Irresistible Bachelors: Books 1-5 by Landish, Lauren (classic literature books .TXT) 📗

Not a celebrity who will disrupt her way of living and cause her to live out her life in the public eye. It would be cruel to subject her to that kind of scrutiny.

But when I think about her being with another man, anger forms inside me.

I’m surprised at the possessiveness I feel. At how much I care about not leaving her without telling her where I’m going. I’ve never felt this way with anyone.

She’s going to hate me when she wakes up, I think as I gaze at the gentle rise and fall of her breasts, wanting nothing more than to go over and slide back into bed with her.

What she’ll think of me shouldn’t bother me. We both knew what we were getting into. We both knew that this wouldn’t last.

Instinctively, I grab a pen off the desk and scribble a note on a piece of paper.

Brianna,

I’m sorry I had to leave. You were sleeping so peacefully and I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll be shooting late today. Things are behind schedule, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to see you today before you go home.

Last night was amazing. Let’s get together again. This evening, meet me in the coffee shop around 7:30. Dress casual.

I’ll be in touch.

-G

I hold the paper in my hand when I’m done, debating on whether to bunch it up and throw it in the trash. There’s a high chance this will make her hate me even more, assuming that she’d want to get together again.

But a part of me doesn’t want things to end this way—her waking up to my phantom and hating my guts. Leaving the note at least lets her know that I’m open for more . . . if she’s willing.

I hope I don’t regret this.

Setting my jaw, I set the note down on the desk and walk out the door.

* * *

“CUT!” the director yells. A bell rings, and I step back, blinking as the lights flood the room. I turn to see Jim grinning at me while flashing a thumbs-up. “Damn, you did good, Anaconda. That’s the first time this week that you delivered your lines like you meant them!”

In front of me, Leslie’s smiling, biting her lip and pressing her hand to her chest. She’s flushed a little. I can tell she was buying every word that was coming out of my mouth. “Wow, Gavin, I felt the passion in your words,” she says, breathless, her chest heaving. “It almost felt like you really cared for me.”

But you mean nothing to me, I think, shrugging. She stares at me as if expecting me to say something. But I don’t know what to say.

What am I supposed to say? The whole time she was looking at me, I didn’t see Leslie Hart, the beautiful model and actress, but an unknown brunette whom I’d left sleeping in my bed this morning.

“Thanks. I’m working on it,” I finally offer, hoping she’ll be satisfied with the simple response.

Jim claps his hands. “Good. We’re done for the day.”

I nod gratefully and head toward my trailer, ready to get my clothes off. As I pass Jim, he reaches out and grabs my arm. “Seriously, Gavin, that was good shit. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” I ask, and Jim gives me an incredulous look. “No, really. What’s tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s the love scene,” Jim says, grinning with excitement. “Don’t tell me you’re not looking forward to it. Hell, I’m looking forward to it with the way you pulled today’s scenes off.”

Fuck.

I hold in a groan as the image of Brianna’s angelic face sleeping peacefully flashes before my eyes. I know I signed a contract when I agreed to do this movie, but there’s no way I’m performing a fucking love scene with Leslie.

My relationship with Brianna is just starting. I can’t fuck it up already.

Relationship? What relationship? I’ve only known her for a couple of days, and I’m already making business decisions based on this girl. I need to get my head back on straight.

“There’s going to be a double for that though, right?” I ask, suddenly annoyed.

“No . . . no stunt double,” Jim says, shaking his head while giving me a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

I clench my jaw, tight-lipped. A feeling of dread grips my stomach. After a moment, I clear my throat and declare firmly, “You’re going to need to get a double.”

Jim laughs at me like a fool until he realizes that I’m actually serious, and his grin slowly fades into an angry scowl. “Are you kidding me? You’ve slept with more women than I could dream of, and now you want a double to push up on Leslie and show your ass? Please tell me you’re joking.”

I turn when I hear the sound of footsteps. Drawn by our heated exchange, Leslie’s wandered over, hurt reflecting in her eyes. “Did I do something wrong, Gavin?” she asks softly, her brow drawn into a frown. “Is that why this is a problem?”

I gently shake my head, trying to hold back the irritation I feel. “Of course not, Leslie. You’re great. It’s just . . .” My voice trails off as I get lost in thought. How can I possibly explain to them what’s really going on? That after being with Brianna, I can’t even think about touching another woman, let alone dry humping her like a dog in heat? Hell, the only reason the last scene came off so well was because I was seeing her face on Leslie’s body the whole time. “I need a stunt double.” I turn to Jim and repeat.

Fuck explaining anything. I don’t owe either of them. It’s none of their business, as far as I’m concerned.

“A stunt double?” Jim repeats, shaking his head again. “And just where are we going to get one of those on short notice?”

“I don’t know,” I say, feeling frustrated. “Make one of the other stunt actors or get one of the extras to do it.” I feel