Beyond Famous (Famous #3)

by Kahlen Aymes

  My heart thumped in my chest and I squeezed her hand. Leave it to her to say the perfect thing.

  "Brook.” I paused and met her eyes with mine. “Me, too. I'm thinking about you all the time, anyhow," I said and forgot about the rest of the people in the restaurant as I finally allowed myself to bring her hand up from beneath the table and kiss it.

  We finished dinner and shared the dessert, but we barely ate, picking at the meal for over an hour.

  "I'm sorry I didn't eat very much. I guess I wasn't that hungry."

  Me either.

  My hand still held hers beneath the table and I wasn't planning on letting go of her until I absolutely had to.

  "Are you ready to go?"

  "Yes, please," she said as she nodded and leaned into my arm.

  I sighed as I tried to dispel the tightening in my chest and struggled to overcome the rush of emotion that threatened to choke me.

  Tonight was going to be both glorious and heartbreaking. Beautiful and painful, but I wanted to feel it all, to savor each moment, to feel everything there was to feel... with Brook.

  THE PRIVATE BUNGALOW at the Beverly Hills Hotel where we'd gotten ready for the awards show had been cleaned up and the big bouquets of white roses and freesias were on the side table and in the entryway. They lent a fragrant scent to waft in the air, which mixed with the vanilla from the candles that were flickering here and there around the rooms. And red rose petals were scattered across the white duvet on the bed.

  I turned and watched Cade enter behind me, before turning to look around the room. My mouth fell open, but I couldn’t speak.

  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, considering how romantic he had shown he could be over the months... Nevertheless, I was speechless.

  He walked to me slowly and brushed my hair back with both hands before he bent to take my mouth in a gentle kiss, softly brushing his lips back and forth with mine. He couldn't help but deepen it enough so that his lips softly tugged and sucked on mine and I reciprocated unabashedly. My breath left my body in a rush as my heart swelled and ached at the same time.

  "Cade... God." I could barely get the words out. “This is… amazing.”

  "Do you want to take a bath?" he said softly against my lips. "I want to take this slow tonight, Brook. I want to talk and hold you, and make love to you. But I want it all, is that okay?"

  I felt a single tear fall from my lashes as I nodded and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, burying my face in his chest as I willed myself not to cry. He held me close and kissed the top of my head while his fingers drew small circles on the small of my back. This room was beautiful and all about romance, and we’d make love, but tonight wasn’t about sex… it was about absorbing the love.

  Help me get through this without completely losing it. He needs me to support him, not fall apart.

  I was glad Nathan had managed to do as I asked and got the new iPods, set up the account, and had them ready for me when I stopped home to get my things. Nate had them both formatted although I didn't have time to wrap Cade's but was able to tuck it inside his duffle while he was out of the room during Mickey's visit. I noticed my journal inside as well, and so I inserted a letter I'd written, knowing he’d be reading the journal on the plane and would find it quickly.

  The duplicate iPod Nathan had gotten for me was waiting inside my purse, and the dock set up on the bedside table. As I moved out of Cade's arms to sit on the bed, I noticed his guitar leaning up against the wall.

  He knows I'll want to hear him play for me tonight. I drew in my breath.

  Jesus... he always knows.

  I looked up at him and offered a sad smile as he came across the room to touch my chin with his fingertips. I reached for his hand so I could place an open-mouthed kiss on his palm.

  "Thank you," I said as my eyes met his. I saw all the love and pain that I was feeling reflected in Cade’s deep blue eyes. He swallowed and nodded.

  "It’s my pleasure, sweetheart."

  My chest tightened and my mind screamed. The sadness is going to drown both of us.

  I tried to smile and stood up, still holding his hand; my throat throbbed and my eyes burned. I prayed I wasn’t shaking.

  "A bath sounds nice. And the rest... I agree with you." My voice trembled and cracked on the words. "Do you think if we try, we can slow down time?"

  He folded me in his arms, pulling me tightly to his chest. He sighed heavily against my temple.

  "Oh, Brook. I'd be happier if we could stop it completely. I'm bloody aching over this." He lifted me so that my face was level with his and my hands wound around his shoulders, to fist in his hair. I knew he loved it when I did that and he closed his eyes before resting his forehead on mine. "I just... don't want tomorrow to come." Emotion clouded his velvet voice; evidence he was struggling right along with me.

  His mouth finally opened over mine and his tongue slid into my mouth. I pulled his head closer so I could melt into him, matching him kiss for kiss. He tasted delicious and I held his head with both hands. When he finally moved his mouth from mine, I found myself sitting on the vanity in the bathroom, not even aware of how I had gotten there. My hand ran down his chest, feeling the hard contours beneath the two layers of his shirts.

  He smiled softly before leaving me to turn on the water in the large bathtub. There were more rose petals in the bottom of it that began to float on the water as it filled.

  "You're going to join me in that big tub aren't you?" I tried to tease him as I quickly brushed a tear from my face.

  He added some scented bath foam to the water and then came back to lift one of my feet to begin unlacing my shoes. He removed first one then the other. He was so gentle and tender in his movements, his eyes hardly ever leaving my face. I was aching, the sadness so overpowering I could barely breathe.

  "Eventually." He smiled gently and then bent to kiss me again before lifting me down from the counter and turning my body so that he could run the zipper down the back of my dress. He moved my hair aside and kissed the back of my neck, the wetness and feel of his lips giving me goosebumps as his hand ran lightly down my back where the skin was exposed. "Do you need something from your bag to put your hair up?"

  He was so amazing. Leave it to Cade to think of that.

  "Yes. There’s a clip in the zippered compartment on the side." He placed one last kiss on my shoulder and left the room.

  I closed my eyes as I fought the tears that welled inside. I heard him moving around as I stripped out of my dress and underwear and slowly lowered myself into the warm, scented water. The tub was large and was still filling, the bubbles rising, dotted with the red rose petals.

  I leaned back and closed my eyes and then felt his hands in my hair, pulling it up and securing the clip.

  "I'll be back, love." Cade walked out of the room and then I heard his guitar; the soft strumming of the chords he was playing coming closer. The tune was upbeat, happy and I smiled as he came into the bathroom. He’d removed his jacket and button-down, leaving only the white T-Shirt. He sat down on the bench across from the tub as he continued to play the guitar. His eyes roamed over my face and watched as I turned the faucet off with my foot.

  "That's beautiful," I said, and he smiled.

  "Exactly," he answered and then started to sing to me. He was gorgeous as always and I knew I'd be happy to watch him play for me forever. Listening to his sultry voice singing just for me was the most I could ask for in the world, and I was thankful for the gifts he brought to my life.

  The song, called Beautiful. It was so right for the situation, and I knew Cade was trying to reassure me that he’d be thinking of me and that the time apart wouldn’t change his feelings; that the love between us was unshakable. His voice was strong and clear, his eyes intent on mine.

  He smiled wide and I couldn't help smiling back as I felt a blush come up under the skin of my face. I was hypnotized.

  I was speechless. Just... amazed at how he could turn a sad mom
ent into one of utter joy. My heart ached at the prospect of not being with him, but he was letting me know that distance wasn't what mattered; he was mine and nothing would change it.

  “Beautiful you…” As Cade sang the last lyric and strummed the last chord, I held my hand out to him. He carefully set the guitar down and came to sit near the bathtub, taking my outstretched hand and bringing it to his mouth. He kissed the inside of my wrist and then pressed his open mouth to the palm before letting it settle on his cheek. He pressed his face into my hand, his big one covering my smaller one.

  "No, beautiful you," I said softly. "You're so amazing, Cade. Thank you. That was gorgeous."

  He stared into my face, his gaze never wavering from mine, his thumb rubbing circles over the top of the hand that he held.

  "I want you to be happy, Brook. I mean, when you're filming, I want you to enjoy it. This film is something you wanted so badly and you should embrace it. Let yourself have fun. I don't want missing me to ruin it for you."

  I nodded. "I know, but I'll still miss you."

  "Okay... I'll let you miss me a little. I'm counting on it, sweetheart."

  "Are you going to follow your own advice?" I asked. I raised my eyebrow at him because I knew he was preaching something to me that he would struggle with himself.

  "Well... I'll do my best, of course," he said with a sad smile. I wanted to make him happy, to take the pain from behind his eyes.

  "I thought you were coming in here...” I coaxed him. We both laughed softly as he kissed my hand again and got up to strip off his clothes so he could join me. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him as inch-by-inch all that beautiful flesh was exposed to my view. "Mickey was right," I teased, "I am a lucky, lucky bitch."

  I was rewarded with a big smile and the beautiful sound of his laughter and my heart tightened inside my body.

  The tub was large enough for us to face each other lying on our sides and he pulled me closer and brushed a wet tendril off of my face. We lay looking at each other and softly touching.

  "I don't want to sleep tonight, Brook."

  "I know. Me either." I bent to kiss his mouth very softly. "I love you so much."

  "Not as much as I love you." He looked at me seriously, and his brow dropped over his eyes. "So, don't forget."

  I smiled at the irony of it and shook my head; I started to protest, but he put a finger to my lips to silence me.

  "No arguing," he insisted as he nuzzled my nose and I reached for his mouth again. I sucked his lower lip into my mouth and I slowly pulled it with me as my mouth moved off of his.

  "The song was perfect, Cade," I said as his mouth lifted from mine.

  His eyes dropped and his jaw jutted out a little before he finally spoke. "I knew you'd want me to play for you tonight, and I searched for music while I waited for you in Italy."

  "But... you didn't... take your guitar when you went to Cannes," I said slowly.

  "You don't miss much, do you love? I bought one in Italy so I could mess around with arrangements on different songs. I wanted it to be perfect for you, tonight."

  "Everything you do is perfect, Cade. That's why I'm such a mess." I ran my fingertips along the stubble on his jaw as I watched his expression. His blue eyes were dark and intense. "I didn't see a new guitar in Italy, either, so...”

  "No, I gave it to the hotel owner's son the day you arrived. I wanted to surprise you. I found a bunch of songs that... well, that echoed everything I was feeling. But um... I really struggled with the choice."

  My eyes widened. "There are more?" I asked hopefully. His hands were roaming lightly over my body, down my waist and hip and up again. Those hands did delicious things to me.

  "Yeah, but the others are full of sadness and loss, and I don't want to make you sad."

  I swallowed. I understood what he meant, but I didn't want him to feel like he had to hold back what he was feeling.

  "Whatever you want to play, I want to hear. We share everything, right?" My voice shook and my chin trembled as my eyes welled with tears. "I've got a serious case of sad already, and I want you to sing whatever you feel, okay?"

  He swallowed hard and his hands on my back fluttered across my skin, making me tremble.

  "This reminds me a lot of our first time in London," I whispered against his beautiful mouth as I remembered that incredible night. My hand ran down his chest and around his waist and his legs tangled with mine. My body was reacting in ways I couldn't help, even as my heart ached.

  "I know. It was a dream; so beautiful. You’re a miracle to me, Brook." My hand moved up to the back of his neck and he moved until he was over me and his mouth was diving into mine, our tongues laving each other, tasting; like we were starving.

  We were starving, desperate to be close to each other. We kissed and caressed each other until the water chilled to the point of making me shiver. His kisses left me breathless, trembling and always wanting more. He was so passionate, yet tender and I never wanted to stop.

  "Cade... I’ll miss you so much."

  His arms tightened as he lifted us both until we were standing and could step out of the tub.

  "I know, Brook." His eyes answered me without my even saying the words. "The kisses are enough to live on without anything else," he whispered against my neck and jaw.

  Feeling me shiver, he rubbed his hands up and down my arms before he reached for two large white towels and wrapped one around me, and the other around his waist before scooping me up bridal style to carry me into the bedroom.

  When he sat me on the bed, I got up and went to my purse to remove the iPod and connected it to the dock. The music softly filled the room and then we crawled under the covers without drying off and pulled the covers over our heads, giggling. He gathered me close to him and I curled into what had become my spot in the crook of his arm with my head on his chest.

  "See? Going to bed naked and wet is good, yes?" The steam from our bodies was rising and filling the space and taking the chill off of our skin left by the tepid bath water.

  His chest rumbled underneath my cheek when he laughed. "Yeah, incredibly; it does. If it weren't for the bloody time difference, we could do this together on the phone while I'm in New York. Three hours might make pillow talk difficult; as much as I want it."

  I nodded and tightened the arm that was around his waist. "The time difference will be a pain, but we can text during the day while we're working. Not much probably, but as often as we can."

  "Yeah, I'll be texting you so much, I expect my phone keyboard to literally melt, love."

  We spent more time just lying together, talking about the upcoming films. We talked about Patrick Armstrong and my new film,; cutting my hair and all the physical stuff I’d have to learn. I told him I’d get the sheet music to the song and learn it. Cade had helped me with my guitar skills quite a bit, but I knew I had a lot of work to do to get as good as him, but that part of it would be fun.

  He told me about his co-star, albeit only when I asked about her. I wanted to make him feel like I was okay with it even if in reality, I cringed at the thought of him kissing some other girl on film. But, hey, it was his job. He'd said it a hundred times, and he was right. I'd just have to deal with it.

  "I don't know that much about her really. Beyond on stage at the MTV awards, I only met her the one time in L.A. and I was preoccupied, if you'll remember. My girl was piggybacking around with some wanker, so my mind wasn't really focused on Davina Duchman."

  He was teasing me, but I could see it had hurt him.

  "I'm sorry," I said softly, my heart thumping at the pain he had over it.

  As fast as lightening, he flipped me over and his body covered mine and I gasped. "You better be," he said in a low voice as he nuzzled against my neck, but I could hear the amusement behind the words. My hands ran up his back into his hair and I turned my face into his. Obviously, he was as aroused as I was and I could feel the proof of it pressing against my hip.

  "Making love makes th
e time go too fast, Brook," his lips brushed mine even as he gyrated against me, and I breathed against him as my air left me in a rush. I reached up and pulled his earlobe into my mouth, sucking and nipping at it with my teeth.

  He shifted me so that I was completely underneath him and my legs came up on the sides of his hips. His hardness pressed against me as he dragged his mouth across my jaw and down the curve of my neck.

  "Mmmm...” I moaned.

  Cade brushed my hair back and I drowned in his blue eyes before he rested his head on mine, his lips continuing to torture my neck, sending shivers through my entire body. I pulled his head down so I could kiss him and he groaned against my mouth, giving in to the inevitable, our hips surged together.

  "I said, I don't want to make love...” He groaned in protest, but his mouth took mine hungrily. I opened to him and moved my mouth with his over and over, until I couldn't breathe and my heart was beating wildly in my chest. He lifted his mouth slightly to take a breath now and then, but we continued to devour each other's mouth again and again.

  We fit so perfectly together; making love was effortless, natural; necessary. As necessary as breathing.

  Emotion welled within my chest and my throat ached, even as he set my body on fire.

  "Jesus, Brook. Tonight will disappear in an instant and these three months will feel like forever."

  I closed my eyes at the pain in his voice. Tears squeezed from between my lashes despite my resolve not to cry.

  Cade was right. Losing myself in him would make time fly, but it felt so right and we both needed the closeness of it.

  His mouth moved to my breast and I arched against him, wanting the blissful torture to continue, yet needing his mouth on mine and his body intimately connected with mine. I wanted to be connected with him in every way possible. Our mouths moved perfectly together as he filled my body with his and his fingers threaded through mine, his other moving to twine in my hair to hold my head.

  "Cade...” I cried into his mouth even as my free hand pressed into the muscles on his butt to bring him deeper into me. I just wanted to be closer. His movements were slow, measured, like he wanted to savor every touch and memorize my response. It was amazing, beautiful and...us. Just us. "Oh, babe," I said breathlessly.