"I have to go, Jesse."
"I know. Hand me your phone, Luce." My fingers race over the screen then I hand it back to her and dig my own out of my pocket.
"You've got my number and I've got yours. Use it," I tell her.
She tilts her head, unsure, then steps up on her tiptoes and I meet her halfway for a quick, soft kiss.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
Hell no. This isn't over. Before she can pull away, I lean in and whisper, "Next time we're doing this in private where no one can interrupt us and I can get you naked."
She shudders and I give her a wink and a grin when she pulls back. The big man leads her and Sera out of the rowdy crowd and I look to Ben, who motions me over to follow him and the guys out of the club.
We get in the SUV and I lean my head back, closing my eyes, a grin on my lips as I think about what just happened.
"Christ, just look at him," Xander says in mock disgust. "Grinning like a lovesick puppy."
I grin even more, eyes still closed.
"He's so gone," Ben says with a chuckle.
"Then what was with the chick today?" Ethan asks. "You know Lucy's not the kind of girl who's going to think that shit's okay. She's one of those happily-ever-after women."
I look at him and nod. "I know it. I tried with that chick. Couldn't do it. Lucy's it for me. I haven't even had her yet and I'm already ruined," I say with a laugh.
Kennedy gives me a look. "You say that like it's a good thing."
"Fuck yeah."
"You're happy you're hooked on one chick and can't fuck anyone else, not knowing for sure if you're even going to be together?" Kennedy asks.
I nod. "Hell yeah. She's fucking amazing."
"Whoa," Xander says with a chuckle.
"My big brother is losing his shit over a woman. I never thought I'd see the day," Ben announces.
"Neither did I, little brother, but with Lucy it doesn't feel like I'm 'losing' anything. I'm sure as hell gaining something fantastic," I tell them.
Ethan groans. "He's going to start writing love songs again. Remember how he was after he met her the first time?"
"It was our best selling album," Kennedy reminds him.
Ethan sits up straighter. "That's true. Dude, Jesse, feel the love, write about the love, sing about the love. Let's kick ass with the love."
I chuckle. "Already writing songs in my head, man. Already kicking ass."
Chapter Thirteen
Jesse
Past
I stand in the room across the hall waiting for them to arrive. When they do, Spenser beats me to her, so I just listen.
"What's up, Spense?" Lucy asks.
"What's up?" he asks incredulously. "Are you fucking with me right now, Luciana Russo?"
She just stares at him.
"You haven't seen the Internet or turned on a television, have you?" he asks.
"Oh shit," Sera says.
"Uh, no." I can all but see the light bulb go on over her head.
"Come with me." He pulls Lucy along with him, Sera following on their heels. I lag behind, following and waiting.
Spenser heads to an office and turns on the television. It's seven thirty and all the morning news and talk shows are just getting started, and there we are. Me and Lucy pressed as tightly together as we can be, her wrapped around me, my hands cupping her face, my thigh between her legs. Damn, that's hot.
"They're speculating. No one has any idea what's going on between you two or how you connected," Spenser says.
"After all that last night, we went home and grabbed our stuff and we stayed at a hotel. We didn't have to deal with the paps but you can bet your ass they're camped out at our front gate," Sera says with an arch of her brow.
"Well, hell. We need to change it up for Jace. He can't go to the house. I won't subject him to that," Lucy mutters. Who the fuck is Jace?
"He can stay at the hotel with us. We booked the entire floor," Sera tells her. Hotel? Seriously? I cross my arms over my chest and feet at my ankles, settling in until I'm noticed.
Lucy nods at Sera and calls what sounds like her security detail.
I see Spenser pull up the video of us last night and I know the exact minute she sees it. She makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat. Sera tells Spenser to play it and he restarts it from the beginning-the beginning of our dance. The entire dance. It's so fucking hot, just watching it has me hard again.
"Oh my God," Lucy breathes out.
"It's sexy as hell," Spenser exclaims.
"Hell yeah it is," I say from where I'm standing behind them. She needs to know she's not alone.
Lucy huffs. "Honestly Jesse."
I can't hold back the smirk, I don't want to.
"Don't you smirk at me."
Again with the challenges. She's going to figure out that challenging me makes me only want to do it more.
"I can't help it. This is amusing. You're amusing."
"I'm amusing. Are you kidding me right now?"
"Lucy, you're taking this too seriously."
Her temper flares and her eyes narrow.
"Oh hell, Jesse. Now you did it," Sera says.
"What?" I ask with a shrug.
"Her eyes are narrowed, her nostrils are flaring, her lips are thinned out. She's pissed. She's going to blow any second."
"She can-" I begin with a grin.
"You better not go there right now, hot stuff," Sera tells me with a laugh.
I look at Lucy, who's turning red, and it's not from a blush, but anger. "You're probably right."
Lucy takes a deep, calming breath. "So you saw the video, then?"
I nod.
"You know what?"
I'm not sure if I should respond, so I don't.
"For as hot and wet as I was last night on the dance floor, we should have just fucked right there."
Sera laughs, Spenser coughs, and I get harder, my cock pressing against my zipper.
"Perhaps we should have," I agree.
She shrugs. "We may as well have. The only difference would be if we were naked, because we were all but fucking in that video."
I step forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Lucy, trust me. If we were fucking you'd know it. I'd be buried so deep inside of you, you wouldn't know where you ended and I began, and I can guarantee it wouldn't be over as quickly as that dance was."
She licks her lips and I can all but smell her arousal. My lips hover just over hers. I want to pull her to me and kiss her senseless, strip her clothes off and take her right here, right now. The look on her face tells me she's thinking the same thing.
I smirk and she lifts a brow. I wink at her, then lean in to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Soon."
"Not soon enough," Spenser says. "Jesus, you two. Even I need a cold shower after that."
"And Lucy's going to need some dry panties," Sera blurts out.
My smile stretches across my face.
"Do we need to do damage control?" I ask Lucy.
She shrugs. "Nope. I really don't care anymore. I just hate my personal life being scrutinized, speculated, and dissected."
I nod. "The life of a movie star."
"That's not-," Sera says with a smile until Lucy cuts her off, shaking her head. Sera pouts. "Awww, why not?"
I'm not sure what's going on, and I'm about to ask when Lucy changes directions.
"Later. We need to get ready or Cage is going to get cranky. You know very well that a cranky Cage is not a good thing."
"True enough," Sera responds.
"Jesse, can I talk to you later? Not about," she waves a hand at the television and computer, "that, but something else."
"Of course."
She nods, her gaze focused on my lips. Damn. "I've got to go," she tells me.
I nod. Lucy starts to stand up on tiptoe and I meet her halfway for a lingering touching of our lips. What is she doing to me?
I pull back and rest my forehead against hers.
"This is so going to complicate things," she whispers.
"I hope so," I tell her with a pat on her ass. "Now go get ready."
She squeals when I smack her ass and I laugh. She walks away with a bounce in her step and a grin on her face.
Shit. Lucy's going to change everything. No, if I'm being honest, she already has.
The day is long and tiring. We get through a lot of filming and the girls look wiped.
"You said you wanted to talk about something?" I ask, remembering what she said earlier.
"Yeah. Actually," Lucy answers, looking round. "Cage? Guys? Can Sera and I talk to you all in say, twenty minutes? I'd like to wash the mask off my face and get out of this ridiculous leather dress."
"It's fucking hot," Kennedy says. It's the first time he's ever directly spoken to Lucy and the shock on her face is adorable.
She laughs. "Thanks. It really is hot. It's making me sweat under my boobs and that's just gross."
Kennedy laughs. "Too much information, girlie."
She nods her agreement. "Twenty minutes?"
We all murmur our agreement.
Sera jumps up and down a bit as they walk back to the changing room.
"What's going on?" Xander asks after they walk away.