Your Endless Love (The Bennett Family 9)

“I don’t want the reputation of an actor willing to sacrifice his personal life for ticket sales. That’s not how I want to build my career.”

Amy sniffs, wiping her nose with her sleeves. “You’re being selfish. And you’re talking like that just because you have another franchise in the works. If you were scrambling for roles like me, you wouldn’t have this holier-than-thou

attitude.”

“Alex—” Preston begins, but Alex cuts him off.

“This is my final word. If this is why you called this meeting, you’re wasting your time. I have a photo shoot in two hours, and I want to have breakfast first.”

Alex and Preston exchange a glance, rising to their feet.

“Alex, don’t be a stubborn mule,” Amy says from the doorway. “You can exercise your newly found ethic compass after we’ve saved this from becoming a stinker.”

Preston doesn’t say one thing as he leads Amy out of the room. The second the door closes, Alex guides me around the armchair, pulling me in his lap, bringing his lips to my temple, raining kisses down to my jaw, then further down on my neck.

“Alex, I’m sorry about the box office. How can I help?”

“You already are helping,” he whispers. “By being here.”

He rubs his thumb across my jawbone, pulling me into a kiss. Oh God, how he kisses me. Like I’m his lifeline, like he needs my strength more than anything else. I give him everything I have, hoping it’s enough.

“I felt you go rigid when Preston said Amy and I should start faking it again,” he whispers, trailing his mouth down on my neck.

“I’m sorry... I... I want to support your career, Alex. I don’t mind hiding from paps or even being chased by them when we eventually go public. But I couldn’t watch you in a fake relationship....”

He stops trailing kisses, snapping his head up until our gazes are level.

“I know. You don’t have to explain. Or apologize. I understand perfectly.”

“But what if the studio changes their mind about the superhero spin-off? You haven’t signed that contract yet after all, right?”

“No, it’s all been informal, but I don’t like to think in what-ifs. We’ll cross that bridge if it comes to it.”

“Okay.”

He resumes kissing my neck, nibbling at my clavicle. I settle my knees at his sides, wedging them between his thighs and the armrest, kissing what I can reach of him, touching the rest.

“I don’t want to go to that photo shoot,” he murmurs, unfastening my robe. “I want to stay here with you.”

He pushes the tank I’ve slept in up, baring me to him, feathering his thumbs on the undersides of my breasts, until my nipples harden. Then he rolls each between his thumb and forefinger until I gasp.

“Alex!”

I scramble out of his lap, fastening my robe again. “You don’t have time for this, mister. Your photo shoot will start soon, so go. Chop, chop. You can think about this,” I gesture to my body, “all day. It’ll be your bonus.”

He traps me with his molten gaze, licking his lips. I press my thighs together, quenching the sudden ache. To think, I could be feeling his tongue on me right now.... It’s messing with my determination to shove him outside the door. Oh goodness, what’s a girl to do when Alex unleashes his smolder on her? Surely I’m not expected to resist him. He rises from his armchair, stalking toward me without a word. He pushes my shirt up again, taking one nipple into his mouth, twirling his tongue over it until my toes curl.

“For good luck,” he mutters, smiling against my skin. Then he straightens up. Damn. Just when I was going to succumb to the dark side, he decides to behave. Just my luck.

I bare my other breast too, batting my eyelashes at him.

“For the best luck?”

Grinning like the devil he is, he swipes his tongue once over what I’m offering, before covering me.

“Go get them, Westbrook. Charm America with your smolder. I can’t wait to have the results in my grubby hands.”

“I’ll ask the photographer to give me some samples to bring to you. And that smolder? Just know I’ll be thinking about you the entire time. Only you.”