Get a Grip (Hollywood Nights) by Cara North

control of the tears. “There has to be someone else in this industry that can help you with this. There’s surely another actress who has been through this type of insecurity.”
                  She made slight gasp of a sound and then her hands went up to wipe the tears away. “You’re right. There is and she seems happier than ever now.”
                  “I know you think its crap, but some exercise and meditation would probably do you some good, sweetheart.” He sighed. What the hell was he going to do with this woman? He needed help for navigating her mood swings.
                  She gave a halfhearted smile and admitted, “I guess it can’t hurt. I used to work out three times a week and I did feel better then. I know I need to get this sorted out. I think I know how. I shouldn’t have read…”
                  “Read what?” he asked.
                  “The comments. I avoided a smart phone to avoid access, temptation. I didn’t even know my toes look like fingers in some shoes.” She looked down at her feet.
                  He groaned. “That is ridiculous. You’re a tall woman, Ivy. You have long everything. If you had short stubby toes they would look odd. Your feet are fine…this is just…”
                  “Ridiculous?” She snorted. “I know, but I can’t unread it. Now every time I put on a pair of open toe shoes I’m going to look at them and think about this.”
                  So would he, but he didn’t think that was the right thing to say. He opted to change the subject entirely. “Your family is coming over for dinner today, right?”
                  “Tomorrow.”
                  “Sweetheart, it is tomorrow.”
                  “Oh.” She settled against the couch and batted her wet eyelashes at him. “I hope you like them. I love my nieces and nephews. I tolerate everyone else. I love them, you know, but it’s complicated.”
                  “I know.”
                  She kicked up a real smile and said, “For the first time in my life I actually believe someone does understand how complicated family can be.”
                  He reached a hand across the couch towards her. She moved her whole body across the couch towards him. She was snuggled up against his chest in the next instant. He relaxed his arm around her and focused on the program on the television. It was a black and white movie on a classics channel. The kind of thing he might have enjoyed watching with her had she not pulled out her special brand of crazy and tossed it at him. He wanted to tie her ass up and make her submit to him in and out of the bedroom because she seemed to need control and wasn’t managing to find it on her own.
                  He knew that had been good for him when everything came out with Adele and Alex. He couldn’t take Ivy there. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch her. He didn’t want to have a traditional relationship like that. He just wanted enough to possess her and to feel possessed by her. She wouldn’t let him out of the missionary position in the bedroom and he was doing his best to move slowly in that department. Episodes like this made him want to push the issue sooner.
                 
                  When she finally fell asleep he carried her back to bed. He crawled in next to her and looked at her from head to toe. She was beautiful. It made no sense to him why she couldn’t see that. He had been struggling to pick the right ring for her finger because nothing compared. Nothing equaled what she deserved. He was going to make her see that. One way or another, she was going to realize just how amazing she was.
     
    ***
                 
    Ivy woke up in her bed rather than on the couch as she usually did when she was home. Bo was not next to her.