Star of His Heart (4 page)

R
achel could feel the power of Ethan as he walked beside her. And although it sounded strange, she could feel his strength. Not only did she feel it, she was drawing from it.

The very thought that such a thing was possible should be disconcerting, but instead the knowledge seemed to wrap her in some sort of warm embrace. That in itself was kind of weird since they'd decided to just be friends. She was fine with that decision. In fact, she refused to have things any other way. She didn't mix business with pleasure and she had too much on her plate to become involved in a serious relationship.

The last guy she had gone out with that she'd truly liked had been Theo Lovett. That had been a couple of
years ago. They had dated for almost six months before she'd found out the only reason he'd been interested in her was as a way into her family's business. Luckily, she'd overheard him bragging to a friend on the phone when he'd thought she was in the shower and out of hearing range. Theo's explanation that he'd only been joking with his friend hadn't made her change her mind when she had kicked him out that day.

She stepped out of her memory and into the present. Apparently she'd missed some of what Ethan had said while she'd been daydreaming, because he'd changed the subject and was talking about his family.

“My older brother's name is Hunter. There is an eight year difference in our ages.”

She glanced over at him. Despite the fact he was a lot taller than she, walking side by side they seemed to fit, and their steps appeared to be perfectly synchronized. How was that possible with his long legs and her short ones? He'd evidently adjusted his steps to stay in sync with hers. It was a perfectly measured pace.

“There is a nine year difference in me and my sister's ages,” she said.

“Really? Was your sibling as overprotective as mine while you were growing up?”

Rachel made a face. “Boy, was she ever. She was ten when our parents were killed in a plane crash, and I was one. Our aunt and uncle became our legal guardians, but somewhere along the way my sister, Sofia, thought I became her responsibility. It was only when she left for college that I got some breathing space.”

“Are the two of you close now?”

“Yes, very. What about you and your brother? Are the two of you close?”

“Yes, although I would be the first to admit he was somewhat of a pain in the ass while we were growing up. But I can appreciate it now since he covered for me a lot with my parents.”

She could imagine someone having to do that for him. She had a feeling he'd probably been a handful. “Was your family upset when you decided not to enter the family business but to forge a path in a different direction?”

The corners of his lips lifted in a wry smile. “Let's just say they weren't thrilled with the idea. But I think it bothered Hunter more than it did them,” he said. “The Chamberses have been in the wine business for generations, and I was the first to pull out and try doing something else. He lay on the pressure for me to stay for a while but then he backed off.”

He placed his hand at the center of her back when others, walking at a swifter pace than they, moved to pass them. She could feel the warmth of his touch through her blouse. She breathed in deeply at the feeling of butterflies flapping around in her stomach.

“What about your family?” he inquired, not realizing the effect of his touch on her.

“Once I explained things to Uncle Jacob and Aunt Lily, they were fine with it. They wanted me to do whatever made me happy. But Sofia felt it was part of our father's legacy, that I owed it to him to join her and
Uncle Jacob at Limelight. I had made up my mind on how I wanted to do things with my future, so instead of letting there be this bone of contention between us, she backed off and eventually gave me her blessings to do whatever I wanted to do with my life.”

She chuckled. “As a concession, I am letting Limelight Entertainment handle my career. I'm one of their clients.”

They paused a moment when they reached the security gate. They had deliberately walked the expanse of the studio lot to avoid running into the paparazzi that made the place their regular beat. Now that they were no longer in safe and protected territory, she noticed Ethan had slid on a pair of sunglasses. He had kept on his medical scrubs and had a stethoscope around his neck, and she wondered if anyone seeing him would assume he was a bona fide doctor walking the strip on lunch break.

She pulled her sunglasses out of her bag, too, although it had been years since she'd had the paparazzi on her tail. When she was younger, they'd seemed to enjoy keeping up with the two Wellesley heirs. She'd always found the media's actions intrusive and an invasion of her privacy. She could recall all the photographs of her as a child that had appeared in the tabloids. That was the main reason she much preferred not being the focus of their attention again.

She glanced over at Ethan when his hand went to the center of her back again. It was time for them to cross the street, and he was evidently trying to hurry
her along before traffic started up again. Her pulse began fluttering, caused by the heat generated from his touch.

They increased their pace to make it across the street. She checked him out from the corner of her eye and saw how sexy the scrubs looked on him. They had agreed to be just friends, she reminded herself. And it meant absolutely nothing that they had a few things in common. Like the fact that they were both renegades. That they were both members of well-known families. That they both had siblings who'd chosen to go into the family business. Overprotective, older siblings who meant well but if given the chance would run their lives.

Rachel inconspicuously scanned the area around them and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the paparazzi was nowhere in sight. But then they were known to bounce out from just about any place. Hopefully she and Ethan looked like a regular couple out on a stroll during their lunch hour.

A couple who were just friends, which was something she could not forget.

 

“You are such a good uncle.”

Ethan glanced at Rachel while accepting his change from the girl behind the counter at the Disney Store. Had he used his charge card his cover would have been blown. Even through his sunglasses, he could see the woman was looking at him, trying to figure out if he was a doctor or someone she should know.

He smiled at Rachel. “I'd like to think so, especially
since I doubt very seriously that Hunter will have any more children,” he said, accepting the bag the cashier was handing him.

“Why is that?”

“He lost his wife in a car accident,” he explained as they headed for the exit. “He took Annette's death hard and hasn't been in a serious relationship since. It's been three years now.”

“Oh, how sad.”

“Yes, it was. Hunter and Kendra were in the car at the time of the accident and survived with minor injuries,” he said. He paused a moment and then added, “Kendra was three at the time and very close to her mother. She felt the loss immediately and withdrew into her own world and stopped talking.”

The eyes that stared into his were full of sorrow and compassion. “She doesn't talk?”

He released his breath in a long and slow sigh, wondering why he was sharing this information about his family with anyone, especially to a woman he'd only met yesterday. But there was something about Rachel that was different from most women he'd met. For one, she wasn't trying to come on to him or jump his bones. It was as if she saw him as a person and not some sex symbol, and he appreciated that.

“She talks now, but not as much as she should for a child her age,” he responded. “And she talks more with some people than with others. I happen to be one of those she will talk to most of the time. But it took me a while to gain that much ground again after the
accident.” He recalled the time he had come home from France to give his brother and niece his support. “But a part of Kendra is still withdrawn and so far no one has been able to fully bring her back. She's been seen by the best psychologists money can hire. They practically all said the same thing. Kendra suffered a traumatic loss, and until she's convinced in her mind that she can love someone again, become attached to that person without losing them all over again, she will continue to withdraw into her own little world.”

He checked his watch and figured they needed to head on back. Prior to stopping at the store, they had stopped by an art supply place and picked up some new brushes. She'd told him that she liked dabbling with paints on canvas every once in a while and had promised to show him some of her work one day.

As they began retracing their steps back toward the studio lot, he had to admit he had enjoyed his time with her and knew that he was going to enjoy having her as a friend. An odd thought suddenly burned in his brain. What if they became more than just friends? He quickly forced the notion out of his head. The fact of the matter was they were just friends, or at least they were trying to be.

He glanced at her and saw her scan the surrounding area. He could tell she was nervous about the possibility of being seen by the paparazzi. So was he, but only because it bothered her. Despite the fact that only minutes ago he'd vowed not to pry, he couldn't stop the question now.

“Why do you avoid the spotlight, Rachel?” He could tell his question surprised her and suspected her reasons were deep-seated.

“I just do,” she said.

She tried to act calm, like his question wasn't a big deal, but he sensed that it was. “Why?”

She frowned up at him, and the first thing he thought was that he'd made her mad. He hadn't meant to, but a part of him wanted to push her for an answer.

“Well?” he asked.

She didn't say anything as they kept walking. She had stopped glaring at him and was staring straight ahead. He'd almost given up hope for a reply when she began speaking. “I told you my parents were killed before my second birthday. Since my uncle and aunt who adopted us couldn't have any kids of their own, my sister and I became known as the Limelight heirs. For some reason we made news, and the paparazzi followed us practically everywhere we went—school, church, grocery stores…you name it, they were there. I couldn't tell you how many times when I was a little girl that I got a mike shoved in my face or my braid pulled by a reporter to get my attention. It was…scary.

“Things only got better when I went away to college. By the time I returned, the media interest was on someone else, thank goodness. But every once in a while someone tries to connect the dots to see what Sofia and I are up to. She doesn't mind being in the spotlight and uses it to her advantage.”

Ethan took in what she said. The thought of someone
harassing a child to get a story angered him, and knowing the child had been Rachel angered him even more. It was interesting that he felt such protective instincts for her.

A flicker of some sort of alarm flashed through his brain but he chose to ignore it. No matter what his mind thought, there was no way he would get in too deep with Rachel.

R
achel stood by the window in her uncle's study and gazed out at the ocean. The sun was going down and she enjoyed watching it. Just like she had enjoyed being on the set the past two weeks.

Frasier and John were pleased with the tempo of the series. Ethan was working out perfectly as Dr. Perry, and the blossoming on-the-air love affair between the gruff doctor and the resistant Dr. Duncan had pretty much heated up. They had shot a love scene yesterday that had pushed the temperature on the set up as hot as it could get for prime-time programming.

She could definitely say she was pleased with this assignment and looked forward to going into work each day. The more time she and Ethan spent together during
filming, the more they talked and bonded as friends. She found him fun to be around, and the two of them would laugh together about some of the actresses' hot pursuit of him. A few had tried some outlandish things to get his attention. Like the time Jasmine Crowder summoned him to her trailer to help rehang a photo that had fallen off the wall. Instead of going, Ethan had sent one of the cameramen, Omar Minton, in his place. Poor Omar had walked into the trailer to be met by a half-naked Jasmine draped across the sofa.

That had been just one of many times during the past week that Ethan had had to foil seduction plots. Just the fact that he'd done so impressed Rachel, and she would be the first to admit that she was seeing him not as the superficial playboy she'd originally thought he was but as a focused, hardworking actor. That was another thing they had in common. They believed in professionalism on the job.

“Lily said I'd probably find you in here.”

Rachel turned at the sound of her uncle's deep voice and smiled. Since she'd been only one year old when her parents had gotten killed, she didn't have a solid memory of them the way Sofia did. But what she did remember was her aunt and uncle being there for them, raising her and Sofia as their own. Rachel appreciated having been part of a family in which she'd always known she was loved and always been encouraged to use her talents in whatever way she wanted to do.

She'd learned from her aunt and uncle that her mother was a successful artist, and several of Vivian Wellesley's
paintings were on the walls in this house as well as in a number of art galleries across the country. Vivian had passed down her talent and love of painting; Rachel really enjoyed the time she spent putting color to canvas. She was definitely her mother's daughter.

And Sofia was definitely her father's. She had stepped into the role of the savvy and successful businessman that he'd been. And because Sofia had been the only child for almost nine years, she had been the pride of her parents' life and definitely the apple of her father's eye. Sofia had worshipped the ground their father had walked on and was still doing that same thing even though their parents had been dead for twenty-five years. Sofia thought John Wellesley was the most amazing person to have ever lived.

The man standing before Rachel was John's identical twin.

“Uncle Jacob,” Rachel greeted, crossing the room to give her uncle a hug. She'd seen pictures of the brothers from years past, and to see one was to see the other. That said, she knew if her father had lived he would have matured into a rather handsome man. And at fifty-five, her uncle was definitely that, with a charm and charisma that should be patented. Ethan had told her about the close relationship he had with his niece, and she had fully understood because such a relationship existed between her and her uncle.

“And what honor has been bestowed upon me for this visit?” he asked, leaning back and scanning her from head to toe. “Hmm, I don't see anything broken or in
need of repair, although I still keep plenty of bandages around.”

Rachel could only laugh. While growing up she had been a handful, a tomboy in her earlier years. And anytime she got hurt, she would run to her uncle to fix her boo-boo.

“C'mon, Uncle Jacob, it's not like I never come to visit,” she defended herself, laughing.

“No, but since you've moved to the other side of town we barely see you these days.”

Rachel nibbled on her bottom lip. In addition to the enormous mansion her aunt and uncle owned in Beverly Hills, they also had this place, a luxurious oceanfront hideaway on Malibu Beach. A few months ago she had purchased a condo in the gated community of Friar Gate that was located on the outskirts of Hollywood. Before moving, she had lived in a condo that had been within walking distance of Rodeo Drive. It was fine until one of the Jonas Brothers had moved into the complex. There was no peace with the paparazzi, and she'd figured it was just a matter of time before they added others to their list to harass.

“I needed more space,” she said and knew her uncle would understand. It was no secret she didn't like being in the spotlight.

He nodded. “And when will I get invited to your new place for dinner?”

She threw her head back and laughed again, knowing that was a joke since she didn't cook. The few times she'd tried, she had made a complete mess of things and
decided there were too many restaurants serving good, tasty food to put herself through the agony of following some recipe.

“Just as soon as I get everything in its proper place. I still have a few boxes left to unpack, but I've been so busy on the set. And then there's that painting I want to finish before the gallery hosts that charity event next month.”

“I understand,” Jacob Wellesley said, leading her to the nearest sofa so they could sit down. “You are a very busy lady, just like your mother was. We would try and convince her there were but so many hours in the day, but she was always determined to stretch them anyway.”

Rachel couldn't help but smile. She always liked hearing the stories her uncle and aunt would share about her parents.

“And how are things going for you at work? Frasier isn't working you too hard, is he?” he asked.

Frasier Glenn was not only an old friend of her father's but he'd been close to her uncle as well and had been one of Limelight's first clients. When she'd interviewed for the position of makeup artist and wardrobe designer for
Paging the Doctor,
Frasier had been up-front and let her know it was her own merit and work ethic, not the long-standing friendship he had with her family, that had gotten her the job. She had appreciated that.

“No, both Frasier and John are wonderful, and I'm learning so much from them,” she said, leaning back against the sofa's cushions.

“Good. I understand Eric Woods's contract didn't get renewed.”

“No, but we were expecting it with his behavior last season. I hear he's mouthing off to the tabloids that he had no idea he was getting the ax.”

Jacob shook his head. “Oh, I'm sure he knew. Frasier doesn't work that way. When he makes a decision to let you go, you know why. Eric's just trying to save face. Everyone in the industry knows his last few movies bombed out, and because of his temperament, it's hard to find a director in Hollywood with the patience to take him on.”

Rachel nodded. “This season is going to have a new twist. They brought in a new doctor and I think his appearance will boost ratings.”

“Really? Who is he?”

“Ethan Chambers.”

A slow smile touched Uncle Jacob's lips. “I've never met Chambers but I've heard of him. Word's out that he's an actor who's going places. He received good reviews from the guest spot he did on CSI that one time last year. And there was that rumor earlier this year that he was being considered for
People
's Sexiest Man of the Year. That didn't hurt. There hasn't been an African American male to get that honor since Denzel and that was close to fifteen years ago.”

Rachel could see Ethan being considered. He was definitely a hot contender in her book.

“And how is Chambers working out?”

“I think he's doing a great job. It is difficult, though,
to get the females on the set to concentrate on what they are supposed to do instead of on him. He has a way of grabbing your attention and holding it.”

“Mmm, does he now?”

She smiled, knowing what her uncle was probably thinking. “Okay, I admit he's hot, but I'm beyond fawning over any man, Uncle Jacob. Besides, Ethan Chambers comes with something I could never tolerate.”

Jacob Wellesley lifted a thick brow. “What?”

“The spotlight.”

 

Later that night, after spending time in front of the canvas for a good part of the evening, Rachel's phone rang. She reached out and picked it up without checking caller ID, thinking it was either Charlene or Sofia.

“Hello?”

“Save me.”

She blinked upon hearing the sound of the ultrasexy, masculine voice. “Ethan?”

“Yes, it's me.”

She was surprised. They had known each other for two weeks now, considered themselves friends and had even exchanged phone numbers one day on the set, but he'd never called her before and she'd never had a reason to call him. And what was his reason for calling her now? Had he said something about saving him?

“What on earth is going on with you?” she asked, putting him on speakerphone while she dried her hands.

“I need a place to crash for the night. I came home
and found the place swarming with paparazzi. Luckily they didn't see me, and I made a U-turn and headed in another direction. So, will you have pity on me and put me up for the night?”

She tossed the hand towel aside as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “Ethan, you know how I detest being—”

“In the spotlight. Yes, I know,” he said interrupting her. “And that's the reason I hesitated calling you, but I need this favor, Rachel. I've been driving around for a few hours now and have periodically checked my rearview mirror to make sure no one is following me. They're probably still parked out front waiting for me to come home. They wouldn't think of looking for me at your place.”

That was an understatement, Rachel thought. They probably figured he was somewhere warming some starlet's bed. He was single, sexy and a man who probably had needs that any woman would love filling. In that case, why couldn't he go back to his lady friend's place instead of putting her privacy at risk?

She began nibbling on her bottom lip. Tomorrow was Sunday and they were due back on the set Monday morning at eight. All she needed was for someone to get wind that Ethan had stayed overnight at her place, no matter how innocent it might be, and make a big deal of it.

Everyone on the set knew the two of them had become friends, but no one thought anything of it since she was friendly with just about everyone…except for Paige,
who still had her panties in a wad for some reason. Besides, no one would assume something was going on between them because she wasn't the type of woman Ethan would be interested in. She was definitely not model material.

But still, she didn't want anyone assuming anything or, even worse, the paparazzi hunting him down at her place. Jeez, she didn't want to even think of that happening. One good thing was that she had a two-car garage, so his car wouldn't be seen parked in front of her place. And her gated community was known for its privacy and security.

“Rachel?”

She drew in a deep breath. “Fine, but if anyone from the media gets wind of this and starts harassing me, Ethan, you're dead meat.”

She heard him laugh. “I don't want to be dead meat, Rachel.”

She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “Well?”

“All right, I'll take my chances.”

“With the paparazzi?”

“Heck no,” he said. “I'll take my chances with you. I'm hoping our budding friendship will keep you from actually killing me. Besides, I've been around you enough to know that you do have a soft heart.”

She either had a soft heart or a foolish mind, Rachel thought an hour later when she opened her door to Ethan. She also had a bunch of erratic hormones. The tingle started in the pit of her stomach when she looked
at him, and it took a full minute to catch her breath. Not only did Ethan look good but he smelled good enough to eat.

She was caught off guard by her reaction to him. They'd agreed to just be friends, but at the moment friendship was the last thing on her mind. She couldn't stop her gaze from roaming all over him. He was leaning in the doorway in a sexy stance, wearing jeans and a button-down shirt with the top four buttons undone. She glimpsed his chest beneath, poking out like a temptation being dangled in front of her. If this was the way he showed up at his woman's home, no wonder he was in such high demand. And no wonder a rush of adrenaline jolted through her.

“And you're sure you weren't followed?” she asked, taking a step back to let him in. She figured conversation between them would distract her long enough to get her mind and body back under control.

He gave her a wry smile as he entered, moving over the threshold and filling the room the same way he'd filled the doorway…with dominating sexiness. “I'm positive. I drove around an additional twenty minutes or so to be sure. Those were good directions you gave me, by the way. I found this place without any trouble.”

She nodded as she closed the door. That was when she noticed the shopping bag in his hand. When she gave him a questioning look, he said, “I made a pit stop at a store to pick up a few toiletries.”

“And you weren't recognized?” she asked, moving away from the door.

“No. I had my disguise on,” he said, pulling a baseball cap and a fake mustache out of the pocket of his jacket.

Rachel lifted a brow while fighting back a smile. “That's the best you can do?”

He gave her a flirty smile. “Depends on what we're talking about.”

He was flirting with her.

On a few occasions over the last couple of weeks, he'd turned on the charm and flashed his devilish smile that lit up his blue-gray eyes. But she'd just rolled her eyes at him. Tonight was different. Tonight she couldn't help her body's reaction to his flirting.