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The jeans I pulled on yesterday sit low enough you can see part of the heart tattoo on my right hip. The same tattoo Hayden and Austin have. The only mark I have on my body aside from a small scar on my thigh from falling off my bike when I was learning to ride.
My boobs are average. A handful but not much more. The bra I snagged yesterday was chosen more for comfort than style. It’s simple, black. No frills. No lace.
I wasn’t expecting anyone to see it.
“Let go, Taylor.” Eli’s words are soft yet demanding.
Releasing the hold I have on the shirt, my hands fall to my sides and hang loosely, defeat apparent in the slump of my shoulders.
Seconds pass, and then I feel Eli grip the material and pull it over my head. Away from my body.
“What are you doing?” I ask, spinning to face him. The shirt is on the ground. Eli’s hands are fisted at his sides, his chest rising and falling rapidly, stretching the material of the black T-shirt he’s now wearing.
“You are so beautiful,” he says, the words coming out strangled between breaths.
“I …” My voice fades as Eli’s eyes burn a trail down my body, taking in every exposed inch of me. When they finally flick back to mine, he reaches past me, grabs the other shirt, and without a word, pulls it over my head.
“So beautiful,” he repeats, stepping closer, trapping me between his body and the counter. “I think you know I’m attracted to you, Taylor. I have no intention of hiding it. You seem like the kind of girl who isn’t interested in being in the spotlight and that’s not something I can avoid. So, if you don’t want to start something with me, I understand.”
When his hands fall to my hips, and he pulls me against his body, a surge of electricity rushes through me. From my heart straight to my nether regions. My panties suddenly soaked. An ache I haven’t felt in a long time making its presence known.
“Are you going to say something?” he asks after a long silence.
His proximity has me speechless. I’m a hot mess of jumbled nerves and unfettered need.
Shaking my head, I try to ignore the desire coursing through my veins and focus on the reality of this situation. The consequences of being with Eli. Sure, the good would outweigh the bad, but the bad is everything I’ve been avoiding my entire life.
“I can’t,” I hear myself say, all the air leaving my lungs.
Good girl. Ignore those urges.
“Can’t or won’t?” he presses.
“Both. You’re right, I don’t like the spotlight, and you come with a multitude of them pointed in your direction.”
A knock at the door has Eli taking a step back and me running into his bedroom, closing the door behind me. I hear voices coming from the main area of his trailer, but I stay hidden, brushing my teeth and fixing my hair and makeup the best I can with what I keep in my bag for emergencies. When I’m sure the coast is clear, I crack the door open to find the living room empty.
With my bag pulled high on my shoulder, I open the trailer door, checking to make sure no one is around before I step out into the cool morning and speed walk to my car.
That can’t happen again.
I can’t sleep in his trailer.
I need to put some distance between us.
For my sanity.
Because Eli Simms is far more tempting than I imagined he would be. One kiss from him would melt away all my fears. Every protest would be voided. Every no would be turned into a yes.
And that can’t happen. Not now. Not ever.
As I start my car, I vow to not let myself fall for him any more than I already have. To fight the feelings growing in my chest. To ignore the magnetic pull he has on me. And as I drive to pick up the studio’s morning coffee order, I repeat those vows to myself over and over again.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to convince myself that it’s possible.
Pick up coffee.
Deliver call sheets.
