Falling Stars (Starstruck Series Book 2) (20 page)

“A little help here!” It was John, wedged between two guys when she arrived.  Normally she’d make some sort of inappropriate joke, but when she saw who they were, she immediately ran to defend.

“Hey! Hey! Back it up, guys, come on!”  

“If it wasn’t for her, you’d be off the show.” Logan’s words were firm with conviction.

Evan grunted, “I didn’t even ask for it. I came here for the movie.”

“And to steal my wife?”

“HEY!” Alisa shouted, announcing her presence.

“You were the one who couldn’t control yourself, Rider. Get off your high horse.”

“No!” She struggled to pull Evan away from Logan, but it was no use.

“What?”

“I know about Kirsten. I know about your little problem too. You think about the welfare of your wife when you did that?”

“Fuck you.”

“No, fuck you!”

Swing … and a miss. Evan had taken a shot at Logan but over swung and missed.  Due to the effects of the alcohol, he stumbled and fell back.  Alisa tried to separate them, but he swung again, this time making contact with Logan’s face.  There was a sickening crunch, and Logan fell back.  Evan fell in the opposite direction, with John and David there to catch him.

“There, are we all happy now?”

“Alisa?”  Evan narrowed his eyes and sat up, breaking free from his restraints.

“Yeah, hey.”  She said coldly, glancing up at John. He knowingly nodded and helped Evan to his feet.  Alisa put her hand to his face and saw that he was hurt as well, probably from an altercation before she arrived. “You need to get home and get some ice for your hand and face—what is it with you and knocking people out, huh?”

“I’m sorry, Lis.” He looked clearly distraught, drunk, and dazed.

“Hey… don’t worry about it, okay? Just get home and get some sleep.”  It was hard to be mad at him, but the punch was uncalled for.  Alisa was disappointed, if anything.  The two of them were in a fragile state of mind, so she wanted to handle this as carefully as possible and go.  Once he was seated on the couch in the hotel hallway, Alisa pulled John aside. “Not exactly my idea of how your night was supposed to end …”

“Memorable night, eh?”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.  We had fun, for the most part.  Look, they fought earlier at the club, and the bouncer at Eros threw us out, so we came back here. We had a couple more drinks at the hotel bar, and then came up to the suite.  They started arguing again.  It got pretty nasty, Alisa.  Personal shit.  Evan kissed you? Again?”

“Oh shit.”

“Don’t you ‘Oh shit’ me.  You told me that first time it was nothing, and then there was your scene today.  What’s this all about?”  John’s sass was getting the better of him, but she deserved it.

“It was earlier today. I haven’t told anyone.”

“Well, now the groomsmen and everyone within earshot knows.  No lookie-loos, though. I think we’re safe on that front.”

Thank God,
she thought to herself.  If this went public before she had a chance to tell her girlfriends, or even her mother, it was going to be a catastrophe.  She missed her personal life staying personal.

“Sweetie, Logan was pissed.  We did what we could to keep it from being publicized, but I can’t promise anything.  I’m also not sure how many people saw us out there, but everyone with a camera phone is a damn journalist these days.”

Alisa wiped her face with her palm and sighed, “It’s all right.  Look, can I take Logan home, and you keep Evan here?”  She almost couldn’t believe what she was saying. “At least make sure he gets sobered up before he takes off?”

John’s brow shot upward, “Are you truly okay with that?”

She shrugged, “I’ll be fine.  I’m so sorry about this.”

He pulled her in for a hug and squeezed her tightly, “Don’t worry about it, babe.  I’ll put it on your tab.”

Alisa groaned.

“I’m kidding.  I love you.”

“Love you.”

It was a long, awkward ride home, but Alisa made it through. Even with the windows rolled down and a few sips of coffee in his system, she was surprised Logan made it without throwing up inside her car.  Never had Alisa seen her husband that hammered. Her appearance should have been buzzkill enough, but he was definitely sobered up a bit by the time they got home.  The bruise on his face was starting to show.  She pulled into the driveway of their house, and it all seemed strange to her.  She’d only been gone for three weeks, and it was already feeling foreign.  

She hated that.   

Helping him out of the car, she offered her shoulder to him.  He found it slightly funny as he was significantly taller than she was, but it was a genuine gesture.  Slinging Logan’s massive arm over her shoulders, Alisa kept him steady as she walked towards the front door and used her own key to open it. It was a small relief to see that he hadn’t gone to the trouble of changing the locks while she’d been gone. There was a beep when they entered, and she knew that the alarm system was armed.  She hobbled both of them over to the alarm panel in the hallway and typed in the pin. It was their anniversary, month and day, which made it difficult to forget.

After she set Logan down on the bed, she retrieved a bottle of water and a bag of frozen peas then returned to the bedroom.

“Drink up.”

He groaned.

“It’s water.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

“Yes you are.  Drink up.”  She knew him better than anyone.  Logan always chugged at least a bottle or two of water after a night out drinking before he hit the hay.

He sighed and opened the bottle, tipping the water into this mouth.  Before she knew it, it was all gone.  Logan sat up at the side of the bed, obviously in pain, but he was fighting back any sign of it.  

Alisa walked over to her husband and stood in front of him, searching for his eyes. “Look at me.”

Logan resisted at first but eventually gave in and turned his gaze upward towards her.  She placed the ice cold peas on his face.  He seethed as the bag made contact with his wound, but she held it in place firmly.  

“What were you thinking?”

Her tower of a husband remained silent.

She shifted the bag of peas from the side with the bruise to his chin where he’d somehow been cut.  “If they caught that on camera somehow and it gets out, it’s going to cost the studio a lot.  Ron is going to have a field day, and so will Valerie. I mean, sure, it’ll cause some scandal and all of that nonsense, but do you really want that for our movies?  For the show?”

Logan stared straight ahead as she treated his wounds and wiped the moisture from his face with a washcloth.  

“I know you’re angry, frustrated, or whatever, but this has to stop.  I’m not sure if you’ve taken any advice from those of us on set who know about this, but you really should get some help and
  
”

Logan leaned upwards, and his lips pressed against hers.  His hands were wrapped around her waist, and she reached down to embrace him as they kissed.  Her first instinct was to push him away, and when she tried, he persisted. Alisa struggled to stop him, but he held onto her tightly and continued kissing her. It had been so long since he kissed her that way, filled with so much passion.

It was sudden but she welcomed his touch with a longing for him she hadn’t realized she had until he made his move.  Logan’s hands made it down to her backside, pulling her even closer to him.

Their breathing, much like their heartbeats, quickened.  

Alisa removed his shirt without hesitation and started fiddling with his belt as she kissed him passionately, biting down on his bottom lip. A deep moan escaped him, not expecting the bite, and the vibrations wound through her. She needed him so badly.  As she brushed her hand over his lap, she could tell he needed her just as much.  Her shirt came off quickly as she raised her hands to let him peel it from her body, and she slid out of the jeans she was wearing with ease.  They fell to the floor in a messy heap.  He kissed her once more before he stood to strip completely naked.

Her husband’s naked body was always a lovely sight, his muscles defined by the lighting in the room.  He gently set her back onto the bed, nestling himself between her legs and dragged his tongue over her neck. He kissed her skin there, knowing how sensitive it was to the touch.  Soon his mouth found her breasts, and he kissed them, running his tongue over her nipples; first the right, then the left before rising up to kiss her.  Logan gently parted her lips with his tongue and in one motion, he pushed into her, feeling how wet she was for him.  Her legs wrapped around his waist as he started driving into her with a steady rhythm.

Alisa moved her hips upward to meet his thrusts. She ran her fingernails over his back, scratching him slightly.  This prompted him to be a little more aggressive.  She moaned into his neck as she bit him again, this time harder than the last.

Grasping her body, he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him.  He bucked upward, watching as he disappeared between her thighs with ease, sliding in and out of her.  He reached down and grasped at her backside as she rode him, faster and faster until finally both of their bodies tensed.  The two of them climaxed louder and harder than ever before.

Even after he released into her, Alisa could still feel him throbbing.  They were both panting, attempting to catch their breath.  She collapsed on top of him and quickly felt his arms around her.  His heartbeat was heavy against her ear as she rested her head on his chest, completely comfortable lying against her husband.  The beat was hypnotizing, and with exhaustion sweeping over her, it was lulling her to sleep.

Logan leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.  “Please stay with me.”

Spent of all energy, Alisa knew she had no intentions of moving. Though she knew what he meant.  She was temporarily living with friends, away from her own home.  Away from her own husband.  This was a stolen moment, one she did not regret in the least.  They needed this.

“I will.” She whispered back, snuggling into his arms as they both succumbed to sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

It was early, and Logan was asleep, so she decided to go out back to write. It felt good to be back in her old neighborhood.  Not that her friends’ houses were in bad neighborhoods, but it seemed like everything was finally in its rightful place again.  This was her home.  She finished the last chapter in her new book then took off to pick up a few things from Alex and John’s.  

While she was out, Ron called.

“I just wanted to let you know that we are on track.  The movie has a few extra roles to cast, and the studio wants to put out an open call for New York City.  Are you and Evan good to head back out there to do some scouting before we start filming?”

“Don’t we have a C.S.A. for that?”

“Yes! Dolores is going to see you at the studio when you arrive. She’s excited to meet you both.  I think you and Evan, as writer and director, are a necessity for this portion of the project to finalize everything and to get us rolling soon.  Is that doable?”

The good news: She was finally getting some good credibility with Ron and the studio for him to trust her with a task like this.  This was going to be a fantastic opportunity because working with Dolores, their casting director, was going to help her break into a job she loved, aside from writing.
The bad news: She was at a crossroads of sorts.  With things patched up, or whatever it was, with Logan, he was surely going to be upset that she had to make another run with Evan into the city.  

The timing would be good, however.  Her book was done, and the show was going on hiatus in a couple of weeks for the holidays, which meant movie scheduling would go into high gear before the FI writers summoned her back to finish up the season.

After her short run for errands, she returned home.  There was a TV on in the office, and she wanted to surprise him.  She stripped off her comfortable clothes and got into something more appealing then threw the door open.  

“Well hello-Oh, what
 
hi—um …”

It was an unpleasant surprise, especially since the only thing between her naked body and her in-laws was a thin jersey that belonged to her husband’s favorite baseball team.  She must have turned as red as their logo.  She was absolutely mortified.

“Alisa.”

OhmyGod.
She panicked.

Scuttling back to her room, Alisa opened the door and quickly slammed it shut, only to find Logan sitting on the bed, dressed in his usual casual attire: a dark v-neck tee and some designer jeans.  He was slipping on his house shoes when she came in. “Morning.”  He smiled.

Alisa felt like she needed to find the nearest paper bag.  “Your dad.  He’s. Your mom ... in the office ... and …”

Logan eyed her up and down, and then he stopped, a huge grin on his face.  “Oh …”

Alisa was sure to have turned a bright shade of red, enough to match the shirt.  
Oh, God, how loud was I last night?
She wondered.  They had gone about three rounds, each orgasm hitting her stronger than the last.  Since she wasn’t used to living with anyone, she didn’t hold any of it back, and it was definitely heard through the house.  
Oh, God
. The dread filled her.

“Yeah, they came in yesterday.  They’re here for the weekend. I’m going to have dinner with them tonight.  You’re more than welcome to join us.”  Logan stood once he was finished getting situated and immediately wrapped his arms around her.  His cologne was strong, but he smelled amazing to her.  After he kissed her, his hands trailed down her shoulder to her hands, stroking her palm with his thumb.  

His touch calmed her down enough to take a deep breath.

“You’re not wearing it.”

“Wearing what?”

“Your ring.” Logan pulled her hand up to show her the bare hand with nothing but a slight tan line showing where the ring had been.

“Oh.”  She gulped.

“Oh?”  His eyebrows pulled together, expressing his hurt and anger all at once.

With a nervous giggle, she pulled her hands away from Logan. “I’m sorry. I must have left it at Alex
   
”

“How long have you been walking around without it?”

Alisa gulped. There was no evading it. “A few days.”

There was a heavy air in the room as it fell silent. The only noises were the footsteps and muffled conversation his parents were having in the living room over the television.  

Alisa tried not to let the tears fall from her eyes, as she lifted a hand to catch them   What did he expect?  Everything to be great?  Sunshine and rainbows and more “happily ever after”?  It was on a whim that she chose to remove the diamond ring from her finger, but she’d had many chances to put it back on.  That same guilt she felt when Logan told her about Joey and the picture in New York came over her.

“I’ll see you at dinner.”

At promptly 5:00 p.m., the Riders gathered for dinner. Alisa was seated at one end of the table and Logan at the other, leaving Jana and Edward to take the open spots across from one another.  There was little conversation, only forks hitting plates and awkward silence.

“So, Logan tells us you got to visit New York, Alisa. How was it?  Did you see Joey while you were there?”  His mother Jana looked up from her plate.

Alisa swallowed her food before speaking, “Yes, it was very nice.  I didn’t get to stay long but from what I got to see of Manhattan, it was gorgeous.  Joey was there too. He’s actually been cast as one of the new leads in our sequel.”

“Oh, how nice, dear.  Isn’t that nice, Ed?”

“Yeah, wow.  The entire family getting in on this? If so, where do I sign up?”

Everyone laughed, even Alisa.

“Next time you kids fly out, we’ll be prepared to have you stay in Logan’s old room, the guest room, for a few days.”

Alisa patted the corners of her mouth with her napkin before she spoke. “I’m sorry, Dad. I would have told you, but it was all last minute.  I was only there for a few days.”

“I wasn’t with her, either.”

She froze.  Alisa looked up at Logan, surprised, but he kept his eyes down, away from her. She was worried to see how far he was going to take this passive-aggressive argument in front of his own parents.

“Oh?” Jana took a bite of her food and looked between Alisa and Logan.

“I was there for the studio, talking with Joey and another actress for the movie.  I was with
-
”

“Evan Gable. He’s a director, apparently a pretty big deal. Won some awards and even managed to crash my show.” Logan’s fork loudly hit the plate, emphasizing the spite behind his words.

“Oh, he’s going to be on
Family Insurance
, then?” Edward asked curiously.

Logan nodded, a fake smile plastered on his face.  “So exciting.”

“Why are you being like this?”

“Being like what? My parents have dealt with plenty of industry types.  They can know about your weekend getaway with our new director, right?  The one who got onto my show because of you--”

“No, he made it on because of Kassidy and Ray.”  She looked at her in-laws, smiling slightly in an attempt to salvage the dwindling mood of the dinner conversation. “Anyway, the second movie is going to be great. We have a lot of new tech for the special effects team, a good cast, and I actually look forward to working with Joey.”

Logan scoffed, continuing to shovel his food with his fork.

Jana looked over at Logan, and then to Alisa.  “Logan.”

“It’s fine, Mom.”  Alisa responded.  She didn’t want to get his parents involved, but he was doing one hell of a job preventing that.

“If you’ll excuse me.”  Logan threw his fork onto the table which clanged loudly against their nice china.  He stood and went outside, slamming the door behind him.  

Alisa set her fork down.  Her plate was still rather full. She’d lost her appetite. Her wine glass was almost empty, though. Her nerves were spinning out of control, making her stomach churn.  She was anxious to get out of this house unscathed.  She loved her in-laws, however, and didn’t want to insult them by taking off.  It was like the scene from a very old, broken-family drama, but she didn’t want to be a part of that. She cleaned the table like a good wife and quietly excused herself from their company.  Alisa needed to get outside, so she went in the opposite direction of her husband.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hey, Dad.”  

Edward was well-dressed; it was no wonder Logan always looked so sharp in the suits he wore.  He took a few steps up the stairs she was perched on and offered an arm around her for a brief hug before sitting next to her.

“What’s eatin’ at ya?” he folded his large hands together.

She shrugged.

“Aw, come on, don’t think that’s going to fool me. I have a wife, two daughters, and a couple of Hollywood knuckleheads. I know better.”

Alisa couldn’t help but smile.

“There she is.”  He clicked his tongue as he nudged her chin with his knuckle. “Now what’s on your mind, dear?”

After losing her dad a few years ago, Alisa looked up to her father-in-law. He took her in in an instant; he didn’t judge her for what choices she’d made in life and didn’t dislike the fact that she couldn’t possibly grant him a grandchild.  Edward was a gentleman.

“It’s Logan.”

“Well, yes. I gathered that, otherwise you wouldn’t have been so tense at dinner. And save it. Yes, I noticed. I may have gotten old, but I still notice things.”

Alisa sighed. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? Don’t be, sweetheart. I can tell something has been bothering you all night.  Jana is in there talking to him now, but you know how hard-headed he is. He probably won’t tell us a thing.”

“So you figured I’d be easier to break?”

“No, I just figured you’d have more sense.”

She laughed. “Ya got that right.”

“Well ... based on what I’ve seen, someone messed up. Badly. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.  Did he get into some trouble?”

Alisa turned to Edward but remained silent. She wasn’t sure how much of Logan’s life he’d been exposed to but in this line of work, he could probably figure it out.

“Now I’ve seen the news. With our kids in showbiz, it’s kind of hard to avoid it. I know Logan was seen with some other woman, and I know that they tend to embellish when it comes to that nonsense.  I can, however, tell you there’s truth in the fact that my son loves you.”

The words of wisdom spouting from Edward Rider’s mouth were appreciated, even if she stayed quiet. She did agree.  She knew Logan wasn’t the type, so why was she letting this get out of control? The tabloids, the Facebook slamming, the paparazzi. Everything was spiraling out of hand.

“Please give him a shot to figure himself out.  This is the first relationship since he left the nest that he’s allowed us to actually get in on
  
meet the girl and love her as much as we love our own son. We really do think you guys are a great match, kiddo. Logan loves you.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and offered a half hug to him, a humble thank you for his chat. “I know.”

“I love you. Jana loves you. Samantha, Joseph, Katie,
everyone
... they love you too.” It warmed her heart to know that Edward felt this way, and it was amazing to be part of a family who felt so strongly about her. “I know you’re a writer, and I know you’ve heard or written any and all clichés … but you are a part of our family, and we won’t forget that you turned our boy’s life around.  You got him to settle down, clean himself up, and even pursue directing.  I never thought that would happen, but you made it happen somehow.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Alisa shook her head.

“He fell in love with you.  That’s all it took.  Look, Jana and I have been together for over thirty years. We have gone through things and learned several life-lessons the hard way.  It takes time to work on a partnership.  Whatever it is that has happened ... it’ll pass. Everything will work out.  No matter what, though, we love you, Alisa. You always have us.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime.”

It was moments like these that made her miss her own father.  Edward was a wonderful man, and she loved everything about him, from his quick wit to his charm.  After her chat with her father-in-law, Alisa walked back inside.  It was nice to feel the cool breeze after being cooped up in the warm house, embarrassed out of her mind over dinner, but it gave her enough time to reflect on what needed to happen next.  She found Logan resting on the bed when she came in, watching television.  He put his show on mute when he saw her.

“Listen ...”“About last night ...”

“What about it?”  He asked, looking up at her with a hopeful smile.  His eyes were brighter than she’d seen in a great while. 

It was a little more difficult to get out into words than it had been mulling over it after she talked with Edward.  He was so eager to fix things between them, but she knew Logan needed help.  She started to fidget, trying to busy her shaking hands when she finally decided to let it out.  “I-I’m going back to John and Alex’s place tonight.”