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  “Fuuuck,” he moans out, pulsing as I wrap my hand around him.

  My mouth falls open as his hand moves from my neck down my stomach then in between my legs. My body instantly heats and I feel my insides pool when he drags a finger down my slit.

  Body tense, he grows in my hand. “The way you make me feel, Belle…” he breathes out and shakes his head with vigor. “I don’t think I’ll ever,” he struggles. “I’ll never…”

  My eyes blur. “I know.”

  I pump my hand faster and he slips a finger inside me, his thumb drawing circles on my clit.

  With heady tones and loving words, we explore each other until he has to leave for set.

  I think this might be the best way to wake up.

  He’s ruined me of mornings.

  “Hey, you here yet?” August asks into the phone as I pull into the parking lot.

  I shift my car into park and reach for my purse in the passenger seat. “Yeah. Sorry I’m late. Beau still isn’t talking to me, so I had to meet with Marshall alone. He wanted to know every detail of the reveal.”

  August snickers. “That was almost three weeks ago and he’s just now asking for a rundown.”

  I roll my eyes and step out of my car, slamming the door behind me. “Don’t get me started.”

  August says something to someone and then says, “I’ll be right there, Belle.”

  I smile and hang up, waving to the security guard at the gate.

  Joseph didn’t come with me today. I promised August I’d come straight here, and thankfully I didn’t have any issues. Hopefully the newness of our relationship has died down. Lord knows August’s publicist, Andy, has been trying desperately to downplay the entire thing. I don’t understand what the big deal is, but, honestly, I’m too engrossed in what August and I have to care whatsoever.

  “Hi, beautiful,” August greets, jogging to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, bringing me in for a hug.

  I breathe him in, his scent so welcoming.

  He pulls back and brings his mouth to my forehead, his eyes shutting. He cups the sides of my neck and I decide this is the greatest way to be greeted. I love that he shows me love this way. It’s honest and pure. I grip his sides, his shirt bunching in my hands and he smirks against my skin.

  Letting me go, he takes hold of my hand and leads me to lot ten. “So, we’re reshooting a couple of scenes today. It shouldn’t be too bad.”

  “Reshooting?” I ask.

  He laughs, shrugging a shoulder. “Jennings and Sophia asked and since we’re already behind, the director figured they might as well.”

  “Why?”

  “I wasn’t at the meeting. I just found out. The movie’s pretty much done.”

  My stomach drops. I don’t know if I’m ready.

  He opens the heavy, gray metal doors and ushers me inside the wide space. Inside sits a shell of what my mom’s house looks like. They’ve even included the flowers along the walkway to the door. A weathered white swing hangs on the far side of the porch and Mama’s hummingbird mailbox sits at the edge of the yard.

  “Whoa,” I gasp.

  “They did great, right? Me and a couple of the set designers went out a few months ago to look at your mom’s house.”

  August leads me to the chairs behind one of the cameras and I sit down. “You did? Did Mama know?”

  August takes the seat next to me and his hand falls to my thigh. “Yeah. I called her and asked if it was okay.” His forehead furrows. “She didn’t tell you?”

  I shake my head.

  His mouth turns down for a second. “Huh. I thought she would.”

  I gulp. What was Mama up to? She usually tells me everything.

  “Well,” August goes on, “she let them take pictures, then made us fried chicken and tea.”

  I laugh. Of course she did.

  “Yeah,” he agrees with a snicker. “The team didn’t want to leave.”

  I’m sure. Her fried chicken is legendary around these parts. “They did fantastic. It looks just like her house.”

  Beaming with pride, August’s eyes move to the set in front of us and he grasps my hand. “This is all for you, you know?”

  Leaning to the side, my head falls to his shoulder. “I know. Thank you.”

  He kisses the top of my head. “I love you.”

  I sniffle, adoration overpowering my senses. I lift my head and face him. “I love you, too.”

  “Yeah?” he asks with an air of awe in his voice.

  My chin trembles. I don’t know why finally saying it out loud makes me want to cry, but it feels so good to have it off my chest. “I do.”

  His mouth crashes to mine, his lips seizing my sniffle. His hand finds my hair and he tangles his fingers it in, wrapping the tendrils around his wrist. Breathing hard, his tongue slips into my mouth and I paw at his arm, my fingernails digging into his skin.

  The world falls away for a second and I become dizzy and lightheaded.

  The director’s voice startles us and I pull back, still feeling wobbly. Curtis attempts to hide his smile, but I truthfully don’t think he even wants to. He was doing it for our sake.

  August’s shoulders shake as he attempts to reel in his laughter. “What’s up, boss?”

  “Jennings and Sophia are ready.”

  “Oh.” August clears his throat, blush making its way up his neck. “Sorry.”

  Curtis chuckles. “Oh, no. It’s fine. It’s a nice change from watching Jennings and Whitley.”

  “Hey!” Jennings and Whitley say together as they walk up, hands laced. They pretend to be offended, grasping their chests.

  We laugh and Whitley wraps her arm around my shoulder in a quick hug and then turns to Jennings.

  Instead of their normal quick peck, Jennings grasps Whitley’s shoulders and brings his lips to hers for a deep kiss. He spins her around, dipping her body, his mouth never leaving hers. She lifts one of her legs up like a woman in a painting and we all bust out laughing.

  Jennings moans and August falls over in laughter, tears coming out of his eyes.

  “Okay, okay,” Curtis relents with a roll of his eyes. He swats at them and they come up for air.

  Jennings stands Whitley upright and her shoulders bounce as she attempts to calm her breathing.

  “Jesus Christ,” August says to me in a loud whisper. “Apparently we need to up our ante.”

  I turn my head to August. “Game on.”

  It’s close to midnight when they wrap for the day.

  “I’m starving,” Whitley says, clutching her stomach.

  “Me too.” The table of pastries and sandwiches taunts me. “I’m gonna grab something. What do you want?”

  This perks her up. “Just a croissant.” Her stomach grumbles.

  I wink and walk to the table, picking up a plate. I set two croissants down when someone approaches my side.

  “You’re Campbell,” the woman says with a note of disdain.

  I feel like I was verbally bitch slapped and she only said two words. I swivel my head to find a woman in her mid-thirties, hair in a high bun. Her suit isn’t a power suit, it’s an I’ll-chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out suit. I’m almost positive she wears it for that very reason. I didn’t know clothes could say so much, but boy was I wrong.

  I skirt my eyes to the right. “I am.”

  Her chin juts up. “I’m Andy.”

  August’s publicist. Great.

  “Oh, hey.” I attempt a smile, but I’m sure she sees it falter. With a judgmental eye like hers, I doubt she misses anything. “Nice to meet you.”

  Eyes cold, she squares her shoulders. “Mmm.” She looks down, grabbing an apple. “August is leaving next week. Are you ready to say goodbye?” she asks with a curl of her lips.

  My eyes narrow. “Is that a trick question?”

  “No.”

  I don’t know why she already seems to hate me, but I’m not particularly in the mood to have a showdown with someone at the moment. “Of cours
e I’m not ready, but it’ll only be for a couple weeks or so.”

  “Oh?”

  Feeling slightly victorious because I have a one-up on her. “Didn’t August tell you? I was just offered a job at the American Museum of Natural History.” It’s not The Met, but it’s damn close and I was lucky to be hired.

  I got the call yesterday. It’s not surprising August hasn’t had the time to tell her but it feels good to break the news.

  She falters on her feet, preverbal smoke fogging out of her ears. I wonder what I did to piss her off so much.

  Grabbing my plate from the table, I turn, but she stops me, taking a hold of my arm. “Tomi isn’t done with him.”

  My eyebrows pinch, the skin wrinkling so much that I feel a tingle. “What?” I rip my arm away from her hand.

  “He’s meant to be with Tomi. You’re just a placeholder for her.” Her words come out like daggers and I try my damndest to dodge them.

  Now it’s much clearer as to why she hates me. She’s Team Tomi.

  Well, bless her heart.

  “Oh?” I pretend to act aloof. “Good to know.”

  “You hold him back. He’ll never grow. With you, he’s living the same story over and over again.”

  I rear back and roll my eyes, my hands ready to smack her snarky ass. I’ve never felt violent toward anyone before, but my hand itches to feel the sting of her face against my palm.

  She laughs, loving the way she’s getting to me. “You’re a rock and he needs to be with someone who’s water. Someone who can adapt to his new life.”

  I clench my fists. I’ve wondered the same thing myself, worried and lost sleep over it, but I shake my head. If this woman thinks she can get to me, she’s sadly mistaken. I’m not so easily swayed. If she wants an enemy, I’ll volunteer. I’ll be the first in line. By her attitude, I’m sure there’s plenty of us to go around.

  “You can’t stop us from being together.” My voice is hard and I step closer to her, invading her space.

  She raises her eyebrows and folds her arms in front of her chest.

  Andy thinks August needs water, but she’s wrong. She’s so extraordinarily wrong. He doesn’t need water…he needs air.

  Sadly for her, she doesn’t know that.

  I laugh out of my nose and turn from her. Whitley strolls up to us with a look of concern. Her eyebrows are downcast and she takes my arm, sneering at Andy as she pulls me away.

  “You’ll see,” Andy calls from behind us and Whitley flips her off.

  I look over my shoulder and smile. “Bring it.”

  Madder Than A Puffed Up Toad

  “Gah, she’s such a…a…” I stop myself, red-hot anger seeping into my vision.

  “She’s a bitch,” Whitley finishes for me and we sit down in a huff.

  My fingers flex and I have to stop myself. I don’t want Andy to see me like this.

  I’m cool.

  I’m a damn cucumber.

  My eyes skirt to the food table and Andy pops a piece of fruit into her mouth, providing a pointed glare just before she walks away. She exaggerates her strut, her hips swaying so much it makes my own hips ache.

  I shake my head. “Bitch.”

  Whitley leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. “Yep. What happened?”

  I grind my teeth. “She essentially said that I’m bad for August and that Tomi is the one he’s supposed to be with.”

  “Holy shit.”

  Eyes wide, I nod.

  “Okay,” she offers. “First off, Andy is the worst. She has a reputation for being a stone-cold psycho.”

  My nose scrunches. “Then why on earth is she August’s publicist?”

  Who’s looking out for him when he’s got the Dragon Queen looking over his career?

  “Because she’s also brilliant.” She swats at me. “That’s not the point. You can’t let her get to you. You’re in the thick of it now. People are going to try to take August away at every chance they can – even the people who are closest to him. It’s just part of the life. Tomi can’t touch him.”

  August must have taken note of my anger because he trots to me, his eyes concerned. “What happened?”

  I puff my chest, struggling to keep my fury at bay.

  “Belle?” He fusses with his plaid shirt, pulling it away from his chest.

  Whitley touches my hand and winks, leaving August and I alone.

  I shake my head and look away from him to the space Andy occupied a few minutes ago, my emotions still fresh. I know I shouldn’t let her get to me, but she spoke to the insecure part of my mind and I hate that I let her do that.

  “Babe, tell me what’s wrong. You’re madder than a puffed up toad.”

  Turning back to August, I release all of the air in my lungs and laugh despite myself. “Your southern expressions come out at the oddest of times, August Wyatt.”

  He smiles, proud he could break me of my tension.

  I gulp. “I met Andy.”

  His forehead wrinkles and he looks to where I was just standing but she’s not there anymore. “She’s here?”

  “Yep.” My tone is short. August knows me well enough, if I don’t elaborate, it’s probably because I’m hurt.

  “What did she say?” He pushes his glasses up on his nose and takes my hand.

  I lick the corner of my lips and smile a sadistic smile because I don’t know if I should tell him. It’ll only create problems.

  Then I also wonder why I even care. She’s the creature from the black lagoon, for goodness sake. She’s awful. To hell with her.

  Checking over my shoulder to make sure we’re alone, I narrow my eyes at the ground. I can’t look him in the eye. Focusing on the light gray, dusty floor, I say, “She basically told me I’m bad for you and that you and Tomi aren’t done.”

  He’s up and out of his seat before I can even get the words out. His nostrils flare and his eye blaze fury. His head turns to the right and then left, searching for Andy. I should have expected a reaction like that from him, but I’m always so surprised at his ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ knee jerk reaction. He’s always willing to stand up for what he loves. This wouldn’t be the first time. “Where is she?”

  I stand, thankful he’s ready to defend me – us – but it’s probably best to just let her think what she wants. If Whitley is even remotely right about how great Andy is for August’s career, I need to swallow my pride and put my money – relationship – where my mouth is.

  Besides, August and I will show her. Together.

  Every day we’re us is a middle finger to her and Tomi.

  We can’t be manipulated when our foundation is steadfast.

  “She’s not worth it, August,” I try to rationalize, putting my hand on his arm.

  The vein in his forehead throbs and his hands fist, his fingernails probably digging into his skin. “She can’t talk to you like that.” His words boil as they tumble out of his mouth. “She’s done. We’re done.”

  “We’re not that easily influenced, August. Don’t let her have that power.”

  His jaw twitches and even though he doesn’t move his head from where he’s looking, his eyes find me in his peripheral.

  “She’s good at what she does.”

  He scoffs.

  “You know it’s true. Maybe we can be more proactive. How long are you in contract with her?”

  His chest puffs and then deflates. “We’re in negotiations right now. We just hit year two.”

  That makes me feel better. If we can talk to a lawyer and get August into an ironclad contract, there’s no way she can screw us without repercussions.

  “Let’s call your lawyer and see what we can do. She’s a good publicist, but let’s make sure that if she does anything out of line, we’re protected.”

  He swallows. “She can’t talk to you like that.”

  He’s right, but now that I know where I stand with her, I can be on defense. Her ability to catch me off guard is gone. “No, she can’t.”
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  “I can say something to her? Are you okay with that? Defending your honor.”

  I smile and set my hand on August’s cheek, turning his head to look at me. “You can defend that any time you feel necessary, but I won’t forget what she did, either. She’s on my shit list.”

  He smirks, moving his face to kiss the inside of my palm. “I love you, Belle. Thank you for everything. I know this is an incredible change, but we’ll get through this. Together.”

  I move my hands and lock them loosely around his neck. “I love you.” Bringing my mouth to his, a blissful sigh escapes.

  Someone taps my shoulder and I pull away from August. When I turn, Jennings and Whitley are holding hands, standing behind us. “Hey, guys. It’s crazy late, but we thought maybe we’d go get some dinner? Or breakfast?”

  August pecks me on the cheek, smiling.

  “I couldn’t sleep if I tried,” I admit. I’m feeling a little jazzed at the moment. “Nothing’s open, though.”

  “I’m down if you guys don’t mind me working a bit,” August says, wrapping his arms around my middle when I turn my back to him.

  I look up, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Feeling inspired to write?”

  “A little,” he says with a smirk and then kisses me on the forehead.

  Whitley giggles and Jennings claps August on the shoulder. “We could order room service from the hotel.” Jennings and Whitley moved into the local hotel and thankfully no one has been privy to it.

  “Or,” I say, “you guys could come to my place. We could whip something up. We can hang out and be comfortable.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Whitley says with a hum.

  She steps forward and kisses my cheek. I laugh, smacking her on the butt when she turns away. I love that we’ve become so close in such a short amount of time. All of this change would have been overwhelming without her.

  “Follow me?” August says to Jennings who pulls out the keys to his rental car.