Sheer: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 3)

  Simone straightened up, pulling the cell phone out of her front pocket. She showed the screen to Serena, an image of a microphone showing that she had been recording the entire conversation. With a few quick clicks, the recording from their conversation was being sent to Grant's lawyer immediately. The moment she confirmed it had been sent, Simone lifted her gaze back up to Serena, smiling widely.

  "What…what was that?" Serena asked, panic beginning to light in her eyes.

  Simone tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I'm actually not drunk at all, though I did practically bathe in whiskey so I'd smell like it. Grant's investigators found out where you've been staying, and they agreed to let me come and try to get the confession from you. Turns out, you talk pretty easily."

  Serena stepped closer to her. "I don't know what you think you've got on me—"

  "You mean an entire confession to being a thief and a horrible wife?" Simone slid her phone back in her pocket. "I think I've got enough. It was nice seeing you again, Serena. I hope you don't plan on returning to New Zealand anytime soon. And if you don't return, I hope you enjoy a life always looking over your shoulder for the minute that they're going to get you, because, Serena? They will get you."

  "You fucking bitch," Serena shouted, reaching her hand forward to slap her.

  Simone jumped out of the way just in time, then waved and headed for the bathroom exit. "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Serena. I'm going to go get my man out of prison."

  She walked out, hearing the string of curses coming from Serena behind her. Her phone began to ring, and she quickly answered it.

  "Hello?"

  "Simone, it's Andrew. That was brilliant."

  Simone smiled at the compliment from Grant's lawyer. "Will it help?"

  "That combined with her current financials, showing she has the money and is currently living off the remainder of it? I'm certain they'll let him go," Andrew told her. "It's not going to be overnight, though. It'll be a few days at best, but probably longer."

  She groaned, frustrated that the legal system was always so difficult, no matter where one lived. "I just need him home soon, Andrew. I need him home."

  "I understand. This is my top priority until I put him on the plane back to the States. You have my word." With that, he hung up and Simone headed out of the hotel bar and onto the sidewalk.

  Soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Grant stretched his neck, moving his head from one side to the other. The cramped airplane seat was causing every muscle in his giant frame to ache, but he wasn't about to complain. Hell, this was the most comfortable he'd been in months. Spending the last sixty-plus days behind bars had been one of the worst experiences of his entire life in so many ways.

  The entire situation had been professionally humiliating, causing him to have to postpone his new assignment on a film set in Vancouver due to his predicament. That had been an uncomfortable conversation to have with his superiors. Thankfully, they'd agreed to use another composer in the interim and then bring him back on the project if, or when, he was released. He'd be heading up there shortly to complete the end of the assignment after he spent some time at home in New York City.

  But his career or any of that never really mattered to him, not as much as losing Simone had hit him. Lying to her about his past was something he was never going to do again—or just lying in general. If she'd give him the opportunity to make it up to him, to give him a second chance, he was going to do everything in his power to prove to her that she was everything to him. She came before work, before anything. Sure, his job often took him away from home, and that was something that had hurt his previous relationship, but he knew that he and Simone could make it work. If they couldn't, then he'd quit. He'd do whatever he had to do to keep her.

  After convincing her to take him back.

  The airplane's wheels finally hit the tarmac, and they taxied to the gate. He quickly disembarked, swinging him carry-on over his shoulder. The sooner he got in a cab and to their penthouse, the sooner he'd be able to see Simone.

  "Grant!" A familiar voice called out to him as he left through the exit and into baggage claim.

  He spotted Simone standing near the exit, their fluffy little dog in her arms. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest at the sight of her. By her side in seconds, he gathered her into his arms.

  "What are you doing here?" he asked, burying his face in her hair. "Oh, God, I've missed you."

  "Andrew gave me your flight information," she replied, wrapping one arm around his neck while her over hand held their dog sandwiched between them. "I couldn't wait to see you."

  He held her at arm's length for a moment, just taking her in. Her skin was slightly darker with a summer tan, her tattoos even darker. There was a tinge of blue at the ends of her wavy locks now, barely visible and yet very her. Her dark brown eyes were the same, full of life and lined with tears threatening to well over.

  His hands moved to her face, holding her. "I had a whole speech I was going to rehearse, and I was going to buy flowers. I want you to trust me again, to see that I'm not the man I was before. I won't make those mistakes again—I'll never lie to you again. I love you, Simone, and I'll do anything to convince you to give me a second chance."

  She shook her head, a few tears sliding down her cheek that he wiped away with his thumbs. "I don't need a speech, and I don't need convincing. I've already forgiven you. I love you, Grant."

  He swallowed hard, his heart pumping harder in his chest. "Fuck, Simone…that's the best thing I've ever heard."

  Leaning down, he placed his lips to hers. Soft, gentle, and everything he'd been dreaming about for the last two months while lying on a hard, metal cot in a shitty jail cell with no windows. Every moment of that hell seemed worth it now. To have her in his arms, nothing chasing him, nothing hidden.

  Completely free.

  "Come on," she whispered against his lips. "Let's go home."

  "That sounds perfect," he admitted, then took Millie into his arms and lifted her to his face. He let her lick his cheek, laughing and then burying his face in her fur. "I missed you, too, pup." He turned to Simone. "She's so much bigger than I remember."

  She nodded. "Puppies grow fast."

  Grant tucked the dog under his arm and then took Simone's hand as they walked toward the curb and flagged down a cab. Within thirty minutes, they were pulling up in front of their building and heading into the lobby, and a few minutes after that, they were walking into the apartment.

  "Holy crap…" Grant's eyes went wide as he looked around their home. Last time he'd seen it, they’d had a bed and a chair, and that was about it. But now, the place was completely furnished and beautifully decorated. It was like looking at a home decorating magazine, that was how perfect everything was. "Simone, this is amazing."

  She placed Millie down on the carpet. "It's a little different than when you saw it last," she kidded.

  "Definitely," he replied, a slight chuckle under his words. "You've done an amazing job. I'm so impressed."

  "All of your things are here, too. I set up your closet and drawers and kept everything untouched until you got home." Her words slightly choked up on the end. "I just knew you were going to come home."

  He took her in his arms, pinning her against his chest. "I'm just happy you wanted me to come home. I can't even begin to thank you for everything you did to help my release. Tricking Serena? I'm so sorry you even had to be so involved in my mess, but, damn, I'm so happy you did that."

  "It was actually pretty fun," Simone admitted, laughing. Her smile lit up her entire face, and his heart pumped faster at the very sight of it. Seeing her happy and smiling? That's all he ever wanted from here on out. "I might be a singer at heart, but I think I've got this acting thing down."

  "You are very talented," he agreed, thinking of having seen her acting in Kiss Me, Kate. "I wish I could have seen the look on her face when she realized you'd duped her."

  Simone bit her bot
tom lip, trying to keep from smiling too wide. He loved that she was trying not to enjoy it too much, even though she clearly was.

  "It was priceless. I wish I had snapped a picture, but I was too busy sending the recording to Andrew."

  Grant nodded, still grateful to his lawyer and friend for doing so much work to get him released. He had no doubt that if it wasn't for Andrew and Simone, he'd probably have been convicted and spending the full ten-year sentence in jail.

  "As grateful as I am, I'm still sorry you had to do that," he replied.

  "Hey, this is 2018," she teased, running her hands down his arms. "Damsels can save princes now."

  Grant laughed, tipping his head backward. "You're anything but a damsel. You're a princess, a goddamn warrior. None of us stood a chance against you."

  "Glad you recognize greatness." She gestured to herself, then giggled and shook it off. "Speaking of saving your ass…you owe me."

  He lifted one brow. "Is that so?"

  "I think you can pay me back in…let’s say, the bedroom?" Simone nodded down the hallway. "After all, you've got to have a tour of the whole apartment."

  "I have been here before, you know," he joked. "I do know where the bedroom is."

  She giggled, a naughty tone at the end of her laughter. "Sure, buuuuut you haven't tested out the new sheets and comforter I got for the bed. It's so important to really give it a good feel."

  The corners of his lips twitched into a smile. "Oh, I definitely want to feel…the sheets." With one quick move, he lunged toward her, but she slipped from his grasp, laughing.

  She began to run toward the bedroom, but he was only a few steps behind. Sweeping her up in his arms, he filled up on her laughter and smiles before placing her on the bed and climbing on top of her.

  "God, I've missed this," he said with a deep groan.

  "You can't even imagine," she replied, her lips brushing against his cheek.

  He found her mouth with his, kissing her with a frenzied fervor that months apart had created. Going slow wasn't even on his radar and based on the way her body writhed beneath his, it wasn't on hers either.

  Every ounce of him wanted to be buried deep inside her, but he had other priorities first. Gripping her shirt’s bottom hem, he slid the garment up over her head and tossed it to the floor, then he unbuttoned her jeans and slid those and her panties down her legs in one quick move, leaving them on the floor as well. She was flush beneath him, her nipples pressing against the lace fabric of her bra and her hips lifting to meet his.

  "Grant," she begged, though she didn't even know what he had planned.

  Grinning, he dipped his head to her neck, licking slowly across her skin to her collarbone then traveling even lower to her breasts. He pushed the cups of her bra down, taking one nipple between his teeth with a gentle nip before sucking hard.

  She groaned beneath him, shivering and clutching his biceps. He loved the way she'd always gripped his arms, as she'd once told him that was one of her favorite body parts on him. To know she was turning herself on touching him…fuck, he loved it almost as much as he loved her.

  With a gentle breath against her skin, he moved farther south and pushed her knees apart, crawling in between. She squirmed against him as she realized what he was doing, but he held her still with his large hands against her thighs. When his tongue met her core, she gasped and her body began to tremble. Quick flicks of his tongue against her most sensitive bundle of nerves had her hips bucking against him as she cried out in pleasure.

  He growled against her body. "Come for me, Simone."

  She quivered as her release began to take over, but his hands continued to hold her still as his tongue slid across every inch of her until she completely fell apart. When she finally began to quiet, only soft whimpers coming from her as her climax slowly dissipated, he quickly undressed and crawled back up her body until he found her mouth.

  They kissed, and he pressed his length against her stomach. He was so hard, he wasn't sure he'd last long, but damn if she didn't make him feel out of control. Seeing every inch of her body, hearing every sound from her lips, it went straight to his dick and made him throb for her.

  She pinned her knees to either side of his hips and reached between their bodies, taking his length in her hand and guiding him to her entrance.

  "We need a condom," he reminded her, trying to be sensible even in the haze that he was currently under.

  She shook her head. "I started the pill."

  "You did?" Fuck, that was perfect.

  "I want to feel you inside me," she continued. "You're it for me, Grant. I love you."

  Grant kissed her hard, growling against her lips as he pushed inside her completely. "I love you, baby. I fucking love you so much."

  She giggled, only to be interrupted by a moan as he stretched every inch of her with his width. "Oh, God…"

  "You feel amazing," he whispered against her ear, thrusting harder and faster as he enjoyed every sensation of her body pulsing and clenching around him. "For the rest of my life, Simone…this is mine. You're mine."

  She nodded, panting. "Yes, please."

  He continued to pump in and out of her until he was barely seconds from exploding. "Come with me, Simone. I want to feel you undone against my dick."

  She was already trembling, panting hard as she pressed her hips against his in rhythm with his thrusts. "I'm so close," she replied, and then she was.

  He could feel her climax roaring through her, and it pushed him over the edge he'd been so precariously balancing on. Grunting, he came inside her, clutching her body as close to his as they could possibly be. He wanted to feel every inch of her, and never be parted again. If he could live the rest of his life skin-to-skin with her, he would.

  "Holy shit," he said with a groan as he fell onto the bed next to her once they had both calmed down. "That was incredible."

  She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Amazing."

  "Maybe I should go to jail more often."

  Simone laughed then smacked him on the chest. "Don't you dare."

  He grinned, pushing up on one elbow to lean over and look at her. "I'm never leaving you again, Simone."

  Her eyes glistened as she stared back at him. "Promise?"

  He nodded slowly, because if there was one promise he could make in this world, it was that. He would never let them be apart like that again. Sure, he'd have to leave for work, but he'd come back every weekend to visit, or fly her out to see him. He'd call every day. He'd make the effort that he'd never made in his marriage.

  She was it for him, and he was never letting go.

  "I promise," he replied so softly, it was almost a whisper. "I belong here. I belong with you."

  Her fingers gently brushed his cheek, then she cupped his face. "I trust you."

  Leaning down, he kissed her once, then twice. Then forever more.

  Epilogue

  A Year Later

  "This is a big step," Simone said, glancing nervously over at Grant from the passenger seat of the car as they drove through New Zealand's countryside.

  Grant slid his hand around the wheel, steering them closer to his family's home. "My parents are going to love you, babe. Plus, we've been living together for almost a year. The fact that you've only met them via video chat is insane."

  "I know. I know." She sighed, fussing with the edge of her shirt, readjusting it for the fifteenth time. "I just really want them to like me. After all, it's my fault you don't live here anymore. They can't be thrilled that I'm the woman who made you move to New York."

  Grant chuckled, pushing his hair behind his ear. "Simone, you didn't make me move anywhere. My job brings me to New York a lot, and I would never want to live somewhere you're not."

  He could see her chewing her bottom lip out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe we should have invited them to New York sooner. They can come stay with us for a few weeks this winter or something?"

  "Actually, my mother was mentioning coming to t
he States for Christmas," Grant admitted.

  She perked up, leaning across the console to squeeze his leg. "See? Perfect! They won't be mad once they see how awesome our life out there is. Or when they meet Millie!"

  "They aren't mad now," Grant reassured her again. "But, man, now I miss Millie."

  Simone frowned. "I know. At least she's bonded with our neighbor. Nice of them to dog-sit for us."

  Grant nodded, agreeing. He'd keep her talking as long as possible as long as the subject stayed off of what he had planned when they arrived at his parents’ house. He'd been organizing this surprise for months, and it had taken a shit ton of coordination to make all the pieces fall into place.

  "Do you think I'm dressed okay?" Simone asked, although she'd already asked twice—once at the airport, and once at the beginning of the ride in their rental car.

  He reached over and took her hand, giving her a small squeeze. "Babe, relax. Take a deep breath or something. You look gorgeous. My parents are going to love you. It's going to be an amazing trip and everything is absolutely fine."

  She grinned, intertwining her fingers with his. "Am I annoying you? All my worrying?"

  "Not at all. I just don't like seeing you stressed."

  "Is it weird I just feel like there's something I'm missing?" Simone tapped a finger against her chin. "I just feel like I've overlooked something."

  Grant bit his lip, hoping she was still none the wiser to his plan. "Now you're just looking for things to stress about."

  "You're right." She sighed. "God, this drive is gorgeous. I can't even believe you used to live here. I don't know if I'd give up this view for a smoggy city full of high rises."

  "I still have my house here," he reminded her. "We can come stay here during the summers or breaks from work. What about when you're done with this season of Imagine?"