Page 37 of Affinity

Abbi

I fidgeted in the passenger seat of Jenner’s SUV. I was grateful he had chosen this vehicle to drive to work today. Being down low in his little sports car, I would have felt like the cameras were aimed right in my face, taking in my sleepy, disheveled form. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t fall asleep last night for the life of me. My mind played on repeat the feel of Jenner’s stubble beneath my lips. The bang of his heart against the tips of my fingers, and the dilation of his brown eyes when they’d zeroed in on my mouth.

Keeping his gaze on the road, Jenner looked at me from the corner of his eye. “Are you nervous?”

“Kind of, but not for the reason you think. It’s the cameras. I think once we get on set, I’ll be good, but I can’t make any promises.” I giggled nervously.

I didn’t mention how hot and bothered I also was from thinking about how much I wanted to give into him last night and how wet I became as I played everything in a loop until the wee hours of the morning.

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can hang out in my trailer, or we’ll figure some way to get you home. If I had an assistant, I’d have him drive you. Catherine called me last night . . . ” He glanced over at me quickly. “She thinks you’re a great influence on me. Did you tell her it was all my idea to see how Jim was doing?”

Catherine had been surprised by the notion that Jenner wanted to see how his crew member was, and she was shocked when I told her about everything that had happened on set. I was going to keep my eye out for anyone giving off any bad vibes toward my husband.

“No, but I may have played it up a little,” I admitted.

“She thinks you’re good for me.”

I liked hearing that.

“And I have to agree. It’s nice to have someone on my side. At first, I thought we’d be at each other's throats.”

“So did I. It’s much nicer when we get along.”

It made me wonder if he was an asshole to everyone he came into contact with. I knew he hadn’t always been like this. If he had, Alex Sandström wouldn’t be friends with him.

“Do you need an assistant?” I understood he worked odd hours and such, but I was wondering if maybe Jenner was spoiled and had been relying on people for too long. “I mean, if you need something done like picking up your dry cleaning or what have you, I can do it.”

“I appreciate the thought, but you were just stating yesterday how you’re afraid to drive around the city.”

It was true, but I wanted to help. I had too much time on my hands right now. I was sure once I started work next week, I’d be thinking differently.

“The show has given me one to use on-set, so I should be fine. We’ll figure something out in the long run. Levi was mostly my babysitter,” he grumbled.

I was sure it didn’t feel good to have someone hired to make sure you didn’t fuck up, but he had in the past, and now he was paying for it.

“Do you think my presence on-set will help the producers see that we’re real and not a mistake you made in Vegas?” I wondered out loud. Was that why he asked me to come?

Jenner shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t say. I doubt they’re too worried about me today, but more about the time we lost from the accident yesterday.”

“Unless you forget your lines.” A lightbulb went off in my head. “How come I never see you going over them?”

He tapped his temple and smirked. “I have a photographic memory.”

“Lucky you.”

After passing through security, Jenner parked in his marked space before he helped me out of the SUV. Lacing his fingers through mine, he guided us through what looked like a small town's worth of trailers. They were all big, but some were deluxe models that most people would give an arm and a leg to live in instead of their houses. They were better than the apartment I’d shared with Sophie.

Thinking about my best friend dampened my spirits. Even now, I didn’t understand what had happened between us, and I wasn’t sure if I ever would find out why she had turned against me.

As we passed through, I tried to ignore all the people gawking and the whispers. They all probably thought Jenner had gotten rid of me the moment we got back from Vegas.

Stopping abruptly, Jenner looked down on me. “Do you mind if we go to wardrobe, and then hair and makeup before we go to my trailer?”

On the door was a big sign that read Reeves Jenner. Instantly, I was suspicious. Did he think he could have a little fling here, and no one would find out about it?

“Can I drop off my computer bag and purse? It will only take a minute?” I asked sweetly. I was sure if there was some hussy inside, I’d be able to sniff out her perfume. It was the only thing I could come up with as to why he didn’t want me inside at that very moment.

“Shit, yeah. I wasn’t thinking. Only I didn’t want to be late. The wardrobe lady is kind of a bitch and likes to tell on me. You can set your stuff inside anywhere you want. I’ll give you a tour later.”