“Tempting,” Sable told him. “Unfortunately, I’m here to do a job. If Jade is okay with it, I’m her full-time bodyguard. I don’t have time for any… ointment applications.”
“I’m more than okay,” Jade chimed in. “I hope I can talk you into showing me some of those moves.”
“Hey,” Nate protested. “I thought I was your self-defense instructor.”
“What can I say,” Jade grinned. “I’d be a fool not to learn from the best.”
“Great,” Nate grumbled, his eyes twinkling with humor. “Shot down by two beautiful women in a matter of minutes.”
“Not to mention one of them knocking you on your ass. Repeatedly.” Garrett hit playback on his phone. “I wonder how many hits this would get on YouTube.”
Wyatt looked over Garrett’s shoulder, the brothers laughing at the film.
“Add Instagram.” Wyatt offered.
“And Twitter.”
“Since when do you tweet?” Nate asked Garrett. He attempted to snatch the phone away.
“My assistant is an expert.” Garrett tucked his phone safely into his pocket.
“I’m hitting the shower.” Nate turned to Sable. “Want to join me?”
“Do you never give up?” Garrett asked in amazement.
“Come on, Sable.” Jade ushered the other woman out of the room. “Callie’s bathroom is gorgeous. And private,” she said without turning. “One of you men, bring Sable’s bag up when you come.”
“Hey,” Nate called out. “That came out wrong. Separate showers. I swear I was suggesting separate showers.”
“Let it go, Nate.” Garrett patted his brother on the shoulder before grabbing Sable’s tote. “You can spend lunch trying to pull your size fourteen foot out of your mouth.”
As he jogged up the stairs, Garrett could hear Wyatt giving Nate a hard time. Ribbing each other was a time-honored tradition. God, he loved this family. The only thing that would make it better was the addition of Jade. Soon, he promised himself. Once the threat from Stephen Marsh was behind her, Jade would be able to relax. Once she was relaxed, he would slip under her remaining defenses. He would have a ring on her finger before spring.
“You look like the proverbial cat. What’s up?” Colt walked through the front door just as Garrett emerged from the basement. “Holy—. Forget about you. Who is that?”
Garrett followed Colt’s gaze to where Sable, still in her black tank top and leggings, was laughing about something with Jade and Callie.
“Before you get carried away, Colt, you better see something.” Garrett tossed his phone to his brother. “Hit play.”
“Why?” Colt opened the phone. “What is it?”
“One kickass woman.”
That video would either put Colt off or intrigue him even more. Either way, Sable had made it clear she wasn’t looking for a fling. She took her job seriously. It was good to know they had the same priority. Keeping Jade safe.
AFTER LUNCH, JADE looked for Callie. With everything that was going on, there hadn’t been time to speak with her unless they were surrounded by other people. What Jade had to say needed some privacy.
She found Callie in the breakfast nook going over the week’s grocery list with her cook.
“I think double the milk and eggs. We’ve been getting more drop-ins lately.” She held a hand out to Jade when she saw her. “I hope this sweet girl will make sure that trend continues.”
“Do you have a few minutes?”
“What kind of question is that?” Callie patted the window seat cushion. “Sit. Talk to me.”
This was harder than Jade imagined. How could she explain to Callie about Garrett? If the rule was, you didn’t screw around with your friend’s brother behind her back, what was the rule about your friend’s son?
“Relax,” Callie smiled, her eyes shining a clear gray.
“I want to apologize.”
“Well, I know you didn’t break the vase in my sitting room. Caleb copped to that one.” Callie thought for a moment. “I’m at a loss. What did you do?”
“The internet must be full of the story. About Garrett? And me?”
“Oh, that. I’ve known about the two you since dinner the other night.”
“How?”
“The way he whispered to you when he helped you into your chair. It was very… intimate.”
“Intimate.” Jade felt her cheeks heat up. “Now I’m sorry and embarrassed.”
“You shouldn’t be either.” Callie squeezed Jade’s hand. “I’m thrilled. Which is exactly what I would have told that nosy reporter who followed me to the hair salon this morning. If it was any of his business, which it isn’t.”
“Garrett and I went out to dinner last night. It was our first public date.”
“I saw the pictures,” Callie nodded. “The woman who has been doing my hair for years had some of them on her iPad. The two of you looked gorgeous together.”
“You think so?”
“It was the consensus of the entire salon. Even Rhonda Baines, who has been trying for years to land Garrett for her daughter, had to admit how well you suit.”
“I should have told you about Garrett before we became friends.” Jade nervously smoothed an imaginary wrinkle from the skirt of her dress. “I didn’t think there was anything to tell. I tried to break things off.”
“Garrett wouldn’t let you.” Callie smiled happily. “Good for him. I didn’t raise any fools. Obviously, whatever the problem, you’ve worked things out.”
“I think so.” She looked at Callie, trying to gage her reaction. “You honestly don’t mind? I’m not exactly baggage-free. Illustrated by my new bodyguard.”
“The perfect Hollywood accessory,” Callie teased. Almost instantly, she turned serious. “I hate that you need protection. It isn’t your fault, Jade.”
“I know.”
“I love my sons. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” Callie draped her arm around Jade’s waist. “My greatest hope has always been that one day, each one of them would give me a daughter to love. Ah, I can see the slight panic in your eyes. I know it’s early days. Just remember this. You will always be the daughter of my heart. No matter what.”
With tears filling her eyes, Jade said the words to Callie that she hadn’t been able to say to her son. “I love you.”
Callie gathered Jade close, telling her to have a good cry. Then proceeded to join her.
“What is it about the two of you?” Caleb asked as he entered the room. His voice was gentle, not accusatory. “Tears, my love?”
Callie took the tissues Caleb offered, handing one to Jade.
“I’m a weepy person. You knew it when you married me.”
Caleb lifted Callie’s chin. At the same time, he ever so briefly skimmed a hand over Jade’s hair. The gesture was so gentle. So sweet, Jade almost started crying again. Was it possible she had not only gained a mother, but also a father? It was too much to take in all at once.
“I’m going to find Garrett.”
Caleb took Jade’s seat, pulling the love of his life into his arms.
“Well?”
Callie happily rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed with contentment. “I’ve always loved a spring wedding.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“YOUR BEST WEAPON is the element of surprise. Most attackers expect some resistance. Give them everything you’ve got. Cause as much pain and damage as quickly as possible.” Sable demonstrated. “Stomp on the arch of the foot. An elbow to the bread basket.”
“Hey,” Colt objected when Sable’s demonstration caused him to double over. “When I agreed to help teach Jade some self-defense moves, I didn’t mean for you to use me as a punching bag.”
“Oh, did I hurt the big action star?” Sable crooned the words. “In Trance, you took out fifty Russians, dismantled a nuclear bomb while bedding half-a-dozen scantily clad women. Where’s the tough guy now?”
“You go to see my movies?” Colt grinned.
&
nbsp; “They showed them at the base I was stationed at in Afghanistan. It was either that or check my toes for trench foot. Your movie won — barely.”
“Can you get foot rot in the desert?”
Jade shook her head. The obvious sexual tension between Sable and Colt was interesting. Amusing. After an hour, it bordered on annoying. Not that Sable wasn’t doing her job. In the few days since her arrival, she had taught Jade some invaluable tricks for protecting herself. This morning’s distraction was Colt’s fault. The plan had been for Garrett to help. When he was called to the studio at the last minute, they decided to go ahead without a man to practice on. They arrived at the Landis home to find Colt just finishing breakfast. He insisted on stepping in for Garrett.
It hadn’t occurred to either woman that the main reason for his generosity was his desire to flirt with Sable. Jade’s bodyguard tried her best to keep the session professional. It worked — at first. However, the point of this workout was to show Jade different methods of getting away from an attacker. That meant getting up close and personal with Colt. After almost an hour of touching, prodding, and poking, his comments grew increasingly pointed. For the most part, Sable treated him like a slightly amusing gnat. She skillfully swatted away his attempts to engage her. Until now. They were so focused on each other Jade wondered if they remembered she was in the room.
“Why don’t we call it a day?” Jade called out.
“Now see what you’ve done?” Sable said to Colt, her voice dripping with sarcasm and a tinge of humor. “I’m trying to help Jade. Mr. Movie Star had to make it about himself.”
“Bitch,” Colt whispered with a grin.
“And proud of it.”
Colt gave Sable a dirty look, and then turned to Jade.
“I’m sorry.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the built-in cooler. Taking off the lid, he handed it to Jade. “I honestly meant to help. Things got…”
“Out of hand?” Jade smiled. Colt’s apology was so earnest her frustration fell away. “It’s fine, Colt. Callie has some new orange blossom bath salts I’m dying to try.” She gave him a sisterly peck on the cheek. “I’ll leave you with Sable to finish whatever it is you’re doing. One warning?”
“What?”
“Watch your balls.”
“Relax,” Sable said after Jade was gone. “I have no interest in your balls or any other part of you.”
Colt watched as Sable put a few things into her bag. Lord, she was a stunning woman. Not that he didn’t see beautiful women every day. Sable’s beauty was different. Any man would be attracted. Tall, lean, but with curves in all the right places. He would bet the twenty-five million he was making on his next film that her breasts were spectacular. He would give the back-end profits he was going to make to find out.
The problem was, Sable seemed more amused by him than attracted. On top of that, she was dedicated to her job. It came first. Cole understood. Professionalism mattered. When he was working, nothing got in the way. That meant no late night drinking, no on-set affairs. He was paid a shit-load of money to carry a film. He owed it to everyone involved to give one hundred and twenty percent of himself. He had plenty of time between movies to take advantage of the perks his status provided.
Jade was safely upstairs, taking a bath. To his thinking, that meant Sable was on a break. Time to have some fun.
“I am sorry.”
Sable gave him an uninterested look over her shoulder before turning back to her bag.
“Come on.” Colt put out his hand. “Truce?”
“Fine.”
Sable reached back to shake Colt’s hand. In a split second, she was flat on her back, a grinning Colt lying on top of her.
“Surprise.”
Smiling back, Sable slowly ran her hand down his side.
“This is nice,” Colt said. “Why don’t we—”
Before he could finish his proposition, Sable shifted her hand, grabbing him by the balls. Hard. There was nothing fun or sexual involved.
“Surprise.”
“Hey,” Colt yelped when her grip tightened.
“Jade warned you.”
“You said you weren’t interested in my balls.”
“And you believed me,” Sable laughed. “That’s so sweet. Naive. But sweet.”
Letting him go, Sable pushed Colt off her. She jumped to her feet then held out a hand. Good-naturedly, Colt let her help him up. Not ready to throw in the towel, he leaned close, a teasing quip on his lips. Before he could blink, the quip was replaced by Sable.
As first kisses went, this one hit it out of the park. Home run. Touch all the bases. Sable’s lips were a heady combination of soft and sweet. Her tongue swept through his mouth, sparking his desire — feeding the instant need that coursed through his body.
Then as quickly as it started, Sable ended the kiss.
“What was that?” Colt asked. He hadn’t held her more than a few seconds, yet his arms felt empty.
“I call it a kiss.”
“I meant, why start something you have no intention of finishing?”
“I wanted to know what it was like to kiss the sexiest man alive.”
“And?” Colt hated asking, but the question slipped out before he could stop it.
“Nice.” Picking up her bag, Sable headed for the shower.
Nice? Colt stood in the middle of the room staring sightlessly at the closed bathroom door. Damn. He wasn’t certain how he felt. Annoyed? Confused? Turned on? That woman could kiss — a whole lot better than nice.
Cole knew one thing. Sable Ford was an intriguing woman full of contradictions. Too bad he didn’t have the time to uncover what made that woman tick.
With a wistful sigh, Colt headed up to the kitchen to say goodbye to his parents. Sable had a job to do. So did Colt. He was heading to Australia to make a good old-fashioned swashbuckler. By the time he got back, Sable would be gone. Just as well. A woman like that could get under a man’s skin fast.
No thanks. He was too young, too busy, and having too much fun to get serious about any woman. He would leave that to Garrett.
IT WAS STRANGE. Technically, he and Jade had been seeing each other for over six months. The circumstances were a trifle skewed. Unusual was a better word. Still, it was strange that during the time they had known each other, Jade had never been to his home in Laurel Canyon. An oversight he planned to fix. Today.
“I feel like a little kid being given a treat.”
Jade slipped her feet into a pair of bright yellow canvas Keds. If they were going to be exploring Garrett’s house, she wanted comfortable shoes. Some women might be able to walk around, up and down stairs, in four-inch heels. Jade wasn’t one of them. A loose pair of cream-colored cotton cargo shorts and a sleeveless blouse rounded out her ensemble. She wore her hair in a long, French braid. Neat. Elegant. Stylish.
“What flavor are you today?”
“Raspberry cream.”
Jade had discovered a line of flavored lip-glosses. Now that she was kissing a very desirable man on a very regular basis, she stepped up the product she put on her mouth. Garrett didn’t like the heavy, sticky glosses. Jade didn’t blame him. They left behind an unpleasant film, inside and out.
This particular gloss was lighter weight than most. It conditioned her lips, making them soft and supple. She liked the colors. Garrett loved the fruity flavors.
“That’s one I haven’t tried. Let me see.”
He teased her lips with his tongue, swiping the bottom one once, then twice.
“Mmm.” He tasted again, deepening the kiss. When he finally pulled back, Jade was breathless and in complete agreement. The raspberry was a keeper.
“I need to put on another coat.”
“Let me.
Garrett reached for the little pot of color.
“No, you don’t.” Jade moved it across the table. “If you start fooling around, we will never get out of here.” She quickly dabbed the gloss onto her lips. “Sable is waiting.”
“The same way it looks on my mouth.”
“I will bet there’s a difference,” Garrett said, his voice deepening with interest.
Jade would not let him pull her into one of those conversations. The kind where she ends up with reddened cheeks. She put an end to this before it got that far.
“If we leave right now, I promise to let you find out. Later. After we go to bed.”
Garrett took hold of her finger — the one she used to apply the lip-gloss. Keeping his eyes on hers, he lifted it to his mouth, sucking it inside. His tongue rubbed the tip, removing all traces of flavor.
“Garrett…”
Jade couldn’t shift her gaze. He knew exactly how to make her heart beat faster. When her legs started to weaken, Garrett removed her finger. With a knowing wink, the stinker took her hand, leading her out of the room.
“IT’S BEAUTIFUL, GARRETT,” Jade declared, leaning back against Nate’s truck.
Rather than make Sable and her long legs suffer the long trip crammed into the Lamborghini’s backseat, Garrett had borrowed his brother’s rig. He had to admit, he liked the way the big vehicle handled. With another person to think about, it might be time to consider a second car.
“Thank goodness you decided to stay in town. This place has way too many security dead-zones.” Sable walked to the side of the house, shaking her head. “Call Alex. You need a complete overhaul of the system.” She tested the cable leading to a camera mounted on the porch. “Did you get this at a going out of business sale? In the seventies?”
It seemed Sable didn’t require an answer. Mumbling to herself, she wandered out of sight.
“She just security shamed you,” Jade laughed.
“Annoying. However, she has a point. Since the place was finished, I haven’t spent much time up here. I haven’t thought much about security. The builders picked out the cameras. I should have paid more attention. Come on. Let me show you the inside.” Garrett held the door for her.
“Don’t leave the house without telling me,” Sable called out. She had already done a room-to-room check declaring it safe for Jade to enter.
Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends #1) Page 27