“Real?”
She nods.
“I can’t help you with this scene anymore,” she says in a firm tone. “We just crossed the line, something I never thought I would do with a client.”
I wiggle my eyebrows and give her one of my best boyish grins. “It’s our little secret. I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“I think you’re ready for tomorrow. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Do you have any free time this week?”
She bites her lip, considering my question.
“I could use a cheerleader if you can make it to the set.”
She giggles. “You only think you need someone to cheer you on. But sure, I’ll make time this week.” She shoves her palms into my chest. “So, make sure you bring your A-game, Chase.”
I slide off the couch and extend my hand to her. “Thanks to you, I’m bringing it.”
She winks, and I return the gesture. Then, she saunters down the hall, leaving me with blue balls and a lot to think about.
Chapter Twenty
Willow
As I flip through the channels, Nico walks into the living room without a shirt, a pair of black basketball shorts hanging low on his narrow hips. Nico plops down on the couch next to me, tugging at the hem of his shorts with a solemn look on his handsome face. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, and my walls are already lowering around him. I can sense when he’s in a lousy mood and fighting his need for a drink, or anything that can quiet his nerves.
I drop the remote on the coffee table. “You can talk to me. I’m a good listener.”
He blows out a deep breath. “I’m fucking nervous.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I don’t know if I’m doing a good job.”
“If you weren’t, I would have heard from the studio.”
“The other day,” he says with his eyes downcast. “When we kissed… I’ve been off ever since.”
“What are you trying to say?”
He turns his head away. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m too much in my head. I haven’t played a secondary character in a movie in close to a decade.”
“Starting over is hard.” I cover his hand with mine. “It will be okay, Nico. You’ve already hit rock bottom, so there’s no place for you to go but up.”
I scoot my butt across the leather couch. “I was about to watch a movie if you need a distraction.”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “I’ll make nachos. You cool with guacamole?”
“Does a fat kid like cake?”
Nico chuckles. “Give me a few.”
He gets up from the couch and runs a hand through his dark, messy hair that brushes his forehead. My eyes lift to get a good look at his abs… the perfectly sculpted V that dips beneath his shorts. I roll my tongue across my lip, imaging what I would do with Nico if I ever got my hands on his delicious body.
So many dirty things…
Our kiss still haunts me, my lips burning every time I touch them. Nico kissed me like he wanted to prove he’s still the same actor. Like he needed to prove to me that the risk is worth the reward. If we were acting partners, I wouldn’t have given that kiss a second thought. But the kiss complicates our relationship.
Nico strolls into the living room with a heaping plate of nachos balanced in his palm. He sets it on the coffee table and plops down next to me on the couch. Shirtless and oozing sex appeal, Nico might as well be naked.
“Mmm…” I lean forward to take a big whiff as he sets the plate on the table in front of us. “I bet these look as good as they taste.”
“Dig in,” Nico says as he lifts a nacho to his mouth. “Nachos are my specialty.”
“I can see that.”
He layered the tortilla chips perfectly, each layer of cheese, beans, and meat arranged like an appetizer you’d get at a restaurant. I swipe a nacho from the plate, dipping it into the guacamole before stuffing the chip into my mouth. A moan escapes my throat as I chew.
“You were right,” I say between bites. “These are amazing.”
He flashes a quick grin and then stuffs a whole chip into his mouth. My eyes fall to his lips. I want to kiss them again. Now that I’ve had those lips on mine, I can’t stop thinking about how good they felt.
I click the remote to start the movie. Nico curls up next to me as if we’re dating, and this is a normal thing we do. He grabs a pillow and props himself up with his elbow, leaning into his palm. The movie credits roll across the screen, and my heart hammers in my chest. Nico is too close for comfort. One of the hottest actors in the world is inches from me. His fingers graze my thigh as he readjusts his position, leaving a trail of fire on my skin.