AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shit. “Good point,” I agree, and quickly add it to my garment bag. “Thank god Reeve is coming, it should be easier to ignore all the gossip with him around.”
“Easier, or… harder?” Mary-Alice smirks.
I laugh. “You have the mind of a horny teenage boy.”
“It’s that stage in my pregnancy,” she says cheerfully. “I can’t keep my hands off Kyle. I’m pawing at him night and day.”
“Poor guy,” I giggle.
“He’s coping manfully.” Mary-Alice beams. “I just hope Reeve can… rise to your occasion, too.”
I give her a grin. “Oh, he can.”
“Previews were good?”
“Previews were … promising,” I say tactfully, remembering the hard press of his body against me. Particular parts of his body. I get a headrush all over again, and go sit beside her on the bed. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before,” I admit quietly. “This kind of desire, I mean. I wanted Jake, sure, but I didn’t melt down into a pool of pure longing every time he looked at me.”
“You deserve it,” Mary-Alice says firmly.
“Yes, but …” I pause, all my caution rising again; the worst-case scenario planning that’s always been my nature, my protection against a chaotic and unpredictable world.
What if I fall too hard? What if this burns out too fast? What if Reeve goes back to LA and his Hollywood life and forgets all about me?
“No buts,” Mary-Alice stops me before I can spiral. She knows me too well. “Now, you’re going to go to your reunion, climb that man like a tree, and not worry about the consequences for once in your endearingly sensible life. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I laugh, getting to my feet again, and packing away my toiletry bag. I look around. “Now, where did I put those condoms …?”
Mary-Alice digs out the smushed box she’s been sitting on. “A twelve pack for one night away?” she comments. “I like the way you think.”
“I’m not packing all of them!” I laugh, then pause. “Should I?”
“Manifestation, baby. Prepare for the life you want.”
“Then hand ‘em over. All of them.”
Reeve picksme up right on time and we hit the road in his spacious rental car. It’s a nice change for me not to be the one behind the wheel, checking directions and traffic flow. Instead, I have zero responsibilities – except snack duty and programming my road-trip playlist through the fancy speakers. “Heated seatsandsix different cup-holders?” I tease, getting comfy in the passenger seat. “I could get used to this. Although, how many beverages does one man need?”
“There’s coffee, obviously,” Reeve replies with an easy smile. He’s dressed casually for the drive to Chapel Hill, in jeans and fine blue sweater that clings just right to the outline of his shoulders. “Water. Mind-numbing caffeinated energy drinks.”
“That still leaves three slots.”
“Well, suppose a man can’t decide between still or sparkling? Red Bull or Liquid Death?”
“Liquid what?” I ask, and he grins.
“You haven’t tried it? Good. I was mainlining the stuff to get through thePride and Prejudiceedit.” He shudders. “5:00 am would roll around, and it felt like my skull was vibrating right out of my head.”
“Gee, has anyone ever told you that you have an unhealthy work-life balance?” I ask.
He smiles back. “I’m trying. Look at me,” he adds, gesturing. “Relaxed and balanced, baby. My sister thinks I’m microdosing, I sounded so chill.”
I laugh. “You’re close with her, aren’t you?”
He nods. “And she’s damn talented, too. I couldn’t make my movies without her. Which can cause its own problems. For some reason, she doesn’t respect my authority like everyone else.”
“You’re a terror on set, I can tell,” I joke, just imagining all his smoldering focus channeled into his work.
“No way,” Reeve insists immediately. “Some directors are real assholes, yelling and screaming, but I always swore that wouldn’t be me. I want everyone to feel respected on my set … while they do exactly what I want,” he adds with a grin.
