Chapter Five
Aidan opened the door at exactly one in the afternoon on Wednesday, and there stood Bethany in a dark green scoop-neck shirt and a flowing gypsy-style skirt. She managed to look like both a sinner and a saint with her strawberry-blonde hair flowing down to her shoulders. The blouse hugged her beautiful breasts lovingly. She was exquisite. Once again, he was bewitched.
“Beth!” Aidan said as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You look gorgeous. Come in.”
He watched as Bethany stiffened, in what appeared to be discomfort at his complimentary words. The ever-present blush bloomed on her face. This shy sweetheart was truly a joy to watch.
“This is my friend, Michelle.” She nodded at the blonde behind her. “Remember? I told you she would be coming along today.”
“Yes, I—” Aidan began.
“Holy crap! I mean, it’s so nice to meet you. Michelle said, gaping at him.
Aidan ignored the shocked comment. “Of course, I remember you speaking of Michelle. It’s a pleasure,” Aidan said with a smile. When the young woman nodded, as if in a daze, he realized how precious his connection was with Bethany. She was a fan, of course, but she treated him like a regular person. Her friend was a different story. She didn’t want the human male, she wanted the celebrity. He easily made the switch and flirted lightly with Michelle.
“Beth has told me all about you.” Aidan placed his arm around her small shoulders. “I’m very much looking forward to spending the afternoon with two gorgeous ladies.”
“Holy crap!” Michelle repeated, gaping in awe at Aidan.
Bethany frowned at her. “Michelle, quit that right now.”
Michelle shook herself out of her daze and smiled prettily at Aidan. He smiled back.
Aidan watched the women with a discerning eye. Michelle was statuesque, easily five-feet-nine-inches, with a lean body and pretty face. She wore her hair in a girlish ponytail, and the perfect amount of makeup accented her pretty face. Skinny jeans and a rose-colored tunic emphasized her trim shoulders and long neck. She was a looker, to be sure, and she knew it. Not that he judged since he was well aware of his looks and had used them to get a career in Hollywood.
He’d bet she had the men in this town trained to do her bidding. Bethany with her face dusted with freckles, strawberry-blonde hair, and curvy body was by far the lovelier in his opinion. But it was clear in the way Beth watched him talk to Michelle that Beth felt insecure around her friend. He could see it in her eyes.
“Shall we begin the tour, ladies?” he asked. When both women nodded, he started his narration. “The crew went to extraordinary lengths to make the actual battle scene as realistic as possible. Come, let’s have a look.”
Highly aware of every breath and movement from Beth, Aidan ushered them toward the scene. A subtle smile touched his lips as he walked the battlegrounds. After a long sleepless night, where he’d had his own battle on what to do with sweet Beth, the truth was he didn’t have a choice. He was too drawn to her. She was a sweet balm to the horrible ending to his marriage, and he meant to sate himself with her. She made him laugh, she had a fantastic body, and God help him, she baked scones that melted like butter in his mouth. He thought that if he spent one more sleepless night thinking about getting inside her, it might begin to affect his acting, and that was not to be tolerated.
Usually, the only qualifier for sex was a great body. Beth had that and more. Although it was clear that she thought herself to be less than attractive—an opinion that perplexed him—perhaps when all was said and done he would leave her with a stronger self-image, one to balance her sweet personality. That was the greatest gift he could give her—a glimpse of how she looked through his eyes. His home was in Ireland, his job in Los Angeles, and he simply didn’t feel equipped to give her or anyone anything more.
As he walked the set, a woman on each arm, he chatted about the creation of the battleground and the extraordinary precision it took to recreate that time. His pulse always quickened when he walked through a movie set. He loved his job and practically everything about it. The celebrity aspect was the only downside to an otherwise perfect job. But the acting, the communion with other passionate actors and directors, that made the price of celebrity worth every penny. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at the women. “So, what do you think?”
The boom of cannons and artillery fire caused Michelle to jump. “What was that?”
Aidan grinned. “The War Between the States, darling.” He laughed as Michelle pressed a hand to her heart.
“Pretty dang real, Aidan,” Michelle muttered.
Aidan looked over at Beth. She was intensely focused on the battleground. He tried to visualize the set through her eyes. He could see men dressed in blue and gray, milling about sipping lattés and laughing. Two soldiers, one Confederate and one Union, were taking a selfie. Some had realistic-looking wounds, others appeared so authentic in their costumes, it was like looking at people from another time. The director was standing between two actors, his hands moving expressively as he explained the next scene to be filmed. It must have looked magical to someone who loved movies as much as Beth did.
Aidan recalled the words of one of his favorite actors, Jack Lemmon. He had called making movies, magic time. Looking at the set filled with actors, cameramen, makeup artists, and various other personnel, he would have to agree with the late actor. It was definitely magical. Aidan caught Beth’s eye for a moment, and they both grinned like children. It was evident that they shared a passion for the allure of movie making. She was positively beaming.
Aidan watched the two friends scrutinize the action on the set. They were polar opposites. Michelle wandered in front, her face animated with amazement as she glanced over the set. Beth, on the other hand, was quiet at his side, carefully inspecting everything, not missing a single detail. Beth’s feelings were so open that her face was filled with emotion. She was dazzled by the set and puzzled by his attention. She seemed to think that he would, or even should, be more interested in Michelle, which only made her more precious in his eyes. She was a man’s fantasy, a sweetly naive woman with a body made for sin.
One of the things that charmed him most was that even though she clearly was attracted to him, she hadn’t made the subtlest of passes. When she found herself alone with him in her apartment, there were none of the typical scenarios that he had found himself in time and time again. No acting coy, glossy lips set in a suggestive pout, or the not-so-subtle references to a quick tour of the bedroom. Bethany had guided him to her kitchen and made him tea. She hadn’t asked for anything in return. For a man used to people wanting something from him, there was no stronger aphrodisiac than this.
Oh yes, he was going to have to have the little librarian.
As Aidan and his companions continued to walk the large set, they came upon a hard-working crew getting ready to light the next scene.
“Hey, Aidan,” a skinny young man said with a friendly smile.
“Hank,” Aidan replied as he clapped the young man on the back. “This bloke here is the most dreadful kicker ever created for football. But he is one hell of a good drinker and a great grip.” He introduced the women to Hank, and it amused Aidan to see how sweet Beth was to the shy Hank. She showered him with questions, and within five minutes, she had another fan.
“Keep up the good work, Hank,” Beth said as they continued with the tour. She missed his shy wave and then the frantic windmill of arms as he tripped over something and fell flat on his face, causing howls of laughter from the crew. He smiled at the sweet little fairy who had a way with men and didn’t know it. Aidan was scanning the folks on the set to see if anyone else was worth introducing to his guests when he saw one of his favorite people.
“Well, look, there’s my favorite darlin’ in the whole world.”
Beth turned to see to whom he was talking, and he saw her eyes soften, which only made him want to overplay his outrageous flirtation more.
“When shall we run off together, my sweet?”
The older woman blushed as she pushed Aidan away. “Save your sugar for the young girls, I got work to do.”
Aidan hugged her. She was always full of bluster, but this cranky lady was very fond of him. He returned to Beth, beaming. “That was Emily, she has been on three of my movie sets, and now I’m too spoiled to go to anyone else.”
“What does she do?” Bethany asked.
“She is my hairstylist.”
“You have your own hairstylist on the set?” Bethany asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
Aidan grinned at Bethany and then leaned down so his nose lightly touched hers.
“Maybe you didn’t know this, Beth, but I am a movie star. That means when I sign a contract, certain conditions are put in there to keep me happy.” Bethany rolled her eyes, and Aidan rubbed her nose with his and grinned.
With his nose close to hers, he looked down and practically groaned with delight at the beautiful view of her breasts. She was aware of what he was doing, and that made him smile. He whispered, “Thank God for short girls, always a great view from way up here.”
“Like what?” Michelle asked, apparently unaware of the wordplay between Beth and himself.
Aidan looked at Michelle and tried to remember what they had been discussing before the breasts. Ah, yes, movie-star perks.
“Look, I know what you’ve heard about celebrities and their demands on a movie set, but my requests are rather simple. I need to have my trainer on the set as she keeps me in shape.” He counted on his fingers. “Number two—my assistant, Serena, keeps me on a strict diet. I ask that the food catered in be sensitive to my dietary needs. I will not stay on a diet if I see or smell anything fattening.” He held up finger number three. “And you’ve met Emily, she is my final request. I need her on the set to keep my hair the way I, or rather my character, wants it.”
“Oh, dear, did I ruin your diet with the scones and the bacon?” Bethany asked, her eyes bright with distress.
Aidan grinned. “Yes, you did, luv. Pam, my personal trainer, had me in the gym for more than three hours the last couple of days, but it was worth every second.”
Bethany frowned. “Your life is so unreal.”
Aidan watched her carefully. She didn’t seem impressed with what his power afforded him on the set. That could be either good or bad, depending on how that made her think of him. And he wanted her to think well of him, often.
“I can’t believe you’re on a diet,” Michelle said, overtly ogling his body.
Aidan smiled, well used to the scrutiny of women, and patted his flat stomach. “When I’m not working, I can gain up to fifteen pounds, just hanging out with friends, drinking beers and eating. I still work out an hour and a half each day, but my food intake changes drastically. I think Beth can attest to the fact that I love food. And good drink.”
Bethany nodded, her face showing concern. “I read in the magazines how mean people can be about you actors. It’s not enough that you’re talented, but if you’re not the perfect weight they say such awful things. Plus, you look to be in great shape to me.”
Aidan regarded her and saw that she was upset for him. Damn, even her concern turned him on. He stroked her cheek with one finger and starting walking again, afraid that one more touch would showcase his need for her too blatantly.
“The media are bastards. They love you one minute, and you’re the very devil the next. I remember one time I gained weight for a part, and then they called me the—”
“Pork from County Cork. Yes, I remember that,” Bethany said, her frown deepening.
“I’m not even from County Cork,” Aidan said, still miffed by that particular slur. Attempting to shrug off the painful words, he ignored the warning voices in his head and cupped her chin. “Were you upset for me then, darling?”
Bethany looked up shyly, and replied, “Well, of course, I was. It is just rude to print things like that about someone.”
“Yeah, it is, but it sure as hell creates a buzz,” Aidan muttered, letting go of her chin. He glanced at the set and said, “Ah well, here we are, the Battle of Fredericksburg.”
Aidan watched as Bethany stopped dead in her tracks. They had rebuilt the old battle scene from days past. The conflict looked as if it were happening here, right now. This battle had been the first major opposition involving a river crossing in American military history. Troops from both the Union and Confederate side fought in the actual streets of Fredericksburg, and it is considered the first urban combat in the Civil War.
“The set looks exactly how I pictured this site looking during the war,” Michelle said, clearly in awe.
“Yes, we are going for historical accuracy,” Aidan said proudly. Although the love story interwoven in the plot wasn’t real, the producers felt it would draw larger box-office sales. Aidan hated this and had fought to get rid of the ridiculously obvious plot device, but his complaints had fallen on deaf ears. When he threatened to walk, they hired one of his best friends to play his love interest, hoping to keep him quiet. It worked.
He had just spent three days making love to Maeve while the war loomed in the background. He could think of tougher ways to spend the day than kissing one of his favorite women.
And eyeing Bethany with hunger, Aidan thought he would like to do some heavy kissing with a certain magical librarian. It would thrill him to watch her turn all warm and soft in his arms. He’d bet good money she was a tiger in bed. The quiet ones were always so amazingly energetic.
“What do you think, Aidan?” Bethany asked, oblivious to Aidan’s sexual thoughts.
“About what, luv?” he asked, looking down at her with perceptive eyes.
Bethany looked at him with confusion and repeated her question. “Could we get a coffee or something?”
Grinning, Aidan wrapped his arms around both women and said, “So have we had enough of the tour? We could see what the caterers have to eat and drink, what do you say?”