Page 13 of Notorious (Hollywood Heartthrobs #2)

CONNOR

I finished with the film two days early after begging the director to shoot my last three scenes back-to-back late Wednesday night so I could catch an early morning flight.

At first Kathleen wanted to strangle me, but when I explained I wanted to go home early and surprise my boyfriend, she had so many questions.

“Holy shit! You have a boyfriend? Where did you meet him?”

I smiled when I remembered our initial meeting. “I met Ollie on my flight back after my last movie wrapped in New York.”

“What, is he an older gentleman who’s now your daddy?”

“Um, Kathleen, you need to stop watching gay porn, honey. He’s four years younger than me, with no interest in kink. We just started dating.”

“You’re being serious right now?”

“Um, yes.”

She shook her head. “No, I mean, you’ve met someone and you’ve committed yourself to them?”

“Yes. Is it so out of the ordinary that?—”

The loud and hurtful scoff cut off my words, and then she rolled her eyes.

“I have never seen you with the same person twice. You are respectful of all your partners and even learn their names when most wouldn’t bother, so I’m a little surprised.

But now that I remember the last few weeks and seeing the smile on your face when you talk about him, I’m happy for you.

Good for you, honey. You’ll have to bring him to the premiere so I can meet him. ” Kathleen said.

I hugged her a final time, thanking her for helping me out, and rushed to the hotel to pack for the flight.

Thomas was less than impressed because of the early morning hour as he drove to the airport in our rental.

But as soon as he’d downed a strong cup of coffee, which the hotel was gracious enough to provide both of us as we checked out, his mood improved.

“Did I mention I’m grateful that you wrapped up early?” Thomas asked.

“Has Sam been working himself into exhaustion since you’ve been gone?”

The smile on his face told me everything I needed.

But when we arrived home, the house was eerily quiet. Thomas’ phone dinged with a text and as he read it, his smile fell.

“Sam’s working a double shift. I’m going to take him some lunch and snag some time with him. You’ll be okay on your own?”

I nodded and walked up to hug my bodyguard and close friend. “I’m sorry I haven’t said this earlier, but I’m happy you and Sam figured it out.”

Thomas squeezed my shoulder and gave me a smile.

“Thanks. Go find your man.”

With a laugh, I watched Thomas rush out and pulled out my phone, needing to see Ollie as soon as possible.

Connor: Hey, where are you?

Ollie: Hey, Connor. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until later. How’s your morning?

Connor: Well, it was going well as I planned on surprising my new boyfriend, but he’s not home.

There was a long moment of pure silence before my phone rang.

“What? You’re home?”

“Yeah. I missed you, carino mío .”

A sound, part squeal and part moan, set my body a light.

“You can’t say that aloud when there are people around me!”

I chuckled, not finding humor in the situation, but his voice deepened, which set off sparks throughout me.

“Where are you?”

“Oh, I’m at the school football field with the triplets.

They are having a fun fair today in order to raise money for charity and they roped me into helping set up and then working a booth.

The one with the under inflated balloons you try to pop with darts before you can win a prize.

Well, I filled the balloons to capacity and volunteered to run it.

Who would have known it would be one of the most popular games here? ”

I heard the shrug in his voice and laughed. Ollie’s sense of rightness was one of the many reasons I was falling for the man.

“Hold on, one second, okay, Connor?”

“Anything for you, Ol.”

Ollie sat the phone down and he was rustling about and encouraging the player to win, which by the loud squeal a few minutes later, she did.

“I love it when the kids get to win. I make it harder for the adults, especially the assholes, but it’s a lot of fun.”

“Then I’m glad they talked you into it.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little eager to spend time with him, especially after our unforgettable discovery two nights ago.

And in the light of day, there wasn’t a single part of me freaked out by the change in our relationship.

If anything, I wanted to experience everything with the man who consumed my thoughts.

“Would you like some company?” I asked.

“Um, I missed you while you’ve been gone. But there are people everywhere and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Is Thomas with you?”

“No, he’s taking Sam some lunch and then spending as much time with him as he can.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to be a bother. I’ll be home in about two hours.”

I loved how he already called our house his home. Something indefinable warmed in my chest.

My mischievous side came through, and though I wouldn’t take a chance with Ollie’s safety, I wasn’t expecting any trouble from a crowd of high schoolers. Besides, the triplet’s friends learned of me back in their freshman year.

“Don’t worry, carino mío, I have a disguise that works every time. I’ll be there soon, and you won’t even recognize me.”

Before Ollie could protest, I said a quick goodbye and hung up.

I rushed upstairs and dug in the back of my closet for the variety of baseball caps I kept for this reason alone.

In reality, a pair of sunglasses, dark ones shading my eyes, and a baseball hat with a pair of jeans and a long sleeve distressed tee shouldn’t work as a disguise.

But Kaid, who was notorious for not being spotted out and about, gave me the tip after we worked together and it’s never steered me wrong.

I rushed down the stairs, running into mama coming from the garage with bags of groceries, which I took from her and put on the kitchen counter.

“Where are you off to in a hurry?”

“The school. Ollie’s running some booth there and I’m going to meet him.”

This took my romantic mama by surprise. “Oh, why?”

Unable to keep the smile off my face, I said, “Ollie agreed to be my boyfriend.”

She beamed at me and patted my cheek. “Good, it’s about time. Just be careful when you’re out in public. Thomas isn’t with you, and you’re smart, but sometimes people won’t take no for an answer.”

“Always, Mama. We’ll see you later.” I pecked a kiss on her cheek and waved as I sailed out the door and into my Range Rover. It was the least conspicuous car I owned.

It took twenty minutes to get to the triplet’s high school and finding a place to park was a bit of a pain.

When I managed it, I let the noise and laughter lead me toward the bustling football field.

It was amazing how much effort the school and the students put forward.

Several booths lined the sides of the football field, along with a dunk tank and a strongman game.

Across the way, local restaurants setup craft tables featuring full menus of a variety of foods, all of which smelled divine.

It took a minute to locate Ollie, but when I heard the peal of laughter from a group of children, I veered toward the sound.

So far, my disguise worked and when I reached the area where I spotted my man, who was handing a little girl a stuffed pink and blue dragon, the joy on his face stilled the world around me.

It’d been a brief span of time since I left home for Vancouver, short compared to my usual location shoots.

Despite not wanting to give Ollie the wrong signals before I figured out for myself what I wanted, I video called him every night, unable to stay away from him.

The picture of happiness radiating from the screen was nothing compared to real life, and the one thought alone made me realize how much I’d missed him.

Although it was a lousy spot for self-reflection, I searched my memory for anytime in my life where another person brought out absolute joy in me.

My family, because we’re so close. But with someone I found attractive and wanted more than one night with, I couldn’t say that I have.

Not even my first kiss, or any sexual encounter since then.

Lust, the primal inclination I’ve experienced with my other partners, paled compared to the overwhelming exuberance of seeing the man who wiggled his way into my heart and, most impressive of all, my thoughts.

I was an expert at compartmentalizing different aspects of my life.

Work, sex, home and family. Never once had any the encounters I had interceded into my private life.

Because the people I slept with understood where they stood with me, and I spelled it out before we even touched.

Nothing more than the one night together.

While the truth was I lusted after Ollie, there was also a tentative bond between us building.

And rather than freaking out about the possibility of being tied down to one person, a little reminder that the person was Ollie I was falling for and my mind and body relaxed.

I found myself intrigued with every aspect of our dynamic and wanted to rush.

Take him to bed, get him so addicted to me he never wanted to leave me.

And that was the crux of the issue.

The heathen inside me craved the idea of debauching Ollie.

As I claimed him with my mouth, hands, fuck, even the hope of him coming inside me, me inside of him, and it opened up a side of me I hadn’t suspected existed.

The possessive asshole whose body throbbed with a sense of need as I imagined Ollie clinging to me as he sought to sate himself by using me for his pleasure preened whenever I remembered all the sexy moments we shared through a video screen.