Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends #1)

by Mary J. Williams

  Jade didn’t remind her father of these facts. Instead, she remained silent, waiting for him to speak first. It was one of her father’s most effective tools. His icy stare always broke his opponents. Within minutes, he had them babbling confessions, secrets. She knew how it worked. This time, she turned it on him.

  Anson waited. And waited. Jade could tell the moment he realized she wasn’t going to crack. The shift in their relationship was on an irreversible slide. He no longer held all the power because somewhere along the way, Jade stopped caring. He wanted to control everything and everyone around him. All she wanted was control of her own life — away from here.

  Jade turned to leave. She was reaching for the doorknob when Anson broke the silence.

  “We can talk about the banquet another time.”

  “Good night, Father.”

  Quietly, Jade shut the door behind her. Serenely, she nodded to the maid who must have been hovering in the foyer the entire time. Jade walked to the stairs, calmly climbing. She took one step at a time. The maid saw a composed, young woman, back straight, head held high.

  That was on the surface. On the inside, Jade was dancing like a maniac. Happy dance be damned. This was an ecstatic dance.

  Her father spoke first. That might not mean much to an outsider, but in a lifetime of one-sided confrontations, it was like beating the National Champions forty-five to nothing. On their home field.

  Jade entered her bedroom. She leaned back against the door, a smile on her face, her heart racing. For the first time since she had moved back in here, she took a good look. Pink curtains. Pepto-Bismol pink. Jade winced. White ruffles on the bed skirt, a lacy canopy that until now she barely noticed. Even as a girl the colors hadn’t appealed to her. If she were staying, the entire room would have to be done over.

  Picking up one of the porcelain dolls that lined the shelf by the window, Jade thought about the years she had wasted in this room. Most of her toys were not for playing with. They were expensive. Look, don’t touch. Well, not anymore. In the morning, she would box up the whole lot. She would call Callie. She was bound to know the right charity to donate them. Little girls needed dolls to hold. This lot would do nicely.

  Happy, Jade fell back onto her bed. The clock read eleven-fifteen. Deliberately, she set her phone on the end table before heading for the bathroom. She wouldn’t be seeing Garrett tonight. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to primp. She needed confidence to be sexy. Or talk dirty. Lord, she had never done that before. Not to any extent.

  Grabbing her laptop, Jade googled dirty talk. Holy crap! Did people really say those things aloud? To another person? Could she? After filing away twenty-seven words for cock, Jade closed the computer with a snap. She knew how Garrett made her feel. She would follow his lead. He was very good at verbalizing what he was doing, how he was doing it, and what he planned to do.

  With a shiver of anticipation, Jade glanced at the clock again. This was going to be the longest thirty minutes of her life.

  “WHY DO YOU keep looking at your watch? Is there someplace you need to be?”

  Garrett didn’t answer Hamish. In twenty minutes, he planned on being in his trailer. Phone to ear, hand to dick. Come hell or high water, he wasn’t going to be late.

  Since his arrival in Vancouver, he had shuttled from one meeting to another, putting out minor fires a boy scout could have handled. He was tired, annoyed, and bordering on pissed. He was missing hot sex with Jade for this?

  “Tell me again why I’m here. These guys are being paid to build us a set. Nothing elaborate. When I was seventeen, I spent one hellish summer in Egypt putting up a fake pyramid — five miles from a real one. They can’t manage a simple barn?”

  “Tell me how things were in the good old days, Grandpa,” Hamish laughed at Garrett.

  “Mock if you will. The guy I worked under was a slave-driving son of a bitch, but we got the job done ahead of schedule. Without any workman’s comp claims either.”

  “That Clayton guy banged his thumb with a goddamned hammer,” Hamish scoffed. “I’ve done worse hanging a picture for my mother.”

  “Things like that become life threatening when you have a big company with plenty of insurance footing the bill. Pay him now before some lawyer convinces him that an owie is actually one step away from gangrene.”

  “Taken care of. He signed a waiver this afternoon.” Hamish said. “And before you ask, yes, I made sure it was the one Wyatt drafted. We destroyed all the others.”

  “Then I repeat. Why am I here?”

  “First, Anders, Clayton’s boss, is raising hell about not enough men on the job. Union rules, or some such shit.”

  “Don’t shit on the unions, my friend. They still hold a lot of power.”

  It was dark on the set. Still, the lights gave him a good idea of how much progress had been made. It wasn’t an encouraging sight.

  “Anders claims they need ten more men to meet union requirements.”

  “How many does he have now?”

  “Twenty, without Clayton.”

  “Who hired this fucking asshole?” Garrett demanded. “For this size job, fifteen is standard. He’s either too stupid to read the guidelines, or he thinks we are. Let me guess he has a cousin who needs a job.”

  “Three. And a brother. We need to fire the idiot, Garrett.”

  “Give me a minute.” Garrett pulled out his phone. “Wyatt insisted I needed to be here. He might as well share in the fun.”

  Big brother picked up on the third ring.

  “If you aren’t dying, I don’t want to know.”

  Garrett gave Hamish a surprised look. Wyatt didn’t have a regular sleep pattern. He caught an hour here, a few hours there. He never had problems with after-hours calls.

  “Unless you’re with a woman, you can kiss my ass.”

  When his brother didn’t immediately respond, Garrett let out a silent whistle. Wyatt and a woman. One he cared enough about not to want to be interrupted.

  “Who is she?”

  “What’s the problem, Garrett?”

  Interesting. Wyatt sounded like he was talking through gritted teeth.

  “So it’s okay for you to ask about my love life, but I can’t reciprocate?”

  “As I recall, you denied everything. I’m following your lead.” Wyatt gave a deep sigh. “It’s close to midnight, Garrett. Are you in jail?”

  “Nope?”

  “The hospital?”

  “No blood in sight.”

  “Then why couldn’t this wait until morning?”

  “If I had any idea you were occupied, it could have,” Garrett assured his brother. “Tell you what. Get back to whomever you’re doing. Seven too soon?”

  There was another pause.

  “Make it eight.”

  Grinning, Garrett put his phone back in his pocket. Wyatt and a woman. Since Stephanie’s death, his brother’s love life consisted of one-night stands. Even then, they were few and far between. If Wyatt wasn’t at work by seven, it was news.

  “Wyatt’s seeing someone?”

  “That would be my interpretation,” Garrett nodded.

  “Tight-lipped, irritable. Has to be a woman.”

  “Hmm,” Garrett responded.

  Who was he to argue? Half the time Jade kept him in knots, the other half happy as a clam. Hamish, on the other hand, appeared to still be in the honeymoon phase of his fling. No bumps so far. Lynn Cornish was playing the good girl, on and off screen. Garrett still predicted a disastrous ending for his friend. To make them all happy, he kept his thoughts to himself and hoped for the best.

  “What do we do?” Hamish asked as they walked toward their trailers.

  “Woman or not, Wyatt was right. There is nothing to be done until morning. Let’s get some sleep.”

  “Lynn is off tomorrow. I don’t plan on sleeping.”

  “Jesus,” Garrett groaned. “Spare me, all right? Go. Enjoy. Just keep it to yourself.”

  “Will do, bo
ss. With relish.”

  Garrett chuckled. His friend was getting some. In all likelihood, his brother was similarly occupied. He glanced at his watch. Eleven fifty-eight. In less than two minutes, he planned on heating up the airwaves. When had sex become so complicated?

  That was easy. It became complicated when the person he had it with started to matter.

  As he crossed the cramped trailer, Garrett kicked off his boots, tore off his t-shirt, and unsnapped his jeans in one continuous motion. He was bare-assed, on the bed, and dialing the phone just as the illuminated clock hit midnight.

  “Garrett.”

  Jade answered after the first ring. She didn’t care if she seemed over-eager. For the last ten minutes, she worried he wouldn’t call. When she heard the first notes of Undercover Lover, relief washed over her. Why wait? She wanted to hear his voice. Even if she knew how, it was not the time to play coy.

  “Thank God,” Garrett groaned. “You’re as anxious as I am, aren’t you, honey?”

  “I’ve thought about this since I got your message.” She paused, wondering how much she should confess.

  “You looked up dirty talk, didn’t you?”

  “How did you know?”

  Garrett relaxed against his pillow. He knew because every day he was getting to know her better. She was a little nervous, so she tried to prepare. He would bet her research didn’t last long.

  “There’s some pretty graphic stuff out there.”

  “Graphic doesn’t begin to describe it. I don’t know if I can say some of those things.”

  “I don’t want you to.” Garrett turned on the light by his bed. “It wouldn’t be you if you used somebody else’s words. Jade.”

  “Yes?”

  Garrett took a deep breath. He knew he was about to take a big chance. Still, he felt it was time.

  “Do you have Skype on your phone?”

  “Garrett…”

  “I want to see your face, honey. Turn on your light. Let me see.”

  Garrett didn’t know what to expect. He figured the fact that they were still connected was a good sign.

  “I texted you my information. Call me back.”

  Fingers flying, Garrett made the connection in record time. This time when Jade answered, he saw her beautiful face.

  “There you are.”

  “Are you naked?” Jade asked hoping he would use his phone to let her know. The darkened motel room worked both ways. She longed for memories that weren’t draped in shadows.

  “Want to see?”

  “Yes, please.”

  With a wink, Garrett slowly started panning down his body. He was a director; he knew the effect of the slow reveal.

  “Like it?”

  Jade nodded. “You have a beautiful body.”

  “My ego thanks you,” Garrett teased. “Tell me what you like. Give me details.”

  “I like—” Jade cleared away the crack in her voice. “I like that you have some hair on your chest. Not too much. I remember how it feels against my breasts. My nipples are hard thinking about it.”

  “Show me,” Garrett rasped.

  Moving the phone so he could see the screen, Garrett waited silently. His breath quickened when he saw the swell of her breasts over the top of a wispy scrap of lavender lace.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  “A teddy. I bought it for myself when I turned eighteen.” Jade moved the lace cup, exposing the hard, dark pink nub. “I’ve never had the nerve to wear it. Until tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Garrett whispered with a touch of reverence. “Now, touch yourself. If I were there, what would you like me to do?”

  This was all new to Jade. Yes, she touched herself. When she was alone. If the lights were out. Even then, she didn’t linger. Her hand would slip between her legs, taking care of business. It was nice. A stress reliever. It never occurred to her to start with her breasts. Now Garrett was asking her to do just that — while he watched.

  “Jade, honey. I’m waiting.”

  “I wasn’t prepared for this.”

  All her feelings of inadequacy knocked on the door, trying to crawl back in her head. She knew how destructive they could be so she did her best to keep them at bay. Taking a deep breath, Jade shut out the voices, focusing on one — Garrett.

  “This is easy, honey. Everything about you turns me on. I wish I were there. I want to be the one giving you pleasure. Think of my hand touching you. There you go.”

  Jade pictured Garrett. What color were his eyes? A stormy gray? Clear silver? His voice urged her on. Knowing he liked what he saw emboldened her. She cupped her breast.

  “How does it feel?” Garrett asked.

  “Soft. Smooth.”

  “Mmm, I remember. Run your thumb over your nipple,” he urged. “That’s right. Do you like that?”

  “I like the way your voice makes me feel. I like knowing I excite you.”

  “Oh, Jade. You have no idea. Look at your phone.”

  Tilting the screen, Jade gasped. Garrett had his cock in his hand. The long, hard length seemed to reach out for her. Unconsciously, Jade licked her lips, her head moving up and down to the rhythm of Garrett’s strokes.

  “This is for you, Jade,” Garrett informed her. “You make me hard. The thought of you. That’s all it takes. All day I tried to keep myself from picturing you as you are right now. I can’t go around with a permanent hard-on. What would people say?”

  “Too much Viagra?” Jade teased even as her mouth watered.

  “Not a rumor I want floating out there,” Garrett chuckled huskily. “That drug-induced five-hour erection can kill a man’s reputation. Hell, they can literally kill a man. You’re my drug of choice, Jade. No little blue pills needed.”

  Realizing she was holding her breath, Jade slowly exhaled. Her breathing was shallow, the flush in her cheeks moving down her body.

  “Your face is beautiful. I can see the arousal in your eyes,” Garrett told her. “The way your lips are parted. I love how your tongue keeps wetting them. Are they dry?”

  Jade nodded.

  “Words, honey. Tell what you’re feeling.”

  “My throat is dry. My lips, too.”

  “And the rest of you?”

  Jade closed her eyes. She knew what Garrett was asking. Slowly, her lids opened expecting to see his rock hard cock. Instead, she was looking into eyes the color of burnished steel.

  “Are you wet, Jade?”

  “Yes,” Jade sighed.

  “Show me.”

  Careful to avoid her scars, Jade turned the phone toward the ceiling until she was certain it wouldn’t catch a glimpse of her stomach. Just to be sure, she pulled across, leaving her upper and lower body bare.

  “I see a pair of gorgeous legs,” Garrett said. “Show me what’s between them.”

  Jade swallowed. The embarrassment that had slowly faded tried one last push. This isn’t who you are, it taunted her. Pull up the covers; turn off the phone. Go to sleep in your cold, little girl bed. You don’t belong with a man like Garrett. He is out of your league.

  “I can do this,” Jade firmly informed the voice in her head. “I want to do this.”

  “I know that, honey,” Garrett said. “I wouldn’t push you if I didn’t think it was what you wanted.”

  “It is.” Jade declared firmly.

  Slowly, Jade opened her legs. It was slightly awkward. She wanted to angle the phone so that Garrett could see her while she was still able to see him. Suddenly it hit her. She grabbed the spare pillow, arranging it under her knees then propped the phone, hoping to give them both a good angle. She smiled with satisfaction. Garrett’s face, clear as a bell.

  “Can you see me?”

  “I love that the hair is red down here, too.”

  “Garrett.”

  “That embarrasses you? You should be shouting it from the trees. Redheads are timeless. The fact that you are all natural, honey, makes you the envy of millions. What am I saying? I’m the one who is
envied. There isn’t a heterosexual man alive that wouldn’t bow down in awe if they could trade places with me right now.”

  “Now you’re being silly.”

  “That is the last thing I am,” Garrett assured her. “Silly men do not have raging hard-ons. See?”

  “Is it painful?” Jade asked. To her, it was a thing of beauty.

  “Mmm, in a good way. I know I’ll get my reward.”

  “Which is?” Jade knew. She wanted to hear him say it.

  “I get off while watching you get off. Win-win, honey.” Garrett’s hand moved firmly up and down his shaft. “Your turn,”

  Nervousness turned into anticipation. Jade moved her hand until her fingers hovered between her legs. She remembered how Garrett liked to tease her. He played around the edges before giving her what she wanted. Knowing he was watching, Jade did the same.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Wet,” Jade answered breathlessly. “Hot. Slick. See how easily my fingers slide in? Three at a time, no problem.”

  “Your fingers are smaller than mine. You’re tight, honey. I never use more than two.”

  “I like the calluses on your fingers,” Jade said. “My hands are smoother.”

  “I know. Like silk running up and down my cock.”

  “You like the way I touch you?” Jade asked. God, she loved touching him.

  “Heaven on Earth.”

  Without removing her fingers, Jade let her thumb run over her clit. She gasped at how sensitive it was. When she was alone, it felt good. With Garrett, it was out of this world.

  “You confessed to thinking of me when you touched yourself,” Garrett said, his hand never missing a beat. “How often? What was your fantasy?”

  Jade was transfixed. Every time Garrett stroked himself, his erection seemed to get bigger — harder.

  “I would get into bed.”

  “Naked?”

  “No,” Jade corrected him. “I never worried about what I was wearing. You would remove it as soon as you joined me.”