I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. Nora rose out of the water, her tight little body glistening in the sunlight. I so badly wanted to grab her and pull her back to me. She snagged a towel from the nearby basket and wrapped it around herself, closing me off to the great view I was enjoying. Then she turned to me.
“You don’t have to make your decision today, because I know getting over someone doesn’t happen overnight, but let me know. I’ll be waiting for you.”
As soon as she was gone, I let my head fall back against the deck and groaned. This girl was seriously going to be the death of me. She was already so far inside my head that I didn’t foresee her getting out anytime soon. And all I had to do was get over Logan, and then I could be with her.
How the hell was I supposed to manage that?
Chapter Nine
Logan
“I kissed Ethan,” Nora announced when I walked into the café where she worked on Wednesday. Several patrons looked up from their meals at her statement, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Actually, I totally made out with him.”
My eyes got wide, and my jaw fell open. “You did? I thought you were playing hard to get?”
She grinned. “I’m kidding! I just wanted to see what you’d say if I told you that. I didn’t kiss him at all. Possibly in time, but for now we’re just friends.”
“Friends? Really? But you were all excited about seeing him yesterday.”
I was totally confused, but Nora hadn’t dated anyone since we’d met, so maybe this was normal behavior for her.
She shrugged. “I just need to be sure he’s really interested in me before I take that step. You’ve told me enough stories about his usual pattern with women, and I’m not about to get caught in that trap. I like him, and he’s so freakin’ adorable, but I won’t be another woman he sleeps with for a while and then ditches. It’s so not me.”
I instantly felt bad for airing Ethan’s dirty laundry to Nora, but back when I’d told her about my best friend, I never would have thought she’d go for him. Hell, I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around it since they were really different. Nora was a good girl. Ethan usually went for fun girls, but maybe he was growing up. Maybe they’d be great for each other.
“He’s a really good guy, Nora,” I said then, just because I felt like I needed to provide a positive plug for Ethan.
She smiled. “I know he is. I can totally see beyond the façade he shows the world, and that’s why I’m willing to give him a chance.” She shrugged. “You want your usual?”
I nodded. “Please.”
She got to work making me a double mocha latte. They were super-addicting, and she’d gotten me turned on to them a few months back. I’d started hanging out at the café more and more when I needed to get out of my dorm room and needed a quiet place to study. The location of the café was in a residential area of Brentwood, so no one bothered me, and frankly even if they recognized me as Jason Brady’s girlfriend, no one had ever approached me. And I liked the feeling of anonymity.
Ever since Jase and I had gone public, I felt like I was under a microscope at school. Occasionally people approached me and asked me if I was his girlfriend, which usually led to them asking if they could meet him or if I could get them an autograph. And it was hard to tell them politely that, no I couldn’t do that, when what I really wanted to say was, ‘Are you kidding me? I don’t even know you, and you’re brazen enough to approach me in the library and ask for my boyfriend’s autograph? Get a life’.
But I never said that. And I didn’t tell Jase. He’d be pissed if he knew people were bugging me about him at school. When we were out together and he was recognized, he signed autographs for fans, but I knew he hated it. Just the week before we’d been shopping on Melrose, and he’d been spotted. It started out as just a few people, but the crowd then grew in numbers, and they started to shove me out of the way to get to Jase. As soon as he’d seen that, his hand had clamped onto my wrist, and he’d signaled for Charlie, who had been standing a few feet away from us, to intervene.
I knew it bugged him to have to do that, but fans could get out of control if left to their own devices, and he wasn’t taking any chances. It was why he’d hired Charlie in the first place. He’d wanted to hire me a security detail, as well, and we’d actually gotten into an argument about it a few months back, because I was not about to live my life with a shadow. I wasn’t famous. My boyfriend was famous. That was it. I was totally fine with Charlie tagging along when we went places, because he was a nice guy, and it made me feel better about Jase’s safety, but I didn’t need that myself.
As Nora made my drink and toasted me a sesame bagel, because I was predictable as hell and ordered the same thing each time I came in, I went and settled into my favorite armchair in the corner by the window and spread out my books. I had major reading to do for my philosophy class, which I hadn’t been excited about taking, but I’d sort of grown to love it. The material was a little bland, but my professor made it fantastically interesting, relating it back to current moral issues that the world faced.
Nora set my latte and my bagel slathered in veggie cream cheese in front of me and went back behind the counter where I noticed she was reading a textbook herself. She spent a lot of downtime at the café studying, which might have been part of the reason why I liked hanging out there. Although we went to different schools and had different majors, we were both freshmen, so it felt relatable.
Thirty minutes later my phone rang. I inwardly groaned when I saw it was my mother and debated not answering. No, that would only make things worse.
“Hey Mom,” I said reluctantly when I picked up.
“Hello darling. How are you? Still with Jason?”
I rolled my eyes. She was so in love with Jase. Every single time I talked to her, she asked if we were still together, as if she was just waiting for him dump me.
“I’m great, Mom. And yes, I’m still with him.”
Nora looked up, caught my eye and smiled. I’d complained about my mother to her on many occasions, so she knew exactly what our conversation was about.
“Fantastic. What is he doing in mid-May? Is he available?”
I was confused by her question. She didn’t usually inquire into Jase’s schedule so far in advance, so I wasn’t sure what her angle was.
“I have no idea what he’s doing then, Mom.”
“Is he on location?”
“No, I don’t think so. He should be back in L.A. then.”
Jase’s schedule could fluctuate, but I knew he definitely wasn’t shooting then, and his press tour for Vacation From Hell would be over.
“And you think you’ll still be with him in mid-May?”
What the hell was this?
“I’m planning on it,” I said, unable to mask the snarky tone in my voice.
“Hmm, okay, but do you know if he’s planning on it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mother, he is. Baring something like death, I’d say there’s a ninety-nine percent chance we’ll still be together.” I looked up at Nora and she gave me a short, definitive nod that made me smile. “Why do you ask?”
“Well,” she said, then she paused. “This is of the utmost secrecy, but Luiz and I have decided to get married.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me!” I said excitedly.
I’d honestly been waiting to hear this news my whole life. I hated how she and Luiz were on-again, off-again with their relationship, and although I couldn’t understand what he liked about my mother, he was so good for her, so I secretly loved that he wanted to be with her. And now they were getting married. This was such good news.
I needed to call my sister. She’d be over-the-moon that her parents were finally getting married after all these years. And here we were wondering when they were going to split again.
“No, Logan, I’m not kidding you,” she said curtly. “We were in St. Tropez this weekend, and he asked me to marry him. I said
yes, and we are having the wedding in mid-May at his house.”
“Mom, that’s so great. I’m so happy for you,” I gushed, because I just loved Luiz. “What’s the actual date?”
“That’s a secret,” she told me. “We’re keeping it under wraps, and we’re sending invitations to our friends to ask them to attend a party. They won’t know it’s a wedding until they arrive. The only reason I’m telling you and your sister is because I want you to be in the wedding. But you can’t tell anyone. I do not want a media circus and helicopters flying overhead on the day of the event. You cannot even tell your father.”
“Why not?” I asked, annoyed that she would say that.
I could understand her overall concern since the worst thing about the press was how they invaded your life at the most inopportune times, and I knew she wanted her wedding day to be peaceful, but it wasn’t like my dad would say anything. He didn’t have secret press connections or anything. He lived a quiet life, and he completely despised the ‘media vultures’, as he continued to call them.
“Because, I’m asking you not to, and I’d appreciate if you respect my wishes.”
“But, Mom, he’ll be happy for you. It won’t hurt his feelings. He and Sasha are really happy.”
She sighed. “Is that the child he met at that rock concert?”
I rolled my eyes again. “Mom, she’s thirty-one. She’s not a child, and yes, they met at The Killers’ concert we went to last year.”
I fought the urge to remind my mother that she spent her time away from Luiz sleeping with men who were closer to my age than hers, so she didn’t have a lot of room to talk. But I knew that would only annoy her, and as tempting as that was, I had studying to get back to and couldn’t spend all afternoon on the phone with my immature mother debating why it was acceptable for her to sleep with her masseuse and her personal trainer but not for my father to date a woman in her early thirties.
It irritated her enough that my father and Sasha met at a concert. She’d always abhorred his love of live music and thought him immature since he still continued to see his favorite bands every year, but even more she hated that he’d corrupted me. I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of music she listened to, but it definitely wasn’t rock. She considered herself much too refined for ‘that noise’.
“Charming. I’m sure they’ll have a very happy life together camping out in fields to see bands, getting stoned, and getting matching henna tattoos.”
I laughed out loud picturing my father and Sasha doing those things. They weren’t nineteen year-old hippies. They just liked music.
“Okay, so I won’t tell him,” I said, ending the bashing of my dad, because I knew she could go on and on, and I wouldn’t stand for it. And I’d tell my dad about the wedding, because I told him everything, and he wouldn’t say a word to anyone.
“Thank you.”
“Can I tell Jase?”
She didn’t answer right away, but then she said, “Yes, but only if he doesn’t tell his publicist. Allow me to reiterate that I do not need this information getting out, but I do know that he needs to ensure he’s available for the day. As soon as we finalize it I’ll let you know so you can pass the word on to him, although he will be getting a formal invitation.”
Jesus. I honestly think she was more concerned about Jase attending than she was me.
“Sounds great, Mom. Is there anything else you needed? I have to get back to studying.”
It was a curt response, but she needed to know I was right in the middle of something.
“No, darling. I don’t need anything else from you at the moment,” she said, just as curtly, and it was definitely a slam at my tone.
“Great,” I said brightly. “Well, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Goodbye, Logan.”
She hung up the phone, and I threw mine onto the table in front of me.
“Everything okay?” Nora asked coming over to sit across from me.
In the time that I’d been there the café had emptied out, so we were alone.
I shrugged. “Sure, just my mother being her usual self.”
She laughed. “How you’re related to that woman, I’ll never understand.”
I smiled. “Fantastic upbringing by my amazing father,” I told her. “He washed away all the negative influence my mother tried to have.”
“I like your dad,” she said, even though they’d never met.
Just then my phone beeped, letting me know I had a text message. I hoped it wasn’t my mother. I smiled when I saw it was Jase and eagerly opened the message.
I missed him like crazy already, and it had only been two days. It was going to be a long six weeks.
“My brother?” Nora asked, and I nodded as the message opened to reveal a picture, and it took me a minute to realize it was him.
The caption read, Trial hair and make-up run. What do you think?
I smiled in amusement as I took in the picture. He looked like a completely different person with hair that messily fell to his shoulders in layers, massive amounts of guy-liner, an eyebrow ring, a lip ring, and a spider web tattoo on his neck. But he looked hot as hell. If I hadn’t known it was him, I totally would have check out this sexy rocker. Not that piercings and tattoos were my style, but I could see the allure.
You look hot as hell! I responded, firing off the text as quickly as possible.
Really? I thought I looked sort of douchy.
No way! You look super-sexy.
Okay, not sure how to take that, but I think it’s a compliment?
I smiled. Definitely a compliment. Panties are going to drop all across the country when this movie comes out.
LOL. That’s awesome, but I think the real question is, will my girlfriend’s panties drop?
I felt my face start to get hot. He’d initiated some sexting when we’d been separated in the past, but this was not the time, nor the place.
For you, anytime, but I honestly prefer your normal look. Sexy Rocker Jase is hot, but the real Jase is way hotter.
I love you, he sent back quickly, and it made me smile.
Love you more. Call me tonight?
Facetime. I want to see your beautiful eyes when I talk to you and tell you how much I miss you.
Jesus, that boy could light me on fire even from two thousand miles away.
Can’t wait, I sent back and set my phone down.
“Damn, girl. You are so in love,” Nora commented.
I just smiled like an idiot, because it was true. “I know, and this separation sucks, but I’m trying to be supportive, because it’s his career. I just miss him like crazy.”
I was completely going through Jase withdrawal. I was so used to seeing him daily that him being gone had created a huge void in my life and my routine. I was home much more. And being in my dorm room so much kind of sucked. I much preferred the quiet seclusion of Jase’s house in the Hollywood Hills. He’d told me I could stay there while he was gone, and I was seriously considering it.
Henley had a new boyfriend, and he hung out in our room a lot. It made things a bit crowded. I’d never realized it before, since I normally wasn’t home that often, but now I was feeling the full effects of him being there.
“So we’ll just have to keep your mind off of missing him,” Nora suggested.
I smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me. What did you have in mind?”
She grinned. “Dinner and drinks, of course.”
I returned her smile. “I’m in.”
She smiled as she rose to her feet. “Awesome, we’ll go Friday night after the photo shoot. How does that sound?”
I nodded. “Perfect. I love it. Should I invite Ethan?”
I knew the more time she spent with him the more she would like him and trust that he was one of the good ones, so it was a completely shameless ploy to hook them up.
Nora hesitated for a second before saying, “Definitely. Bring him along. I’d like that.”
I knew she desperately wanted
Ethan to be the guy she thought he was, and I knew he could be that guy. Maybe if I did what I could to get them together, she’d realize he was pretty awesome.
Chapter Ten
Ethan
“We’re doing what?” I asked, taking in the amused look on Logan’s face.
We were out to dinner on Wednesday night. It had been a while since we’d hung out since she’d pretty much been holed up with Jase twenty-four/seven, but now that he was out of town, she was apparently all into hanging out with me again. I’d pushed back a little when she’d asked if we could go to dinner, since I didn’t appreciate how she’d continually chosen her boyfriend over me for so long, but then she offered to buy me sushi, and I caved.
That girl knew my weaknesses all too well, and sushi was one of them – along with her. Besides, I could never really be mad at her. I just missed her. If she’d just move in with Garrett and me, we wouldn’t have this problem, but she’d wanted to live on campus. I thought she was nuts.
She grinned at me. “You’re coming with me to Nora’s photo shoot at 57 Jeans on Friday. You know she’s a model, right?”
An excited buzz starting in my stomach as soon as Logan said that. Nora was so hot. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her tight little body since I’d caught a glimpse of it on Monday. Maybe I should call her, remind her that I was interested. I’d kill to put my hands on her tiny waist and pull her body flush against me, her ample chest pushing against mine, her warm–
“Ethan?”
I looked up from my lust filled haze at Logan who was watching me with a questioning look on her face.
“Yeah?”
She laughed. “Where did you go?”
Noraland. It’s a magical place where girls named Nora run around naked all day long and live to pleasure guys like me.
“Uh, nowhere. I’m here.”
She chuckled again. “Yeah, right. You were thinking about Nora weren’t you?”
“No,” I said, but I knew she didn’t believe me. “Fine, yes. I can’t get her out of my head. It’s seriously bad, Lo. Usually I sleep with a girl and get bored with her before this happens. I’ve never been denied, and it’s killing me.”
Gravity Happens (Forcing Gravity) Page 9
