LincolnDani: Remind me again why I took this job.Linc: You didn't have a choice. Almost here?Dani: Yeah, I'm at Starbucks, will be over in a few.The text ended with a few stunned looking smiley faces, a yawn, and then the picture of the ridiculously long Starbucks line.Linc: Just let yourself in.My flip flops made a slapping noise against the hardwood floor as I paced back and forth, back and forth in my living room. Nervous energy swirled around me as I cracked first my knuckles and then my neck.The sound relaxed me more than the feeling.I cracked my left hand again then my right.Blowing air out of my cheeks, I sat on my couch and started my deep breathing. In for eight seconds, out for eight seconds, eight times.I'd tried to stop with my first-day ritual, but the one and only time I hadn't done the whole cracking, breathing, relaxing thing, one of the lights had fallen on me during filming.During a sex scene.I'd been naked.So had she.Let's just say
DaniWatching him kiss my sister had to be the most awkward thing I'd ever experienced in my entire life. I trembled with the wrongness of it. I mean, my sister.Granted, she was married.And they were acting.But the way he touched her, the way he hovered over her, protected her with his massive body, his lips caressing hers... and I wanted so selfishly to be on the other side of that kiss.No guy had ever looked at me like that.Elliot had never kissed me like he wanted to take his time. He'd been a great boyfriend until I was too much baggage for him..."Why can't you just be happy, Dani?" he shouted. "For once! There's more going on in the world other than the accident, alright? I know it sucks, I know it hurts, but for the love of God, it's been a few months! At least do SOMETHING!"I flinched at his words, at the tone of his voice. He'd never yelled at me before. I hugged myself with my arms and nodded, trying desperately to just be okay. I mean, how hard could it be?
LincolnSon of a bitch.I'd kissed her sister and nearly made her teeth bleed because I couldn't seem to get into the scene - then imagined myself kissing her, and it had been all rainbows and shit.And now? Now I get to kiss her.Well, at least I wouldn't have to act - nope that would be all Lincoln Greene.In that moment, I wanted her to talk. I needed to hear her joke about kissing me. I needed the conversation before the kiss that set me at ease. Because at least through conversation, I could maybe gain insight into her feelings. But all I had to go off was body language. And as usual, she seemed indifferent about the whole thing.I stared harder.Maybe she was sweating?I eyed her neck, hoping for a racing pulse.Instead, she jerked her head to the side and stumbled as she mouthed, "What?""Sorry." I nearly stuttered. Great. Add that to my list of epic fails for the day. "Just, um, thought I saw a mosquito bite."Smooth, Lincoln, smooth.She quickly touched her neck.
Dani"He's one of my favorites you know," Jean said, once the door to the trailer slammed shut. "Always such a gentleman, never complains. The only weird quirk that kid has is red Skittles."I wasn't sure if Jean knew that I didn't talk, and I didn't want to be rude, so I quickly wrote a little text.Dani: I don't know if Jay told you, but I can't talk.Jean read it over my shoulder. "Oh, sugar, I talk enough for the both of us." She tossed her bright purple hair over her shoulder and stared at me through the mirror, her green eyes meeting mine before turning back around and spraying something else on my face.The mist was cool against my skin - it felt good and smelled like coconut."You know why he likes the red Skittles, right?" She didn't wait for me to text her. "He likes the flavor, but it's more than that. His very first movie was with some famous actor who refused to speak directly to people lest their normalness rub off on him. I won't say his name, but I'm sure yo
LincolnI'd messed up.Badly.And I'd done plenty of stupid shit in my life, shit that could have landed me in prison or at least on probation.If there was a list of the many sins of Lincoln Greene, her name would be at the top of it, circled in red pen, with the word LUST written in giant, all-capital letters next to it.Double-freaking-shit.I downed the last of my bottled water and tossed it in the trash while I waited for Pris and Jaymeson to finish the rest of the house scene, where the love fest between her and her real husband, Alec, had started.My hands shook as I checked my watch, waiting for the damn day to end. I didn't want to have to see Dani. Seeing her would cause me to do something else stupid, like tell her I wanted to kiss her again.Or worse, actually follow through without warning and scare the crap out of her.Who did that? Just mauled a girl because he couldn't control himself? The last time I'd lost control like that had been in the sixth grade when
DaniDreaming of Lincoln was so not what I needed. But dream I did. I dreamt of his kiss, I dreamt of his lips, and when I woke up in a cold sweat, my body ached with something I'd never really recognized before, almost like he'd awakened some sort of untapped passion or desire. Great, just great. Not only was I unable to speak, but now I was a sexually frustrated mute.I glanced at the clock. Two a.m. Pris would kill me if I woke her up, especially since she had a really intense few scenes tomorrow with Jaymeson, another reason Lincoln had the next day and a half off.It was Tuesday, and he didn't need to report back until Wednesday at noon.I lay back against the headboard, slamming my skull softly against the fabric.Just as I reached for my phone, it went off.Lincoln: Can't sleep.Dani: You have a pig. Stop texting me.I dropped my phone onto the table and forced my eyes to close.Sleep lasted until five when my annoying, chipper alarm woke me up. Lincoln had left m
Lincoln"I'm sorry." Hands shaking, I blocked my view with the brochure and pretended to be interested in the mating penguin exhibit. What the hell? "I really can't do this."Dani tugged the loop on my jeans."Rip them off. See if I care."She kept pulling."I've got almost a foot on you, Dani, no chance in hell. It's time to go. We've seen everything but a mermaid. Let's just go."Her foot stomped down on the top of mine.Sharp pain radiated upward toward my shin."Son of a-"The brochure was ripped from my hands. She stood in front of me bracing for a fight. I'd never seen her look more beautiful. Face flushed, chest heaving, eyes blazing.Holy shit, I wanted to devour her on the spot.I suddenly forgot why I was so freaked out.My eyes zeroed in on her mouth.Her lips parted.If that wasn't an invitation, I didn't know what was. I gulped, reaching for her face.Just as a giant wave of water collided with her back and my front, nearly exposing just how much I wanted
DaniAdrenaline surged through my body. My voice! That was my voice! A voice I hadn't heard outside my head in months! I wanted to shout in victory, yell at the top of my lungs. But instead, my knees knocked together and spots clouded my vision as Lincoln lifted me up into his arms and carried me down the stairs.I blinked my eyes as the angry, black clouds started moving in our general direction.Cold rain splattered against my face before Lincoln walked us down into a small alcove.Chilled, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering as he set me on my feet directly in front of the penguin exhibit.It was freezing in there.But we were alone."Dani?" He cupped my face. "Are you going to pass out?" His eyebrows knit together in concern as he backed me against the wall.I could almost taste him again - wanted to - but then he'd be on to me. He'd know I wanted more of his kisses.Was it so wrong to want a kiss from someone like him? A real kiss? Not one that was forced or acted