Page 81 of Seeking Stars
A heavy pull appeared in her lower belly. The fine hair in her arms stood on end at the rawness in his voice.
"So you meant it," she said. "It's not that you don't want it, but that you didn't want to rush it."
"I want it, Ana. I want all of you. I want it so much that I'm having a hard time not losing myself into the fantasy of us together in bed. All the blood is gone from my brain and I can't focus on much else."
Her breath came fast and shallow. She was ready to lose herself in the moment, too.
"Damn, you're beautiful," he said.
She didn't know what he saw that made him say that, but it made gravity heighten its pull within her. She bit her lip, heart drumming fast in her chest.
He groaned. His eyes looked hungry. "I've waited a long time to find someone I really, really wanted to get into bed with. I'm going to take my time with you."
"Take your time… but don't make me wait."
"I'll tear your clothes off, if you let me."
"Liam…"
"I want you. Just you. I've been celibate for over a year because I didn't want more of the same. I don't want to do it for fun, for the release. I want something different. Exclusivity is good for me, if it's good for you."
"Monogamy is good with me," she said. Her voice sounded thin in her ears, the intensity of her feelings getting stuck in her throat. "I haven't had sex with anyone since Dave. I don't need to start finding random partners now."
"Then it's you and me, Ana. I'll show just what that means to me as soon as I can be with you again."
***
The next day, Ana woke up to an email from Diana. It included a link to a video.
Hi Ana,
Watch this.Liam McMillan talked about you in an interview.
You said you're not involved with him, and neither this interview nor the pictures we previously discussed are enough to assume things have changed, but I will speak as if they have.
If you two are together in any romantic capacity, whether he tells you this is casual or he's telling you he wants commitment, I want you to know I understand where you're coming from in taking a chance with him. He's one of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now— both in looks and in success. From the little he did say about you and the documentary, especially consideringhowhe said it, he may have taken an interest in you. It doesn't change the fact that I still believe it's best if you let this go. It's likely not going to work; few relationships last long in this industry. What happens then? You'll easily be treated as a pariah. Women are the ones to be treated unfairly, trust me on this. I'm trying to look out for you.
Ana's chest darkened as she read the email; she had to breathe in slow, deliberate breaths to clear her mind from the surge of nerves wanting to take hold of her thoughts. She pushed every worry away and clicked the link in the email.
The interview kicked off with a shot of Liam, an easy smile on his face, charisma exuding from every pore. How amazing, that the man on the screen had a real life, a real personality different from this show persona. And she knew it well enough to know the difference.
"Thanks so much for chatting with us today," the interviewer said.
"Of course. Glad to be here."
"I wanted to start with a small tangent. I heard that you've just wrapped up the filming of a different kind of project, haven't you? A documentary."
"Yes, I did. It turned out to be one of the best projects I've been involved with."
"Tell us more. How different was it from filmingSpace Bureau III?"
"Where do I begin?" he joked, his best professional smile.
"No shirtless scenes?"
They both laughed.
"Actually, yes, some shirtlessness as a lot of it happened at the beach."
