

Trent switched topics, “So you’ve only been with one co-star?”

“My first co-star and that didn’t last long.”

“Jackson?” Trent asked.

“Yes. After his attention-grabbing antics, I walked away. It hurt too much to ever repeat that mistake.”

“Did you deal with a lot of assholes in Hollywood?”

She shrugged. “They aren’t all that they seem. Sure, there are some who are, but for the most part, actors and actresses are just like everyone else. Doing their jobs. Feeding their families.”

He took her hand. “I can’t imagine dealing with the paparazzi.”

“They aren’t my favorite people.”

He grinned. “Okay, one more question. Since you were never actually with Ryan, how the hell do sex scenes work?”

Rolling her eyes, she smirked. “Awkward as hell. Thirty plus people crammed into a room while you’re pretending to get it on, and it needs to look sexy. Most of the time, especially with Ryan, we’re trying not to laugh our asses off as the director tells us what to do.”

“That bad?”

She nodded, dropping her gaze. “Though I don’t expect you to believe me. No one ever seems to.”

“Ella, I do.” He tipped her face up. “I’m sorry I questioned it, but from the moment I saw you, you’re all I’ve been able to think about. I have to imagine most men want you as bad as I do.”

“Not Ryan. He never has. Come on, there have to be beautiful women you never wanted.”

He snorted. “Yeah, a few. But they’re not exactly dating material.”

A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Thought you didn’t date much.”

“Not until you.”

“That mean we’re dating?”

“Ella, there’s no one else I want to be with. I want to try a real relationship with you.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond.
Try
could mean so many different things. Ella climbed out of his lap and headed to the kitchen. The bag of Hershey Kisses was stashed behind the wine she kept for visitors.

Trent followed her and caught her wrist, gently turning her toward him. The pain in his eyes tore at her heart. “You aren’t ready yet, are you?”

“I didn’t say that. But I want more than try. I don’t give myself to people who aren’t invested.”

Ella couldn’t read his expression as he stared back at her. She turned back around, placing her hands on the counter and closed her eyes.

He caged her in, threading his fingers through hers and whispering in her ear. “Ella, I’ve been invested since you ran into me at the store. You’re different than any other woman I’ve ever met. We have a connection. No one has ever made me feel this way. I’ve never been so terrified as I was while wondering where the hell you were today. I don’t want to imagine not seeing your smile when I go for a run… or flirting with you while we’re at the gym… or the taste of your lips.”

“But how long will that last?”

“Only one way to find out.”

“Why now?”

His lips brushed her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “You were still holding me at arm’s length. I didn’t want to push you to give up your secrets. I wanted you to have faith in me first. How do I earn your trust?”

“What happens if the media finds me? If
he
finds me? When things get crazy? And, Trent, I’m afraid they will at some point.”

“Then I’ll keep you safe.”

“What if you can’t?”

“I will.” He pressed a kiss behind her ear and her knees turned to jelly. “Need you safe, Ella. Want you in my arms. I don’t want to let go. Please, give me a chance to prove you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”

A tear rolled down her cheek as her resistance crumbled. “Prove it,” she whispered.

One of his strong hands caressed up her arm, across her shoulder, and reached her neck to turn her face. Trent’s mouth closed over hers, taking her breath away with one kiss. His tongue was demanding as he pressed her against the counter, grinding his erection against her ass.

Trent trailed fingertips down her neck and collarbone before he splayed his hand over her beating heart, his words sounding more like a growl. “You feel it too. I know you do.”

“Feel what?” Lust, definitely. Intrigue, sure. She wanted to believe he meant more than that because she’d been burned before.

His normally pale eyes grew stormy. “A connection. Your heart matches mine. I need more than a few weeks or a month. I’ve never wanted to dive in so deep and find out how far we could go.” Her resistance was wearing when he ground his hard length against her, making her crave more than contact.

She closed her eyes and focused on breathing, hoping for some clarity. He cupped her breast, squeezing. A needy moan escaped as she pressed her ass against his crotch, encouraging him to take more.

Trent closed his lips over her neck, sucking, nipping, licking her sensitive skin. She craved more, but when she tried to turn to face him, he pushed her tighter against the counter and slid his hand down her ribs and around her side before slipping under her waistband to cover her heat. Her panties were in the way of skin-on-skin contact.

“Soaking fucking wet,” he growled against her ear as he rubbed maddening circles around her clit. “Tell me what you want—what you need.”

“You, I want you,” she gasped.

“What do you need?”

Her words got tangled in her throat. He slipped fingers under her panties and slid through her slick heat before pressing one finger into her core.

It had been so long since she’d been with someone, and she held onto the counter with a whimper. Ella nearly cried when he pulled his hand from her pants and brought it to his lips. She turned her head to watch him suck her juices from his fingers.

“Mmm, I need more.”

He unzipped her pants, pushing them down her thighs, then pushed her forward until she was bent over the counter. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, what she needed, and she had no clue where he was going when he shifted away for a moment before dropping to his knees.

His thumbs pulled her open as his tongue trailed between the folds.

“Oh, Trent!” she cried as he closed his lips over her clit and sucked. The pleasure was so intense, she could hardly stay upright, even holding the counter for support. He flicked his tongue on the bead of nerves.

Ella didn’t recognize a single sound that escaped her lips. He worked her up and over the edge, then pushed his tongue into her and drew out the pleasure until her legs shook violently.

No thought, no reasons why they shouldn’t—she needed more.

“Wanted to do this right.” His voice was rough, almost torn as he stood and scooped her into his arms. He carried her back to the couch and laid her down, not bothering to right her clothes.

His eyes burned with desire, his gaze caught between her thighs where he’d already thoroughly introduced himself. She vaguely considered getting rid of the rest of her clothes, but he opened his jeans and shoved them onto the floor with the boxer-briefs. When his cock sprung to attention, she could only stare.

Her mouth watered. She’d been with men, even some most women would kill for a chance with, and she hadn’t been this tongue-tied. None of them made her half this desperate for their touch.

Trent bent and pulled a condom from his pocket. “Say something, Ella,” he pleaded as he stood.

She shook her head, unable to find her words. Instead, she reached for the condom.

He took a step back and ripped the foil. “Tell me to stop if you’re not ready.” His eyes locked onto hers, pleading for some response as he rolled the rubber down his length.

Her gaze wandered, taking in every ridge of muscle on the way to his face. “Don’t stop,” she whispered, then swallowed hard. “I want this.”

He pulled her shoes off, then yanked her jeans the rest of the way to the floor, leaving her bare from the waist down. His hands wrapped around the hem of her shirt and she sat up as if he had made some silent command she was powerless to resist.

He growled low in his throat. “No bra?” One corner of his mouth quirked up.

“Didn’t think you were coming back here.” Earlier, she had wanted to be mad at his demanding questions, but that was mostly to counterbalance the guilt of disappearing without a word. Stupid, yeah, definitely, but the secret was out now. He knew who she was and he accepted her. Part of her wished he’d been an ass so she could shut him out. Instead, she was ready to give him whatever he wanted, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

“You scared the hell out of me. I want to bury myself so far into you, so you never disappear without a word again.”

He climbed between her legs while lifting them to set the back of her thighs on the top of his.

“You don’t control me,” she squeaked, “nobody does.”

He smirked. “I don’t want to make your decisions, Ella. Want to be the man you trust. The one you turn to.”

Nodding, she wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled him down with her. “Only if you do the same.”

He stared into her eyes. “Every time.” Reaching between them, he guided himself into her.

Tightening her hold on his hair, she meshed her mouth with his, dueling with his tongue as he filled her fuller than she could ever remember.

“Damn, you’re tight.”

A nervous laugh escaped. “That a problem?”

He shook his head slowly with a predatory grin. Then he pushed further and her breath caught. “Oh fuck.” Trent started slow, giving her time to adjust.

She needed whatever he could give her so damned bad, and she dug her heels into his ass, coaxing him to move faster. He dropped his head to her breast and nipped her bud on the pleasure side of pain. Her back arched and he laved at the sensitive tip as he picked up his pace.

He reached between them and pressed on her clit. A scream of his name tore loose as she came so hard sparks filled her vision, then grayed, all except Trent’s eyes which were locked on hers as he found his release.