Star of His Heart

by Brenda Jackson

  “And what honor has been bestowed upon me for this visit?” he asked, leaning back and scanning her from head to toe. “Hmm, I don’t see anything broken or in need of repair, although I still keep plenty of bandages around.”

  Rachel could only laugh. While growing up she had been a handful, a tomboy in her earlier years. And anytime she got hurt, she would run to her uncle to fix her boo-boo.

  “C’mon, Uncle Jacob, it’s not like I never come to visit,” she defended herself, laughing.

  “No, but since you’ve moved to the other side of town we barely see you these days.”

  Rachel nibbled on her bottom lip. In addition to the enormous mansion her aunt and uncle owned in Beverly Hills, they also had this place, a luxurious oceanfront hideaway on Malibu Beach. A few months ago she had purchased a condo in the gated community of Friar Gate that was located on the outskirts of Hollywood. Before moving, she had lived in a condo that had been within walking distance of Rodeo Drive. It was fine until one of the Jonas Brothers had moved into the complex. There was no peace with the paparazzi, and she’d figured it was just a matter of time before they added others to their list to harass.

  “I needed more space,” she said and knew her uncle would understand. It was no secret she didn’t like being in the spotlight.

  He nodded. “And when will I get invited to your new place for dinner?”

  She threw her head back and laughed again, knowing that was a joke since she didn’t cook. The few times she’d tried, she had made a complete mess of things and decided there were too many restaurants serving good, tasty food to put herself through the agony of following some recipe.

  “Just as soon as I get everything in its proper place. I still have a few boxes left to unpack, but I’ve been so busy on the set. And then there’s that painting I want to finish before the gallery hosts that charity event next month.”

  “I understand,” Jacob Wellesley said, leading her to the nearest sofa so they could sit down. “You are a very busy lady, just like your mother was. We would try and convince her there were but so many hours in the day, but she was always determined to stretch them anyway.”

  Rachel couldn’t help but smile. She always liked hearing the stories her uncle and aunt would share about her parents.

  “And how are things going for you at work? Frasier isn’t working you too hard, is he?” he asked.

  Frasier Glenn was not only an old friend of her father’s but he’d been close to her uncle as well and had been one of Limelight’s first clients. When she’d interviewed for the position of makeup artist and wardrobe designer for Paging the Doctor, Frasier had been up-front and let her know it was her own merit and work ethic, not the long-standing friendship he had with her family, that had gotten her the job. She had appreciated that.

  “No, both Frasier and John are wonderful, and I’m learning so much from them,” she said, leaning back against the sofa’s cushions.

  “Good. I understand Eric Woods’s contract didn’t get renewed.”

  “No, but we were expecting it with his behavior last season. I hear he’s mouthing off to the tabloids that he had no idea he was getting the ax.”

  Jacob shook his head. “Oh, I’m sure he knew. Frasier doesn’t work that way. When he makes a decision to let you go, you know why. Eric’s just trying to save face. Everyone in the industry knows his last few movies bombed out, and because of his temperament, it’s hard to find a director in Hollywood with the patience to take him on.”

  Rachel nodded. “This season is going to have a new twist. They brought in a new doctor and I think his appearance will boost ratings.”

  “Really? Who is he?”

  “Ethan Chambers.”

  A slow smile touched Uncle Jacob’s lips. “I’ve never met Chambers but I’ve heard of him. Word’s out that he’s an actor who’s going places. He received good reviews from the guest spot he did on CSI that one time last year. And there was that rumor earlier this year that he was being considered for People’s Sexiest Man of the Year. That didn’t hurt. There hasn’t been an African American male to get that honor since Denzel and that was close to fifteen years ago.”

  Rachel could see Ethan being considered. He was definitely a hot contender in her book.

  “And how is Chambers working out?”

  “I think he’s doing a great job. It is difficult, though, to get the females on the set to concentrate on what they are supposed to do instead of on him. He has a way of grabbing your attention and holding it.”

  “Mmm, does he now?”

  She smiled, knowing what her uncle was probably thinking. “Okay, I admit he’s hot, but I’m beyond fawning over any man, Uncle Jacob. Besides, Ethan Chambers comes with something I could never tolerate.”

  Jacob Wellesley lifted a thick brow. “What?”

  “The spotlight.”

  Later that night, after spending time in front of the canvas for a good part of the evening, Rachel’s phone rang. She reached out and picked it up without checking caller ID, thinking it was either Charlene or Sofia.

  “Hello?”

  “Save me.”

  She blinked upon hearing the sound of the ultrasexy, masculine voice. “Ethan?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  She was surprised. They had known each other for two weeks now, considered themselves friends and had even exchanged phone numbers one day on the set, but he’d never called her before and she’d never had a reason to call him. And what was his reason for calling her now? Had he said something about saving him?

  “What on earth is going on with you?” she asked, putting him on speakerphone while she dried her hands.

  “I need a place to crash for the night. I came home and found the place swarming with paparazzi. Luckily they didn’t see me, and I made a U-turn and headed in another direction. So, will you have pity on me and put me up for the night?”

  She tossed the hand towel aside as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “Ethan, you know how I detest being—”

  “In the spotlight. Yes, I know,” he said interrupting her. “And that’s the reason I hesitated calling you, but I need this favor, Rachel. I’ve been driving around for a few hours now and have periodically checked my rearview mirror to make sure no one is following me. They’re probably still parked out front waiting for me to come home. They wouldn’t think of looking for me at your place.”

  That was an understatement, Rachel thought. They probably figured he was somewhere warming some starlet’s bed. He was single, sexy and a man who probably had needs that any woman would love filling. In that case, why couldn’t he go back to his lady friend’s place instead of putting her privacy at risk?

  She began nibbling on her bottom lip. Tomorrow was Sunday and they were due back on the set Monday morning at eight. All she needed was for someone to get wind that Ethan had stayed overnight at her place, no matter how innocent it might be, and make a big deal of it.

  Everyone on the set knew the two of them had become friends, but no one thought anything of it since she was friendly with just about everyone…except for Paige, who still had her panties in a wad for some reason. Besides, no one would assume something was going on between them because she wasn’t the type of woman Ethan would be interested in. She was definitely not model material.

  But still, she didn’t want anyone assuming anything or, even worse, the paparazzi hunting him down at her place. Jeez, she didn’t want to even think of that happening. One good thing was that she had a two-car garage, so his car wouldn’t be seen parked in front of her place. And her gated community was known for its privacy and security.

  “Rachel?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Fine, but if anyone from the media gets wind of this and starts harassing me, Ethan, you’re dead meat.”

  She heard him laugh. “I don’t want to be dead meat, Rachel.”

  She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “Well?”

  “All right, I’ll t
ake my chances.”

  “With the paparazzi?”

  “Heck no,” he said. “I’ll take my chances with you. I’m hoping our budding friendship will keep you from actually killing me. Besides, I’ve been around you enough to know that you do have a soft heart.”

  She either had a soft heart or a foolish mind, Rachel thought an hour later when she opened her door to Ethan. She also had a bunch of erratic hormones. The tingle started in the pit of her stomach when she looked at him, and it took a full minute to catch her breath. Not only did Ethan look good but he smelled good enough to eat.

  She was caught off guard by her reaction to him. They’d agreed to just be friends, but at the moment friendship was the last thing on her mind. She couldn’t stop her gaze from roaming all over him. He was leaning in the doorway in a sexy stance, wearing jeans and a button-down shirt with the top four buttons undone. She glimpsed his chest beneath, poking out like a temptation being dangled in front of her. If this was the way he showed up at his woman’s home, no wonder he was in such high demand. And no wonder a rush of adrenaline jolted through her.

  “And you’re sure you weren’t followed?” she asked, taking a step back to let him in. She figured conversation between them would distract her long enough to get her mind and body back under control.

  He gave her a wry smile as he entered, moving over the threshold and filling the room the same way he’d filled the doorway…with dominating sexiness. “I’m positive. I drove around an additional twenty minutes or so to be sure. Those were good directions you gave me, by the way. I found this place without any trouble.”

  She nodded as she closed the door. That was when she noticed the shopping bag in his hand. When she gave him a questioning look, he said, “I made a pit stop at a store to pick up a few toiletries.”

  “And you weren’t recognized?” she asked, moving away from the door.

  “No. I had my disguise on,” he said, pulling a baseball cap and a fake mustache out of the pocket of his jacket.

  Rachel lifted a brow while fighting back a smile. “That’s the best you can do?”

  He gave her a flirty smile. “Depends on what we’re talking about.”

  He was flirting with her.

  On a few occasions over the last couple of weeks, he’d turned on the charm and flashed his devilish smile that lit up his blue-gray eyes. But she’d just rolled her eyes at him. Tonight was different. Tonight she couldn’t help her body’s reaction to his flirting.

  As much for herself as for him, she said, “We’re talking about your disguise, Ethan.”

  “Oh.” He glanced down at the items he held in his hand. “There’s nothing wrong with my disguise. It served its purpose.”

  With a suddenly sweaty palm, she pushed her hair behind her ear and met his gaze. “We can only hope.”

  Then he flashed that devilish grin that she’d tried so hard to avoid. And something slammed into her. Awareness. Attraction.

  Uh-oh, said the one remaining rational part of her brain. You’ve made a big mistake.

  She had to agree. Letting Ethan stay overnight just might be the biggest mistake she’d ever made.

  Chapter 7

  Ethan gave Rachel a hot look because there wasn’t any other type of look he could give her. He was totally taken with seeing her again. Had it been just yesterday when they’d last seen each other? Just yesterday when he had been alone with her in her trailer, reclining in the chair while she applied his makeup?

  She had leaned over him and her scent had almost driven him crazy. They had agreed to be just friends, and God knows he’d tried keeping his desires under control with her on the set. But at night, alone in his bed, his dreams had been another matter. She was his friend by day and his dream lover at night. And the things that went on inside those dreams were enough to make a man stiff just thinking about them.

  No woman had ever dominated his thoughts like she had.

  As he’d told her, he had driven around a couple of hours before finally deciding to call her. There were a number of women he could have called, but she was the one he knew he could contact and not worry about anything getting leaked to the tabloids. But now he had to be honest with himself and admit the real reason he had sought her out. He had wanted to see her.

  He pulled in a deep breath, and instead of standing there staring at her like she was a nice juicy steak he couldn’t wait to eat, he glanced around, needing a distraction as much as he needed a cold beer. He saw several boxes and then recalled her saying she’d only been living in this place a few months. Obviously she hadn’t finished unpacking yet. But it was a nice place, large and spacious and her choice of furnishings hit the mark. “Your place is tight, Rachel.”

  “Thanks. You want to see the bedroom?”

  At his raised brow, she said, “I mean the one you’ll use tonight. The guestroom.”

  He’d known what she meant but thought she looked cute when she blushed. He liked seeing her get all flustered. “Sure. But you didn’t ask if I wanted something to drink, and I’m thirsty.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be a pesky houseguest?”

  “I’ll try hard not to be but I do have another confession to make. I’m hungry, too.”

  Rachel shook her head, chuckling. “Then you’re at the wrong place. I can give you something to drink, but for a meal you’re out of luck.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I can’t cook, and before you ask, my aunt and uncle always had live-in cooks and I never had a desire to learn.”

  He chuckled. “No problem. I know my way around a kitchen.”

  She laughed. “That’s all nice but there’s still a problem.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I don’t have any groceries.”

  He lifted a brow. “Nothing?”

  “Well, my best friend did feel sorry for my refrigerator and went to the store last week and picked up a few items like eggs, butter and bread. The basics.”

  A smile touched his lips. “That’s all I need. Just lead me to your kitchen.”

  “That was simply amazing,” Rachel said, leaning back in her chair. “If I hadn’t seen it, I would not have believed it.”

  Ethan leaned back in his chair as well and laughed. “It was just an egg sandwich on toast, Rachel. No big deal.”

  “Hey, I beg to differ. I never got the hang of cooking an egg. Or anything else for that matter.”

  “Why would your friend buy eggs if you can’t cook them?” he asked, taking a swig of his beer. He’d found several bottles behind all the art supplies she kept in her refrigerator.

  “They can be boiled, you know,” she said, taking a sip of her own beer, right from the bottle. “And I know it was just a sandwich but it was still good. I hadn’t realized I’d gotten hungry.”

  “Hadn’t you eaten dinner?” he asked, getting up and grabbing their plates off the table. They had used paper plates and plastic utensils so all they had to do was trash them. No dishes to wash. How convenient. That had been a good idea on her part.

  “I had lunch with my aunt and uncle earlier in the day and when I got home, I started painting and lost track of the time.” She got up from the table as well. “If you hadn’t called, I probably would have ordered out for a pizza or something eventually.”

  He watched her stride across the floor to the sink to rinse out her beer bottle before tossing it into a recycle bin. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a top and looked pretty in them. He glanced down and thought she even had cute bare feet with polished toes.

  “My uncle knows you or at least he’s heard of you,” she said, causing him to shift his gaze to her face. “He was very complimentary.”

  “Was he?”

  “Yes. He believes you’re a person who’s going places.”

  A broad smile touched his lips. “That means a lot coming from the likes of Jacob Wellesley,” he said before finishing off his beer.

  He joined her at the sink and she slid over
to give him room when he proceeded to rinse out his own beer bottle. She smelled good, he thought, pulling in a whiff of her scent through his nostrils. She smelled better than good. She smelled like a woman he wanted.

  He smiled over at her and she glared at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, moving to place the beer bottle in the recycle bin. “I assured you that no one followed me over here.”

  “That’s not what’s bothering me, Ethan.”

  He leaned back against the sink. “Then what is bothering you, Rachel?” He had an idea but wanted her to tell him.

  She had moved back to the table and stood with her arms crossed over her chest. “I think we need to reiterate a few things, like the fact that two weeks ago we decided to be friends and nothing more.”

  “I thought we were.”

  “I thought so, too,” she replied. “But…”

  He lifted a brow and tried looking baffled. “But what?”

  “I’m getting these vibes.”

  “Really? What kind of vibes?”

  When she didn’t say anything, he crossed the room to her. “Rachel, just what kind of vibes are you getting?”

  He was staring at her and those gorgeous eyes of his were probably seeing a lot more than she wanted them to. A lot more than she needed them to see. And that put her on the defensive.

  “None. Forget I said that,” she said.

  “Not sure I can do that now,” he said, eyeing her up and down the way he’d done the first day they’d met. Before they’d decided all they wanted between them was friendship. Her mind scrambled as she tried to recall that day. It had been his second day on the set. Had it really been two weeks ago already? They had walked to the Disney Store and Art World. He had purchased a Princess Tiana doll for his niece, and she had picked up some art supplies.