Tangled Hearts (Evermore 4 Book Box Set)

by ANDREA SMITH

  I’d given him every logical reason in the book as to why that car hadn’t been an appropriate gift from a guy to his girl.

  “It makes me feel indebted,” I argued.

  “Good. That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he countered.

  “I can’t afford the insurance on that thing,” I offered.

  “No worries, I got that covered for you as well.”

  “You’ve gone too fucking far, Seth Drake!”

  “I haven’t gone far enough yet,” he replied, giving me a sexy wink. “Looking forward to some birthday girl sex.”

  “You are insufferable!” I yelled, trying unsuccessfully to hide my smile.

  “You love me anyway,” he shot back.

  “Yeah,” I sighed, shaking my head and throwing my arms around his neck, “Guilty as charged,” I relented right before his lips captured mine.

  Once we pulled apart, I did take a stern tone with him. “Please don’t make a habit of overdoing it with gifts like this though, Seth. It does make me feel bad that I can’t compete.”

  “Hey,” he said huskily, “that’s not with this is about. You needed a new ride, babe. And when I saw this beauty, I just knew it was you, that’s all. I couldn’t picture your hot body in anything else.”

  I chuckled softly, my lips brushing against his neck. “Now that I don’t believe, Mr. Drake. Because I have a distinct feeling you’re picturing me right now in something other than this car,” I teased, my hand reaching down and cupping his semi-erect package.

  He pulled me against him tighter, and whispered huskily in my ear. “Jazzy’s gone. How about we go inside and break your bed?”

  I giggled as I pulled away, taking his hand in mine and leading him inside our condo. “You’re making me late for an appointment,” I chided.

  “I could hurry,” he replied cocking an eyebrow.

  “Don’t you dare,” I said, grabbing the ball cap from his head and tossing it onto the chair in my bedroom.

  Two hours and forty minutes later I sat across the desk from Jerry Montego, listening to him whine for the tenth time about all the reasons I needed to stay on with him. And I’d called it right on the mark with his telling me how insanely perfect my going on location with Seth would be for the business.

  “For Christ’s sake, Grace, do you realize what you’re giving up here? And I’m not talking about the money. I’m talking about something bigger than money: power and notoriety in this business. You’re well on your way to having the lion’s share of it here. Doesn’t that matter to you?”

  We’d been over this. I finally stood up because there was no way he was going to wear me down, and I didn’t want to waste the rest of my birthday debating it with him. It was counter productive. I had plans to make, obviously.

  “What matters to me, Jerry,” I said, slipping my jacket on, “is looking myself in the mirror every morning and knowing I’m living the dream. This just doesn’t feel like that…at least not anymore.”

  He stood up and circled the desk, coming to stand next to me. “I should be pissed at you, Neely,” he growled, one of the few times he ever used my given name. “I could remind you of the favor I did for you a couple of years back.”

  I quirked an eyebrow up at his words, and a slow smile played on my lips. “Come on, Jerry, it was less of a favor and more like an accident,” I said. “I mean my running into your camera that way outside the gates of the studio…well, it was just kismit...”

  “Bullshit,” he replied, “I could’ve pressed charges, you know? You ruined that camera. There was no fixing it.”

  I laughed as I headed for the door to his office. “Those pictures weren’t worth a damn, Jerry. I did you a favor. Your reputation would have looked…well, kind of pathetic actually if you’d tried to peddle a picture of Seth Drake kissing some unknown chick on the back lot of ‘Lotus Pointe.’”

  He shrugged and shook his head, trying to hide his amusement at the memory. “I never saw you coming,” he said with a chuckle. “To this day I have no idea how you made it up and out of that gate in time to catch up with me. All I know is one second I’m getting into my car and the next second my camera is splattered on the pavement in a hundred pieces. And all I see is you breezing right by me like you haven’t got a care in the world.”

  “Good times,” I said, giving him a hug. “Take care, Jerry. And thanks for everything.”

  Chapter 13

  February 14, 2000

  “Would you care for more cheesecake, Neely?” Laura Drake asked sweetly from across their dining room table.

  “No, thank you,” I replied, dabbing the corners of my mouth with the linen napkin. “Everything was so delicious, Laura.”

  She refilled her china coffee cup and smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t take credit. This is all Rita’s doing,” she continued, taking a sip of her coffee, “But I’m so happy we did this. I was wondering when Seth was going to bring you here to see us. It’s been such a long time.”

  From beside me, I felt Seth stiffen, and I so wanted him to chill and get over the whole thing with Laura’s talk with me years ago. So me being me, I decided to take the bull by the horns.

  “Look, Laura,” I said, “can we get past the elephant in the room here? It makes me uncomfortable, and Seth knows all about it now, so how about we just put it out there and eliminate any hard feelings that might be hanging around.”

  Her face went blank. “I’m not sure I understand...?”

  “Cut the crap, Laura,” Seth piped up, tossing his napkin onto his empty plate. “I know about the little heart-to-heart you had with Neely a few years back. What the hell were you trying to prove?”

  Kent spoke up, “Girls,” he said to Seth’s younger sisters, “Clear your plates and then—”

  “We know, we know,” sixteen year-old Danielle said, rolling her eyes. “Come on Christy, they want us to get lost.”

  As soon as they were out of the room, Kent turned his attention back to Seth. “You will treat your mother with respect, Seth.”

  I was seriously questioning my need to get this out in the open. I certainly didn’t want to make things worse, so I spoke up.

  “Laura, I totally understand where your heart was back then. I have no hard feelings, I want you to know. The only reason Seth knows about it is because a lot of things went down between us since then, and we were just clearing the air, I guess.”

  She smiled and nodded, and then turned her attention to her son, “How about you, Seth? Are we okay?” she asked, her face etched with concern. Laura loved her children, I’d always known that, but I could tell she had a special place in her heart for her oldest and only son.

  “I know you did it for the right reasons, Laura,” he said, “I just wish you hadn’t.”

  “I understand,” she replied quietly. “And Neely? You know that I’ve always loved you. I never meant to hurt you, sweetheart. You were both just so young.”

  “I totally get that, Laura,” I replied, giving her a smile, “And it’s all worked out so let’s put it all behind us, shall we?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Kent said, getting up from the table. “How about some brandy to celebrate Valentine’s Day and to looking forward?”

  “Sounds good,” Seth said, “And let’s toast my first movie and the fact that my best girl is gonna be there with me.”

  “Here, here,” Kent said, handing me a glass with a shot of brandy in it. “When do you leave, son?”

  “We start filming on location in West Virginia middle of March,” he said, “And then we’ll be spending a couple of months this summer in D.C. to finish up.”

  “Oh, that sounds marvelous, darling,” Laura said. “And Neely, what about your job? Are they okay with you taking such a long leave of absence?”

  Here it comes, I thought to myself. Well I guess there was no time like the present to share my news with Seth. “Well, I actually resigned my position,” I said, downing my sho
t of brandy and welcoming the slow burn in my throat that made it impossible to say more, because I immediately started hacking.

  Seth’s hand immediately went to my back, giving it a few hard smacks. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, still clearing my throat. “Never had brandy before,” I rasped. “I’m good.”

  His eyes searched mine and if I didn’t know better, I’d say Seth was feeling a bit satisfied with my announcement. I hoped like hell he didn’t think I’d quit my job to accommodate his life on the road for the next six or eight months. Because clearly, that wasn’t my purpose.

  “So, you quit your job?” he asked, “How come?”

  “Where is it you were working, dear?” Laura asked.

  “Photography. Freelance. I’m going back to school.”

  “What?” Seth asked, his tone definitely perplexed.

  “Yeah, my dad said he’d pay the tuition for me. I’m taking four online classes so no worries there. I’ve got to have something to do while you’re filming, Seth.”

  “No, I think that’s fantastic, Neely,” he said, beaming. “I’m really glad to see you pursuing school.”

  I cocked a brow at him and heard Laura chuckle. “Has he been nagging you, Neely?”

  I shook my head. “He’s been subtle about it,” I commented, “Up until now.”

  “What?” Seth said feigning innocence. “Can’t a boyfriend be supportive? What are you going for?”

  “B.A. in Fine Arts,” I replied. “It’ll never make me rich, but it sure will make me happy.”

  “Me, too,” he said, giving me a hug. “It makes me so damn happy.”

  And we spent the next hour talking with Seth’s folks and for the first time since I’d been a kid, I really felt like everything was falling into place just like it was supposed to and for that, I felt blessed.

  Chapter 14

  Three weeks later…

  Seth

  “Do you want me to find a parking space and go inside with you, babe?” I ask as I pull into the parking lot at Brantley College, and follow the sign direction to the Administration Building.

  “No need,” Neely replies, “I sent an online request a couple of days ago for my transcripts and got an email yesterday that they’re ready for me in the Registrar’s Office. It should just take a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay,” I reply, pulling up curbside in front of the building, which by the sign, stipulates ten minute parking or risk being towed, “I’ll wait right here for you then.”

  Neely exits the car and beats a fast path up the couple of steps leading to the entrance. I gaze appreciatively at her perfect ass until she’s no longer in sight and sigh.

  We leave for West Virginia at the end of the week for two months filming on location. We’ll be back in L.A. for six weeks, and then leave for D.C. to finish up the film in early August. The filming wraps end of August. The next one won’t start filming until April of next year. Most of our time will be spent in New York City, which Neely is actually excited about. She’s never been there, and of course, the draw of the multitude of galleries and museums is every bit the aphrodisiac to my woman as she is to me. And the fact that I went to school there allows me to introduce Neely to the places I know she’ll want to see.

  I want to ask Neely to marry me. I want her to be my wife. And no, not some Hollywood wife or arm candy, I’m talking about the real thing.

  I want us to build a normal life together. Not in Hollywood or New York. Somewhere neutral. Someplace where we can be Seth and Neely again, and where our children can thrive in a simpler life than we had growing up.

  My earnings from these back-to-back movies will set us for life if we so choose. I’m not about continuing in the movie business to build a vast fortune. But that’s not to say I’m giving up my craft altogether, because clearly I’m not.

  I’m happy that Neely is finishing her degree, and mostly because it was her idea to do so. I’ve got feelers out myself for a career change, but I don’t dare say anything to Neely just yet, because I want to make sure marrying me is something in her long-term plan.

  I know Neely, and I know the notoriety that comes with being a celebrity is not something she relishes. And being with someone who is one is clearly not appealing to her. That’s why I need to have some sort of plan put into place before I ask her to marry me.

  I am biding my time because I not only love her, but I know her, and until she meets her own expectations, everything else is secondary in her life.

  The fact that she chose to leave her career with no outside influence from me is the best possible sign that Neely is putting her future into perspective, and that she views our love as enduring and our relationship solid.

  I glance out the car window and see her heading back down the sidewalk with a manila envelope clutched in her hand and a grin on her face. Just as she reaches the car, and opens the door, I notice a man trotting up behind her. He’s carrying something wrapped in brown paper. He calls out her name just as she slides into the seat beside me.

  “Neely? Neely Evans?” he calls from behind her.

  Neely turns her head around before she pulls the door closed and her voice suddenly has a nervous lilt to it.

  “Professor Andrews,” she murmurs, quickly turning her face to me. “It’s one of my old professors,” she explains quietly. “I’ll just be a second.”

  She launches herself out of the car, but the door remains open. I’m nosy, I admit it freely. I lower my head a bit so I can observe their interaction. Her back is to me now, but the man catches me watching from the driver’s seat and a look of recognition crosses his face.

  How can that be?

  I’ve never seen the guy before, but then I figure he must have seen me on Bangor or maybe even Lotus Pointe. It happens.

  “I tried to catch you before you left the building,” the guy says, “I saw your request come through for transcripts the other day. I was just now bringing this to the Registrar’s Office so they’d have it to give to you when you picked up your transcripts. It’s your last project. You never picked it up,” he explains, handing over the brown paper-wrapped canvas.

  “Oh,” is all she says, reluctantly taking it from him, “I guess I forgot.”

  “I doubt that,” he continues. “How have you been, Neely?”

  “I’ve been fine. I’m finishing up my degree. Doing as much of it online as possible. I’m going to be traveling with my boyfriend,” her voice trails off.

  The guy looks over at me again, his eyes bore into me as if in some way I’ve pissed on his turf. What the fuck?

  He’s an older guy. I’m guessing in his early forties maybe. Not bad looking, but definitely not Neely’s type I decide. Maybe she was teacher’s pet in whatever class she took from him.

  “Hey, well it was nice of you to keep my last project for me. I appreciate it, Eric.”

  Eric?

  Time for me to inject myself into the situation. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Neely?” I blurt, as she turns to get back inside of the car. Her eyes widen, but she remains silent.

  “No need,” the guy named Eric replies with a smirk. “We’ve met plenty of times. Take care, Neely.” He turns on his heel and heads back up the walkway towards the building.

  She tosses the wrapped canvas into the back seat, and slams the car door. When she reaches for her seat belt, my hand stays hers as I force her to look at me. “What the hell was that?”

  Her eyes meet mine. “He was one of my professors, I told you already. He just wanted to return my last project from his class.”

  “So…he kept it for what? Two, three years? And what was his bit about meeting me plenty of times?”

  She gives me a frown. “Will you please just leave it, Seth?” she snaps, and tugs her hand out of my grasp. She fastens her seatbelt and exhales a hard sigh. “Look at the project,” she says, nodding her head towards the back seat.

  I reach over t
he seat and grab it. As soon as I remove the paper from around it I feel my eyes widen. My pulse races as I absorb her depiction of…me apparently. It’s me, but it’s not me if that makes sense. It’s some sort of a collage of various mechanical parts, textures and shapes that are meshed together to form a face. But the eyes are drawn with charcoal and they are mine, there’s no doubt about it. A handwritten note flutters from the canvas and I catch it.

  Neely,

  Whomever it is that haunts your soul clearly isn’t worth your heart. I miss you.

  Eric

  She snatches the note from me and quickly reads it, and then sighs again, running her free hand through her now long locks of blonde hair. “He thought my choice of subject matter was redundant,” she explains.

  “Did you fuck him?” I question, because it is so obvious to me that Neely is hiding some sort of secret with respect to Eric the professor that it seems natural for me to ask. And I would be lying if I said the thought of him—or any other man for that matter, touching what is mine, didn’t make my blood run cold with pure jealous rage. It’s fucked up. It’s a double standard for sure, but it is what it is.

  “Have I once asked you a question like that, Seth?” she asks softly, gazing over at me. “Is this what we’re about?”

  I shake my head, massaging my forehead with my fingers in frustration. At myself. Because she is absolutely right.

  I blow out a breath, and give her a slight smile. “No babe,” I reply softly, grabbing her hand and kissing the palm gently, “You’re right. This isn’t what we’re about, but I gotta tell you, the thought fucks me up.”

  She nods and smiles. “Same here. So let’s leave it alone, shall we?”

  I nod, and keep her hand in mine as I pull away from the curb and head for home.

  Once I pull onto the Interstate her voice breaks the quiet. “Seth, can we stop at the cemetery before we go home? It’ll be the last chance we have before we leave for West Virginia,” she says softly.

  “Of course, baby,” I reply, squeezing her hand. “I love you, Neely.”