Page 28 of Butterfly

“But you and Emily kissed all the same.” I don’t want to sound whiny, but a little quivering note creeps into my voice. “The physical contact is real.”

Another shrug, but this time his forehead wrinkles as well. “Kissing someone you aren’t attracted to in front of a crowd while feeling vulnerable isn’t my idea of enjoying a kiss.” His gaze flickers to my lips. Or maybe it’s my imagination. “I feel nothing when I kiss her. I feel more emotion when I kiss my dog.”

I tuck the blanket around Dart. “She’s beautiful though.”

“Still not my type. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a gorgeous woman, but no.” He lets out a gruff chuckle. “And just because someone is beautiful, it doesn’t mean I’m happy to kiss them.”

I find it hard to believe he didn’t enjoy, at least one bit, kissing or touching Emily. But then again, why do I care? That’s a problem for his girlfriend. I guess that knowing your very sexy boyfriend is igniting the lust of every woman from the age of eighteen up mustn’t be a great feeling. Not something I want to experience.

“I’m trying to get away from roles that involve too many sex scenes. Trying to get some depth to my parts.” He props his elbows on his bent knees. “That came out wrong. I don’t mean that films with sex scenes can’t be deep. It’s just that all I’ve been doing so far are sex scenes. Always. Even inThe Three MusketeersI had a long sex scene. I want to do something different, something more challenging from an acting point of view. My manager isn’t too happy about that.”

“What? Does he pressure you to play sexy roles?” A shock of surprise goes through me. Surely, Alex can do a variety of roles. “Why?”

He spreads his hands in a ‘the hell if I know’ gesture. “Those roles are paid more and get you quick fame. Martin agrees with me. I’m grateful for what I have. I know I sound like a prick—”

“You don’t.”

A corner of his mouth pulls up, making the dimple appear. “Hope I get to work with Martin on something new because I’m not scared to try something different instead of being the usual sex toy.”

I choke on a laugh. “You aren’t a sex toy.”

“I am.” He stabs a thumb towards the laptop from where the moans come. “See what I mean? I’m the dumb actor who can only show his arse to get attention.” The tone is light, but a deep emotion cracks through it, and I don’t want to laugh at him.

I put my hand on his. “You’d be great in any role. You have talent, and you proved that.”

“I’m not so sure.” His thumb brushes my fingers. “Still squeamish?” he asks in a low, husky voice.

I laugh, a nervous noise that sounds like a hyena in heat. Great. “Yes.” I’d rather watch that sex scene on my own when I can fantasise about me being the one kissing him. “I’ll skip ahead and watch the rest of the episode.”

He lets out a soft hiss. “I’m afraid this episode is pretty much all about romance.”

“I’ll watch the next one then, at least as long as we’re here together.”

His slow smirk should be considered a weapon because it surely does all sorts of damage inside me.

He nudges me with his shoulder. “Do you mean you’re going to watch those sex scenes alone?”

Bother. “Maybe.”

“Are you going to enjoy them more if you’re alone?”

That low, husky tone will reduce me to mush. I’m tucking the darn blanket again, although Dart is more than cosy and covered. “Maybe.”

“That’s interesting.” His prominent Adam’s apple bobs up and down when he speaks.

Why does he have to look sexy even in a pair of scrubs? It’s not his build. Tyler is as big as him, but he looks the same no matter what he wears. But Alex could walk the red carpet in that awful blue pair of scrubs and still be fabulous.

“I’m not a prude,” I say for no reason whatsoever. Right then, Volia lets out a series of high-pitched, sexy moans that reach a peak with her orgasm. A fake one, but still. “I simply prefer to watch those things alone.” I wince. That sounds like I’m a pervert. “That came out wrong.”

Alex bursts out laughing, his raw masculinity wrapping around me. “Hey, who am I to judge? To each their own.”

I jab a finger at him. “You’re making fun of me.”

He puts a hand on his chest, an air of hurt innocence on his face. “I’m not the one confessing to watching and enjoying sex scenes alone.”

“You bastard.” I thump his shoulder as he shakes with laughter. The sound of his laugh is contagious, and I chuckle as well, but fall silent when he holds my hand in both of his.

The smile vanishes from his face so quickly, I wonder if he was acting a moment earlier. His palms have calluses that scratch my skin, and there are a few hard spots on his fingertips. That delectable Adam’s apple bounces as he swallows hard.

---