I stand up, and he pulls me into his arms. I wrap my hands around his neck, and we sway together and kiss for the next few minutes. Kyle breaks the kiss and pulls away.
We walk together to the door and indulge in another long lingering kiss.
“If we keep this up, you’re not going to get any work done,” he says.
And then he is off, and the apartment is quiet.
I want to dive into work, but before I do, I desperately need to speak to someone. I return to my bedroom, grab my phone, and plop down on the bed. I speed-dial Isla’s number, and I’m relieved when she answers on the second ring.
“Hey, you,” I say.
“Hello, stranger,” she says.
“Are you at Mark’s? I can call back.”
“No, I’m at home, and he just left. What’s up?” Isla says.
“Where do I start? Kyle wants me to move in with him,” I blurt out and then tell her the rest of it, his worries about security and assurance that I’ll get to keep my apartment.
“I agree in that your apartment doesn’t offer the best security,” Isla says.
I tense. “Are you saying that I should move in with him?”
“I’m saying that you should be realistic about who you’re dating. He’s not Jack the firefighter. He’s Kyle, one of the biggest movie stars.”
“Grrrrrrr … you’re no help.”
She laughs. “I can’t tell you what to do, but you shouldn’t give in to it if you don’t want to. Life is too short to force yourself to do stuff that doesn’t make you happy.”
We wind up the conversation, and I don’t feel any closer to making a decision. I put on my smock and head to the studio, grateful for the sanctuary that my little hobby provides.
Except now, it’s not a hobby. I’m going to have my own solo show. Everything is already set up, and I dive into work. As it happens when I’m into a project, I lose track of time and place, and nothing else matters except for the story I’m creating on the canvas.
I don’t know how much time has passed when I hear the doorbell ring. I jump from my chair and hurry to the door. My heart dances when I see Kyle.
“How did you come up without me buzzing you in?”
“There was a girl from downstairs leaving the building. She buzzed me in,” Kyle says.
I see what he means about security being lax in my building. Kyle kisses me and then looks at the front of my smock.
“Have you been working since I left?” he says.
“Yes,” I say sheepishly.
“You make me feel like a slacker.”
“Don’t. I’m not usually like this, but I’m feeling particularly inspired.”
“I can’t wait to see the finished products unless you want to give me a peek now. You know, the kind reserved for special people in your life,” Kyle says.
I laughed. “Not going to happen.”
“I’ll be patient then,” Kyle says. “I’m taking you on a picnic.”
My heart soars. “Okay. I’ll just change into something decent.”
I change into a pair of jeans and then follow Kyle out of the building.
“Where’s Ethan?” I ask him when we go to his regular parking at the back of the building.
“He’s off. I’m your driver today,” Kyle says, walking to a silver Porsche I hadn’t noticed.
“Nice.” I slip into the passenger seat. The inside is luxurious with black leather seats, wood trim, and a dashboard that looks like it should be in a small airplane.
We drive out of the city, and I sink further back into the comfortable seat as my busy day catches up with me. I let out a yawn, and my eyes threaten to close.
That’s when I realize that we in some kind of park. “We’re going hiking?”
Kyle laughs. “You’re so cute when you’re tired, and the answer is no. Just a picnic with a view.”
We drive uphill for ten minutes or so. Kyle drives off the road and follows a dirt road until we come to the end of it. He stops the car and comes around to open my door. Only then do I realize we are on top of a mountain, and the view is absolutely lovely. Below us are the tops of trees that resemble hundreds of gigantic umbrellas. Kyle opens the back passenger door and removes a picnic basket. The sight of it reminds me that I haven’t eaten.
“Still tired?” he asks me as he locks the car.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He grins and takes my hand. “I know this quiet place.”
I chuckle. “How do you know these places?”
“You have to know them if you want to be out and still have some privacy.”
We follow a path framed by towering trees until we come to an open space with wild grass growing tall and swaying in the wind. A sweet, honeyed scent wafts up my nostrils, and a soothing noise fills the air.
“What is that?” I ask Kyle, stopping in my tracks.
“You’ll see,” he says mysteriously. “You’re safe; don’t worry.”
He tugs my hand, and we continue walking. We go through the meadow and to another path. Then all of a sudden, as if a curtain has been drawn open, there lies a magnificent, huge waterfall.
Streaks of gold sparkle in the water as it tumbles down the rocks that jut out from the waterfall. “Oh, this place is beautiful.”
“I knew you’d like it,” Kyle says.
“Thank you for bringing me.” I’m surrounded by so much beauty that it makes me emotional.
Chapter 20
Kyle
I’m caught in the sweet place between sleep and wakefulness. My hand is resting on Grace’s hip, and her body is nestled against mine. A noise blares, and I sit up with a start before I realize that it’s a phone.
Grace sleepily reaches for it. “Hello. Who? Okay, hang on.” She covers the phone’s mouthpiece. “It’s for you. He says he’s your agent, Sebastian.”
I take the phone puzzled as to why Sebastian would be calling me on a Monday morning. “Morning,” I growl into the phone, thoroughly irritated at being woken up.
“Can you turn on the TV,” Sebastian says, his voice terse.
“Okay.” I don’t complain or object. Sebastian is not an alarmist, and there must be a good reason for this. He tells me the channel number.
I push away the covers, stand up, grab a pair of boxers, and turn to Grace. “I’m going to turn on the TV.”
She gets off the bed even though I try to tell her it’s not necessary. I pad into the living room, flick the remote control, and press the channel number just as Grace comes to stand beside me.
“What’s going on?” she asks sleepily.
Before I can answer, a familiar image fills the screen, and Grace identifies it before I can.
“Why is my building on TV?” she shrieks.
I turn up the volume.
“This is the apartment building where Kyle Bryce is holed up with his current girlfriend, our sources tell us.”
Blood leaves my face. I take two steps to the window that looks out at the street below, and I see them. What looks to be dozens of photographers and reporters.
“How did they know?” Grace whispers.
I wrack my brain. “Could be from the girl who let me in. She looked at me funny, but she didn’t say anything.”
“Oh God,” Grace says.
I take her into my arms. “It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
“What are we going to do?” she says.
Her phone rings, and it’s Sebastian. He’s got the head of the security firm I use with him.
“We’ve organized for a decoy at the front of the building. Meanwhile, Ethan will be waiting for you at the rear of the building. There’s an emergency exit.”
“What about Grace?” I ask.
“That’s up to the both of you. You can go with her or not. Those vultures won’t know which apartment you came from, so she’s safe for now. Someone will come to the door and escort you out.”
“Okay, thanks.” I disconnect the call and turn to Grace. “I h
ave to go. You can come with me if you like, but you don’t have to. They won’t know where I was, so you’re safe for now.”
I see the war waging in her. It’s not fair that the world has invaded our lives so suddenly, but to be honest, it was bound to happen. Ever since I gave that interview, the press has been desperate for glimpses of me, more so because of my altered looks.
She folds her hands around her chest. “I’ll stay. I have to go to work later today.”
It hurts, but I nod and kiss her lightly on her mouth. Her lips are cold. I don’t know what this means for us, but this is not the time to figure that out.
“Okay.” I go into her bedroom and dress.
Grace puts on a bathrobe and walks me to the living room. A discreet knock comes on the door. I turn to Grace, kiss her, and walk out.
I feel as if I’ve left my heart behind as I follow the security guy out of the building through a network of hallways and stairs. Five minutes later, he’s holding the door of the SUV open for me.
“Sorry you got your morning ruined,” Ethan says.
“That’s a long sentence for a man of few words,” I quip back.
Ethan pulls the car out of the parking and onto the road. It feels wrong to leave Grace behind. Like I’m abandoning ship. The trouble is that I can’t stay. It’s safer for her if I leave and take the attention with me.
I turn on my phone and see the missed calls from Sebastian and Ethan. I’m tempted to call Grace, but she’s probably getting ready for work. Ethan tells me that the press has followed the decoy car at the front of the building. That’s good. Grace will be able to go about her day without worrying about the media taking pictures of her.
***
I’m going through the mail that Chris has kept aside and thinks I should look at. Most are from fans but are more than the usual fan letters. They are personal, with people sharing stories of the stuff they are going through and how one of my movies helped them. It’s always nice and humbling to read one of those.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I quickly fish it out, hoping that it’s Grace. It’s not. It’s Sebastian.
“They’ve found her. A sneaky reporter stayed behind and recorded Grace getting into her car and going to work. Now they are camped outside the fire station. We’ve had a word with the chief and organized for Grace to be picked up and brought here. Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course.” When we end the call, I bang my fist on the table.
Chris must have heard our conversation because he turns on the TV just in time to see Grace being bundled into an SUV and driven off.
“Poor Grace, she’s not cut out for this,” Chris says as we both stare at the screen.
“Yeah.” He’s right. Grace is not cut out for such an invasion of privacy, but I can’t let her go. I want her in my life, and I’ll protect her with everything I’ve got, but she has to let me.
“We’ll finish this later or tomorrow. I’ll go wait for her outside.”
I can imagine how she’s feeling now. Exposed and hunted like prey. I’ve felt that and so much more. The difference is that I chose this life, and she didn’t. I hang around outside until the gates slide open and the SUV drives through.
I meet it as it comes to a stop in front of the house. I open the door, and Grace steps out. She looks pale and harassed. I take her hand and lead her to the house. Only when the door is shut do I take her in my arms.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her. “I wish there was something I could do to take it away.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not your fault. You did warn me that they would find out at some point.”
“I’m sorry it had to be so soon.”
“I got a leave of absence from work to give this time to die off,” Grace says. “I guess I’ll take you up on your offer. I can’t imagine going back home now. I feel so insecure.”
“It’s a horrible experience when they swarm over you like that.”
She shudders. “I feel dirty. I need a bath.”
“You’re home now and safe. I’ll get someone to get your clothes and paintings. If there’s anything else you need, you can ask for it. Let’s go upstairs.”
As we head for the stairs, Chris appears. He smiles at Grace. “I’m sorry about what happened. You’ll be safe here.”
“Thanks,” Grace says and smiles bravely.
We go upstairs, and I draw her a bath. The pale, frightened look leaves her face as she sinks into the warm water.
“Heaven, this almost makes it worth it,” she jokes. “Do you want to join me?”
“No, I’ll just sit here and look at you.”
She laughs. “You’re very charming, Mr. Bryce, and just what the doctor ordered.”
Later, much later, after we’ve made love and relaxed, we go back downstairs.
“It’s so quiet,” Grace says.
I turn on the light for the kitchen. “That’s because there’s no one. Chris left, and Ethan is in his cottage, as is Maria.”
“This is nice,” she says as she slides onto a barstool.
I open the fridge and remove two foil-covered plates. I peel off the foil to reveal a nice dinner of steak, broccoli, and baked potatoes. I pop the plates into the microwave, and when they are hot, I carry them to the island.
“Yum,” Grace says, peering at her food.
I grab the cutlery from the drawer and then join her at the island. “There you go.”
“Thank you.”
“Feeling better?” I ask her as we eat.
She nods. “A lot better. Not as disjointed as I felt earlier.”
“That’s great. I gave Ethan your house keys. A female security agent will escort him to your apartment tomorrow, and they’ll pack up everything you need.”
“Thank you.”
“They don’t know your identity. That’s a good thing,” I remind her.
She shrugs. “Let’s not worry about that tonight.”
“Good idea.”
I pour us some wine, and we chat about her plans for the coming weeks.
“I’m glad I have something to do, and I have you to thank for that,” Grace says. “Thanks for introducing me to Greg.”
“I might have introduced you, but it’s your talent that sold him.”
It’s nice to share the evening with someone I care about deeply. Usually, at this time, I’m alone until the following morning when Maria comes in and later Ethan and Chris.
“I hope this whole business won’t freak out your parents,” I tell her.
“Yeah, me too, but I know it will. It will remind them of my parents.” Grace takes a sip of her wine. “You know that’s the one thing that used to piss me off, especially when I was younger.”
“What’s that?”
She takes on a faraway look. “I remember this one time when my friends and I went to the airport to catch a glimpse of some visiting musician. I can’t remember who. Anyway, we went to the airport, which turned out to be a waste of time. Their flight was coming in much later. No way could we wait.”
I laugh. “I can’t imagine you doing something like that.”
“I was a teenager. All teenagers do crazy stuff. I bet that’s pale by comparison to the things you did.”
I laugh. “Go on. What happened?”
“Can you believe we bumped into the mom of one of my friends? When I got home, I found Mom and Dad waiting for me in the living room, worried expressions on their faces.”
I can visualize Grace’s parents in the situation she describes. They are the kind of people who take life very seriously, and I imagine teenage misdemeanors would have been taken with the same seriousness.
“I could understand their disappointment. What I hated was the way the whole thing turned to my parents.”
“That you were becoming like them?”
“Yeah, and warnings that if I weren’t careful, I’d turn into my dad.”
“Highly unlikely. For one, you were just a teenager, not a grown-ass rock star
.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not according to my parents. I never knew when I did something whether it would be construed as behaving like my parents.”
“That’s tough.”
She drinks some more wine. “This will play out the same way, I’m sure.”
“I’m sure they know you’re a responsible adult.”
“I hope so,” she says.
“I’m sorry about your job at the station. I know how much you love it.”
“It’s fine. To be honest, I could have done with a break. Dealing with loss and devastation causes you to burn out. I have a feeling that I wasn’t too far off. It’s just happened in an unexpected way, but I’ll take it.”
I grin, proud of the way she’s dealing with it. She’s surprised me as I was sure that the press finding out about her would break her. She’s taking it in stride, and I’m so fucking proud of her.
Chapter 21
Grace
Every time I take a break from my work and look around, I smile at my surroundings. The sunroom is perfect for painting. The light is unbelievable with the sun casting gold rays into the room. I take a look at the progress I’ve made on the piece I’m working on, and satisfaction settles in me.
My muscles are achy, though, and I stand up to stretch. As I do so, I catch a glimpse of my phone blinking with a message. It has been on silent. I wasn’t expecting any calls or messages from Kyle. He and Chris were going to meet Damon King, the guy that Kyle is playing in his next movie. I’ve heard of him, and so has every firefighter. It’s a sad tale and a reminder of how dangerous our job can get.
It’s already one o’clock, and the beginnings of hunger pangs come over my stomach. I swipe to read the message and smile when I see that it’s from my mom. My smile turns into a frown when I see that it’s not in fact a message but the URL of a website. She has sent me several of them ever since she learned that Jack was Kyle Bryce, and I can’t think of a nice way to tell her to stop. I click on the URL, and it takes me to a celebrity gossip website.
Movie Star dating twins! the headline screams, and it goes on to describe how Kyle was having an affair with identical twins. It’s the most ridiculous story, and I don’t give it a second thought as I return my phone to the stool and head downstairs.
One Hot Secret: A Second Chance Romance (Love on Fire) Page 12
