Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1)(38)
Author: Leisa Rayven

“I’m sorry,” he says, like it’s perfectly normal for those words to leave his mouth. Like he says it every day, and I’m used to hearing it.

“Miss Taylor?” Marco says as he comes over to us. “Is everything alright?”

I exhale and try to shove my anxiety back into its box. “I’m sorry, Marco. It’s been a long week. Do you think we could leave this scene until Monday?”

Yeah, because by Monday, I’ll be able to do all those highly intimate things to Ethan without unraveling, won’t I?

Idiot.

“Okay, fine,” Marco says. “You’re both tired. Let’s call it a day.”

He heads back to the production desk, and Elissa stares at us for a second before telling the rest of the company we’re wrapping for the week.

I feel movement and turn to see Ethan picking up his T-shirt. He pulls it on and swings his legs off the bed before resting his elbows on his knees.

“I remember the first time we had to do a scene like this,” he says as he turns to face me. “You were less forgiving of my … excitement.”

“You were less apologetic about it. In fact, if I remember correctly, you exploited your power over me.”

“My power over you?” he says, giving me innocent eyes. “You have no idea what you did to me that day, do you? Jesus, I was in real physical pain.”

“You deserved to be.”

He nods as he picks up the edge of the sheet nearest him and fiddles with it.

“Listen,” he says, and tugs at the seam. “I get that you may never forgive me, but I want to at least try to make things easier for you. Tell me what to say, and I’ll say it. Tell me to fuck off, and I’ll try to. Just tell me, okay? What do you want me to do?”

I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “Well, for a start, let’s pretend I didn’t just freak out in front of everyone because you hugged me. That’s just mortifying.”

He smiles. “I’m not going to lie—for once it’s nice to not be the one freaking out.”

I shake my head. “Yeah, not going to lie—our role reversal sucks giant yak balls.”

He stands and offers me his hand. “Still up to going out tonight?”

I’d almost forgotten about our talk-date. “Do we have to?”

“Yeah, we really do.”

“Can I at least have lots of alcohol?”

“Sure,” he says as he pulls me to my feet. “I’m buying.”

“Good. Then I’ll order the expensive stuff.”

Six Years Earlier
Westchester, New York
The Grove

I arrive at rehearsal and do a few warm-up exercises, intent on chilling out and having a good day.

I’m doing some yoga stretches when Holt walks in. He dumps his bag in a seat in the second row and flops down next to it, before putting his feet up on the chair in front of him and closing his eyes. I can see his lips moving, probably running his lines.

The tension between has reached awkward levels since the kiss. We show up to rehearsals, say our lines, act like we’re in love, kiss passionately. Then, when rehearsal finishes and we have the opportunity to talk? Nothing. We’re too weirded out to have a conversation. It’s driving me crazy.

It doesn’t help that when he kisses me, I get so damned turned on I can barely breathe. I’ve spent the last three days in a state of totally debilitating arousal, and today we have to block Romeo and Juliet’s sex scene.

Frick.

I refuse to be one of those girls who makes a fool out of herself for a man. If Holt’s determined to ignore whatever is happening between us, I will, too. I don’t need him.

Well, I kind of need him to give me an orgasm, but apart from that, he’s just a guy.

A guy with whom I’m going to have to simulate sex for the next seven hours.

Fluff my life.

Erika appears onstage and gestures for us to join her. For the purpose of rehearsal, our “bed” is simply a black rostrum covered in a sheet.

So romantic.

“Okay,” Erika says. “The marriage night scene is historically controversial because of its graphic content, so we’re going to aim for something realistic but tasteful, okay?”

Holt and I nod, but I’m not sure what she means. I’m not well acquainted with real sex, let alone the fake kind.

“Now, because we’re a drama school, we need to be seen as taking certain risks. So for that reason, I’d like to create the illusion of nudity.”

I’m pretty sure the look of terror on Holt’s face is mirrored on mine.

“Don’t panic.” Erika laughs. “You won’t be naked. You’ll just look like you are.” She reaches into a bag at her feet and pulls out what looks like underwear.

“Miss Taylor, you’ll wear this beneath your costume.” She holds up a flesh-colored leotard. “And Mr. Holt, you’ll wear these.” I smirk as she reveals flesh-toned boxer-briefs. “Now, I understand that you may be a little hesitant about this, but believe me, they’re quite modest. You’d reveal more of your bodies going to the beach.”

“I usually wear board shorts,” Holt mumbles.

“I wear jeans and a hoodie.”

Erika and Holt turn to me.

“I come from Washington state. Our beaches are freezing.”

Erika pulls out a white T-shirt with a pair of white drawstring pants for Holt and an ivory robe for me. “These are your costumes for this scene. I need you to rehearse in them, since removing them is part of the blocking.”

Oh, hell. I have to practice undressing Holt? In my current state, this isn’t going to end well.

Holt and I take our costumes and undergarments from Erika, then slink away to separate dressing rooms. When we reemerge, I swear we’re wearing identical blushes.

He looks good in his costume. Tall and lean. The stark white makes his eyes look even bluer than usual. He goes to shove his hands in his pockets, but the pants don’t have any. He sighs in frustration. I stop in front of him, and he eyes the deep vee at the front of my robe before dropping his head and muttering “Shit” under his breath.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Erika says as she claps. “We’ll begin by talking through the sequence of events. Miss Taylor, you’ll start by sitting on the bed. You’re awaiting your new husband, full of anticipation and longing. Mr. Holt, with the help of the nurse, you’ve managed to sneak into Juliet’s room. You’ll have a few short hours to consummate your love before you’re banished from the city. You both want to savor every inch of skin, memorize every part of each other’s body. Any questions?”