BARE_A Hollywood Romance Read online

  “Actually, he already has plans,” Teagan interrupted, sliding her hand into Reed’s. His fingers automatically intertwined with hers, and she gave Elena the bitchiest look she could muster up.

  “I think Reed can talk for himself, don’t you?” Elena cooed in as cutesy of a voice as possible.

  Reed looked uncomfortable, but smiled at Teagan. “Actually, Teag can talk for me anytime she wants. I’d follow her around like a puppy dog if she’d let me.”

  “Oh.” Elena looked confused at that answer. “Well, you know where my trailer is. Give my door a knock if you change your mind.”

  Reed stepped closer to the blonde starlet, lowering his voice. “Elena, I think it’s best if we just keep things professional.”

  Teagan loved the way he not only clarified his boundaries, but did it quietly so as to not embarrass Elena. Granted, Teagan was fine with Elena being embarrassed, but she loved his compassion. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen until recently, and she found herself captivated by all these new sides to him.

  “Yeah, of course,” Elena murmured, ducking her head. “I’d never think otherwise. I was just being friendly.” She walked away quickly, leaving them alone on set.

  Reed took Teagan’s hand again, lifting it to his lips and kissing the back. “Was that jealousy, Ms. Reynolds?”

  Her cheeks flushed with heat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Is that so?” Reed lifted one brow, stepping closer to her and leaning in to whisper in her ear. “When I saw you dancing—pressed against that other man—I was jealous as hell.”

  Teagan’s tongue slid across her lower lip, her breath quickening. “Maybe I was pretending he was you…”

  Reed growled underneath his breath, his eyes fiery. “If we weren’t about to start filming the next scene in five minutes, I’d be taking you right back to my trailer.”

  Teagan laughed, winking at him. “Promises, promises.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  "Ow!" Teagan blinked her eyes open and looked for the source of the pain on her stomach. Benson was standing square on her stomach, kneading his claws directly into her skin with only the thin bedsheet between them. "Get off, B." She pushed him onto the mattress. "I love you, too, but those claws…ugh."

  Benson meowed in complaint and then walked to the end of the bed, turned around a few times, then laid down and fell asleep immediately. Simple creatures.

  Teagan yawned and climbed out of bed, stretching her limbs. The last week had been one of the busiest of her life—traveling, learning lines, filming, dancing, training others to dance. She was basically doing multiple jobs at the same time, but as physically and mentally demanding as it all was, she couldn't remember a time she'd ever been happier.

  Surprisingly, that happiness had nothing to do with Reed either. She was pretty proud of that. She'd found joy in her work, her ambitions, and seeing a future for herself that for so long she hadn't thought was possible. Sure, Reed had been the catapult that brought her this break, but she had spent years earning it with her work ethic and success all on her own.

  Reed had assured her of that, and helped her to believe in herself. It was one of the many reasons why she'd opened up her life to him again, and maybe soon, her heart.

  Teagan headed to the bathroom and began brushing her teeth, staring at herself in the mirror. She was still terrified to let down those final walls, and even more terrified to tell her family she might possibly be dating her ex-fiancé again. But, in the same vein, she was excited and eager for him to prove her wrong—to prove he could be the man she'd once thought he was.

  After their tryst on the hill above the vineyard, they'd kept things pretty tame out of pure necessity. She'd been absolutely exhausted every night when filming wrapped and she'd practiced the choreography for the next day. As much as she'd wanted to fool around, she literally hadn't been able to keep her eyes open.

  Reed hadn't minded one bit, and when she passed out the moment she hit the sheets, he just held her all night. They spooned and cuddled, and when she woke up to his bare chest against her, his strong arms around her, she couldn't think of any place she'd rather be.

  Teagan rinsed out her mouth and washed her face, then hurried to get dressed. Despite having arrived home late last night, she was still expected to be on set early this morning to continue choreography for the scenes they were filming this week. Reed had even booked her for an early afternoon session and swore he really needed her help.

  She'd been sure he was ready for this week's routine, but she wasn't about to complain. Dancing with him was basically her porn.

  Finally dressed, Teagan kissed Benson goodbye and headed for her car. Not much later, she was arriving on set and heading straight for the studio. With back-to-back training sessions with cast members, and then filming a quick scene her character was in, Teagan stumbled into her lunch hour, exhausted and starving. Getting back in her car, she headed for one of her favorite sandwich shops a few minutes away.

  Within twenty minutes, she was seated and scarfing down her sandwich like it was the last meal she'd ever eat.

  "Hey, Teag!" Simone, her youngest sister, waved to her from the other side of the shop. She came over to join her at her table. "Funny seeing you here."

  Teagan gave her baby sister a hug, though she was hardly a baby anymore. Simone was attending the University of Southern California and looked as grown up as ever. She had thick black hair, though the entire underside was dyed blue and only visible at certain angles. Simone plopped down into the chair across from her and grabbed the pickle off Teagan's plate, taking a bite.

  "So, how are you doing?" She crunched on the pickle. "Mom's been asking why you're not coming over lately."

  "I'm not avoiding you guys. It's just insanely busy at work."

  "That's what Aria says," Simone teased. "She left yesterday to shoot her new political movie."

  "Dreamers?"

  Simone nodded. "It's already getting Oscar buzz and they haven't even filmed it yet."

  "She deserves it," Teagan admitted. "I can't believe she got screwed over for Murals."

  "Right?" Simone scoffed. "She definitely should have won for that role. She did win a shit ton of other awards for that one, though. Her career blew up."

  "True, but I think she's going to finally get the Oscar on Dreamers." There was no one who deserved it more than Aria. She'd taken her loss in stride, and not once did she even see it as a setback. She just kept going, kept working, and kept fighting for the causes she believed in. Actually, Simone and Teagan both worked on her nonprofit for female empowerment, though she spent the most time and energy on it out of all of them. "How's school, Simmy?"

  A staff member came over and deposited a plate bearing a delicious looking sandwich on it in front of Simone; she must have ordered it earlier.

  "School's good. I should be graduating next year if everything goes according to plan."

  "What about your singing?" Teagan asked. Aria had always been the actress, Teagan was the dancer, but Simone…man, she had the vocals of an angel on her.

  "I've got a gig at a dive bar on Friday. So, there's that."

  Teagan chuckled. "Well, you've got to start somewhere."

  "I'm considering trying out for The Voice next year…" Simone took a bite of her sandwich, her expression apprehensive. "I don't know if I'm ready yet though."

  "You're definitely ready," Teagan assured her. "Plus, all you promised Mom is that you'd get your degree. After that, your career is all you. You've got to plan ahead."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Simone rolled her eyes. "Can you not older-sister me for one lunch? I get enough of that from Aria and Mom."

  Teagan smirked and shook her head. "Can't help myself, but if you want, I could tell you some news."

  "Ooh, yes. Spill."

  "You can't tell anyone else, though," Teagan warned. She knew it was safe to tell her younger sister about Reed, because she had been so young when Reed had left. She wou
ldn't judge since she had never really been fully there throughout it all. "I'm not ready for the family to know yet."

  Simone put down her sandwich and leaned forward against the table. "Okay, now I'm really interested."

  "I'm…" Teagan took in a deep breath. "I'm dating Reed…again."

  Her sister's brows furrowed, like she was trying to place the name. "Who? Wait…your Reed? Reed, the ex-fiancé?"

  She nodded. "One and the same."

  "Oh, Mom's going to flip the fuck out." Simone burst out laughing. "Can I be there when you tell her? Please? That can be my Christmas gift."

  Teagan balled her napkin and tossed it at her sister. "Come on! Be on my side here."

  "I am!" Simone batted away her napkin attack. "Tell me about him. Tell me why on God's Green Earth you'd consider dating him again."

  "It happened kind of slowly, to be honest," she explained. "He's the lead on the movie I'm filming, and I've been training him. Now I'm co-starring in a smaller role alongside him. Working together, I've gotten to know who he is now and how he's changed. He's not the same man from back then, and I'm not the same woman."

  "That sounds like a line," Simone said, returning to her sandwich. "Everyone changes, but that doesn't mean you can forgive and forget the past."

  "I can forgive. I have forgiven him." And for the most part, that was true.

  "What about for the accident?" Simone pushed. "You've forgiven him for that?"

  "That wasn't his fault, Simone."

  "It’s as much his fault as the car that hit you."

  Teagan tried not to think about it. She couldn't change her past, or what she'd been through. And, honestly, she didn't want to blame anyone for that car accident—not even the poor woman who'd hit her car and been devastated by what she'd done. Life was just shit sometimes, and people learned how to shovel it or were buried in it.

  "I haven't talked to him about that part of my life yet, or at least, not how he was involved in it," Teagan admitted. "It's just…"

  "A looming disaster?" Simone finished for her. "I mean, if he likes you, he's going to be devastated."

  Teagan chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying not to think about how that conversation would go. "He's a good guy, Simmy. He made a mistake, and he's trying to amend for that. He's not the same person."

  "Well, for your sake, I hope that's true." Simone reached across and squeezed her hand. "If you like him, then I like him."

  "I do really like him…a lot," Teagan admitted. "Honestly, I'm trying to hold back, be careful, but…it feels right. He was my other half once, and I think he still is. I think he was always going to be."

  Simone put her hand over her heart. "Oh, my God, don't make me cry, Teag."

  "Stop!" Teagan laughed.

  "You stop," her sister replied, shaking a finger at her. "You're a smitten kitten."

  Teagan shrugged one shoulder, trying to hide her smile. "Maybe a little."

  Maybe a lot.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "Reed?" Teagan called out, entering the studio after lunch. She was running a few minutes late and expected him to beat her there for his lesson, but he was nowhere to be seen. Taking a moment to breathe, she placed her bag on the shelf and began stretching.

  As busy as her day had been, she'd actually gotten a good night's sleep last night, and it had her thinking about sleeping with Reed. She was more than ready to take that step, and, honestly, she'd even do it right here in the studio. She licked her lips at the thought of being pressed up against the mirrored wall, Reed burying himself inside of her.

  Good Lord, the things this man did to her mind.

  "Hey, Teag." Reed walked into the studio a second later. "I want to introduce you to someone."

  Teagan's gaze turned down to the young girl by his side, her hand in his. She immediately recognized her from the pictures he'd shown her of his niece, and quickly rerouted her thoughts to something a little more PG. "Hi, guys! Who's this?"

  "This is your student today—Nell." Reed gently pushed his niece forward, though she looked nervous and was clinging to him. "Nell, this is my really, really good friend, Teagan."

  Teagan tried not to laugh at his description of her. To be fair, she wouldn't know what to call them either. Friends seemed like the safest explanation, especially in front of a six-year-old. "Hi, Nell. It's wonderful to meet you. Your uncle talks about you all the time."

  The little girl smiled up at Reed then shyly stepped forward. Uneven pigtails sat on her shoulders, and she was wearing a plaid dress over stockings that didn't match at all. She put out a pudgy hand and Teagan shook it very stoically, as if they were professionals about to go into a meeting. "Nice to meet you, Teagan."

  "Tell her why we're here," Reed encouraged, his hands on her shoulders leading her forward.

  Nell grinned, shuffling her feet and picking at a flower on her dress. "We're going to a dance!"

  "You're going to a dance?" Teagan gasped, purposefully dramatic. "What dance?"

  "Um…" The little girl seemed to consider the question for a minute. "It's for first graders, like me. Only daddy's and daughters, but they said Uncle Reed could be my dad this time because my dad's not here. Mom said it was okay."

  Teagan glanced up at Reed, his expression was sheepish.

  "Uh, she means it's a Daddy/Daughter Dance. My brother-in-law is deployed, so I'm helping out, going in his place." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "It's not a big deal, but I figured we could get some dance lessons beforehand. Nell wanted to practice."

  "Yeah, I want to practice," Nell spoke up. "Addison said I'm a bad dancer and she's going to laugh at me. I don't want those girls to laugh at me, and Uncle Reed said he wouldn't let that happen."

  "All right, we don't need to tell her every single thing, Nell," Reed said, looking completely embarrassed now.

  He didn't have to be, however, because Teagan was infatuated by the entire scene. She had to take a second to force herself not to cry right then and there, because it was all so heartwarming.

  But then she saw Reed's hand when he took Nell's hand in his.

  His fingernails were bright pink and glittery, and matched the nail polish on Nell's tiny fingers, too. It was clear she'd painted them on him, because the lines were messy and it honestly looked terrible. But he didn't even seem to notice, and definitely didn't seem to care.

  Whatever parts of her heart she'd been holding back from him completely crumbled in that moment. The Reed she'd known eight years ago hadn't even really liked kids. He'd certainly never had the time of day for them—more focused on his own needs and wants. It had been the same way with them as well—she'd always felt he chose himself over her, which was exactly what she'd been afraid had happened when she thought he'd left her at the altar for a movie role.

  But this Reed? He was his niece's date to a Daddy/Daughter Dance and letting her paint his fingernails.

  Teagan wasn't sure her ovaries could handle it.

  She cleared her throat. "Well, let's get started. I'll put on some music and we'll learn a few moves, okay?"

  "Okay!" Nell shouted, already getting more comfortable and grabbing the bar, swinging her body below it. "I'm a good dancer. Addison is just a meanie. I always get the high score on my Wii."

  Teagan chuckled, loving that the young girl's only frame of reference for dancing was an interactive video game. "Well, that just sounds amazing."

  She turned on some music and then instructed Reed and Nell to stand together and walked them through a few different simple dances that would be sure to impress her classmates. An hour later, Nell was more confident than ever and was practically bouncing around the studio, asking if they could go to the dance immediately.

  "It's not till this weekend, Nell," Reed reminded her, calling across the studio. He turned to Teagan and lowered his voice. "When I get out of here tonight, can I come find you?"

  Teagan's tongue slid across her lower lip. "I'm going home early tonight."

 
"I'll come there then." Reed stepped even closer, his hand tracing a line up her arm. "I need to be with you, Teag. Do you want that? Do you want me?"

  "Yes." Her voice was breathy and soft, completely unexpected. "Come tonight."

  He grinned mischievously. "I plan to. After you." Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss against her cheek. "See you tonight, beautiful." He pulled away and turned to find his niece. "Come on, Nell. Let's go find your mom before she gets kicked off set for stalking every celebrity she can find."

  Nell laughed and hugged her arms around her own torso. "Mom said she's going to find McDreamy. She said he's her hall pass, but Mom isn't in school. Why does she need a hall pass?"

  "I, uh, well you see…okay, that's…" Reed put out his glittery pink hand and she interlaced her little fingers with his. "Let's just go. Mom can explain it to you."

  Teagan watched them go, trying to suppress her laughter. She was beginning to realize that there was no questioning them anymore. She was in love with Reed Scott. She always had been, and despite years apart and a hatred that could kill, she'd never stopped loving him. She'd never stopped wanting him.

  Now he was back, and he wanted to be hers. She just had to decide if she wanted to be his.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "Benson, you need to be on your best behavior." Teagan wagged a finger at her cat where he sat sprawled on the ottoman in front of her couch.

  She finished folding a throw blanket and draped it on the back of her couch. Though her apartment hadn't been very untidy, she'd still spent the last thirty minutes cleaning up and making sure everything looked okay. This would be the first time Reed would see where she lived, and as much as she loved her tiny home, it was exactly that—tiny. Not to mention, it wasn't in the greatest area either.

  But, she could afford it and it had a big window that got a ton of sun during the day which Benson loved. All in all, it was a great place and she was proud that she not only lived alone, but was able to do so in such an expensive area like Los Angeles.