Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan
"It is."
"You said 'my love' earlier." Her already full smile gets a little bigger. "Kane?"
I let my face show her what I'm feeling right now; I open myself and make sure she not only sees, but also hears. "I fucking love you, Willow Tate. Come to California. Be mine for the world to see."
The satisfaction in her enchanting smile is so powerful that I swallow thickly at the emotion clawing its way up my throat. "I love you, too, Kane. God, do I."
Fuck, she's beautiful and all mine. Everything else will just have to fall into place because I'm not ever letting this woman go.
IT TOOK US ANOTHER WEEK to finish filming in Georgia. The weather had turned cold and dreary. Unfortunately for Kane's filming schedule and all that time I had managed to save him, the bad weather put us way beyond saving the budget. We had to film all of the outdoor scenes during that unlucky time, and because of the scenes calling for bright and sunny weather, we had to improvise. Which put us five days over schedule.
Kirby had flown home six times in the time we were in Georgia. Forty plus days away from her family was too much for her, and I'm shocked that she only went home six times. Kane's been so understanding and even helpful in making sure she was able to get away--hence the reason he brought in the extra help for her a week into filming. The second we wrapped last night; she hightailed it off the set and caught the redeye home. She has a four-day break to spend with her family before she's needed in California, so I know she was eager not to waste a second of that time.
There are another three weeks to a month left of filming Impenetrable and I've been busy studying each and every call sheet I drew up for that timeframe, but also looking for ways we can turn a few filming locations into longer takes to cover more ground. I'm attempting to find a way to consolidate some of that time to make up for the budget slips in Georgia. So far, I've only been able to take a few days off here and there, but I haven't been able to find a way to make up for all of the overages.
The last few days of filming before I flew back to New York were a whirlwind. I took over Sam's position officially two days ago. After I agreed to the position, it only took a few days to get the contract signed. Even though it's a little intimidating, I'm confident I know what I'm doing. I initially worried about the working relationship with Kane bleeding into our personal one, making up excuses that my fears had planted in my mind to pull back, but I know now it's because of our relationship that I'm positive he meant every word about me being the only person he trusts.
Placing the last of my clothes into the box I had been working on for the last hour, I turn my head and look for the packaging tape I swear was just right here. I've been trying to get as much packing done as possible before Kane arrives. He had to handle some interview promos for Impenetrable and provide a tour of the set for the companion book that will release side-by-side with the film. Now that's finished, he's finally on his way back to me and we can officially cross Georgia off our to-do list.
My phone rings, and I abandon the search for tape, rushing to the kitchen where I placed my phone earlier.
"Hey," I rush, trying to catch my breath after almost tripping over the stack of boxes in my path.
"You okay, baby?"
The rush of arousal from the deep rasp of Kane's voice hits me instantly, and I smile. "Yeah, just almost took my head off on the way to grab the phone. Are you on the way?" God, please let him almost be here. I feel like I'm about to come out of my skin in anticipation.
"Just left the airport. It was a mad house. No fucking clue how they knew I would be here. Cam fought through the endless amount of paparazzi, but we're mostly in one piece."
"Mostly?"
A rumble of laughter follows my question. "Yeah. There was just a small incident."
"Incident?"
"Not as bad as it sounds. However, I might not feel that way when TMZ repeats the clusterfuck that followed." He laughs again.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that since you're laughing about it, there isn't a need for me to worry about your well-being. You didn't punch one of those paparazzi guys, right? I mean, I've seen it before when they don't back off and it never ends pretty."
He starts to laugh harder, and it's hard not to follow suit, even not knowing the situation.
"Kane, you're freaking me out with all the scenarios I'm imagining being painted all over the world right now."
He manages to get himself under control, but I still hear the smile in his voice. "It was nothing like that. A chick was a little too exuberant in her quest to get to me. I'm not even really sure what happened, but one second, I was trying to weave through blinding flashes and screaming fans, and the next, I had a bra on my face and Cam had a bloody lip. Apparently, in her rush, she bumped into Cam, who then stumbled into the reporter from TMZ. It was a mess of elbows, grunts, and one dirty undergarment."
By the time he finishes going over his airport insanity, I'm laughing just as hard as he was. "Should I be worried about flying bras?" I chuckle again just envisioning the scene described to me.
"Besides the fact that the only bras I want flying in my face are yours, no. It was just a normal day in the life of Kane Masters."
I move and sit down on my couch; the only piece of furniture not covered in things I still have to pack. "Normal day, huh?"
"Exaggerating. Well, slightly," he jokes.
"All right, all right. I'll ignore the female masses and their lingerie heaving. As long as you only enjoy it when they're mine."
"Are you ready for me?" he asks, changing the subject.
"God, yes," I breathe.
"Fuck, it's only been a day, and I miss you like crazy."
I smile, moving the phone to my other ear. "You have no idea, Kane. But if I get the kind of texts from you like I did last night, we might have to spend a little more time apart."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'll be there soon, okay? Cam's got to make sure we're clear before we head that way. I don't want to bring the media right to your door."
"Okay, honey, see you in a little bit." I keep my voice even so he doesn't know I'm a little bothered by him easily brushing off my attempt at flirting.
"Love you, Willow."
My annoyance dims. Just like every other time he's told me that, my heart picks up and the butterflies turn into a tornado of activity in my stomach. "I love you, too."
I disconnect the call and drop the phone into my lap.
I shouldn't be annoyed right now, but for the last six weeks, I feel like we've been having this massive session of foreplay. I could understand it at first, even welcomed the slow pace of our intimacy. But now? Now, I'm about to come out of my skin with the fierceness in which I desire to take our relationship to the next level.
Over the course of our time in Georgia, not only did I start to come to life each time we were together, but in the end, I was so ready to take it to the next step I felt desperate with it. Kane always stopped us before we could finally go all the way. He wasn't shy about doing everything else, but he always put a stop to our bedroom activities. He never did it in a way that made me doubt he wanted the same thing I did. I could see it in the heated gaze he would burn my skin with, and I felt it in his heavy erection when he would pull me in his arms and we would spend the rest of the night tangled together as we talked.
Just the thought of sex with Kane is all it takes for my body to start to flush with heat and my panties to dampen with my arousal. My hands shake and my breath quickens. It's all I've been able to think about--well, outside of work--and I know if I don't have him soon I might just go insane.
It's hard to imagine anything else. I keep replaying the faces he makes when he would come in my mouth, the look of complete rapture as his body tenses and jerks with each jet that shoots down my throat. Knowing I was able to bring those reactions out of him makes my need to see that raw energy while bringing him there while he's inside me to dangerous levels.
My core clenches, an
That's it. When Kane gets here, I'll let him get in the door, but if he doesn't give me what we both need, I'm going to have to look into natural ways to date rape him.
Forty-five minutes later, I still haven't been able to stop thinking about all things Kane. I finished packing the rest of my clothes, a few boxes worth of personal items, and my vast collection of romance novels. There was a lot I wasn't bringing. The house I would be staying in--Kane's house--was obviously fully furnished, so there wasn't a need for the majority of my things. My furniture and anything else I didn't need would either be dumped or given away. Eddie would be home for the next week and had assured me that he would take care of it before turning my keys over to the landlord, who shockingly didn't give me a hard time about breaking my lease.
At first, Kane had wanted me to move directly into his home. Sam had lived there while working for Kane--obviously, not in the same capacity in which Kane had hoped I would be--but when he had mentioned it to me, it was as natural a thought as breathing. Kane didn't agree with me when I denied the arrangement. As much as I would have loved to spend every night with him, once I explained to him that I needed to be able to carve out a place for myself, he hesitantly agreed. I say hesitantly, but the pouting he did after giving in to my request would rival Alli on a bad day. I assured him that we could revisit this subject in a few months and that seemed to appease him.
I did agree with him that being near my job would be easier, but with the quickness that our relationship has progressed, it's important for me to be able to have a place of my own. Not to get away from him, but rather to give us a little sense of normalcy in his abnormal world.
Maybe I'm being a little timid, pulling away without completely doing so to make sure he doesn't get sick of me being around, but when I really think about it I know I'm making the right decision. We will never be able to date normally. The long period of time when couples go out, get to know each other, and then enter a relationship of love happened in a month for us. Because of his celebrity status, we kept our dating to catered dinners, private screenings of movies not yet released, and hours upon hours of talking. We basically condensed six months of speed dating into just weeks. Because of that, I know I need this space--well, space without real space--to put a little reality into the mix.
The brisk knock on my door makes me jump and let out a little scream of surprise. I had been too busy daydreaming and had lost track of time.
Walking over to the door, I make quick work of the locks and swing the door open. I don't even get a second to enjoy the view of Kane filling my doorway before his arms are coming around me, lifting me with his hands on my rear, and pushing me into the closest wall. I hear the door slam just before his lips crash to mine.
"I missed you," he rasps against my lips before kissing a blazing path down my neck.
"You just saw me yesterday morning." I laugh, fisting his shirt in my hands when the warm heat of his mouth pulls at the bottom of my ear. "But if this is how you tell me hello, we can do this again."
He makes a rumbling sound of protest and bites my sensitive lobe while rocking his hips into mine.
"Kane?"
He shakes his head and continues to assault my neck in kisses.
"Kane, please." My hoarse whisper comes out desperate and weak.
His head comes up; those brilliant blue eyes hit mine, and my whole body shudders with the force of his need. His thick hair, blackened with the dim lighting where we stand, looks like he's been running his fingers through it all day. The stubble on his jaw makes him look even more rugged than normal, but it highlights the sharpness of his features making him look even more handsome.
"I need you," I tell him. "I can't wait anymore, Kane, and if you push me away again, it might just kill me. I need you that badly."
I watch, with satisfaction, as his eyes darken and his jaw slacks with my forwardness. He starts to protest, but I push my hands from their resting place around his neck and slide my fingers into his hair, pulling him to my mouth.
Without letting our lips touch, I keep my eyes trained on his and demand, "I can feel how much you want me, Kane. Stop denying it and take me. All of me."
His throat works and rapid breaths fan from his thick lips. "I would never deny that I want you, Willow. I've wanted nothing more than to sink my cock into your body for weeks, but I have to know you want this just as much as I do. I wasn't denying you to be cruel, baby. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I was trying to go slow, give you time, and not rush you into something you might not be ready for."
"I've been ready, Kane. So ready I'm about to go mad."
"You aren't scared?"
I push my head back slightly so I can study his face better. The pieces of the puzzle I had lacked finally coming together. He hasn't been pushing me away; he's been making sure I wouldn't regret anything. Letting me learn to walk in this newfound confidence before I could run without abandon. He was letting me heal.
"I needed to know you were ready, and it wasn't something you were doing because you thought I wanted it, or because it was something I expected. I had to make sure you knew this wasn't just about a quick fuck, Willow. It's killed me, burned my gut to turn you away, but baby, I had to."
My eyes burn with emotion, but thankfully, no tears rush forward. "And I love you even more for that, but listen to me when I tell you I'm beyond that point. I'm so far past it that if you don't take me right now, I'm going to tie you up and take you myself."
His jaw moves, clenches, and his whole body trembles at my words. Yes, thank God is all I can think when his mouth crashes against mine. His head lifts and I see him look around, searching for the way to my bed. Before I can point, his mouth is plundering mine as he stomps toward the open doorway of my bedroom. The light, much brighter than the dim hallway by my front door, washes over us. For the first time, the thought of sex with the lights on doesn't terrify me. I don't care if my boobs bounce too much or the soft skin around my stomach jiggles as much as my butt does. I want the light because I wouldn't be able to see how much this man loves every single one of those things that I used to hate without it. I would miss the way his eyes burn in hunger when he follows the path of his hands down my curves. And most importantly, I would miss the look of rapture when he finally comes inside my body.
I welcome the light just as much as I welcome the body I used to hate, because not only does the man I love adore every inch, but through his eyes, I do too.
GOD, YES.
I look down and have to pause when I see how much Willow wants me. She isn't letting me doubt she's ready for this at all. Her skin is pink with arousal, and I see no embarrassment there at all. Her eyes are hooded and her kiss-bruised lips curved into a small smile.
This image alone is enough to test the confines that trap my already painfully hard cock. Hell, I'm so hard that it feels like I could just give one thrust and my cock would power through the thick denim. When her hands come up and push into my shirt, caressing the burning skin underneath, my head drops to her shoulder and my moan echoes around us.
Her head turns, and I feel the movement against the side of my head. Her lips brush my ear and then her tongue comes out and licks a blazing trail around the shell of my ear.
Then it happens. The moment that my control snaps and any thought of taking this slow goes flying to the fucking moon.
"Take me." She whispers the words so close to my ear that chills race over my skin.
She wants me to take her?
With pleasure.
She lets out a scream of surprise when I knife off the bed and jump to my feet. My shirt comes off in one quick movement. I grab a condom from my wallet while kicking off my shoes. My pants are shoved roughly down my hips. I leave my boxer briefs in place and pull my socks off while keeping my hungry eyes on her.
Throwing the condom on the bed next to where her body is, I reach my hands out and start to work the button at her waist. She lifts her upper body slightly before she pulls her shirt over her head and throws it somewhere behind her. She only loses her connection with my eyes when the material moves over her head.
I pause in my attempts to get the offending jeans from her legs at the sight of her hot pink lace bra. My mouth waters and I feel the tip of my cock strain against the elastic band holding my briefs up. Noticing my pause, she gives me a wink and reaches back. She unhooks the sinful garment and slowly moves the straps down her arms before letting it fall, freeing her full tits.
My fingers fumble with her jeans as whatever blood left in my brain drains straight to my cock. The button seems too small for my large fingers, and I let out a curse. I look down, breaking our connection, and attempt it again. She lets out a soft giggle and bats my hands away.
"Let me," she hums.
I step back, and she moves to stand. Her heavy tits sway with each of her movements, and my mouth waters at the sight. Suddenly, I don't give one shit about her pants; with those tits begging for my mouth, it takes a herculean effort to keep my feet planted in place. Her hands come up and have the button open before I can decide which one of her tits needs my mouth the most.
Probably the right one. It's closer. No, now the left one is. Fuck.
She bends and takes her magnificent chest away from my perusal. I hear her laugh when I groan my complaint and adjust my cock before dropping my hand and holding them both next to my body, my fists clenching as I mentally tell myself that I need to calm the hell down.
I drop my head and roll it on my shoulders as I try to ease some of the tension I'm feeling right now. I'm just seconds--no, less than that--away from coming out of my skin. My control is gone, and the ability to slow down and make sure this is good for Willow is quickly evaporating. At this rate, I'm starting to wonder if I'll even be able to slow my need for her down when the only layer keeping my cock caged is removed. The barbaric demands flowing through my veins are making me feel more animalistic in my primal instincts.