Bad Romeo Christmas: A Starcrossed Anthology (11 page)

I take in a shaky breath and push down tears as Josh tightens his arms around me.

"Missed me, I take it?" he whispers.

"You have no idea how much."

"Yeah, well, you doing your best to crack several of my ribs right now is giving me a clue. Be gentle with your bestie, please. He's a delicate and precious flower who just happens to live in the body of a mid-twenties hipster god."

"So when you texted me before ...?"

"I was in a cab coming from the airport. I knew this gig would be a nightmare without me. Plus, Angel is busy filming, so I had nothing better to do than to come back and save your ass."

I make a scoffing noise. "Make no mistake, Kane. I could have handled this without you, but I'm still glad you're here. I suspect you also came running back because you missed me like crazy and got bored being Angel's personal assistant. Am I right?"

"Crazy talk. You know how much I adore fetching coffee and taking phone messages. It's what I live for." He pulls back and looks down at me. "Angel sends her love, by the way. She really misses you."

"I miss her, too." I can't believe how much. Angel feels almost as much of a sister as Cassie does, and even though not seeing her for months is hard on me, I can tell Josh is already struggling with their separation.

"Josh ..."

He steps out of our hug and waves me off. "Alright, alright, no more talk. Just give me all the information I'll need to kick this show in the balls. We're burning daylight, here."

I smile as I hand over my clipboard. "Go for your life, babe."

Just then James walks by, and Josh steps in front of him. "Hey there, chuckles. Give me your headset."

James's face drops. "What? Why?"

"Because," Josh says as he claps him on the shoulder, "you've failed to even come close to filling my freakishly large shoes. So hand over the wearable tech, and go help Ainsly get those dressing rooms ready. Before you know it, we'll be neck deep in celebrity egos and pushy managers, and I need you running point."

James looks at me in confusion. "Who is this guy?"

I smile. "He's who you should aspire to be if you want to make it in this industry. Now, do as he says and move your ass."

James turns bright red as he hands his headset and pack to Josh before scurrying off into the wings.

Josh shoves his clipboard under his arm as he slides on the headphones and clips the pack to his belt. "You honestly thought that doofus could replace me? I see your delusions have gotten worse since I left."

"He came highly recommended."

"Oh, please. Look at him with his stupid messy haircut and Dolce and Gabbana glasses. He looks like an idiot."

"Josh, he looks almost exactly like you. I think that's half of the reason I hired him."

He scoffs. "You're insane. He's a total geek."

"And you are ...?"

"A
hot
geek. There's a difference."

"Of course. Silly me."

He grabs his bag and straightens up. "Right. We have a show to rehearse, so let's go fuck this sheep."

"Um ..."

"Yeah, I met some New Zealanders in Sydney. They blessed me with a new catchphrase."

"Excellent. Let's go."

After dropping Josh's bag off in my office, we head toward Hugh Jackman's dressing room.

"First order of business,” I say, “is to brief our illustrious host."

Josh tries to hide his excitement. "Cool. Should I tell him I'm currently wearing my Wolverine underoos in his honor?"

"You absolutely should not."

"Killjoy."

"Also, don't say anything about fucking sheep."

He suppresses a smile. "No farmyard intercourse references, either? Wow. Seems like you got all fancy since I left." He pauses then says, "Did I mention I've missed the crap out of you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop your gushing. It's getting embarrassing."

As we head upstairs to the luxury dressing rooms, all of my anxiety about the concert melts away. It may be one of the biggest and most complicated shows I've ever run, in an unfamiliar theater with an untested crew, but as long as Josh is by my side, it's going to be a walk in the park.

Backstage Batman and her Robin are on the case.

You'd Better Not Cry

November 27
th

The Los Angeles Home of Liam Quinn

Los Angeles, California

The next morning, a dull
pounding in my head wakes me, and I try to will it away by snuggling into my pillow. Yeah, like that ever works.

It's my own stupid fault. I had way too much champagne at the after party last night, and now, I'm paying the price. At least I have most of the day off before I have to fly back to New York.

I stretch out and sigh. It blows my mind that I can starfish in Liam's massive bed and not even touch the edges. I've worked in theaters smaller than this thing.

While I've been here in L.A., I've been staying in Liam's house in the Hollywood Hills. Even though his New York apartment is huge by Manhattan standards, it still has only three bedrooms and four bathrooms. This extravagant monstrosity has eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and the most stunning view of L.A. from the infinity pool that I've ever seen.

The best feature about this house? The dedicated cheese fridge in the kitchen. When I saw that Liam had stocked it with all of my favorites, I had a major cheesegasm. If I still harbored any doubts about his feelings for me, that cheese fridge put every one of them to rest. Only a man who is butt-over-balls in love buys his woman that much quality
fromage
.

I roll onto my back and stretch. Maybe I'll cook up some mac and cheese for breakfast. It's the one food my stomach can tolerate when dealing with a hangover.

"Good morning, beautiful."

What the ...?

I open my eyes and turn to see Liam staring at me from my laptop, which is sitting open on a pillow. He's lying in bed too, and he has his head propped up with his hand in such a way that his bicep is bulging.

All of a sudden I'm wide awake. "Hi, yourself, sexy man. What time is it there?"

He looks over at the clock on his nightstand. "Almost eleven at night. I have to go soon. We're shooting at dawn, and my driver will be here to collect me in half an hour. Just wanted to spend time with you before I leave."

"Hmmm, waking up to you, even digital you, is something I've missed. I hate your shooting schedule."

"Me, too."

I adjust my position so I can see him better. "I have this vague memory of nodding off during our sexy Skype session last night. That wasn't real, right? It had to be a nightmare."

"I wish. I was actually in the middle of some of grade-A dirty talk when you just flopped onto your pillow and started snoring. Your hand was still down your pants, for God's sake. It's clear you're not attracted to me anymore." He grips his chest as if he's in pain. "It's okay. I knew this day would come, but I guess I didn't expect it to be so soon. Oh well, we've had a good run. You can have the apartment, but I'll sue if you don't grant me joint custody of the cheese."

"Ha! You're dreaming if you think you're getting that cheese without a fight, pal. May I remind you that the last time we visited your parents, I stole pictures of you in high school with what looks suspiciously like a mullet? If you cross me, I'll pass that shizz along to TMZ without a second thought."

He slaps the bed. "Dammit, woman! Do you really want to put our beautiful, impressionable cheese in the middle of this nastiness? You'll scar it for life!"

"Okay, fine. I'll bury the mullet. But I'm doing it for the cheese, asshole. Not you."

His dark scowl sends shivers up my legs. "Fucking fine, you shrew. But this is going on the naughty list."

I try not to smile. "The naughty list?"

"Yes. It's a list of your transgressions, and it's getting pretty damn long, I can tell you."

"And what constitutes a list-worthy transgression?"

"Lots of things. Disagreeing with me. Disobeying me. Being thousands of miles away where I can't touch you. Being so beautiful you make my chest ache. Looking at me how you're looking at me now, when you know damn well it's going to make me hard as a rock. The usual."

"I see. And the point of writing it all down is ...?"

"So I know exactly how much I need to punish you when we're finally together."

"Am I going to enjoy this punishment?"

"If I allow you to, yes. So watch your damn step, or I'll make your life miserable. No orgasms for you!"

I smile and hug my pillow. God, he's sexy when he pretends to be angry. Why on earth do I find that so hot?

"Well, if it helps," I say, "I'm sorry I fell asleep. You know how dozy I get when I drink. I actually nodded off in the cab on the way back from the party. If Josh hadn't been there to help carry me inside, our lovely Russian driver who smelled like vodka and cabbage would probably still be circling Hollywood boulevard, earning a huge fare."

"Wait a second, back up. Josh is there?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you that last night?"

"No. You muttered something about how the show was amazing, and you raised eight million dollars for the charity, which is incredible by the way. Then you got all flirty and ordered me to strip. Too bad it wasn't much of a show, considering I was only wearing boxers, but still, you seemed to enjoy it."

"Oh, yes. I really did." Liam getting naked is pretty much my favorite thing on the planet, half asleep or not.

"I thought Josh was in Australia with Angel."

"He was, but he came back to help me out."

Liam smiles. "Seriously? That's great. I felt bad that you were handling everything by yourself, but knowing Josh took some of the load makes me feel less like a useless, abandoning bastard. Is he heading back to New York with you?"

"Yeah. His mom has guilted him into coming home until the new year."

"Well, if he needs his space from Ma and Pa Kane, he can always stay at our place. I'd feel better knowing there's someone taking care it when you leave." He pauses. "Speaking of leaving ..." He leans forward. "Four days, Liss. Four eternally long days until we're together."

"Can't you at least give me a hint at where we're going?"

"Okay, one clue. Bring your bathing suit."

I pull my knees up to my chest. "Seriously? There's a blizzard in New York right now, and even here in L.A. it's freaking cold."

He raises an eyebrow. "Then I guess you can cross L.A. and New York off the list of possible destinations, can't you?"

Damn him and his ability to keep a secret.

"So, it's going to be hot where we're going?"

"In more ways than one. On a related note, I also want you to bring an entire suitcase of lingerie. The sexier, the better."

I laugh. "Sure. I'll get right on that."

He leans forward and lowers his voice. "I'm not joking, Elissa. Go shopping. Use the credit card I gave you. Spare no expense. I want a whole selection to choose from."

"Liam—" I sigh. "I have no idea about that stuff. I've never worn anything but simple black and white underwear."

"I know. And as unbelievably hot as that is, I want to see you in something different. Feel free to be creative. I want you to torture me with your sexiness." His gaze drops down to where the shadow of my nipples can be seen through the white collared shirt I wore to bed. "Well, more than you already do, anyway. You look better in my shirt than I ever did."

"I respectfully disagree, but I do like that it smells like you."

"I'm glad that you're comfortable wearing an eight-hundred-dollar shirt to bed." He swallows and lets out a tight breath. "But, Christ, I wish I was there to tear it off you."

I sit up and make a show of undoing the top button. "Why tear it? I'll happily remove it if you ask nicely."

He sits up and licks his lips. "Hell yes. Take it off. Now."

"But, you didn't say please." I toy with the second button.

"Elissa ..." His voice is low with warning. "Unless you want another entry on the naughty list, I'd strongly suggest you remove that shirt, ASAFP."

I give him my most teasing smile as I undo the final button. Then I crawl up onto my knees and make sure I'm in prime position in front of the camera before holding the shirt open and giving him an unobstructed view of my breasts.

He groans as he curls his fingers into the sheet in front of him. "Maybe I should rethink the whole lingerie plan. If this is how you affect me in a man's shirt and plain white panties, the sight of you in something designed to drive men out of their minds might actually kill me. My cock has never been harder."

"Quid pro quo, Mr. Quinn," I say, my voice betraying how much his arousal thrills me. "Let's see the proof."

With a smug look, he adjusts the angle of his camera and pulls down the sheet to show me exactly how naked and hard he is.

Oh. Wow.

Good God, his dick is glorious. Thick and long, it curves in a perfect arc pointing up to his abs. Even though I love seeing my effect on him, I also feel sorry for him. His erection looks so tight and swollen, it must be painful. That doesn't prevent my body from going from zero to
I need to have him inside me now
in less than two seconds.

"See what you do to me?" he says. "I need relief, Elissa. Touching myself isn't even in the same universe as having you touch me. It's barely worth my time, anymore."

I slump onto the bed. "I know what you mean. I've given up, too. The other night I tried for so long, my hand cramped up."

Liam moves the camera so I can see his face again. "Wait a minute. Your
hand
?"

"Yeah. You were expecting me to use some other part of my body to masturbate?"

He looks confused. "No, but don't you girls usually have certain ... devices to help you out?"

"Devices? You mean vibrators?"

"Well, yeah." He looks so embarrassed discussing the matter, I almost laugh.

"Sorry to tell you this, but I've never owned one."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. In college, Cassie and Ruby tried to drag me to a sex shop, but I wasn't interested. Maybe that was a mistake, because they both purchased super amazing vibrators they raved about for the next two years. According to them, Buzz and Woody rocked their worlds."