A Face in the Crowd Read online

  She grabbed the box filled with mixed pastries from her favorite bakery and found her way to her usual floor. When Laura whistled as she passed the nurse’s station, Lexie threw her a wave. Flooded with confidence and warmth, she held her head high as she made her way down the hall, but when she neared Bailey’s room, Andy and Cathy exited. They were followed by Dr. Milo and Oliver, and as she raised her hand to catch his attention, a girl she didn’t recognize stepped out behind Oliver and took his hand.

  As she blinked in confusion and let her hand fall back to her side, someone cleared their throat behind her.

  “Did you come to see the press conference?”

  Lexie turned and although she didn’t want to give into whatever trap Ashley was setting, her curiosity won out. “What press conference?”

  “The one your boyfriend is having.”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.” This little fact didn’t seem to matter to Ashley as she hooked her arm through Lexie’s and forced her to stand there as the group started in their direction. Her brain screamed at her to run. To run and avoid embarrassing herself beyond repair, but Ashley held fast.

  “Lexie, you’re here,” Cathy said in a voice that was nothing short of jubilant. “Isn’t it wonderful? My Bailey is finally getting released.” She rubbed a hand over Bailey’s back and beamed.

  “Yes, ma’am. Hi, Bailey.”

  “Hey, Lexie, come to see me off?”

  Dressed in his regular clothes and sporting a hat, Bailey looked more like the man from stage than the guy who’d been her patient over the course of the last months. “I just wanted to leave these for you.”

  Bailey accepted the box and opened it to take a look. “Nice. Thanks, girl.”

  “Yes, nice gesture. Ah, Bailey, we don’t want to leave the people waiting,” Andy cut in.

  “I guess not.” Bailey gave her a brief hug, “Thanks for everything, Lexie.”

  Andy plucked the box out of Bailey’s hands and ushered them on, but Oliver wasn’t with them. Instead, he was still standing near the door to Bailey’s room. Lexie jumped at the opportunity to make a clean getaway and yanked her arm free of Ashley.

  As she turned on her heel and headed for the door which would take her back to the stairwell, she paused at the nurse’s station and looked back. The girl with Oliver ran a hand through her silky long hair as she laughed at something cleaver he’d said.

  Ashley laughed. “Nice outfit, by the way.”

  The sound was enough to get Lexie moving and as she went through the metal door, she didn’t look back a second time. The door clanged shut and so did the chapter of her life concerning Oliver Honeycutt.

  Chapter 18

  “How’s the apartment?” Lexie adjusted her computer screen to get a better view of Simone and her new surroundings.

  “It’s not bad. A little crowded maybe, but everyone seems pretty cool. I think we’re all so busy we won’t have the opportunity to drive each other too crazy. How’re things at home?”

  How were things at home? Let’s see. They suck. Come back. I’m an idiot. Want to help me hide Ashley’s body? “Good.”

  “Good? That’s it?”

  “You haven’t been gone that long. There hasn’t been time for anything of much consequence to happen.”

  “So, Bailey getting out of the hospital is not of consequence?” When Lexie paused too long, Simone pounced. “That’s what I thought. I saw the press conference on TV. It looked . . . crowded.”

  “Humph.”

  “What happened? And, don’t say ‘nothing’ because I won’t believe you.”

  Lexie took a deep breath and filled her in on all the events of the last two days starting with her delusion she was welcome as part of their group and ending with Oliver’s escort to the press conference.

  “Yeah, she was standing off to the side looking every bit the part of the relieved girlfriend.” Simone leaned in close to the camera, so much so her nose filled the screen. “Want me to fly back there and slap him for you?”

  “No. That’s okay, though, tempting. I figure out of sight, out of mind.” Lexie wished she felt as confident as she sounded. It was going to take more than a few days of absence to forget Oliver.

  “How did I not know they were back together?”

  Lexie blinked. “Back together?”

  “Yeah, you didn’t recognize her?”

  “I’m sorry if my schedule doesn’t allow me to watch every second of media coverage of every celebrity on the planet.”

  Simone ignored Lexie’s pissy tone. “The girl with him was Michelle Hughes. The model. She’s trying desperately to cross over into acting, but based on what I saw in a commercial a few months back, I’d say she needs all the help she can get.”

  She’d been right all along. She was a placeholder, someone to distract him while he was stuck in Atlanta. “How long have they been together?”

  “They were on and off for at least a year or so. If you believe the tabloids anyway, but I thought they had broken up a few months ago.” The sound of Simone’s tapping fingernails echoed through the computer’s microphone. “Did he mention her at all?”

  “Obviously not. I wouldn’t have made out with him if I’d known he had a girlfriend, but now we know he’s a dog like the rest of them.” Something she never would’ve guessed, but she’d been wrong before.

  “I’m really sorry,” Simone’s voice was quiet and full of sincerity. A knock sounded on Lexie’s door causing her to jump. “Who’s there? Takeout?”

  “I have no idea. Hang on a sec.”

  “Hurry up. I have to go the studio for a meeting in a minute. Tell whoever it is that you don’t want any.”

  “Hang on.” Lexie stood and set her computer on the coffee table leaving Simone’s floating image to wait. When she peeked through her peephole, she covered her mouth to muffle a squeal. With wide eyes she turned around and saw Simone giving her a puzzled look from her place on the coffee table.

  She pointed to the door and mouthed, “It’s him,” before straightening her spine and opening the door. “Oliver, what’re you doing here?”

  He grinned at her and held up a pizza and a bottle of champagne. “I hope it’s okay that I came here.”

  Simone squeaked at the sound of Oliver’s voice.

  “I missed getting to see you this morning.” With his signature grin, he leaned against the doorframe. “So, are you just going to keep staring at me or are you going to let me in?”

  “Let him in,” Simone whispered loudly. Oliver laughed.

  “Sure, come on in.”

  Oliver walked past her and looked around her apartment. “Am I crazy because I could have sworn I heard someone else in here?”

  “It was Simone,” Lexie crossed over to the couch and picked up the computer, “I have to go.”

  “I’ll say. I’ll call you tomorrow. Have fun,” Simone said a bit too loudly.

  “How is the lovely Simone?” Oliver smiled as he set the champagne and pizza on the counter.

  “Adjusting to L.A. and being nosy as usual.”

  Oliver made a circle around the room, studying this and that, pausing to pick up a picture. “Which beach?”

  “Panama City Beach in Florida.” What in the devil was he doing there? How did he even find her? Glad the couch was working as a barrier between them, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Oliver, what are you doing here?”

  “I thought you could help me celebrate.”

  “Don’t you think your girlfriend would be better equipped to deal with that sort of thing? And, where exactly does she think you are?”

  Oliver grinned again in a way that said he knew something she didn’t. “Well, first of all Michelle isn’t my girlfriend. She was at one time, but not anymore. Andy told
her there was going to be a press conference today and she decided to get on a plane and fly out, uninvited. At this very moment she’s on a plane headed back to California.”

  Lexie’s foot tapped as she processed this new information.

  “I was kinda hoping we could eat pizza and hang out if you’ll have me. Nothing crazy. I just didn’t want to sit at the house. Bailey’s resting and mom’s flitting about.” He shrugged. “You’re the first person I thought of.” He held her gaze and tilted his head to the side. “It seems that lately, you’re always the first person I think of.”

  Lexie swallowed, unsure what to say. He thought of her. No girlfriend. Her resolve crumbled around her.

  “Now, if you’re finished grilling me, maybe we can eat this pizza before it gets cold.”

  Lexie smiled, the events from earlier in the day irrelevant, and joined him in the kitchen.

  Oliver placed a foot on the last rung of one of her bar stools and rested his arms over the back of the chair while she moved around her kitchen. Even at home she moved with efficiency and purpose. The counters were scrubbed clean and each tiny appliance sat straight in its place. There were no dishes in the sink and the towel which hung from the handle of the dishwasher was folded in perfect thirds.

  As she reached to pull two plates from the cabinet her calf muscles flexed, amplifying her shapely legs. When she turned, she kept her gaze down and it occurred to him she was working hard to avoid making eye contact. Was his presence in her apartment making her nervous? He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but the need to see her had outweighed any reservations he’d had about showing up at her place. He straightened. Maybe he’d misread the situation. Maybe she didn’t want to see him as much as he’d wanted to see her. No. He wasn’t wrong.

  When the door to Bailey’s room at the hospital opened that morning and Michelle had sauntered in, he’d been more than a little disappointed. In fact, seeing her made him realize how much he looked forward to seeing Lexie every day. Michelle seemed like part of a different life, one he intended to leave in the past. She’d been out of place and he hadn’t been able to get rid of her fast enough. Speaking of Michelle . . .

  “How did you know about Michelle being in Atlanta?”

  Lexie’s shoulder’s tensed.

  Huh. That was curious and not the reaction he’d expected. “Did you see her at the press conference on TV?”

  “No, I didn’t see the press conference.” She picked up their plates, forks, napkins, and stepped around the side of the bar, her eyes still downcast.

  “Tell me, Lexie. How did you know?” He stepped directly in front of her forcing her to look up at him.

  She let out a heavy sigh. “I was there. At the hospital this morning. I saw the two of you.”

  “You were there? Why didn’t you say hello?” He reached out to touch her and she moved.

  “Let’s eat over by the couch,” she moved around him without answering. “You open the champagne.”

  He did as she asked. What she’d said, or rather what she didn’t say, told him all he needed to know. She cared about him, too, and he had no intention of letting her push him away.

  “Here you are,” he handed her a glass and sat down opposite her in an overstuffed chair. He knew better than to push the issue.

  They ate pizza and talked about mundane things until Lexie started to relax.

  “How’s Bailey adjusting to the outside world? Was he feeling okay when you left?”

  Oliver laughed. “Always the nurse.”

  She smiled as she sipped her champagne.

  “He told me he felt better today than he has in a month, but you know, that may just be the freedom talking. After his treatment later this week he may change his tune.”

  The atmosphere in the room changed when they finished eating. They both seemed to become aware they were alone, really alone. Bailey wasn’t resting nearby. A nurse wasn’t going to pop in to check vitals. It was just the two of them.

  “Do you want to watch a movie?” Lexie laughed at her own sudden outburst and basically jumped off the couch to grab a second remote.

  “Sure, a movie sounds great,” he grinned and leaned back in the chair. She was cute when she was nervous. “You pick, though. It’s been months since I’ve seen anything.”

  After she settled on some action flick, he moved over to the couch where she was sitting and they watched in silence as the opening credits rolled. Oliver’s eyes cut to the right as Lexie’s far leg bounced on its toes. Between her nearness and the undercurrent of desire crackling between them he wasn’t sure how much of the movie he was actually going to see. At the moment, all he wanted to do was place a hand on her bouncing thigh and massage his fingers into her tight muscles.

  He could hear her breathing and feel her leg as it rested no more than a breath away from his. More than anything he wanted to lean into her, but he refrained. If he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop and then it would be no one’s fault but his own when she kicked his ass out. She wasn’t there to be groped. Hell, she hadn’t even invited him over in the first place. He was there because he’d shown up unannounced.

  She adjusted her arms across her lap, some sort of loose cross which left one of her hands dangling close to him. His fingers twitched in reaction as though they’d seen their match and longed to be reunited. Gunfire sounded from the television and she jumped, bumping him in the process.

  “Sorry,” she started to rearrange her position, but he reached out.

  “No, it’s fine.” He let his hand linger on hers and when she didn’t pull away he dared to trace one of his fingers over the edge of hers. He let his touch slide down the length of her fingers until he stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

  Her breathing changed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her chest rise and fall with more speed. How was he this turned on by a hand? What was he fourteen again? But, all the self-chastising in the world didn’t diminish how much he wanted Lexie in that moment. Wound tighter than a guitar string about to snap, his eyes met hers. One heartbeat. Two.

  “Oliver.”

  His name was only a whisper from her lips, but it was his final undoing.

  They clashed in a struggle of hungry mouths, frantic limbs, and desperate longing. Never in his life had he wanted a woman the way he wanted Lexie. As he searched her mouth with his own, his desire intensified. He moved down her jaw and traced kisses down her neck until he reached her shoulder. When he scraped his teeth over her skin, a moan sounded near his ear. He pulled away and reached for the hem of her shirt. She raised her arms over her head and as soon as she was free, did the same for him.

  He needed to feel her skin against his. Every curve of her body. Every soft line. He wanted to know all of her. Wanted to taste all of her. They fell back until he was on top of her and he wondered as she moved beneath him if he’d be able to make it last. He was like a teenager again for Christ’s sake. What was this woman doing to him?

  She bucked again and wrapped one of her beautiful legs around him.

  “I need you.” He panted the words more than he spoke them as she unfastened and then slid her hand into the open waistband of his jeans.

  She locked her eyes on his. “Then, have me.”

  He sat up and tugged her shorts down then proceeded to toss them, along with whatever lacy blue panties she’d been wearing, to the side. He should’ve taken the time to seduce her, give her body the full attention it deserved, but it was as though all their meetings up until now had been leading up to this and he couldn’t wait any longer.

  Lost in his own head as the sight of her full naked form lay sprawled beneath him, he wasn’t ready when her leg came back around him. They flipped off the couch and he landed on his back.

  Lexie giggled and then moved to tug his jeans down, freeing
him. She rose above him, her perfect breasts taught with desire. He sat up and grabbed her ass, pressing her closer. She stared into his eyes as she moved up and then down his sex until he filled her.

  They kept their eyes on each other as they moved, pausing only here and there for another kiss, another bite. As their desire peaked, Lexie’s head fell back, revealing her lovely neck. He kissed it once and then twice, but soon too euphoric to do anything else, he buried his head in her chest and she clenched around him once and then again. They both called out, first her and then him, as they wrote their own song.

  Lexie woke on the couch under her favorite blue blanket and she wasn’t alone. The heat from Oliver radiated through her as they lay together, his body perfectly formed against hers. As she stirred, his arm wound around her waist, pulling her closer against his body. A body she’d thoroughly enjoyed the night before, several times.

  She tilted her head to the side and met Oliver’s eyes. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” he grinned. “A guy could get used to waking up like this.”

  God, he was beautiful. Even up close after a night of minimal sleep, Oliver looked as though he was ready to pose for the cover of GQ. His stubble only added to his sex appeal. She cringed inwardly when she realized how she must look in comparison and sat up.

  As she untangled herself from the blanket, he reached out. “Lexie, you don’t have to run off.”

  “No running. I just need a minute.”

  Once safe in her bathroom at the back of the apartment she gripped the sides of her sink and stared into the mirror. What was she doing? She had just slept with Oliver Honeycutt. And, it had been amazing. The best sex of her life. Because you love him . . . her mind seemed to whisper. She blinked and her reflection blurred. Sleeping with him was only going to make losing him that much harder. Logically, she knew it was true, but she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried.