He sighs. “I know you, Gracie, and I told your mother that you would not get married without informing us.”
At his words, I burst into tears. It feels so good to have someone who knows me. Dad is not very good with emotions, and I try to get mine under control.
“It was Isla’s wedding to Mark, not mine. I wish Mom would trust me when I tell her that the tabloids rarely give the whole story.”
“She means well, Gracie. She loves you. Be patient with her,” Dad says. He looks at me with such love that I have no choice but to say yes.
“Where is she?”
“In the greenhouse,” he says.
I might as well go find her. “I’ll see you soon.” I kiss his cheek again and head out through the back door. Warmth hits me as soon as I pull the greenhouse flap and enter. Floral scents envelop me, and as I look around at the flowers growing in planters, my anxiety disappears.
I shift my gaze, and that’s when I see her, standing still staring at me. All air leaves my lungs. My smile freezes on my lips when she doesn’t smile back at me.
I close the gap between us until she is right in front of me. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi.”
I swallow hard. I haven’t been this nervous since the time I came home late when I was a teenager. I’m an adult, and I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of. At that, I square my shoulders.
“I was hoping we could talk face to face,” I tell her meeting her gaze.
Her eyes darkened. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to come here to ‘talk.’ I’m ashamed of you, Grace Hughes.”
I clench my jaw so tightly that it hurts. “What are you ashamed about? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’re doing the very thing you’ve sworn all your life you wouldn’t do. You’re making a spectacle of yourself in front of the whole country. People are laughing at you, Grace. Everyone knows what these celebrities are like. You know how they are.”
“I can’t judge every person who is famous according to how my parents behaved. It’s not fair. Kyle is a good person, Mom. You met him and saw for yourself.”
“He’s an actor,” she says bluntly.
Frustration wells up in me. I don’t know what to say to change her mind about Kyle. “We didn’t get married yesterday.”
“I know. Skyler confirmed it,” she says, mentioning Skyler as if she’s a dear and close friend. “She more or less confirmed that something is going on between them, and yet here you are defending him.”
I’m close to crying, but I’m not going to. “Skyler was not telling the truth, Mom, and I don’t know her, so I can’t tell you why she lied.”
“So you choose to believe Kyle Bryce?” she says his name like it’s dirt.
That’s the last straw for me. I’ve tried my best. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m choosing to do until he tells me himself. I came to tell you to stop sending me links to websites and online magazines. I don’t want to read those lies, Mom. Please stop!”
She narrows her eyes, but before she can say anything, I turn around and storm out of the greenhouse. I go around the house and straight to my car. I feel bad that I haven’t said goodbye to Dad, but I have to leave. I’m too distraught to talk to anyone.
On the way back, I remember that I’d planned to tell my parents about my solo show. Pain rumbles through me at how far apart my mother and I have drifted. The show is in less than two weeks, and I’d love nothing more than for them to be there. But with the way things are, I just don’t know. A tear escapes my eye. If you had told me three months ago that my mom and I would not be on speaking terms, I would have laughed at you. We were so close, and I wouldn’t have believed that anything could come between us.
It makes me realize that her love for me is conditional. As long as I behave in a way that she approves, then she’ll continue to love me. If I don’t, she withdraws the love, as she has done now. It saddens me and makes me long for a mother. A real mother. A mother who would love me unconditionally and support me whether she agrees with my decisions or not.
My cell phone rings, and I hit answer and put it on speakerphone.
“Finally, she answers her phone!”
I smile, instantly cheered up to hear Isla’s voice. “Hey, Mrs. Cole.” I giggle, remembering what she’d said about taking Mark’s surname.
“Don’t,” Isla says in a warning tone, which makes me laugh. Silence follows her words, and when I stop laughing, she continues. “How are you doing?”
I don’t want to spoil her honeymoon with my troubles. “I’m good.”
“Liar!” she says. “Talk to me and don’t worry about my honeymoon. I’m your best friend, and I know you need a friend right now.”
“Oh God …” my voice catches, and I can’t speak for a few seconds. She knows me so much, and I wish she was around. I’d have gone straight to her place. I let out a laugh that is devoid of humor.
“That bad, huh?” she says.
I nod until I realize that Isla can’t see me. “I’ve just come from my parents’ place.”
“They read about the ‘wedding,’ huh?” she says, her tone sympathetic.
The whole sorry tale pours out of me. I feel bad for piling it on Isla when she’s on her honeymoon, but as she said, I need to get it out. I’m like a dam that has burst its banks. Without pausing for a breath, I also tell her about fighting with Kyle.
“Oh, Grace,” Isla says. “Why would you trust that evil woman over Kyle?”
“What reason does she have to lie?” I ask her.
“We’re always reading how a celebrity couple went on fake dates to increase their dwindling popularity or whatever. This is a different world from the one which you and I are familiar with, Grace. They play by different rules, and if you and Kyle’s relationship is to survive, you have to learn those rules, fast.”
I swallow hard as her words penetrate my brain. “I guess you’re right.”
“I am right. Give him a chance, Grace. He’s a good man, and you know my instincts are always right. He hasn’t done anything wrong except being an actor, and you can’t continue judging him for that.”
Tears fill my eyes. Is that what I’ve been doing? Judging Kyle?
Chapter 32
Grace
Before I can touch the door, it flies open, and Kyle stands there looking as lost as I feel. We stare at each other, and then he opens his arms, and without giving it a second thought, I fly into them. It feels as if a warm blanket has been wrapped around me. He circles his hands tightly around my body, and I cling to him. The sobs come then. It feels as if my world is spinning, but with Kyle holding me up, I let myself go. I’m ugly crying, but I can’t stop myself.
“It’s okay,” Kyle says over and over again.
I don’t know how long we stand in the foyer with Kyle whispering comforting words into my ear before he takes me upstairs to our bedroom. He sits on the bed and pulls me into his lap. He smooths down my hair and tacks stray strands behind my ear.
“What happened?”
“I went home, and my mother and I had a fight.”
“About me?” he asks.
I nod, but I don’t want to say too much. It’s not fair to Kyle to tell him that my mother wants me to end things with him.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I come with a lot of baggage, and if I were a better man, I would set you free to find someone whose life is not usually splashed on the front pages of newspapers and tabloids. I’m not, Grace. I can’t bear to let you go. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you.”
He looks at me with such sad eyes that I immediately lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips. “You’re not going to lose me. I love you just the way you are. Lack of privacy and all.”
Kyle’s face transforms. Joy and disbelief light up his face. “Really?”
I nod happily. Just saying that aloud, that I love him, and I’m willing to fight for us, feels like I’ve removed a burden from my shoulders. “Really.”
He buries his head in my chest, and I thread my fingers through my hair. I feel bad that I’m going against my mom’s wishes, but I can’t give up Kyle. I love him, and I want to see where this thing we have between us will take us.
Kyle cups my face and sits still, just staring into my face before pressing his mouth to mine. He kisses me gently, taking his time as if it’s the first time. I part my lips, and he slips his tongue into my mouth. I let out a deep sigh as I lose myself in his kisses. All the pain and hurt of the day melts away, and all I feel is pleasure and a deep connection to Kyle. I give his tongue teasing laps with mine, and he growls into my mouth in that beastly way that makes me feel so desirable.
We kiss until my lips are swollen. Needing to feel his body against mine, I push him flat on the bed and straddle him. Hunger takes over my senses as his erect cock presses against my pelvis. He cups my ass and presses me to him, dry humping me through my pants.
He draws away from my kiss to undress me. I do the same to him, and our clothes fly everywhere in our haste to get naked. Kyle gets on top of me and kisses me again before he trails kisses all over my body. I purr and moan as my skin tingles with the heat from his kisses.
I run my hands over his muscular back, all the way to his perfect firm ass. Kyle is the definition of perfection. He drops his head to my breasts and takes my nipple into his mouth. I let out a throaty moan as he bites it gently and then sucks it hard.
Arousal gushes out of me, wetting our thighs. He builds up my desire until I’m begging for it. When he finally takes me, I scream and moan and pray that there’s no one in the house. I’m too gone to care who hears me. He thrusts into me deeply with each stroke, and I hang onto his neck and wrap my legs around him. With my legs, I pull him deeper inside me. He says my name over and over again as we both edge closer to orgasm. My eyes roll at the back of my head as an orgasm rips through me, and my pussy clenches his cock tightly.
“Fuck, Grace,” Kyle says. His cock swells, and in the next second, his body jerks as he comes inside me, flooding me with liquid heat.
“That was unbelievable,” Kyle says as he pulls his cock from my body and lies beside me.
We arrange ourselves in our favorite after-sex position with my head on his chest. His breathing slowly returns to normal.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Kyle says softly. “I wish I could make it better for you.”
I smile. “I know if you could, you would. She’ll come around.” I wish I were as sure of that as I sound. I know how my mother feels about celebrities in general. Even though she and my dad were siblings, they did not have a sibling bond, and she hated his and my mother’s lifestyle. It will be difficult to change her feelings about what she perceives as the celebrity lifestyle.
“Hey, I was thinking we could spend the day together tomorrow,” Kyle says.
“Aren’t you working?” I say.
“I am, but I’m very free in between takes.”
I start to shake my head even before he finishes speaking. The set is his turf. Then there’s also Skyler. I don’t want to play her games.
“I have a very nice trailer,” Kyle says. “I really want you to come. It won’t be uncomfortable for you. I promise. Also, you’ll be helping me. I need to send a message to everyone that you’re my woman and you’re in my life to stay.”
I inhale deeply. How can I say no when he puts it like that?
We agree that Ethan will drive me to the set at ten.
***
It’s just as I thought when I arrive at the set the following morning. An assistant escorts me, and I try not to gawk too much at my surroundings, but I’m in awe as I walk through a place that resembles a town. There’s a gentle murmur as people dash around. We arrive at a group of studio chairs with technicians and all sorts of equipment. Cables snake all over the ground, and I’m careful not to trip. I follow the direction of the camera, and that’s when I see Kyle. It takes a while to recognize him at first as he’s wearing firefighter gear in what is clearly meant to be the kitchen of a fire station. My breath hitches as I stare at him. He looks so hot in the uniform.
“Do you want to watch the scene, or do you want to wait in his trailer?” the assistant showing me around asks.
I can’t pass up the opportunity to see Kyle at work. “I’d like to watch, thank you.”
She shows me to a discreet spot where I can watch without getting in the way. It’s exciting to watch the whole thing come together in a well-choreographed dance. Someone else shouts “turnover,” and all goes quiet seconds before the director calls for action. I watch in absolute fascination as Kyle is transformed into another man. A firefighter. He becomes Damon Knight. Even his manner of speaking is different, and so are the gestures he uses.
For the next hour or so, I don’t move as the story is brought to life, and I watch the immensely talented group of people work their magic. Then it’s over, and the next thing I know, Kyle is making his way to me with a big smile on his face. He wraps me in one of those tight hugs of his that I love so much.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmurs into my ear, and even though I can’t see beyond his chest, I can feel the silence that descends in the room. I imagine that everyone’s eyes are on us, and I feel inordinately shy. Most of our relationship has been conducted in private so being under observation is beyond uncomfortable for me.
“Hi,’ I respond.
He takes my hand and leads me out of the set. It happens so fast that there’s no time to notice who was staring or their expressions. I’m relieved to enter the privacy of his trailer.
“Oh,” I say. Kyle’s trailer is beautiful. It’s like a suite. The living room is furnished with a black leather couch and gorgeous hardwood floors. “It’s beautiful.”
Kyle laughs. “Come and see the rest of it.”
He takes my hand and gives me a tour. The kitchen has granite tops and equipment that would make any chef proud.
“I’ve wanted to show you this room in particular,” Kyle says and pulls me into the bedroom. He pushes me gently onto the bed and drapes his body over mine. “You look so beautiful staring at me with your gorgeous sea-green eyes that go straight to my cock.”
I burst out laughing. “You can’t say such things.”
“Why not?” he demands but doesn’t give me a chance to answer. He presses his mouth to mine and probes my mouth open with his tongue, sending shocks of pleasure all the way to my toes.
Kyle trails kisses on my jawline and my neck before returning to my lips. I moan as he kisses me deeply, and his hand caresses my breast. In seconds, I’m already panting for him. He knows every part of my body intimately, and he knows how to get me aroused.
We’re just getting into it when a loud knock comes on the door. Kyle groans and pushes himself up. “I won’t be long.”
I gaze up at the ceiling with a smile on my face. If you had told me three months ago that I would be on a movie star’s bed making out with him, I would have told you that you were crazy. But Kyle is not just any movie star. He’s the kindest, most loving man I’ve ever met.
Voices come from the next room, but I can’t hear the words. Kyle returns to the bedroom. He stands at the doorway.
“The director wants to see me,” he says. “I’ll be back soon, so don’t move from there; otherwise, there’ll be hell to pay.” He wags a finger at me, and I laugh.
“Yes, sir.”
I hear his footsteps fade away and the door bangs shut. I look around in wonder. His bedroom reeks of luxury. I sink deeper into the bed and allow my eyes to close. Then a knock comes on the door, and I scramble to get up.
The door swings open just as I enter the living room, and Skyler walks in. All air leaves my lungs as I meet her gaze.
She, on the other hand, doesn’t appear surprised to see me. Her lips curve into a smile, but her eyes remain cold. “Ah, if Kyle was a rock star, you would be known as a groupie.” She giggles.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something c
atty, but that’s what she wants, and I won’t give it to her. “Hello, Skyler.”
She cocks her head to one side and studies me. “I’m just curious about one thing. What does Kyle see in you?”
I beam as if she has said the most amusing thing. “That is one question we’ll have to ask Kyle.”
She narrows her eyes and I take that as a win. She’s not used to people talking back to her. “You know he’ll leave you once he gets tired of you, right? Outsiders don’t do well in this industry.”
I smile back even though I’m seething inside. I remind myself that what Kyle and I have is special. It’s unbreakable, and nothing that Skyler or the tabloids say is going to change that.
“I’m good with that,” I tell her. It feels good to see the frown on her perfect face.
Chapter 33
Kyle
When we’re shooting a movie, weekends are my favorite time, unlike in the past when I longed to be back on set. And it’s all because of Grace. I fork a piece of French toast and feed it to her. We’re in the kitchen having breakfast after a morning spent making love.
“You have that ‘loved in’ look,” I say with a chuckle.
She smiles. “I’ve never heard of it, but I’ll take it.”
“What do you feel like doing today?” I ask her, even though I’d be quite happy to spend the day ravishing her body.
Before she answers, the front door opens, and heavy footsteps come toward the kitchen. Sebastian walks in minutes later. I’m surprised to see him as we did not have an arrangement to meet.
“Good morning and sorry to barge in on you guys like this,” he says. “I won’t be long.” He pours himself some coffee and sits down. Sebastian never comes without warning, so something must be up. We make small talk, but I’m too wound up with tension to continue.
“What’s going on?” I ask him.
“Can I see you privately?” he says, throwing a discreet glance at Grace.
“I can leave, no problem,” Grace says.
One Hot Secret: A Second Chance Romance (Love on Fire) Page 19