Nico staggers through the house. When we reach the stairs, I slide my arm behind his back and help him upstairs. I drag him down the hall, his massive body weighing down on me, and he leads me toward the master bedroom. The second floor has more doors than I can count.
He’s well over two hundred pounds of solid muscle, hanging on me like a warm, heavy blanket. Nico is sweating through his shirt. He drank way too much alcohol.
I steer him toward the large, four-poster bed, and Nico nestles his face against my neck. Nico sinks to the mattress, taking me down with him. His large, muscular body partially covers mine, making it near impossible to get out from under him. He sensually runs his hand down my arm.
Even in his drunken state, he’s well aware of the effect he has on me. A man with his experience knows what women want. He can sense my desire. Everywhere our skin meets, a wave of heat spreads down my arms and legs, his carefully placed touches making my toes curl.
“I need to talk to you, Nico.”
He tugs at my clothes. “And here I thought ‘We need to talk’ was code for fuck.”
“Nico,” I warn.
“I know.” He swats his hand. “You’re my agent. Whatever.” He rolls his head to the side. “Chill. I won’t hit on you again.”
I suck in a deep breath. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”
He chuckles. “You don’t have to be so uptight.”
Shocked by his words, I gasp.
“What? It’s true. When was the last time you had fun… or got laid?”
It’s sad how long I have to think about this. “I don’t know. That’s not important. Anyway, I have news.”
He props himself up on his elbow, his gaze fixed on me. “You got me a movie?”
“I got you a meeting,” I say, unable to contain my excitement.
“With whom?”
“Firehouse Films.”
“Which movie?”
“War of the Gods. It’s about demigods who have to fight their godly parents, set in a fictional fantasy world based on Ancient Rome.”
“I liked that script,” he admits. “So, what’s the part?”
“You would play Hades.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighs. “I was hoping to play Zeus.”
“They already cast Zane Anders as Zeus.” A beat passes before I continue, “This is just a meeting. I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
He rolls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “How did I end up here?”
“You walked. But not well, I might add.”
“No.” Nico groans. “I mean, how did I get to this place in my career? I was pulling in fifteen million dollars for a movie, and now…” He closes his eyes and shakes his head.
“You will get past this, Nico.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I believe in you.”
We share a moment where I wonder if I said too much. Nico presses his palm to my cheek. I hold his gaze for a second before he drops his hand and looks away from me. After a while, Nico gives me a closed-mouth smile and brushes my hair behind my ear. The movement is way too sensual.
A few minutes later, he’s snoring in my ear, with his hand rested on my stomach. What do I do? I lift his hand and set it on the bed between us. He rolls onto his side, falling into an even deeper sleep.
We have a meeting with a studio, and I have to make sure he gets there on time. So, I guess I’m sleeping over.
Chapter Thirteen
Nico
When I wake up, my head is throbbing. It feels like someone is crushing my skull with their car. I’m ashamed that this is becoming a regular part of my morning routine. As usual, a woman in a black dress is lying next to me in bed. She’s curled up on her side, her firm ass pressed against me.
I have to stop drinking. It was just one more, and by the fifteenth beer, I’d lost count.
I tap the woman next to me on the shoulder. She shakes me off of her as she gets comfortable.
“I’m not ready,” she whispers.
What is she talking about?
Wait, why do I recognize her voice? No… It can’t be Willow. I sit up, just enough to lean over to get a good look at her face. Shit, what is she doing in my bed? I look down at my rumpled clothes. I’m still wearing the same jeans and tee. And I slept in my sneakers. Okay, so we didn’t have sex. But what happened?
I lean against the headboard and stare down at her, trying to figure out what to do. My last agent left me because of my bullshit. I need Willow. I hope for both of our sakes I did nothing stupid last night.
I kick my shoes onto the floor and folding my legs into my chest. “Time to get up.”