by Julia Bright
“Fuck, this is going to be bad.” Cam headed straight for his brother, worry etched all over his face.
Cam’s words were an understatement. Zach was passed out and they were going to have to cover for him. She glanced around, glad that she couldn’t see anyone snapping photos. They might be hidden from prying eyes. For now, she felt they were safe.
She moved quickly, going to the button on the wall, closing the door. Cam looked up and shook his head.
“Why did you do that?”
She moved closer to the pair, her mind filled with worry. “Someone is watching him. What if they got a photo of that?”
“Are you sure you’re not already in the business? I didn’t even think about closing the garage door.”
“You’re worried about your brother. I’m just nervous that our story will unravel.”
Cam looked over his shoulder at her. “No, did you hear yourself in the car? You were worried about Zach. That’s why we’re here. Had you not been upset about him, we would have gone to our new house. You can pretend that you weren’t concerned about him all you want, but we both know the truth. You’re a good person.”
She gave her head a quick shake and moved closer. “Is he breathing okay?”
“Yeah. He probably just had too much to drink and passed out. Help me get him inside. I’ll call Andrew and see if he has any suggestions. I think I’m relying on him too much. He’s going to get tired of having to help me.”
She chewed her fingernail as she stared down at Zach. “Is there anyone else you could call?”
“He needs help but I know it won’t stick unless he makes the decision on his own. I think Andrew is the best person to give me some pointers.”
“That’s true. Let me help you get him inside.”
Cam nodded before reaching under Zach, pulling him up. Rose was too short to help Cam carry him, but she did open the door for the pair. They somehow got Zach to the couch without dragging him. Once they had him propped up, Zach stirred but slumped to the side after a few seconds and snorted.
“He’s still breathing, right?” Rose asked.
“Yeah. I’m going to stay here and watch him. You can head to our place. You’ll probably be more comfortable there. Depending on when he wakes, I may stay here tonight.”
“Okay.” Rose took the keys from Cam, again wishing he would hug her, but he didn’t even attempt to reach for her. They weren’t connecting, and it seemed like the longer they knew each other, the more reserved they became. At this rate, they would barely even be shaking hands by the time they ended their relationship.
Chapter Eighteen
Close to eight, Zach sat straight up and blinked at Cam, his eyes slowly coming into focus. The years in Hollywood had placed a strain on their relationship. He’d tried to be a good brother, but in the last six months, he’d realized he couldn’t be close to Zach and make the changes he needed to propel his career forward. Slowly, he’d put distance between them, but in the last month, he’d had to say no to too many things. The party, getting high, picking up hookers, fucking girls together, and the list went on. The birthday party for Zach had been the final straw and they both knew it. Zach was retaliating by making dumb decisions, and Cam was trying to escape even faster.
“Zach, what are we going to do?”
Zach wiped his hand over his face, moving his mouth like he had something half dead on his tongue and he was trying to shove it out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You can’t go on like this.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want to do.” Zach’s voice was harsh, his lips curved down. The man looked nothing like the kid who had come to Hollywood to make it big in films.
“One of the gossip rags is following you around. They’re going to run an article on you and how far you’ve fallen. They have a photographer taking shots of you buying drugs. It’s only a matter of time before they get something that will either get you arrested or blackballed for real.”
Zach stood and stumbled to the kitchen, turning on the water in the sink, dipping his head, and drinking straight from the faucet. Cam moved next to him, wishing the distance separating them was less. If he could just get through to Zach, then maybe he could help him. Zach stood then grabbed onto the counter, leaning his head over the sink. It only took a few seconds for him to turn a different shade of green and gag before throwing up. Cam had done the drill with Zach before. Sometimes he’d been too drunk to help, but lately he’d been stone-cold sober. Being with a drunk friend when you were totally sober wasn’t any fun, especially when you had to do it day after day.
Zach took another drink and then stood straight after washing out the sink. “I’m fine just the way I am.”
His heart ached for his brother. The man had no clue how bad off he was. “I won’t be here to drag your ass off the garage floor.”
Zach chuckled. “That’s where I was?”
Anger built. He hated Zach’s cavalier attitude. The man wouldn’t do anything to help himself. “You need to clean up your act.”
“No.” Zach wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and left the kitchen.
Cam thought about trailing after him, but it wouldn’t do any good. Instead, he went to his own room and started packing. By midnight, he’d boxed up all his clothes and most of his things. Sadness struck him hard. He was moving for real. The house he’d rented for a year was just a stopping point. He wanted his brother to sober up, but getting a guy like Zach to obey directives was useless. He stopped by Zach’s room before heading out. In the center of the bed was a naked woman who looked like she’d had too much to drink. Zach stumbled out of the bathroom, his eyes glazed from the effects of the drugs.
“I didn’t get you one since you’re going clean and all,” Zach slurred.
“I’m headed out. You need to change your life. When you’re ready to make that change, I’ll support you.”
“Whatever, loser. Leave me the fuck alone. I’m happy with all I’ve got.”
Cam turned away and was about to shut the door when anger took over. He raced back into Zach’s room and approached his brother, pulling back his arm, punching him in the jaw. Zach stumbled backward and dropped into the chair. Cam grabbed the woman’s clothes and poured her into her dress before calling a cab for her. It took the cab about ten minutes to get there and somehow in that time he’d gotten the woman conscious enough to get her address. He deposited her in the cab and gave the man fifty dollars along with her address. She was awake, though still drugged up, when the taxi drove away.
Cam returned to the house to find Zach sleeping in the chair he’d fallen into. Part of him wanted to run out and leave his brother to fend for himself, but it would be irresponsible to leave Zach alone while he was so drunk. He thought about dropping into Zach’s bed, but he was disgusted by what had gone on there and decided to change the sheets before stretching out and drifting off. The desire to spend the night with Rose tugged at him, but they weren’t a real couple and no matter how much he wanted to have her as his, she wasn’t and would never be his. That ship had sailed before he’d even had a chance at getting on the boat. Even if he’d been at their house, the evening wouldn’t have been special. He’d talked Rose into doing this so he could escape the truth and she’d agreed because he’d promised to help her live her dream. It wasn’t a good foundation to build a relationship on, and he couldn’t delude himself into believing they could ever have anything real.
In the morning, Zach woke angry and angling for a fight. Cam wouldn’t take the bait. Instead, he got Zach cleaned up before shoving him into his car and driving him to a rehab center. It was hard to get Zach out of the car. He didn’t want to go in, but Cam couldn’t allow his brother to keep doing this to himself.
“You can’t make me stay here,” Zach spit out as anger rolled off him like fog over the seas.
“Just fucking do it. It’s one week. You’ll dry out and you can leave after seven days.”
&nbs
p; “I so fucking hate you.”
The words hurt, but in a way, they made Cam feel better. At least Zach was showing some emotions. “Good. Now get your ass in that building and stay put until you don’t have to have the drugs to function.”
Zach opened the car door and walked to the building, looking back over his shoulder more than once. Cam was right behind him, not backing down. He’d tried the standoffish approach for far too long. It was obvious Zach wasn’t going to ever change, and his philosophy on waiting until his brother was willing to change wasn’t doing Zach any good.
Once inside, they were met by a young man who asked them to follow him to another more private area. Zach wasn’t even trying to act like a decent person even when the admitting director came in.
“So, Zachary Harris, are you ready to take this step in getting back your life?” the woman asked.
Zach snarled and rolled his eyes. “My life isn’t gone. I’m happy just the way I am.”
She looked at Cam and lifted a brow.
“He’s staying for at least seven days,” Cam said. “He needs help. I’ve been worried for a while, but after coming home and finding you passed out in the garage yesterday afternoon, I can’t wait for you to make the decision on your own.”
“Fuck you,” Zach said.
“Thank you for taking him. I’ll be back in a week and see if you want to stay longer.”
Cam walked out of the room, afraid that if he stayed, he would say something he would regret later. He already had enough on his plate. Worrying about Zach killing himself by either driving drunk or passing out in his running car in a locked garage had him freaking out.
It took him thirty minutes to get home. A talk with Rose was long overdue. They needed to come to some sort of understanding that would allow them to move forward. When he walked through the door of their house, he was disappointed to find the place empty. Rose wasn’t anywhere to be found.
He waited about an hour before agitation got the best of him. After changing clothes, he headed to the house he’d lived in with Zach and started working out. He would need to eventually move some of the equipment over to his new place, but he wasn’t sure how much of it Zach would need.
After sweating for almost an hour, he went inside and showered. He fixed a quick lunch and headed to the den before he remembered this wasn’t his home any longer. Some of the food would go bad before Zach had a chance to return, so after finishing the sandwich, he loaded up some bags of perishables and headed to his new place.
This time Rose was there, unloading her car. He quickly grabbed one of her suitcases, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m not incapable.”
“I know, but it would be rude not to help you.” He shot her a smile that usually dazzled women.
Rose rolled her eyes again and moved past him. “Where were you?”
He could have interpreted Rose’s question as rude, but she wasn’t being that way. She was curious, and he had no reason to hide the truth from her. What had happened with Zach was sad and disturbing.
“I couldn’t stay silent and just watch Zach fall apart. I made him check into a facility.” He shivered and shook his head. “I feel like such a traitor.”
Rose reached out and touched his arm but pulled back her hand quickly. “You aren’t a traitor. You care about your brother. All I cared about was how we look to the papers. You’re the one who cares about him.”
He shook his head and his eyes narrowed. “That’s not true. Yesterday you were worried about him. Had you not been concerned, we wouldn’t have gone to the house, and I wouldn’t have found my brother passed out in the garage. Zach could have gotten behind the wheel of his car and killed someone, or he could have fallen asleep in the garage and died if the car had been on. He’s erratic and it has just gotten worse since I’ve been….”
“Since what?”
He blew out a heavy breath as he placed her bag on the floor in the kitchen and moved to grab some water. Cam angled his head at Rose and lifted the glass. “Would you like some?”
“No, thank you. You’re a good man, Cam Harris.” Rose walked out of the kitchen, leaving him alone.
For a moment, he wasn’t going to follow after her, but he couldn’t just let her go. They’d shared a moment and would share more. She actually cared about his family, unlike anyone else he’d ever dated. Any other girl he’d been with would have ditched him and run, but Rose was being so much nicer than he deserved.
He set the glass on the counter and went in search of the woman. He didn’t find her in the den or the living room. She wasn’t in the big bedroom either. When he opened the door to the small bedroom that the real estate agent had suggested become a nursery, he found her. She glanced up at him, and he caught the sight of a tear running down her cheek before she wiped it away. His heart was full of something he couldn’t explain. Keeping his distance from this woman would be impossible.
He moved quickly and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. At first, she held her body stiff, then she melted against him, sobs making her shoulders shake. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight, wondering how he would ever recover once she walked away. And she would walk because they weren’t a couple. He could try to make something between them, but she had seen all his bad qualities and he didn’t measure up. He was damaged goods, not worthy of someone like Rose.
His heart was close to shattering as he held her, wishing she felt the same about him as he did about her. It was wrong to force her into more than she was willing to give. They were in a tough situation and he had no idea how to navigate through the twists and turns that kept getting thrown his way.
Minutes passed before Rose pulled away, swiping at the tears that had turned her eyes red and made her face blotchy.
“Sorry.” She ducked her head, hiding from him.
His heart thudded, and he couldn’t walk away from this incredible woman. Instead, he placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her face. Their gazes met with a pulse of desire that had him questioning everything. He leaned in, not even giving her a moment to think. The need to feel her lips under his overrode everything else. At the first brush of lips on lips, Rose opened her mouth, and he dove in, drinking in her sweetness and the special flavor that was all her. His tongue slid against hers, and they both moaned as they moved even closer, grasping each other tight as they held on. He ran his hand down her back to the curve of her ass and reached lower, cupping the globe in his hand as he gently pressed her to him. She brushed deliciously against his hard cock, and his desire ramped up. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another.
Rose moved her hands to his back, sliding them lower. Her fingers clutched his shirt, twisting the material as she pulled closer to him. They were both rocking gently against each other. The air in the room grew thick with passion and heat that threatened to explode into something he couldn’t stop.
He wanted the kiss to keep going, but Rose ripped her lips away from his and put a hand between them, creating space that he didn’t want. Her reaction was exactly opposite of what he desired. He wanted her close and naked with her legs wrapped around his waist, her body ready for him, her head thrown back with her mouth open as he rocked into her like there was no tomorrow.
“Wait.” Rose was breathless, her chest heaving.
Cam wanted to quiet her reservations, to tell her that every problem could be overcome and they didn’t need to stop, but that wasn’t going to happen now that she’d put the brakes on.
“What are we doing?”
He shook his head and leaned his forehead against hers, wishing this were easier. “I don’t know. The other night, when I took that photo, I thought we could have something.”
“But we don’t, not yet. I can’t do this and pretend at the same time.”
His whole body went hot with embarrassment. How could he have thought she wanted him? This was about the lie, nothing more. He’d started the deception, and now, he needed to accept that
he’d made a mistake. Thinking they could have something was a critical error in his judgement.
Rose touched his cheek with her fingertips, and her breath feathered over his skin. Need crashed into him and his whole body tightened.
For a moment, he thought she was going to step away. Instead, she stepped closer, her nose nuzzling against his shoulder. Then her hands were trailing down the front of his shirt and over his pecs. She rubbed her nose against his neck and her lips slid over his earlobe, sending desire sparking through him.
He gasped and his body started shaking. “Rose, if you want to stop, stop now. I’m so close. I need you, and if you don’t want this, then stop because I want you. I want to feel you wrapped around me and have since that night.” The words rolled off his tongue though he didn’t really want to give her an out that would allow her to walk away. He prayed she didn’t stop, because if she stepped away, he would never recover.
The answer came when Rose tugged up his shirt, exposing his abs and chest. He helped her take his shirt off, tossing it to the ground as he pulled her against him, loving the feel of her bare arms wrapped around his back. Now he needed to get her undressed so he could feel her full breasts pressed against his chest, her legs entwined with his, and her body taking him, loving him, bringing him sweet release.
Chapter Nineteen
Rose knew getting this involved with Cam would end up hurting her more in the end, but she wanted him. She wanted to hold him in her arms and kiss him like she meant it, because deep inside, she really did like him. He was so kind, so sweet, and the public that wanted to trash him got it wrong. Cam was just a guy trying to make it in this crazy world. He wasn’t evil, or a jerk. He was sweet and kind, loving and gracious. And even though this was fake, and the baby didn’t exist, she really liked this man. Getting involved would end up hurting her more, but she couldn’t turn him away, not when he looked at her the way he was at that exact moment.
