No Matter What (112 page)

She held onto his hand.
 
“He is.
 
I really think he is.
 
Jesus, Bobby, I’m acting like some lovesick teenager here but he’s got my head all over the place.”
 
She pushed a hand through her hair, trying to fight the tiredness that was starting to flood her body, grabbing her ‘phone as it rang, smiling at the voice on the other end of the line.

“Hi mommy!”

“Hey baby!”

“Granddad said I could use the ‘phone, he said you’d be awake.
 
Are you awake, mommy?”

She laughed, suddenly feeling quite tearful, and missing her little boy.
 
“Yes, darling, I’m awake.”

“Daddy’s coming home today.”

“Is he, baby?”
 
India
wasn’t aware that Michael was coming back to
L.A.
so soon.
 
He must be making a special trip to see Ethan.

“Mommy, can he take me out after kindergarten?
 
Can he?”

“Listen, Ethan, honey, can you put granddad on the ‘phone?
 
Please?”

“Will I see you later?”

“Of course you will, sweetheart.
 
Now put granddad on the ‘phone.
 
Love you loads, baby.”

“Love you more, mommy ... granddad!
 
Mommy wants to speak to you!”

She heard Reece take the ‘phone from Ethan.

“Have you spoken to Michael?” she asked.

“He called last night.
 
I tried to ring you but your ‘phone was switched off.”

“I was filming.
 
Sorry, I haven’t checked my messages yet.”

“Not since last night?”

“No.
 
I’ve been busy.”

Bobby almost choked on his coffee and she kicked him under the table, throwing him a look.

“So, Michael’s coming home then.”

“Just for a few days, to see Ethan.
 
He wants to pick him up from kindergarten this afternoon and take him to his for the night.
 
I said I’d have to speak to you first and get back to him.”

She sighed, sitting back in her chair.
 
Reality had certainly landed right back in her lap with a vengeance.

“I suppose that’s ok, but when am
I
going to see Ethan?
 
I’m filming all day today and I’m probably not going to get home until this evening, at least.”

“You could try going to Michael’s and seeing him there.
 
It wouldn’t hurt for you two to talk.”

She felt herself tensing up and tried desperately to remember the calming feeling of JJ’s fingers on her naked skin, how he’d made her feel like any problem in the world could be solved so easily.
 
But it was quite evident they couldn’t.
 
He’d made her feel better about her situation with Michael; he’d made her stop caring about him, made her stop hating him.
 
But he hadn’t made her want to see him again.
 
She still couldn’t go there, she still couldn’t think about facing him again.
 
It was the one thing she didn’t want to do.
 
For so many reasons.

“I’m not going to talk to him, dad, so don’t start, ok?
 
I’m tired and I don’t need this.”

“You need a break.”

“I just need to make my own decisions.”
 
She pushed a hand through her hair again, looking at her watch.
 
“Look, I’ve got to go so ... tell Ethan I’ll see him later. Somehow.
 
I’ll see him later.”

She hung up and looked at Bobby, who just raised an eyebrow.

“That killed off love’s not-so-young-dream then?”

She kicked him under the table again.
 
“You’re no spring chicken yourself. Come on.
 
I’m gonna be late if I don’t get a move on.”
 
She stood up, grabbing her bag.
 
“And remember, not a word to anyone about me and JJ, and especially not to him.
 
Don’t you dare let him know what I’ve told you.”

“As if.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t even look at him in a way that might make him think I’ve told you anything.
 
Jesus, he made me feel about sixteen last night and now I’m acting like it.
 
Come on.
 
Let’s go.
 
If I get there quick enough I might still have time for half an hour’s shut eye because I am done in.”

But all she really wanted to do was see JJ again.
 
That’s all she wanted to do.

***

JJ opened his eyes and turned over, expecting to see her next to him and finding a note instead.
 
He sat up and picked up the note, smiling as he read it.
 
He’d spent the night with India Walsh and he felt like the luckiest man alive.
 
He didn’t know how it had happened, he certainly hadn’t planned for it to happen but it had, and he wanted more.
 
He wanted to see her again; he wanted to be with her again.
 
He wanted to touch her the way he’d touched her just a few short hours ago.
 
If he closed his eyes he could still feel her soft skin, her firm breasts, he could still feel her breath on his face as he’d made love to her and he’d give anything to have her here and go there again.

He’d always thought she was beautiful, although, until he’d met her just over a month ago, he’d only ever really seen her in movies or magazines, and he’d seen every movie she’d ever made.
 
He was a fan, sure he was.
 
He always had been.
 
She was one hell of an actress, but she was also an incredible looking woman.

He’d been just twenty-one years old when she’d done her now infamous ‘Viper’ shoot and he’d bought the magazine especially because she’d been on the cover with a ten page spread inside, infact, he still had one of the more revealing pictures stuck to the inside of one of the kitchen cupboards so he’d been thankful she hadn’t gone looking around in there last night.
 
He’d wanted to see her naked so badly back then, he’d wanted to see her show it all off and he hadn’t been disappointed.
 
They’d all been really subtle photographs, of course, but she’d obviously been naked and that’s all he’d wanted to see.
 
What he’d done in front of those photographs was what millions of others like him had done but he’d never for one moment thought that, eleven years later, he’d be holding that body for real.
 
Eleven years later and she’d hardly changed.
 
Sure, she was older but she was still the most stunning woman he’d ever seen, with the most incredible body.
 
She put women half her age to shame.
 
She was as sexy as hell and he wanted her again, his own body was telling him that right now as he thought about her.

He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes, remembering the events of the past few hours.
 
He’d never set out to get her into bed, not when the night had begun.
 
He’d meant it when he’d said he wanted to get to know her as a friend but at some point - and he couldn’t even remember when - but at some point something had changed.
 
He’d watched her as she’d spoken about her little boy, watched the way she’d played with her hair when she was nervous, the way she’d laughed.
 
Something had made him want to get to know her far more intimately than you would a friend, and it had been intimate alright.
 
He’d touched her in places millions of men could only dream about touching her and it was driving him crazy just thinking about it.
 
He was about to reach down and finish the job in hand himself – literally - when the ‘phone ringing shook him back to reality and he reached out for it, hoping it was her.

“JJ!
 
Where have you been?
 
You’ve been neglecting me.”

Layla’s voice rang out at the other end of the line and he closed his eyes again, wishing she’d go away but knowing she was a problem he was going to have to deal with.
 
She’d killed the mood though, that was for sure.

“I’ve been busy,” he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair.
 
“Look, we need to talk, Layla.”

“I’ll come over if you like.
 
Are you still in bed?
 
I could bring you a breakfast you’ll never forget.”

“No!
 
Layla, no.
 
Don’t come over.
 
I’ve got to get to the studio soon ...”

“I’ll come over there then.
 
We can have some fun in your trailer.”

“No, no, don’t come to the studio either ... look, I don’t think it’s a good idea that we see each other anymore.
 
It was fun but ... but I can’t do it, Layla.
 
I just ... I can’t do it.”

She was silent for a second.
 
“Have you met someone else?”

He sat forward, drawing his knees up to his chest, sighing again.
 
“Let’s just leave it, ok?
 
It was nothing more than a bit of fun but it’s over now.
 
It’s over.”

“Who is she, JJ?”

He was getting agitated now.
 
She’d known as well as he had that their relationship was nothing more than the odd night out and he hadn’t wanted anything more than that.
 
Not with her, and he wasn’t going to let her think that anyone else was involved in any way, least of all
India
.
 

“There
is
nobody else, Layla.
 
I just don’t want a relationship of any kind right now.
 
With anyone.”

But that was the biggest lie he could have told her because, after last night, there was definitely someone else, and he knew that.
 
And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure India Walsh stayed in his life.
 
He was going to do everything in his power to make sure of that.

***

India
tried to close her eyes once she got to her trailer.
 
She still had half an hour before she was due in make-up, and she’d tried to grab just a few minutes sleep but it still wasn’t happening.
 
She was still too worked up, still too high from the night before to settle down so she’d curled up in the corner of the sofa and went through her script instead.
 
But when the words started merging together, swimming before her eyes, she gave in, throwing her head back against the cushions, staring at the ceiling.
 
Until two short, sharp knocks at her trailer door made her jump up.

“
India
... it’s JJ.”

She felt her chest tighten and her breath quicken just at the sound of his voice, and as he walked in, closing the door behind him and flicking the lock, she had to hold onto the counter behind her to steady herself.
 
He looked incredible.
 
So little sleep and he could still look like that.

He walked over to her, reaching out to touch her face and she closed her eyes as his mouth lowered down onto hers in the most amazing kiss, her fingers still gripping the counter because she
really
needed to steady herself now.
 
The kiss seemed to last forever, the intensity of it wearing her out, and when his mouth finally left hers she had to take a few seconds to catch her breath.

“That’s for running out on me,” he smiled.

She could only stare at him, memories of just a few hours ago still so fresh in her mind she could almost feel him still inside her.

“If that’s what I get for running out on you I can’t wait to see what I get for standing you up.”

He gave a deep, throaty laugh and she literally felt her knees give way as she looked at him.

“Last night ... is that how you get to know all your friends?”

“Only the beautiful ...” He kissed her mouth slowly, “... gorgeous ...” He kissed her neck, “... English actresses ...” He moved down to her collar bone, “...who turn me on like crazy.”

Oh, Jesus, she was never going to get through today, not with him so close and not being able to touch him.

“You’re killing me, Joe,” she groaned, leaning back against the counter as he unfastened her shirt a little more, enough to slide his hand inside and stroke her breasts as he kissed her again.

She was burning up; she was actually burning up here.
 
Never in her life had she experienced anything like this, not even with Kenny, and the lust that had been kicking around that relationship had been intense at times, to say the least.
 
But this knocked all of that right out of the park.
 
This was crazy.
 
This was big.
 
This was something
India
was going to enjoy, no matter where it led.
 
If it led anywhere at all.