“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered, her arms around him, as a slight tremor ran through his body. When his breathing slowed and he was still again, Lauren took his face in her hands and gently kissed his forehead then his lips.
Lash pulled back for a moment, looking at her in amazement. He knew she was a shrink, but damn, how had she managed to do that to him?
“What?” she asked hesitantly.
Lash shook his head. “You’re good. You’re really good. I can’t believe I told you all that.”
“But how do you feel now?”
Like a new person, he thought. “Better,” was all he said.
She smiled with satisfaction.
Her grin evaporated his dark thoughts. “Let me make last night up to you. Let me take you to dinner tonight.”
“I don’t know, Lash.”
“Just us. There’s a great restaurant a few miles outside of town, no one else from the set will be there.”
“Okay.”
Lash narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to tell your brother about us?”
“Does it matter?”
“He carries a gun and I don’t think he’d hesitate to use it on me if he knew we’d slept together.”
“Then this will be our little secret.”
He smiled and gave her a kiss. “I’m sure as hell not going to tell him.”
Lauren looked reluctantly at the clock. “I’m not either, but I do have to get going. I’m meeting my big bad FBI agent with a gun brother for breakfast.”
“You can shower here,” Lash offered.
“Thanks, but I can’t exactly show up wearing last night’s clothes, so I’ll just freshen up and hope like hell no one sees me on the way back to my room.”
Lash leaned back against the headboard and watched her get out of bed, scoop up her clothes, and head for the bathroom.
Lauren shut the door and couldn’t help but gape at the bathroom. It was like a spa. Glossy marble tile, granite countertop, huge jetted tub, and glassed in shower with a rainfall shower head, even a flat screen TV. She sighed, wishing she had time to hang out there, maybe take a shower with Lash . . .
She shook her head, splashed cold water on her face, and sighed again at the soft plushness of the towel. So this was how the rich lived. Not that she made a bad living or that there was anything wrong with her hotel room, but they were both a far cry from how Lash lived and made it all too clear she was playing way out of her league.
By the time she threw on her clothes and left the room, Lash was dressed and watching the news in the living room area of his suite. He stood when she entered the room and for a moment, appeared a little awkward and unsure what to say. Then he grinned, crossed the room and gave her a kiss. “Until tonight,” he said.
“Did you find out anything last night?” Lash asked Hoyt as they left the hotel later that morning.
“Maybe. But I doubt my evening was quite as eventful as yours,” he said, getting into the car.
“Come on, you know me, I’m as boring as they come.”
Hoyt shook his head. “I hope like hell you know what you’re doing.”
“Me, too,” Lash said, staring out the window as they made their way towards the set. He was the first to admit he wasn’t exactly good at doing the right thing or making the wisest of decisions.
Lauren was surprised when she answered the knock on her hotel room door late that afternoon and found Lash standing there. She really hadn’t expected him to show up. Not that he’d given her any reason to doubt him, but it wasn’t like she regularly dated famous movie stars.
She paused, with the door half-open, the brightness of his sky blue eyes mesmerized her.
“What?” he asked.
She forced her brain to work. “Your eyes.”
He cocked his head, then smiled. “Colored contacts are part of the role. These are the real deal.”
“Better,” she answered. The man had been sexy with grey eyes, but was unbelievably stunning now.
“Ready to get something to eat?” he asked.
“Sure,” she answered.
“Good.” He grinned, then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. After she locked up, he led her to the elevator, then outside to a waiting limo.
She shot him a quick glance.
He shrugged. “Figured I’d take you on our first date in style.”
She tried to ignore the shot of warmth his words sent through her body.
The drive to Pueblo passed quickly as their conversation veered from favorite music to funny childhood memories.
Lauren was surprised when they pulled up in front of an almost dilapidated looking Mexican restaurant. She turned to Lash with a raised eyebrow.
“Were you expecting something more upscale?”
She felt her face flush, a rare occurrence for her.
Lash laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the finer things in life, but as far as food goes, I don’t give a shit what the place looks like as long as it’s good. And from what I hear, this place is amazing.”
“I think this might just be my kind of place,” she said, as he led her inside.
He was quiet as they ordered their food, letting her do most of the talking. But the way his eyes held hers, the way he looked at her, she’d never had a man look at her that way before. He seemed genuinely interested in her life.
She reached across the table and touched his cheek. “How’d you get this scar?” she asked.
“Getting thrown through a glass door tends to leave a mark, I’ve found.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Really. The same day I was shot.”
Shit. Not exactly the direction she’d wanted the conversation to go. “Lash, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up that day again, I was just curious.”
He took her hand. “It’s okay.” And for the first time in a long time, it was. And he owed that to her.
He told her about growing up in Ireland. She loved hearing him talk about the country he was born and raised in. And when his accent slipped out, she felt a curious stirring low in her belly.
They were both quiet on the ride back to the hotel. As promised, the food had been amazing, and Lauren was content to snuggle up against Lash’s warm body.
He walked her back to her room, planted a hand against the door and leaned towards her. He gently caressed the side of her face. “I know we can do better than we did last night.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you inviting yourself in?”
He grinned. “Only if you want me to.”
Lauren couldn’t help but think there wasn’t a woman on the planet who could resist that. And yet, she was the one he was with now. She took his hand, unlocked the door, and let him in.
She looked around, feeling nervous now that he was here, in her room.
“Wine?” he asked.
She nodded and he picked up the phone.
Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The server rolled in a small round table covered with a white tablecloth, holding a very expensive looking bottle of red wine, two crystal glasses, and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.
He picked up a strawberry, fed it to her, then poured two glasses of wine.
Lauren took her glass and opened the door to the balcony. Lash grabbed the bottle and followed.
“I’m sure it’s nothing like your accommodations, but the view is nice,” she said sitting in one of the two deck chairs.
“It certainly is,” he said, looking at her as he sat down in the other chair.
She was glad it was dark enough to hide her blush.
He scooted his chair closer to hers and took her hand in his. They sat and sipped their wine.
Lash refilled their glasses. His hand moved to her knee.
Lauren smiled. This was a man who could literally have any woman in the world he wanted. And he wanted her. It was a heady feeling. She took another drink, then moved to sit on his lap. He cupped her chin, pull
ing her mouth down to his. The kiss was slow and sweet. She sat the glass down, put a hand on his chest. He groaned and deepened the kiss.
Her breath quickened. “Inside,” she said.
She felt him smile against her mouth, then he picked her up in his arms, moved inside, and kicked the balcony door shut, laying her down softly on the bed.
The weather broke late the next morning as they slept in, enjoying the sun streaming in through the hotel window. Guy called Lash’s cell just after 10 a.m. to let him know that filming would start back up that afternoon.
Lash hung up the phone and turned to Lauren “Back to work,” he said, giving her a quick kiss before getting out of bed.
She allowed herself a moment to admire Lash’s body as he walked across the room and retrieved his clothes. Why did he have to have such a great ass?
She was amazed at how tender and gentle he had been with her, like a different person than the night before.
He had let down his defenses and she was finally seeing the real Lash Brogan. Heaven help her she liked what she saw. She was fascinated by him, by the sensitive heart he tried so hard to hide. She knew his reputation as a womanizer, but she could also see that on the rare occasions he let someone into his heart, you got it all.
Mark looked intently at Lash over lunch and smirked. “You’re banging her aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lash answered, putting down his fork.
“Ah, come on. You’re banging her.”
“No, I’m not.” Lash looked down at the half-eaten slice of pizza on his plate. Mark had been hounding him all morning and obviously had not decided to let it go.
“Shit, man, you’re banging Calhoun’s sister. He’s going to kick your ass.”
Lash couldn’t help it, he grinned and looked up.
“I knew it!” Mark shouted triumphantly. “What the hell you going to do?”
Lash shook his head. “Keep it from him as long as possible, I guess.”
“He’s gonna know, man.”
“I know.” Lash shrugged, getting up. “I know.”
Mark stared after him and shook his head.
Ward was just as glad to be back to work, observing, watching after the stars, the wannabes, and the worker bees.
He watched Lash joking around with Mark. The days off must have been good for the actor. He was smiling more and looked completely relaxed. He heard deep laughter from Mark, heard Mark ask him if he got laid. Lash didn’t answer, just laughed the comment off.
Ward thought back to his breakfast earlier that morning with Lauren. She’d been in a surprisingly good mood as well, laughing off their argument from the bar.
His mind started wandering.
No. Lauren would never fall for someone like Brogan. And Brogan knew better than to touch his sister.
Adam Bishop took off his wig, ran a hand though his hair and grabbed a beer from the mini fridge in his hotel room. He stripped off the clothes his latest role demanded and turned on the shower. All in all, it had been a very successful day. His disguise allowed him the perfect opportunity to observe how his game was playing out.
It was amazing how less threatening a woman was. How many more places she could get into.
Never in his wildest dreams, though, could he have dreamed up a more perfect scene. All of his enemies together on the same stage for him to play with. And destroy. Everything was falling into place like it was meant to be.
And no one suspected a thing. His skills were so far above the clowns on the set. What a pathetic bunch.
He’d watched them all. He saw how cocky Ward was, how sure of himself and his abilities. Adam couldn’t wait to kill him. And Lauren, what a nice surprise she turned out to be. He saw the way she looked at the actor, Brogan. He’d have to think up something extra special for the two of them.
19
Lash had rarely worked with child actors. Sure, there had been an occasional kid or two in his movies, but none that he’d ever had to work closely with. Now, one of his costars was a ten year old boy. Mikey played the role of Mark’s character’s son. He wasn’t in a lot of scenes, but Lash sure as hell wished they could get those scenes over and done with.
He thought about calling the kid’s parents and telling them to take his ass home. The last thing he wanted was to see something happen to the kid.
At first it had been awkward, interacting with Mikey. But now, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have kids of his own. It hadn’t been something he’d ever given serious thought to. Even when he’d pictured himself married to Justine, kids hadn’t really figured into the equation. While he knew he wasn’t at the point where he was yet responsible enough to be a father, not until he was sure he was stable enough to keep himself on the right path, he couldn’t rule it out in the future.
“Did you really shoot someone?” Mikey asked, admiration mixed with a touch of fear in his dark eyes.
Lash took a long time to answer, weighing his words carefully. “Mikey, killing someone is wrong, it is. But sometimes, bad things happen and we’re left with no choice but to do everything we can to protect ourselves and those we love.”
Mikey nodded in understanding. “You killed the bad man before he killed you.”
“That’s right,” Lash said.
“Lash, Mikey, we’re ready for you on the set,” Guy said.
Thank God, Lash thought. He really wasn’t up to explaining to the kid that he’d had to shoot more than one bad man.
After the scene was over, Lash cornered Guy.
“Can we do all the scenes with the kid right away?” They hadn’t directly talked about what had been going on lately and Lash wondered where Guy stood on it. Kids made too convenient of targets.
“You’re concerned about him.”
“I think the sooner he’s off the set, the better.”
Guy nodded. “I’ll move his scenes up.” He paused, looked down, then back up at his leading man. “Look, Lash, I feel a bit responsible for you being here. I pushed Bob to hire you. But I swear to you, I didn’t know things would get this bad. I feel terrible about bringing you into it.”
“You couldn’t have known. Thank you for recommending me, though. I’ve been an admirer of your films for quite some time.”
Guy laughed then. “Maybe someday we can work together on a normal movie set.”
“Is there such a thing?” Lash asked.
“Not in my experience.”
Lauren looked over the stills and outtakes from the day’s filming. Guy had agreed to let her look at anything she wanted, to see if she could find anything or anyone suspicious. The shots helped her study the behavior of everyone on the set.
But today, she couldn’t take her eyes off the interaction between Lash and Mikey. She was touched, seeing the two of them together. Who would have thought that Lash Brogan could look so natural with a child? Yes, he was an actor and that was his job, but she could see a genuine affection there also.She didn’t want to analyze the feelings the images evoked in her. It was getting too personal.
Her phone dinged with an incoming text message and she welcomed the interruption. Until she saw who it was from.
Lash. Wanting to know what she was doing later.
God, she was in so much trouble.
20
“Acting seems to come so easy for you. Is it ever hard to separate yourself from the characters you portray?” Lauren asked Lash, lounging on the small couch in her hotel room with a glass of red wine. She briefly wondered about how much she’d been drinking since her arrival, but shrugged it aside as she felt the warmth in her belly from the wine and from being in the same room as Lash.
Lash took a seat in the chair across from her. “Not for me,” he answered, taking a sip of his whiskey. “It’s like you get to pretend to be someone else for a while. It’s work, don’t get me wrong, you have to learn your character’s mannerisms, what motivates them, be able to understand where they’re coming
from. But it’s fun to step into their lives for a brief period of time.”
Lauren smiled. “Like dress up for grownups.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you ever play characters you don’t like?”
Lash took a moment to think about it. “I have to be able to identify with them on some level or I won’t take the part. It doesn’t mean I would necessarily like them as a person, but I have to be able to respect them and find them fascinating.”
Lauren took another drink of her wine.
Lash shifted in the chair and studied her. “Are you going to be able to catch this guy?” he asked, redirecting the conversation.
“We’re dealing with a rather complex killer, but I think we’re getting close.” She paused, setting her empty wineglass on the table. “My brother is very good at what he does.”
“Yes, he is, and you seem to be, too.”
“I enjoy what I do, that makes a difference.”
“What’s your brother like?” he asked.
“Ward, Ward is complicated. But he’s a good man.”
“I don’t think he likes me very much.”
She saw just a hint of underlying vulnerability in his face. Then he smiled and added, “With good reason, of course.”
“He’s pretty much your typical overprotective big brother.”
“Are you guys close?”
“Oh, yes.” A smile lit Lauren’s face. “More so now than when we were kids. We’re a lot alike.”
Lash looked skeptical.
“We are,” she insisted. “We’re both very dedicated to our jobs and basically don’t have much of a life outside of work. We’re very independent, analytical yet intuitive, neat freaks, terrible cooks, classical music lovers, runners. The list goes on,” she said with a shrug.
“Well, I can think of one very important difference.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
Redemption (Fateful Justice Book 2) Page 8
