“Where?”

“In and around Los Angeles. My character works at a fictional hospital there.”

“Awesome.” She offered him a tremulous smile. “Do you like being an actor?”

“It’s all I know. Pretending to be someone else, to do things I would never do…I like it.” Sometimes. Sometimes he didn’t. But what else could he do? He’d dropped out of school before he graduated and had to get his GED. His work schedule hadn’t allowed him for a normal high school life, and no way in hell could he go off to college. His mom wouldn’t let him.

She hadn’t allowed much of anything except work, work, work. They didn’t even talk anymore. One last major fight while he’d been high on coke and she’d been drunk off her ass had severed their relationship. He hadn’t gone back. Hadn’t said sorry, hadn’t begged for her forgiveness, nothing.

Neither had she.

He resented her for pushing him beyond his limits and she resented him for cutting her off. So they didn’t speak, the two of them too stubborn to give in first.

Stupid.

“Did you miss it? When you went…” Her voice trailed off.

“To rehab? Yeah.” At first he missed the fame and what came with it. Women, booze and drugs. His life had become an endless party, and then it was gone. Felt like he blinked and he was in rehab, going through withdrawals, cranky as shit and feeling like he was at the end of his rope. “Once I got sober and my head on straight, I realized I didn’t want to give acting up. That I’d have to change the way I think and what I did in order to get what I want.”

A soft smile curled her pretty lips. And they were definitely pretty. Lush and full and the perfect shade of pink. Her lipgloss had worn off long ago, and he had the urge to press his lips to hers. See if her mouth turned red and swollen after a few minutes of intense kissing.

“Sounds like you’re on the right track, then,” she said.

“I feel like I’m on the right track. Now I just need to make sure and not fuck it up.”

Her eyes widened the slightest bit at his use of the word “fuck”, but otherwise she didn’t say a thing. She didn’t need to. Any other words uttered could potentially destroy the mood and that was the last thing he wanted.

Leaning in, he traced his fingers along the edge of her jaw, smoothed his thumb down the front of her chin. She parted her lips when his fingers made contact with her skin, her breath stuttering when he brushed his thumb against her plump lower lip. She tilted her head up as his descended, their mouths meeting at the perfect moment.

If this was a movie, the music would’ve swelled in the background and the camera would’ve panned out on the kissing couple. But this wasn’t a movie. This was his life.

And he planned on enjoying every second of it.

Chapter Three

Declan cupped Reagan’s cheek to steady her as he drank from her lips, delving his tongue into her mouth to caress hers. A little whimper escaped her and she practically fell into him, her hands bracing against his chest to steady herself, slender fingers curling into his shirt.

She tasted sweet, like wine and mint and honey. She kept edging closer with every sweep of their tongues, until she was practically falling on top of him, and he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist so she could settle in his lap, right over his burgeoning erection.

Her hands sank into his hair and she tugged, making him wince. Making him groan. The kiss grew even hotter, wetter, deeper, and he finally broke away from her first. To catch his breath, gather his thoughts, remind himself they were in a public place and anyone could come upon them.

“Wow.” She uttered that understatement of the year at the same time she pressed her face against his neck, her lips causing a path of fire wherever they touched.

He threw his head back against the couch, his breaths ragged as she skimmed her hand down the front of his shirt, fingers tripping over the buttons as her mouth worked some sort of magic on his neck. There was nothing restrained about the way she touched him, kissed him, ground her lower body against his. The girl was on fire for him.

And he felt the same exact way.

He lifted his head, determination filling him. “Come with me,” he murmured into her silky soft hair, his low words getting lost in the moan that escaped him when she settled her hand directly over his cock. Even through his jeans, her touch burned. He tried to tell himself it was because it had been awhile since he was with a woman, but he knew the truth.

It was the woman touching him that brought out such a strong reaction.

“Come with you where?” she asked, her voice this low, sexy purr that sent every hair on his body standing on end.

“My hotel room.” He cupped her chin and kissed her, not allowing her to answer for long, tongue-filled minutes, until he broke apart from her again, leaving her dazed and breathing heavy. “I’m staying in this hotel. Are you?”

She slowly shook her head, her fingers curling around the length of his cock for a too-brief moment before they moved away.

He fought off the wave of disappointment and the urge to grab her hand and place it right back on his erection. “Stay the night with me, Reagan.”

“All right.” She nodded, her dark hair spilling over one shoulder, exposing the creamy skin of her neck. He kissed her there, hopefully driving her as crazy as she drove him, licking and nibbling on her skin until she was shoving at his shoulders and begging him to stop.

And also begging him to never stop.

“Come on.” He pushed away from her and stood, offering his hand. She took it and stood on wobbly feet, brushing her skirt down with her free hand, and he watched her, his gaze locked on her chest, where he could see her hard nipples poking against the fabric of her dress. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She offered him a tremulous smile and shook her hair back, her breasts rising with the deep inhale she took. He was fascinated with her chest, was dying to see what color her nipples were, and he told himself to knock that shit off.

But it was no use. It was going to become his mission to catch a glimpse of those nipples within the next five minutes if it was the last thing he did.

He took her hand and they walked briskly toward the double doors leading back to the party. Mentally he prepared how he was going to brush off his friends, because he knew they would come running the moment they saw him. This get-together tonight was really all about him, after all. If he was going to bail on his own party, then they’d be disappointed.

When they entered the room, though, he didn’t see his friends at all. And Luke and Noah were hard to miss.

“I don’t see Natalie or Andrea anywhere,” Reagan said, craning her neck as she looked around the dimly lit room.

“I don’t see my friends either.” He slipped his arm around her waist and steered her toward the exit. “Text the girls and let them know you’re with me.”

She sent him a sly smile. “They’ll probably tell me to run as far as I can if I tell them that.”

He laughed too. “Well then, reassure them this isn’t a bad idea.” He stopped short. “Unless you do think it’s a bad idea. If that’s the case—”

“Shush.” She set her index finger over his mouth, silencing him. “Let’s go.”

Everything inside of him heated at her gentle touch. “Yeah?” he asked, his lips moving against her finger.

Her lips parted, and a shuddery little sigh escaped her before she whispered, “Yeah.”

He couldn’t resist. He bit the tip of her finger, pursing his lips around it to give a gentle kiss before he lashed his tongue around her flesh as if to soothe the ache.

Fuck yeah, did it soothe. Her eyes flared with heat and she visibly trembled. His entire body went tight at the sight of her, a heavy throb moving through his cock, and he clamped his arm tighter around her waist, leading her through the small clusters of partygoers with a grim determination.