Chapter Eight

Laura

"Whoa. Who is that?"

"Is that…Kaiden Huxley?"

I glance up from the script to see Kaiden barging through the space like a bull in a China shop, his eyes locked on me. He's wildly out of place amongst the rows of costumes, standing head, and shoulders higher than everyone else. The intense look on his face steals my breath.

"Hi," I whisper, my stomach turning flips when he reaches my side. "Are you done for the day?" I'm not filming my first scene until tomorrow, but he has some training stuff today, so we're here for the duration.

"Not yet." He leans down, brushing his lips across mine.

The collective intake of breath is sharp enough to suck the oxygen from the room. Everyone goes silent, and I know all eyes are on us. Oh, my goodness. What is he doing? We didn't talk about this. Not that I'm objecting. He can kiss me anytime, anyplace. But there will be no hiding our relationship once this gets out. And it will get out. Some gossip is too juicy to ignore.

"I missed you," he murmurs, something dark and wicked in his eyes. Possession.

I shiver as it rolls over me in a hot wave. "I missed you too."

"Do you need anything, princess?" he asks, cupping the side of my face. He keeps his back to everyone else in the room, using his body as a barrier to shut them out. But it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. They're hanging on every word. It'll be all over the set in a matter of hours. It'll be all over town by the end of the week.

Does he know what he's doing?

Judging by the steely determination in his eyes, he does. He wants them to talk.

This crazy, beautiful man is…claiming me.

He's the Grinch, but my heart grows three sizes.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head. I place my hand against his cheek, covering his scar with my palm. "I don't need anything."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Kaiden, I'm fine." I haven't been nauseous at all today. In fact, I've felt fantastic. Hiding the truth from him for the past few days has been tough, but now that it's out, I feel so much better. I've been worried about him, but that's all.

He presses a kiss to my forehead, lingering there for a moment. "I'll find you when I'm done this afternoon."

"Can I come with you?"

"You want to watch me work?"

I nod eagerly. Watching him work is far more enticing than running lines and watching Edie sew any day. He's so sexy when he's being all bossy and commanding. I love how confident he is and how controlled. He doesn't second guess himself or his decisions. He trusts himself and his instincts fully. He's teaching me to trust mine too. Well…he's trying to teach me. We usually end up naked after an hour or so when he trains me. My instinct tends to be to jump his bones at every available opportunity. It counts as cardio, right? Right.

He takes my hand, helping me up from my chair.

"I'll finish getting this stuff ready for you," Edie says, offering me a bright smile. Her gaze darts to Kaiden in curiosity and then quickly back to me. There is no malice in the look, just genuine curiosity. I've never worked with her before, but she worked on Luca's last film. I think he brought her on for this one. I like her. She's warm and friendly and has gone out of her way to put me at ease.

"Thanks." I smile at her and then let Kaiden lead me from the trailer with his hand on the small of my back. Everyone else watches us the entire way.

"Think they're alerting the media already?" Kaiden asks, his voice suspiciously calm once the door closes behind us.

"What are you up to?" I ask, eyeing him sideways.

"Nothing."

If there's one thing Kaiden isn't, it's innocent. But I let him get away with playing the part, for now, knowing I'll get the truth out of him sooner or later. I have my ways. He may look tough, but he's not so hard to break once you know how. It just takes a little bit of effort.

Yay for me.

He leads me across the back of Stage 6. We dodge equipment, stepping over bundles of wires, ducking under balloon lights, and a camera boom. Kane and Scarlett are filming a fight on the main set, so most of the crew is over there, leaving this part of the set eerily abandoned. Then again, the dark corners have always been my favorite parts of film sets.

"When I first started acting, I used to climb up into the rafters and hide out," I murmur as we skirt around the edges of the set. "I liked being able to watch everything unfolding down below."

"Jesus, princess," Kaiden says. "You're lucky you didn't fall."

"Oh, I know. When I got caught, the director threw a fit. He threatened to fire me if I ever did it again." I smile at the memory, laughing quietly. "It scared me straight. Well, at least until I met Gage Bronx. He coaxed me back into the rafters when we were filming together. He was smart enough to secure us with straps so we didn't fall."

"Gage Bronx." Kaiden repeats the name, a furrow between his brows. "He quit acting years ago."

"Yeah. His brother had a heart condition like you," I say. "Gage only ever got into acting to pay for college. Once he did what he needed to do, he walked away and never looked back." We don't cross paths often since he left acting behind, but I'm always happy to see him and Troian when we do.

Kaiden stops walking and pulls me into a small recess where two large beams connect. He tucks his hand beneath my chin, lifting my gaze to his. "Why are you telling me this, princess?" he asks, his gaze searching my face.

"I don't know," I whisper.

"You do know."

"I…" I swallow the lie when he frowns at me, the bottom edge of his scar pulled taut. "I don't know. I sometimes think leaving it all behind wouldn't be so terrible if I did it for the right reason, that's all."

"I'm not the right reason, Laura." His firm tone sends my stomach sinking like lead. "You aren't giving up your career because you think it's what's best for me. I won't allow it."

"I…"

"So if that's what you're thinking, the answer is no," he growls. "You aren't giving up a fucking thing for me."

"Kaiden."

"No," he growls.

"You can't just order me around!" I cry, stomping my foot as tears well in my eyes. "It's my life. I get to decide what I do with it, Kaiden."

"Are you mine, princess?" he asks, his expression softening.

"Maybe."

"Don't piss me off." He wraps his hand gently around my throat to bring my face close to his. "I'll have you screaming my name right here."

"You wouldn't."

He eyes me levelly, and I know he means it. I see the truth peeping out from the depths of his wild gray eyes. He'll make me come here and now, just to hear me screaming his name. Just to remind me that I'm his and no argument will change that. This man loves me so much that he's here right now, doing what he hasn't done in years. And he's doing it for me.

"Of course I'm yours," I whisper, the fight draining out of me. How can I be upset with him when he's literally facing his worst nightmares and memories for me?

"Then you aren't giving up the career you love to be with me," he murmurs, brushing his lips across mine in a gentle pass. "It's my job to take care of you, not the other way around. You haven't sacrificed and worked your ass off for this long just to throw it away because you think I need to be protected. I'm a big boy. I can handle whatever they want to throw my way."

"We don't have to go public."

"I'm not hiding you," he growls, fire flickering to life in his expression. "They're not linking you to Abel fucking Clarke or anyone else in the goddamn press. It'll be my name next to yours."

"Is that what this is about?" I ask, biting my lip to hide an amused smile. "You're jealous?"

His scowl is dark enough to make me shiver. "I'm not jealous. I'm pissed that Clarke will have his fucking hands on you tomorrow."

"It doesn't mean anything, Kaiden," I whisper. "I have no interest in Abel. We've barely even spoken two words to one another."

"You think I don't know that?" He quirks a brow. "This is your job, princess. I know that. Of course, I know that. But I'm a possessive asshole when it comes to you. No one should touch you but me. No one should look at you but me. You're mine," he growls, dragging me closer to his body. He claims my mouth in a hot, possessive kiss that leaves my senses reeling. "I'm not rational when it comes to you. Christ, Laura, I'm so goddamn in love with you I can't think straight."

The breath leaves my lungs in a shocked exhale.

"I know you feel the same way. You wouldn't be willing to give up your career to protect me if you didn't. You're in love with me."

"I am," I mouth, barely able to force out the sound. "So in love."

He presses his forehead to mine, exhaling a shaking breath. "Fuck," he whispers, his breath washing across my face. It trembles on his lips. He's discomposed, rattled. I love that I can do that to him. That one simple truth has the ability to shake this giant to his very foundation. "I've been waiting a lifetime to hear you say that, princess."

"I love you."

"Laura."

"I love you."

"Laura," he growls.

"I love you."

"Now you're just trying to get yourself fucked," he mutters, biting my bottom lip.

"I am not." I totally am. "I'm trying to make you forget about tomorrow."

"It's not working. I read the fucking script." His mouth works against mine, his kiss possessive and hungry. "I want to break his pretty face."

"I'll make it up to you," I moan against his lips.

"Oh, you'll definitely be making it up to me," he mutters. "When we get home, you'll make it up to me by sitting on my face until I'm satisfied. And as soon as that fucking scene is finished tomorrow, you'll be making it up to me while you're bouncing on my cock."

"Kaiden," I moan.

"Come on." He kisses me hard and then drags me out of our hiding spot, gently pulling me up against his side. "Let's go before I say to hell with this movie and decide to let you start making it up to me right now."

"I like option B."

"Of course you do," he says, shaking his head. "You horny little thing."

I smile, hiding my face in his chest. "You made me that way."