Movie Lovers (12 page)

The head waiter sat them at a cozy
table in the corner. Jake slid in next to her. The bass and guitar players
struck up a tune as the server took their drink order.

The soft desert colors of sandy
beige, pink, and light turquoise gave the restaurant a Southwest feel. The menu
followed with delicacies such as lobster enchiladas and filet mignon tacos. Two
frozen strawberry margaritas arrived quickly.

“No designated driver?” she asked,
taking a sip of her drink.

“I’m only going to have one. I
should be okay.”

“Trying to get me drunk?” She cocked
an eyebrow at him.

“Should I be? Seems as if the lady’s
willing without alcohol.”

“Don’t be overconfident.”

“Thought you could drink what you
wanted and leave the driving to me. But if I need to get you drunk to get you
into bed tonight…” he snickered.

She put her hand on his arm. “Don’t
think that’s necessary,” she whispered, right before she leaned over and kissed
him, almost missing the flash of light. When she opened her eyes, a reporter
took two more pictures before disappearing to a table in the back.

“Damn! No privacy. Even in a place
like this,” she said.

“I don’t care if they publish
pictures of us together. Do you?” He sipped his drink. “In fact, I’m proud to
be seen with you. You’re the best looking woman in this place. Probably the
smartest, too.”

Grace was stunned into silence by
his adoration. She hid behind her drink while she gathered her thoughts.

“Don’t you get it?” he whispered.

She cocked her head slightly.

“I love you.” He laced his fingers
with hers. “And I want everyone to know it.”

“Is this your first time…feeling
like this?” she asked.

“Nope. Second. But this one is much
better than the first.”

“My first, actually.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Never been
in love before?”

“In like, in lust…but never love.”

His face glowed as a big smile
stretched his lips. “I’m honored.” He kissed her hand and another flash went
off.

In a moment, the head waiter came
over. “I apologize. I didn’t know we had a reporter in here. He’s been escorted
out. I hope you’re not upset.”

“We’re fine. No problem,” Jake said.
The man bowed slightly, the worried look vanished from his face, and he left. Romance
was on the menu. Jake insisted they order some of the most expensive items.
They shared lobster enchiladas, feeding each other little bites. Jake scooped
up guacamole, prepared at their table, on a chip and deposited it into Grace’s
mouth, and then she returned the favor.

They snuggled close in the booth and
whispered. Grace giggled a few times at Jake’s funny stories about growing up
in a small town. After one drink, she was euphoric. Certain it had nothing to
do with alcohol but Jake’s charm instead, Gracie glowed, a smile lighting up
her face.

As they tucked into their desserts,
a chocolate lava cake and a crème caramel, a tingle shot up Grace’s spine in
anticipation of the events yet to come. Jake raked his thumb across her cheek
and kissed her. “Hmm, love the taste of chocolate from your lips.” His eyes
glowed with desire and warmth rose inside her with each touch.

If
I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up.
She sighed.

“Tired? Not too tired…are you?” A
frown furrowed his brow.

“Just happy. The…ah…uh…dessert
waiting for us at
home’ll
be…”

“Exciting,” he finished for her.

“Exactly.”

Jake beckoned for the check and
quickly pulled out his credit card. His hand shook slightly, and Grace hid a
smile at spying his nervous anticipation.

“Thank you for the great meal.”
Grace kissed him before they stood to leave.

He blushed and closed his fingers
around hers. The valet brought the car around and opened the door for Grace.
The ride home was comfortably quiet. Back at Cara’s place, Jake turned up the
music and they practiced their samba for an hour. Grinding their hips together
and having Jake’s arms around her while they danced turned her on. Heat began
in her lower body and spread north until she could feel it in her neck and
cheeks.

“You’re flushed, want to take a
break?” he asked.

Grace pulled him to her and reached
up to kiss him. She eased his neck down and deepened the kiss. Pressing her
hips against his, letting her passion go wild, she heard him make a deep sound
in his throat as he responded. He gripped her bottom, squeezing it as his hips
pushed forward. She could feel his growing erection, which simply made her
hotter.

Tangled together in desire, grunts
and moans the only sounds in the room, Grace’s control slipped away. Jake picked
her up and carried her into the bedroom. With hands shaking slightly, he
unbuttoned her vest, freeing her breasts.

“No bra?” he breathed, cupping her
bare flesh. “Panties?”

She nodded.

“Too bad,” he said.

She reached underneath and slipped
the panties down, kicking them away. “Not anymore.”

Fire flickered in his eyes as he
pulled her skirt to the floor and gave a low whistle. Grace unbuttoned his
shirt and pushed it off his shoulders while he stepped out of his jeans. He
pulled the bedcovers down and gestured for her to get in first. He followed,
sliding up against her, capturing her mouth.

Passion like she had never known
before coursed through her veins. She was burning up and only Jake Matthews
could release her from the heat. Gripping her tightly, he ravished her with his
mouth. Grace’s hands traveled over his back and chest, her legs wound around
his waist as the hungry pair unleashed their need.

“Take me, take me, oh God, take me,”
she moaned. Jake covered himself and entered her hard. She flinched.

“Did I hurt you?” He raised his eyes,
seeking hers.

She shook her head. “Don’t stop, oh,
Jake…don’t stop!” Their heat became five-alarm desire within minutes. Her face
buried in his neck, she tasted his flavor mixed with a slight saltiness. She
smelled the scent of freshly washed hair. Jake pulled her leg up, bending her
knee and pushing in to the hilt. His hips stroked in an ever-increasing rhythm,
the movement as fluid as waves in the ocean. In and out, pulling back then
filling her again, creating friction and sending her senses into overdrive. She
lost control, crying out his name. Her hips undulated as sweet release flooded
her body.

Bending, Jake kissed and licked down
to her chest then moaned loudly. Several hard thrusts and two sated, sweaty,
slippery bodies came together in a fierce clinch. Panting, Jake raised his head
to plant a soft kiss on Grace’s lips. She combed his hair back from his
forehead with her fingers.

“Awesome,” he whispered.

“Amazing,” she returned.

They lay gazing at each other for a
while before Jake rolled off her. He glanced at the clock. “Back to reality
tomorrow,” he whispered.

“Don’t remind me.” Grace pulled the
covers up over them. He switched out the light. Moonlight brightened the room a
bit. She snuggled up to him. “Hold me?”

Jake positioned her on his right
side, her head on his shoulder with his arm holding her firmly against him.
Grace curled into him and sighed.
I feel
so safe with him. In his arms nothing bad can ever happen. Movie Maven and
Tiffany Cowles don’t exist. It’s just us. For one more night, anyway.
Contentment
washed over her, bringing a smile to her lips.

“I love you so much, Gracie.” He
stroked her hair.

“You’ve changed my life, Jake.”

“I don’t want us to go back to the
old way in New York.”

“What do you mean?” She sat up and
turned to him.

“Live with me.”

“What?” She pulled the sheet over
her chest.

“Move in with me. Then we can be
together every night.” He tugged the covering down to reveal her breasts kissed
by the glow of the moon.

“That’s a big step.”

“I know.”

“You sure?”

He nodded.

“Let me think about it.”

“Think about this,” he said,
circling her peak with his finger then lowering his mouth to cover it. He
raised his head and repeated softly, “every night.”

“You twisted my arm.”

“You will?” She nodded as he yanked
her to his chest for a hug. Jake pulled the blanket over them and closed his
eyes. “A dream come true,” he muttered.

Gracie cuddled into him.
Safe…with Jake.
She sighed as sleep
claimed her.

Chapter Eight

The next morning was like a Keystone
Kops comedy. Grace and Jake forgot to set the alarm clock, so they overslept.
They raced around the house packing their suitcases and cleaning
          
up, making the place ready to sit
idle for a few weeks or longer. Jake’s pulse was racing. He hated to be late
for anything but especially flights.

Their taxi for the airport arrived.
Jake took the luggage to the car while Grace grabbed his shirt, hers, and their
heavy jackets. She was buttoning her blouse when the cab pulled out of the
driveway.

“Whew! I can’t believe we made it,”
Grace said, relaxing.

“We’re not there yet.” He shot her a
worried glance. She threaded her fingers through his.

“
Everything’ll
be fine. We’ll be there in plenty of time for Tuesday’s performance.”

Jake leaned back, draped his arm
around her and smiled. “Probably right.” When they were in the air, the steward
came by with champagne, and they each took a glass. Jake cleared his throat.
Never lived with a girl before. Is it like
living with my sisters only adding sex?
Ew
, that’s
disgusting.
He made a face.

“What’s wrong?” Grace gazed at him.

“This’ll be my first time living
with a girl. Have you lived with a guy?”

She shook her head.

“Hmm. Neither one of us knows what
to do.”

“I’d say after these two days we
both know e
xactly
what to do,” she snickered.
The flight attendant didn’t hide a smile as he walked by while Grace was
speaking.

Heat traveled to Jake’s face. “That’s
not what I mean. Yeah, we know all about that, but…”

“What’s to know?”

“I mean habits. Idiosyncrasies.
Stuff that can make us fight. Maybe we need…”

“Oh, no! The dreaded
rules
!” She said, covering her mouth in
mock horror.

“Yeah. Rules.”

“Maybe you’re right. We should have
some rules.”

“What bugs you the most about living
with roommates?”

“First–the toilet seat.”

“I’m way ahead of you. I have
sisters, remember? They already trained me.”

“Are you neat?” She opened a package
of pretzels and offered them to Jake.

“Yeah,
kinda
.”

“Uh oh.”

“You’re not?” He clasped her hand in
his.

“Not really.
Sorta
messy.”

“How messy?”

“Sometimes I leave my clothes lying
around the bedroom.”

“Your bedroom looked fine to me.
More than fine,” he shot her a wicked grin.

She slapped him playfully on the
shoulder. “I hadn’t been there in weeks.”

“I guess you’ll have to walk around
naked in the apartment. Then we won’t have clothes everywhere…and I’ll have a
ton of eye candy,” he chuckled.

She laughed. “We’ll work it out.” Jake
slid his finger down her cheek. “How long will it take you to pack up?”

“Crap! I have to tell Cara.” She
frowned.

“What’s the big deal? You’re only
moving a few blocks away.”
If you really
love me, you’ll move in tonight.

“I know that. You know that. But
Cara’s used to my being around twenty-four/seven.”

“She’ll adjust.”
Come on, Gracie. Show me you love me.

“You really want me to do this,
don’t you?” She stared into his eyes.

“I really do…like tonight.” He
leaned in and kissed her.

“Tonight?” She chewed her lip.

“Why not?”
If we wait, you’ll get cold feet.

“I have to break it to Cara, gently.”

“Come on. She’s got her own life.
Now you’ll have yours. I want you in my bed tonight. I’ve gotten used to having
you there. I sleep better with you.”

“Used to me? It’s been two nights.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I adjust quickly. Come on, Gracie.
Be with me.” His pleading tone seemed to melt her resolve.
You know you want me…don’t you?

“Well…”

“We’ll go right to Cara’s from the
airport. You’ll pack up and then off to my place.”

“You mean ‘our’ place?”

He laughed. “Yeah. Our place.”

A wide grin spread over her face and
a mischievous gleam lit up her eyes. “Okay!”

Jake thought his heart would burst.
She really loves me.
“Baby, I won’t let
you down,” he whispered. “While you’re packing, I’ll make a set of keys for you.”

The steward came by and took their
order for food. Grace snuggled back into her seat.

“Sleep, honey. I’ve got work to do.”
He pulled an envelope out of his carry-on bag.

“Work?” Her question was lazy as she
began to drift off.

“
Gotta
finish your play.” She smiled as her eyes closed all the way and rested her
head against him. Jake switched on the tiny overhead light and proceeded to
read.

* * * *

The rest of the flight was
uneventful. Excitement bubbled up in the pit of Gracie’s stomach.
It’s almost like a marriage proposal.
Jake’s
insistence on her moving into his place thrilled her to her bones. Love swelled
her heart and happiness lightened her step.

Until she faced her sister.

“You’re moving in with Jake?
Tonight?” Cara sank down on the sofa, her face pale.

“He wants me there, and there’s no
reason to wait.” Grace tapped her foot nervously on the hardwood floor.

“But…but you’ve always been there
for me.”

“I’ll still be there for you…only a
few blocks away.”

Cara turned moist eyes to her
sister. Alarm constricted Gracie’s chest.
Damn!
She’s going to cry! Cara, don’t. I can’t take it.
“It’s just an adjustment,
and now that you have Grant and Sarah, you’ll be too busy to miss me.” She held
her breath.

“Too busy? Never. We’re a team. Have
been for a long time. Gracie…
Pookie
…” Cara bit her
lip. Grace sat down on the sofa and draped her arm around her sister.

“Hey, sis. It’s okay. I love you a
ton, you know that.”

“I know, but…”

“This had to happen sooner or
later.”

“I’m happy for you and all, but…I
feel…alone, abandoned.”

“As long as I’m alive, you’ll never
be alone. Hey, you picked him for me, remember?”

Cara nodded, a small smile on her
lips.

“Come on. Let’s try it and see.”
Grace patted Cara on the back.

Cara stood up, blinking rapidly. But
she wasn’t able to stem the tide, and tears cascaded down her cheeks. Grant
walked into the room and stopped in his tracks. “What the…? What happened?”

“
Pookie’s
leaving,” Cara wailed.

“Leaving?” Grant turned to look at
Gracie.

“I’m moving in with Jake. Tonight.”
She looked at her watch. “He’ll be back any minute.”

“Moving in with Jake?” Grant smiled.
“I know a woman in love when I see one.” After taking the handkerchief Grant
offered, Cara nodded.

“What’s that about?” Grace asked
him.

“Nothing, just a discussion with
your sister. She said you weren’t in love, and I said you were.”

“Was I that obvious?”

“Only to the trained male eye,” he
chuckled. The buzzer sounded, and Cara jumped. Grace told Stokes to admit Jake
and waited for him by the door.

Cara wiped her eyes and when Jake
appeared she smiled. “Well, Jake, taking my girl away, huh?”

Jake shot a wary look at Grace. “Is
that a problem?”

“It’s fine. I have to get used to
her having her own life.” Cara ran her hand through Grace’s locks.

Jake blew out a breath. “Good.
Scared me for a minute there. Are you ready, Gracie?”

Grace hugged her sister, who
wouldn’t let go right away, then Grant. Jake shook hands with Grant and pecked
Cara on the cheek. He picked up Grace’s two suitcases and headed for the door. Grace
opened it for him and turned to look one last time at her sister, who stood
sniffling in the hallway. Grant wound his arm around her shoulders, and she
leaned back into him.
She has Grant.
She’ll be all right.

Grace gave a quick wave before she
closed the door behind her. A tingle of excitement mixed with fear ran up her
spine. Jake stopped and put the luggage down. He peered at her. “You all
right?”

She nodded, the lump in her throat
preventing her from speaking.

“That’s my girl.” He cupped her chin
and kissed her before the elevator arrived.

Grace moved up against him, snaking
her arms around his waist.
I hope I’m
doing the right thing.

“I love you, Gracie,” he whispered.
She grinned as she leaned into his chest.

Jake hauled the bags up the three
flights to his place. Grace put on the kettle for tea while he cleared out some
drawers. She looked around her new home.
This
is mine now, too, right? Can I redecorate, move a few things around?
She
rearranged the silverware in the drawer in the kitchen. Then she moved throw
pillows from chair to sofa and from sofa to chair.

“Looks much better that way,” he
said, eyeing the small table now pushed against the wall. “Gives us more room.”

She was surprised Jake noticed the
shuffling she’d done. “You don’t mind if I move a few things around?”

“This is your home now, too.” He
smiled and pulled her into his arms.

Grace’s eyes watered.
My home, too.
She sighed and snuggled
into him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Life got crazy busy for Grace. Cara
seemed to be more needy now that Gracie was living with Jake. She did
everything she could to make her big sister’s days easier. Then there was
dancing. She and Jake practiced at home, at the dance studio, and even
backstage before the play started. She barely had time to breathe.

During one performance, she stole
into Cara’s dressing room and set up her laptop. There she wrote a review of
Driving Force,
Jake’s new movie. She
raved about the plot, the direction, but most of all about his performance.
This should make up for the first Movie
Maven review.

Jake Matthews has come
into his own as an actor. His performance in Driving Force is a tour de force.
He captures the character perfectly, making us feel both fear of him and sympathy
for him at the same time. His charisma onscreen draws you right in and keeps
you there. You can’t take your eyes off him. Well done, Mr. Matthews. You’re
the new hot actor to watch.

She hit send, and the glowing review
was on its way to Tiffany Cowles. Grace heaved a sigh of relief and closed the
computer.
Need to keep this private.
She
took a bottle of water from the fridge and returned to her favorite chair in
the wings to watch the show.
The three of
them are so good. Wish I could act.

After the last curtain call, Jake
rushed backstage. “Did you see what happened with that damn chair? I told them
about that.” Grace put her finger on his lips. “Let me take care of Cara, and
then I want to hear all about it.”

“Weren’t you there? Didn’t you see
it?”

Grace’s heart stopped.

“Where were you?”

“I…uh…I had to catch up on some
email.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Carrying
on with another man on the Internet while I was on stage?” His tone was light,
but the look in his eyes was serious.

“Of course not!”

“Sorry…I’m just a bit…never mind.”
He waved at her. “Take care of Cara.”

When she finished with her sister,
she joined Jake for the short walk a few blocks home. “What was that jealousy
about? A man on the Internet?”

Jake blushed and dropped his gaze to
the sidewalk.

“Come on. Give. We’re living
together, tell me!” She shook his shoulder.

“Remember I said you weren’t the
first for me?”

She nodded.

“The first girl I loved cheated on
me. Traci.”

“Oh my God! She broke your heart?”
Gracie asked, clutching her jacket over the left side of her chest.

“Yeah. She was seeing another guy on
the side. Dumped me for him because I was an unemployed actor, and he was
headed for Wall Street. Bitch.”

“Terrible. Awful. I’m so sorry. I’d
never do that.” She slipped her hand into his.

“I couldn’t hack it if you did.”

“Never.” She shook her head for
emphasis.
Who cheats on a guy like this?
Doesn’t get better than Jake.
They walked on in silence for a few moments
until Grace stopped.
It’s now or never.
Tell him how you feel.

“I love you. I’ve never said that to
another guy. You mean…everything to me.” Being emotionally naked in front of
him caused her to shiver. Jake wrapped his arms around her, hugging her
tightly.

They stopped at their favorite pizza
place and picked up a pie to go. In Jake’s tiny studio, they ate, made love and
showered together. Jake was exhausted as always after a show, so he fell asleep
right away, but Grace lay awake. She stared out the window at the full moon and
smiled.
I am the luckiest girl in the
world.

He rolled over, tossing his arm
carelessly over her waist and murmured a few unintelligible words. Grace
wiggled back into him, sighing at the feel of his warmth against her. With a
full heart, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * * *

The next morning, Grace rolled over
and snuggled up to Jake. The alarm went off, and the couple groaned as he
reached for the clock. “Damn clock. Hell, it’s only nine.” He rolled over.

Grace threw the covers off. “Time to
get up. We have to practice.
Dorrie’s
expecting us.”

“Do we have to?” Jake shoved the
pillow over his head.