I lick my lips.
It’s like a reflex when he looks at me.
Bugger bugger bugger.
JOSH
Call me fucked up, or a total dick, but I’m really looking forward to this kissing scene. I can tell Elle is not; she’s twitchy as hell, and the look she shoots me when I make mybetrothedcomment is pure fucking hatred. Shame. We were playing so nicely there for all of thirty seconds. She even stroked the furry friend on my cheek.
And I saw the look in her eyes when she spotted me in costume. Huh. That was interesting. I remember how much she liked it when I took charge. When I pinned her wrists over her head when we had sex. Remember is an understatement. I recall every single second with her. How her back arched with frustration when I teased her. How her hips rose off the bed. How her lips parted in bliss when she liked something I did. (She still does that, by the way. If she knew how often she showed her tell, how often she licked her lips around me, she’d be fucking furious).
But it makes sense that she’d be into the wholedominating dukething. Alyssa let slip that Elle’s a raging fan of theGrosvenorbooks, apparently. Dominic’s a total prick—at this point in his story arc, anyway—but he’s an awesome character to play. I’m going to have serious fun with him.
Especially when he’s educating his sexy, clueless little wife in the pleasures of the flesh.
I look down at her. She has fantastic breasts: they’re the perfect handful. High and tight. But in this dress, withwhatever she’s got going on beneath, they’re on a fucking platter. Especially from my height advantage. This is a seriously great angle.
Maybe I should get the foreplay going. Rile her up for the main action.
‘I’m sorry we gotta go straight into such an intimate scene,’ I say now, playing up the concern in my expression.
Her eyes narrow in anare you kidding meway and she draws herself up to her full size, which, unfortunately for her, still puts her at a massive height disadvantage. Especially since my fancy black boots have heels. She takes a deep breath and I swear, her tits heave. She tugs at whatever corset or thing she’s got going on under that dress.
I may or may not have done some googling on regency underwear for women. What can I say? I don’t have much going on in my hotel room at night. I can’t even hit the mini bar. Anyway, I bet her corset is amazing. Uncomfortable for her, but amazing-looking. No wonder Dominic is desperate to get her married and into his cold bed as soon as possible.
‘I have no problem with that,’ she spits. ‘We’re both professionals. It makes sense to eat the frog first thing.’
My eyes widen. Jeez. Could she come up with a worse analogy for kissing me thaneat the damn frog?
‘It’s Mark Twain.’ She smirks.
Jesus H Christ. She is so darn intellectually arrogant. ‘I know it’s Mark Twain. I’m just disappointed you would compare kissing me to eating a frog.’
‘You made the link. Not me.’
‘Is that how it used to feel when I kissed you?’ I shake my head slowly and step in closer to her. I tut at her from my lofty vantage point. ‘I don’t think so, baby.’
She puts her hands on her hips. Her head is practically the whole way back, her milky throat on display. What I wouldn’t give to run my fingers down it and along her collarbone.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’
I’m being a dick. I know. There’s only one dick in this situation; there’s only one person who bears any blame for the fact that she hates my guts, and that’s me. And I’ve overstepped the mark, bringing up our past. It’s one boundary she asked me to respect, and I’ve shit all over it.
But hear me out. She’ll thank me for this on set. She was in danger of forgetting how much of an unworthy tool I am, just then, and losing her edge on camera. This is me giving her back her edge. Reminding her to despise me.
Besides. This friction, this sparring, is the only thing I have with Elle anymore. Off camera, anyways. There’s no small talk. No reminiscing. This is the way to ignite that spark we never extinguished, despite my shitty behaviour. It’s pathetic. It’s low. But it’s all I got, and I’m getting off on it. That said, I don’t want her to totally despise me, so I throw her a bone.
‘I’m pissing you off. Georgiana needs to be pissed at Dominic.’ I shrug. ‘I thought it might help.’
She blinks, surprised, and looks up into my face. ‘I’m perfectly capable of harnessing my character’s motivations without your help.’
I put my hands up in surrender. ‘Got it.’
‘Pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll bite your fucking tongue when you’re trying to kiss me.’ With that, she spins and flounces onto the set.
CHAPTER 25
Elle
