Hollywood Nights Read Online Free Page B

on a random Sunday a few weeks later, and once again before three in the morning.
    I stumbled out of Twisted after another long night of fighting the groping and grabbing from drunken men. My new black high heels hadn’t been such a great purchase after all, and my feet already had broken blisters. I needed a bath, some red wine, and a book.
    Instead, I got Tanner.
    He stood beside my car, waiting. At first, I didn’t believe it was him, but he didn’t move, and when I got closer, a huge grin decorated his face. “I’m not drunk tonight. So you don’t have to worry.”
    “Nice to see you, too,” I said.
    He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Good evening. I hope you’re doing well. And no, I’m not drunk right now.”
    “Good. Now, what the heck are you doing here?”
    “I thought you’d never come out of the bar,” he said. “I’ve been waiting out here for a while.”
    “What? Why? Craving’s not open on Sundays.”
    “I didn’t come here for Craving. Or Twisted. I came here for you.”
    “You did?” I cocked my head as I looked closer at him. Dark jeans. Black shoes. Dark green military jacket. Blue knit shirt. A light spray of dark brown stubble on his face. Sharp blue eyes.
    I won’t let his looks sway me. I won’t let his looks sway me. . .
    “If this is about the other night, you made your point pretty clear.” I tightened my grip on my keys. “So you can go home. Don’t worry about me. If I wanted to sell my story to the tabloids, I would’ve done that by now.”
    A smiled pulled at his lips. “I wonder how much money you would’ve made.”
    “Really? Is this why you came here?”
    Whatever he had to say, he needed to say it fast. I didn’t have much patience for this guy, no matter how famous he might be.
    “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I owe you an apology for being such an asshole.”
    “Well, that’s what you were. A total asshole.” I thought about it. “Scratch that. An asshole covered in cheese and deep-fried.”
    He laughed. “That the best you can do?”
    I shrugged. “I can think of a few other choice words.”
    “I deserve it.” He shoved both his hands in the front pockets of his pants. “I shouldn’t have taken whatever was going on with me out on someone like you.”
    I bristled. “Someone like me? What does that mean, ‘someone like me’? Just because I work at a strip club and you’re a movie star—”
    Tanner took a hand out of his pocket and held it up to stop me from speaking. “I mean—okay, came out wrong. What I meant is, I shouldn’t have taken whatever’s going on with me out on you. Out on anyone.”
    “No, you shouldn’t have.” My eyes narrowed. “You think you’re better than other people, don’t you?”
    “No—yes. I don’t know. I have a tendency say things the wrong way. Offend people when I don’t mean to. Bad habit.”
    “Bad habits can be broken.” I bounced back and forth on my feet. God, they felt like they had ten thousand needles in them. I wanted to sit down, and the driver’s seat of my car was right behind him, like a promised land I couldn’t get to fast enough.
    So close. So close. So close…
    “Don’t worry about it, okay?” I moved closer to my car, hoping he’d get the hint, step out of my way, and let me get inside. This conversation didn’t have to go on any longer. He’d made his point. “Apology accepted.”
    Tanner grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward him. His eyes locked with mine. “No, that’s not enough. I fucked up the other night. Let me make it up to you.”
    “You don’t need to make up anything.”
    “Yes, I do.” His eyes searched my face. “Please, let me. Come over to my place for dinner. I need to talk to you about something, but I don’t want to do it here.”
    “Dinner? Are you kidding? You don’t even know my name.”
    “Tell it to me, then.”
    I hesitated before I held out my hand. “I’m Brynn. Brynn Price.”
    He shook it, his gaze still on me, and his