Nate had never known true agony. He was lucky. She wanted
to hold it against him, his “everything will turn out all right” point of view,
but she needed a bit of that. She looked up from her hands in her lap and met
his gaze. Yes, a bit of fantasy in her life would do her good.
Smiling, she quipped, “You promised food.”
“Did I? Well, I think Stacy should be out in a minute
with dinner. I usually get a pot pie. Chicken is one of her specialties.”
Marly nodded. Her stomach growled as she adjusted her
bottom in the seat. “I could eat anything at this point.”
“You were rude, Mr. Wayne,” a woman’s voice interrupted
from behind her. “And I just wanted you to know that it reflects badly on you
to be sleeping with a woman like her.”
Marly turned to stare up at the tall blond who had
accosted them in the front hall earlier. It took Marly a minute to absorb what
she’d heard, then her face heated.
She didn’t think. She just stood, fury boiling to the
surface. She took one step in the woman’s direction and would have let out a
nasty response if Nate’s hand on her shoulder hadn’t restrained her. Staring at
him, she opened her mouth to speak, but he wasn’t looking at her. He angled in
front of her and squeezed her arm reassuringly in one controlled movement, then
advanced on the blond with angry intent.
Nate’s voice rang out powerfully in the dining room’s
sudden silence. “You better get smart. A mouth like that will get you
permanently barred from a career in Hollywood. You’ll certainly never work on a
film with me. And just so you know, I wouldn’t sleep with you to save the great
race. Let’s go, Marly.”
He curved around the woman, making sure no part of him
touched her, and headed out of the dining room with Marly right behind him. At
the double-door hall entrance, a stalwart Stacy sent Nate a questioning look.
He stopped, his nostrils flaring, and bit out his words.
“I believe that woman is having difficulty finding her
way out.”
Stacy nodded. “I’ll make sure she gets there.” She handed
him a key. “I’ll have your dinner brought up.”
Nodding a quick thanks, his expression impenetrable, Nate
turned and pulled Marly up dark-carpeted stairs. They made their way silently
down a wide hall, the maroon-colored wallpaper casting a forbidding slant to
their mutual silence. She couldn’t figure out what was going on. He seemed
angry with her, yet he’d defended her. Maybe he regretted his outburst, but she
didn’t. Now she understood why every sane person wanted to be with or be Nathaniel
Wayne.
They stopped at a door and Nate slipped the key into the
lock, turned it with a click, and pushed, then retreated to let Marly enter
first. She marched into the room, and after he’d followed and turned to address
her, she slammed the door shut and grabbed his sweat coat, her mouth crashing
against his as she pulled him down desperately.
He held back a second before grabbing her ass. Yes. Perfect
hands.
Then his chest, arms, and nether regions pressed against
her, his hard body inching her backward until she was against the wall and he
adjusted his grasp on her buttocks. He held her against his erection.
His tongue caressed the inside of her mouth. She tasted
mint on his breath. Tilting his head, he raised one hand to frame her face, the
callouses on his fingers brushing sensuously on her cheeks. He pulled in her
breath, lapping at her tongue, then slanted away to suckle her lips as his blue
irises bored into her eyes. A question twinkled there and Marly nodded. This
time, yes.
She couldn’t think as she watched him. Her eyes closed in
shuddering bliss as his lips touched her neck and he ran his hands down her
body again to pull her against him. Want was all she could think. She ached
with want.
Then he was pulling away and the contrasting cool to his
warmth returned thoughts to her head. Should they be doing this? She stared at
him as he stepped back, breathing hard.
His hands, shaking, reached out to straighten her rumpled
shirt, then held her face a moment. “I’ve been in enough movies to know that
making love to you right now would ruin any chance I have at persuading you
into a relationship with me.” He took another deep breath as if to steady
himself. “May I draw you a bath?” His question was so innocent, so concerned.
Marly’s heart thumped.
He didn’t wait for her to answer. Taking her hand, he
walked her to the bathroom and flicked on the light switch. Lavender. Marly’s
eyes lit in the violet-and--tiled room as the scent of lavender floated
into her nostrils. Bath and hand towels in a matching -and-violet scheme
lay folded on the marble countertop. A ceramic clawfoot bathtub
dominated the room; its classic silver knobs caught Marly’s glance. A pair of
complementing knobs shone from the sink. Stacy must have paid for the best
interior decorator money could buy.
Nate left her to bend by the tub and turn on the water.
After a minute of fiddling, he seemed to have the temperature where he wanted
it. Marly was drawn to the water’s relaxing tinkle. Fatigue pushed forth again,
as her tense muscles unwound from her earlier confrontation with Nate’s
less-than-adoring public and, well, her life. She had to fight to keep her
eyelids open as the steam from the tub wrapped itself around her.
Nate appeared before her and lowered her slicker off her
shoulders. Then he pulled her shirt gently up and off her body and reached
around to unhook her bra. No flicker of desire lit his gaze. Only concern. Her
shirt and coat flung across the crook of his elbow, he smiled and rubbed her
arms then bent to help her pull off her jeans.
Marly blinked to combat her fatigue. With her clothes in
hand, he walked to the door and looked back. She could barely discern his
words.
“I’ll be right outside, okay?”
Nodding, she let her gaze slide to the hot bath before
her. The door clicked shut. Pulling off her bra and underwear, Marly climbed
into the warm water and sank until she was covered up to her neck. The lapping
of the water at her chin drew her lids lower until she couldn’t resist sleep
anymore. Nathaniel Wayne, desire and concern in his eyes, was the last image in
her head. Her last thought: she was falling in love with him.
Venus Campbell is the Principal of
the Book of Venus publishing and the Winner of the Kroger Award for Excellence
in Creative Writing. She has finaled in
various writing contests such as the Central Ohio Ignite the Flame and the New
England Chapter- RWA First Kiss.
Campbell is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the
Authors Guild. Campbell has written
professionally since 2006 and has completed five single title manuscripts. To Desire the Stars is her second
publication. Campbell focuses on interweaving paranormal elements into romance
stories, creating unique worlds which challenge people’s perceptions of self
and preconceived notions of human love and relationships.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Goodreads
GUEST POST
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author? I began writing at the age of four when I wanted to recreate the movie The Rescuers in book form. I haven’t looked back even when I stepped away from writing for other life challenges over the years.
What is something unique/quirky about you? I have performed for two US presidents.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you! After five years of marriage, my husband and I finally had our wedding day last September. Such a fun day for all!
What are some of your pet peeves? Today, Debbie downers; authors who tell new writers they aren’t really writers unless they write every day. That’s a load of smelly stuff.
Where were you born/grew up at? I was born and bred in Washington, DC- 4th generation!
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day? I’d chat with my daughters and snuggle my six-year-old. Then I’d finish watching my K-drama with my partner.
Who is your hero and why? This week, it’s Eartha Kitt because she was sensual, smart, talented and dynamic
What kind of world ruler would you be? I am neither a leader, nor a follower. I am a visionary who likes to get her own way!
What are you passionate about these days? My newest release, Requite of the Fates… also understanding metadata
What do you do to unwind and relax? I watch k-dramas and I dance
How to find time to write as a parent? I have an incredibly supportive partner and a six-year-old able to entertain herself
Describe yourself in 5 words or less! Driven, thoughtful, complex, ethical
When did you first consider yourself a writer? I was a real writer when I joined the Romance Writers of America
Do you have a favorite movie? This summer it’s Super Girl. Yes. The algorithm pointed to bro-dudes who did not understand the complexity and dynamism of a strong female character. Do you like torn, strong, flawed superheroes? Go see Super Girl. It was bombed by the algorithm not knowing its target audience.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie? With this summer of Greek mythological resurgence, a movie based on the Theseus and the minotaur mythology would fit in well!
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on? Been to Ethiopia and the volcano on the Big Island.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? The sting ray
