Love in the Spotlight

by Olivia Jaymes

  “They’re sensible automobiles.” He realized they were still standing in the middle of the room. At some point, one of them needed to make a move toward the bed. Did he dare? “We can watch some television if you’re not sleepy.”

  “That sounds good.” She moved to one side of the bed but then stopped abruptly. “Um, is this side okay? I can sleep on either.”

  From her pink cheeks and the way she avoided his gaze, Sam was beginning to get the idea that she wasn’t totally comfortable about all of this either. They’d always been honest with one another and their quickly burgeoning friendship had reflected that. He should have been up front in the first place instead of standing here like a dolt wondering what he should do.

  “I usually sprawl in the middle but I’m fine with either side.” He finally caught her gaze and he could see the nervousness she’d been trying to hide. “We haven’t talked much about this. I don’t want you to feel pressured about anything this summer. If you need me to sleep in the other room, I can do that.”

  I just don’t want to.

  “Do you want to sleep in the guest room?”

  “No,” he replied firmly. He didn’t want there to be any doubt in her mind. “I’d like to share this bed with you. I meant what I said about us being a couple and committing to a future. As for sex, well, you can decide about that. I won’t push especially as I know that you’re not feeling a hundred percent.”

  “Then we should start as we mean to go on.” Riley lifted the covers and slid in, so he did the same on the other side before reaching for the remote. “I want this to work, Sam. I’m just cautious by nature.”

  “I respect that. It’s just when I want something I tend to go all out until I get it, but I won’t pressure you about marriage right now. I know that you want the summer to see how we do.”

  He was determined she was going to love living with him, although he wasn’t sure how. She couldn’t be wooed like other women with gifts and parties.

  He handed her the remote control. “Your choice. I’ll watch anything.”

  It was the first step in the campaign to make life so wonderful for her that she’d never want to go back to Florida and live alone. Whatever Riley wanted, he’d make happen for her. But he had a feeling that the biggest problem would be that she didn’t want anything from him.

  There was nothing that he could give her that would make her want to stay.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The next day, Callie stuck her head into the kitchen where Riley was preparing lunch. Sam had headed off to the set before the sun was even up but he’d left his assistant behind. The two women planned to see some sights today if possible. After more tea, crackers, and a pregnancy nausea lollipop, Riley was feeling pretty good and anxious to get out of the condo and breathe some fresh air.

  Callie wasn’t what Riley had expected. Somehow she’d pictured a young person, probably female and probably beautiful. While Callie wasn’t old she looked to be in her late forties or early fifties perhaps, although her dark brown hair didn’t have a single gray in it. Attractive and energetic, she was tall, whip-thin, and dressed casually in blue jeans and a Ramones t-shirt.

  “You have a visitor,” Callie said, motioning towards the living room. “It’s Sam’s attorney. I told him you’d be out in a minute.”

  Sam’s attorney. Was Riley being thrown out already with nothing but a check and a warning to say nothing? Sam had said he wanted them to have a future, but Chad had said that, too. Placing the pan of soup on a cold burner she wiped her hands and joined Callie and the lawyer in the other room.

  “Riley, this is Alexander West. Alex, this is Riley Bridges.” Callie stepped back and gave Riley an encouraging smile. “I’ll be in Sam’s office if anyone needs me.”

  They shook hands and Riley took a seat in the chair next to the couch where Alex West sat. He was dressed in a dark charcoal gray suit and light blue silk tie, and appeared to be about Sam’s age. Despite her apprehension, he had a kind expression on his face. If he was here to say Sam wanted her gone then he was clearly enjoying the task.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Bridges.” He began unpacking documents from his attaché. “May I call you Riley?”

  “Sure, that’s fine.” From this angle she couldn’t read the papers that were beginning to stack up in front of her. A pit had begun to form in the bottom of her stomach. This obviously wasn’t a social call. “Sam didn’t mention that you would be by.”

  “I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it today but I had a cancellation in my schedule. Here we are. I think this is everything he and I discussed.” He dipped into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pen. “You just need to sign everywhere there’s an x.”

  Hold your horses, buddy.

  “Um…I don’t get to read them first?”

  His brows flew up but his smile grew wider. “You may absolutely read through them but I’m happy to explain what each document is. I can assure you it’s nothing nefarious or even that secretive. Sam asked me to put some papers together to ensure that you and the baby would be protected and taken care of in case anything happened to him.”

  With a jolt, Riley realized that she wasn’t being swept under a carpet or sent back to Florida. She hadn’t scared off Sam by being violently ill on the flight. She was staying, at least for now.

  But what had Sam done here? And just what was she signing?

  Riley was a fish out of water and gasping for breath. Nothing was the same and she had a feeling that they never would be again. Time to get used to her new reality.

  *

  “You should have warned her, Sam.”

  Callie’s tone was slightly scolding despite the fact that he was the one that signed her paycheck. Or at least his accountant did.

  “By the time I read Alex’s text it was too late. We were shooting the fight scene today.”

  Consequently, he felt like an old punching bag that needed to be thrown to the curb. The other actor was a total jerk and was supposed to pull his punches. It was all make believe, after all. Yet, somehow Sam was going to be black and fucking blue for the next week. Even the director had lost his patience with Sam’s co-star, finally bringing in a stunt man to finish the scene, and sending the sniveling little shit to his trailer so he could bang one of the interns.

  “She was shocked and almost didn’t sign the papers. I think it would have been easier for her if you’d talked about your reasons for doing it.” There was a quiet pause before Callie continued. “She doesn’t want people to think she’s here for the money or the fame.”

  Anybody that thought that didn’t know Riley Bridges at all. She was the most honest, straightforward woman he’d met in years, and she didn’t give a shit if he had a million dollars. To her, it was about how he was inside as a person. If he’d been a dick, there was no amount of money in the world that would have made her spend time with him.

  “I’ll talk to her tonight. I promise. But she did sign?”

  After a long talk with his attorney, Sam wanted to make sure that she and the baby were taken care of no matter what happened to him. Fate was a fickle entity and he’d seen younger and healthier men unexpectedly kick the bucket after a freak accident. At least now, he could sleep easier knowing that his child and Riley would be okay without him.

  “She did,” Callie confirmed. “I told her that she would be doing a lot of shopping for the nursery and things like that. Plus, I reminded her that just because she had a credit card didn’t mean she had to use it. That seemed to calm her down. I thought you should know because I think you’re going to have a fight on your hands to get her to spend any money.”

  He’d expected that, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon. Once they were married she wouldn’t have any more room to object, but until then he would have to assure her that it was perfectly normal for a father to spend money on his baby. And his woman.

  “Thanks, Callie. As usual you handled everything better than I could. Will you
let her know I’m going to try and be home in time for dinner? I think the director is going to call it for the day here in about an hour. If she wants to go out, we can do that.”

  “I think she’ll want to stay in. She and I walked all over midtown today seeing the sights. She’s taking a nap now. I can order something and have it delivered, if you like.”

  Sam wished he was curled up with Riley, her warm little body pressed against his. It had been sheer heaven last night to sleep beside her. It had also been hell not being able to make love to her. He didn’t want to press his luck. Better to woo and court her than to assume she was immediately ready to resume their sexual relationship.

  Or that even if she wanted to that she could. She’d been so sick yesterday that the last thing she needed was some guy pawing at her, even if that guy was him. He was trying to impress her, convince her that she should take a chance and marry him. The last thing he needed to do was clue her in as to how much of a horn dog he really was. She’d take the first plane back to Florida.

  “That sounds great. Whatever Riley wants. You know that I’m not picky.” He could hear a rapping on his trailer door. Back to work. “They’re calling me back to the set. Thanks for taking care of her. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem, Sam,” his assistant assured him. “We’re becoming good friends. I haven’t had this much fun since your mother and I took that cruise a few years ago.”

  Sam still had a few gray hairs from that. He’d sent Callie to be the voice of reason on the trip. The joke had been on him.

  “Just don’t end up in jail and needing bail money. TMZ will be all over that.”

  “Sam Collins, I wouldn’t take your pregnant girlfriend anywhere that we might be arrested. Mostly we just walked around and did some shopping. You’re a suspicious man.”

  For good reason.

  “Just take care of her. I’m trying to convince her to marry me. Throw in a good word now and then, will you? I could use some help here.”

  Callie chuckled. “You don’t need any help there, hot shot. She’s head over heels for you. She just doesn’t want to admit it. And honestly, I’ve never seen you look happier. It’s much better than that brooding Hamlet you were doing before she came here.”

  He was happy, and he wanted them to be a family. He could only hope that Callie was right.

  Because now that Sam had Riley here with him, he wasn’t sure he could let her go.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Unfortunately, there had been a snafu on the set and the final camera setup and lighting took far longer than Sam had anticipated. He’d called Riley apologetic and sounding exhausted. She’d assured him she wasn’t upset and hoped he’d be home soon.

  That was six hours ago.

  She’d eaten the dinner that Callie had ordered and packed the leftovers in the refrigerator for warming later when Sam arrived. Except that the time kept ticking away as she watched television and tried to stay awake. She was sure he was fine but she felt badly that he’d had such a long day. He’d warned her about the crazy hours on a movie set but she hadn’t thought she’d see it so quickly.

  At some point she must have fallen asleep because her lids felt heavy but she could hear a key turning in the lock. Rubbing her eyes, she could see Sam trying to tiptoe into the condo, probably hoping not to wake her.

  “What time is it?” He whirled around, clutching at his chest. “Oops, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Chuckling, he bent down to brush his lips over her forehead. He’d done that same thing this morning before he’d left. “I thought you were asleep. It’s about one. Why aren’t you in bed?”

  He’d kept his tone hushed as if they already had a little one sleeping in another room.

  “I must have fallen asleep watching television.” She didn’t recognize the show that was currently playing and it definitely wasn’t what she’d been watching. “You look tired.”

  He had dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders sagged with fatigue. If he leaned against the wall, he’d probably fall asleep on his feet.

  “That’s because I am tired. We were working on a fight scene all day. I’ll be black and blue by morning.”

  “I thought they had stunt men so you wouldn’t get hurt.”

  Scraping his fingers through his hair, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “They don’t want me jumping out of an airplane but pretend fighting is okay. Except that my idiot co-star is trying to macho-up his image and wasn’t pulling his punches and kicks. Eventually I had to return the favor. He didn’t act so manly then.”

  Riley was more than a little fascinated by the glimpses she received from Sam regarding the backstage moviemaking. It was far more work than she’d ever imagined.

  “Did he cry?”

  Sam chuckled and shook his head. “No, but I think he wanted to. He muttered something about how it wasn’t fair, which took nerve since he’d been smacking me around for twenty takes.”

  She couldn’t stop herself from speaking her mind. “I’m not sure what it says about you that it took twenty takes for you to put a stop to it.”

  “I was following direction.” Sam shrugged, not taking offense to her words. “He wasn’t. After twenty takes I didn’t give a shit if I got in trouble with the director.”

  “But he didn’t get in trouble?”

  Groaning, Sam fell into a chair and propped his long legs up on the ottoman. “Every goddamn take the director yelled at him but he kept doing it. So I decided that if he wanted to act like a badass, I’d be happy to help him out with that.”

  “Because you’re a badass.”

  Sam snorted. “Being a badass is too damn much work. I’m just a guy that needs to soak in a bathtub until it’s time to get up in the morning.”

  “I hope you get to go in late since you worked so many hours today.”

  Pushing himself to his feet, Sam sighed loudly. “That’s not how it works, honey. They have a schedule and a budget that they’re trying to stick to. My quick trip to Florida for a few days didn’t help. I have to be on set bright and early tomorrow. Oh-six-hundred.”

  “That’s in five hours,” Riley gasped in shock. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

  “That’s moviemaking. Now I’m seriously going to take a soak in the tub. You should go to bed and get some sleep. You’re resting for two now.”

  She could climb into bed but she was wide awake now after her nap. “How about I go warm up some dinner for you? There were lots of leftovers. Are you hungry?”

  “Starving, but you don’t–”

  His denial was interrupted by a huge yawn that had her yawning in return when she wasn’t that tired. It really was contagious.

  “I’ll warm something up and you go take a bath.”

  She used the same tone with Sam as she used with her kindergarten students. No nonsense and assumptive. She expected to be obeyed and it worked. He grumbled a little but did as she directed, kicking off his shoes and padding on sock-covered feet into the master bedroom.

  Riley headed into the kitchen and pulled out the myriad of food containers, placing them on the counter. Callie had ordered enough food for an army and by the time Riley had emptied the shelf in the refrigerator she’d filled all the space on the countertop.

  Not sure what he wanted to eat, she decided to heat up a little of everything. She piled his plate high with warm food and her own with just enough for a snack, then grabbed a bottle of beer, Sam’s preferred beverage when eating dinner. Just in case though, she also added a bottle of her ginger ale. He did have to be at work in five hours so he might not want to drink. Caffeine also seemed like a no-no as he’d want to fall asleep as soon as possible.

  She quickly set the table, her own stomach growling to be fed again. It was one of those rare moments when she wasn’t nauseated and food sounded and smelled like nirvana. The home was quiet, however, with not a sound from the bedroom area. Riley peered around the corner of the doorway but the room was empty. Sam m
ust still be in the bathtub. Softly, she knocked but there was no answer. Concerned, she cracked open the door and peeked in only to see Sam fast asleep, his head pillowed on the edge of the tub, snoring away.

  Poor guy.

  She couldn’t let him sleep in the bathtub, though. It wasn’t good for the back and he might slip down and drown. Trying not to stare at his exposed chest, she tiptoed across the marble floor so as not to startle him – again. Calling his name, she lightly placed a hand on his damp shoulder, the muscles firm under her palm. He jerked awake, his lids snapping open before relaxing when his gaze landed on her.

  “Damn, I fell asleep. How long have I been in here?”

  He held up his hand and rubbed his prune-like fingers together.

  “Not too long but dinner is all warmed up. Do you still want to eat or do you want to go straight to bed?”

  “Eat then bed.” Sam rose out of the water, sending a wave over the side and splashing at her feet. Not one bit self-conscious, he stood there with rivulets of water running down his magnificent body as he reached for the towel he’d placed nearby. Images of their night together flashed through her brain and the room suddenly felt way too hot. Escape was the only thing on her mind. “Thanks for waking me up.”

  She backed toward the door, averting her gaze so she could only see him from the knees down. It didn’t matter. He had great calves and feet, which was weird for her to notice, but then she was fascinated by everything with this man. “You’re welcome. So…I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

  Turning and not realizing how close she was, she smacked her forehead right against the hard wood of the door, knocking her a few steps back. For a moment, she stood there too stunned to move or speak as she processed the fact that her head hurt. But not nearly as much as her pride. She’d been caught out as a creeper and embarrassed herself.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  Sam twisted her around and bent down so he could look at her head more closely. His gentle fingers grazed the goose egg that was beginning to form above her temple along with a king-sized headache that she couldn’t take anything for.