“Me, too. I’ve missed you.” We get seated at our table and when the hostess leaves, I ask him, “Why did you ask how I’m holding up, Kyle?”
“Because if you’re even half as love-sick as my brother, you are miserable being so far away from him.”
I can’t help my smile. “He’s miserable?”
He laughs. “You don’t have to look so happy about it. But yes. He’s been away from you for two weeks and quite frankly, I’m surprised he hasn’t hopped on a plane back here to kidnap you and take you with him.”
Part of me would love that. But the logical half of me knows I have responsibilities here. My job. My volunteer work. My dad. Not to mention Mel and Julian. “He’s been really busy,” I say.
With the national release of Defcon One last weekend, he’s been flying all over the country doing interviews. Between that and meeting with his manager, the studio, his lawyer, his publicist; not to mention preparations for the film he’s going to shoot this summer, he’s been booked solid. I’m surprised he finds time to call and text me every day. But he does, and it’s become the highlight of my existence. I’m pathetically love-sick. I’m counting down the hours until I get to see him on Friday.
Skylar Mitchell sees us and comes over to say hello. We’ve become good friends; she and her sisters have been very welcoming to me, making me a part of their close-knit family. I stand up to hug her around her baby bump. “How long is it now?” I ask.
“Eight more weeks.” She rubs her belly. “So, how’s our movie star doing? I saw him on the news last night,” she says, sympathy washing across her face.
She must have seen the story about him and Courtney. Once again, the buzz is that the two of them are still together. There was even video of them being ushered through the Miami airport, Courtney tugging Chad by his hand. Of course, the cameras zoomed in on their hands, not bothering to show how he pulled away from her. And even though I know the story is made up, it still hurts to see him with her. They’re always being thrown together and there is no end in sight. After all, she’s his leading lady in the sequel to be filmed this summer. “He’s fine,” I say. “Don’t believe everything you see on TV, Skylar.”
“I know,” she says. “Still, I know it’s hard for you. When Griffin is away on photo shoots with glamorous models, it’s hard for me not to feel jealous. But it’s part of the job. That man loves you, Mallory. Everyone can see that.”
“Not everyone,” I say, looking down at the table. I know it’s stupid to wish our relationship was public knowledge. I realize as soon as that happens, everything could change.
“Everyone who matters,” she says, before running off to deal with a kitchen crisis.
We order dinner, Kyle and I falling into comfortable conversation like no time has passed since we were kids. What is it about the Stone brothers that makes them able to charm their way into the hearts of all women?
“I really am sorry I never contacted you,” he says. “I guess I just didn’t know what to say to you back then after Chad just left you hanging. But there really wasn’t much to say. He was lost to drugs. He was in his own world and he wasn’t himself. We were all scared to death that we’d get a middle-of-the-night phone call saying he was dead. It was that bad, Mallory.”
I shudder thinking about what my life would be like without him. Tears flood my eyes at the thought of living in a world where Chad doesn’t exist.
“You really love him, don’t you?” he asks.
I nod, using my napkin to dab my eyes. “I think I always have.”
“He never shut up about you in the beginning, you know. When we first moved to L.A., you were all he talked about. Getting that job on Malibu 310 was the best and worst thing that ever happened to him. It all happened so fast and he didn’t know how to handle it. And when that Heather bitch got him hooked on drugs, he became someone else entirely.” He runs a hand through his hair in obvious frustration over the memory. Then he studies me. “Oh, shit. I never really put it together.”
“Put what together?” I ask.
“Heather Crawford. She looks a lot like you. Same color hair. She even has green eyes and freckles.” He shakes his head. “No wonder he latched onto her. I guess he was trying to hold onto to you through her or something.”
“She’s the one who got him doing drugs?” I hate her. I hate her more than I’ve ever hated anyone because she took him from me. From his family.
He nods. “That was when it all started. The gambling, the fighting, the . . . women.” He cringes when he says the last word.
I stare blankly at Kyle. Chad hasn’t yet let me into the entirety of his painful past. I only know bits and pieces and what I’ve seen in the news.
“He hasn’t told you everything, has he?” Kyle asks.
I shake my head. “But that’s okay. I’m not sure I want to know the details. He’s not that person anymore.”
“He’s not,” Kyle says. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with a lot of crap, kiddo. The stuff he did in the past, it follows him around like stink on shit. Bookies still contact him, trying to lure him back in the game, even after all this time. He’s got some pending lawsuits stemming from fights he got into. Hell, do you know he even stole from our parents, before he was eighteen and got control of his Malibu money?”
I gasp. I knew he was messed up, but it was even worse than I thought. “Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”
“Probably because he thought you’d run,” he says. He reaches across the table and pats my hand. “Listen, Mallory, none of this should make you nervous. He’s very committed to you. But it is a lot to take in and it’s a lot you might have to deal with.”
“I’m glad I didn’t know everything,” I admit. “I think it would have scared me away a few weeks ago. But things are different now. And we’ve all done things we’re ashamed of. We shouldn’t be defined by them.”
“You’re just as awesome now as you were when we were kids, Mallory. My brother doesn’t deserve you,” he says.
“I feel like I’m the one who’s undeserving, Kyle. It’s hard for me to see him as that deviant bad boy celebrity now. He’s just regular old Chad to me. He’s the guy who came in to fix my dad’s leaky faucet when he brought me home one night a few weeks ago. A movie star, who could have easily called a high-priced plumber, crawled under our sink and got his hands dirty just because he wanted to feel normal. He’s the man who, when he took me out to dinner, ordered a pizza for the homeless guy out back, and then stuffed a roll of bills into the pizza box. He does so many selfless things, how can I not see him as anything but wonderful?”
Kyle smiles with pride as our dinner arrives; and we eat, talking about old times. Laughing about the trouble we’d find ourselves in.
“What about you?” I ask. “Is there someone special in your life?”
He shakes his head. “There’s no time. The last year of med school is crazy. I’m busy working in the hospital and when I’m not there, I’m studying pretty much all the time.”
“Why do you do it?” I ask. It’s the same question I asked his older brother. “I mean, Chad told me what he inherited from your grandparents. I assume you got the same. My dad has told me many times how grueling med school and residency can be. Why go through it all?”
He shrugs. “I guess it comes down to wanting to help people,” he says. “I donate to several charities, and I always keep cash on me for when I see people in need, but sometimes giving money isn’t enough. These people need someone to care about them. To go that extra mile. Too many doctors these days are in it for the paycheck. They see indigent people as a nuisance. I see them as a quick turn of fate—something that could have happened to any of us given certain circumstances. Eventually, I want to run a clinic for those people. One that doesn’t just ‘treat ‘em and street ‘em.’ I mean, if I could just help one person’s life turn around for the better, it would all be worth it.”
“Wow,” I say.
Kyle narro
ws his eyes at me in question. “What?”
“You Stone boys sure know how to make a girl swoon, don’t you?”
“Swoon?” he asks, laughing.
“Yes. You are all inherently good people. Well, when you’re not doped up on drugs,” I say, wrinkling my nose.
“We have incredible parents,” he says.
“I know you do. I can’t wait to see them when I go to L.A.”
He signs the check and escorts me to the train station around the corner. Along the way, we pass a newsstand and my whole world changes in the blink of an eye. It changes because I see myself plastered across the cover of a tabloid magazine. I jump behind Kyle, using him as camouflage. “Kyle, oh my God, look.” I point to the magazine.
Kyle quickly snatches up every copy, throwing a wad of cash at the proprietor. Then instead of walking me to the train station as planned, he hails me a cab. “It was bound to happen sooner or later, Mallory.” He hands me one of the copies as he puts me in the back seat. Then he gives the driver some cash. “Call his publicist, she’ll tell you how to handle this. It’s not going to be as bad as you might think. Things like this blow over quickly.”
I nod, hoping he’s right. “Thanks for dinner, Kyle. Let’s do it again soon.” I try to keep the terror out of my voice.
“Next time we might even let Ethan come,” he says, winking at me.
As the cab takes me back to where I parked my car just outside the city, I study my picture on the front page. It’s a pretty clear picture of me. In a robe. Next to a half-naked Chad in the living room of his hotel suite. One of the room service team must have snapped the picture. My heart sinks. Everyone who knows me will recognize me. What will my colleagues think? My students? The article claims Thad Stone has stepped out on Courtney Benson, having an affair with a local New York City resident on the side. They claim this is typical for the star, leaving scorned women in his wake. The only solace—there is no mention of my name. They haven’t found that out at least. But I’m sure it won’t be long.
I pick up my phone to see a few missed texts from Chad and one from Kendra since I’d had my phone off during dinner.
Chad: Call me, Mal.
Chad: Someone took a picture of us in the hotel. You look hot, BTW. But it’s out there now. They haven’t identified you yet. Hopefully, they won’t before you come here. I don’t want you dealing with that shit without me.
Chad: Mallory, are you okay?
Kendra: Hi, Mallory. Give me a call re: the tabloid photo.
I roll to voicemail trying to get Chad so I call Kendra. “Hi, Kendra, it’s Mallory Schaffer.”
“Hi, Mallory, how are you?”
“Things could be better,” I say.
“So, you’ve seen it?”
“Yes.”
“And you are wondering what you should do about it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, they haven’t found out your name yet, but I imagine it won’t take them long. We don’t want to make a statement until that happens. So for now, my best advice is for you to do nothing.”
“What do you mean, make a statement?” I ask.
“Have you and Chad not talked about this?” she asks, sounding concerned.
“No, why?”
She sighs into the phone. “We’ve had a few meetings about this subject over the past two weeks, Mallory.”
“Meetings? About me?”
“About your relationship, more specifically. Chad’s manager and the studio don’t want a serious relationship being front page news. They think it will hurt box office sales of the new release. They want the illusion of the leading man and lady having a love affair. Especially as they prepare to film the sequel.”
I close my eyes. “What does Chad say?”
“I think this is a conversation you should be having with him, Mallory,” she says. “Chad loves you and wants to keep you safe. I think he would prefer to go public with your status, but he seems to be acquiescing to the higher powers that be. He still has a job to do. This is all part of it.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. Keeping me hidden is part of his job. Maybe Julian was right. “So, I’m the other woman?” I ask. “The slut who he’s cheating on Courtney with?”
“No. Of course not,” she says. “Our official statement will be that you’re a childhood friend and you’ve recently rekindled your friendship. End of story.”
“Oh, come on,” I scoff. “Did we look like friends in that picture?”
“I can’t tell you when or if that position will change, Mallory. We’ll deal with it as we have to, but for now, that’s what we’ll say.”
“And I’m to go along with it?” I ask in defiance.
She sighs into the phone. “I’m not going to tell you what to say, Mallory. But it would be best if you could put up a united front. Listen, aren’t you flying out in a few days? We can sit down and talk about it then. Maybe we’ll be lucky and your name won’t become public before you get here.”
The whole way home I wonder if it’s worth it. I love him, but am I willing to be labeled the friend, at best? At worst, the other woman? People will hate me. And it looks like Chad might just be okay with that.
Chapter Nineteen
Chad
The past few days have been horrible. Not just because I miss the hell out of Mal, but because our conversations seem strained. Ever since her picture came out in that tabloid magazine, she’s been standoffish. I’ve told her everything will be okay, that we’ll deal with it together. But all she says is we’ll talk about it when she gets here. It scares the shit out of me, quite frankly. I’ve been wondering if she’s going to break up with me but didn’t want to do it over the phone. Maybe it’s all too much for her to deal with.
I can’t even go into the airport to meet her. Neither can Cole. He’s become well known as my bodyguard now and the pap knows that where he is, I’m not far behind. It would cause too much of a stir if either of us showed up to collect her, so I sit here in the back of a limo, not knowing my fate, while Kendra goes inside to get her. I know Mal will think it’s pretentious, me getting a limousine. But I didn’t want our first meeting in three weeks to be witnessed by anyone else. Plus, if she is breaking up with me, I didn’t want anyone to see me get on my knees and beg.
The back door opens and Mallory gets inside. Our eyes lock. A million emotions pass between us. But thankfully, one trumps all the rest. The love I have for her grows stronger each time I see her. She becomes more beautiful every time we’re apart. Her eyes tear up and spill over. I reach out to her. “Mal, what’s wrong?”
She sniffs, wiping a tear with the back of her finger. “I . . . I was starting to think this was a bad idea,” she says, tucking her face into my shoulder. “But just now, with the way you looked at me, I can’t imagine being without you.”
I wrap her face in my hands, forcing her to look up at me. “Were you?” I ask, my heart hammering in my chest. “Imagining being without me?”
She nods reluctantly as I feel the car pull away from the curb. “I didn’t want to,” she says. “But with the photo and you not wanting to admit to our relationship. I wasn’t sure . . .”
“Not wanting to admit to it?” I say, incredulously. “Mal, I want to put up billboards announcing to everyone that I fucking love you. Don’t you know that? It’s Paul. The studio. They think it’s a bad idea. He’s my manager, baby. I have to trust he knows what’s best for my career. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I do. I love you so much. I’ve only ever loved you.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” she says. “I guess it just took me seeing you again to understand that.”
“Well then, there’s no way in hell I’m going three weeks without seeing you again. I don’t care if I have to fly to New York for two hours and fly back. I’m not giving you another chance at second thoughts.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“You have no idea the depths of what I’d do for you, Mallory Kate.”
&n
bsp; “Right now, I’d just like you to kiss me,” she says with a sultry smile.
She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I shift her up onto my lap, pulling her head down until her lips meet mine. She tastes exactly like I remember. Strawberries and mint. I put my hand on her thigh, a low growl escaping me at the feel of her bare skin under her skirt. “I like this,” I murmur against her lips. “Easy access.”
“It was a little chilly in New York,” she says, allowing my lips to explore her neck. “But I was hoping it would be seasonable out here and I was right.”
“We should have great weather this week,” I say. “I’m going to be able to give you that beach vacation after all.” My fingers travel up to the apex of her thighs, being met with her damp panties. I push them aside and slip a finger inside her as she gasps. “Jesus, Mal. I’m not sure I can wait. Want to live dangerously?”
Her eyes widen as she looks at me in surprise. Then she looks at the closed partition separating us from Cole and Kendra. “Don’t worry,” I say. “I may have mentioned to them not to bother us unless the damn car was on fire.”
She looks back at me and smiles. Holy shit. I never really thought she’d agree. I waste no time at all shifting her on my lap so she’s straddling me. Then I push up her skirt and, taking care not to dig into her skin, I rip the panties right off her.
“Caveman much?” she asks, laughing.
I cup her breasts through her shirt, not wanting to expose her just in case there actually is a fire in the limo. She feels incredible under my hungry hands. She’s been with me all of five minutes, and already I’m rock hard beneath her. Hell, just the thought of her gets me hard. These past weeks, I’ve felt like a teenage boy again, needing to get my rocks off frequently or else walk around with a constant hard-on.
She untucks my shirt and puts her hands underneath it, exploring my chest as I continue to explore hers. She unbuttons my pants and I remove my hands from her just long enough to lower them to my thighs. She takes my hard length in her hand, watching herself give me long, slow strokes. She’s taking control and it’s hot as hell.
Stone Promises (A Stone Brothers Novel) Page 18
