“Mm.”
“Ooh, hold that pose,” Ava interjects as Lex dips me slightly, his face still buried in the curve of my neck.
Swallowing hard, I latch on to his bicep.
“Soft fingers, Stevie.”
I unclench my hand, my fingers splaying gently against his upper arm as Lex keeps me upright, a firm palm on the small of my back.
His breath is hot against my throat. It shakes with unsteadiness as he drags the tip of his nose along the curve of my neck and inhales. “You smell good.”
I nearly unravel.
I crane my neck, offering him more. Our bodies are melded together, heat from the lights and strobes adding to the brush fire burning tunnels through me.
He’s an actor. He’s acting.
And I hate that it feels so real.
“You two are electric.” Billy removes the camera from the tripod, zipping around, crouching in front of us. “Lift your head, Lex. Pretend you’re going to kiss her.”
I almost topple backward when his position shifts, his hand crawling up the center of my back and clamping around my nape. Lex raises his head, moving into my sight line, his eyes hooded, pupils blown. Hovering over me, he keeps his focus on me as he lowers his head, our noses grazing. His lips are a centimeter away from my mouth, and I try so hard not to transport back to Natalie’s guest room when his gaze flared with betrayal, every muscle in his body tensed up, and he lurched back like I’d scalded him.
My eyes slam shut, blotting out the memories.
Flash, flash.
“Eyes open, Stevie. Give me that eye contact.”
My heart pounds, drumbeats and hammerheads. I force my eyelids to flutter open, and my vision settles on two violent sapphires. Lex stares down at me, his gaze skimming across my face in trails of molten blue. I hold my breath, lips parting. He glances at my mouth before slowly sliding his eyes back up. I hardly notice the cameras clicking as he lifts his hand and cups my cheek, thumb dusting my jawline, brushing the corner of my mouth.
“Hold it…right there.”
Billy’s voice is a garble of sound in the back of my mind. I can’t move, can’t breathe, can’t even close my eyes to make him disappear.
Our gazes tangle, and I’m trapped in a toxic web. A seesaw between fables and fairy tales, honesty and truth.
“All set!”
Lex drops his hand, blinks away, hoists me up to a standing position, and smooths out his tie, stretching a grin for the camera crew.
“That was excellent.” Billy returns his camera to the tripod and claps his hands together. “Just delicious.”
I let the breath fall out. My limbs are putty, my pulse thrashing in my throat. My gaze pans to Lex, but he’s already transformed. Perfectly poised and coolheaded as he shakes Ava’s hand, says a few parting words, and talks future business proposals with Billy.
He’s washed me away.
And I’m still drowning.
***
I’m surprised when the limo rolls through the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant instead of dropping us off at Lex’s condominium. I squint through the tinted glass window, frowning, before glancing to my right. We’ve hardly spoken on the drive home. After stopping at Luda’s studio for outfit changes, Lex has been absorbed in his phone, and I’ve been lost in my idle thoughts. “Why are we stopping?”
Lex sniffs, then pockets his phone. “Figured you might be hungry. It’s been a long day.”
My empty stomach tugs with hunger pangs as I stare at the iconic marquee. “In-N-Out Burger?”
“So?”
