He presses his lips together, giving it some thought. Then, he looks down at me and says, “Nope.”

And I laugh again.

“Whose idea was it to dance on the bed? Because this isn’t fucking easy,” he says.

“I could’ve told you that.”

“Dance on beds often, do you?”

“No, I just have this thing called common sense, and common sense says it wouldn’t be easy to slow dance on a squishy mattress.”

“Harsh, Pins. You’ve hurt my feelings.”

“You have feelings?” I tease.

“You’re an evil woman,” he grumbles. “Good thing you’re hot.”

“Right back at ya, West. You don’t think I’m sleeping with you for your brains, do you? I just want you for your hot body and big cock.”

“I fucking knew it!” He lifts me up before taking me down to the bed, making me squeal.

I wrap my legs around his waist. He lifts his head, staring into my eyes. Then, he kisses me.

He kisses me like he always does. Intensely. Like he’ll die if he doesn’t.

I’ve never been kissed in this way before. And I don’t think I ever will again if it’s not him I’m kissing.

The song moves onto Cigarettes After Sex’s “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby.”

Vaughn removes my T-shirt and bra, and then he pulls his own shirt off, tossing it to the floor.

He’s straight back to my mouth, kissing me again. His hand goes to the zipper on my jean shorts. He opens them and then shifts, pulling them down my legs and off. My panties go next.

He reaches into his pocket and gets out a condom. Then, he removes his own jeans.

I don’t take my eyes off him once.

Then, he’s suited up and back between my legs.

Eyes on mine, he pushes inside me. No words spoken.

I push my head back into the mattress, my eyes closing.

“Eyes open.”

I blink them open.

“Eyes always on me,” he says, thrusting into me, taking me to that place no one else can but him.

And I keep them locked on him the whole time until we’re both exploding together.

Then, later, when we’re lying in bed in the darkness, and I’m in his arms, sleepy and sated from the orgasm he gave me, he says, “Pins, I’ve just thought of something I’m serious about.”

“Oh, yeah? And what’s that?” I ask, yawning.

“You,” he says.

And, suddenly, I’m not so sleepy anymore.

Does he even mean that the way it sounded? Or is he just fucking with me like usual?

He kisses my forehead. “Night, Pins.”

“Uh…night, West,” I say, my heart pounding.

He pulls me closer and sighs a sleepy sound.

He was joking, right?

Yeah, he was definitely joking.

I mean, he wouldn’t just say it like that if he actually meant it, right?

Right.

But, even still, I can’t sleep, and I lie there for ages, feeling confused as hell.

And, when his breathing has evened out and he’s sleeping, I trace my fingers over his cheek. “I’m serious about you, too, West,” I whisper, knowing he can’t hear me.

Because, even if he didn’t mean it, I do.

And it scares the hell out of me.

Vaughn

I step out of the shower in my trailer. In that last shoot we did, I was covered in fake blood. It’s a motherfucker to get out of your hair, so I was in there for ages, scrubbing it out.

I dry off and pull on a pair of jeans. I forgot to bring a shirt in with me.

Toweling off my hair, I wander out of the bathroom to grab a shirt.

“Hey, V.”

I freeze. Slowly, I turn around.

Piper.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I toss the towel aside, not caring where it lands.

“It’s good to see you, too, V.”

“How did you get in?”

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “It’s not exactly hard. I am Piper Watts. Not some scum off the street.”

“Opinions vary.”

Her eyes sharpen.

“Well, it wasn’t nice seeing you, so…” I gesture to the door.

Ignoring me, she steps forward. The look in her eyes is telling. “I want you back,” she says.

I laugh. “You’re insane. And I definitely don’t want you back. In fact, I don’t want you anywhere near me.”

“I made a mistake.”

“You screwed my best friend for months. Hardly a mistake. How is Cain by the way?”

“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen him since the show. I’ve regretted so badly what happened. I’ve wanted to come see you so many times, but I knew you were angry, and you needed to get that out of your system.”

“You mean, my drink and sex addiction. Oh, and my tendencies toward violence. You told them I hit you, for fuck’s sake, Piper.”

“I never said any of that, V. You know the press; they make shit up.” She steps forward and wraps her hands around my wrists. “I miss you.”

I yank them away and step back. “Yeah, well, I don’t miss you. I don’t even like you. I’m not sure I ever did.”

“Do you remember how good we used to be together?”

“No. I remember I used to like fucking you, but that got old fast.”

Her brows draw together. I’m surprised they can move with the amount of Botox she has done.