Keep Her Safe, page 28
That’s tomorrow’s problem.
I sit next to him on the bed and put my hands on his shoulders gently. One was dislocated in the crash and I see it on his face every time he moves it. “Stay here, please. I don’t want to be worried about you being in pain or something happening while I’m trying to film. It’ll just fuck with me and they’ve already delayed shooting enough for me. I need to be on my A-game.” I explain in hopes he can understand. “Annette will be here if you need anything.”
“I don’t need Annette, Shay. I need to be where you are.” He sighs. “But I know I’m no good to you right now.” I see the disappointment all over his face, like he feels like he’s letting me down. Like it’s his fault that he got hurt.
“You’re always good to me.” I brush my lips across his, hoping he understands that I really do just want him to get better. “I’ll be fine,” I whisper and he nods.
“I’m not happy about it.”
“I know. I’m not happy about my boyfriend being hurt either.” I frown at him.
He gives me a small smile and strokes my cheek gently with his thumb. “Have a great day, baby. I’m sure you’ll do amazing as usual.”
I smile at his words because there is nothing like his praise. I press my lips to his one final time.
“CUT! Better. Much better. Let’s take five,” the director, Lucas, says.
I just shot a scene with Jeremy in my apartment where I’m practically in his lap as we discuss our plans for the future unbeknownst to his character that I’m carrying his child. I climb off of him, untangling us in the process when I feel his hand around my wrist.
“Shay.”
“Yes?”
“I’m really sorry.” I blink at him, not really knowing what to say because I’m not sure I’m buying what he’s selling. He switches the microphone tucked into his pants off and I do the same because the crew really can hear our conversations between takes if we don’t switch them off. “I know I came off like a dick and Derek told me the circumstances about Damian being married and I feel like a huge asshole for that.”
“You should feel like one! That wasn’t for you to tell me. Even if his marriage wasn’t just a favor and they were consummating like bunnies, it still wasn’t okay the way you exploded that all over me. Out of jealousy? Seriously, Jeremy?”
“I know, Shay. I…I guess I just thought if we were ever really single at the same time, we’d give it a try, and with the show ending, I guess I’m just struggling with you not being a main fixture in my life anymore.”
My heart softens slightly because I hadn’t thought about it that way. It’s definitely not the same when you’re not filming together anymore. It’s like with any new job, sometimes you lose touch with people from your old one unless you really make an effort. “I understand, but that’s still not an excuse.”
“I know and I hate that I made things awkward and uncomfortable between us.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Any chance we can still be friends?”
“Maybe after some time, yes, but you also need to apologize to Damian.”
“I know.” He nods. “Hopefully he doesn’t beat the shit out of me, that would be a bitch to explain to Lucas.” He chuckles.
By the time we’re done filming for the day, I’m practically climbing the walls to get to Damian. We’d texted a few times throughout the day and we FaceTimed over lunch but I was ready to see him. There’s a knock on my dressing room door and then Veronica is coming in with her bag slung over her shoulder. “Hey, are you coming to Nigel’s party tonight?” Nigel is another actor on the show who is known to throw absolute ragers once a month at his house.
“No, I’m going home,” I tell her as I slide on the blazer I’d worn to set and pick up my purse. “I want to see my man.” I smile at her and she groans.
“Shaaaaay, come on.”
“He just got out of the hospital, what do you want from me, V?”
“Ummm to come hang out with your best friend? Don’t tell me you’re on lockdown until he’s better.” She folds her arms across her chest and gives me a look.
“No! No. And I’m going to Erin’s premiere at the end of the week. So, I’ll be out then. I just don’t feel up to it tonight. You know I won’t be able to have fun if I’m just worried about Damian.”
“But he’s going to be fine.”
I shrug. “Still.”
“Lay off, V,” Jeremy says from the door as he leans against the frame, his eyes surprisingly sincere. “Nigel will have a hundred parties before the year is over; she can miss one.”
“Fine.” Veronica pouts. “You better not bail tomorrow.” She points at me. “I didn’t sign up to lose my best friend just because she got a boyfriend. Don’t be one of those women.”
“I’m not!” Irritation washes over me thinking that maybe I have become one of those women and Damian being obsessed with keeping me safe certainly doesn’t make it easier. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
That night, I walk into my bedroom to find Damian sitting on my bed with his laptop in his lap staring pensively at the screen. He notices me instantly and the smile that finds his face is so sexy that there’s a flutter in my stomach.
“Come here, baby.” He closes his laptop and shoves it to the side.
I shed my jacket and make my way to the bed and sit next to him, careful not to jostle him but I think not seeing me all day has made him on edge so he pulls me into his lap with more force than he probably should have. He doesn’t wince but I see him shift and I wonder if he hurt himself in his haste to get closer to me.
“Damian…” I try to move and he grabs my hip with his good arm and holds me in place.
“You are going to put your pussy on my face tonight.” His voice rumbles in his chest as he lifts the sundress I’m wearing to reveal my lace underwear. He drags his finger over my slit, pushing his finger against my clit through the fabric. He licks his lips and pushes my panties to the side and strokes me lightly and I sigh in response. “It’s been over a week since I’ve made you come and I can’t go another day.” He pulls his hand out from between my legs and pulls me closer so he can wrap his good arm around me. I’m against his chest but holding myself up to not put any weight on him. “How was your day?” he asks me before he presses a kiss to my forehead.
I move off of his lap and sit next to him but am still pressed up against him. “Good.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary?”
“Nope,” I tell him, wondering if I should tell him about Jeremy. Maybe I should as a segue into attending the premiere. “Jeremy apologized.”
He gives me a pointed look and raises an eyebrow. “Did he now?”
“Yes, and before you say anything, I am wary too, but I want to finish out the season strong. I’m nominated for an Emmy this year, but sometimes politics won’t let you win if they know you’re coming up on a final season and I’m in such a tough category. So, they may hold it to give it to me next year which means every scene has to be perfect now and it can’t be perfect if Jeremy and I are in a weird space when we’ve been so close for five seasons. The chemistry won’t be there and the scenes will feel forced. Die-hard fans of the show will be able to spot that a mile away.” He gives me a look I don’t understand, like he doesn’t believe what I’m saying. “What?”
He closes his eyes slowly and when he opens them, they look defeated, like he knows this isn’t an argument he’ll win. “I just don’t trust him.”
“But, don’t you trust me?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Then nothing else matters. Do you think I’ll…leave you for him? Because that’s not going to happen. Or cheat on you?” I shake my head. “Is that what you think this is about?”
“No. I know how you feel about me.”
I nod because I don’t want to argue about Jeremy. As shitty a friend as he’s been, I don’t think he had anything to do with Damian’s accident and I don’t think he would do anything to hurt me. I just wish he wasn’t feeling insecure about him. “There’s a premiere I have to go to at the end of the week,” I tell him, trying to change the subject, though I know this isn’t necessarily a better one.
He tenses and looks down at me before letting out a sigh. “There’s no point in trying to talk you out of it, is there?”
I shake my head. “D…we need to talk about this.”
His eyebrows pinch. “Okay?”
I move away from him so that I can face him straight on. “It can’t be this constant battle every time I have an appearance.”
“It’s not, Shay.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve been dreading telling you about this all day because I knew you would try to talk me out of going.”
“You do see the state I’m in, right?” he says waving his hand towards his body.
“Yes, but I have security.”
“Not the point, Shay. What if you had been with me? What if they do the same thing to Kent while you’re in the car? What if it’s worse next time?” He rattles off a series of questions like they’re all he’s thought about all day.
“I don’t know, but I can’t live my life in fear.”
“I don’t want you to and when I’m well enough to move around, I won’t be as paranoid because at least I can ward off the threats. I know that I can protect you, Shay, but right now, I’m unable to move and yeah, that scares me that you’re out there with a very real threat or a potential stalker while I’m stuck in here unable to do shit about it.”
“Have there been any more letters?”
“Nothing since the accident.” He shakes his head.
“See! Then maybe, it’s over?”
“Right,” he says, grabbing his computer.
“Maybe he just wanted to scare me.” He doesn’t respond so I continue. “Damian, the point is I think that even when you’re better we should consider hiring someone else.”
“I think I’ve been pretty adamant about how I feel about that,” he says without looking away from his screen.
“Okay, but it’s not just your decision.”
“As the head of your security, I beg to differ.”
“Damian, I hired you. That means I do have the final say in this.” Feeling exasperated, I get off the bed and cross my arms over my chest.
“I was told to keep you safe by any means necessary, even if you’re throwing a tantrum.”
My eyebrows feel like they go to my hairline. “Are you kidding me? I’m throwing a tantrum because I have to go to a premiere and you know, MY JOB?” I can feel myself getting excited and I know I don’t want to argue with him but tantrum?
“You do a lot of other unnecessary shit too, Shay, and normally it’s fine, but circumstances are different right now, and you’re either too naïve or immature to see that.”
What the fuck? “Immature?”
“I already said I understood about the premiere. Yes, I don’t love the fact that you’re going out without me, but I get it, it’s your job. It doesn’t mean I want you running all over California unprotected. If you can’t understand why, then yes that makes you immature.”
“This is all because of us being together. You’ve always been intense but this is on another level.”
“So, I should care less about your safety because we’re together?”
“No, but you’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment and it’s going to ruin us.” I’m starting to fully understand his hesitation about us being together if this is how it’s going to be for the rest of my life. “The problem with all of this is I’m used to things being a certain way and now it’s like it’s changed and you think you have more of a say because we’re together. You don’t get to just pull rank because you’re my boyfriend now.”
“Pulling rank how exactly? You’re still going to the premiere.”
“That wasn’t up for debate!”
His nostrils flare and I can tell he’s getting angry. “So, you just don’t care about my thoughts at all now when it comes to your safety?” His voice is low and growly and if we weren’t in an argument, I might find it sexy. I’ll admit it still does something to me despite my irritation.
“No, but this seems to stem from jealousy or just you being an overprotective caveman. It needs to still be reasonable, Damian.”
“Jealousy?”
“This isn’t about Jeremy or Paxton or other men?”
“No, it’s about one man—or I suppose woman that seems to be fucking stalking you, Shay. This is a very real situation. Just because you aren’t privy to every little threat doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I work to keep them out of your sight. I lie awake at night so you don’t have to and I’m not going to apologize for that.”
“And I’m saying now you don’t have to. We can hire someone else so you can relax and just…be with me?” My voice sounds weak because I don’t feel like arguing anymore. I missed him all day, and I just wanted to cuddle up against him. Arguing with him makes me feel like shit and I’m tired and tense and I don’t hate the idea of sitting on his face like he mentioned earlier.
“I already said that wasn’t an option and it sure as shit isn’t until we figure out what the fuck is going on.”
“Fine.” I pull off my dress and he narrows his eyes curiously. “You’re annoying me, so I thought maybe an orgasm would make me less pissed at you.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me but keeps the rest of his face impassive. “I’m not happy with you either. You think I want to make you come after your tantrum?”
I cock my head to the side and give him a smirk as I pull my bra off and let my tits spring free. “Yes.”
His eyes trail down my body and between my legs as I slide my panties down them leaving me completely nude. He runs his tongue over his teeth and bites his bottom lip in that sexy way he does that makes my sex pulse. “Come,” he says as he moves to lie on his back.
I get on the bed, straddling his neck and I watch as his pulse flickers. “You can’t have your eyes on me twenty-four-seven. I know you have this intense need to keep me safe, and believe me, I love it, and I get off on how obsessive you can be about it, but I do still have to work. My job requires me to be out there.” I nod towards the window.
“Can’t you understand where I’m coming from?”
“Of course, I do.” I move up and hold myself over his mouth and his breath on my wet slit forces my eyes shut. I feel the tip of his tongue touching my folds gently, not sliding between them. He tongues the skin there and I move my fingers down to part my sex for him exposing myself to him. “Can’t you understand where I’m coming from?” I gasp as he brushes over my clit with the tip of his tongue.
“Damn, you’re fucking hot. Lower,” he grunts and I oblige, grateful for the squats and thigh workouts I do that will make this easier. I meet his gaze as his tongue begins to lap at me, dragging it against my clit, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sexier visual. I lean forward to put both of my hands on each side of his head as he rubs his tongue over and over and the last of the irritation begins to float away.
I briefly wonder how we must look. Me riding his face while he’s not touching me at all except for where his tongue meets my pussy.
Fuck, this is hot.
“Oh my god, I love you so much.”
“Then let me fucking take care of you, Shay. Stop fighting me,” he grits out.
“I’m not,” I whine as I rub myself against him. “Ah! Right there. Please, oh my god!”
“You like that?” he asks, while his mouth is still pressed against me. “How’s it feel, gorgeous?”
“So good. Yes yes yes.” I pull back so that I can watch him and I can see the smile in his eyes when our eyes lock. “Damian, I’m going to come.”
“Thank fuck,” he growls. “Give it to me, then give me another one.”
I bite my bottom lip as I go over the edge. “Fuck, yes I’m coming.” I cry out as the orgasm pulls me under. “Damian!” He groans against me. I stay over his face for a moment while I come down from the euphoric feeling and move off his face to the space next to him while I try to catch my breath.
“That was fucking hot.” I look over and my mouth drops open when I notice his mouth is shinier than usual. He drags his hand up slowly and wipes his mouth before dragging his tongue over his hand. “I love your taste.”
I move down between his legs and rub his cock through his sweatpants. “I want to taste you now.”
I didn’t want to tell her that there had been another note. That the note had been at the entrance to the gate again. This fucker knows where she lives and is completely covered when he delivers it. This time it was delivered in broad daylight with a bouquet of flowers so the security at the front gate hadn’t thought anything of it.
You can’t protect her from me.
The six words that were directed at me have been playing through my mind on a loop since I saw it, and now she’s supposed to go to a premiere tonight. I’ve had three of my guys thoroughly sweep the venue of the premiere but there’s still a feeling I can’t shake. She left about an hour ago, and since then I’ve watched the security footage of the person leaving the note at her gate no less than a hundred times. I didn’t expect it to be the same car that ran me off the fucking road but my intuition makes me believe that everything is linked. I stare down at the pictures of her tonight, both ones she took in the limo for me and from the paparazzi.
Christ, she’s pretty. I stare at picture after picture of her in a white strapless dress that makes her look like an angel.
And you’re going to lose her if you don’t back off about all of this.
I didn’t want to scare her, but I feel fucking out of control over not being with her. I wince as I try to get up and do my best to move around the room. Against everyone’s advice and direction, I’ve been pushing myself, walking around her room every once in a while, and even down the stairs. I’ve seen some improvement in the past week but it isn’t enough to be with Shay all day. I’m requiring updates from my team every hour and I’ll admit maybe I am going overboard about her safety, but she was right, us being together has made me even more obsessed with keeping her safe. The idea of losing the love of my life over something I could have prevented makes me fucking anxious. And quite frankly terrified.
