Page 21 of Role Play
Wouldheevenwantto do this? I glanced to the left one more time to find his jaw tight, pants tented with a bulge that was more than impressive, and his chest heaving with each rapid breath. Oh, he wantedit.
“I didn’t expect a question as simple as ‘What’s your favorite food to surprise me.’ But Lucy… you are one of the most remarkably unpredictable people I’ve ever met. I mean… fuck.” He finished the thought with a light tap to my steeringwheel.
Remarkably unpredictable. I liked that more than I should. “Fuck, is right,” I said. His gaze snapped to mine, shining and alive withneed.
A shiver trembled through my body, starting at the base of my neck and surging to the pit of my stomach; an aftershock of pure pleasure andanticipation.
Then, his eyes cut back to the road and he shook his head. “You’redrunk.”
“I’m sober enough to know I want this. And drunk enough to have the courage to actually sayit.”
There was an ease to his smile; a carefree, devilish attitude that I wished I could mimic. He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m not coming upstairs with you,Lucy.”
Damn. That was a surprise. And a punch to the gut—no, not the gut. The vagina. “Well, good. Because I live on the firstfloor.”
“Fine,” he said. “Then, I’m not goinginsidewithyou.”
“Why not?” Was I that unfuckable? That the director with the biggest reputation at Silhouette wouldn’t even sleep with me? No—wait. He’d said I was beautiful. Hollywood beautiful. Unless it was all just a lie to get in my pants… but then he would be cominginside, wouldn’t he? I was like a dog chasing my tail. He had me spinning incircles.
“Because… like you said… those studio rules are in place for a reason. And that reason is more important than the raging case of blue balls I will inevitably go home withtonight.”
Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look… But, of course I looked. Yep—that bulge was still there. Bigger than ever. Just the mention of his balls had me squeezing, aching forrelease.
“You’re saying that we’re just going to pretend like nothing happened? Like neither one of us wantsthis?”
He shook his head slowly. “No… I’m saying that we’re not going to rush in tonight. I’m saying we’re both going to really think about it and then decide another day. Soberly. After we sign a consent contract. And tomorrow, I’ll shift any sort of costume needs over to Jon, my assistantdirector.”
“Youwill?”
“Yes. Technically, even though I’ll be your director, I won’t have any say in your department—or at least, I won’t have any say in the hiring and firing of your department. I’ll still have a say in the costume designs, of course. Something I probably should have done when Kelly was hired in the firstplace.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “So… there’s nothing I can do to get you to come insidetonight?”
“No.”
“But—”
“Lucy,no.” His voice boomed with authority and an erotic promise. Even though he was scolding me, raising his voice, goosebumps broke out across my flesh and I trembled with a stabbing shiver of desire. “But,” the softness in his voice deceived the heated way he stared at me. “I’m going to kiss you goodnight. One kiss. If you’re comfortable withthat.”
God, yes. Blood rushed through my body, a whooshing river, and it roared in myears.
“Lucy?”
“Yes,” I managed to say. “Yes, I’m comfortable with that.” Comfortable? Yeah, that wasn’t the right word. It alluded to an aloofness. You’re comfortable on a couch. Not at the prospect of Ash-fucking-Livingston’s tongue tangling withyours.
For ten minutes, silence scraped between us on the rest of the drive. Finally, we were nearing my apartment. “Take this exit,” I directed him, pointing ahead. He did as I said, turning the blinker on and following my remaining directions into the back alley of my apartment complex, and the two-spot garage for my and Andrea’s cars. “You can just park ithere.”
With his hands still on the wheel, he played with a ring on his pinky finger, rotating it while he narrowed his eyes. It looked like he was thinking… contemplating…hard. He looked around the garage, lines creasing hisforehead.
“You okay?” Iasked.
“Yeah… I just… I feel like I know thisplace.”
I got out of the car and Ash did the same, shutting the door and walking out of the covered carport. “This is the back entrance. The main road to the front door is here.” I pointed, but he was already taking off, walking in front of me, leading the way like he’d been here before. “Um… It was renovated a few years ago,” I said, following him around to the front of thebuilding.
Stairs lined a path up to the locked front door and Ash stood, ramrod straight, staring at the door. His mouth hung open, his eyes tight, forehead creased. Something was wrong.Reallywrong.
“Are you okay?” I placed my palm to his back, and he jumped, jerking his gaze to me. Like he had forgotten I was there, too. His normally tanned skin was pale and he twirled his ringnervously.
