Page 46 of Butterfly

I caress Dart’s head before exiting the car. When I straighten, I’m an inch away from Alex. Our breaths mingle under the umbrella, and the heat coming from him envelops me. We walk towards the front gate, our bodies brushing at the hip. Each stroke kindles the fire burning under my skin. We sidestep people in a hurry along the pavement that’s already slippery with rain. He laces his fingers with mine, his thumb stroking my knuckles. When we stop, we’re both breathing hard. I slide the key into the lock and hold his hand. A dozen words die a swift death on my lips. I want to ask him to come up with me, to stay and simply hold me, to kiss me again. But somehow, those words don’t find my voice.

I swallow past the knot in my throat. “Have a nice trip.” Great. Just great.

“Good night.” He kisses me, a brief, quick kiss before he pulls away, letting me feel the cold on my skin and the drops of rain on my cheeks.

Fifteen

Sienna

DART IS CHOMPING on a hard piece of dried meat; the noises he makes fill my small flat.

I can’t stop smiling, watching him sprawled on the sofa, his legs relaxed, and the treat secured between his front paws while he attacks the meat with his molars. His eyes are drooping in sheer happiness. It must be good to be a dog, being so happy about something as simple as chewing on a piece of meat.

I pour my freshly cooked potato and leek soup into a bowl and curl up in the only available corner of the sofa, squeezing myself between the armrest and Dart’s bottom. My laptop flashes in front of me from the coffee table. “We’re going to see Daddy on the screen.” I shuffle his fur.

At the word ‘Daddy,’ his ears go up, and he’s temporarily distracted from the treat.

While Alex is in L.A., he’s going to have an interview with Maggie O’Brien. It should be streaming any moment now. I glance at my phone. Alex texted me a few times since he left for L.A., but only short, quick texts to inform me that he had arrived and to ask me how Dart was faring. Nothing intimate. Since the dinner at Tyler’s, he’s been keeping his distance both physically and emotionally, as if he’s being cautious. When he talks to me, he’s guarded and careful. Or maybe I’m being paranoid.

The show intro rolls on. Golden stars rain through the screen while the pictures of Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, and other movie stars Maggie interviewed scroll past. Gee, is that the Pope? Then Maggie’s smiling face appears. She spreads her arms, showing off her red and gold long dress that hugs her curvy body.

“Welcome to another night at Stars with O’Brien.” Her voice rings with confidence. The people in the audience clap and hoot.

I take a spoonful of the soup. I should’ve added more salt. The taste is bland. The leek is a bit chewy and—My heart gives a silly flip when Alex walks onstage, one arm raised to wave at the audience. His strong body radiates all those masculine vibes that make me shiver with desire. Feminine cheers shatter the speakers, surely damaging my eardrums. He flashes his white teeth and bows. The dark-green shirt he’s wearing stretches across his broad chest and enhances his grey eyes. The half-rolled-up sleeves show the corded muscles in his arms. Arms that hugged me not a long time ago. As he bows again, his midnight curls tumble over his cheeks and strong jaw, surely causing a few swoons. He looks handsome and powerful, sophisticated and unreachable. When the audience calms down, he sits in front of Maggie, dwarfing the red-velvet armchair with his sheer size. Then Emily comes in, looking like a million bucks in a long blue dress. A row of golden bracelets slips down her arm as she lifts it to greet the audience. People go wild again, clapping and cheering.

“Welcome, Emily and Alex.” Maggie crosses her long legs, giving Alex a coy glance.

“Thank you for having me.” At the sound of Alex’s voice, Dart drops the slobbery skin bone on the sofa and turns to the screen, blinking.

“The pleasure is all mine.” She winks at the laughing audience, and I want to punch her. “Let’s talk about your latest success.Paladins of Shadowshas become the most popular fantasy show of the last decade.” The audience cheers again as on the screen behind Alex, Emily, and Maggie, scenes from the show flash. Swords, starry skies, and monsters mingle with bright lights. “The audience particularly loved one of the most recent episodes.” She smirks at the camera as the infamous super-hot sex scene between Lynx and Volia fills the screen, redacted and turned into a PG-13 thing, but still, the same scene.

Emily pretends to be embarrassed by covering her face with a hand.

Something toothy groans and twists in my belly. Heck, it’s his work, and he loves it. My silly jealousy is pointless. Alex doesn’t flinch while the crowd is hooting all over again. Way too much noise.

“Is season two confirmed?” Maggie asks as the screen behind her goes thankfully black.

He crosses his legs. “It is. We’ll start shooting soon.”

Which means that I’m not going to see a lot of him.

“Alex and I are very excited to start filming.” Emily blushes, and I could swear the blush is fake. “The success of the first season has been overwhelming and unexpected.”

Yeah, right. The producers didn’t spend millions of dollars without expecting to have success.

“More naughty scenes?” Maggie wiggles her brow.

“Well…” Alex laughs and scrubs the back of his neck, sending the crowd into a crazy, loud frenzy I don’t get. Why does everything he says have to be followed by cheers and screams, for Pete’s sake? He didn’t do anything. “I can’t say anything.” He looks adorable with his cheeks slightly reddened. Yeah, maybe I can understand the excitement of the crowd.

Emily laughs as well, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “I can’t say it’s an unpleasant job.” Everyone laughs. Except me.

“So, rumour has it that Rebecca Pace is going to directJade,” Maggie says.

Emily gives a tiny nod, but Alex stiffens.

Maggie goes on, “Also, it seems that there’s some bad blood between Alex and Rebecca. Is it true you refused to work with her in one of the most anticipated movies of next year?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I’m not sure I’m the right choice for that film.”

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