Shatter

“Hmm.” She handed me a glass and clinked hers against it. “So tell me, pop star, what has you so blue?”

“Life.” I drank the sparkly dry liquid and swore.

“Me too, champ, me too. Divorce.” She sighed. “We’re sure a pair aren’t we?”

“Pair?” I repeated suddenly feeling really hot. I took off my shirt without thinking and then apologized. “Sorry. I’m just really hot all of a sudden.”

“Me too.” She fanned herself. “Want me to open a window or something?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “That would be nice.”

Soon a cool breeze floated into the room. Rose perfume permeated every pore of my body, soon it felt like I was the one floating. I opened my eyes to see her straddling me.

“I don’t feel like myself,” she admitted.

“Why the champagne?” I asked, suddenly realizing how beautiful she really was. Blonde hair just like Nat and deep brown eyes. My body hummed in response.

“Ex-husband. He sent it over a few minutes ago.” She lifted her glass into the air. “Cheers, and here are the divorce papers. It’s why we’re in separate rooms.”

“Clearly.” My hands moved without thinking. I rubbed up and down her arms and then leaned in and kissed her neck.

She moaned low in her throat as the champagne fell from her hand onto the ground.

I kissed her neck, trailing my tongue down her pulse. The rose perfume invaded my senses.

“Hello, Alec.”

Reality sucked. I turned slowly and came face to face with her. The one person I had no desire to see ever again.

“April.”

“You look good.” She tilted her head to the side and took me in, her eyes scanning from my feet all the way up to my face. “It’s been a while.”

“Wouldn’t have been if you would actually pick up your damn phone,” I said through clenched teeth. I’d been trying to get a hold of her ever since she hung up on me last week.

“I’ve been busy this week with the kids.”

I began to sweat as she neared me. Her perfume made me absolutely sick. It reminded me of that night, of the lies, of the betrayal, of everything really.

Everything but what really happened.

Yes. I’d made the choice to walk into a room.

I even kissed a still-married woman. Or at least in my mind she was, since she still had the final papers to sign.

But none of it even compared to the fact that I had no idea what the hell happened over the course of twelve hours.

Or that she was… shit, I couldn’t even say it.

“Guys!” Jaymeson rounded the corner into the back yard and threw me a beer.

“Mum! Looking good.” Jaymeson pulled April into his embrace and kissed her on the forehead. “Do you know Alec?”

She seemed to struggle with her response before shaking her head. “I think I met him at one of your father’s premieres last year, but it’s so hard to keep those things straight.”

“Right.” Jaymeson took a swig of beer and smiled.

He smiled as if I hadn’t just descended into the Seventh Circle of Hell.

He smiled like he didn’t know that the last person to spend the night with his mom naked…

Had been me.

Chapter Sixteen

Demetri

“Salad’s made!” I announced as I chomped down on a carrot and moaned. I was so hungry I could eat an entire flock of sheep, wool and all.

Alyssa came back into the kitchen and nodded approvingly. “Well done. Maybe next time I’ll let you actually do more than cut the vegetables.”

“Score,” I said dryly. “Where’d Nat go?”

Alyssa shrugged. “She went outside to see what was taking Alec so long with the burgers.”

The camera crew was taping us, but I didn’t care. I pulled Alyssa in for a much needed kiss. Pressing her against the counter, I lifted her up and moaned as she wrapped her legs tightly around me, pulling me firmly against her.

“This apron’s kinda hot,” she murmured against my lips.

“I’m hotter out of it.” My hands dove into her thick dark hair. Groaning, I slipped my tongue into her mouth and tasted her.

“Excuse me — oh, sorry, um…” a voice said from behind us.

We jerked apart.

“Don’t let me interrupt you. I was just looking for the bathroom.” The woman must have been in her mid-thirties and was really striking. She had long blonde hair and an easy smile.

“Just down the hall and to the left,” Alyssa answered while I was still inspecting the woman. I don’t know why, but there was something about her that seemed… off. Call me crazy, but I wasn’t sure I wanted any more new crew members on the show, and she looked like a gold digger.

“Thanks.” The woman smiled and held out her hand. “I’m April, Jaymeson’s step-mom.”

“Ahhh,” Lyss and I said in unison.

April laughed. “He said I should stop by for a little vacation.”

“Right.” I snapped my mouth shut, so I didn’t look like an idiot. “I remember him saying something about that. I think you’re staying at our beach house, right?”

“That’s right.” She stuffed her hands into her jean pockets and swayed on her feet a bit. “Jaymeson said it would be okay if I stopped by to grab the keys and say hi.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just go find Alec and snag the keys from him.”