Free Deadly Obsession by Kristine Cayne

simple grin, just as he’d captured hers. Her heart ached, knowing she’d never again get to run her fingers through his dark hair or kiss his smooth lips.
    But the reality was that while she’d been making herself sick worrying about him, he’d probably been living it up somewhere with the blonde.
    He was, after all, Nic The Lover.
     

     
    “Socialize, be polite, talk to the reporters. I got it.” To take some of the bite out of his words, Nic smiled at Vivian.
    She gently rapped his arm, but she was smiling too. “You’re impossible. Now go enjoy yourselves.”
    Nic took his date by the arm and started to mingle. Almost immediately, he was waylaid by reporters milling around the red carpet area. “Good evening, Nic,” called out the reporter from Entertainment Buzz. Kaden stood back for the interview, vigilant but out of camera range.
    “Good evening, Tammy.”
    “Ladies and gentlemen, our honored guest this evening, Mr. Nic Lamoureux or, as he’s better known, Nic The Lover. Nic plays Blake Winters in the highly acclaimed Bad Days , recently premiered at the GI Film Festival in Washington D.C. Nic, how did you like working with Jane Carver?”
    Nic smiled and turned toward the camera with the flashing red light atop it. “Jane was wonderful as Emma Sanders. It was a pleasure to work with such a talented leading lady. In fact, the entire cast and crew were tremendous.”
    “One last question, Nic. Everyone’s dying to know.” She glanced around with a wide, knowing grin. Then she turned back and looked pointedly at him. “Where’s your girlfriend?”
    Nic blinked. What girlfriend?
    The reporter raised an eyebrow. “The photographer. From the festival.”
    “Tammy, this is—” Hoping she’d get the hint, he pulled his date forward by the arm, and widened his eyes at her. What the fuck was her name?
    “Summer. Summer Rayne. I’m an actress. Nice to meet you, Tammy.”
    Nic barely resisted rolling his eyes. Jesus Christ. Where did Viv find these women? With a smile for Tammy, he placed his hand on Summer’s lower back and guided her deeper into the crowd of assembled celebrities.
    His step faltered when he overheard Tammy say, “Well, there you have it. Ladies of America, rejoice. Playboy Nic The Lover could not be captured by the wily single mom photographer from Seattle. The staff here at Entertainment Buzz are placing bets on how long Nic will play in the Summer Rayne . Who’ll be next? Tune in tomorrow night and we’ll let you know.” Laughing, she moved on to her next interview.
    Nic ground his teeth. Vivian planned to tone down his image in a few years but insisted he had to stick with the sex symbol act for now. Nic couldn't wait to have a normal life again.
    And Lauren? What did she want?
    Stop right there, idiot.
    By all appearances, she’d dropped him like a box office bomb. If he were smart, he’d leave things at that. With the stalker on his tail, it wasn’t safe to get involved.
    Glancing at the woman beside him, he saw Summer smiling brightly, unfazed by the insinuation that she’d be only a one-night stand. Then again, she didn’t need to care. She’d gotten what she wanted: her name mentioned on national television twice. That was the Hollywood way—use and be used.
    They made their way through the crowd. With Summer’s help, he side-stepped countless questions and comments from the press regarding his relationship with Lauren. He couldn’t understand the press’s fascination with her. Okay, maybe he could.
    Lauren’s sincerity and innocence were rare in Hollywood, where even the young were jaded and cynical. And his fans could relate to her, a single mom trying to raise her kid the best she could, because she was like them.
    As they walked through the crowd, Summer flashed him a seductive smile. “When we’re done here, maybe we could hang out at your place for a while.”
    Like hell . He never went out with the same woman more than twice, and he never took them