Starstruck: Hollywood Heat, Book 3

by Ashleigh Raine

  “Is it always like this?” she said beneath her breath, aware that ears were tuned their way as well. “Do people know you everywhere?” She flinched at how naïve she sounded. “Sorry. That was a dumb question. Of course people know you. I sometimes forget you’re Micah Watley.” Oh Lord, she had major foot-in-mouth disease going on. “I mean, I sometimes forget you’re a celebrity, since you’re just Micah to me.” She forced herself to look up and meet his gaze, hoping her asshat behavior wasn’t making him think she was crazy.

  He was smiling, but not only with his sexy lips. His eyes, his entire expression, radiated happiness. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, “I like being just Micah to you.”

  A man in standard manager dress—white shirt, black tie—walked briskly over to Micah, his hand extended. The two shook hands. “Micah. Thank you for joining us this evening. Right this way please.”

  Micah offered Jenna his arm and winked. “My lady.”

  Even with anxiety gnawing at her stomach, she didn’t have to force the smile. She liked being his lady, the weirdness going on around them notwithstanding. She took his arm, and they followed the manager past a row of tables with high-backed booths until they reached the rear of the restaurant. The booth wasn’t exactly secluded, but it afforded them more privacy than they’d had standing next to the front door.

  The manager handed them menus. “Always good to see you, Micah. Jack was here the other day.”

  “Yeah, he likes this place almost as much as I do. He doesn’t only find me jobs, he finds me the best restaurants.”

  “I appreciate the kind words and your business.” The manager acknowledged Jenna with a nod before turning back to Micah. “I’ll be right back.”

  The man walked away. Reaching across the table, Micah took her hand. “You okay? You look a bit dazed.”

  “I guess I’m not a very good actor.” The hand not being cradled by Micah smoothed the napkin in her lap. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous.”

  “Is dinner with me really that scary?” Although he asked the question with a teasing tone, the intense look in his eyes made it clear exactly how much her answer mattered to him.

  “Not scary. Just…different. I’m used to being the center of attention when I’m on stage at Stars, but this…simply walking through a restaurant and having everyone stare. Do you ever get used to it?”

  Micah shrugged. “Not really. But if I think about it too much, I go crazy and never want to leave my house. So I’m careful of what I do and where I do it. The rest is beyond my control.”

  “I feel a little bit like I fell down Alice’s rabbit hole. I’m seeing the world from a different angle. Your angle. It’s not a bad view, not at all, especially having you in it.” She squeezed his hand. “It’s just…new. To embarrassingly demonstrate how unsophisticated I am, I’ve never even used a valet before.”

  “You don’t have those in Northern California?”

  “Not where I’m from.”

  “Welcome to L.A., where everyone drives, but no one parks.”

  “I guess I’ve always been no one.” She said it lightly, but Micah’s reaction made Jenna regret opening her big mouth. His eyebrows pulled together and he looked troubled. Before she could retract and rephrase, the manager was back at the table, a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand.

  “In celebration of the renewal of your show,” the manager said as he filled each glass. “Compliments of the house.”

  Micah nodded. “Thank you, Paul.”

  Paul returned the nod. “Your server, Lila, will be with you shortly. Please don’t hesitate to let us know of anything you need to make your night complete.”

  With his departure, Jenna raised her glass. This she could do right. “To another year of Sexy M.D. Congratulations, Micah. You deserve all the praise and more.”

  Micah shook his head. “I have another celebration in mind.” His thumb rubbed over the back of her hand, and with his free hand he lifted his glass. “To Jenna. My someone.”

  He clinked his glass with hers and took a drink. Jenna attempted to do the same, but the lump in her throat made it hard to swallow. No fairytale heroine had ever had it as good as she did right now with Micah.

  The dinner was great, but the company was even better. Between bites, Jenna and Micah laughed, talked, flirted, sampled each other’s food—all the normal things people did on a first date.

  Jenna leaned against the back of the booth with a contented sigh. “I’m stuffed. That was undoubtedly the best bacon cheeseburger in the history of the world.”

  “I just like the fact that you ate the bacon cheeseburger. Most actresses I know—hell, most women I know—wouldn’t touch one if their life depended on it. It was sexy watching you eat. Course that might’ve had something to do with the way you moaned with every bite.” Under the table, he nudged her foot with his.

  “I’m not even going to pretend to be embarrassed because that burger was worth every single moan. I will never be one of those actresses who turn sideways and disappear or who eat a piece of lettuce and are full. I like food way too much to starve myself.”

  “And I like the way you like food.” His tongue came out to lick the corner of his mouth, picking up a trace of barbecue sauce and raising Jenna’s temperature. Purposely, she was sure, because his expression grew naughty. “I hope you saved room for dessert. They have the best red velvet cupcakes I’ve ever eaten.”

  “You had me at cupcakes.”

  Micah stood. “I’ll be right back. If Lila comes while I’m gone, order three, no four, oh, hell with that, six cupcakes. We’ll take the leftovers with us to enjoy later tonight.” He winked and headed in the direction of the restrooms. Jenna enjoyed the view as he walked away, until she realized that she wasn’t the only one watching. Way too many people were focused on him and her. Deep in fantastic first-date mode with Micah, she’d forgotten about everyone else. Had Micah been able to forget too? Would he even want to?

  Sliding farther into the booth and away from prying eyes, Jenna pulled her phone from her black velvet clutch and rubbed her fingertips over the familiar green rhinestone star decorating the back. How many times over the years had she called or texted her mom to tell her how a date was going? And this date surpassed all others in every way.

  Rather than text anyone, Jenna opened the note function on her phone. After her mom had died she’d started a diary of sorts, things she would’ve written to her mom. Not surprisingly, the last week was full of notes about Micah.

  Mom, I’m officially an extra. Worked on Sexy M.D. Played a bad game of limbo and got up close and personal with Dr. Dale. (And he’s totally hotter in person than he is on TV and a really nice guy.)

  Micah Watley came to see me at Stars! Mom, you’d totally love him. He made sure I got home safe, then, um, well…I know what he looks like in the morning. And even though he spent the night with your daughter, you’d still love him. I promise.

  Micah sent me flowers. At work. With the sweetest note ever. Mom, I’m falling for him…

  Jenna typed out a new note. Mom, I’m having the best first date ever. He makes me so happy. I’m no longer falling. I’ve fallen. Completely. I’m pretty sure I’m in lov—

  “Everything okay?”

  Feeling like a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she fought a blush as Micah settled back in to his side of the booth, and tucked her phone into her purse. “I’m g—”

  “Micah Watley?” A girl in her mid-teens with brown doe eyes and a Scarlett O’Hara accent tiptoed up to the table. “Ohmigod. It is you. None of our friends back home are gonna believe this. Can we get a picture with you?” She gestured a rapid “come here” to another, younger girl, who was standing about ten feet away looking both excited and terrified. Cell phone in hand, the young girl approached, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

  “Okay, sure.” Micah climbed out of the booth, leaned down and put his arm around the teen’s shoulders. The girl’s grin was so big, cu
te and infectious, Jenna had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing. If she’d had the chance to meet a favorite celebrity when she was a teen, she would’ve reacted the exact same way.

  “What are your names?” He shot Jenna an apologetic but amused glance as the girls switched places.

  “I’m Sarah and that’s my little sister Phoebe.” She took the picture. “No one is ever going to believe this back home. You are so awesome. All my friends think you’re the best actor on TV.”

  Jenna slid out of the booth and motioned to Sarah. “Hey, why don’t you get in the frame too and I’ll take one with both of you?”

  “Ohmigod, thank you so much!” Sarah’s squeals made Jenna chuckle. She pressed the button, capturing photographic evidence of a memory these girls would never forget.

  Phoebe bounced as Jenna handed her cell phone back. She broke her silent streak with a burst of words that ran together in their enthusiasm. “Thank you guys so much, Micah, you’re so awesome, we both totally love you.”

  “We totally do,” Sarah rushed to agree. “We gotta go. Our aunt is waiting for us outside. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  “You’re welcome.” Micah waved as the girls weaved around the tables and darted out of the restaurant. He turned to Jenna and let out a long breath. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. You’ve already made my night, now you’ve made theirs as well.”

  Putting an arm around her, Micah pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”

  Paul, looking flustered for the first time that evening, hustled toward them. “My apologies, Micah. They just— I’m sorry. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  “It’s okay, man. If you could hook us up with my usual dessert, plus a few extra, and have the car brought around, it’d be great.” Micah tugged his wallet out of his back pocket and handed over his credit card.

  “Yes, sir. No problem.” Paul nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Palming the back of his neck, Micah scanned the restaurant. He seemed wary, like he was expecting an attack.

  Jenna put a hand on his arm. “Hey. You were absolutely great with those girls. They’re going to remember that moment with you for the rest of their lives.”

  Turning his back on the room, Micah stepped in front of Jenna, blocking her view of the diners—and blocking their view of her. “Those kind of fans are great. I love them. It’s the vultures who come next that I can really do without. They’re usually rude, pushing in to get a piece of me or my autograph to sell on eBay. They don’t care about me, my work, my time or anything about me other than how it benefits them. They have this deluded notion that since I’m a public figure I owe them in some way. All they care about is what they can get from me…how they can use me.” Micah shook his head. “It only takes one person to get the courage to say hello and then, well, it’s better if I leave before things escalate and I get swamped. So I’ll show you a quiet evening in. Just you, me and dessert.”

  “If dessert is anywhere near as mind-blowing as the appetizer before we got here…”

  The frown creasing Micah’s forehead faded, his eyes darkening with sinful promise. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.

  Paul placed a fancy black bag with a devil decorating the bottom corner on the table and handed Micah his card and a pen to sign the bill. “Donnie’s got your car ready, sir. Again, I’m sorry—”

  “It’s cool, Paul. Really.” Micah finished the transaction as Jenna ducked back into the booth to grab her purse. She snatched the doggie bag too, already salivating over the idea of sharing chocolate with Micah. Alone. Behind closed doors. No interruptions.

  Micah held out a hand for Jenna. “Are you ready?”

  Lifting the bag of velvety chocolate cupcake goodness, she swung it teasingly in front of Micah. “Are you ready?”

  “You have no idea.” His million-dollar smile coming out to play, he settled his hand on her back and guided her through the restaurant. This time, Jenna managed to mostly ignore the whispers, gasps and flashes from cell-phone cameras as she and Micah passed. It didn’t matter anymore. The only thing she planned on focusing on for the rest of the evening was Micah. And chocolate. And maybe a little chocolate on Micah.

  Ohh, that was a nice thought. Hopefully he didn’t live too far away so they could get started on the taste testing pronto.

  One of the same valets from earlier opened the front door, and Jenna walked through ahead of Micah and stepped outside. Streetlights and the lights from the restaurant and other surrounding businesses illuminated the sidewalk, keeping the night at bay.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jenna saw someone rushing toward the front door. No, make that someones, plural, a whole group of them. Who would need to get inside so fast? Something bright flashed in her eyes, and she blinked, sidestepping the barrage coming her way.

  “Nice dress, honey. What’s your name? Roxanne?”

  “Hey, sweetheart, show me your best side. No, the other one. The one you show Dr. Dale.”

  White spots danced in her vision, blinding her to the faces behind the taunting, condescending voices. She spun around, but she was boxed in, cameras clicking no matter which way she turned. Years ago, she’d gone to see a friend’s band perform at a small club, and she’d ended up in the center of an impromptu mosh pit. That’s what this felt like, jostled, surrounded, noise and lights and a struggle to escape.

  A camera was shoved inches from her nose, flash bright enough to send her stumbling backwards. Her ankle went left, her shoe went right, and she went down, butt hitting the concrete in a hail of jeering laughter and white bursts of light.

  “Get the fuck away from her,” Micah roared, and the nearest cameras turned from her to him as he barreled his way through the mob. Jenna hadn’t seen him this angry before, jaw tight, body rigid as he shoved one particularly aggressive guy aside to get to her. Just like when they first met, cameras rolling, her landing on her ass, him helping her up… Her hand disappeared into his larger one, his arm going around her protectively as she got to her feet. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Her pride hurt more than her ankle and butt, and none of those were going to keep her from making a quick exit stage left.

  The crowd of photographers moved with them, their cameras still snapping and whirring like hungry beasts of prey. Micah stepped with determined purpose toward the street. The same overly aggressive paparazzo blocked their path to the car. “I heard Dr. Dale’s gonna die on Sexy M.D. You drowning your sorrows in the lady in red? Can’t blame you for that, she’s hot.”

  “Back the fuck off.” Micah raised his arm like he was going to knock the guy on his ass, but one of the valets stepped between them, shoving the man aside with his shoulder. Another valet got the passenger door of Micah’s car open.

  Safety. Escape. Jenna ducked into the Mercedes Roadster, sighing in relief as Micah closed the door behind her. Cameras continued to flash, but she refused to cower. She turned away from the passenger-side window. Her focus was Micah. Always had been. Fury lengthened his stride as he rounded the car. After he climbed inside and slammed the door, his knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “Fuck.”

  “You’re telling me.” Jenna put a hand on his leg as he drove away. “I lost the cupcakes.”

  Chapter Nine

  Micah hadn’t spoken in almost ten minutes.

  Some silences were comfortable. This one…not so much.

  Jenna looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Tight jaw, fingers clenched on the steering wheel like he wanted to rip it off and hurl it at someone. That was the face of a man who was royally pissed off, and she didn’t know how to make things right again. Her sally about losing the cupcakes hadn’t even warranted an eyebrow lift or a smirk. Then again, it wasn’t exactly award-winning dialogue either. The easy back-and-forth flirting they’d shared during the earlier drive and over dinner had been left behind with the trampled remains of the cupcakes.

  “We’re sti
ll going to your house, right?” She tossed in a smile for good measure, hoping he’d look her way.

  Not even a glance. His gaze remained one hundred percent focused on the road. The DMV would be so proud. “Yes. We’re almost there. Unless you’d rather I take you home.”

  She hadn’t realized it was possible to talk so coherently through gritted teeth. Was that something he’d learned through years of TV dramas?

  “The destination doesn’t matter, remember? I just want to be with you.”

  He glanced her way as he pulled up to a stop sign. They were in a residential area now, the streetlights far enough apart that his face was in shadow. The minimal light from the dashboard made his eyes glow an intense green. “I just want to be with you too.”

  After less than a minute of driving up narrow, winding streets, Micah made a right into a garage with an older-generation wooden door. Automatic lights came on, shining from the rafters, illuminating the tidy workspace lined with cabinets, neatly stacked paint cans, drapes and other standard renovation fare.

  He turned the car off, the sole sound the grinding of gears as the heavy garage door closed behind them, sealing them away from the outside world.

  Micah’s head dropped, he buried both hands in his hair and let out a loud, ragged sigh.

  Jenna’s heart broke a little. Before she could find the magic words or lean over the center console and wrap her arms around him, he threw open the door and climbed out. She swiftly followed, exiting the car on her side. By the time she’d closed her door, Micah was there behind her, one arm around her waist, a hand on her hip, his lips buried in her hair. “I’m sorry, Jenna. So damn sorry.”

  She turned in his arms so she was facing him, her hand lifting to cradle the jaw that until a minute ago had been clenched tight enough to pulverize granite. “I’m on a date with a man I’m crazy about. So far he’s kissed me senseless, made love to me until I was weak-kneed, fed me a really awesome bacon cheeseburger and we’ve shared a bottle of wine. And now I’m alone with that man I’m crazy about. I’m not seeing a darn thing in this equation you need to apologize for.”