Idolized (Hollywood Stardust Book 3) (37 page)

Stop. She forced herself to clear her mind. This wasn’t a kiss kiss, this was a movie kiss. It wasn’t Ryder and Erin kissing it was William and Roxy.

“Cut! Print!’ Logan yelled.

Print, as she learned, was good. It meant they liked it. Getting something to print was harder than getting a bill to become a law. With this little inconvenience out of the way, maybe Ryder could have a break.

Ryder and Erin stepped back from each other and resumed their thumb wrestle.

Hair and makeup came over and touched up the actors.

In Cora’s not vast experience, the arrival hair and makeup only meant more takes. Darn.

“Let’s get the close ups.” Logan’s voice rang through the space.

Again they went through the ritual with yelling and the snapping the thing.

Again Ryder kissed Erin.

Again Cora’s mind wandered. Erin and Ryder had been an on again off again couple way back when. Yes, Erin was married, but Cora wondered what kind kiss Ryder was actually giving Erin. Obviously, they had kissed before, had sex, shared intimate moments.

By the time she watched the next take, Cora broke out into a sweat but told herself she was being unreasonable. What did she expect? Actors did kissing scenes, sex scenes, all different kinds of scenes.

On the next one, she glanced around the soundstage for Drew. She found him with his back facing the action, reading something. Smart man.

When they made it to the next take, she decided without any shadow of a doubt she did not enjoy watching Ryder kiss someone else. She also decided that she didn’t really want to observe this anymore, and since she didn’t have the foresight to bring reading material, she needed to get out of there. Like a good girl, she waited for Logan to call cut, and as silently as she could, slid out of her seat and tiptoed out of the soundstage.

She stepped outside into the sun and stomped over to the trailers. The work trailer and Ryder’s trailer. For quite some time she stood in front of the two destinations, trying to make a choice, but all that flashed before her was Ryder kissing Erin.

“Let me make this easier for you.” Ryder basically appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her hand, and dragged her into his trailer.

“I have work to do.” A fool, she was a fool. She was a fool who was angry and a fool who was angry at being angry.

“I only have a thirty-minute break, but I wanted to show you something. Don’t move.” He held his hand up and disappeared into the bathroom.

Tapping her foot, she listened while he brushed his teeth.

Shirtless, and with his face glistening from water, he came out, took her into his arms, bent her back and kissed her.

Well, not really. He opened his mouth but didn’t treat her to any tongue, he simply moved his lips over hers and contorted his body in such a way that between the way he held her and how he had their heads tilted made it hard to breathe. This, whatever it was, lasted much longer than necessary for no tongue and the amount of her discomfort.

As fast as he kissed her, he pulled away.

“What the hell was that?” She stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

Instead of answering, he tilted his neck from side to side, inhaled and once more wrapped his arms around her. This time when he kissed her, he was Ryder again. The Ryder who tantalized her with his tongue, the one who let his hands wander down the side of her breast the other one cupping her backside.

She lost herself, melted into him, and returned the favor, allowing her hands to travel down his smooth skin. They should make the most of his thirty minutes.

When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers. “There is a movie kiss. The kiss that is only an act, the one that generates no heat, the one where you’re trying your best to find your light and making sure that you’re not blocking the actress so you don’t have to do yet another take.”

He took her hand and pressed it on the growing bulge between his legs. “Then there’s the real kiss that generates this reaction.”

He saw her at the set and saw her leave. Her cheeks heated at being found out.

She sighed. “You and Erin—.”

Before she had a chance to finish her statement, he cut her off by putting his finger over her lips. “Me and Erin were thrown together for years while she waited for Drew.”

“What about you?” At her words, she shut her eyes. Thank god she wasn’t near a mirror because she couldn’t even look at herself.

“Sometimes you don’t know you’re waiting until you find what you want.” His voice lowered and he backed them up through the trailer toward the bed.

“Don’t feed me any lines.” She gasped when he lifted her and laid her down on the bed.

“There are movie lines that are scripted.” He positioned himself on top of her and kissed her, a quick playful kiss. “Then there are lines that are real.”

With his words, he treated her to a deeper kiss, a real kiss, one that made her flood with need and made her want to hold on. When they started, their relationship wasn’t supposed to be real, but everything felt way too authentic—from her not wanting him to even fake kiss another woman, to that email and not wanting to tell him.

She looked up at the Ryder recalling the words of that email. Technically, she was stargazing.

Everything was too real.

HOLLYWOOD STARDOM

FADE IN:

EXT. ARIZONA – LOCATION SHOOT – AFTERNOON

ROXY is standing looking at the MALE LEAD down on one knee in front of her.

MALE LEAD

I love you.  I don’t ever want to wake up and find you not there.  I don’t ever want to go to sleep without your head on my chest.  I don’t want to live in a world without you as my wife.

(He reveals a ring to her.)

ROXY

I don’t know if I deserve you.  I don’t know if I can.

(She puts her hand over her mouth and runs O.S.)

MALE LEAD clutches the ring in hand then runs after her.

STEVEN

Cut!  Print!  Excellent!

(claps)

Everyone take fifteen.

(He walks away and goes to ROXY standing over by a tree.)

ROXY

(Running her fingers over the pattern in the bark)

Well, no one can ever say you were with me because of my extreme intelligence.

STEVEN

(Takes her hand but she pulls it away)

What do you mean?

ROXY

The scene.  It is us, but not like I thought.  It wasn’t a precursor to a proposal, I think you want me to run away.  It would make your life much easier.

STEVEN

Never forget I was the one who wanted you first.

ROXY faces him.

STEVEN

Why don’t you wait until the end of the movie to decide if it’s us or not?

ROXY

I’ve already read the script.

STEVEN

Then what’s your verdict?  I think we have an award winner.