Page 127 of Lovestruck at Sundown
When I finally came out of the bathroom, he was sitting on the sofa waiting for me, still wearing his clothes and shoes. The only difference was his hair was disheveled, and his shirt buttons were completely undone.
“I’m not going on the press tour.” He stood and reached me in two powerful strides, his full height towering over me. But he didn’t touch me. I wasn’t ready for it, and he probably sensed it. “I texted my agent to let him know while you were in the shower.”
“You don’t have to do that for my sake.” I looked up at him, baffled, and met his striking blue eyes that would sayI can do whatever the hell I wantif they could speak. “Aren’t you contractually obligated to attend these premieres?” I didn’t want to affect his work. I’d said my piece, and that was enough for now. I planned on dealing with my insecurities while he was gone.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “My agent’s going through the contract again. I signed it a while ago. But I’m not going on this press tour when I know it will hurt you.”
“It won’t.” The lie stung my tongue, so I corrected myself. “I mean, no, I don’t want you to go on a multi-city international tour with a beautiful, single woman that you’ve had sex with. But I’m trying to be reasonable and level-headed about this. This is your job. Your livelihood. I’m not going to ask you to change your whole life because I’m jealous.”
“You’re jealous?” His eyebrow flew up.
“So fucking jealous.” My tone was flat to avoid sounding playful. I wanted him to know my feelings were real and that this wasn’t going to turn into one of our games.
His teasing smile dropped, and I continued.
“I trust you, William.” And I did. I knew I could be good about not searching for premiere photos online and letting myimagination and insecurities get the best of me. Plus, with Lily and Joel’s wedding upon us, there would be plenty of things to keep my mind occupied.
“You do?” He reached out for my hands and rubbed them with his thumbs.
“I have to,” I said. “I love you.” It would only make me feel worse if he canceled because of me. All I wanted was for us to communicate better about these things. To have him take my hand and guide me through the uncharted waters that were his acting career and everything it entailed.
“How can I make you less jealous?”
“I don’t know. Get creative.” I let out a little laugh that indicated my annoyance was starting to give in.
“Yes, ma’am.” His hands moved to the small of my back and slid further down to my ass. But in that precise moment, my nose tickled, my eyes watered, and I turned to the side and sneezed.
“Let’s get you that tea first.” William grabbed my shoulders and guided me to the kitchen so I could get the electric tea kettle going. “Come with me,” he said, as I connected the kettle’s power cord to the power plug. “On the press tour.”
“I can’t.” I shrugged, tapping the flu tea packet against the palm of my hand to get the powder to move down. “I can’t leave Lily right now. She needs all the help she can get before the wedding.”
William’s phone vibrated on the counter, and he picked it up quickly. He read something and put it back down. Three seconds later, he picked me up, sat me on the counter, and parted my legs to stand between them. He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me. It startled me at first when I remembered I was sick and we couldn’t kiss, but I gave into it and wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer to me.
“I’m sorry,” he said in between kisses. “I’m so sorry.” His tongue parted my lips, and I angled my neck to allow him to deepen the kiss. His lips were soft and gentle against mine. It was a slow, lingering kiss, the kind that made my heart flutter and time stop.
I broke it off, feeling breathless. “I’m going to get you sick.”
William chuckled and tucked my hair behind my ears. “That’s the idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“My agent just texted me to confirm I can be excused from attending the premieres if I get sick.”
I gasped, pretending to be shocked. “So you’re using me for my virus?”
“I certainly am.” He dropped a soft peck on my lips.“I’ve been dying to kiss you all night.”
William grabbed my face, kissed me again, and lifted me off the kitchen counter. He carried me back to my bedroom and put me down gently on my bed. “I’ll attend the L.A. premiere in two days, and with luck, I’ll wake up the next day with a terrible cold.” He laughed and laid next to me on his side. “And I’ll fly back home to you on the 20th.”
“William, you don’t have to do this.” I combed a few strands of hair from his forehead with my fingers. “Seriously. I trust you.”
“I know you do.” He ran a hand behind the small of my back and brought me closer to him. “But this is not about trust. This is about you feeling uncomfortable, sad, and upset about having to share me with anyone else. And I want to make sure you never feel that way ever again. And that includes communicating better and making pertinent changes in my career choices.”
“William—”
“The fact that you didn’t know who I was is what drew me to you in the first place,” he admitted. “So I can’t hold thatinnocence against you when my curiosity to try a different type of relationship than the ones I’d been used to in the past is to blame.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to change who you are or what you do because of me.” I drew a finger along his eyebrow. “I am so proud of you and admire you like you have no idea. I don’t ever want you to stop growing in your career. You gotta do what you gotta do, and I promise to keep an open mind about everything.”
