Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) (26 page)

That pleased Jade beyond measure.

“I get to take your front seat virginity?”

“I’d say be gentle—” Garrett gasped her name when
Jade scraped her teeth along his length. “Ah, honey. The hell with that.
Keep going exactly the way you are.”

Jade discovered something new about herself. When it was
right, pleasuring a man with her mouth was a beautifully intimate experience.
Power surged through her with Garrett’s every moan. She was in charge. How
fast. How hard. When to pull back so he didn’t come too soon. He didn’t ram
himself down her throat. He coaxed. Encouraged. The thrust of his hips. The way
he massaged her scalp with his fingers. All of it told her how much he enjoyed
what she did. When he reached his peak, it was because of Jade. He didn’t take
his orgasm. He let Jade give it to him. Of her own free will.

Jade slowly eased away. She licked her lips, savoring his
taste. Instead of sitting up, she lay her head on his thigh, kissing the warm,
firm skin. If Garrett continued to stroke her hair, she felt like she could
stay like this forever.

“Thank you.”

“Hmm.” Jade finally raised her head, a contented
smile on her mouth. “I would say my pleasure except that doesn’t begin to
cover how I’m feeling.”

“Happy?”

“Yes,” she sighed.

“Jade…”

The headlights of another car hit Garrett in the eyes making
him blink. Startled, he realized he had almost told Jade he loved her in a
parking garage with his pants down around his hips. Christ. What was wrong with
him?

“Let’s get out of here before someone catches on to
what we’ve been doing.” Garrett rearranged his clothing. Jade didn’t wait
for him to help her out, meeting him on his side of the car. Garrett wrapped
her in his arms, giving her a sweet, lingering kiss.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Jade said as
they waited for the elevator. “The idea suddenly came to me. Normally, I
would never act on it. You bring out something in me I didn’t know I
possessed.”

“Is that good or bad?”

Jade stepped into the elevator, watching as the doors closed
behind them. Garrett pushed the number for their floor. At that moment, he
looked like a man who was completely content. His hair was a little messy.
There was a slight smudge of her lipstick on the corner of his smiling mouth.
He hadn’t bothered to tuck his dress shirt back into his pants and his tie was
loose. Garrett Landis was the most beautiful man she had ever known. Inside and
out.

“It’s good that being with you brings out a bit of my
bad girl.”

Garrett took Jade’s hand. If he didn’t say it now, she was
bound to see it in his eyes. He took a deep breath.

“I love you, Jade.”

He waited for her reaction. The tears in her eyes he could
deal with. If they were tears of happiness. Her words. They pissed him off.

“I wish you didn’t.”

“Fuck that.”

The doors slid open. Jade quickly exited. She searched her
purse, cursing when she couldn’t find the key to the door.

“You can’t run away, Jade. I’m right behind you.”
Garrett took her purse. With little effort, he removed the key, fitting it in
the lock. “After you.”

Without a word, Garrett watched as Jade hopped on one foot
then the other, removing her shoes as she went. She kept on going, disappearing
into the bedroom. He decided to give her five minutes. Then they were having
this out. In less than one, Jade came storming back.

“I lied.”

“About?” He could be calm when he saw her emotions
were in turmoil. For some screwed up reason, he found it comforting.

“I have wished for months that you would love me.”
She stopped by the floor to ceiling windows, her arms wrapped around herself.
“I have dreamed of looking into your eyes, hoping they would be that
special shade of purple I’ve seen your mother’s turn when she is thinking about
the man she loves.”

Garrett moved behind her. He moved her hair to one side so
his lips could whisper in her ear. “Turn around, Jade. See the
truth.”

“I want you to love me, Garrett.” Unable to help
herself, she leaned back against him, sighing when his arms circled her waist.
“You shouldn’t. That’s what I meant to say. Loving me would be a big
mistake.”

“Too late.” Garrett picked her up, carrying her to
the sofa. He sat, settling Jade on his lap. “Not only can’t I change the
way I feel. I don’t want to. You can’t make me stop.” He kissed her cheek.
“Any more than I can make you start loving me.”

“I…” God, she wanted to say the words. It would
change everything. Garrett was the kind of man who would want a wedding.
Children. Forever. Jade was the kind of woman who longed for all of that
without believing she could ever have it. If Garrett didn’t understand that by
now, she didn’t know how she could explain it.

“I didn’t tell you I loved you so you would feel
obligated to say it back, Jade.” Though he had to admit, not hearing the words
returned hurt. “I can’t hide how I feel. However, even if my eyes didn’t
give me away, I would want you to know. I don’t want to hide anything from you.
Especially my love.”

“Full disclosure?” That would be new. Her father
withheld everything. Garrett wanted it all out in the open. It would take some
getting used to.

“Yes.” He moved her off his lap, keeping her
close. “Which leads me to something I need to tell you.”

“There’s more?” After their run-in with the
paparazzi, then Garrett’s declaration, she was already mentally exhausted. Jade
didn’t know if she could take anything else. “Can it wait until
morning?”

“No,” Garrett said. “Would you be able to
sleep wondering what I had to say?”

“Probably not.” Jade rolled her eyes. “You’re
right.”

“Wait. Will you repeat that into my phone? I want to
record it. Something tells me I won’t hear it very often.”

“You are hilarious.” Jade hid her smile.
“Tell me.”

Garrett started with his initial call to Jack Winston. He
explained to Jade about his suspicions concerning her father. Jade didn’t
comment while he told her everything. When he finished, he squeezed her hand.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you from the beginning, Jade.
I wanted to have some kind of confirmation before I accused your father.”

“I’ve suspected him too.”

“You never asked?”

“It wouldn’t have done any good.” Jade closed her
eyes. The exhaustion was quickly seeping through her body. Would her father
ever be completely out of her life? “This Sable. The bodyguard. She’ll be
here tomorrow?”

“Around mid-morning, if there aren’t any travel
delays.” Garrett wasn’t sure what to make of Jade’s reaction. She hadn’t
said very much. Since her eyes were closed, he couldn’t tell what was going on
in her head. “I’m moving in here, Jade.”

“Oh?”

Again. Very little reaction.

“My house in Laurel Canyon is too secluded. The loft
has first-class security. Sable can have the spare room.” Garrett
swallowed. “I’ll take the couch. If you want.”

“Don’t be an ass.” Jade slowly opened her eyes.
They looked weary — not angry. “That was your one.”

“My one?”

“Not only did you keep a very big something from
me,” she said. “You and your friends made decisions that directly
affect me without consulting me. I won’t put up with that, Garrett. Never
again. I lived with someone who made arbitrary decisions regarding my life. I
can’t remember one single time when he asked my opinion. You did it this time
because you didn’t want to hurt me.” She looked him directly in the eye.
“Never do it again.”

“I understand.” And he did. Taking away Jade’s choice
was the worst thing he could do to her.

“Good.” She held out her arms. “Take me to
bed. Where, by the way, you will sleep. Every night. The couch is for when I
get really pissed at you.”

That sounded fair to Garrett. The chances of them living an
argument-free life were slim to none. As his father always said, the only
people who never fight are the ones who don’t care enough to bother.

Garrett carried Jade into the bedroom, her head resting on
his shoulder. He closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the
world. For tonight, he was with the woman he loved. He didn’t want to think
about tomorrow or the problems that went with it. They had these next few hours
to themselves. He planned on making every second count.

“BREAKFAST IS NOT the most important meal of the
day.”

Jade watched in amazement as Garrett filled his plate with
eggs, bacon, toast, and fried potatoes. Add a side of mixed berries plus a huge
glass of orange juice? Jade couldn’t believe anyone looked like him while
eating like that.

“I agree.” Garrett popped a blueberry into his
mouth. “The most important meal is the next one.” Seeing Jade’s lips
twitch, Garrett picked up another berry. “Open up.”

“You think you can hit my mouth from there?”

Garrett gauged the distance. Jade was about five feet away,
making herself a cup of tea. Easy. If she cooperated.

“I can get it there. The question is can you catch
it?”

Jade set her cup on the counter, then squared her body up to
his.

“Show me what you’ve got.”

Five seconds later, Jade was enjoying the sweet, tart juice
against her tongue while doing a victory dance around the kitchen.

“Impressive.” Garrett laughed at her antics.
“You have a lot of energy for a woman who kept me up all night.”

“Ha.” Deciding his bacon looked good, she swiped a
piece off Garrett’s plate. “I was being polite. You are the one who
couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

“Funny. I don’t remember it that way. Let me
think.” In a flash, Garrett had Jade wrapped in his arms. “Oh, that’s
right.” He nuzzled her neck. “It was me. Aided and abetted by your
hands.” He kissed each finger. “And your mouth.” The kiss took
Jade’s breath way.

“I’ll concede I helped. If you’ll admit that
this,” Jade cupped him between the legs. “This will not stay down. If
I didn’t know better, I would swear you have a stash of those little blue
pills.”

“Pure Landis testosterone, honey.”

“I’d ask Callie about that except it would be too
embarrassing.” Jade frowned. “It’s bad enough that I’m sleeping with
her son. And was doing so when she befriended me. God, what is she going to
say?”

“She will be thrilled.”

“I hope you’re right. Not that I’m going to bring up
the sex part.”

“For which I am eternally grateful.” Garrett
winked.

“What are—”

Jade was interrupted when the line to the lobby buzzed.

“That must be Sable.” Garrett answered, confirming
his guess, and clearing the woman to come up. “She’s early. That’s always
a good sign.”

For some reason, Jade felt nervous. A bodyguard was bad
enough. Having a stranger follow her around all day? She couldn’t get used to
the idea.

“It will be fine,” Garrett assured her on his way
by to answer the door.

Jade followed, not knowing what to expect. Ex-Army. Tough as
nails. A weapons expert with three black belts. She was ready to be thoroughly
intimidated. When Garrett opened the door, Jade was certain there had to be a
mistake. This was a supermodel, not a warrior.

“Hello,” the woman smiled, holding out her hand.
“Mr. Landis? I’m Sable Ford.”

“Come in.” Garrett stepped aside. He met Jade’s
surprised look with one of his own.

“And you must be Jade.”

“I’m sorry,” Jade said. “Where are my
manners? It’s nice to meet you.”

Jade held out her hand. The other woman’s grip was strong,
though not aggressive. The calluses on her palms were encouraging. Still…

“I’m going to come right out and say it. You don’t look
like a bodyguard.”

Unoffended, Sable waved off Jade’s concern.

“Why don’t you point me to where I can stow my gear.
After I get settled, we can form a game plan.”

“Let me show you.”

Garrett led the woman down the hall. Jade cleaned up the
kitchen while she tried to make sense of Sable Ford.

The problem, Jade realized, was that she had been expecting
one thing and got something else altogether. Bodyguards were supposed to be
big, strapping men with guns bulging at their sides. Sable was tall. A little
taller than Jade. Dressed in loose, cotton pants and a silk blouse, she looked
like she stepped off the cover of Vogue, not a military base.

“What do you think?” Garrett asked in a low voice.
He took his empty plate, putting it in the dishwasher.

“I have no idea. I hate judging anyone by her
appearance. Still…”

“Her nails are expertly painted some pale shade of
pink. Her luggage is Louie Vuitton and she smells subtly like some high-end
perfume.”

“It’s French,” Sable informed them with a smile.
She sat on the high-back stool that Garrett had earlier occupied. “It was
a gift. I can never remember the name. I like that it has a light fragrance.
Not too heavy.”

“Sable. I apologize,” Jade said.

“There’s no reason to,” Sable assured her.
“I’m here to keep you safe. If you aren’t comfortable with me, I won’t be
able to do that. You need to trust I’ll have your back. I need to trust you
will follow my lead if the situation turns hairy.”

“She’s right,” Garrett told Jade.

“We need to get to that place fast.”

“What do you suggest?” Jade asked.

“Get me the biggest, toughest guy you know.” Sable
rubbed her hands in anticipation. “And if he outweighs me by a hundred
pounds or more? All the better.”

“WHY ARE YOU making such a big deal about this?”

Garrett held up his phone, making certain he had a good
shot.

“Because,” he told Jade. “Chances are my
brother is going to get his ass handed to him. By a woman half his size. Why
wouldn’t we want to see that?”

When Sable asked for a tough guy, there was only one person
who came to mind. They needed someone who had hand-to-hand training. Martial
arts skills. Someone who could hold their own without getting carried away if
things got out of hand. Garrett was almost certain that Sable would live up to
the hype. Jack and Alex wouldn’t have sent her if she couldn’t protect Jade.
However, there was a slight chance her sparring partner could get the upper
hand. If that happened, they didn’t want some steroid-crazed idiot beating her
to a pulp.

Then there was the need to keep Sable’s identity under
wraps. The idea was to introduce her as an old friend of Jade’s in town for a
visit. The fewer people who knew they had hired a bodyguard, the better.

Finding someone to take on Sable for a few rounds wasn’t a
problem. Gym rats were a dime a dozen in a town that was always in need of
hulking extras for the latest action film. No, they needed a combination of
brains, brawn, and discretion. With a big, fat dose of family loyalty thrown in
for good measure. Only one man fit that bill.

“You want to see Nate get bruised and bloodied?”
Jade asked incredulously.

“No.” Garrett slung his arm around Jade.
“Well. Maybe a little bruised.”

“Garrett…”

“Don’t worry. No one can take a punch like Nate. For
all the rehearsing and blocking stuntmen do, it’s inevitable that they take a
few hits.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

They decided the best place for Sable to show her stuff
would be at the Landis estate. It was the only place big enough, outside of a public
gym, that they had access to. All it took was one phone call to his parents
explaining the situation. Not only did Callie and Caleb offer their workout
room, Callie insisted everyone stay for lunch afterward.

Garrett had to chuckle. Only his mother would want to cater
her own son’s ass kicking.

“Nate is okay with this?”

“Look at him.” Garrett nodded where Nate and Sable
were huddled together. “He’s like a kid in a candy store.”

“What if she takes him down?”

“You mean will his big male ego be wounded beyond
repair?”

“Something like that.”

“Nate appreciates the kind of skills on Sable’s
resume,” Garrett explained. “He’ll do his best to win. If he doesn’t,
he’ll shake her hand. Then he’ll try to recruit her for his stunt team.”

“I find it strange that they can be so relaxed when the
whole purpose of this is to beat on each other.”

Jade watched as Nate and Sable taped their hands. Did some
warm-up stretches. Even exchanged easy banter. Every now and then laughter
would float over to where she and Garrett stood. Jade couldn’t understand the
mindset.

“This is what they do for a living, honey. Nate’s a
physical guy,” Garrett explained. “He loves pitting his skills
against an equally matched opponent. If that opponent can best him, that’s
fine. You only get better if you allow yourself to be challenged.”

“Do you really think Sable will provide that
challenge?”

Seeing her would-be bodyguard next to Garrett’s brother,
Jade couldn’t imagine the slight woman taking out the man who loomed over her.
Nate was a good six inches taller. Sable wanted someone who outweighed her by a
hundred pounds? Jade estimated the difference was at least that. Where Sable
was sleek, Nate was thick muscles. Jade started to worry. She knew Nate would
never purposely hurt the smaller woman. Still, accidents happened.

“Look closer,” Garrett told her. “You’re
still seeing the stylish woman we met this morning. I see a trained fighter.
Something tells me, when the time comes, she’ll be just fine.”

“Did I miss it?”

Jade looked around as Callie and Caleb entered the room
followed by Wyatt.

“You called him?” Garrett asked his father.

“I did,” Callie said. She linked arms with Jade in
an unspoken show of female solidarity. “It never hurts for a man to see
what a woman is capable of when she puts her mind, and body, to it.”

“I thought I was here to see Nate taken down,”
Wyatt grinned at his father. “Now I find out it’s an object lesson.”

“Callie loves a twofer. Fun and learning rolled up into
one colorful ball. She’s in mom heaven.”

“They do know I can hear every word, right?”
Callie asked Jade in a conversational tone. “When you mock the mom, you
pay the price.”

“What kind of punishment do you dole out for this kind
of an offense?” Jade glanced teasingly at Garrett, letting him know she
was taking notes.

“Um, Mom,” Garrett interrupted. “Maybe you
should keep those secrets to yourself. You don’t want to water down their
effectiveness.”

“It varies,” Callie continued, ignoring Garrett.
“There is a beautiful strawberry cheesecake in the refrigerator. It would
be a shame if it mysteriously disappeared before lunch.”

“I cave,” Wyatt declared. He kissed his mother’s
cheek. “No more mocking. I apologize for myself and every man who came
before me.”

“Impressive,” Jade said.

“Wyatt really loves cheesecake,” Callie laughed
with delight. She pulled her oldest into her arms, giving him a big, loving
hug.

“Looks like the show is about to begin,” Caleb
observed, lacing his fingers with Callie’s. “I wonder how long this
will—” There was a loud thud as Nate landed flat on his back.
“Take.”

“Maybe she caught him off guard,” Wyatt said. A
few seconds later, Nate hit the mat again. “Or not.”

Nate got in a few hits of his own, though none that did more
than sting. Garrett called it. Some switch flipped when Sable went into fight
mode. She morphed from an easygoing beauty to a warrior woman in the blink of
an eye. Five minutes after they started, Nate held up his hands in defeat. Just
like that, Sable was laughingly patting her opponent on the back — the
intensity gone from her expression.

“Holy shit,” Wyatt breathed. “Sorry,
Mom.”

“I’ll give you one,” Callie said, shaking her head
in wonder. She turned to Jade. “I think that answers the question of
Sable’s qualifications. I’d feel safe with her if the Cossacks were
invading.”

“High praise indeed,” Caleb nodded with a straight
face. “Callie should know. She did a movie about the Russian
revolution.”

“Are you implying that all my knowledge of history has
been gleaned from the movies?”

“Not
all
, my love.”

Callie snorted. “This from a man who only knows who
Wagner is because of Bugs Bunny cartoons.”

“Are they arguing?” Jade asked as she watched the
couple head upstairs, continuing their banter all the way.

“Around here it’s called foreplay.” Garrett shook
his head with a smile. “Soon they won’t be able to keep their hands off
each other.”

“How soon?” Jade asked. She found the Callie/Caleb
dynamic fascinating.

“They’ll make it through lunch. Probably.”

“Only because they have guests,” Wyatt said.
“They’ve been known to disappear during the salad course.”

Jade sighed a little wistfully. How wonderful to grow up
with parents who showed affection so openly.

“Say the word and they can be your parents too,”
Garrett whispered for her ears only.

“Garrett…”

“Too soon?”

“A bit. Yes.”

“Okay,” Garrett said, completely unconcerned about
pushing Jade out of her comfort zone. He could wait until she was ready.
However, now that he knew what he wanted —
who
he wanted — he planned on
making sure Jade understood. He wasn’t going to change his mind. He was in. All
the way.

Before Jade could comment, Sable and Nate joined them.

“That was impressive.”

“Impressive?” Nate said to Garrett. “This
lady is deadly. I’m lucky she wasn’t really trying to take me out. I wouldn’t
be walking away under my own steam.”

“I had excellent teachers,” Sable told them.
“Plus a certain amount of aptitude.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Nate laughed
good-naturedly. He rubbed his backside with an exaggerated wince. “My ass
is going to be black and blue.”

“I have an excellent ointment for that. A couple of
applications.” Sable snapped her fingers. “It’s magic.”

“Maybe you could bring it by my place later. I might
need help… reaching.”

Garrett and Wyatt exchanged smiles. Nate wasn’t just the
easiest going of the brothers. He was also the fastest mover when it came to
women. Colton was close. In a runoff, Nate would win by a nose.