Hollywood Ever After (Red Carpet 1)

“I recommend you get her home. And make her drink some water at some point, please,” Shannon added. “Here.” She handed Josh some keys and waved at me with a smile.

Then we were heading toward the door. “Wait.” I stopped. We weren’t moving, but everything seemed to be moving around me. “You’re here with friends?”

His hands clasped my shoulders, steadying me. He smiled down at me. “Yes.”

“You shouldn’t leave them. I don’t want to mono…monopolize you.” My words trailed off as my eyes met his.

He wanted me. I could see it. His nostrils flared just a bit. His jaw clenched and unclenched. I

smiled slowly. I liked that I could make him react this way.

I asked, “Don’t you want to stay?” Say no.

If he wanted to stay, I might be able to stop staring at him or thinking about how perfectly we fit together. It wasn’t completely out of the question, not yet. My eyes fell to his lips and my smile grew.

“No.” He leaned closer, whispering in my ear, “Claire, we have to leave now if you’re going to look at me like that.” His face reflected the hunger I felt.

My voice was husky as I whispered, “I’ll be good.” Not a chance.

He paused, his eyebrow rose in question. “You want to stay?”

“Nope.” My eyes fell to his mouth again.

Josh’s smile was pinched as he led me to the exit.

He stopped at the door, taking off his jacket and handing it to me. “There are photographers outside.” He smiled at the confused expression on my face as he placed his jacket over my head to hide me.

I clung to Josh’s hand, trusting him to lead me through the throng of press and enthusiastic fans. I could hear them though, and it was slightly intimidating. There were shouts of “Josh!” and “We love you!” and other things I didn’t understand. I held on tight.

Then I was in a car. Josh helped me in and shut the door firmly while I burrowed under his jacket and waited. He was in the car a minute later, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. It took some time; I could hear the sound of voices, rapid clicking, and the occasional thump on the car’s hood. I pulled myself into a ball, completely covered by his coat. I imagined photographers pressed to his windshield and tugged the coat closer, remembering clips from entertainment shows. I remembered wanting to slap those photographers as they crammed themselves and their cameras into the celebrity’s personal space. That was something Josh had to contend with. It was part of his life.

He peeked under the jacket at me. “We’re off.”

“Safe?” I smiled at him.

His eyes lingered before he turned his attention back to driving. “Safe.”

Something about the tone of his voice, the look on his face, made me come alive instantly. The desire filled me again, and I was acutely aware of how alone we were. It was quiet in the car after the club and the press. An explosive silence filled the space. I could hear him breathing, unsteadily.

The car’s air conditioner blew through the silk of my dress. The air was cold, a contrast to his hot hand resting on my thigh. I’m not sure if it was the alcohol, the compulsion to break all of the rules, or the need to let my basic instincts take control, but I was most definitely on fire. I sat up and moved next to him, delighted that this car had a bench seat.

I bit his ear, nipping at the earlobe and tracing it with my tongue. His smell filled my nose, fanning my enthusiasm, as I trailed my lips down his throat.

Josh shivered, his breathing picking up.

I was vaguely aware that we were sitting in the driveway of Shannon’s house as my hand crept under his shirt and my fingers traveled across the hard plane of his chest. I didn’t hesitate, but grasped the waist of his pants, unbuttoning them quickly. My mouth continued to bite and kiss his ear, moving down his neck. I smiled when his hand caught my hair wildly, trying to turn my face so he could kiss me.

I twisted away from his kiss, nuzzling his neck with my nose as I pulled him from his pants. He was hot, erect, and ready in my grasp. The slick silk of my dress helped me slide so that my head rested in his lap. My mouth closed over the tip of him.

“Claire…” he ground out between tight lips.

I took one of his hands in mine, wrapping it in my hair for him, then slid him into my mouth. I closed one hand around him, holding him, as my tongue explored him. My mouth slid up, almost to the tip, then back down, while my hand tightened firmly around him.

The hand in my hair shook, then grabbed more. His body was shaking, his breath ragged.

I let my lips and tongue explore him, savoring his shivers and groans.

It took him only a few minutes. Then he was groaning fiercely, his body tightening and pulsing with his release.