CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

Tension he hadn't realized had been gripping him dropped away as Deborah followed Rock into his bedroom. She'd been distant in some indefinable way since dinner.

He'd thought at first it might be Sloan, but as annoying as the mayor had been with his damn flirtation, Deborah had handled him just fine. No, it was something else. If he were a betting man, he'd put five thousand on the probability she was upset he hadn't wanted to talk about her coming back to visit after the movie was over.

But what was the point in letting her make promises she wasn't going to keep?

He was doing her a favor, even if she didn't realize it.

Deborah started peeling her clothes off with deliberate movements, her expression pure feminine provocation, no distance in her expression now. "I've got plans, Rock, and they require your cooperation."

"I like plans, hot stuff."

"I know you do." She stepped out of her underwear, no signs of self-consciousness, every glorious inch of her pale skin uncovered.

He could look at the feast in front of him for hours. Her breasts were a perfect handful, even for his big hands, tipped by dark pink nipples, already drawn tight with desire. The curve of her waist flared to perfect hips going down legs he wanted wrapped around him while he pounded inside her, or rubbed against her.

Damn it. He didn't care how they pleasured each other. He just wanted their bodies to be together, moving in unison.

His dick took immediate, near painful notice. "Damn, beauty, I've suddenly got some plans of my own."

Her laugh was as sultry as a Caribbean summer night. "Maybe you should lose the clothes, Alaska Man." She started moving backward toward the bed, her body all sinuous grace.

He yanked his shirt over his head, not bothering with buttons, jerking his jeans and shorts off over his already hard cock with impatient movements.

She laughed at him. "In a hurry, Rock?"

"Yes."

She ran her hands down her torso, over those perfect pink tipped breasts, touching herself in ways meant to provoke. And damned if it didn't work spectacularly. He dove for the bed without a thought of playing it cool.

It didn't matter they'd already made love earlier today, or that they had a steady diet of daily sex, his need for her was as strong as if he'd had a long dry spell and met this sensual beauty for the first time. She was pure primal sexy.

Her laughter turned into a long, sensual moan as his mouth landed on the bare, soft skin of her throat. She undulated against him.

More provocation.

"You trying to make me lose my mind here, hot stuff?" he asked against her ear, his voice gruff with want.

Her foot slid up his thigh, caressing, taunting. "What if I am?"

"You're doing a damn fine job."

"Good." There was something there. Something in her voice. Something in the way she was teasing him.

But damned if he could focus enough to figure it out. Rock was used to being to aggressor. Even with this woman.

His beauty didn't lack confidence, but she wasn't like this. Pure heated desire rubbing against him with unadulterated intent.

She was all sinuous grace, soft skin so hot against his, he'd caught fire with a need that would consume him if he didn't meet it.

He pressed down, his hard cock aching, pure pleasure shooting from his groin to the rest of his body as his rigid sex rubbed against her moist flesh. She gyrated her hips, giving him delicious friction and making him groan.

"You like that, Rock?"

"You know it."

"Do you want more?"

Was she kidding? "You know I do."

She hitched her leg higher on his hip, opening herself to him, allowing his hard-on to rub against her swollen clitoris. They moaned together. And damned if her obvious pleasure didn't turn him on more.

The knowledge that his body was exciting hers, that not only was she allowing it, but inviting it, making it happen? That was intense in ways he did not want to think about.

This woman did it for him on every single damn level.

He surged forward with his pelvis, pressing against her, pleasuring them both, wanting to be inside her, but loving the feel of rubbing against her too much to stop what they were doing.

"Feels so good," she moaned in a voice laced with decadent pleasure.

Had any woman ever been as honest in her body's desire with him? If she had, Rock couldn't remember it. Deborah was special. And she drew forth a level of desire in him he'd never felt with another woman either.

"You are something special, hot stuff," he admitted just before taking her mouth again.

He poured feelings he would never give words to into that kiss. This relationship couldn't last beyond filming of the movie she'd come to Alaska for.

Deborah wouldn't be back to Cailkirn, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to take advantage of every day and night he had with her. Including wringing every last ounce of pleasure out of their current situation as he could right now. For both of them.

Rock continued to rub off against Deborah until he brought her to a shattering climax that had her screaming in his ear and arching up against him. He was coming moments later, his ejaculate splattering between them, marking her in a way that satisfied him on an atavistic level.

For several long minutes, they lay there, bodies pressed together, both their breathing harsh in the aftermath, the scent of spent pleasure mixing with sweat and pheromones in a fragrance Rock didn't find offensive at all.

"That was amazing," she said breathlessly as he cleaned them both up after he'd convinced himself to move.

Fighting the primitive urge to rub his come into her skin, he remained silent. He wasn't some kind of caveman that had to mark his woman with his scent. Deborah wasn't even really his. She was his temporary lover. That didn't justify the feelings of possessiveness twisting his insides.

Other lovers had never engendered these feelings and he'd be damned if he gave into them now.

"Didn't you think so?" she asked, sounding a little peeved.

He smiled, letting her see just how sated he was, his cock hanging against his thigh at half-mast. "It was good, beauty. Damn good."

"I mean I know we didn't, you know."

"For a Hollywood star you sure can be an innocent," he teased as he tossed the wet washcloth at the laundry hamper and pulled her close.

She snuggled in, no attempt to maintain any kind of distance between them. "I'm no star."

That was one of the things he loved about having her in his bed. She matched him perfectly as a lover, but she was a great sleeping partner too.

"We don't have to screw to get off." And he was starting to resent the condoms for some crazy damn reason.

It wasn't like he couldn't get off wearing one. He wasn't some selfish kid that claimed he couldn't feel anything wearing a glove.

He just didn't like the sense of separation. So, he'd gone for making love in a way they didn't need them. Yeah, it made so much sense. Not.

He wasn't ever going to admit that issue out loud. He'd deal with it.

"I have an IUD."

"What?"

"And clean test results from the month before we came up to Alaska. I guess you'd have to trust me when I tell you that I haven't been with anyone since six months before then."

"What are you talking about?" But he knew. She was talking about not using condoms. Like she'd been reading his mind. Or maybe, she wanted that intimacy too.

Which should scare the shit out of him. Neither of them should be looking for intimacy in their relationship such as it was.

She slapped his chest, and looked up at him, her glare pretty fierce for how relaxed into the afterglow she'd been. "Don't play stupid. Do you have recent test results?"

He didn't even consider prevaricating. "I do."

"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." Her voice was teasing, but there was a thread of seriousness he could not ignore.

This was serious stuff. It was the kind of thing they shouldn't even be considering. Not for a few weeks-long affair.

"I'll pull them out tomorrow morning."

"Okay." She yawned, dropped her head down on his chest and went boneless against him.

He loved that moment, when her body told him she trusted him enough to let go of all her worries and trust him to watch over her sleep.

He lay there thinking about the other trust she'd just given him, trust neither of them should be giving each other, but a step he was infinitely glad they were taking.

When her phone range later, waking her out of sleep, Rock was not happy. The expression on Deborah's face as she listened to whoever was on the other end wasn't anywhere near pleased either.

"Okay." Pause as the other person spoke, the agitated masculine tones coming through the phone if not the actual words. "I said, all right. I'll talk to him."

She hung up and gave Rock a worried look, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

 

"What's going on?"

"They somehow managed to lose all of yesterday's footage. Art only just discovered it."

"How the hell did they do that? Who did it?"

"Art doesn’t know. The files were on the computer and the backup server, but they're gone, now and no one knows how."

"That's ridiculous. Someone had to have deleted them."

"Whoever did it isn't fessing up and it's not like we have major security on set. There's no way of knowing who signed into the computer. The whole editorial crew has access, not to mention Art and Ms. Morganstein's people."

"Is he sure it was an accident?"

"What else would it have been? Everyone on the crew and cast has a vested interest in this movie succeeding."

Rock looked thoughtful. "I suppose Gamble wanted you to ask me to amend the contract, giving you another day for filming."

"He did, yes." Deborah sighed. "I know that even if you say yes, you aren't going to be happy about it."

"If he agrees that when you're not filming, your time is your own, I'll let him have the day. I won't even bitch about it."

"So, I can spend that time with you?"

"So, you can get more sleep, spend time preparing during the day and yes, if you want, spend more time with me."

Deborah felt a grin split her face. Oh, she was so falling for this man. "I'm sure he'll be just fine with that." She knew she was. An extra hour of sleep some mornings would be very welcome. "And sometimes, I want to be on set when I'm not in the scene."

Rock tugged her back down into the warmth of his arms. "Just as long as every night you want to be here."

 

Rock was not hiding in the barn with the horses while the film crew took over his damn house again. Carey had convinced him to add an extra day of indoor filming to the contract for Marilyn's sake.

She had arrived that morning, all smiles, and hugs for her brothers and pure fascination for the movie being filmed on Jepsom Acres.

Rock had hung around the kitchen for an hour or so, but Mrs. Painter had shooed him away. He'd tried working, but he'd cleared his calendar for Marilyn's arrival.

Finally realizing his sister was not here to visit her eldest brother in any shape or form, Rock had come out to the barn to take care of the horses. There was always something to be done in care of the big animals.

Maybe he'd go for a ride. It didn't matter that despite having a lover in residence and both his siblings being home, he had no one to accompany him. He was not feeling sorry for himself. Millionaire businessmen were too busy for that kind of wasted emotion.

He pulled out Orion's tack and began to saddle the horse, talking to the big, black Percheron. "You'll be happy for the exercise anyway. Too bad we don't have someone to exercise Amanda."

He'd have to have Mrs. Painter's nephew take the mare for some circuits of the paddock at least. The boy was a passable rider.

"Hey, big brother. I thought I might find you here."

Rock turned in surprise at the sound of Marilyn's voice. "You're busy with the movie people."

"I was." She grinned, and he saw the little girl she'd been and the woman she was. "It's amazing you're letting them film inside."

"It's in the contract."

"Carey said you allowed them an extra day so I was guaranteed to see some inside filming while I was here."

Rock shrugged. He'd been seeing to the twins' needs since their birth. He didn't see what was surprising about this.

"You're an amazing brother, you know that?"

"Don't go getting all sentimental."

"Right. You're not emotional at all." His baby sister's voice was just dripping with sarcasm.

He chose to ignore it.

"What are you doing out here? All the filming is happening inside the house."

"Yeah, well, as cool as it is, I missed my big brother."

"You didn't take a break from your thesis to visit me." If she was going to do that, she would have planned to come home before she found out they were filming a movie in Cailkirn.

She frowned and shook her head at him. "It wasn't an easy decision not to come home this summer."

"You and Carey decided on a different life than this one." Rock tightened the saddle on Orion.

"We didn't decide to leave you behind."

"He hasn't been home since he left for LA."

"He wanted to come home a star."

"Hollywood breaks a hell of a lot more actors than it turns into stars."

"He knows that, but he wanted to prove he'd be different."

"Until he had a use for me."

"Rock. It wasn't like that."

"Wasn't it? Neither one of you came home until there was something here for you besides your family." Besides the man who'd given up his own childhood to raise them.

No, he wasn't feeling sorry for himself at all.

Damn it.

Marilyn surged forward and threw her arms around him in one her patented hugs. He'd never been able to resist his baby sister when she needed comfort and as much as it might seem like she was offering that commodity to him, he knew she was really seeking it.

Rock put his strong arms around his sister and gave her a firm squeeze. "It's okay, Marilyn. I'm never letting go, you know that."

"We didn't leave you."

They had, but she was his baby sister. So, he just hugged her.

She sniffled. "We were always coming back. I wasn't even going be gone the whole summer."

He gave another tight hug and the pushed her just far enough away that he could look down into her pretty face so much like their mother's. "How's the thesis going?"

"Good." She winced. "Okay, honestly? It sucks. Maybe this whole me being a film director with vision and a message for the masses isn't all it's cracked up to be. I don't know if I can do it, Rock."

He frowned. His can-do sister was doubting herself? No way in hell was he going to allow that to happen. He might not like where her dreams were leading her, but he'd be damned if he'd allow her to doubt her ability to make them happen.

"You listen to me, Marilyn Jepsom. Mom and Dad may have gotten a lot of things wrong, but one thing they had in spades?"

She gave a watery chuckle. "What's that?"

"They never gave up and neither will you. You are brilliant, kid. You can do this."

"You really believe that? I'm not like you. I can't take a few thousand dollars and turn them into several million and raise my sister and brother while doing it."

"Well, we can't all be financial geniuses," he said with obvious sarcasm.

She punched him. Hard. "Don't you make light of it, Rock Spencer Jepsom! You are the best, smartest man I know. No other man can live up to you. And that's another thing. I keep breaking up with guys because they're not good enough. None of them live up to my big brother. It's a problem."

Rock couldn't be happier. "Well, now, that puts my mind at rest."

"Oh, put a sock in it, big bro. A girl has her needs."

"Not something I ever wanted to hear about."

She burst out laughing. "So, you're going riding."

"What was your first clue?"

"Don't be a smartass."

"Don't swear."

"Rock, I'm twenty-two years old, not twelve."

"Still my baby sister."

"You are such a Neanderthal about some things."

"This is not something new."

"I suppose not. Did you want some company?"

"You're offering to go riding with me?" he asked suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." She glared at him. "I really did miss you, you big jerk. Do you want my company, or not?"

"I do."

It only took a few minutes to saddle her horse and then they were on their way, but they were only a short distance into the ride before Rock realized what Marilyn was after. Information. On Deborah.

"We're not dating."

"Carey said she sleeps in your bed."

"I don't appreciate you two gossiping about my love life."

"So, it is a love life."

"No, damn it."

"Oh, you swore!"

"Don't be a pain in my as… backside! Deborah and I are friends."

"With benefits."

"Don't be smart."

"But you said I am."

For that, he took their horses to a gallop and only slowed down when his sister started using some of his favorite cuss words.

When their horses were walking again, Marilyn turned to him in her saddle. "Carey says you really like her."

"I do like her." Too much.

"She's an actor."

"I am aware."

"Is that why you insist you're not dating?"

"We aren't dating."

"Carey said you took her into Cailkirn, showed her the sites."

"There are no sites in Cailkirn." It was a popular refrain with the twins.

"You know what I mean. You two went to dinner, but Sloan horned in on your romantic evening. Did he try to make a move on Deborah?" Marilyn's eyes gleamed with more interest than was healthy in either their town mayor or her brother's current non-relationship. "Did he flirt with her?"

"Sloan flirts with every beautiful woman who crosses his path. He's a politician."

"He's something all right." Marilyn frowned.

"Deborah didn't flirt back."

Marilyn's grin was blinding. "Carey said she didn't."

"How would he know? He wasn't there."

"Town gossip." Marilyn looked pityingly at Rock. "You do remember how that works? Miss Elspeth has repeated your conversation on the Boardwalk word for word."

"I'd think she'd be embarrassed to."

"Ooh, was she talking about Sloan's proclivities again?" Marilyn demanded.

Rock felt real dread settle in his stomach. "You keep your mind off of Sloan's bedroom preferences, young lady."

Marilyn kneed her horse into a canter as she headed back to the house. "Gotcha!" Her laughter trailed her as she rode away.

The arrival of Rock's sister ate into their already limited time alone together, but the upside was the instant almost sister-like rapport Deborah shared with the younger woman. She couldn't remember ever being as free and easy with Alicia.

Maybe because she'd had to walk away from the family a decade ago, but Deborah loved the way Marilyn teased Carey or Rock and invited Deborah to join in on the joke. They'd had late night snack sessions in the kitchen and because Marilyn got the business, she got that Deborah had to do that in a healthy way.

They chatted and laughed, and Marilyn never judged Deborah or treated her like she was less because she was an actor. She talked to her like Deborah had wisdom Marilyn was eager to hear.

It was a gift. Rock might not be willing to give their relationship a chance, but he'd given her a taste of family she hadn't had in ten years.

And the kind of family she'd never experienced before.

"So, you and Rock?" Marilyn asked Deborah with exaggerated widening of her eyes and raised brows.

"For the duration of the film."

"Oh, you don't like that do you?"

Deborah rubbed her arms, feeling cold for some reason. "How can you tell?"

"Well, it's not like it's written all over your face. Okay, it kind of is. You don't have a very good poker face for an actor who has been in the business for like a decade. You're practically a veteran."

"Rock says the same thing. I don't put on roles for him."

"Or his family, apparently," Marilyn said with a wry smile.

"Should I?"

"No." The younger woman shook her head vehemently. "I'd say that's the worst thing you could possibly do. Especially if you're hoping to make this thing last beyond the movie. What's it like?"

"Being with your brother?" Deborah asked with a squeak, genuinely shocked Marilyn would ask.

The blonde was confident, bold even, but this was brash, even for her.

"Ewww. No. Being in a movie, dork."

Deborah laughed, relaxing a little. "Exhausting. Exhilarating. Terrifying."

"Why terrifying."

"I lost my family over my desire to be an actor. This is my chance to prove that decision wasn't the wrong one."

"And if the movie fails, you didn't prove anything." Marilyn's expression was filled with understanding.

More understanding than Deborah would expect Rock's sister to have.

Deborah grimaced. "Other than I make sucktastic choices."

In careers and men and friends. Really. Her life wasn't peopled with them, was it?

"Don't get so down on yourself." Marilyn gave her a tight hug. "Everybody has flops, but this isn't going to be one. I can feel it."

"Has Carey let you read the script?"

"No."

"Did he tell you about it?"

"Well, no."

Deborah couldn't help laughing. "Then you're not exactly an informed observer, are you?"

"Don't be snotty."

"Don't be bossy."

"It's in my DNA. You have met Rock, haven't you?" Marilyn's laughter was infectious.

"Touché."

"Carey said he wants to talk over dinner tonight. Like a family meeting or something."

"Oh." He hadn't told Deborah he didn't want her there. Maybe she should make herself scarce, regardless.

One thing she was not, was family.

She didn't have family, not really, not anymore. "Good thing I've got dinner plans with Art then. Direction stuff to go over."

"You do? Carey didn't say anything about dinner."

"That's because it's not about his role. Just mine. Just some notes I want to go over with Art." She made a mental note to let the director know about the plans too.

"Oh, okay. Is that usual?" Marilyn asked suspiciously.

"It's not unusual."

"He's not like putting pressure on you to spend a lot of time with him outside of filming is he?" Marilyn pressed.

Deborah got where the line of question was going and let her disgust with the idea show on her face. "Like you said, ewww. Marilyn, Art is a good guy. He has real integrity. He doesn't just talk about it."

"That's good then."

"I think so. I wouldn't have signed onto the project if he was that type of director."

"So, there are those in Hollywood."

"Of course, there are, just like there are corporate sharks that seduce their admins and dump them with pink slips." Deborah reached out to the younger woman. "You take your time researching the people you'll be working with, if you're smart. And I know you are intelligent. No project is worth getting in a bad situation over."

"You're right. I'm lucky. I have a cushion. So does Carey."

Deborah wasn't so sure that was true any longer, but she wasn't going to be the one to spill the beans to Marilyn about her brother's reversal of fortunes.