Famous (Famous #1) (45 page)

As usual, every moment with her was ecstasy, utterly unbelievable. I took a deep breath as I buried my nose in her pillow and then dragged my naked self from the bed, grabbing my pajama bottoms as I went into the bathroom.

Her negligee was in the box again, I noted sadly, and decided I’d
buy her bloody drawers full of that stuff
. It was a delicious thought and I grinned, picturing it in my mind.

She’d been so beautiful last night; I’d been left breathless and entranced. I huffed in astonishment. And how she teased me for hours before letting me make love to her.

Every delectable moment of our time was burned into my brain
. I couldn’t remember ever being so happy and I knew there was a shit-eating grin spread across my
face, but I couldn’t bloody help it. I got out of bed and went into the bathroom, noting the shower was damp, so it appeared Brook had already made use of it.
Damn, a missed opportunity.

The wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen drew me from the bathroom and down the hall. She was dressed in a backless blue halter and frayed jean shorts, standing at the stove and frying bacon from the smell of it. She heard me approach and turned toward me.

“Hi, sweetie.” She was smiling as she glanced up into my face. “Are you hungry?” She set a cup of coffee in front of me and then went to the refrigerator to pour me some orange juice.

I watched her ministrations as she moved around the kitchen and I imagined that this is what it would be like if we were married. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed as the joy of it washed over me.

She was taking care of me, like only Brook could.

“Yes. Starving. You wore me out, love.” I smiled crookedly at her as I swooped her in my arms and kissed her sweet mouth. “Feel free to do it as often as you like, from this day forward.”

“I think that might be arranged,” she laughed softly as she nuzzled into my shoulder. My heart swelled as I held her and kissed her shoulder.

“What are you cooking?”

I felt so much delight just being here with her. She moved out of my arms to dish some food on the plates that were waiting on the counter.

“Um, well, I made bacon and scrambled eggs with herbs, lemon muffins and we have the strawberries from last night’s dessert, which well, obviously went uneaten.”

I sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen bar, and she brought me a plate filled with the luscious offerings. She smiled as she watched me; her eyes full of pleasure.

“Lemon, huh?” I smiled broadly. A lock of hair fell haphazardly over my forehead and I used my right hand to push it away.

“Yep. And, we have some champagne left if you’d like some in your orange juice?” I sliced open a muffin and loaded it up with butter. It smelled divine.

“No I’m good, honey,” I said as I dove in and took a big bite. It was hot and the flavor exploded on my tongue. “God, Brook, this is really delicious,” I said with my mouth full.

She laughed out loud at me. “What’d you expect, Cade? Pop Tarts?” She placed another plate next to mine and went to get her coffee before coming to join me.

“Um,” I swallowed. “I wasn’t sure
what
to expect, I suppose.” I leaned over and kissed her mouth. “You’re full of surprises.” My fingers brushed her cheek and she leaned her face into them. “I’m very happy, Brook. Thank you.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’ll let you make me Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruit Loops tomorrow morning.” She was laughing at my food preferences, her eyes dancing with mischief. Left on my own, I’d live on Diet Coke, cereal and sandwiches and she knew it.

“Hmmph.” I smiled back at her. She was so gorgeous, her hair still damp from her shower.

She forked some eggs into her mouth and looked at me for a moment. “I love doing this stuff for you, okay?” Her eyes were soft as she looked at me and she touched my face. I nodded and dug into my plate with relish.

“I love you, baby girl,” I said and winked at her. She smiled and put her hand on my forearm to give it a squeeze before letting go to pick up her fork.

“I was ravenous myself, you know. All that sex really takes its toll on a girl.” She raised an eyebrow as she took a drink of her coffee and smirked at me. “But hey, I’m not complaining.”

I laughed. “Eat up, regain your strength. You’re going to need it,” I teased.

“Promises, promises…” she sighed, teasing. A sweet smile was dancing across her lips and I bent to kiss her again. I couldn’t get enough of her and knew I never would. I placed my left hand on her knee as she sat beside me.

“What do you want to do today?” I asked, really wanting to know the answer. The prospect of being able to be with her like this precluded any preference as to what we’d be doing. I studied her features as she thought about it.

“I don’t know, since we can’t leave the grounds, I guess, go for a walk or lounge around by the pool. What about you?”

“I really don’t care as long as I’m with you.” My hand took hers and brought it to my lips. “I might make use of the piano for a bit, if you wouldn’t mind.” Her eyes lit up at my words. I knew she loved to hear me play. We’d spent hours sitting side-by-side on a piano bench laughing and messing around.

“I think one of the scenes we have to reshoot is that one in the bedroom, right? We could practice,” I said, tongue in cheek. “The real piano scene isn’t until the next film.”

“Yes, I know,
Ryan
. It’s
me,
Julia.” Brook rolled her eyes at me. “You have to learn the song for that scene, but it will take about thirty seconds, so what do you want to do after that?” she said and then nudged my shoulder.

Brook was always telling me how talented I was, but for me, music was a natural thing. Normal: not extraordinary. It gave me a rush that she thought I was special, though. I reached out to brush my hand along her jaw.

“Well, I could make love to you…”

Her eyes came up to mine and burned into me. What started out as a joke became very serious. I got up and moved to Brook, turning her on her stool and picking her up in my arms, her arms and legs wrapped around me.

“Or, you could make love to me.”

I kissed her deeply, my tongue moving into her mouth as her arms found their way around my neck to pull my mouth closer. She was as hungry for me as I was for her. The breakfast forgotten, I carried her down the hall.

“Or,” she whispered against my mouth, “We could make love to
each other
.”

God, she was perfect. The moment was perfect. Our love was perfect
.

Chapter 24

Sunrise On The Beach

The warm breeze was blowing in from the open window and was stirring the curtains and the mosquito net around the bed. Cade was sound asleep after another long and glorious lovemaking session.
God, he was as good at it as I’d imagined he’d be
. He brought my body to new heights each and every time he touched me.

I was lying on his chest and could hear the steady beat of his heart and the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. This was so perfect.
Too, perfect
.

It was dark, the moon shining in through the window, the only light. My mind had been racing since I woke from a dream and since, I couldn’t go back to sleep. Being here with him like this, I didn’t understand why I’d have a bad dream unless it was just anxiety at our impending departure. I woke up sweating with my heart beating wildly, the dream leaving me unsettled. It was ridiculous really. I mean, we were together, so why in the hell was I having nightmares about losing him to someone else?

It was strange. I couldn’t see the face of the woman taunting in the dream, but she felt familiar. We were standing on the red carpet at one of our premiers, laughing and signing autographs, when suddenly someone took his hand and pulled him away from me. The woman was ambiguous; I didn’t know what she looked like, what color her hair was, just that she was beautiful. My mind was filled with flashes of Cade moving further and further away from me.

“Cade’s mine now. You’ve had him long enough and he doesn’t want you anymore
.” Her sultry voice still haunted me, even though now; I was wide-awake.

The worst part was he didn’t protest. He didn’t tell her that he loved me, just let go of me and went with her, to be absorbed in a huge mass of screaming women. I woke up panting and frantic. I pushed my damp hair off of my forehead.

“Hmmph…” I let out my breath in a whoosh.
What, am I going fucking crazy
?

After how loving he’d been and how often he tells me his feelings, having this dream was completely unexplainable. The expression in his eyes whenever he looked at me told me that he was mine.

Forever.

So what the fuck?
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I wasn’t going to be one of those insecure idiots. He was who he was, and women would want him and be blatant about it, so I’d better get my head on straight.

Still, the emotions that flowed over me as I thought about him, touched him and made love with him did scare me quite a bit. I felt a little out of control and that was
not like me
. I was always in control, which was why I’d fought my feelings for Cade for so long. I didn’t want to be out of control of my heart or my life. Loving him was something I couldn’t control.

I moved away from him gently so as not to wake him, and lie there staring at the ceiling. I glanced at the clock. It was 3:30 in the morning. I turned on my side to again look at the beautiful man beside me, the moonlight streaming in from the windows casting an eerie bluish glow about the room and across his features.

At the sight of him, love rushed over me and my heart beat faster. I reached out my hand to brush back the lock of hair that fell across his forehead. Loving someone this much could be dangerous.

Maybe the dream was my conscience telling me to be careful, be prepared for the worst. How could I ever be prepared for losing him? I wasn’t prepared for
anything
about him. I shook myself again.

The gentle way he came in and took over my heart, my very life, was completely beyond my control, unstoppable. My heart would not be denied when it came to him, he was completely irresistible. And therein was the problem.

Cade was irresistible. No question. He was good through and through which meant more than his looks or even his talent.
Not just to me, but soon, to the whole friggin’ world.

I tossed in the bed and finally decided to get up. Trying to sleep was hopeless in my current state. I didn’t want to wake him so I decided to go for a walk. Maybe it would calm me down and help me put some things in perspective. I pulled on some lace panties and Cade’s discarded T-shirt from the floor beside the bed. It was way too big and hit me halfway between my thigh and knee.

I sighed at the memory of taking it off of him, kissing his stomach and chest as I pushed it up his arms and over his head.

God, he was so delicious
. Just thinking about our lovemaking brought a flush to my skin and made my panties damp.

His scent on the shirt engulfed me as I padded out of the bedroom and into the living room to look out at the ocean view. I knew it wasn’t really a good idea to leave the gated grounds, but my tumultuous thoughts left me feeling caged in. I wanted to walk on the beach and clear my head. Surely, at this time of the morning there wouldn’t be anyone to see me.

Cade probably wouldn’t wake up while I was gone, but I left him a note on the pillow, just in case, though I wrote it in the dark, so it was most likely a scribbled mess.

Couldn’t sleep. I’m going for a walk on the beach. The breeze feels so beautiful.

I’ll be back before you miss me.

Yours,

~B

Kissing him softly on the forehead, my hand twined in the silken strands of dark gold hair at his forehead and pushed it off his face again.

That hair. Even in sleep he was so damn sexy.

I grabbed one of the big beach towels from the bathroom so I’d be able to sit on the beach without getting sand inside my underwear.

That would be bad. Very bad
.
I laughed softly to myself.

Opening the sliding glass door as quietly as possible, I made my way across the patio by the pool and through the grounds toward the back gate, cursing myself that I hadn’t worn shoes. The path was uneven and even though worn down, had many rocks that weren’t that visible in the moonlight.
Shit.

After I’d passed through the gate to the beach, the soft, white sand was a pleasure between my toes. It had been a hot day and the sand still held some of the warmth, and the breeze was strong enough to blow my hair off of my face. It felt cool and soft against my skin.

The full moon reflecting off of the ocean’s gentle waves made a peaceful scene where I could stop and reflect on the many changes that had occurred in my life recently.

If
our film
did as well as we all thought it would, my life could change forever. It was already bad enough that Cade and I had to sneak around to keep our relationship a secret, but
it was only going to get more difficult.

I tried to keep the situation in perspective.
What if I’d never auditioned for that movie? I wouldn’t have met Cade and none of this would have happened.

Hell, I didn’t even
want
the role in the beginning. When Jeanne called and said she’d set up an audition, I hadn’t read any of the books and I had no experience so had little hope of getting cast, but she insisted that every failed audition was one step closer to the one that would make my career. I didn’t find the premise that motivating either.

Best friends, secretly in love, fight their feelings despite impossible obstacles.

Big deal
, I’d thought. It had been done a hundred times before. I was more interested in doing little independent films with meaty characters. I didn’t care about box office pull, and I didn’t want to get type cast in romantic fluff. For me it was all about content. But I read the script and it wasn’t fluff. The pain made it more interesting.

So when my agent forced the issue, I did as she asked. After I understood the complexity of the characters, and especially after reading with Cade… I wanted the part. We clicked. Getting into character with him was as easy as breathing… Despite how intimidated I should have been by even being in the same room with him.

Martin made me do the love scene and the coffee shop scene and, the connection with Cade was immediate and undeniable. The scenes just fell out of us. He made my heart beat faster even then.

I felt he would change my life
, and he did.
In more ways than I even knew at the time.

I put the towel on the beach and sat down, bringing my knees up to rest my chin on my crossed arms.

Cade.

My heart expanded just thinking his name. I was still getting used to the overwhelming emotion and now this ridiculous new fear of losing him. My head knew it was dumb, given how much he had done to show he cared. It was completely nuts to worry like this, when he made me feel so loved.

The waves lapped at the shore about twenty feet in front of me, but other than that and the breeze rushing through the trees further in along the line of homes, there was no sound. I noticed the moon’s reflection off of my engagement ring, making it sparkle and shimmer on my hand. I reached out in front of me and admired it. It was so simple in design, yet so exquisite. It was such a perfect choice.

Everything Cade did was always so perfect
. I inhaled deeply. Would this bubble burst?

“I was getting lonely up there without you,” Cade’s velvet voice spoke behind me and I jumped a little at the sound. “Sorry, love, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I turned toward him and reached my hand up to him and he took it. I pulled and he came down to sit behind and around me. His knees were at my sides as he put his arms around me and pulled me back against his chest. I leaned into him and put my arms around his knees on both sides.

He buried his face in my neck and placed several soft kisses down the length of it, making my skin tingle and a shiver run through me.

“Are you cold?” His arms tightened as he spoke.

I shook my head.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” His tone was worried because I hadn’t spoken.

“No, babe. I’m just thinking. I couldn’t sleep.” My voice was soft. “I didn’t want to wake you.” I snuggled into him a little more. “But, I’m glad you’re here.”

“I reached for you in the bed and when you weren’t there, I was worried about you. You should have woken me, love. I don’t want to waste this time sleeping anyway.”

“You’re so sweet to me,” I whispered against the skin of his neck as I turned my face toward him, my head resting on his shoulder. I shrugged. “I’m sorry I keep saying it.”

“Brook. I know you, too well.” He placed a kiss on my forehead. “Something’s bugging you. What is it?”

I sighed. He did know me. My hands traces light patterns on his legs below his knees. He rested his chin on my shoulder. “Yeah, it scares the shit out of me.”

Cade hesitated, the movements of his hands halting. “What does?” he asked cautiously.

I shrugged in his arms. “This. All of it.”

“It shouldn’t. I’ll always protect you. You know that, don’t you?” He asked softly. The love in his voice almost vibrated on my skin.

“Yes,” I said softly as I turned sideways in his arms so I could look in his face.

His eyes were intent as he looked at me. “So, tell me then.” He bent to place a soft kiss on my mouth and then another. His lips were only inches from mine when he whispered. “Tell me, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of my nose.

“Oh, it was just a bad dream. Silly really. I just couldn’t get back to sleep.” My hand went to his bare chest and slid upward around his neck as my head rested on his shoulder. His hands began to move rhythmically as he rubbed circles on my back. “You make me feel so safe and loved. I’m just…” I turned my face into the curve of his neck. “Well, a little bit scared something will happen to tear us apart. Nobody wants us to be together.”

He breathed in sharply and his hand went to the back of my head to tilt my face toward him.