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Instead, I push up onto my toes and into his space entirely and put my lips to his.
Flesh to flesh with absolutely no room to misconstrue the gesture as something other than it is. Immediately, his hands find my hips and squeeze, smashing my oversized body to his so entirely, it’s almost as if there isn’t a watermelon jammed between us.
With swift precision, he walks us back into my room, sweeping the balcony doors closed with a kick of his foot. His tongue forges into my mouth and plunders my tongue, and for the first time in my life, I’m honestly wondering why I’ve never taken a vacation on a pirate ship.
Sweet merciful mother of Jesus. Has he always been this good of a kisser? I mean, did I black it out? I had to have. Because if I’d remembered…
I shake off my overly complicated thoughts and focus in the moment—on the absolute nirvana of his tongue against mine. They dance together in perfect rhythm to the most perfect song, and his hands skate deliciously down—
“Raquel!” Heidi yells through the door, her heavy fist making the wood shake enough that I startle at the sound of it and accidentally snag my tooth on the tender flesh of Harrison’s lip.
I jump back as he puts a quick hand to it.
“Oh my God,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head and waves his hand, but when he opens his mouth to speak, Heidi’s voice on the other side of the door fills the silence for him.
“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing in there, but I just got phone calls from everyone I know in your building. What the hell are you thinking?”
I slink toward the door, but before I can get there, Harrison grabs me by the wrist with a gentle hand. “Rocky, you don’t have to answer to her.”
I shake my head. “It’s just easier.”
Harrison clamps his mouth shut, but his eyes say something different altogether. Something loud and unbelievably foul. Still, I know enough from experience that if I don’t talk to her now, Heidi won’t be going away. It’s much easier to nip it in the bud.
I pull open the bedroom door with a sigh, and Heidi steps out of the way to let me through into the hallway and I make my way into the living room. I walk to the couch so that I can sit down, but in an unorthodox move, Heidi heads for the front door. I’m surprised—so much so that I glance at Harrison, leaning in the mouth of the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest. He shrugs.
“You’re going?” I say to Heidi as she pulls open the door.
She looks over her shoulder, the short, crisp length of her bob swinging back as she meets my eye.
“I’m tired, Raquel. I’m tired of being a parent to an entitled child who can’t seem to understand how to behave in a way that doesn’t flush her career down the toilet. I’m tired of battling the will of some man—who doesn’t know shit about the business—like he’s got any sort of a damn clue, and I’m tired of acting like you’d make it a minute in the real world without me.”
“Heidi—”
She holds up a hand to stop me.
“For tonight, I’m done. Tomorrow, I’ll be back to cleaning up your messes. The car and Freddie will be here at nine to take you to set.”
With her parting blow executed, she opens the door the rest of the way and steps through it to leave.
The door hasn’t even fully closed behind her when I sink to the couch, and against my will, tears start to fall.
Harrison shoves off from the wall and comes to me immediately, squatting down between my knees and lifting my chin with just one finger.
I shove him away softly and try to get my shit together. God, it’s so embarrassing that I cannot stop myself from freaking crying these days.
“Why are you so upset?” he asks softly.
I pull my lips inside my mouth and shake my head.
“She’s not right,” he says quietly. “She’s just saying all of that shit to get inside your head. To manipulate you.”
“No,” I challenge with a sniffle. “She knows how this business works. If she says I’m messing up, I’m probably messing up.”
A heavy sigh escapes his lungs. “Rocky, come on. I don’t get it. Months I’ve been watching you. Months I’ve stood by your side and watched them. They treat you like you don’t have a brain, and even worse than that, you let them.”
He shoves to standing, spins, pulls at his hair, and then turns back to face me, softening his face just slightly.
“And, baby, you do. You don’t need a fucking wizard to give you one, okay? You’ve got a big brain and the platform to go with it. It’s time you start treating yourself like the boss you are and stop letting them push you around.”
