Act of Attraction - a Forbidden Novella

Chapter 5 - First Heat

I was onstage the next night and arrived early for costumes and makeup. I saw her moving around backstage as I got dressed and made up, checking on props and sorting out little problems that popped up with the cast members while reminding us of the time for our warm ups. She didn't look at me, not once.

We did our warm-ups and I had a few laughs with some of the guys in the dressing room, calming my nerves. I waved at a few of my friends and talked to some others as we all prepared for the evening's show.

"Looking hot, Ronan," Alicia smiled at me as she passed, dragging her fingers down my back to pinch my tights-clad backside before wiggling her fingers at me as she walked off, leaving the group I was chatting to laughing at her antics. Cora was still trying her best to ignore me, so I flirted with the ladies in my group whenever she was close by to see.

I knew I had to keep my focus on my lines for my part, yet I could not stop myself from looking for glimpses of her everywhere. The feel of her lips against mine had kept me awake until the early hours of the morning and I was suddenly eager to repeat the process, only in much more detail than before.

The show went well and I felt on top of the moon after a standing ovation and a great reception from some celebrities who came to watch our show. The leads usually chatted to the audience in the foyer afterward and we were kept later than usual today. By the time we made it backstage to change and wipe off our makeup, the rest of the cast had already left and I worried that she had gone as well.

I checked all the dressing rooms for her, finally finding her in the one upstairs ones used by the female cast members. She didn't notice me as I moved softly into the room, closing the door behind me.

I watched her standing at a counter, cleaning and packing away the makeup used by the cast as she softly hummed one of the songs from the production. Her voice was clear and beautiful and carried to my ears as I quietly made my way over to her. She inhaled a startled breath and looked up into the mirror in front of her as I stopped behind her and snaked my arms around her waist to the front of her body, closing her in against mine. "You've been avoiding me today," I whispered in her ear as goose bumps formed there and I saw her close her eyes for a moment before opening them again with a flash of desire running through them as they found mine in the mirror, yet not moving away from me.

"I... I wasn't intentionally avoiding you. I just had things to do, props and things, you know... and you were on stage. We just didn't see each other, that's all." She babbled nervously before trying unsuccessfully to loosen my arms from her body.

My hands started working a path all over her full, delicious curves and I pushed her even closer to me, heating her with my body heat from behind and feeling her body respond to my advances. The little moan that escaped her lips had me smiling into the mirror, making me bold. "Yes, you were avoiding me. Afraid of facing your feelings, Cora?" I placed little kisses along her neck from her shoulder to her ear and felt her sag against me. I could see the effect I was having on her as the mirror showed me the tightening of her nipples against her black button down shirt and I moved my hand closer to her breast, itching to touch its hardness for myself.

"Ronan," she whispered, "don't do this. I can't..." Her eyes were closed as if she was willing our closeness away, yet her body's reaction to the feel of my hands on her was telling a different story.

"Do what?" I asked innocently as I cupped a full breast in my hand and placed another lingering kiss against her neck. "This?" I thumbed her nipple and felt it stiffen even more. "Or this?" I asked as my other hand wound a path down to her black pants and rested on top of her mound, causing her to jerk against it.

I turned her face towards me and looked into her troubled eyes. "You know I want you and I can see from your own body's reaction you want me too. So why fight it?"

She opened her mouth but I didn't give her a chance to answer me as I closed the gap and took her full lips with my own. She resisted for a few seconds, before I felt something break in her as she started kissing me back.

The kiss was hungry and hot, telling her of my attraction to her and confirming hers to me. I turned her in my arms and held her close as we lost ourselves in that heated kiss, our mouths opening and our tongues dancing a rhythm of its own. I could feel my body hum with satisfaction and need for this woman and I was ready to make her mine. My hands skimmed all over her heated frame as hers pulled me closer by locking behind my neck. She tasted of honey and spices and I loved it.

She broke the kiss too soon.

"Ronan, stop. Please..." She broke away from my arms and took a few steps back, visibly shaken by what had just transpired between us as she held up a hand in my direction, as if she needed to ward me off from her. "I need you to understand when I tell you... I really can't do this!"

I sighed a heavy sigh, my frustration with her defences evident as I questioned her motives. "Why are you fighting the attraction between us, Cora? I feel it and I know you may try to deny it, but you feel it too because it's written all over your face." I took a step towards her again to try and touch her as she retreated at the same time, stepping up with her back against the door while she blindly felt for the handle to open it with.

"No Ronan. No matter what you may think is going on between us, I can't give in to it." A silent tear slid down her cheek, startling me, before I saw her open the door before whispering, almost to herself, while she gave me a last lingering look: "No matter how much I may want to."

"Then why the jealous act, Cora?" I called out to her, stalling her steps out the now open door. "The whole night tonight I could see you were irritated with the attention I gave the other ladies. Don't deny it."

With her back still turned to me, she softly sighed and answered, her head lowered to the ground. "I wasn't jealous, really, it's just... I guess I liked having your attention, even though I knew I shouldn't." She looked at me over her shoulder. "Have you ever had something you knew you couldn't keep, but was reluctant to let go of? It's like that for me."

I stepped closer, placing my hands on her shoulders and pulling her stiff body as close as it would go while I whispered in her ear. "Cora... I don't want you to let go of me. I want you to keep me."

I felt her shudder against my front. "I can't," she whispered back.

I reluctantly let her go as she moved out of my embrace and made her way outside, away from me. I stood rooted, slightly in awe of her resistance of my advances, while pondering her last words. I suddenly realized I didn't know anything about her, not what her last name was or what she did for a living outside of stage managing amateur productions in her spare time.

I needed to talk to Steve. He was the only one who knew her personally and I needed to find out why she would not let me past her defenses.