At peace with her decision, she rubbed the dog’s head as they walked through the house to the living room and both reclined on the couch.
When the doorbell rang, Audrey sat up, and Black Sabbath let out a large bark. She hadn’t realized that she’d fallen asleep. And the dog must have too.
He accompanied her to the door, and she flicked the lock without even a thought. But then, she thought about the person who had been taking pictures outside of her salon. And then she thought about the impromptu run Gregory and Black Sabbath had taken earlier that morning. Inching up on her toes, she looked out the peephole on the door and was grateful to see Gregory standing there.
A smile slid over his lips as she opened the door. He looked tired. Perhaps he wouldn’t stay after all. But then she noticed the bag that sat on the ground next to his feet.
“It looks like you had a rough afternoon,” she said.
He scanned a look over her, and then down at the dog. “And it looks like the two of you took it easy.”
Audrey ran a hand down the dog’s back. “We had some visitors, some wine, and yes we took a little nap.”
“Are you going to let me in? Or have you had too many visitors?”
She hadn’t even realized she hadn’t invited him into her home. And wasn’t it odd that the dog stayed at her side?
Audrey stepped back, and Gregory picked up his bag and walked through the door.
There wasn’t another moment like there had been earlier. She hadn’t been pushed up against the door. There was no romantic interlude. There seemed to be something on his mind.
“Can I offer you something to drink? I have some wine. I also have a few beers in the refrigerator if you’re interested.”
The smile that formed on his lips was weary. “I’ll take one of those beers.”
“Make yourself at home on the couch. I’ll get the beer.”
He did as she said, and the dog followed him this time. Perhaps the dog understood that there was something wrong.
As she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer, she thought about Gregory’s mood. She’d seen it before. Her sister Bethany, too, had been as worried, or so it seemed. Was this the same kind of thing?
In her mind, putting a movie together wasn’t that big of a deal. Wasn’t it all feeding egos? Sure, there were long hours, but honestly, how could there be any stress?
She turned to the drawer next to her and took out the bottle opener. She pulled the top from the beer and discarded it in the trash. Replacing the opener, she shut the drawer with her hip and took a moment to collect herself.
It was called justification, she thought, this maddening thing going through her head. Every person that she knew had told her to be careful. Now, there sat a moody man in her living room, and she didn’t know him well at all. But he was there. And she asked him to bring his overnight bag.
She looked at the beer in her hand and wondered if she should offer it to him. Her sister, at her lowest, had been addicted to prescription medication. Nobody had known at the time. But the look on Gregory’s face was too familiar to her now. Would this beer send him over the edge?
The dog walked into the kitchen and straight over to her. She wondered if she would miss Gregory as much as she would miss this damn dog when he left. Black Sabbath seemed to nudge her out of the kitchen and back toward the living room. Gregory sat on her couch, his head tipped back, his eyes closed. The gentle sound of his breath told her he had fallen asleep.
It gave her a moment to study the man, without him knowing. Did a man, as famous as him, fall asleep in just any woman’s house? Was his comfort level so great with her that he could simply fall asleep?
She set the beer on the coffee table in front of her. Taking the TV remote, she muted the sound. That seemed to wake him up.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry. I guess I fell asleep.”
“It’s been a long day. It’s nearly ten-thirty.”
“I have to be on set at six in the morning.” He moved his head from side to side as if to stretch out the kinks in his neck. “Is this beer for me?” He asked nodding toward the beer on the table.
“Yes.”
Gregory picked up the beer and took a pull from it. He let out a refreshed sigh. “Thanks. I needed that.” Looking up at her he said, “can I convince you to share it with me and sit here on the couch?”
He didn’t look as depressed now as he looked tired, she thought. She damned her cynical mind for always making the worst of something.
Audrey sat down right next to Gregory, took the beer from his hand, and took a long pull herself. Black Sabbath hopped up next to Gregory and laid his head on his lap.
“Goofy dog thinks we’re at home. I’m sorry he’s jumped up on your furniture.”
She looked at the dog so comfortable on his owner’s lap. “We were napping together on the couch earlier. He’s fine to stay there.”
“You’re a very accommodating hostess,” Gregory said. “I should probably take him back to the hotel. Monday morning’s going to be here awfully early.” He reached his hand up to her hair and gave it a stroke. “I guess you have to go to work tomorrow too.”
“I don’t usually work on Mondays,” Audrey said. “I’ll go in later in the morning and get some last minute details put together on the salon. If everything goes right, I can open the doors next week. I won’t have a grand opening for a few more weeks. But anything to not work out of my kitchen anymore.”
He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I’m proud of you for what you’re building,” he said.
It struck her as odd that he would be proud. “How can you be proud of somebody you don’t know.”
“I know you better than you think I do. Why can’t I be proud of you?”
“I guess in my head, and you can only be proud of somebody if you’ve known them their whole life.”
He brushed his fingers down her throat and over her shoulders. “Well, now you know you were wrong.” He grinned at her.
The feelings that were taking over inside of her were conflicting with one another. He was a stranger. He was a gorgeous man. She hadn’t known him but a week. Certainly wasn’t long enough to feel the things she was feeling. Every person she knew had already warned her to be careful. So why, as she looked into those deep blue eyes, did she feel the pull to keep him near?
Audrey licked her lips, as her mouth had gone dry. “Do you have to go back to the hotel?”
His fingers had moved back to the side of her neck and gently feathered intimate touches on her skin.
“I don’t have to go back at all.”
“Stay here with me. Spend the night with me, in my bed.”
There was a flash in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. He no longer looked tired. He no longer looked depressed, or upset. Perhaps her eyes matched. Because in his eyes, she saw desire.
21
Gregory managed to maneuver himself out from under the sleeping dog. He took Audrey’s hand and pulled her to him.
“He’ll be asleep for hours.” His hand wandered down her back. “But we’ll wanna leave the bedroom door open for him. Sooner or later, he’s going to wonder where he is. And in turn, he’s going to come looking for us.”
“Not a problem,” she said breathlessly as his hands wandered over her bottom and back up.
Gregory pressed a kiss to her lips, and she swallowed the panic that had begun to bubble up inside of her. Sex wasn’t a new thing to her. Sex with a stranger wasn’t even a new thing to her. Why did this feel so different? Something tugged at her heart. Something she’d never felt before.
Gregory’s lips slipped from hers and moved down her neck to that delicate place on her collarbone that made her moan without even thinking about it. His hands moved under the hem of her shirt and pressed against her skin. Warmth. Electricity. It all mixed and made her dizzy.
Audrey pulled from him, taking his hand. “I can’t stand here much longer. My knees are going we
ak.”
The smile that crossed his lips now was nearly devious. “I could carry you, if you’d like.”
The offer let that bubble of panic slip through in the form of a choked giggle. “I’ll walk, but I think we’d better hurry.”
She tugged him down the hallway, afraid to look back, afraid to lose her nerve. The moment they stepped over the threshold to her bedroom, he spun her around and lifted her off the ground. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, and her legs did the same around his waist.
Gregory’s fingers were knotted in her hair, and his mouth had found hers. The kiss was hotter than any that had come before it. The warmth of it, in anticipation of it, and its execution had her clinging on as if it were for dear life.
Gregory walked across the room until his knees hit the bed and he dropped them both down onto the mattress. “I’d have liked to have taken this a lot slower,” he said as he tugged off his shirt. “Remember that I’m promising you one slower.”
She heard his promise but simply didn’t see the need for it. She was as rushed as he was. Pulling off her shirt, she saw his gaze linger. Appreciation? Dear God, she hoped so.
When she released the front clasp of her bra, his mouth opened.
“And when we go slower,” he said as he slipped off his pants. “I’m going to leave the light on and enjoy every single moment.”
* * *
Sleep didn’t come as easily as Gregory had hoped. Exhausted, was an understatement. But how could he sleep when the woman he was falling in love with was wrapped in his arms.
He hadn’t meant to fall in love with her, he knew. It wasn’t the way the game was played. New town. New woman. No regrets. But this was so much different.
Sex had been incredible. He’d had enough sex to know that this was outstanding. He had lingered in a woman’s bedroom with them wrapped in his arms before. So why did this one feel so right? Perhaps it was the dog laying across the end of the bed over their feet. Even with his ex, the dog never did that.
He anticipated the alarm on his telephone to go off any moment alerting him that it was time to return to the studio. He loved his job. Nothing would ever change that. But what he wouldn’t give for a few days to never leave her bedroom.
When the dog’s ears perked up and sent him sitting up on his hind legs, Gregory took note. A moment later he heard the crash as if somebody had knocked over all the pottery on the balcony.
The noise was enough to wake Audrey up from her deep sleep. She came up so fast that their heads collided and her scream had Black Sabbath yelping a loud, disturbing bark.
She quickly covered her forehead with her hand, and he saw the tears welling in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Audrey winced but nodded. “I’m fine, but what the hell was that noise?”
“Something outside,” he said as he tossed his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his pants. “You stay here,” he told her. “We’ll go find out what happened.”
He snapped his fingers, and the dog jumped off the bed and moved right in beside him. God, he loved that dog.
With his phone in his hand, he used the light as a flashlight to guide him down the hall. It was times like this that he wished he was as brave as the characters he played in movies. But the truth was, this scared the hell out of him.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had someone stalk him, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to Audrey. She didn’t deserve that.
The door to the balcony was still closed and locked, but from the window, he could see that the furniture had been toppled. Perhaps someone was trying to get in and fell over the small table.
“What is it?” Audrey whispered from down the hall.
“The table got knocked over.”
“Is the wind blowing?”
He wondered if she’d buy it if he told her it was, but he decided against that. Nothing good ever started out with a lie. “No. I think someone was here and kicked it over when they ran off.”
“Someone was here? At my house?” The volume of her voice rose with the panic. “Oh, God.”
He and Black Sabbath moved back to her. He took her hands in his—they shook. “You’re safe.”
“How can I be safe if I have people up on my balcony? It’s not like they just wandered through my yard.”
“Let’s get you packed up, and you’re going back to the hotel with me. There’s security there. Tomorrow you’ll call the police.”
She nodded. “I’ll let Phillip know,” she said as she turned back to her room.
He didn’t know who Phillip was, but she seemed calmer by wanting to discuss it with him.
Within a half hour, they were driving away from her building and headed toward the hotel. Time was quickly slipping from getting any good sleep before he had to be on set. This was one of those days he dreaded, fourteen hours of work when his mind was already mush. If he ever were hired for another movie after this one, he’d be surprised. Then again, there were working actors who were far worse than him at being exhausted and unreliable.
22
They managed a few hours of sleep, and Gregory figured that was good enough. He had breakfast sent up to his room, and while Audrey was in the shower, he took Black Sabbath outside for a quick walk.
While outside, he called his manager and told him about what had happened. He told him about the person following him on the path the other day. And he complained about Pepper Dawson being on set. He’d been prepared for his manager to scold him for not using the bodyguards that the production company provided. Gregory still didn’t think it was quite necessary. He did, however, worry about Audrey’s safety.
When he returned to the hotel room, Audrey sat on the bed in a white terry towel robe, the TV news on.
“I just realized it’s six-thirty. Weren’t you supposed to be on set at six?”
“I called in a few favors,” he said as he unhooked the dog’s leash. That was part of the phone call to his manager, he thought. He didn’t know why they extended any favors to him at all after his Vegas stunt. But they had. “They are sending a driver for me. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
“I should get dressed then. I’ll be ready to go and get out of here.”
Black Sabbath wandered the room as if to get a feel for the mood. Gregory sat next to her on the bed. “Why don’t you stay here today. You’d be safer here.”
“Don’t pull that bullshit hero stuff on me,” she said through gritted teeth. “I have never needed a man to take care of me, and I never will need a man to take care of me.”
He let the harsh words settle, understanding that they were fueled by fear. “I can arrange a car for you. Or you’re welcome to take the truck.”
She worried her bottom lip for a moment. “I’ll take the truck. People are used to seeing that very truck outside whatever establishment I’m at.”
“And don’t forget, you promised to call the police.”
“I’ve already sent Phillip a text. He’ll be at my salon around seven o’clock this morning.”
“Good. I’m going to be occupied for the next few days, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’ll be just fine,” she snapped as she stood up and went back to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Gregory sat for another moment. After last night, he hadn’t expected her to be upset with him. And he couldn’t quite decide if she was upset with him or the situation. Either way, it wasn’t looking good for him. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
“Let me take the dog with me,” she offered. “At least if he’s with me today, he’ll have a little freedom.”
It was a generous offer, he thought. Although he was sure it had nothing to do with being generous. He was beginning to understand her, and this was her way of keeping the dog close to her for safety.
“I’m sure he’d like that a hell of a lot better than wandering around the set
with other people.”
“Of course he would,” she bit out the words. “He’ll be fine with me the entire time. No need to rush to find him after you’re done tonight. I’m sure it will be late.”
Gregory stood and wiped his palms on his thighs. “Okay, then let’s talk about tonight. I’d be happier if you didn’t go back to your house.”
“And I’m not afraid of my own house. Whatever happened last night isn’t going to happen again. Besides, I’ll have him with me,” she said as she nodded toward the dog.
“Then expect me late tonight. I’ll call you before I show up,” he said as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the display. “My ride is here. I need to get going.”
Audrey quickly gathered her few items that she had brought. Then, she grabbed the leash and hooked it to the dog’s collar. “Is there anything I should know? He’s not some special Hollywood dog, is he? Does he need certain kinds of food? Seltzer water? Perhaps I should book him for a doggy massage,” she snapped.
If she were any other woman, he would’ve walked out of that room with the dog and never looked back. It wasn’t like that with this one. He’d let her have her moment. She deserved to be a little bit angry.
“He’s your normal average dog. I know he’ll be fine with you.” A few moments later they were in the lobby and going their separate ways. He had given her the keys to the pickup truck that once belonged to her family. And he climbed into the black sedan that would take him to the set.
As the car pulled away from the hotel, he turned around to watch her walk the dog to the pickup truck and let him inside. His stomach knotted, and his heart rate quickened. The thought that somebody could hurt her made him sick. Was it all because of him? He didn’t know her all that well. But he didn’t imagine she was any kind of troublemaker.
When he had a little bit of a break, he would do some researching of his own. Not that he didn’t trust her. But perhaps it would be better if he got to know her, from an outside perspective. He was used to people telling him tales to get his attention. She hadn’t told him anything. But then again he hadn’t asked. So who was Audrey Walker? All he knew was he was beginning to fall in love with her.
Walker Spirit Page 12
