Dear April (Sunshine & Shadow Book 2) (6 page)

April gasped. “You ran a
check on me too, didn’t you!?” She slapped him gently on the chest and laughed,
falling into his lap.

 He cradled her against
his body and kissed her forehead. “I needed your new address.”

“Why?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

April tried to sit up but
he held her tight.

“Seriously,” Lex said,
planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry about it.”

April pursed her lips but
decided to let it go. She relaxed into his arms and allowed herself to revel in
the feeling of his strong, solid body pressed against her back. She could feel
every inch of him and was reminded once again of the sight of him naked.
Something low in her stomach tightened delectably. She squirmed in Lex’s lap
and felt him return her affection. He moved her so that his lips could reach
her neck.

He kissed his way from
her earlobe to her collarbone and back up. She wriggled and he held her tighter
as his lips tortured her body. He stood in one gracious movement, April still
cradled in his arms. Strolling to the bedroom at the back of the RV, he dropped
her onto the bed and removed his shirt in one fluid motion; his eyes alight with
a fire April had missed so badly. The desire in his face was almost
frighteningly intense but matched hers so perfectly that as their bodies
touched, the fire danced together, intermingling as one flame.

It was almost as if they
were listening to the same song in their heads, their rhythms slow and exact. In
time, they rolled together, so that April straddled him. She pinned his arms
over his head and kissed down his cheek, grazing her teeth over his skin as she
travelled down. She teased him, sucking and nibbling along his hip bones and
the line of flesh just above his belt, and earning herself several writhes and
moans. His hips flexed delightfully. April pulled her shirt over her head.

Lex flipped her onto her
back and returned the favor.

April closed her eyes,
the sensations more powerful with the loss of sight, and opened her mouth as a
sigh slipped between her lips. She relaxed into the comfortable mattress and
let the man she loved do unspeakable things to her.

     

April’s phone woke them
both. Lex was wrapped around her, and she was hot in the cocoon of his body
heat. He untangled himself and passed her the phone from where it lay buzzing
on the carpeted floor.

As she swiped the screen,
she noticed four unread messages from Charlotte.

“Hello?”

“April, why aren’t you
answering me?”

April sat up and put her
hand to her forehead. “Sorry, my phone was in my purse…” She shrugged at Lex’s
humored expression.

“You really are the worst
liar. You were having sex, weren’t you?”

April closed her eyes.
Her fingers rubbed her temples. “Yes, okay, I was. What’s up? Wait, how come
you are calling me? Where’s Meagan?”

“Meagan went to throw up
for the fifth time. I’m calling to tell you we’re going back to the hotel.”

“Did you go backstage?”

“There’s no way I’d leave
without doing that. Yeah, we went as soon as I found Meagan. I met The Band
Perry, April! It was awesome! The one guy is so
cute
!”

“Charlotte, focus.”

“Right. Then we had some
lunch, and watched Billy Currington perform, which was amazing! When he was
done, we came to get a drink and Meagan got sick
again
, so when she
comes back I’ll take her back to the hotel and maybe have a swim or something.
Definitely no more booze for that one.”

“You’re a good friend, Charlotte.
Wait, what time is it?” April looked at her phone and gasped. “Holy!” She
covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “It’s three in the afternoon!” she said
to Lex.

“It’s three, why?” Charlotte
said.

“We just…lost track of
time.”

“Ooh, give
Alex
a
high five for me. You lucky girl, you.”

“That reminds me, Charlotte,”
April said, “You do realize how serious this is, right? Like, you can’t tell
anyone. Not one person.”

“My lips are sealed.”

April let out the breath
she had been holding.

“But…I do want one thing
in return.”

“What?”

“Best friends share sex
stories. And I want every detail. He may be all yours, but that doesn’t mean he
hasn’t been my fantasy since I was thirteen.”

April laughed. “Hey now,
I don’t kiss and tell. I’ll call you later.”

“How will you get back to
the hotel?”

Lex pointed at himself.
“I can take you,” he half-mouthed and half-whispered.

“Lex said he can take
me.”

That’s embarrassing
,
April thought. She hoped he hadn’t heard the sex story comment. His grin told
her that he had.

April said goodbye and
pulled on her clothes. She loved watching Lex get dressed, almost as much as
she enjoyed watching him undress. His movements were so soft and graceful, like
a panther. Every motion was calculated, planned.

When they were no longer
in the safety of the RV, Lex was careful only to touch her innocently, like her
arm or shoulder. Fans often approached him as they walked, handing him photos
to sign or begging him to take a picture with them. Lex obliged each one
politely, but April could tell his heart wasn’t in it. His smile was forced,
his eyes bored. Finally they approached a small, but impressive building near
the back of the trailers.

As he reached for the
door, it shot open. A giant camera was immediately shoved in their faces and a
flash went off, temporarily blinding April. She blinked. A security guard began
shoving the paparazzi away from the building.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Lex
reached for the camera strap around the photographer’s neck and tugged it off,
holding the camera out of the smaller man’s reach. The security guard held him
away from Lex as he struggled to get the camera back.

April could see the
photos of her and Lex on the screen over Lex’s shoulder. He quickly found his
way to the menu and wiped the card clean.

“No! My boss is going to
kill me!” The man whined.

“Sorry, man. Next time,
ask permission. You almost blinded my friend.”

The photographer dipped
his head. “He's gonna kill me.”

Lex handed the giant
camera to the security guard and put his hand on the small of April’s back,
leading her inside the building.

“Does that happen a lot?”

Lex nodded. “All the
time. They never learn. Most of the people they
sneak
pictures of would
be more than happy to pose for them if they just asked them first. But they
don’t bother. It’s pretty frustrating feeling like you always have to be on
your guard.”

“I guess that must have
been a nice change at the ranch.”

“You have no idea.”

Inside, the room was
spacious. It was filled with high tables and comfortable-looking bar stools.
The bartender stood behind a long mahogany bar at one end and served the
customers with a soft smile. Upon closer inspection, many of the people in the
room were stars. April could see Brett Kissel standing by the far wall,
speaking to a woman she didn’t recognize. She was trying her hardest not to be
star struck, but when she saw Tim and Faye McIntyre at the bar she made a quiet
noise.

Lex noticed and turned to
her. “You wanna meet ‘em?”

Her mouth opened
slightly. “Are you serious? No ... I couldn’t. I wouldn’t know what to say.
Plus, they don’t want to be bothered by fans. That’s why they’re in here,
right?”

“You’re not a fan today.
You’re my potential co-worker. Tim’s in the movie industry, too. Come on.”

He led her to the bar and
held out her chair. As she slid into it, she couldn’t help but notice the way
his hands grazed her shoulders in a seemingly innocent way. It still sent
shivers down her spine.

“Hey guys,” Lex said.

Tim and Faye turned
around.

“Hey, man, how’re you
doing?” Tim asked, smiling.

“Great! I wanted to
introduce you to my friend.” Lex backed up and gestured to April. “This is
April Cooper. I’m trying to convince her to take a job on the new movie.”

“Oh, you’re the horse
trainer,” Tim said. “Lex told me some great things about you.”

“He did?”

Lex looked sheepish.

“Are you kidding?” Tim
said, “He can’t stop talking about what you can do with a horse. I’d be really
interested to see it for myself.”

“Well, you’ll get a
chance if she takes the job,” Lex said.

“Where are you working
now?” Tim took a sip of his beer.

“Highland Books, in the
city.”

“You’re an editor?”

“No, I’m an assistant to
Ted ... I mean, Mr. Bradley. He’s an editor there.”

“Do you like it?”

April nodded. “I do, but
my heart is with the horses.”

“Well, you’ve got a big
decision to make then. But between us, following your heart is always your best
bet.”

Her head spun with his
words. He was right. The only thing missing from her job was the fact that it
was in an office, far away from any animals. But something was still holding
her back from taking the job with the movie. What would it be like, to see Lex
and Violet, day after day, pretending to be in love? Could she handle that?
Could she be a convincing
friend
to Lex, and ignore the jealousy that
would be eating away at her every second she saw them together? Or maybe the
voice in her mind was telling her it was too far from home. It would take
nearly twenty-four hours to get back to the ranch from California. Maybe it was
telling her that she hadn’t known Lex long enough to make such a big move for
him. Maybe it was just fear of the unknown. She didn’t know. That was what
scared her the most.

Lex excused them and led
April to a table by the window.

“Won’t people see us?”
April wondered.

He shook his head.
“Didn’t you notice? They’re tinted. You can see out but not in.”

April looked out. From
the building they could see the stage, and through the open window above their
heads, they could hear the music. She let her head sway to the soft sounds of
the artist on stage and closed her eyes.

“What are you thinking?”
Lex asked.

“Different things.”

“Can you elaborate?” Lex
ordered them two Bud Lite Limes.

“Well, I wonder what
it’ll be like, if I take the job. How long will I have to lie?”

Lex sighed. “The movie
will take about six months, and then we’ll need to continue the ruse for a
couple more months until mine and Vi’s break-up can’t be pinned on the movie
ending. We will say it was a difference in life plans and go our separate
ways.”

“That’s it?”

He shrugged and nodded.

“Don’t celebrity couples
usually get back together a few dozen times before
really
calling it
quits?”

“That’s real couples, who
actually want their relationship to work. I don’t. Violet doesn’t. There’s no
need for that. Besides, I think you’ve been reading too many magazines.”

There was something
nagging at April since she had overheard Lex and Violet’s conversation by the
trailer. For some reason, she didn’t think Violet was telling the truth when
she said she would back down graciously. To April, she sounded like a woman
scorned.

She had heard the
jealousy in Violet’s voice when Lex told her how much he loved April. He
obviously hadn’t, and believed her. But he said it had been Violet’s idea, too,
to get April a job on the movie. What was she playing at? Why would it matter
to her, if April and Lex got alone time and had an excuse for it? Why was she
trying to help them?  

Lex saw Violet’s
suggestion for April as a polite idea to help out a friend and seemed oblivious
to the fact that Violet carried a flame for him. She obviously made good use of
her acting skills even outside of the movie.

April dropped her voice.
“I’m serious, Lex. Even after you and Violet break up, then what? You and I
start dating the next day?”       

“Not the next day, but
the fans will know that my relationship with Violet was short. It’s not like
we’d been together for years.”

“That doesn’t matter.
They want it to work. That’s the only reason the producers had you sign that
stupid contract; for the fans. Everyone wants to see their favorite on-screen
couple get together in real life, you said it yourself.”

“They’ll get over it.”

“And what about a sequel
in the future, Lex? What if the producers say you can only have the part again
if you sign another contract?”

Lex took April’s hand and
gave it a squeeze. “Then I’ll turn it down.” He dropped his voice even lower.
“Listen, April,
you
are my future. That’s the one thing I’m certain of
and I won’t do anything to screw that up again.”

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