Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) (25 page)

Jade Marlow and Garrett Landis. Hollywood’s newest couple
?

For the next few hours, Jade was blissfully unconcerned
about the global stir she and Garrett’s appearance together had created. He was
her focus, not the world around them.

They were seated without delay. A secluded table meant to promote
intimacy. The room was lit with a low-key, flattering light that made everyone
look as though they were bathed in candlelight. A few people greeted Garrett as
they passed by. He nodded politely, keeping his hand in the small of her back.
They didn’t pause. The curious onlookers would have to keep their questions to
themselves. However, Jade noticed plenty of furious keyboard action. Being the
first to spread a juicy piece of gossip was worth letting your dinner grow
cold.

“I know you aren’t a big fan of champagne.”

Jade smiled, pleased that Garrett remembered something she
mentioned months ago. He cared enough to listen then make a mental note. She
felt her heart swell. If she wasn’t falling in love with him, she was an idiot.

“I discovered this when shooting a film in Washington
State.” Garrett nodded for the waiter to fill their glasses. “There
is this little winery outside of Spokane. I bought every bottle I could get my
hands on.”

He waited until Jade picked up her glass.

“To the first night of many.”

Jade silently applauded the toast, sipping the perfectly
chilled Chardonnay. For a moment, when their eyes met, she thought the color of
his eyes seemed different than she had seen before. Intrigued, she leaned
closer. Before she could decide, Garrett shifted his gaze, taking several
moments to drape his napkin over his lap. When he looked at her again, the
color was the usual. A beautiful silvery gray. Whatever she thought she saw
must have been a trick of the light.

They ordered from the limited menu. The specials changed
daily depending on what the chef found fresh at the market that morning. Jade
chose the oven-roasted salmon with lemon pasta.

“I’ll have the pumpkin ravioli. For dessert,”
Garrett looked at Jade. “The chocolate soufflé?”

“Yes, please.”

When they were alone, Garrett took Jade’s hand. It was a
simple gesture, holding hands across a table. Couples did it all the time. Jade
was so wrapped up in the moment she didn’t notice the attention it drew from
neighboring diners. One more step, Garrett would say if she thought to ask.
Soon, their actions would stop being news. No one except the two of them would
notice their little gestures of affection.

“Tell me how your day went.” Garrett kissed the
back of her hand. He wasn’t doing it for any reason other than he wanted to.
Like Jade, he had ceased to notice anyone but her.

“I got the job.”

Delighted she hadn’t buried the lead, Garrett listened to
Jade’s animated recounting of her meeting with Agnes Stern. He insisted she
leave nothing out. By the time Jade ended her day with her visit with his
parents, the waiter was taking away their empty plates.

The memory of Jade’s too slender body was still fresh enough
in Garrett’s mind that he loved seeing her consume her meal with obvious
enjoyment. Gone were the days when he coaxed bites of food into her. The
shadows were gone from her eyes. The hollows in her cheeks filled out. His
beautiful Jade glowed with happiness. She was healthy in both her body and soul
— he planned on keeping her that way.

Tomorrow her bodyguard would arrive. Garrett was looking
forward to bringing Jade up to date on his efforts to track down Stephen Marsh.
The chance that she would be angry with him for not consulting with her first
was high. Hell, he wouldn’t appreciate such high-handed actions — no matter the
motivation. He hoped, once she had all the facts, she would understand.

Explanations could wait until after dinner. He didn’t want
to spoil these magical moments by letting reality seep in.

“Your soufflé will be out in ten minutes, Mr.
Landis.”

“Thank you. That will be perfect.” Garrett held up
the half-empty bottle of wine. Since he was driving, he settled for one glass.
Jade could have as much as she wanted. “May I fill your glass?”

“No.” Jade felt slightly giddy, the zing in her
veins having nothing to do with the alcohol. She didn’t want anything to
override her natural high. “I would love a cup of tea with dessert.”

“Very good.” The waiter motioned for a busboy to
clear away the wine bucket. “We have several choices. White. Darjeeling. A
lovely green tea from India that is new to the menu.”

“Darjeeling will be lovely.”

Jade waited until the waiter was out of earshot before
whispering to Garrett, “The man seemed so proud of the green tea, I didn’t
want to tell him it all tastes like steeped grass clippings. Weak ones to
boot.”

“A lot of people wouldn’t care about hurting a waiter’s
feelings.”

“A lot of people are self-centered nitwits.”

Not you
, Garrett thought. Jade had more reason than a
lot of people to concentrate on her own problems. She could have shut herself
away. Wallowed in her own self-pity. Instead, she found a way out. He saw a
bright, intelligent, capable woman who won his heart without trying.

Garrett looked down at the table. There he went again. He
wanted to
tell
Jade he loved her. With words. He didn’t want the damn
color of his eyes giving it away first. He had almost been caught once tonight.
He needed to stop thinking lovey-dovey thoughts. Which was difficult.
Especially when Jade’s smiles were so open and warm.

“Is everything okay?” Jade asked, her voice
concerned. “You’re giving that tablecloth quite the dirty look.”

“Sorry.” Garrett mentally kicked himself. “I
let work creep into my thoughts.”

“Tell me about it.” Jade smiled. “You spent all
of dinner listening to me go on about my day. How is the movie going? Is
everything in Canada back to normal?”

A safe topic. Garrett explained to Jade about the delays
that seemed to be plaguing
Exile
. The latest ones concerned the script.
Garrett saw the middle arc of the story as more character driven. A break for
the audience after a fast, action-packed start. The ending was set to be
emotional with a rousing climax that he hoped would have people cheering.
Unfortunately, the screenwriter was convinced his original story was perfect as
is. It stated in the writer’s contract that Garrett had the right to make
changes, within reason. The problem was the two men had different ideas about
what constituted
reason
.

“What are you going to do?” Jade took a spoonful
of the recently delivered soufflé. She sighed, smiling as the rich, airy
dessert danced over her taste buds. Without a second thought, she dipped her
spoon for another bite, holding out for Garrett to sample.

Garrett let Jade feed him. That was it. Any speculation
about the intimacy of their relationship was no longer in question. Holding her
hand across the table. Kissing the back of that hand. Now sampling food from
the same spoon? They might as well have put out an official press release. Jade
Marlow. Garrett Landis. Super couple.

“Should I not have done that?”

“Share your dessert?” Garrett asked innocently.
“It would be selfish not to.”

“Hmm.” Jade shook her head. “I keep
forgetting we are interesting to other people. From now on, I only feed you in
private.”

“It was a natural gesture, Jade.” Garrett
shrugged. “We can’t be so self-conscious that we stop enjoying something
as simple as a night out.”

“Simple?” Jade looked around their luxurious
surroundings.

Garrett chuckled. “You know what I mean. Not every
night will be like this. Are we supposed to refrain from sharing a French fry
the next time we stop for a burger?”

“Point taken.” Jade licked the last of the
chocolate off her spoon.

“Do that again.”

“What?” She teased. Jade knew exactly what Garrett
meant. His eyes followed the path of the spoon as she dipped into the soufflé,
and then brought it back to her mouth. Slowly, Jade slid the dessert past her
lips, her eyes locked with his. The smoky silver of his eyes told her
everything she needed to know. Garrett wanted her. Since the feeling was
mutual, Jade put the spoon down. At this point, licking it clean would be
gilding the sexual lily. She would save the rest of the foreplay until they
were home. Alone.

“Is there anything else I can get you this evening, Mr.
Landis?”

“The check?” Jade suggested, her eyes sparkling
with desire.

“Absolutely.”

It turned out there wasn’t a bill. Garrett took care of it
when he made the reservation. They waited while Garrett’s Lamborghini was
brought around. Jade felt Garrett’s mounting impatience. It fed her own.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the waiter informed them that
their car was waiting. Garrett helped Jade from her seat.

After a wonderful meal, excellent company, and the
anticipation of sex with Garrett, Jade forgot what was ahead of them.
Fortunately, Garrett was on top of things. They didn’t leave the way they
arrived. To Jade’s surprise, Garrett led her to the kitchen.

“Since we got here, the number of paparazzi has
tripled.”

“We’re going out the back?”

“It won’t be press free,” Garrett said. They
paused at the exit near a row of sinks and automatic dishwashers. “Keep
your head up. When you look down, you look like you have something to hide.
Smile if you want. Or don’t. I won’t let go.”

A burst of light blinded Jade. Garrett hurried her along the
short distance to the waiting car. Questions were shouted. Most were the usual.
Generic.
How
long have you been dating? Where did you meet
? Jade
did as Garrett had instructed. She kept her chin up. It wasn’t bad. She could
do this. It was the question someone shouted just as they reached the car that
made Jade stumble.

Jade! Jade! Was your affair with Garrett Landis the
reason your husband attacked you
?

If Garrett hadn’t been there, Jade would have landed flat on
her face. He held her upright, almost carrying her the final few steps. When
she was in the car, door firmly shut, he ran around to the driver’s side.
Before she knew what was happening, they were away from the restaurant, on the
way home.

“Goddamn vultures.” Garrett reached for Jade’s
hand. It was like ice. “Are you okay?”

“My father.”

“What about him?”

“That question about Stephen.” Jade shuddered.
“My father was behind it.”

“Probably.” No point in sugarcoating it. “The
only weapon he has left is the press. I’m sorry, Jade. That wasn’t how I wanted
the evening to end.”

Garrett took the side streets back to the loft even though
it added time to the trip. He didn’t think they were being followed. Still,
there was no point in taking any chances.

“Is the evening over?”

Garrett glanced at Jade. Still a little pale, her expression
was determined.

“I’m not going anywhere, honey.”

“Good,” Jade said firmly. “Tonight was
perfect, Garrett. I’m not letting anything spoil it. Especially not my
father.”

A few minutes later, Garrett pulled into the underground
parking lot. Unbuckling his seat belt, he started to exit the car.

“Wait.”

“Is something wrong?”

Putting a hand on his chest, Jade pushed Garrett back into
his seat. The interior of a Lamborghini wasn’t designed for easy
maneuverability or extraneous activity. Luckily, Jade’s plans didn’t call for
either of them to move around very much.

“I’ve never given a man a blowjob in the front seat of
a hundred-thousand-dollar sports car.”

Garrett’s reaction ranged from surprise to humor to desire.
He decided to ride all three.

“It’s closer to three hundred.”

“Three hundred thousand dollars?” In the process
of unbuttoning Garrett’s pants, Jade hesitated. When she looked up at him, her
eyes brimmed with laughter. “I’m not
that
good.”

Garrett moved his seat back a few inches, then hit the
recline button. When he was in the perfect position, he pulled Jade down for a
long, passionate kiss.

“Honey,” he breathed against her lips. “You
are perfect.”

“Keep that in mind.” Jade slowly lowered his
zipper. “This is my first time.”

“But I thought…”

Jade licked her lips in anticipation. “It doesn’t count
when someone forces you.”

Garrett lifted Jade’s chin. “You really want
this?” He had to be sure.

“I’ll bet you taste like a big, salty lollypop.”

“I couldn’t say,” Garrett laughed.

Measuring his length, Jade slowly ran her hand up and down
his erection.

After teasing the damp tip, she licked the moisture from her
thumb. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Salty and …” Wanting to be sure, Jade took
another taste. This time going straight to the source. Her tongue ran over him.
She hummed with pleasure. Garrett moaned.

“Sweet.” She beamed at him. “My favorite
combination.”

Not wanting to push, Garrett laced his fingers into Jade’s
long, silky hair. The red looked like fire dancing over his skin. His other
hand gripped the edge of his seat with increasing pressure. If Jade was in the
mood to tease, it was going to take all his will not to come too soon. Her
hand, her mouth. Her hair streaming over him. He was close to sensory overload
— and loving every second.

“When was the last time you did this?”

Before Garrett could answer, Jade took him into her mouth.
After that, words were impossible.

“Well?” Jade had pulled back, her red, wet lips
inches from his straining cock.

“Did you ask a question? Oh, right.” He smoothed
the hair back from her face. “Never. This is a first for me. I’ve made out
in a car. That’s it. We always moved the action someplace else before things got
out of hand. So to speak.”