Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (24 page)

“You
live in a beautiful, lollypop-lined world where mothers are Callie Flynn. Iris
Ford isn’t just different. She comes from another planet. Save us both the
trauma and stay home.”

Sable
walked out of the closet and did a twirl.

“What
do you think?”

“Have
I seen that dress before?”

“No.”
Sable frowned. Colt’s blank expression wasn’t the reaction she had hoped for.

“Have
I seen whatever you’re wearing under it?”

Ah.
Sable sent him a sly smile.

“What
makes you think I’m wearing anything?”

“You
can’t leave without underwear.”

He
jumped off the bed, but Sable was too far ahead of him. The heels of her slate
gray pumps clicked across the hardwood floor.

“Let’s
see.” She checked the contents of her small black bag. “Comb. Lipstick. Gun.
Just the essentials.”

“Sable.”

“Look.”
Sable held up her skirt. “Black lace. The bra matches but you’ll have to take
my word for it.”

“I
was going to say, take my car. But I’m fine with the peep show.”

“You,”
Sable grabbed the keys from his hand, “are an idiot.”

Colt
simply held out his arms. Shaking her head, Sable walked into his embrace.

“Drive
safe.”

“Always.”

“Text
me when you get there.”

“Promise
me you’re in for the night. And no visitors outside of your family.”

“I
promise. I’ll wait up for you.”

Sable
kissed his chin, then lingered a little longer on his mouth, before stepping
into the elevator. As the doors closed, she sent him a little wave and took a
deep breath. She had no idea what mess was waiting for her at the airport. But
knowing Colt would be here when she got back made the dread a little easier to
bear.

PARKING WAS A little easier at night—but not much. Sable found
a spot in the lot next to LAX that was only a football field length from the
entrance.

Before
getting out of the Maserati, she considered her options. Take the gun with her
and deal with all the airport security hassles that would entail. Or leave it
here—safely locked in the car.

The
choice was simple. Better to err on the side of caution. Sable looked around,
making certain no one was near the car before slipping the gun from her purse.
Opening the glove box required a scan of Colt’s thumbprint—or hers. He made
that little addition at the same time he changed the security at the loft.

On
the walk to the terminal, she sent Colt a text.

Made
it safe and sound. Your car is guarding my gun.
With a click, she set the alarm.
But
if I need a weapon, my stilettos should work nicely. See you soon.

Sable
could make a twenty-mile hike through mountain terrain with a full pack strapped
to her back. But walking across pitted asphalt in four-inch heels was another
thing altogether. She longed for her Keds and a bottle of water. She had to
settle for the air-conditioned din of LAX.

The
sights and sounds of an airport rarely changed from city to city. Especially
the large ones. People coming and going. Hurrying from here to there. This was
not the destination. It was a necessary pit stop. A way out. Or a way in.

Before
security became the battle cry, loved ones could escort you to the boarding
gate and watch as your plane took off. Now it was more of a waiting game.

Sable
stood to the side, out of the flow of bodies, and phoned her mother. She
expected Iris to pick up after the first ring. When three went by, Sable felt a
twinge of annoyance. When the call went to voicemail, she started to worry.

Wandering
around trying to find one lone woman would be a waste of time. Instead, Sable
went to a courtesy counter and asked them to page her mother. It took fifteen
minutes during which Sable’s imagination ran the gamut. The least she expected
was for Iris to be upset.

Once
again, her mother refused to do the expected.

“Sable.”

The
sing-song voice drew the attention of everyone at, or near, the courtesy desk.
Relieved, Sable turned, prepared for anything. Except a smiling, laughing Iris
on the arm of a handsome man.

Iris
looked fit and trim as always. But her hair was different.
Very
different. Her mother always wore it long. Once or twice a year, she would get
no more than an inch or two trimmed off.

The
change involved more than a few inches of hair. Iris looked like a different
woman with the flattering shoulder-length bob that bounced as she walked. And
it was red. Eye-popping would be a good way of describing the color. It shouldn’t
have worked. On anyone. But Iris managed to pull it off.

“Mom.
I love your hair.”

“Thank
you.” Iris gave the ends a practiced flip. “I felt like a change. When my
cousin Tessy—you remember Tessy—well, she won a trip to Hawaii. Can you
imagine? Her husband can’t get away from work so she insisted that I go with
her.”

That
explained a lot. Tessy and Iris were as close as sisters. Though Tessy still
lived in Tennessee, they kept in touch. These days they would Skype at least
once a week.

Sable
accepted Iris’ hug but her eyes were on the smiling stranger. The man looked
prosperous, but didn’t all con men? Easy marks like her mother were drawn to
charming men in well-tailored suits. And if they had a big white smile, a nice
physique, and dimples, it didn’t hurt.

“Sable,
I want to introduce you to Wade Fairfax. This nice man was kind enough to keep
me company while I waited for you.” Iris fluttered her lashes. “Even though
there were plenty of younger women his own age giving him the eye.”

“Younger?”
Wade turned his blinding smile on Sable. “I couldn’t believe it when Iris told
me that she had a grown daughter. I would have taken you for sisters.”

It
was all Sable could do to contain the groan that wanted to burst from her
mouth. That old chestnut? Naturally, her mother ate it up with a spoon. The guy
was young enough to be Sable’s brother. And Iris, while a very attractive
woman, looked her age.

“You
won’t believe what this kind young man did for me, Sable.”

Oh,
I’ll believe it
.
The question was, how much had it cost and could she recover the money.

“It
was nothing,” Wade grinned, his dimple getting alarmingly bigger. “I know some
people at the airline. When your mother mentioned that her connecting flight to
Honolulu wasn’t leaving until late tomorrow morning, I called a friend and got
her on an earlier flight.”

“Wasn’t
that nice of him, Sable? I leave in two hours.” Iris bubbled with excitement. A
new emotion to go along with the hair. Again, it looked good on her.

“Excuse
me for a minute. I want to make sure Iris’ luggage is transferred to the proper
plane.”

“I
can’t believe my luck.” Iris sighed with pleasure. “I was bored to tears
waiting for you so I struck up a conversation with Wade. Boom. He offers to
take care of everything.”

“Why?”

“Because
he’s kind? Oh, I see that.”

“What?”

“The
way you rolled your eyes. You think this is some kind of scam, don’t you?”

“Mom,”
Sable kept her voice calm and reasonable. “It doesn’t make sense for a stranger
to do this out of the goodness of his heart. He’s too smooth to ask for
anything yet, but wait until you’re halfway across the Pacific. He’s after
something.”

“You
think you’re
so
smart. For your information, Wade isn’t going to Hawaii.
In fact, he had only stopped to check the messages on his phone. He’s
thirty-one years old, single, and owns a very successful construction business.”

Sable
had to admit, she might have jumped to the wrong conclusion. But for her own
piece of mind, she planned on doing a thorough background check on Mr. Wade
Fairfax.

“He
sounds like a peach, Mom.”

“Did
I mention that he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“No.
Why would you?”

“I
told him all about you and he seemed very interested. I’m so glad you wore a
dress. Your legs are your best feature. I’m certain that Wade noticed.”

This
time, Sable couldn’t keep her groan from bubbling out.

“What?”
Iris demanded.

“Let’s
sit down, Mom.”

“I
don’t need to sit.”

“I
do. My feet are killing me.”

Reluctantly,
Iris let herself be led to a row of seats that were out of the path of
impatient travelers.

“I
know what you’re going to say.” Iris took a compact out of her purse. Her
makeup was perfect but she powdered her nose just to be safe. “You aren’t
interested in Wade because you already have a boyfriend.”

Actually,
it hadn’t occurred to Sable to mention Colt. She had planned to tell Iris that
she wasn’t interested in Wade, or anyone else—period. But since her mother
believed the relationship was real, she used it as a convenient buffer.

“Colt
does exist, Mom.” No lie there.

“But
for how long?”

“He’s
healthy and has excellent genes. Hopefully, he’ll be around for another sixty-plus
years.”

“You
know what I meant. He’s a movie star, Sable. How much longer do you think you
can hold his interest?”

About
two weeks
.

“This
isn’t about Colt, Mom. Picking up strange men at the airport is bad enough.
Picking one up for me? Unacceptable.”

“Time
is no woman’s friend, Sable.”

“I
don’t know. Have you seen Sophia Loren? I would do her in a heartbeat.” The
joke missed its mark by a mile. The only thing her mother heard was the
possible admission that Sable’s interest lay with women—not men.

“Is
that why you left the Army?” Looking around surreptitiously, Iris lowered her
voice. “Don’t ask, don’t tell?”

“They
repealed that piece of crap policy before I resigned.” It was obvious that
answer hadn’t satisfied her mother. Sable sighed and gave in. “No. I am not
gay. Or bisexual. I like men. Straight up.” Sometimes with a twist. If she were
playing with Colt.

“I
don’t know why you’re smiling. No matter how much fun you provide to Colton
Landis, it’s temporary. You can’t afford to throw away a perfectly good man.”

“You
don’t know that Wade Fairfax is a good man. Maybe he kicks his dog. Or cheats
on his income tax. Do you know how much prison time you can do for that? That’s
how they got Al Capone.”

Iris
sent her a blank stare.

“I
have no idea what you are talking about.”

To
be honest, neither did Sable. She was rambling in the off chance her mother
would get the hint and drop the subject.

“Oh.
There’s Wade.” Iris rummaged through her purse, triumphantly pulling out a tube
of lipstick. “Here. A bright color draws a man’s attention to your mouth.”

Dumbfounded,
Sable couldn’t think of a single comeback. Then to her, and Iris’ surprise, she
burst out laughing.

“Mom.”

Iris
raised her chin. “Yes?”

“I
love you.”

Iris
blinked once, then twice, before smiling.

“I
love you, too, sweetheart.”

IT WAS AMAZING what the passing of a few hours could do for a
person’s outlook.

When
Sable left for the airport, her emotions had been all over the place. She didn’t
know what she would find or how she would deal with it. Now, her mother was
safely on a plane to Hawaii and for the first time, Sable felt hope for the
future of their relationship.

Not
that she expected miracles. Iris would never change. Nor would Sable. But she
saw her mother through clearer eyes. Vain. Self-centered. Clueless. Also warm,
caring, and loving. No. Neither of them had changed. It was all a matter of
perspective.
That’s
what was different.”

The
elevator dinged. As the doors opened, Sable took a moment to lean against the
wall and remove her shoes, then padded into the loft. She sighed with pleasure
when her soles hit the cool hardwood floor.

It
was half past four. Sable listened, not expecting to hear anything. Colt had to
be on the set at seven o’clock. She hadn’t called to tell him she was on her
way. She hoped he did the smart thing and went to bed. Something she planned on
doing. With luck, she could get an hour of sleep. It wasn’t the ideal amount,
but she had survived on less.

Sable
made a quick detour to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. She was at
the bedroom door when she heard the faint sound of the running shower. Change
of plans. The hell with sleep when she could rub up against a wet and warm
Colt.

She
reached for the zipper on the side of her dress. It was halfway down when a
voice from the bed froze her in her tracks.

“Hello.”

The
light was low, but there was no mistaking the identity of the naked bleached
blonde in Colt’s bed.

“Candice?”

“This
is awkward.” The actress made a show of adjusting the sheet over her breasts. “Colt
said you were supposed to call before showing up. A bit of advice. Always
follow the script. Bad things happen when you try to improvise.”

Sable
looked at Candice. Then at the open bathroom door. Colt’s voice rang out as he
sang a snappy rendition of
Crocodile Rock
.

“Interesting
choice of tunes,” Sable mumbled.

“He
sounds happy, doesn’t he?” Candice purred the words. “
Good
sex will do
that to a man.”

With
a sigh, Sable rubbed her eyes. Rumpled sheets. A naked woman. A singing man in
the shower. It all added up to one obvious conclusion—if this were a bad
romance novel. She was tired. But she wasn’t a fool.

“Honestly,
Candice? This is straight out of bad plot ploy one oh one.”

“I
have no idea what you’re talking about.” Candice made a poor attempt at turning
her nose up in a dismissive manner.

“What
did you hope would happen?” Sable set her purse, and her gun, out of reach. It
was tempting. But the pleasure of scaring the crap out of the blonde wasn’t
worth the trouble it would cause.

“Was
I supposed to recoil in horror? Run into the early morning with tears streaming
down my face—never to be heard from again?”

“What
is wrong with you?” Candice pounded the bed with her fist. Splotches of angry
red burst onto her cheeks. “I had sex with Colt. Don’t you have any pride?”

“Don’t
you?”

Colt
stood in the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Colt,”
Candice gasped. “I—”

“Save
your breath.” He grabbed Candice’s clothes from the chair and tossed them at
her. “Get dressed. This was low, Candice. Even for you.”

“Why
don’t you want me?” she wailed, tears welling artfully in her eyes. In Sable’s
opinion, it was the best performance of her career. Then she ruined it by going
one step too far. “I love you.”

“Oh,
boy.”

“Bitch.”
Candice launched herself from the bed, her claws drawn and aimed at Sable.

Colt
rushed forward, putting himself between the women. He held Candice back, his
hand on her forehead.

“Let
her go,” Sable said calmly. She watched with growing amusement while Candice
tried to push past Colt, her arms flailing like a cartoon character. “I won’t
hurt her—much.”

“I
would love to oblige. But I still need her in one piece. If she’s crazy enough
to hang around after the movie wraps, she’s all yours.”

“Fine.”
Sable ambled toward the bathroom. “Five minutes. If you haven’t put the trash
out by then, it will be my pleasure to kick her to the curb.”

Shutting
the door with a firm snap, Sable could still hear Candice’s pleading wails.
Which was fine—great. She didn’t want to drown it out. It lent a certain symmetry
to her evening. On one hand, she had dealt nicely with her ditzy mother. On the
other, Colt’s loony tunes co-star.

Another
screech from Candice put a smile on Sable’s face. Humming, she slipped out of
her dress and into the shower.

COLT WASN’T WAITING for her when she exited the bathroom. Not
that Sable was surprised. She gave Candice a five-minute deadline, but because
she felt all loose and relaxed from the multiple jets of hot water, Sable didn’t
push the issue.

Ten
minutes had passed. Whistling, slightly off tune, Sable stripped the bed of the
actress-contaminated sheets. A quick spin through her brain told her the
housekeeper Colt had hired would be here later today. She would send the
laundry out and make the bed.

Tightening
the belt on her robe, Sable walked into the living room. Colt wasn’t in the
kitchen or on the sofa. Sable felt a slight spike in her temper. He wouldn’t
have been crazy enough to drive Candice home?

“Colt?”

“Over
here.”

He
was standing out of sight, just off the kitchen, staring out the window and
dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms—nothing else. His hands were wrapped around
a steaming cup of coffee.

“Want
some? I just made a fresh pot.”

“Mind
if I take a sip of yours?”

Sable
took the cup, sighing with pleasure as the strong flavor hit her taste buds.

“You
can’t be too angry if you’re willing to share my germs.”

“That
ship sailed long ago. If you’ve got it, I’ve got it.”

“And
vice versa.” Colt shook his head when she tried to hand back the cup. “I have a
good reason why Candice was here.”

“You
think
you have a good reason.” Sable wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t
letting him off the hook that easily. “What did I say before I left?”

“Christ,
Sable. I’m not a child. It isn’t necessary to chastise me.”

She
simply took another sip and met his gaze over the rim. When she raised her
eyebrows, he sighed.

“Candice
called a couple of hours after you left. She was outside the building and was
drunk.”

“Or
claimed to be.”

“Yes,”
Colt nodded. “But I didn’t know that. She swore she was going to drive home. I
couldn’t let her do that.”

“You
should have called her a cab.”

“She
wouldn’t wait. And since, per your instructions, I couldn’t go out and stop
her, I let her come up.”

“And
then invited her into bed?”

“Fuck
that.” Colt searched her face. Sable let him off this particular hook and
smiled. His shoulders relaxed. “I thought she had passed out on the sofa. I put
a blanket over her and called her assistant to pick her up. The ETA was an
hour, so I decided to take a shower. I didn’t know when you would get back. I
planned on getting dressed and ready to leave for the set.”

“Let
me take it from there.” Sable set the cup on the counter. “As soon as you were
naked—”

“And
in the shower,” Colt reminded her.

“And
in the shower,” Sable conceded. “Candice miraculously sobered up. She dropped
her clothes and climbed into bed.”

“That
about sums it up.”

“Except
how did she know I wasn’t here?”

“You
don’t think she had someone watching the building?”

“Creepy,
but it’s the only thing that makes sense. When they saw me drive away, they
called Candice. Obviously, it took her awhile to get here. From the look of her,
she took the time to do her hair and makeup. Since I hadn’t returned, she took advantage
of the situation. She once told me she didn’t like to improvise but in a pinch,
she’s pretty good at thinking on her feet.”

Colt
frowned. “She couldn’t have known how long you would be gone.”

Patting
his hand, Sable shook her head. The poor guy still hadn’t grasped the entire
situation.

“She
didn’t care. No matter when I showed up, her plan was to make it look like the
two of you had or were about to have, sex.”

“You
didn’t buy it.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Sable
wasn’t immune to the most basic human emotions. When she saw Candice in Colt’s
bed, she felt a myriad of emotions. Surprise. Hurt. Anger. Disgust. But they
came and went in a schizophrenic flash. It was too staged. Too obvious. And
most of all—it wasn’t Colt.

Candice
had badly miscalculated. She had spent too much time reading her own planted
publicity. She believed herself to be irresistible. What man in his right mind
would turn down a chance to have sex with America’s Sweetheart? And what woman
wouldn’t believe it? Especially with the evidence right in front of her.

The
answers to those questions were simple and succinct. Colt and Sable—that’s who.

Colt
wasn’t the kind of man to jump from one woman to another with no explanation.
And Sable wasn’t the kind of woman to run away in tears—with no explanation.
Even if she had believed the setup, she would have waited for Colt’s
confirmation.

However,
it didn’t change the fact that Colt broke rule number one. Do not let anyone
other than Sable and his family through his door.

“I
know what you’re thinking.”

“I
doubt it. Not this time.”

“Go
on,” Colt said, confident and ready to take his medicine. “Call me a Boy Scout.”

“I’ll
call you an idiot. Not even a Boy Scout would let a barracuda cross his
threshold. You welcomed her with open arms—and wrapped her in a blankie for
good measure.”

“In
my defense—” Colt held up a hand when Sable started to interrupt. “It’s the only
one I have, so let me finish.”

“Fine.
Go on.”

“You
would have done the same thing.”

That
stopped her. She had all kinds of comebacks planned—one for every scenario she
anticipated him using. But
this
she hadn’t expected. It was short and to
the point. And, much to her consternation, he was right.

There
was no argument for the truth.

“You
didn’t follow orders.” Lame. Sable knew it and so did Colt. “Don’t you dare
grin at me. I’m giving you this one. You don’t get to gloat.”

“No
gloating.” Colt tempered his grin, downgrading it to a smile. “We have time
before we have to leave. Breakfast or a nap?”

“Breakfast,”
Sable said emphatically. “A nap won’t be enough. I’m better off staying awake.”

“Me
too.” He took eggs and butter from the refrigerator. “A cheese omelet. Bacon?
Toast?”

“Cholesterol
alert?” Laughing, Sable poured more coffee, grabbing another cup. “Why not? If
you promise to eat a salad for lunch. And not one drenched in ranch dressing.”

“No
problem.” With the skill of a man at ease in the kitchen, Colt broke the eggs
with one hand and whisked them with the other.

Sable
settled on a stool to enjoy the show. Food? Cooked by a sexy bare-chested
Colton Landis? Sounded like the perfect way to start her day.

“IT’S THE LAST day.”

“Mmm.”

“We
made it.”

“Yes,
we did.”

Colt
looked at Sable’s reflection in the mirror. She thumbed through a copy of
Architecture
Digest
while he sat through another session in the hair and makeup trailer.
She looked cool, breezy, and relaxed in a pair of cotton drawstring pants and
sleeveless silk blouse. Her hair, which Gilda, the same woman working on him at
the moment, had trimmed last week, was flawlessly messy—and sexy as hell. She
wore just the right amount of makeup, giving her a natural look that drove him
crazy.

Colt
knew the truth. It wasn’t what Sable wore, or how her hair and makeup were
done. It was her. And he couldn’t get enough of her.

He
knew how he felt. He loved Sable. For him, it was as simple as that. But
getting a handle on how she felt wasn’t as easy. Hell, he would have settled
for not easy. Sable was harder to read than ancient Sanskrit.

Tell
her how you feel
.
That made the most sense. All she could do was— What? Laugh? No. Sable wasn’t a
cruel person. She would let him down with kind words. And it would kill him.
Laughter he could react to. He could rail. Call her names for her callous
treatment. But kindness? It left a man with no alternative. He had to be kind
in turn—even while dying a little inside.

There
had been times over the past few weeks when he thought Sable felt the same as
he did. The look in her eyes. Her smile. The way she touched him. Not when they
made love. The relaxed moments. A natural brush of her hand against his. Or how
she curled up next to him when they were watching television.

It
felt like love. It didn’t seem possible that he could be in this alone.

Then
she would talk about what she planned on doing next month. Or a trip she wanted
to take over the Christmas holidays. It was done with a casualness that made
Colt uncomfortable. As though she had already moved on. Left him behind. He
didn’t like the way she spoke of the future. Her future away from him.

“Mom
wants us to stop by after we wrap. No matter how late.”

“I
know.” Sable lowered the magazine. “She called me yesterday. I know I’m new to
all of this, but isn’t there usually a wrap party?”