by Kahlen Aymes
"Well, I'm very... taken, with him, too."
"Is there anything about him that you, Brook?"
"Layla!" her mother admonished, though his father just laughed. “Forgive my children their terrible manners, Brook.”
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a bunch of prigs, will you? You know you're all dying to know." She would not be put off. "Well?" Her eyes sparkling as she looked at me over her coffee.
Carter chuckled again and shook his head.
I laughed. "Uh... um, not really. I basically think he's pretty perfect." They all looked at me expectantly as if they wanted me to continue, "Um, except for the fact that so many women are in love with him... I could definitely live without that." I laughed and they all laughed with me again.
"You're a good girl. You make sure to tell me if my son misbehaves, honey, and I'll have his arse," his dad winked at me.
We were all still laughing when Cade walked in, wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt and a black stocking cap. My heart stopped at the look on his face.
"Okay, enough of poisoning my girl against me! Don't believe anything they say, love." He walked in and his mom got up to put her arms around him.
"We'd never do that, would we?" His mom's eyes looked pointedly at her other two children. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
I wasn't sure what to do next. Do I hug him, just sit here, what?
Cade let go of his mother and moved to where I was sitting on the sofa next to his dad.
"Hey, give me some love." He took my hands to bring me up from the sofa to take me in his arms and pull me close. "I haven't seen you in what? Ten or eleven hours?"
I let myself melt into him as his scent closed in all around me as he buried his face in my hair and held me tight. Mmmmm...
My arms slid around his shoulders to hug him back and he pulled back slightly to place a brief, hard kiss on my mouth.
"Yeah, I missed you." All eyes were on us as we greeted each other.
He sat down on the sofa and pulled me down next to him, his arm going across my knees
"So, tell me how ridiculous they've been." He gazed at me with an expectant smile on his face. "Don't leave anything out!"
"Well, they've been great. Very nice... and they only told me one or two really horrible things, I promise." I nudged his shoulder then winked at Layla who smiled wickedly.
“Yes, how dare you question our loyalty, Cade?” She added.
His parents and siblings laughed at Cade’s expression when it twisted wryly.
“I’m sure,” he said flatly.
"I like this girl, son. She's sassy. She's gonna kick you in the arse, boy," Carter teased his son.
Cade looked at me and then back at his family while everyone remained silent, all of them trying not to laugh. I bent my head to rest it on Cade's shoulder and put my hand over my mouth to hold back the laughter.
When his eyes returned to my face, his brows went up. "What?"
I shrugged and looked at his dad from underneath my lashes.
As the morning progressed I told them about my family, my mother's interior design company and my dad’s job with Reebok, as well as my aunt who was in the business. It felt great to spend time with Cade in an atmosphere where we could be ourselves and let our feelings show. I was relaxed and calm and so was he.
Lillian was so warm and loving to everyone around her so it was easy to see how Cade would turn out to be so wonderful, too. All of them were witty, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.
"Brook, what are your plans for the holidays?" Lillian asked as her husband and children went to get their bags together. They were going to the airport to take an evening flight back to London.
"Um," I looked at Cade. We hadn't talked about the holidays, but my family usually went on a trip somewhere, and up until this year, David came along. "We usually take a trip somewhere, but I'm not sure my parents have made any plans yet."
"Well, if you would like to, you're welcome to come to our home in London. We'd love to have you join us."
"Mum, I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it yet," Cade interjected. "Don't feel obligated, love." He put his arm around my shoulders and rubbed my other arm with his free hand. I could see in his face that he wanted me to make the trip.
"I'd love that, but I do need to check with my family. I know you don't celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving in London, but I'm hoping Cade will join us this year." His eyes lit up and his hand closed over mine.
I turned to look at him and our eyes met.
"We have several more promotional obligations up through the first week of December, so you'll still be here, right? Until we fly to London on the 5th?"
"Yes. I'd love to, thank you." He hugged me closer to his body with the arm that was wrapped around me. "Will you be making the big turkey dinner, Brook?" He was teasing me.
"Caden! You shouldn't put her on the spot like that."
"Oh, Mum. It's Brook. She expects me to put her on the spot... quite frequently, in fact." He grinned at the both of us and I couldn't keep the silly grin off of my face.
"Yes, like you did in your interview, today?" I shoved his shoulder with mine.
His eyes widened and his brows went up slightly as an easy smile played around his mouth.
"Oh, about that; Bloody hell! He asked that question out of nowhere, and um, I wasn't prepared, I suppose. I'm not good at lying, as you know." He rolled his eyes at me.
"Hmmmm... Well, Denise won’t be happy, so get ready for a lecture." He leaned in closer to me and stopped a few inches from my mouth.
"How about you? Are you going to give it to me good, too?" The corners of his mouth raised in the start of devilish grin before he placed a soft kiss on my mouth, his hand and thumb brushing against my jaw as he brought my mouth to his. I blushed at his emphasis on the words.
Cade! Did you forget that we aren't alone?
I couldn't say it aloud, but he knew what I was thinking, and he shook his head, his mouth still hovering over mine.
My face burned at the blatant display in front of his mother, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of backing away from the challenge. He was testing me, and I knew it.
"You wish." I scoffed, laughing back and then glanced at his mother, who was smiling from ear to ear as she gathered her things.
"Yes... I do. No disputing here," he said as he once again lowered his mouth to mine.
I WAS SITTING in first class on Virgin Atlantic with Noah, Martin and Brook on our way to London for the first of our Western European premieres. Both Brook's and my managers, Jeanne and Denise, were also accompanying us on this trip.
We had a five or six day stint in the series and while they weren't all stacked on top of each other, it would be tiring due to the jet lag and the fact that we'd have to hole up in the hotels for most of it. While we didn't expect mobs to the proportion that we did in the States, there would be more than would allow us to go out or see any of the sights.
We were on another red eye flight, designed to help us sleep in advance of the tour so we'd be as rested as possible during it, and get us in with the least amount of press coverage. The plane took off just before midnight L.A. time and we'd be arriving at about 11 AM in London, with one stop in New York to refuel.
The stellar success of the opening weekend in the United States had secured the scheduling of the second film in the series, which was slated to go into production in March. We'd gotten confirmation just three days ago. Our heads were still spinning at the seventyish million dollars that it had made in the first three days. Extraordinary and certainly passing even the studio’s lofty expectations.
I had mixed emotions about it. While it would be great to work with Brook again, it would also jettison her career at breakneck speed, and it would mean more sneaking around. Before this, they hounded me incessantly, but less so Brook. Now all bets were off. Holy Hell. If only we didn't have to sneak around anymore, but no doubt it would be ten times worse
now.
She was sitting across the aisle by herself. The light over the seat next to her was casting a soft glow on her skin and hair as she slept. She was wrapped up in one of those red, airline blankets, and I yearned to go sit next to her, to take her in my arms and hold her close to me.
I sighed loudly and Denise leaned in to speak to me. "Cade, it's only an airplane ride. She's right there in front of you."
"Jesus, am I that bad? But that's not the point, is it? I'm sorry. I just see this as a huge bloody waste. I mean, why is this necessary? We've practically got the whole of first class booked, so no one would know if we sat together," I whispered urgently.
She looked at me sardonically, but I knew that she felt my misery.
Due to all of our promotional obligations and the paparazzi hounding us night and day, Brook and I had hardly had any time alone for the past three weeks. Even when we had interviews and such together, usually Wendy, Jennifer, Ethan or Noah were in the mix as well.
I missed being alone with her.
I was in the same damn town, not halfway across the globe, and yet, we'd hardly even seen each other. The only exception had been over Thanksgiving when I'd spent a couple of days at her house with her family. Unlike the first time when I'd stayed over after the MTV awards, her father was home so we weren't able to spend the nights together in her room and I was relegated to the spare room.
Talk about aching. Knowing she was ten feet away and not be able to go to her, to touch her like I wanted was torture. Like now.
I glanced toward her and her eyes were open looking at me. When she met my eyes, her right arm slowly extended down, her hand reached out toward me, as she curled her fingers back toward her.
The look on her face was full of want and I knew the pain in my heart was an echo of hers. The ache in my dick didn't help either. My body was also feeling the loss.
Christ, this was the limit of my endurance.
"Denise, cancel my contracts if you must, but nothing is going to keep me in this bloody seat for even one more minute."
I got up and moved across to the seat next to her and she sat up a little to make room for me.
Martin looked up from the book he was reading and raised his eyebrow. I didn't give one damn what he thought. If he didn't know Brook and I were tight after seeing us daily on set, then he wasn't as intelligent as I'd given him credit for.
I lifted the edge of her blanket and laced my hand through hers as I stared into her blue eyes. We just sat there, gazing at each other for who knows how long. Her thumb rubbed the top of my hand and I gave hers a little squeeze. My muscles relaxed and the tightness in my chest eased.
Her hand was warm and so soft. I closed my eyes and dreamed of more extensive patches of her velvet skin beneath my hands, plastered up against my chest and beneath my body. I shifted in my seat as the stiffening in my pants became uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?" Her eyes were sleepy as she looked at me, her lids drooping over her irises.
"I am now, love. I can't stand being so close to you and not touching you. I've had bloody well enough of it." My voice was rough with pent up desire. “It’s been too long,” I whispered so only she could hear.
I was aching to be with her, and wondered how in the world we'd be able to pull it off with all the paps stalking us and also the hawk eyes of the studio watching every move we made.
She paused as she just continued to look at me.
"Yeah. I'm there, too," she said finally. Her mouth parted as she took a deep breath and her eyes dropped to my mouth.
"Brook, don't get me started. I'm already so worked up I can't stand it."
She nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just missing you. Bad."
"Oh, honey. If you only knew what I want to do to you right now." I smiled at her and her mouth twitched as she drew in her breath.
"I think I have a pretty good idea." Her brows went up with her words. "You make me crazy. How are you going to get into my room, hmmm? Because, you are gonna get in, right?"
Her eyes sparkled in the low light and I reached above my head to shut off the overhead lamp, cloaking us in darkness, with only the small sidelights left on.
My hand in hers, resumed its rubbing on the top of her fingers and I leaned back in my seat.
"Where there is a will, there's a way... one bloody strong will, my love. Don't worry; I'll make it happen, but probably not until after tomorrow's premiere."
"Yeah, I know we won't have time for anything other than changing before we have to go to the venue for the carpet and the photo calls. See what I get for hanging out with the hottest movie star ever? Lots of sexual frustration and rampant wet dreams."
She was so beautiful when she got that teasing look in her eyes, prompted by desire. I fucking loved how she made me want her. My lips lifted in a soft smile.
"You have no idea what I go through, babe. I replay every touch over and over in my mind. It's almost too much to bear sometimes."
I couldn't stop looking at her. I was mesmerized by the emotions passing across her face. "Do you know how much I love you?" My voice vibrated with want.
She nodded and leaned her head toward me on the seat back, her eyes never leaving mine. I shook my head, emotion filling my chest. "I don't think you do..." She couldn't possibly know because there were no words to express it.
Denise reached over and nudged my shoulder. I turned to her and saw the look of stern consternation in her eyes. Even though our voices were mere whispers, she could tell by the way we were huddled together what we were talking about.
The Cade and Brook bubble, she called it. Something we'd been made all too aware of after the Comic Con event in San Diego right after our long weekend together there.
"Okay, I'll be good." I mouthed to her and Brook let out a frustrated breath.
"Hmmmph!"
I decided it might be safer to change the subject. As I turned back to her, I was again engulfed in the wonderful scent of her perfume mixed with her shampoo, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her to me and breathe her in.
"So what's up with your family this Christmas?" I really didn't want to be without her, but I knew that sometime between Christmas and New Year's she had to fly somewhere to meet up with the director of her upcoming movie to discuss scheduling now that we’d be going into production on the second film of The Remembrance Trilogy, things would need to be rearranged. She wasn’t cast for sure yet, but Brook was gaining ground in popularity, and that meant they wouldn’t want to lose her on their project. It was more likely they would rearrange production to accommodate Martin’s production schedule.
Brook really wanted that part, and while the suits had all worked out the money, the casting wouldn’t be confirmed until they met with Brook in person and had her read for the part. While I was happy for her, I was disappointed we wouldn’t have the holiday together. There was always something keeping us apart.
"Um, Mom's booked us all at Veil for ten days over Christmas. Jeanne called Ken and they're working out that audition as well. I'm sorry, Cade. I don't know what my schedule looks like yet." She had turned toward me in her seat a little and leaned her head against the back of it.
"I'd ask you to come with us skiing, but it will be obvious enough that David won't be with us this year, so Jeanne said no way. I'm so sorry."
"Hmmmm." I knew the disappointment was dripping from my voice and showing in my face.
"I really wanted to share Christmas with you and I can't take a chance on losing that part, but I'll try to work it out... " Her hand still laced with mine, her other one came up to squeeze my forearm above the blanket, "Even if my mom will have a hissy at my missing Christmas with them."
I smiled at her even if it didn't quite reach my eyes.
"You'll have lots of parts to choose from, but I understand how important this is to you. If we can't be together over the holidays, I'll be okay, but I'll miss you." I lifted my other hand so that my fingers could brush her chi
n. "I'll just be looking forward to March all the more, love."
"Ken and Jeanne said Pinnacle will still make it hard for us during filming, too. I'm sorry, Cade, I wish... " Her brows dropped and she grimaced.
"Why are you sorry? You didn't do this. Neither one of us did. I hate it, too, but we'll deal, okay? It is what it is."
She nodded softly, and pursed her lips in a silent kiss at me.
The pilot came on the intercom and told us that we would be landing in New York for a short layover, and then this same plane was traveling on to London. That hardly ever happened where we'd get the same plane all the way, but it was good... it was one less mob to deal with.
"I’m so thankful we don't have to change planes," I sighed and settled back in my seat, moving the back into a recline position.
"Thank Jeanne. She's taking good care of us this time. I think she'll try to do that more and more now, since our movie has released. Thank God."
"Try to get some rest, sweets. You're gonna need all that you can get." I smiled at her and nudged her shoulder with mine.
"Again with the promises..." She rolled her eyes and chuckled under her breath as she leaned, ever so slightly, into my shoulder.
MARTIN AND NOAH were supposed to meet Brook and me in the lobby, but I wanted to have a moment alone with her first.
When she opened the door to her hotel room, I just stopped and stared at her. She was dressed in a shiny black dress that left both shoulders bare. The skirt was slightly full which accentuated the slimness of her thighs. Wow.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say to me or are you just going to stare at me all night?" She smirked as I ran my eyes over her face and hair, down her body, all the way to her feet.
"Um... yeah. Staring all night works wonderfully well for me at the moment." My mouth twitched in the start of a grin as I swept her into my arms.
"You smell delicious," I whispered, as I brought my mouth down on hers for a slow kiss. Her hands immediately went into my hair at the back of my head to pull me closer as her mouth opened fully to mine. Responding to me in the passionate way I adored, her mouth moving and sucking just as wildly as mine did on hers.