Page 12 of The Starlet

“Thanks, Cristina,” he finishes as he stops in front of us. “Morning.” He smiles, and a small dimple appears on his left cheek. I’ve never noticed it before.This man is seriously hot! He makes my insides twist.

“Morning, are you feeling better?” I ask, stretching on my tip-toes to place my wrist on his forehead to feel his temperature. He leans forward and sighs contentedly. Or, I think he did. I must be imagining things. I drop my arm.

“Yeah. Still not one-hundred-percent perfect, but I’d say I’m about ninety-five percent there. Thank you again for the soup and Gatorade yesterday; they helped a lot.”

“Glad I could help.”

We all gather into the SUVs and ride over to the set. Emily is talking to Tait about something, and she seems disappointed—I notice he isn’t listening.Iwonder if she had to clear his bedroom out this morning.Tait is a major playboy and usually has a different girl in his bed every night. Chloe is talking to Cristina about what to expect on set. It seems she’s new as well. Brad and I are in the back.

I lean forward in my seat to get a better look at him. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right this morning? You still look a little pale.”

“I’ll be fine. Promise.” He crosses his finger over his heart. “Besides, the scenes we are shooting today shouldn’t be too bad.” He takes my hand and squeezes it. Heat floods my system with the simple touch.No. Just friends. Down, girl.Looking at our conjoined hands, I breathe in and push it out slowly, pushing my growing feelings aside.

I see a mischievous smirk form on his lips, and he sticks his tongue out just enough to wet them. My eyes stay focused on his lips as my mind wanders. What would he do with that tongue? What parts of my body would he explore with it?Everything! I want to feel that tongue on every part of my body.I squeeze my thighs together, hoping to find some relief.

As if he can read my mind, he clears his throat. I lock eyes with him, and a sly smile spreads across his face. “Sorry,” I whisper. “Zoned out there. I must be a bit more tired than I thought.”

He rubs his chin. “Are you sure that’s it?” he asks like he doesn’t believe me. “Are you sure you weren’t imagining all sorts of dirty thoughts? I know how your mind works, Elena.”

Sitting back in my seat, I look out the window, lift the coffee to my lips, and take a small sip, ignoring his question. My whole body is tingling. I want Brad to help with my pent-up energy. I feel his eyes on me, waiting for more, and when I don’t provide it, he relaxes into his seat. The car pulls up to the filming location, and we pass through some barricades. There are a few fans waiting and waving as we drive through. I smile and wave back at them.

“Are we able to stop so I can sign a few things real fast? I’d like to interact for a few minutes, if possible,” I ask the driver.

“Sorry, Ms. Conners, I’ve been told to head straight in.”

Chloe turns to me and whispers, “I’ll sneak you out so you can say hello to your fans.”

This is why I love this girl.I smile and nod at her as the driver parks the car. Everyone slides out, and Bradley extends his hand to help me down. There is that damn electric current again. It radiates from his fingers and settles into the palm of my hand. I shiver. As soon as my feet are planted on the ground, I pull my hand out of his embrace.

“Thank you.”

“Elena, follow me,” Chloe interjects. I look around, following a few steps behind her. She keeps her back straight and her eyes glued in front of her, exuding confidence. I, on the other hand, keep looking around, making sure no one is watching us. Most of the people around are too busy setting up equipment to notice the two of us anyway, but I’m nervous about getting caught. I’m not sure why; what are they going to do, kick me off set? We round a corner, and she stops short, allowing a crew member to carry a heavy looking camera past us.

“The entrance is just over there.” She points to a couple of barricades, and I can see a few people trying to catch a glimpse into the filming area. “I’ll wait here for you, but you only have a few minutes. Make it fast.” She pulls a Sharpie out of her pocket and hands it to me.

I pull her into a hug and let go just as quickly. “Thanks, Chloe.”

I walk around the corner and watch the eyes of a few fans light up, the smiles growing on their faces. I raise my hand to offer a wave as I stop in front of a few girls.

“Hey, girls, thanks so much for coming out to see us. I just wanted to take a minute to say hi and let you know how much I appreciate you all.”

I hold out my Sharpie, and people start shoving things under my nose to sign. I move my way down the row of people and stop in front of a man. He looks to be mid-thirties, tall, and lean. I peer up at him from under my lashes and offer a polite smile.

“Can I get a picture with you?” he asks.

I nod and lean into him so we both fill the frame. He snaps the picture, and I stand straight again. When I turn to leave him, he takes my small wrist in his large hand. My heart pounds in my chest, and I stare into his eyes as I yank my arm free from his grasp. We’re in a stare down, neither making the first move. Moments later, a warm hand rests on my lower back, and I break eye contact with the man. Bradley is there beside me, his jaw locked and dark eyes cold.

Rage simmers below the surface. I’ve never had someone come to my aid in such a way that makes me want to do nasty, naughty things with him. His look is not one to be messed with, and I’m sure I need a new set of panties now. My initial fear melts away.

“Elena, makeup needs you. We need to get going.” I give him a curt nod and look back into the crowd. The tall man is gone.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out. We are excited to be here in Vancouver.” I wave and walk back to Chloe.

When we’re out of earshot of everyone, Bradley quietly asks, “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

I turn to look at him, my eyebrows pinched. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? I just wanted to meet some of the fans. I bet they’ve been standing there for a while, waiting.”

I brush off the true meaning of the question and try to grab Chloe’s arm. He grabs my arm instead and looks at my wrist, turning it over to see all sides. “Jesus, Bradley. It’s fine. He was a bit overzealous, that’s all. You mean to tell me a fan has never grabbed your arm before?”