Exposing Alix by Inara Scott Read Free Book Online

afternoon. He’s
looking for you. I’m staying here tonight.”
    “They’ll find you,” she said. “And we’ll both be in
trouble if they do.”
    “I’m not leaving you alone.” He stopped in front of her,
grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to her feet. “I can’t stop thinking
about you, Salva.”
    She melted into his arms, triumph curling her lips, giving
every sign of a women well satisfied. But to Alix’s mind, Lena’s eyes told a
different story. The current between Jake and Lena was hot—hot enough to
light the screen on fire, if channeled properly. But it was all negative
energy, tension and fear.
    Her fingers curled around his biceps like the talons of a
hawk. “We shouldn’t,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
    “I don’t care.” Jake wrapped his arms around Lena’s narrow
waist, dropping his head to kiss her. As their mouths meshed, she put her arms
around his neck. The gesture looked forced. Stiff. They kissed, but there was
no passion. A moment later, they broke apart.
    Ryker tousled his hair, leaving the black waves uneven and
rough. “That looked like crap. Let’s take a break. Anyone know what time it
is?” He glanced around the room, lips curving when he noticed Alix for the
first time.
    Alix flinched, his gaze brushing roughly against her like
the touch of his hand. His eyes were hard, inscrutable, the smile showing
little in the way of emotion. Frustration, though, was evident in the tight set
to his shoulders. She had the sudden desire to run. Ryker Valentine didn’t want
to share the set with her. He didn’t believe in anything she did. And it would
only make it worse if she had to tell him just how bad things really looked.
    “Alix, welcome. Come on over.” He gestured toward the
people gathered behind him and then to Lena and Jake. “Folks, this is Alix Z.
Gunther thinks she’ll be able to get something romantic out of these two.”
    Jake cocked his head. “Alix Z? As in, Through the
Window ? One Night Stand ? That Alix Z?” A look of surprise crossed
his face, but he was a decent enough actor to mask it almost immediately with a
welcoming smile.
    “The one and only,” she said, stepping forward
reluctantly.
    The look of surprise on the faces of Jake and a few others
was not shocking. She’d seen it hundreds of times before. Everyone in LA seemed
to think a woman who made sexy films should look like one of her actresses.
They wanted to see a show poodle, and, like Ryker had said, she was a Labrador.
Of course, it didn’t help that she was wearing a baggy T-shirt and a pair of
old jeans she’d bought at a thrift store a few years before. That, and she wore
her usual glasses today, not her sunglasses. They were square and heavy, with
thick black frames that Gunther said made her look like an old man.
    Jake extended his hand. “Jake Redburn. Pleasure to meet
you.”
    “Jake.” Alix returned his firm handshake. She liked him
immediately. There was an openness to his smile that she didn’t expect from a
million-dollar actor.
    Jake looked at Ryker, laugh lines crinkling at the corners
of his eyes. “You didn’t tell us you were bringing in an expert.”
    Ryker’s only reaction was to twist his lips into a deeper
frown. “Considering the garbage you call acting these days, I need all the help
I can get.”
    “I’m Lena.” With another toss of her long hair, Lena rose
from the sofa and positioned herself between Jake and Alix. Lena smiled, but
the gesture did not touch her dark, doe-like eyes.
    Alix shook her soft hand, wondering at the emotions
swirling below the lines of tension in Lena’s beautiful features. Lena had a
typical Hollywood body—thin and toned, each curve carefully sculpted—but
her face was just old enough to have more character than the generic blonde
starlets that filled Hollywood. There was wisdom in her deep brown eyes and a
hint of pain. Alix had to admit that Ryker had cast the perfect Salva.
    “I’m looking forward to