No. I wanted to barge in and stop her assault on him.
But truly. I was frozen in place, watching.
“Here,” she said, taking his other hand and setting it on her hip as well. “Hold me, Matthew. Show me that you want me.”
His smile was shy and unsure.
“Look at me like you mean it,” she commanded.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss her.
Don’t.
Oh, please, don’t.
I caught myself before I could say anything aloud. What was happening to me and what was I to make of my curious emotions. Matthew was a friend, a childhood friend. A good and platonic friend. Simply platonic.
Then why the sudden and unexpected streak of...of what?
Jealousy?
No. It couldn’t be.
SIX
Darling
––––––––
THE MOMENT FINALLYcame; the moment I’d been pushing back every time the topic came up. There was something a little immature about my recalcitrant attitude toward the matter, but I couldn’t help it.
“I understand how you might be uncomfortable,” Ricky said with soothing calm. “But I assure you. I’m a professional, and I take my work very seriously, and I take scenes such as this one very seriously.”
“I know,” I said.
We were seated on the balcony of his room, a balcony that offered a spectacular view of the grounds that surrounded Barry Park. The sun was low on the horizon, but its rays of light were bright and warm. Under any other circumstance, it could be a romantic setting, but my nerves made that impossible.
