“Maybe I will, that way I won’t be disappointed again.”
“While we’re on the topic of disappointment, your main concern should be trying not to disappoint me, and the audience paying to see you perform.”
Anger clouds my vision and I want to scream. “Oh, I won’t disappoint them. I will give them the best performance they’ve ever seen. They will love me. You know that, Aidan. You’ve known it since the audition. So, stop pretending that my talent or dedication will ever be a problem.”
My outburst
carries me toward him until I’m looking up into his face. Once I stop talking, I realize how close we’re standing. Blood rushes through my body, spreading warmth up my neck and into my face. But I don’t back away, and neither does he. His gaze slides to my lips and his eyes darken with an expression that makes my stomach tighten.
“No.” His voice is a soft whisper. “That has never been the problem.”
I know what’s going to happen next. I see it in his eyes, and in the way his body tenses, but still, when it finally happens, when he closes the tiny distance between us and covers my mouth with his, I’m not ready for it.
My heart explodes. The world lurches hard. Sensations hit me like a burst of cannon fire, touch and taste and smell. I’m enveloped by him, overtaken, captured, overwhelmed. Something bursts inside me like tension giving way to an explosion of freedom. I scream in silent exultation, straining closer to feel more of him, his lips, his chest, his hands.
His hands circle my arms, his fingers flexing on my skin. My body arches toward his. My breasts brush his chest, tingling with an urgent sensitivity. A soft sound escapes my lips.
It had never felt so good to kiss anyone.
It had never felt so terrible for a kiss to end.
He holds me steady as he backs away, hurriedly, as if I scorched him somehow. He’s frowning as he releases my arms.
I don’t need for him to say a word. I can see the regret painted on his perfect features, and in the face of that regret, the pleasure I experienced at his touch feels tainted, somehow. I recoil.
“Fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair, tousling it even more.
“Language, Aidan,” I say wryly.
He doesn’t laugh. His eyes are still burning, but he holds himself away from me as if coming close to me would burn him up.
“Liz…”
I shake my head, stopping him from saying whatever it is he plans to say. “Goodnight,” I mumble, then I turn around and walk away.
Chapter Ten
Aidan
“We’ll take five, then take it from the top.”
There’s a few exaggerated groans from the actors on the stage. “Last one today,” I say with a smile. “I promise.” I glance at my notes then turn to Liz, who’s still standing in the middle of the stage. “Liz…”
There’s a barely perceptible flinch when I say her name, but I notice. I notice everything about her. Especially after that kiss. She occupied my thoughts before the kiss, but now, after…I am helplessly obsessed with her.
I describe what I need for the scene, trying not to be too distracted while I talk. Everything about her is distracting…her eyes, the small pulse beating gently between her collarbones, the faint flush creeping up her cheeks.
My mind floods with the memory of her lips touching mine, the sounds she made, the sweet curves of her body, and arousal sears through me.
“…and when he says he wants to kiss you again—”
She frowns. “What?”
“What?” I look around and see the puzzled faces, then realize what I said.
“I mean…ah…when he says the line about wanting to see you again…” I clear my throat. “Pause a beat…include an action to convey your feelings, not just an immediate response.”
She nods.