Beyond Famous (Famous #3) (2 page)

I ignored his comment and turned my attention to my other friend. Dawson rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Dawson.  What are you doing hanging with this asshole?” I nodded toward Ethan, who snorted.  “Slumming?"

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd join us and make things more bearable," Dawson said as he flopped down on the sofa.

"Hey, you fuckers! Out of all of us, I'm the one that knows how to have
fun
. You two would rather moon around with your dicks in your hand. I say we get the hell out of here and terrorize some fan girls."

"Seriously, that's fun?  In
what
universe?  It literally makes me crazy.  Why don't we just jump off a building instead? That sounds safer. Want coffee?"  I asked both of them as I poured a cup for myself. "Better yet, I could go back to my dream," I said as my face split into a wide grin. 

Brook was filming with the girls, and I had the day off, so it was nice to see the guys.

Ethan raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "Pfffftt.  Fuck the coffee. Got beer?" he said in disgust. "So, are you gonna share the dream details, or what?"

I laughed and reached into the refrigerator and threw him a Heineken.  "Dawson?  You want one?"

"Sure, Cade. Thanks." Dawson nodded and reached for the bottle I offered.

"
The dream
?" Ethan persisted and then took a long pull on his beer. He wagged his eyebrows at me over the top of the bottle.  "Was it starring a certain hot little somebody?"

"Leave him alone, Ethan, for Christ's sake," Dawson tried to come to my rescue.

"What?  She's smoking.  I want to know."

"Yes, it was about Brook, but that's all you get, you horny bastard." My tone sounded irritated, but I was enjoying the banter.  "Are you guys in town for the party tonight?" I moved into the sitting room, my stomach grumbling loudly.

"Yeah, and to take your ass out for your birthday." Dawson grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.  "We won't be here next week, unfortunately."

"I'm not planning much anyway.  I just thought I'd take Brook to dinner."

"What's the deal with the studio? Are they letting you off the leash these days?" Ethan asked me before turning his attention to the TV and Dawson. "Dude, put on some sports."  Ethan wrestled the remote away from him.  "Cade's probably got the Discovery Channel on lockdown." He smiled at me as he flipped to ESPN.

"Yeah, I exercise my brain.” I retorted. “Try it sometime."

"Yeah, sure! All you've, uh, been
exercising
is your jock!"

His comment made me laugh out loud.  If he only knew how right he was.

"Ethan only thinks of two things, Cade.  You know that.  Sports, and chicks." Dawson leaned forward on the sofa to place his beer on the coffee table.

"And proud of it. When I can combine the two, that's even better.” Ethan glanced at me.  “Cade, get your ass dressed.  Aren't you sick of staying in?  Don't worry,
gorgeous.
I'll protect you from the
big, bad, girls
," he mocked.

The look on his face was priceless as he gave me rations of shit.  I was laughing, and Dawson shook his head at Ethan.  "Okay, I'm starving, anyway.  Brook wears me out even in my dreams." A happy smile split my face wide open.

"Man, your ass is
so
whipped.  Fuck, it's pathetic," Ethan admonished.

Their laughter followed me down the hall into the bedroom when I went to shower and dress. I smiled.  He could make fun of me about Brook forever, and I would smile right through it.

IT WAS ALMOST
time to go. Thank God.  Cade and I retreated to the patio for cigarettes as often as possible, but the night went so slow that I thought it would never end. Maybe it was because I was tired, but we couldn't get out of there fast enough to suit me.

The new cast members were finally all in town. The actress they chose for Jane was one I’d heard of and recognized because I’d seen her in the news a couple of times. She was a child star and while younger than Cade, she was older than me. She seemed so worldly which probably came with being in the business for so long. Most actors who started out as children had a better chance of a successful transition into an adult career if they had strong managers and Leah St. Clare had a shark.   The hair on the back of my neck stood up the first time I saw her in person, and I wondered if it were just more of my character manifesting in real life or this was a woman I should keep my eye on. I couldn’t help glancing at her numerous times over dinner and the cast party afterward. Martin was big on the cast bonding, and while the second movie wasn’t quite wrapped, he brought some of the actors from the third film to the set early to meet us and acclimate with the crew.

It was 3 AM, and we were walking out to the curb when some fans grabbed us for pictures.  We paused briefly, letting them shoot us before I dove into the open door of a waiting limousine.  Cade followed and sat directly across from me.  The cameras flashed, and we both turned to see what was going on.  Paparazzi were shoving their way in front of fans and taking picture after picture. I wondered if it would ever ease up. We would probably get in trouble for leaving in the same car and alone together.

Cade's brow raised before he reached out and slammed shut the door.

"So, I guess the others aren't coming with us?"

He leaned back in his seat and stared at me as the driver got in and asked us where we wanted to go.  Cade mentioned my hotel, then moved to sit next to me and threaded his hand through mine. Suddenly I was calm. His touch was something I'd been craving for the past six hours when the most I could do was lean on him a little on the patio while we were away from the others.

"I've had enough togetherness for one night, haven't you? With anyone other than you, love."

"Did you like Lloyd?” I asked. He was one of the new production managers.  “He seemed nice but kinda stiff."

"Yeah, and much more structured than Kathryn.” She’d been on the first two films but had some family issue that demanded she spend some time at home.  “But he’s brilliant. I think he'll be cool," he said as his thumb rubbed over the top of my hand.  I found myself wanting to kiss him.  I knew I couldn't.

"You didn't talk to Curtis Walker.  Why not? He’s a big part of the next film."

"Uh, you were talking to him enough, and besides, our characters don’t get on and so I didn't think it in the best interest of the film to get too cozy with him at this point."  His tone was flat, but his eyes were mischievous as he watched me.

I laughed.

"I did see he cozied up to you quite a bit." Cade’s lips quirked in the start of a grin, and my heart did a flip-flop in my chest. He was wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt over a white T-Shirt and black jeans. I noticed some faint stubble on his face.  I sat there and took him in.  He was beautiful without even trying.

"I was?" I smiled at him.

"Yeah, sure, Brook.  I saw you talking to him, and he certainly had his eyes on you." He nudged me with his shoulder. 

"Oh, did he? I didn't notice, was he cute?"  I smirked at him as the limo pulled up to the hotel.  His little show of jealousy did something to me.  It was sweet the way he was teasing me with it.

"I'm not into guys, so you'll have to ask Jennifer," he said before he climbed out of the limo and waited for me to get out.

Despite the lateness of the hour, there were at least 100 paparazzi and fans waiting for us outside the main doors.

The limo driver came around and asked us for a photo for his granddaughter, and it was only then that I realized we'd gotten into the wrong car.  Jeanne and Denise were going to have our asses.  I could hear it already.  I glanced at Cade and saw the same realization in his eyes.

"Sure, we'll take a photo.  Right, Cade?"

"Yes, it would be our pleasure."

"My granddaughter is going to die.  She loves you both, but especially you, Cade.  Personally, I think you're the cuter of the two, sweetheart." He smiled from underneath his cowboy hat.

"Thank you. That's sweet of you."

One of the other fans agreed to take the photo of the three of us, and after we'd signed some autographs and posed a few more times, we moved into the hotel.  Not touching, but side by side as the cameras continued to flash around us.  I was sure the photos would be online in thirty seconds. 

"I agreed we’d keep things discreet, and I'm sure Pinnacle isn't going to think this fits that description.  How in the fuck did I not notice that wasn't Peter's limo?"  He was agitated and was running his hands through his hair repeatedly.

In the elevator, I placed my hand on his chest to calm him.  "Hey, babe, it's not a big deal.  I'm already over it, and the suits will get over it, too.  It was an honest mistake."

The doors opened on my floor, and he wrapped his arm around me in the empty hallway.  I felt his lips as he kissed my temple and I slid my arm around his slim waist.

"It was great to see the gang tonight, huh?  Did you have fun with Ethan and Dawson today? You all seemed very happy when I got there." My voice was low as I snuggled in underneath his arm.

"Yeah, but I'm tired.  We started drinking twelve hours ago, and Ethan ragged on me all day... about your hot little ass."

"Wow." I handed him my key and wound my other arm around his waist to hug him while he opened the door.

"God, you feel good, love.  I missed you today."

"Yeah?  I missed you too. Noah was in a snit, and I didn't think the day would ever end."

"Why?"

"Um, he thinks Mike should kiss Julia in the photo shoot scene, but I argued that it wasn’t part of the script.  He's just getting a little big for his britches."

Cade tensed slightly but didn't say anything.

We walked into the suite.  Cade was already kicking off his shoes and taking off his plaid shirt, seconds after we hit the bedroom.

"Why was Ethan teasing you today, hmmm?"  I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My mascara was smeared, and my hair was a mess. I groaned.

God, I look fucking terrible.

I
washed the makeup off and brushed my teeth before running a brush loosely through my hair.

"You don't really need to know everything, do you, Brook?"  Cade was laughing as he turned on the shower and pulled his T-Shirt over his head.  I stared at his chest as he undid his jeans and stepped out of them.

"Oh, I think I do," I gave him a throaty laugh as I watched him.  I loved his body, looking at it, touching it, lying underneath it. Mmmmm. Heat rushed through me at the thought.

"He thinks I'm whipped, and, uh..." he hesitated as he stepped under the spray.

He piqued my interest, "And, uh, what?"  I pulled my shirt off and then stripped out of my jeans.

"When he and Dawson woke me up, I was in the middle of a great dream. I answered the door with a raging hard-on."

An incredulous laugh burst out.  "Uh uh! You did not! Really?"

"Yeah, laugh it up.  You weren't the one with blue balls and Ethan's incessant teasing all day!" He tried to sound aggravated, but I knew he was smiling.

"Which was worse, I wonder?"  I was still laughing; I couldn't help it. It
was
really funny.  "Were you going to tell me about the dream?"

"I would have gotten around to it...but I'd prefer to show you. Why don't you get in here?"

I guess we thought alike because I was already naked and stepping in behind him.  I wrapped my arms around his waist and up his chest, raking my nails across his wet skin as I brought my hands back down lower. Cade gasped softly, as I ran some open mouth kisses across his back.

"Was it anything like this?" I said so softly I wondered if he could even hear me over the sound of the water running.  My hands went lower to grasp around his already enormous erection, "Or, this?"

He threw his head back, and his body tensed.  "God, Brook, I love you."

I wanted to taste his skin, so I licked his back then kissed it. He trembled under my ministrations, as I reached out with one hand for the soap and lathered up the front of his body so my hands slid more easily around him.  He groaned as I brought both of my hands around him and pushed and pulled his hot flesh.  He leaned back against me and the movement pushed me against the tile.  He was plastered against me; I felt his body go limp as he gave himself over to the sensations.

"Uhhh, babe. Stop or you're gonna make me cum.  I'm wound so tight. Wait, Brook. Uhhn...God." He was panting hard, but not protesting what I was doing to him. 

I continued to move my hands up and down the shaft and then around the head of his dick.  I squeezed as I pulled up toward the top and I knew he was close.

"Shhh, Cade.  Just let it happen."  I ran my open mouth across his back, placing kisses and sucking on his skin as his body tensed.  I could feel his muscles constrict, and he groaned my name when he burst in my hand.

"Bloody hell, Brook...oh, Brook..."

I kept pulling as he surged and pulsed in my hand, my grip lightening a little as he relaxed against me.

"I don't deserve you..." he said as he turned in my arms and lifted me, so my mouth was level with his.  One arm wound around his neck, my hand sliding into his wet hair and I brought the other up to touch the side of his face.  His eyes were languid, and he had a soft, satisfied smile on his lips. He was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.