Steele Hearts Redemption (13 page)

He was right. Zoey was a freak like that.

“Anyhow, you have some explaining to do young
lady,” he said startling me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“What am I talking about. Well picture this.
Little Max was out for the count and Zoey and I were cuddled on the
couch flipping channels. Of course I was hoping there wasn’t
anything good on so I could get some monkey loving from my wife
when bam, whose face pops up on the television. My little chocolate
thief, on the arms of possibly the biggest star on the planet and I
must admit he’s a little good looking, at an awards show, looking
all lovey dovey at each other. I thought you were out there helping
him with a stalker issue? So what gives now?”

And so it began. I groaned little.

“Max….” I started before he cut me off.

“Al, it’s none of my business but I’m just
saying if it’s what it looks like it is you owe me a meet and greet
for Zoey whenever you guys are in New York. Think of it as owing me
for cockblocking because I had to sit through that entire damm
show.”

I laughed, knowing Max would do anything for
his wife.

“Okay but it’s not because you’re saying I
owe you, it’s because I’m taking pity on Zoey because she’s stuck
looking at your buttface everyday,’ I laughed.

“Yes but she did marry this buttface you know
and it’s this buttface that has her screaming said buttface’s name
over and over when I do get time alone with my wife now.”

I laughed out loudly before conceding.

“Okay enough, enough. Down to business. You
know why I called.”

“Yeah,” he replied, his voice suddenly a lot
quieter than it was before.

“Here’s the thing,” he continued, “she was
seen in Texas a few months ago but then it’s like she dropped off
the grid but I’m working a lead right now that, and you know I’m
not saying anything here on the record, that might have to do with
a new identity.”

Something about that woman saw wasn’t right
but I didn’t want to take Max’s focus off the lead he was following
but my gut was telling me that woman last night was Alexis.

“Max, I know we considered the possibility
she altered her appearance.”

“Yeah…” he replied.

“Okay so while you’re running down your leads
I want you to add another portrait to the ones we’ve come up with
before. Same face but with a bobbed haircut with bangs, jet black
hair like mine and dark eyes. Add glasses to it also. Add that to
the portraits as well.”

“Ally, what’s going on? That’s a very
specific look.”

“I know Max, but please just go with it.’

“Okay but whatever it is you’re on to you let
me know when you have a solid lead and vice versa okay. We’re not
going to fuck up this and have her back on the streets when we get
her okay. She’s your sister but she’s a psycho to the core
Ally.”

“I know Max and I promise I have no intention
of fucking this up.”

“Okay chocolate thief. I’ll get on it and hey
give my wife a call. She misses you, you know.”

I promised to call Zoey and spent five more
minutes getting caught up on office gossip from Max before hanging
up, then my mind started racing. Was I paranoid or was the
stranger’s face Alexis’s. God dammit I am her sister I’m supposed
to know her face anywhere. And if it was her what was she doing in
L.A. and why at an event that Gabe was attending. A shiver went
down my spine and a million thoughts raced through my mind. What
games was she playing now? She hasn’t made any attempt to contact
Tess or myself since she left New York but I couldn’t believe it
was coincidence that there was a woman who looked like her here in
L.A. I knew deep down in my heart whatever she was planning
involved Gabe. Nothing was coincidence anymore, but if she thought
I was going to sit by and do nothing she had another thing coming.
If it was her, from the look she gave me last night, she wasn’t
surprised to see me with Gabe. Did she know all along I was here
with him. For anyone else this would be a scary situation but the
more I thought of it the more angry I got. I was bordering on being
murderous.

I was deep in my thoughts when Gabe found me
in his study two hours later. I didn’t hear him come in but I felt
his presence. I looked up and found him staring at me.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

“Is that all my thoughts are worth to you?” I
asked, laughing alittle.

“Sweetheart, I would give you everything I
have to know what brought on that despondent look on your beautiful
face.”

I stood up and went to him. I needed to
deflect. He didn’t need to know the troubles that bombarded my
mind, especially since those troubles involved his security. Not
after everything he’s been through lately. I wrapped my arms around
him, embracing the heat that generated from his body and mumbled
against his bare chest.

“My only thoughts were that of you. Do I let
you sleep in after the long night we had or should I wake you to
satisfy a craving I’ve had since I woke up?”

He tipped my head up so I was staring into
his gorgeous blue eyes. He searched my face, as if he was looking
for answers but the wanton look of lust that I gave him was enough
for him as his lips came crashing down on mine. His tee-shirt that
I had slipped into earlier came off quickly as I struggled to get
his pants off. I found myself being lifted off the ground and in a
matter of seconds I was laid out on his desk. His lips ravaged me
as his hand molded my breast. He growled before his hand trailed
down my stomach, stopping at my core. I gasped as his fingers
entered me, knowing it was a matter of seconds before I came. Gabe
had a way of doing that to me. His touch alone could send me into
spirals and seconds later I was screaming out his name. He tore his
lips from mine and smiled. I tried touching him but he was having
none of that. He wanted inside me and from the looks of his
throbbing cock I knew if I touched him he would explode in my
hands. He grabbed my legs and propped them up on his shoulder and
with a swift plunge he was inside me, filling me, stretching me. I
gasped for air as he pumped in me, his actions frenzied and
demanding. I knew it wouldn’t be long again before I was back on
the spiral and I screamed for more before. He slammed into me one
last time before an explosion erupted inside me and I felt him
spill inside me before he fell on top of me. It took some time
before our ragged breaths became control again and as he brushed my
matted hair from my face and stared into my eyes I never felt more
content and scared in my life.

**********

“Ally, what’s going on with you? I don’t
understand why you’re insisting Dell and Cane accompany me
everywhere I go,” Gabe complained.

Maybe he was picking up on my paranoia but
all week I’ve pushed Dell and Cane on him every time he stepped out
of the house and he was getting a bit tired of it. Not that he mind
having the guys around. They treated him more like of a friend than
a job, even though they took their job seriously, and they were all
comfortable with each other but Gabe strived for normalcy with his
everyday life and that did not include having bodyguards follow him
around. At first he took it in stride when I began insisting they
accompany him everywhere because I sort of hinted now that Bernie
Wilson saw a judge and was granted bail he might have the resources
to post bail. At that thought everyone agreed it was better to be
safe than sorry but now that the week was winding down Gabe began
growing alittle testy and after his little chat with the prosecutor
assigned to the case he saw absolutely no reason to have Dell and
Cane follow him wherever he went. Short of telling him why I
insisted they stayed with him I had no reason to fight with him on
the matter. The last thing I wanted to do was tell Dell and Cane
what my motives were because then they would report directly to
Connor and then everything would be blown out of proportion before
I had answers.

“I’m just a worrier babe. I like knowing
you’re safe and no other deranged fans or psychos could get to
you.”

He laughed a little. “I know but Bernie’s
tucked away behind bars and I was fine before he came along. So
quit worrying will ya. Besides the boys could use some off
time.”

“Okay fine,” I said even though I was not
fine with him going out alone at all. It was after 11 and he was
heading out to his offices where he insisted he’d be holed up all
day in meetings but even there I could not be assured he was going
to be safe.

“And what about you? Ever since it came out
that we’re in a relationship my female fans aren’t to happy with
you. Even worst there isn’t a man out there who doesn’t think
you’re a hottie.”

He had me blushing but he was right. For the
first time I got a glimpse of what Gabe’s public life was really
like. I made the mistake of going out alone on Tuesday and before I
knew it I was rushed by a gaggle of paparazzi and had to rush back
to the car I was using. I also made the mistake of scanning the
gossip columns and entertainment news and found myself being the
topic of many conversations. Fortunately Meg did a nice job of
giving the public enough about me to keep them at bay.

I could see this discussion was going nowhere
so decided to table it. I was hoping Max would have something
definite for me by this weekend and maybe then I would be able to
explain my paranoid behavior to Gabe, but until then I’ll just have
to find a sneaky way of protecting him without him realizing
it.

“Babe, would you mind if I came with you and
bum around at your office? It’ll be nice to get out of the house
and I’ll get to see Meg,” I asked as nicely as I could without
raising suspicion.

“I don’t see why not. Jonah’s heading in also
so you’ll have people around that you know.”

And just like that I became his protection
detail for the day.

***********

How one person could light up a room the way
she did is beyond me. I walked into the office today with an extra
spring to my step with her by my side before handing her off to
Meg. Meg was ecstatic she came in with me claiming she was her
excuse to avoid handling me today. Hours later the sounds of her
laughter coming from Meg’s office caught my attention, drawing me
to her. I stood at Meg’s door, without being noticed, listening to
Meg and Jonah detail an embarrassing moment I once had at the
premiere of one of my movies that involved my pants getting caught
on a chair and ripping. It was good seeing her relaxed. All week
she seemed to be on edge, as though she was expecting something bad
to happen. Her insistent on having Dell and Cane with me every time
I stepped out of the house made me think she knew something I
didn’t, but I trusted her enough to know that if there was
something going on concerning my safety she would come to me first
instead of handling me. After all anything concerning my safety
concerned her safety as well now that we were publicly linked
together. I eventually chalked it up to residual paranoia from the
whole Bernie Wilson episode.

She looked up and caught my eyes, a smile on
her face. I felt an overwhelming rush of love just looking at her.
I knew I was in love with her, I’ve known it for quite sometime. I
only hoped with enough time she’d feel secure enough to admit her
own feelings because there was no question in my mind that this was
the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with.

“I felt my ears burning so I came to the
source.”

She jumped up and came to me, wrapping her
arms around me.

“Babe, why didn’t you tell me about the pants
incident?” she asked, her voice filled with laughter.

“Come on guys, why are you trying to make me
look bad in front of my woman?”

Looking at Meg and Jonah I tried giving them
my most stern look but the grins on their faces had me breaking
down.

Looking down at her I said,

“I swear, I honestly forget to wear
underwear. I was so nervous about the movie I wasn’t thinking
straight when I got dressed. Had I known I was going to get my
pants caught on a chair which resulted in a big rip in the butt
area I would have dressed more carefully.”

She laughed against my chest.

“I can’t imagine you being nervous,
especially about a movie that you won best actor for,” she said,
trying to pacify my still existing embarrassment about that
incident.

“That I did,” I said before bending my head
and reaching for her lips. I have never been one for PDA but with
Ally it came so naturally.

Later that afternoon we entered the foyer of
the house wrapped in each other’s arms, whispering promises of a
fun evening to come when we heard muffled voices coming from the
direction of the kitchen. Ally and I followed the voices and as we
got closer recognition dawned on both of us. We stepped into the
kitchen, a huge grin on my face as I spied my brother wolfing down
one of Marianna’s fabulous dishes. Ally squealed at the sight of
him.

“Tyler,” she squealed before pulling out of
my arms and running into his.

“Ally cat,” Tyler said, jumping out of his
chair in time to catch her in a bear hug.