The broken Luna and the Actor

Getting her alone

*Austin*

"Okay, A... spill it." Benjamin flops down beside me, and JR stops in front of me, crossing his arms on his wide chest.

I look from one to the other, shaking my head. "Uhm, spill what?"

"Austin seriously, you have been looking all pained and melancholic for the last couple of hours," JR says softly. "And now you are just sitting here on the steps... looking miserable."

"You guys worry too much. I am fine... everything is fine." I run a hand through my hair, sending them a smile.

Benjamin leans a bit forward, looking past me at Cynamon and Ian, who are playing around with a frisbee. She is laughing, and for some reason, it makes my insides clench up. "Okay! So nothing to do with her... Ian’s girlfriend, I mean, the one you have your eyes on constantly."

"I haven’t... fuck... it’s nothing. She is with Ian... so." I sigh and hang my head. I hadn’t known I was being that obvious.

"But you... what? You are attracted to her?" JR is looking at me curiously. He is always too good at reading me. But honestly this is hard to explain.

I rub a hand over my face. "I don’t know what to say. I... when I first saw her, it was like everything changed, but in a good way... like it just... popped into place. Does it make any sense?"

"It makes every kind of sense, Austin," JR says softly. "So, how seriously do you think Ian is about her?"

"Well..." I shrug slightly. "I think he likes her, but they haven’t... she didn't want to share his room... so..."

Benjamin nods. "He told me he likes her, but that he doesn’t see it becoming serious. I think it’s just kind of a fling to him."

JR looks thoughtful for a moment. "Okay... so here is what we do. Benjamin will get Ian away and keep him occupied for a bit... and you go talk to her and see if you feel the same when getting to know her and how she responds to you."

"You guys would do that for me... but what about Ian? I mean, he met her first." I feel nervous and elated, but also kind of bad.

"Ian will survive, as Benjamin says, it’s not like he plans to marry her. I believe deeply in love... and I see how you look at her. I think there might be something really special here," JR says, grinning.

I get up. "Okay, let's do this then. I mean, just to see if... if there is something here."

*Cynamon*

"Is it okay if I borrow Ian for a bit? JR can keep you entertained," Benjamin says with a big smile, already guiding Ian away with a hand on his shoulder.

I am not that happy about him leaving me, but I also don’t want to be clingy or problematic. Ian looks at me. "Is it okay, honey? I will be back as soon as possible... you can trust JR."

'They are up to something,' Zeva warns me. Not that she has to, but what can I do?

"It’s fine, Ian, I can manage." I give him a confident smile. I mean, I am used to managing on my own, so I can do this. I mean, what could happen?

As soon as Ian and Benjamin are gone, JR smiles at me. "So, are you enjoying yourself, ma'am?"

"I am, this place is amazing." I smile at him. "But please, call me Cynamon or CJ; there is no need to be so formal."

"Sure... CJ. Oh, hi, Austin," JR smiles at Austin, who walks over; my heart instantly starts to beat weirdly, and Zeva is making a weird sound that I am not even sure what it means.

Austin sends me one of those glorious smiles. "Hi again, darling. Uh, your beautiful wife is looking for you, JR."

"Oh, she does." He gives Austin a small nod, then looks at me. "Excuse me, I better go see what she needs, you will be safe with Austin."

Part of me wants to tell him not to leave me alone with Austin... not that I have anything against him, of course. It’s just that he makes my heart, body, and wolf act all weird and it confuses me. But I just nod. “Sure... no problem.”

“So, what would you like to do?” Austin is looking at me, fiddling with his hands and kind of shifting his weight back and forth on his feet, like he can’t stand still.

“Uhm... I don’t know. There is so much to do here.” I look around.

‘Wanna hear what I would like to do?’ Zeva purrs, but I chose to ignore her.

He bites his lip, looking thoughtful. “I can show you how to shoot the rifle. Have you ever tried?”

“No, never. Is that safe? I mean, I am not really used to weapons.” The idea makes me nervous, but honestly, I think it could be kind of fun to try. I am probably not actually allowed to handle weapons, but who is going to know?

“I promise you that you will be perfectly safe.” He gives me a soft grin. “And so will everyone else.”

I breathe in slowly. “Okay then. Sure, show me.”

“This way, darling... you are in safe hands.” He walks over to where the rifle is placed, pulling a key from his pocket and opening a secured box that turns out to contain the ammo.

“Oh, safety first, I see.” I like that he has thought about that, with the gun lying around and such.

‘A good trait in a mate,’ Zeva says as she stretches. I ignore her.

He nods as he expertly loads the rifle. “Well, we have kids here, so I am definitely not taking any chances. Come over here, darling.”

I watch as he lays down where I saw him the first time, and then he pads beside him, making me mumble, “Okay, laying down. I can do that.”

So, I manage to lay down, making sure my skirt doesn’t slip up. Luckily, there is no wind really; I don’t really want to show off my panties.

Austin starts showing me the different parts and explaining everything. He is actually really good at being educational without making me feel dumb. He shows me a shot, hitting the target farthest away, of course... but to be honest, my focus is very much on his flexed bicep rubbing against my arm.

‘The build of an alpha,’ it sounds from my annoying wolf. Again, I ignore her.

“Okay, now you try.” He hands me the rifle, and I feel my hands shake slightly as I take it.

I try to place it right. “Uhm, you are a great teacher, Austin, but I am not sure that I can do this.”

“Okay, let me help... is it alright for me to touch you?” He asks softly. “Just to show you the right grip.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” I nod. Honestly, I love that he asks me first; not many men do, and to me, especially, it means the world.

He moves closer... like much closer, and I fear my heart will stop when he slips an arm over me. I mean, he is literally lying halfway on top of me, and Zeva is mewling like a cat in heat. His arms follow mine. “Okay, like this.”

To say it is hard to focus would be the understatement of a century, even though he holds his weight mostly off me, his upper body is basically on top of mine, his breathing on my ear. “Like this?”

“Yeah, I like that… I mean, yeah, like that... let's go for the closest one first.” He says softly, almost resting his cheek against mine. “Breathe... look at the target... be prepared for a small backlash... absorb it with your shoulder, don’t fight it.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you.” I breathe in, starting to push down the trigger.

Austin’s breath is warm and tingling when he whispers, “A little to the right, darling... and don’t hesitate. Now push it down smoothly.”

“Okay... right... smooth.” I move slightly and push down the trigger. Damn, the backlash was harder than expected, or maybe I was tense. But then I realize something. “I did it... I hit it.”

“You did, darling. You have a talent for this.” His voice is still right in my ear.

Someone clears their throat, and Ian’s voice sounds above me. “So, I am gone for fifteen minutes, and you are on top of my girlfriend? Someone wants to explain this to me?”