A STELLAR AFFAIR (A Hollywood Bad Boy Romance) (21 page)

Ava had decided to just quit
thinking too much and worrying about the future. Wes was definitely a comma in the course of her journey and he wasn’t done writing his role in her life. Turning him into a period was harder than she first thought, so for the sake of her sanity, she’d decided to just wing it and let fate decide on their future.

Yes, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t shaping her destiny in her hands with a purely cerebral approach. Wesley Stoner was too big and complex to be handled and simplified like a business. Plus, she quit wrestling with her rationality. Wes definitely controlled her hormones and her common sense had no effective weapon to combat it as of the moment.

So…fuck it. She was diving into this without safety measures.

Stupid fool.

Yeah.

But she was happy.

She never thought she could ever truly say the word about her love life. But she WAS happy.

She’d woken up this morning to his kisses and his hands leisurely roaming her body. It was the most wonderful feeling she never knew she could ever feel with a man, to wake up bare of everything— no make up, no shower, no nothing, just her real self in its most natural state without the aid of cosmetics and stylists to enhance her looks or camouflage her imperfections— and the way he’d looked at her, the gentle way he’d touched her, and the seductively soft words of want and need he’d whispered to her told her how much she was desired despite her flaws.

He made love to her slowly at first, then with a hunger that could only be brought in by the promise of a bright new day.

 
The door bell chimed minutes after they lay in bed panting from their almost simultaneous orgasms. The man made good on his promise to always make her finish first.
 

He’d hopped out of bed, hastily donning his robe. He disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back into the room, he brought breakfast with him.

She’d squealed in delight. Her favorite pancake in the world! How did he know? Her breakfast was airlifted to Vegas from her fave restaurant in L.A. She couldn’t believe he went to all this trouble to please her. When did he do this between last night and this morning? But then again, she shouldn’t be too surprised anymore. Wes had his ways of getting things done. Boy, didn’t she know that firsthand?

Yes, he can be the most maddening man with his high-handed and dominating ways topped with a dirty mouth—she hoped it was only with her that he talked like that!— but he CAN be the most romantic, too.

He served her like she was a queen.

“I’m really feeling like an empress right now.”

He grinned. “You’re so easy to impress, Empress,” he said dryly. “This is just breakfast and you’re already falling in love with me.”

She blushed but she didn’t shy away from his teasing. It was probably at that precise moment when she realized she was indeed falling for him. “I’ve never had breakfast in bed with a man before.”

“Never?”

She shook her head.

He touched her cheek with his fingertips gently. “I’m glad I’m your first…breakfast in bed.”

Oh boy. This man had a way with words.

They ate together in comfortable silence.

“So…what happened to you and Glass?”

She paused from drinking her coffee and stared at him, surprised by his out-of-the-blue question.

He shrugged. “You don’t need to answer that.”

But she found herself telling him anyway. There was an openness between them this morning that wasn’t there before.

It happened so long ago and yet she felt she hadn’t had real closure of that painful episode in her life.

She told him about her childhood friends, Tyrone and Skylar. About their dreams of making it in Hollywood. About their early beginnings as a band and their swift rise to stardom.

As a trio, they called themselves Next In Line and went to win America’s Next Idol grand championship. They landed a recording contract right after that. They shot to fame too fast, too soon, became rich and famous in their own right before they even hit eighteen.
 

They were all living the dream. She thought those were the best times of her life.

Tyrone finally expressed his feelings for her, too. She’d been in love with him since they were kids and she was nothing but ecstatic when he asked her to be his girl for real. He made it official in public, too. The NIL fans went crazy in love with them and they created a whole new fan base. Their love team was called Tyva.
 

After four years of riding high, another opportunity presented itself, but it was only offered to her. A solo album. Minus Tyrone and Skylar.

She was the main vocalist of NIL. Skylar was mostly her back-up, though Skylar also sang a few songs in their two mega-successful albums. Tyrone, however, was the songwriter of NIL and the lead guitarist. He was extremely insulted to be bypassed. Skylar hid her feelings well in those times.

She rejected the offer, of course. She would never betray her bestfriends like that. Success was meaningless without Tyrone and Skylar by her side.

But she failed to see the cracks in those times. Or maybe she refused to see them. She woke up one day with a heartbreak she knew would scar her forever.

She caught Tyrone and Skylar in bed together.

Her boyfriend and her bestfriend were entwined in bed, naked, sleeping soundly and uncaring of what they’d done.

There was no doubt what they’d done. They betrayed her in the most unforgivable way.

Her life was a clusterfuck of holy mess afterward.

Tyva was no more.

NIL broke up, too.

Tyrone and Skylar got married.

How she hated the gossip that hounded her for years from that heartbreak.

But she survived. Somehow. It didn’t destroy her and as the saying went, it made her stronger.

“On a hindsight, I think it was for the best. It was never meant to be.”

There was a glint in Wes’ eyes, an emotion she couldn’t name, but his gaze felt good. Comforting. Understanding.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears.

“Next In Line doesn’t suit you, baby. You’re a fucking headliner. Never forget that.”

Oh Lord. He could definitely utter the most perfect words.

Waking up with Wes in Vegas would definitely go down as one of the best mornings in her entire life.

They’d taken a shower
together after breakfast and decided to just stay in the suite all morning.

“Need help?” she asked Wes who was across the room on the sofa, reading his script for his next shoot.
 
Jaq gave him the whole day off, bless him, but Wes will be shooting his parts later in the evening all the way to the wee hours. She’d be leaving for L.A. tomorrow noon, as well, as she’d be guesting live at the Erin Parker show in the afternoon.

She was missing him already as she lazed on the bed, pretending to be busy with her own business but really, she’d been busy ogling his raw beauty the past hour. Who knew long hair in a bun could be so sexy in a man?

He looked up from the sheets of paper in his hand, his blue eyes enhanced by the rays of the sun streaming through the tall windows of the suite. He’d made his presence felt here like he owned the place, including her, and not one feminist shit crossed her mind. He’d shut it all up the moment he started sucking her clit. Yup, that was definitely the best way to shut up her never-ever mantra.
 

He grinned at her. Jesus. Those dimples were fucking illegal. Best part was, they were all showing off for her benefit. “I could use some.”

“I gotta warn you though, I don’t have Oscar bones in my body.”
 

He snorted. “This script doesn’t need shit to deliver. I have exactly three important lines here. The rest are growls and grunts.”

She giggled. “And what are they?”

His facial expression changed into pure Darko menace. He had this unique way of staring where his eyes turn darker, as if the most evil of sins lurk in their depths waiting to be unleashed. She felt goosebumps prickle her skin. Gosh, so sexy!
 

“You are mine. I own you. Surrender!”

Her nipples perked up.

“Your light is mine to snuff out now or keep for eternity in my kingdom of darkness.”

Her clit started to throb.
 

“Maybe I’ll spare your worthless life. But I’ll keep your soul. You’re my prisoner for infinity. Mine!”

Liquid desire gushed between her legs.

Ava Ryder, you insatiable slut,
her conscience snickered. But she couldn’t help it. He was
 
staring at her as he delivered the lines, as if they were meant for her.

“So, what do you think?”

She blinked at him. “Huh?”

“My lines?”

She cleared her throat. “Uhm, they are…hard…errr, harsh! So harsh!”

He grinned, putting away the script. “I do have Oscar bones in my body.” He winked at her, spreading his legs to show her his “bone”. It just made a huge tent on his running shorts.

She blushed scarlet. The man had a way with words, and just about anything!

He stood up and climbed the king-size bed, crawling toward her. “Darko’s got something REALLY hard for you right now.”
 

She caught her breath knowing she was going to get nailed senseless on the mattress again. “Uhmm?” That came out like a purr as her entire body was already tingling in anticipation.

“Think you can handle it?”

“Uhm, My Lord Darko’s powerful…staff?” she said innocently.

He laughed, the sound echoing around the room and into her heart.

“Yeah, it’s about to rain thunder and lightning on your world’s fertile grounds. Are you ready, mortal?”
 

She opened her legs to welcome him.
 

He fit perfectly there.

Hard. Big. Hot.

So alive.

Hers.

God, help me, I’m in love.
 

I know it.

This is it.

The real deal.

They ditched Reena’s script
and wrote their own for Stoneryder that day.
 

They decided to walk around the Strip in the afternoon, minus their entourage. Reena was against it but Wes assured Reena that all will be fine. They just wanted some alone time with just the two of them, enjoy the city like ordinary people.
 

Ava was excited like a kid. She’d never been out in public without her entourage for almost a decade now. The price of fame was the loss of such luxuries. Freedom.

For their little incognito adventure, she wore a dark
dreadlocks
wig and a black, loose-fitting dress that concealed her curves all the way to her feet
.
Wes donned a colorful jacket with a hoodie and super baggy red pants, looking like he just came off of a hip-hop jam session. They looked comical together, an odd-looking couple and it worked. With their heavy shades hiding their eyes, nobody minded them as they strolled along the Strip.

“When was the last time you did this?” he whispered in her ear as they licked their ice cream like regular tourists.

“I can’t remember.”

He was holding her hand, almost never letting it go, as if she would be lost like a child if he did. They were being followed by Reena’s minions though, documenting this episode. But she was glad she didn’t need to be so careful around people. Nobody recognized her at all.

“Let’s give them something to talk about in this episode,” Wes said with a mischievous grin.

“What…?”

They stopped in front of a quaint-looking little chapel, one of those cheap ones dotting the Strip for quickie weddings. “Have you ever been in one of these?”

“You can’t be serious!”
 

His grin widened. “Let’s see what it looks like inside.”
 

“No…”

“Yes!” He dragged her inside.
 

They both gawked at a couple kissing like there was no tomorrow at the altar a few meters away, while a man in a tux looked on with a silly grin on his face.

“Oh…” she breathed out shakily. “We shouldn’t be watching this,” she whispered.