Page 35 of Mending Hearts

“Is she the reason you’ve been hiding out in Little Falls?” I narrowed my gaze. His attachment to that place made no sense. He was good at costume design, and he’d taken to the show without any blips. Why had he only done one tour with some second-rate theater company? There’d been a single entry, ten pages into a Google search. He quit the show early and needed to be replaced. One tour, cut short. A thrift store in Little Falls. Nothing added up, and I’d tried to count it so many ways.

“You have nothing to worry about with Katie. If that’s what this is about, you don’t need to worry.”

“Why would I worry?” I threw out my hands. “She’s like thirty-something. A nurse in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere New York. I’m the opposite.” I slid off the chair and sashayed over. The dress I’d changed into swayed against my thighs. “I’m young and rich.” With my finger, I drew a line down his chest. “Why would I worry about someone like her?”

He gave a sharp shake of his head, and when our gazes connected, I stepped back, surprised at the anger splashed across his face instead of the desire I expected. “Sometimes,” he said, “you really show your age.”

“You can leave.” Heat rose to my cheeks. “Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.” I spun on my heel and yanked open the dressing room door. When Tyler shifted past, not even bothering to argue, I caught sight of a familiar head of dark hair.

Cade Brewer.Finally, a stroke of luck.

“Cade!” I waved, a grin splitting my face. When Tyler half-turned back, surprise flickering on his face at my sudden change in mood, my grin widened. “Long time. Come on in.”

Pasha frowned and moved toward the entrance with Cade.

“It’s okay.” I motioned to Cade. “We’re old friends.” Friends wasn’t the right term, but I wasn’t going to broadcast he was a conquest in the hallway. We’d pretended to date for a few months almost a year ago, and I’d test driven him in bed. He was a reliable econocar, nothing too exciting, but not terrible either. Two celebrities passing in the night and occasionally posing for red carpet photos. My mother’s idea, of course. The public, the fans, needed to see me as well rounded. Too many had commented about my long work hours.

“I can’t believe you didn’t call me to say you were coming this way,” Cade said as soon as the door clicked shut.

“We always come this way. I’m from here, remember? What are you doing in Missouri?”

“Shooting a movie.” He lit a cigarette and turned to offer me a drag. “Thought you might have heard.”

“Cigarettes are bad for my voice.”

“Never stopped you before.” His gaze traveled over my body in a way I hated. Predatory, almost. The look reminded me of too many other men, too many other rooms. Cade hadn’t been like them though. Econocar. Reliably bland.

He dropped the partially smoked cigarette on the concrete floor and stubbed it out with his heel. His hand roved down my side, settling on my waist.

If Tyler saw this, he’d realize what I said was true. Men wanted me, valued me. Was Katie holed up in a dressing room with an international movie star? Nope.

With a tug, he yanked me flush against him. “You’ve put on a bit of weight in all the right places.” He cupped my breast. “As soon as I heardyou were here for a few days, I figured you’d be up for another round. Last time we ran into each other, you were begging for it.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out. That’s how Cade remembered it? He was still self-obsessed, but there was an edge to him tonight that I didn’t like. Cocky. Someone must have told him he was better than an econocar. He was never sharp before. I didn’t play with sharp men. They cut too deep.

“Begging for it?” There’d only ever been one person I begged because he’d brought me so close to the edge over and over, and it wasn’t Cade Brewer. Last time I met Cade in a hotel room, I hadn’t even climaxed. Of course,hehad no problem reaching the finish line. Thank God my faulty condoms arrivedafterthat encounter.

When I tried to wiggle away, he gripped me tighter and chuckled in my ear. “Feeling feisty tonight, are you? That’s all right. I’ll have you bent over the chair and crying out my name in no time.”

Bent over anything wasn’t my style, not that I’d ever told him why. I’d made it clear that item wasn’t on the menu.

“We’re not happening.” With all my strength, I pushed on his chest. A surge of panic rose in me when he didn’t move. “Let go of me.” His bulging muscles were new. Whatever role he was playing had to be one that required him to bulk up. Another strike of fear, almost terror-pierced me. Why had I told Pasha to stay outside the room?

He shifted his grip, pressing his hand into the small of my back, making me arch against him so I could feel how turned on our exchange made him.

“Don’t be a cock tease. God, Mia. It’s not like we haven’t fucked before. A quickie to release some tension. That’s all I want.”

We’d never had sex like he just described. Hotel rooms. Beds. A hint of romance. Not a quick fuck in my dressing room.

“No, Cade. Okay? I’m not fucking you here.”

“I’ll make it good for you.” He licked a line from my collarbone up to my neck and bit my earlobe. “You’ll be screamingyesby the time I’m slipping into you.”

“No.” I pushed against his chest. “Pasha!” I heard the hint of panic in my voice, and the handle rattled. “Pasha!” I hadn’t locked the door. I never locked my dressing room.

“Who the hell is Pasha?” Cade breathed into my ear. His free hand tried to slide between my legs. “Come on, Mia. I know you’re wet. Don’t try to deny it.”

“Did you lock the door?” Definitely panic in my voice.

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