Gollie was all tongue and tail wagging as she bounded out of the carrier. She licked Andie, then sniffed Cade and jumped around excitedly.
Cade gathered the luggage and tucked a large hand over the small of Andie’s back. “Ready? I trust you had a good flight.”
His touch ignited sparks and flutters, but all too soon, he removed his hand and secured Gollie’s pet carrier to the luggage rack.
Andie pressed her lips together and swallowed to keep from melting into a blob of jelly. The weather was hot and Cade had to be broiling in the chauffeur’s uniform, but he remained impeccable as he led her to the limo.
“I still can’t believe you moonlight as a limo driver,” Andie said, as Cade held the door of the limo for her. Maybe he had to, what with the expenses of keeping his pregnant mistress.
“We do what we have to, Miss Wales. I’m sure you understand.” His grin was more like a smirk. “How are your parents?”
“Doing well. Thanks for picking me up.” She patted Gollie, thankful for something to keep her hands busy, and the dog jumped into the cavernous back.
“My pleasure. Let me load your things, and we’ll be on our way.”
Andie slid onto the luxurious leather seats. With so many to chose from, which should she take? Gollie sniffed each seat, circled around and plopped herself on the floor, her tail thumping against a mini refrigerator.
Andie finally settled on the seat closest to the door. “Gollie, I think we’re going to like Hollywood. I wonder if Cade still has Red.”
What was she thinking? That she and Cade would see each other after he dropped her off? Andie rubbed her hand over Gollie’s soft fur and cuddled her. “At least I have you.”
Cade was back after slamming the trunk. He bent over her and pulled out the seatbelt. “You gotta wear one of these in California, or they’ll ticket me.”
Oh my. Andie’s insides quivered. His Cade scent invaded her, and the way he leaned over her, all heat inside an enclosed area had her all but panting. She really needed to get control of herself.
Think King David. The old King David, shivering and unable to get warm enough, wrapped in woolen blankets, wrinkly and wracked with age, not sexy as sin, just an old, dilapidated man, impotent, the end game for all womanizers.
Only the man in front of her was hot, young, and virile. Still a womanizer. Not her type. Never. Men who slept around could not be trusted, no matter how good in bed they were from all the practice.
Slowly, Cade pulled the strap over her, adjusting the shoulder portion and clipping it at her hip. His hand brushed her, flinging tingles all over her skin.
Andie licked her lips. What the heck? She’d already swapped spit with him and made love unprotected. Yes, she’d dodged the bullet and he hadn’t gotten her pregnant. If he was offering, she’d partake, although this time with protection. There was nothing harmful about a little kiss, was there?
Except, this was so one-sided. Cade was doing his job. Now that he had a baby on the way, he was proving himself to be a responsible man.
Sure enough, he tipped his chauffeur’s cap and shut the door.
# # #
Cade pulled the limo out of the airport and onto the freeway. So far so good. Andie had swallowed his needing to moonlight as a limo driver hook, line, and sinker. In Hollywood, everything was for rent, and it hadn’t been difficult at all for him to secure a limo complete with chauffeur’s outfit.
The rest of his job wouldn’t be that easy, especially showing Andie he was a good guy. When he’d buckled her into the limo, she’d had that hot, glazed look of lust in her eyes, and it’d taken every ounce of self-control not to give in to her alluring charm. If anything, she was prettier than ever. Her green eyes sparkled, and her skin was smooth as cream. Just the glimpse of her neckline and the way her cowl neck blouse draped over her shapely breasts had him almost hyperventilating.
He adjusted his pants and stepped on the gas.
The miles whizzed by, and he couldn’t help staring in the rear-view mirror through the glass partition. Andie sat stiffly while Gollie rested her head in Andie’s lap.
Soon enough, he pulled the limo onto the driveway of his Hollywood Hills home. After parking, he straightened his collar and opened the passenger door.
“Where are we?” Andie’s eyes were wide, and she stared at his Tuscan style house hidden behind old-growth eucalyptus trees.
“Your temporary living quarters.” Cade held his hand to help her out of the car while her dog jumped from the limo and sniffed the mailbox post.
Behind the door, his Irish setter, Red, barked a frantic greeting. No doubt, he knew his girlfriend, Gollie, had arrived.
“I thought I was going to the hotel,” Andie said, her eyes darting around. “They’re giving me two weeks to interview roommates and find an apartment.”
“Slight change of plans.” He pressed her delicate fingers and wished he could reel her in for a long, delicious kiss.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes were on him, taking him in, and her mouth opened slightly, wet and tantalizing. The evening sun glinted off her fiery hair, red, orange, brown and entrancing, and her eyes were green as jade.
He couldn’t lose her now that she was so close, so he distracted her. “Like the neighborhood? Look over there, the Hollywood sign and down below is the Hollywood Bowl.”
Her strawberry lips beckoned as she smiled and brushed her hair away from her eyes to stare at the landmarks. “Wow, I’ve always dreamt of seeing all this.”
“Wait until it’s dark and the city lights up below.” He swallowed visions of the two of them cuddled on the sectional in his sunken living room against the floor-to-ceiling window with the view to downtown. “Let’s get you settled, and I’ll show you around.”
Reluctantly, he let go of her hand to fetch her luggage. Every muscle in his body craved to hold her close, to kiss her, touch her, and press her against him. But the last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away, and with the baby hanging over his head, he didn’t deserve to be with Andie as anything more than a friend. Besides, his last promise to her was to prove to her he was no longer a player off the field, that he had no women lurking around, and what better way than to show her by having her as his roommate?
“So, I’m staying here until I find a place?” She hadn’t stopped gawking as Gollie scampered around sniffing the bushes.
“Something like that. It’s not easy finding a place when you have a dog.” Cade gathered her luggage and kicked open the door. Red, who had been barking behind it, leaped out and greeted Gollie. The two dogs went racing around the yard in a game of chase.
A worry seized Cade as Red sniffed Gollie between her legs. “Is she spayed? Did she ever have the puppies?”
“Yes, and no.” Andie stepped into his house, her mouth wide with admiration. Just having the presence of his woman, eyeing his things gave him comfort and a boost to his spirits. She belonged here.
“And you?” He’d wondered off and on if she’d also be pregnant, but from the looks of it, it was only a scare.
“Me? Am I spayed or did I ever have puppies?” Andie tilted her head and slipped him a half-smile. “What does it look like?”
Looks like you’re fine. Very fine. Disappointment settled over him, and he realized just how much he’d wished for something permanent to tie them together.
“Here, let me show you the house.” Cade guided Andie through the entranceway to the great room.
He’d left it the way it was, full of movie memorabilia and knick-knacks from the previous owner. A knight in dull armor stood near the non-functioning grandfather clock, and movie posters from the twentieth century lined the art-gallery hall that ended in a sunken living room with the view to kill for. All of Hollywood and Los Angeles lay beyond. Too bad he had the shades drawn.
“Thanks for bringing Gollie back,” Andie said, and he realized they were still talking about him returning the dog five months ago.
“It was the least I coul
d do. I’m sorry about the entire situation. I didn’t mean for you to get caught in it.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You wouldn’t have known.” Andie avoided his gaze and turned toward a bookshelf full of retired movie props. “How’s she doing?”
“Pregnancy’s progressing. I’m not seeing her, if you’re wondering.”
“I’m not thinking anything, Cade. I’m over it. It was a misunderstanding.”
The way she said that, all pinched and dry, clenched his heart. How could she so calmly say she was over it, as if the week they’d shared hadn’t changed their lives?
One step at a time. Game’s not over yet.
Cade rubbed the back of his neck and moved to her side. “I just wanted you to know. That’s all.”
“Sure. Duly noted.” She examined a replica of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. “Whose house is this? I’m sure I can’t afford the rent.”
“This is my house.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “And you’re welcome to stay as my guest.”
“But …” Her face turned pink as she figured out what happened. “You waylaid me. I was supposed to go to the hotel.”
“Guilty, but I live here all alone, and it would help you save money if you stayed with me.”
“I, I can’t take you up on this. It’s not right.” Andie clutched her purse to her chest and backed away from him. “I don’t want to owe you.”
“You won’t owe me a thing. I’d like you to stay. Come, I’ll show you around.” He took her hand, interlacing their fingers. “If you’re worried, I promise I won’t be anything more than a friend.”
“Well, maybe …” She bit the bottom of that plump, sexy lip, driving his heart rate to a frenzy.
Had she any idea how crazy she was making him?
“I promise to be the perfect gentleman. I’ll even have a driver take you to and from work. I’ll be busy with training camp and endorsements, and you’ll have your own private wing. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“But, wait. I can’t take advantage of you.” She withdrew her hand from his grip.
“Look, I know why you’re here.” His hand already felt empty, but he couldn’t let her know he’d been in cahoots with Ronaldo to bring her here. “I mean, I can guess. There’s no way you’d leave your parents unless it’s for the money to help them. Rent here in Hollywood is sky high—two to three thousand a month and even then, the neighborhood could be dodgy, especially for a single woman.”
Her shoulders slumped, and her face darkened into a frown. “You don’t need to help me. The admin at Silver Studios has a few leads, and I can room with one of their personal assistants. His roommate moved out to film in Japan and—”
“You’re definitely not going to room with another man. You’ve no idea how men are in LA.”
Andie straightened her posture and her nostrils flared. “You’re right. I shouldn’t room with a man, and you’re doubly right. I have no idea how men are in LA, including you.”
“That came out wrong,” Cade muttered, but Andie was already stomping toward the door.
“Come on, Gollie,” she called while extracting her cell phone from her purse. “I’m calling a cab, Cade, and don’t try stopping me.”
Chapter 5
Andie’s hands shook as she browsed for a taxi cab. She still wasn’t used to her cell phone, but once she’d agreed to the screenwriter’s research assistant job, she’d had to get one.
Behind her, Cade stood silent. Guess he really wasn’t going to stop her. Their two dogs were still frolicking in his yard full of bushes and flowers, although truth be told, it was unkempt and bare in patches. The lawn was dried up and some kind of succulent ground cover bloomed purple and yellow on the slope.
She connected to a dispatcher.
“Address?”
“Uh, hold on a sec.” Lowering her phone, she said, “Cade, I need your address.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No, really. It was awful nice of you to pick me up at the airport, but I can’t stay with you.”
“Why?”
He’d taken off his cap and was no longer bald, sporting a well trimmed haircut, and he’d shaved off his beard and mustache—so different from the lumberjack she’d met at Itasca, but still sexy and totally hot.
How was she going to hold herself together when all she wanted to do was run her finger over the scar on his upper lip and taste his tongue, and grovel at his feet like the women who chased after King David when he cavorted with the Ark of God through the streets of Jerusalem?
Snap out of it!
“Why, Andie? I have all this room.” He beseeched her with his hand, beckoning her to go to him.
She gave her head a hard shake to chase away the tides of lust and desire welling from her nether regions.
“It’s a matter of principle. I’m not a sponge or a free-loader.”
“Then, pay me rent.” He shrugged, looking so cute and rugged at the same time. How was she going to resist not jumping his bones, except he seemed not to want her anymore.
Maybe she could do it. After all, her mother could use the extra money to hire a home health aide, and God knew her father needed the rehabilitation programs not covered by his basic, catastrophic insurance plan.
“Okay, guess we can work that out, but it has to be a fair market rate, and I’ll stay to my one room and bathroom. I can’t afford more.”
“Of course.” Cade wrapped his big hands around her waist and lifted her up easily. “You hide in there and I won’t ever bother you. Promise. Since I’ll give you the smallest room, one shelf of the refrigerator and a single burner on the stove, no oven privileges, it’ll be a hundred a month. Think you can swing that?”
“Bathroom? I’ll need a sink, toilet and shower.” She was already breathless, being in his arms, but she had to keep her nerves steady. No flailing now.
“Oh. You’re a tough negotiator.” He swung her around and around. “Of course, but if you want to use a tub, I’ll charge you an affordable price, per use.”
He wiggled his eyebrows, and Andie couldn’t help remembering the ways she and Cade had used the luxurious bathroom at the Watkin’s Peak ski resort their one weekend together.
“I don’t think I’ll be taking any tub baths any time soon,” she muttered, hoping her blush didn’t give her thoughts away. “A hundred is way too low.”
“I could go even lower.” His eyes glinted as they traveled from her face downward. “In fact, why don’t we go inside and renegotiate over a bottle of wine?”
“I, uh, don’t need to. I mean, deal. Yes, I’ll take it.”
The scar over his upper lips stretched as he grinned. “I’m sure you’ll take everything I have to offer.”
If he only knew how attracted she was to him. Still, he’d promised to be a gentleman, and it seemed he was over her already. Besides, he had that baby to worry about, and she did need to save money.
“Yes, let’s go inside. I mean, not to negotiate, just so you can show me my room and I can get unpacked.” She was babbling now, her heart skipping and pulsing and her single brain cell could not compute why her landlord was holding her in his arms. Wait! Halt. She had to guard her heart, if not between her legs, and no way was she going to be another number on his bedpost.
Although, how thick and long must his bedpost be?
“Red, Gollie, inside,” Cade commanded, his sexy deep voice vibrated through his chest.
He stepped toward the ornately carved double doors and pulled her body against his as he stumbled across the threshold.
Andie grabbed onto him, arms over his shoulders. He took two heavy steps, then regained his balance, slamming her back against the wall.
She lost her breath and her mouth opened in shock, only to encounter Cade’s lips crashing into her. Everything exploded around her, the heat of the summer evening, being inside Cade’s mansion, the lonely nights replaying him in her mind, and all Andie could do was gasp and allow him to plunder h
er mouth.
His tongue moved wickedly, smooth as silk and rough with desire. His body was hot and hard, especially the rod pressing between her legs. Her open legs. Holy bratwurst. She’d promised herself to guard her heart. Must. Push. Away. Must. Clamp. Lips. Shut. Must not rub against him.
She wiggled and squirmed, her hands wildly grabbing as she supposedly fended off his passion-filled kisses. His skillful tongue darted and flickered, probing and teasing, before he deepened the kiss, his entire head moving to massage her lips.
Andie moaned in sheer bliss. He was rock hard against her, and his hands had crept to her breasts, smoothly and surely massaging her. Her clothes were too tight, too constraining. Even as he politely remained outside of her bra, she gave herself over, clamping her legs around his waist and moving her crotch over his hard-on.
She might not have an idea about how men were in LA, or how Cade lived and behaved, but what better way to find out than to stay with him, as friends, of course. Maybe with benefits. Big benefits. Like Goliath sized benefits.
Cade groaned and broke the never-ending kiss. Panting, she reached for him, and he tipped his forehead against hers. “If you want to leave, say so now.”
Andie’s vocal cords froze. What did he want her to say after that mind-blowing kiss and the skillful breast exam? She definitely didn’t want to leave—not with her body so hot for him. Forget the heart problems, she had other more immediate needs, like rent, a place to stay, and, face it, Cade had invaded all her dreams since the day she’d first met him deep in the bowels of the Opp Library.
“Bedroom. You haven’t shown me my room.” Shit. That came out way too sultry. Her chest heaved and she throbbed between her legs. “I need to know what I’m getting for my rent money.”
There. That sounded businesslike and not at all like a come on. She’d sign the lease, fork over her deposit, and unpack. Why would she want to leave when he was going to give it to her for a hundred a month?
“Definitely.” He carried her down the hallway, up a spiral staircase, and kicked a door open at the top.
Boxed Set: Intercepted by Love (The Complete Collection): Books One - Book Six Page 12
