Chapter One
I propped my feet up on the Formica table and leaned back in my chair to see if Brady was done filming his scene yet. He was already running an hour and a half behind schedule. Typical, but it still pissed me off. Since he was my ride home, I was stuck. I didn't really mind. I'd also come prepared with things to do while I waited. Watching him work was rather amusing. It was especially funny when he and his co-star didn't see eye to eye as was the case now.
The skinny redhead in front of him was having trouble getting into the "zone" in regards to chemistry. She was supposed to look like she couldn't get enough of Brady in a sensual, erotic sort of way. That hadn't happened as of yet. Instead, she was coming across as a giddy teenage girl who might faint at the slightest bit of attention from him. Sadly, I think that's exactly what she was.
Every time Brady moved in to her to say his lines, she giggled. I wanted to buy her an ice cream cone and the newest heartthrob magazine before sending her on her merry way. Yeah, I was that annoyed with her. It didn't help she'd started aggravating me about forty minutes earlier, leaving me no choice but to do mischievous magikal things to her from afar. Since I didn't have to actually lay a hand on her, I looked innocent. Only Brady knew what I was doing. He was the only person present who was aware I was more than human. Each time I zapped the redhead, he laughed so hard they had to restart the scene. His running behind might have had something to do with my shenanigans but it was so much easier to point the finger of blame in another direction.
David, the director, yelled "cut" and announced another break. At this rate, we'd be spending the night at the studio. The lights came on and the set cleared almost instantly. I couldn't blame the crew for being in a hurry, I was a little sick of it all too. Though, shocking the redhead did make me giddy.
Brady grabbed his long-sleeved, white cotton shirt and tossed it on, not bothering to button it. The solid wall of tawny muscle left showing made me do a slight double-take. He was certainly a fine specimen. That much was for sure.
He nodded towards me. His tousled blond hair was purposely messy, styled in one of those shorter cuts, leaving the top about two inches long and the sides and back cut close. Brady's hair routine consisted of pouring a glop of gel in his hands and running them through his hair. That was it. Anything above that was primping in his book and just wasn't done.
Sadly enough, our rituals weren't altogether that different. I tended to avoid the gel and just let my hair air dry. I had little room to comment on his laziness. Especially since most people assumed I was high maintenance.
As he neared, I spotted smudged lipstick on his face and laughed. Leaning forward, I grabbed my red handbag and tossed it to him. "Catch, Casanova."
Brady wrinkled his nose and sighed. "Is it bad?"
Looking up into his blue eyes, I snickered. We'd been through enough of these types of scenes to know he was covered in lipstick. "It sort of looks like you've been attacked by an entire team of Great-Aunt Ednas, who all took turns laying one on you, but it could be worse." I snorted. "They really should take that off her. It doesn't do a thing for her. Light peach would have been a perfect color for her. It wouldn't show so bad on you and it'd bring out her eyes."
Brady chuckled and opened my handbag. "You know, when you go all girlie you make me wonder how we ended up friends." Reaching into my bag, his eyes widened and the color drained from his face as he pulled out a handful of condoms. "Madelyn?"
I grinned. "Yes?"
"What are these?"
"Brady, you of all people, know what those are. Don't even pretend like you don't sleep with every girl who throws herself at you."
The thick muscles in his neck worked overtime as he appeared to have momentary issues swallowing. I considered patting his back but held back. "Uhh, Mads, I thought you and Vance were taking some time apart?"
Flashing him a bad girl smile, I stood slowly. It felt good to stretch after sitting for so long. "We are on, if you'll recall, what Vance likes to refer to as a break and I like to call broken up, because he did what...?" Tipping my head, I put my hand out to Brady, prompting him to take a guess.
Brady gave me the "I really don't want to discuss this look" and grabbed a tissue out of my bag. "Because he cheated on you."
"With how many women?"
"Two," he sighed before tapping a condom package, "at the same time."
"Ding, ding. We have a winner." Taking my bag from him, I tossed it aside and put my hand out. A woman's touch was needed. Brady relinquished the tissue and stood still. I moved in close and went to work on cleaning him up. I thought about putting my mule heels back on. They gave me an additional two inches of height. Not that I normally needed any more but Brady was six-four and I was five-nine. Compared to many women I knew, I was tall. Compared to Brady, I wasn't.
Tilting his head to the side, I cleaned his cheek before going to work on his neck. I wrinkled my nose as I found something wet and slimy on him. "Gawd, did she drool on you too? This is ridiculous." Grinning, I added my own saliva to the mix by spitting on the tissue before going back to the task at hand. Surprisingly enough, Brady wasn't fazed.
"Tell me about it." Brady shifted, not seeming pleased in the least. "So far today, I've been pushed off a building so many times I lost count and pawed by a girl who barely looks legal."
I laughed and finished wiping him. "You noticed that too, huh?"
"Yeah." The look on his face said he wasn't happy about the age thing. It was surprising because I'd have guessed most men in their late twenties would be all over a hot little redhead wanting them regardless of her age. Guess I was wrong. Though, Brady wasn't like most men I knew.
"Her file says she's nineteen. I don't see it."
Brady grabbed my wrist and held it gently. "Been peeking in Daddy's files again, I see."
"Yep." Bending over, I reached for my shoes and stilled as I felt Brady's hand on my ass. "Why, exactly, are you touching me?"
"Uhh, you had something on the back of your jeans. It's gone now."
Right. So much for my theory on him not being like most men.
)
Ass-kicking Guardian, Madelyn Mason, is the only female in a sea of supernatural males. College student by day, she spends her nights fighting for mankind--the innocents, the ones who have no clue that the things of nightmares walk among the living. Larger than life Hollywood hunk, Brady Devens, has won the hearts of millions of adoring fans. But, the only heart he wants to win is that of his mate, Madelyn. She hasn't shown an interest in him as anything more than a friend, and he's beginning to think the Powers That Be goofed. In this world of magik, mishap, demons, gods, and pleasure nymphs, anything is possible. Can they find a love that transcends time and space or will the Powers That Be decide maybe they weren't destined for one another after all? Rating: Spicy/Carnal-Contains graphic adult material, violence, adult language, and explicit sexual content not suitable for sensitive readers.
