Method Acting: An opposites attract, found family romance (Center Stage Book 2) by Adele Buck (web based ebook reader txt) 📕

“And if I was?” he asked.

Alicia’s breath hitched. “What…does that mean to you?” She almost flinched at the wobble in her own voice.

“Are you asking a lawyer to define his terms?” His voice was gentle, and his fingers encouraged her chin up. Looking at him, she felt like she could fall into the depths of his dark brown eyes.

“Maybe?”

His fingers moved from her chin, stroking down her neck, shoulder, and arm until he clasped her hand. Bringing it to his lips, he said, “Well, as I see it, I would like to get the opportunity for us to continue to grow closer. See how we do as a couple. Exclusively.”

Panic welled in Alicia. Her heartbeat sped, and she fought to keep her breathing even. She slid her eyes away. “What does that mean? To you?”

“Other than not dating other people?”

“Um. Yeah.”

“Nothing.”

The feeling of being asked to agree to something nameless and unknown and letting it control her receded a bit. “Okay. And if we’re doing really well and I have to go back to New York for a job or get a national tour?”

He shrugged, but his face tightened. “I guess we see what happens.”

“Colin, I don’t want to hurt you.”

He looked at her, his expression hardening. “What about hurting you?”

She swallowed, eyes sliding to the side. “I don’t want that either.”

His fingers tightened on hers. “Alicia, has anyone ever taken care of you?”

She tried to laugh. “Um. I suppose someone must have taken care of me when I was a baby. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t mean when you were a child. And I think you know that.”

Feeling ambushed by the wave of emotion that threatened to swamp her, Alicia blinked and swallowed. “I guess…no. I’ve always known that if I wanted to survive, I would have to take care of that myself. God, that sounded melodramatic.”

“If it were anyone else saying that, I would agree. I’m starting to believe it may be something of an understatement with you, though.”

Don’t be so sympathetic. Alicia fought twin urges to cry and to bolt for the privacy of the bathroom. Swallowing hard, she focused on Colin’s fingers gripping hers. “Are you saying you want to take care of me?”

“I’m saying I think we could take care of each other.”

Colin watched as Alicia visibly reined in her emotions. It was a master class in control, and he recalled his early suspicions about the probity of actresses. But how much of emotional control was dishonesty and how much was simple self-preservation?

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” he said.

Her eyes narrowed as she frowned. “Do what?”

“Set such rigid control over yourself. I’m not going to be scared off by emotion.”

Alicia snorted and withdrew her hand from his. “Okay, first of all, yeah. Maybe I do need to have some control over my reactions. Second of all, maybe my reactions aren’t for or about you. Third of all, I get to choose. I don’t need your permission to feel what I feel.”

Colin’s head jerked back as if she had slapped him. Hot anger started to flood through him, and he replayed her words in his mind. The anger that had coursed through him so fast emptied out of him just as quickly, and he felt his cheeks heat with shame instead.

“God,” he said, rubbing his hand across his eyes. “What a condescending, awful thing to say.”

“You’re a quick study, I’ll tell you that for free.” Pulling his hand away from his face, he saw a reluctant smile quirking her mouth to one side.

“I wish I could stop putting my foot in it with you. I’d rather say the right thing instead of offering you endless, tedious apologies.”

She considered him thoughtfully and finally spoke, her words slow and almost reluctant. “Maybe we’ll get there. Someday.”

“Are you saying you’re giving me a chance?”

She spread her fingers over the hand she had so recently pulled away from. “Yeah. I guess that’s what I’m saying.”

“I’m glad.”

“Yeah, well. We might piss each other off, but it seems like we’re also capable of learning. Besides,” she said, shooting him a sly smile, “you’re hot. I like having you in my bed.”

Colin threaded his fingers through hers and leaned forward to kiss her. “That’s two of us, then. Now. What can we eat? I’m starving.”

Alicia reflected that if she was going to have a man looking grumpy and judgmental in the face of her nearly empty refrigerator, it was at least nice that he was shirtless. His shorts hung low on his hips, and Alicia’s fingertips itched to retrace the lines of muscle in his abdomen and chest.

Turning to her and pointing at the interior of the fridge, he asked, “What do you subsist on?”

Alicia shrugged, suppressing a smile. “Take-out? Delivery? These amazing inventions called restaurants?”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “You don’t cook?”

“Does that lower me in your eyes? A woman who doesn’t cook?” she said.

“It’s not that,” he said, glancing again at the fridge as if it would have magically filled while he wasn’t looking. “I mean, I cook. If I thought it was something only women did, that would be pretty odd of me.”

“Well great, then. You cook. I had to cook for a family of thirteen back in the day. Now? It’s kind of my one indulgence, not having to do it.”

He sighed as he closed the refrigerator door. “Well, if I’m not going to starve to death, we have two choices. I can take you out, or I can take you back to my home and make you a meal.”

Alicia was surprised at how appealing the idea of him cooking for her was. “Well, you said we could take care of each other. That sounds pretty good, you cooking.”

He gave her a heated look. “Okay. And how are you going to take care of me?”

“Oh, I think I’ll be able to come up with something,” she said, sliding her hands around