Tinseltown

by Stephanie Taylor

  When each breath came quicker than the last and she felt out of control, the cheering brought her back to the present. Since Zach appeared to be more engrossed in other matters — like making her knees go weak — she reached around him and squeezed his butt. The crowd called out loudly and flashes were like strobe lights behind her lids.

  Zach pulled away, throwing his head back and laughing heartily. “You amaze me, Deb. That’s what I love about you.”

  Deb smiled back at him as he kissed her once more before they waved to the crowd and left.

  * * * *

  Back at her parents’ house, Zach walked Deb to her bedroom. It was after midnight and silence echoed around them, but his thoughts bounced in his head like a ping-pong ball. Tomorrow her brother would arrive and things would get crazy. Crazier than it was already.

  His heart pounded. As he looked at Deb, he knew his life would never be the same again. She might not ever love him the way he wanted her to, or she might, he didn’t know, but he knew he was changed. He couldn’t walk away from Deb and not feel like a piece was missing.

  For so long, she had been unable to enjoy relationships openly because of the horde of photographers who followed her around and Brad’s stupid manipulations. With Zach, she could just be. Zach didn’t worry about bad press or having a rotten image or how his actions would affect someone else. He was who he was, and if someone didn’t like it… well, they could say all they wanted, he knew the truth. He would still do movies and love who he wanted. No idiot holding a camera was going to stop him.

  “This has been such an amazing night,” she started and took his hand. She studied their entwined fingers and played with his wedding band.

  “I know. I have that effect on people.”

  She grinned shyly. “You do,” she confirmed. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. Seeing you enjoy yourself was all the thanks I needed. I just wish we could have stretched it out a little more. I feel like my time is running out, since your brother is coming. I know you’ll want to spend some time with him.”

  “I will. But you can spend it with us too. I think you’ll like my brother.”

  “If he’s anything like you, I might see if he’ll have an affair with me.”

  Deb laughed but continued to study him. They gazed at each other until Zach was sure a gray hair formed. “I don’t want tonight to end either.”

  His heart rate kicked up another notch. “It’s up to you. I’m not going to pressure you,” he said with sincerity. The last thing he wanted was for her to get spooked about the male species again.

  “I know. I see it in you, even though I haven’t always. Would you hold me, Zach? It would be nice to wake up next to you.”

  He understood. It was going to prove difficult to sleep in her bed without any intimacy, but if it meant he was a step closer to helping her fall in love, he’d do whatever it took. “As long as there’s plenty of cold water in your bathroom, it should work out fine.” He grinned and made her laugh. Mission accomplished.

  Looking more nervous than he’d like, she led him into her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  “Relax,” he said softly, looking into her beautiful eyes. “I don’t bite.”

  She arched an eyebrow playfully.

  “Okay,” he conceded. “You’ve got me there.”

  She laughed again. “How do you do it?”

  “What?”

  “Make me laugh when I least expect it.”

  He could see the depth of her amazement in her expression, and while it pleased him she felt happy, it also saddened him. “Has no one ever made you laugh before?”

  “Yeah. Of course. But… not like you.” She took a deep breath and walked past him. “I’m gonna get ready for bed.” She looked as if she was going to say something else, but she turned and walked across the expanse of the bedroom and closed the bathroom door.

  Zach let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. In just the span of a few days, his life had turned topsy-turvy. Where his goal was once to make movies and lots of money, now it was to make one half-pint of a woman fall in love with him. His career could fail and it wouldn’t faze him. All he wanted was to know Deb was his.

  The rest would take care of itself… wouldn’t it?

  Deb exited a few moments later, wearing that ridiculous robe of hers. Again, thoughts of what lay underneath it invaded his thoughts. But he gave himself a mental shake. He had to let her call the shots. Brad had destroyed her fragile emotions, and she wasn’t ready for the intimacy he longed for.

  During his mental gymnastics, he undressed down to his boxers and climbed into bed. Even if tonight held nothing but frustration, it was a frustration well worth having, as long as Deb slept by his side.

  She gazed at him from the bathroom doorway. He patted her side of the bed and grinned. Still, she didn’t move.

  One minute, Deb was a sexy enchantress, the next an unsure, battle-scarred woman. Tonight, however, a playful side of her emerged, and now that he knew it existed, he was going to exploit it.

  “C’mon, beautiful, give me a striptease.”

  She grinned, but only a little.

  “I’m kidding,” he assured her.

  “I know.” She walked slowly to the edge of the bed where he was propped against the headboard. “I haven’t made love to anyone since Brad. And I only remember bits and pieces of our honeymoon, if that’s what you want to call it—”

  “Stop. You don’t owe me any explanations. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t had casual sex before, but whenever it happens for us, it’ll be a far cry from casual. So stop worrying and jump in here and cuddle. My feet are cold.”

  A smile blossomed and she grabbed the belt of her robe. His mouth went dry, and he watched and waited. Slowly, she unknotted the robe and let it fall open.

  Beneath it laid his dreams. A simple, satin chemise with spaghetti straps. The petal pink color blended perfectly against her tanned skin. Her legs were shapely but would look better wrapped around his waist. Her breasts were emphasized by a cross of fabric in the front, and the edges were laced with the same color. When his gaze reached hers, her eyes burned intensely.

  He raised his brows in question.

  “I want you,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

  Without saying a word, Zach crawled over to her side of the bed and stood on his knees. He touched his palm to her shoulder and felt the heat beneath his fingertips. He lowered his forehead to hers, and the perfume she used to torture him rose to meet his senses. He grinned.

  “What?” she asked hesitantly.

  “You put more of that perfume on.”

  She grinned, too. Her fingertips threaded through his chest hair. As she scratched lightly, he closed his eyes against her touch. “Mmm.”

  “Will you kiss me?” she asked. As he looked down at her, his protective instincts kick in. She was so scared, it made her tremble.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked as he stood in front of her.

  At her nod, he slowly claimed her lips. This was going to be good. He would make sure this was everything she wanted it to be… physically and emotionally. After this, there would be no way he could walk away. He was so head-over-heels for her, he would do anything.

  She responded, wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling him close. As her mouth parted to accept his prodding tongue, his libido surged and he fought down the urge to kiss her the way he really wanted to. His tongue explored her mouth, a mouth no longer unfamiliar, yet sweeter each time he tasted her. Pulling back slightly, he took her bottom lip between his teeth and suckled. A husky sigh erupted from her.

  He lifted her against him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Placing his lips to the soft expanse below her collar, he turned, lowering her on the bed and reminded himself to take it slow.

  Zach looked at her, amazed, and whispered, “You’re so beautiful. Every part of you.”

  “Just
don’t take advantage of me.”

  “Isn’t that what I’m about to do?”

  She grinned and laid her palm against his cheek. “You know what I mean.”

  “I know. But I think I’m the one at risk here, since I’ve already told you how I feel.”

  “Let’s just call it even, okay?”

  Zach claimed her lips again and settled between her open legs. It felt so right to lie like this with her.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  She smiled up at him. “Make love to me.”

  Who was he to disappoint?

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Deb woke early. Her body felt heavy and her heart light. Last night, and the few times they had awakened to hold each other, had felt like a magical, ethereal night Deb prayed would never end. She knew she was on her way to falling in love and while she enjoyed the moment, long term was what scared her the most.

  Rolling over to find her place in Zach’s arms, she met cold air. Even the bed was cold. He had been gone for some time. Fighting against the hurt in her heart, Deb rolled onto her back and studied the ceiling. Why had he left her?

  Things had moved too fast and if he proved to be playing her for the sake of the movie, she wouldn’t forgive herself. Not so soon after Brad.

  Then a realization struck her. She had been so wrapped up in the moment, she’d forgotten the fateful day she and Zach had been forced to make amends by their boss. Zach had said he had plans over the holidays. What a desperate, emotionally starved idiot she was for forgetting and focusing only on her needs. Of course she would forget the one thing that could change everything.

  No wonder she saw him on the phone a lot. When he wasn’t playing chess with her dad or spending time with her or taking a walk in her parents’ back yard, he was on the phone. He always abruptly got off when she was near, too. The cheat. She was his wife!

  Well, this taught her a lesson for sure. She wouldn’t be made a fool of. She wouldn’t be the subject of gossip, and she wouldn’t let him get to her.

  Throwing back the covers, she stood. Her heart pounded as she padded to the bathroom and got in the shower. Yeah, first she’d fallen for a jerk, now a man who could act a whole lot better than most. She was stupid to believe him. Sincerity reeked when he smiled, and his kisses felt so real. His tenderness even felt legitimate. But hadn’t he taken acting classes? Didn’t experience teach him exactly what worked best on screen to make things believable? He wasn’t the hottest actor in Hollywood for nothing. He was what every woman thought she wanted.

  He had played her, lied to her. And the first chance she got, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Even low-lives had the courtesy of leaving the next day without a backward glance. Here it was Christmas Eve, and she was going to be forced to spend the rest of this miserable holiday pretending they were a couple. At the moment, it almost didn’t seem worth it.

  Lost in the vigorous scrubbing of her scalp, she didn’t hear the shower door open. Slick hands wrapped around her hips and dipped lower. Surprised, she twirled around and met Zach’s incredible eyes, smiling into hers.

  “You give a whole new meaning to washing the man right out of your hair.” He grinned, but the gruff note in his voice and his obvious arousal low against her said he was here for more of her.

  She was about to push him away when he turned her against the shower wall and kissed her hungrily. Heaven help her, but she kissed him back, lost in a torrent of confusion and helplessness.

  But no, she wasn’t helpless. Hadn’t she learned from Brad? This was her life, and she wouldn’t be used again.

  Deb wrenched away from him and turned her head to the side, ignoring his trail of undeterred kisses down her neck and her chest. “Get off me,” she said.

  “Deb,” he whispered. “I can’t get enough of you.”

  “Get off me!” She almost screamed and pushed at him. If there hadn’t been a door for him to grasp onto, he would have lost his balance.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he snapped, shaking his head and getting to his feet. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  “The thought crossed my mind!”

  He stared at her, feigning the carefully placed confusion.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t remember? Did you think I would be stupid enough to let it go on, once I did? I guess after what you witnessed with Brad, you would think that of me, but I learn from my mistakes, buster, and you won’t be the next Brad, taking advantage of me. I won’t give anyone control over my life.”

  “What in the devil are you talking about?” Zach pinched at the water in his eyes and smoothed his hair back.

  “The plans you had for the holidays? With the other woman? Yeah, Zach, I realized you haven’t said another word about it since you came here and decided to seduce me into compliance, so Fernbank wouldn’t fire us.”

  “What other woman? What plans?”

  “Just get out.” Deb cried as she felt the horror of tears pushing their way to the surface. “I’m not playing second fiddle anymore. You’re good, but at least I got out of this before it got too deep.”

  “Deb.” Zach held his palms up in innocence. “I think we need to talk about this before you make a snap decision.”

  “Believe me, if I had, the snap would have been your neck. I’ve thought this through enough.”

  “We’re not going downstairs until this is resolved. You’re making assumptions about me.”

  “Get out,” Deb forced through clenched teeth. The last thing she wanted to see was his beautiful body, sprinkled in droplets of water and a caring, loving — feigned — look on his face.

  He obeyed and Deb took a long shower, leaving not one trace of his touch on her body. She didn’t want any reminders of yet another mistake in her life.

  * * * *

  Zach waited outside, trying to replay the conversation they’d had with Fernbank before he’d been forced to come here. He didn’t remember it all, but he did remember quite vividly that he allowed the director to think he was spending the holidays with a lover when, in fact, he planned to spend them with his half-sister. His schedule hadn’t allowed a visit yet, and the holidays were his first opportunity.

  Sarah was a product of his father’s indiscretions. She had found him a few years ago when her mother had told her the truth about her paternity on her deathbed. From what he could tell, she lived a happy, fulfilled life. They had an easy rapport with each other and had become instant friends. She was young and vibrant, and the pictures she’d sent him showed it. He could even see the family resemblance.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Deb opened the door. When she saw his position on the foot of the bed, she rolled her eyes. “Get out,” she demanded in a lifeless tone. He realized while sitting there waiting that he had made a mistake in not telling her about Sarah. If he had his way, they would all be family some day.

  “Come here,” he demanded in an equally flat tone.

  With eyebrows raised, she stood where she was and crossed her arms.

  He shook his head, undeterred. “We shared something last night I don’t take lightly. You’re not running from it because you’re scared.”

  “I’m not scared. I’m ticked, mostly at myself because I never thought to ask you who you were spending Christmas with. I even forgot about it, but that doesn’t mean you get to take advantage of me.”

  Zach stood and walked over to her until she was about an arm’s length away from him. He wanted to stay out of her punch zone. He tossed her his cellphone and she caught it. “Good catch,” he mumbled. “Now scan through all my dialed numbers if you want. I’m an open book. Dial any number in there and you’ll get only business contacts and my sister.”

  She tossed the phone back at him and he caught it. “I don’t want to spy on you. What you do is your business, not mine.”

  “You’re afraid you’re wrong,” he mused, seeing how unsure she was of herself now. He handed the phone back to her. “You’re my wif
e. Look at the numbers, Deb. I’ve got nothing to hide. It’s the only way you’re going to get some peace of mind. I understand what Brad did to you. I’m trying to be patient here and prove myself instead of getting ticked off and waiting for you to come around.”

  Deb hurled his cellphone at him, hitting him square in the jaw. Stars danced before his eyes.

  “Stop saying all the things you know I want to hear. I wouldn’t know your sister from a prostitute.”

  He kept his face straight. “Actually, you would.”

  “No, I wouldn’t! No normal man would spend so much time talking on the phone to a sister he’s never mentioned!” Deb rummaged angrily through her drawers, finding underwear and pulling it on underneath the robe.

  “I didn’t mention her because we haven’t met yet. I call every few days to check on her, and during the holidays I’ve called her several times to make sure she knew I loved her but couldn’t get away this year! Because I’m here, Deb. Because we’re married and I want to be here. I could have easily told Fernbank I had family to visit, but I allowed him to assume, if you’ll recall, it was some chick. It’s just the way it is in Hollywood. A good screw is much more feasible than a half-sister I’ve never met, right? Or maybe that’s just what you think.” He took a deep breath. He hadn’t meant to come across so angry, but what Brad had done to Deb was worse than he had originally thought. Now that they were closer physically, there was no way he was letting her retract emotionally, even if he had to strap her to the bed and bring his sister to her.

  They stared at each other for a long while, and he could tell Deb tried to read him. “This is what I hate about dating actors,” she said quietly. “I can never tell if you’re lying.”

  “I could say the same for you. For all I know, last night was just to secure my cooperation for a divorce and your career.”

  She stared at him some more. He bent down and grabbed his phone, offering it to her once more. “It’s all yours if at any point in the future you decide to assume something about me without asking. I don’t play games, Deb, and I’ve got nothing to hide. There was a time when I was looking for casual, but not now. I’ve never told another woman I love her before, and I don’t take this lightly. You’re it for me, Deb. I’m not going to lie to you, and if there’s something you want to know about me, just ask.”