by Kahlen Aymes
"Cade! Just wait until we get up to the room and away from all these people. Please." She was visibly pissed, her bitch face firmly in place, so I followed her into the lift with the three others and shoved my hands in my pockets. I stared at the black and silver marble tiles on the floor of the lift as my mind raced and the seconds dragged. I could feel Brook fidgeting at my side.
When we reached our floor, I dug the key card out of my back pocket as she stormed down the hall in front of me. She leaned up against the wall and waited as I opened the door. I pushed it open and let her go in ahead of me.
"We're together in this hotel, but can you stop fucking leaving our dirty laundry out there for the lousy reporters? I can see it all now; Cade and Brook fighting on the sidewalk!" she said angrily, her blue eyes spitting fire as she turned on me. “Breaking news!”
"Oh for Christ's sake, Brook!" I threw the card down on the side table and kicked off my shoes. "Who bloody cares what those bastards print? We know the truth! I am fucking sick of the whole charade!"
She glared at me and then stormed into the loo, slamming the door behind her.
"Oh Holy hell," I muttered and flopped down on the bed we shared, covering my hands with my eyes.
I could hear the shower running but no other sounds coming from the other side of the door. I got up and grabbed a beer from the wet bar and chugged half of it down before flipping on the telly; trying to find something to watch. I found nothing that caught my interest. I didn't feel like playing my guitar or reading. I threw the remote down and leaned back against the cushions of the sofa in the suite and I waited for Brook to finish her shower.
We were real. We knew each other inside and out and we were both stubborn as hell; naturally we butted heads on occasion.
The water shut off, and I could hear her shuffling around and obviously taking her sweet ass time about it. No doubt, it was her way of torturing me more. I got up and knocked lightly on the door.
"Brook... babe, can I come in?" I leaned my head on the wood and sighed. "Brook. I'd like to take a shower. I'm exhausted. Please?"
“Last I remember you had your own room!” she yelled from the other side of the door.
“Okay, really? Over this?” I was frustrated, my own anger building.
The lock rattled and the handle turned before she pulled the door open so I could enter. She was in a white bathrobe with a white towel wrapped around her head. She turned back toward the sink to begin brushing her teeth without a word.
I watched her through lowered eyes and then turned the water on in the shower and started to peel my clothes off and leave them in a pile on the floor. She didn't look at me, just kept brushing her teeth as if I wasn't there. After I was under the warm spray, it started to ease the tension caused by our squabble. I took a deep breath and spoke. "Tell me why you don't want me there."
She glanced toward the shower in the mirror and shrugged. "You know why. I can't make out like I mean it with anyone other than you. Least of all, some guy I've never met. Why would you want to see that? I mean, wouldn't it have been hard to get it on with Leah or Davina if I were watching?"
I squeezed some shampoo into the palm of my right hand and began to work it into my hair, feeling the hair gel start to soften and disappear under my fingers. "I tried to pretend it was you with Davina; I told you that. And with Leah, it's hardly anything."
“Pfft!” Brook huffed. “Yeah, hardly anything except her grinding on your crotch, and sticking her tongue down your throat. Yay!” Sarcasm dripped from her words.
I understood what she meant, but there was a part of me that needed to be there. It wasn't just the scene; it was Sheldon Richards. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone's mouth on her but mine. My mind protested, knowing it was ludicrous.
"Cade, please. This is going to be hard enough without having to worry about hurting your feelings. You know I didn't want this audition, anyway." Her voice was resigned. "I tried to get out of it, but Jeanne insisted. The whole thing just feels fucking wrong to me, and a big part of it has to do with you." She paused putting lotion on her legs and shrugged. "But work is work, and we'll both be kissing other people, so better to get this over with. Don't you know this guy anyway? Aren't you friends? Won't that help?"
Friends? Right. I abhorred the bastard.
She was leaning both hands on the ceramic top as I turned off the water and grabbed a towel, beginning to dry the front of my body.
When I didn't answer, she persisted, using my next film against me. "Right? I mean, I read the Coming Home script and that's heavy shit. I have to deal with that and I'm not looking forward to it, either. The script Jeanne just sent over has loads of sex in it, so what can we do?"
"I won't be around for that because I'll be filming Coming Home, so it won't be as difficult.”
Brook shot me a dirty look. “Then why do you want to be on set for this test? It makes no sense, Cade!”
I was gonna have to tell her about Richards. “Sheldon Richards is a predator and I don't want you around him. I'm calling Jeanne and telling her to tell them you won't be auditioning." I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked past her into the bedroom of the suite.
"What did you just say to me?" she asked angrily, and followed me. I dropped the towel and got underneath the covers of the bed. I could feel the heat of her eyes rake over me. "Well, it's not your decision. If Jeanne listens to you, she's fired! Besides, you don't seem to have a problem getting naked on film."
I turned my head so I could look at her. "I don't want to fight."
“Then don't.”
"I love you, you know. I just want you to be safe."
“I know.” She walked around and slid in beside me after pulled the towel from her body. I reached over and switched off the lamp beside the bed and then gathered her close by my side. Her skin was warm and smooth, as I ran one hand up and down her arm and then down to her hip. I turned toward her and began to kiss the skin of her shoulder.
"I hate it when we fight," I said softly, my mouth moving over the skin of her chest and collarbones up her neck until I found her mouth. "Bloody hate it."
“I know.”
“I still don't want you to do it,” I whispered against the warm skin covering the pulse in her neck. “I don't.”
MY SCREEN TEST WENT well. It was a big exclamation point that we only had a few weeks until we were finished. A trip to Paris for the last couple of scenes, and we'd be completely done. Over the course of three films, the separation between films was tempered with the fact in a few months we'd either be promoting the one we just finished or filming the next in the series a few months later. We'd have one last promotional tour, one last series of awards shows, and then bam. Done.
My lungs constricted in my chest as I watched Cade pluck at his guitar in the corner of the living room of our suite. His beautiful profile was pensive, sad and detached from the tune his fingers were automatically coaxing from the mahogany instrument. I wondered what was racing through his mind. He was always thinking and one of the things I loved most about him. My heart surged and the throbbing began in my throat again.
It was silly to be sad, because he was mine, even if Remembrance was almost over, which meant the day-in and day-out of his presence would be sporadic at best. Already he had two new movies lined up, and I had one. My eyes blurred. For the first time since my first audition, I didn't want to work. I wanted to run away and hide. But, always with Cade.
I crawled to the end of the couch and leaned on the arm closest to his chair. He swallowed, and it looked like he was going to speak but thought better of it. I stretched out and reached toward him, but he was far enough away that my fingers barely grazed down his back. He was wearing the jeans with the rip in the knee he'd had on the first time I saw him at the audition and his vintage Led Zeplin T-shirt. I'd slept in it last night when Cade pulled it over my head. I'd been shivering in his arms but it hadn't been from being cold.
“Hey you…” I murmured, so
softly I wasn't sure he heard until his fingers stilled and his head turned to rest his chin on his left shoulder.
“Hey.” Cade's eyes didn't meet mine, but his velvet voice was shaking slightly. I knew he was in the same place as me. “We're back to this, are we love?”
I blinked at the tears welling in my eyes, not wanting to let this turn into a sad-fest, but somehow knowing that when Martin yelled cut for the last time, we'd both crack open and bleed. If I could manage it, I'd keep it in until we were alone, but I wasn't sure if I'd be strong enough. And forget the wrap party; I'd never be able to get through it in one piece.
My mind flashed back to the end of the first film when I found my boy alone on that balcony and he said the words that changed my life; “God, Brook. I just… I can't do this.” He'd been so emotional. “I can't say goodbye to you tonight. I don't want this to be over.”
“Yeah, what goes around comes around.” My voice was cracking and Cade set the guitar in the corner before he moved to the couch next to me. I scooted to the back when he lay down next to me and folded me into his warm embrace. The first traitorous tears fell as I breathed him in and settled into what had become my place of solace. Cade's elegant fingers splayed out on my back and hips, our legs entwined and his lips on my forehead. “I don't want this to end, Cade.”
“You'll always be my Julia.”
I sucked in my breath as my eyes slammed shut and I willed myself not to let the sobs escape, but my arms tightened and I buried my face in the warm skin of his neck. His lips moved in a series of tender kisses on my temple, alternating with his nose nuzzling against me. I could feel him breathe and it hit me how important that sensation had become to me.
“Cade.” It was like a prayer. His name was my alpha and omega, summing up my entire fucking life with amazing simplicity. There was no hiding from him. He knew me inside and out. I needed him. I could exist without him, but it wouldn't be living.
“It'll be okay, baby. You'll still have me, just not around to annoy you every day.”
“I like it when you annoy me.” A small laugh choked out around the enormous lump of emotion in my throat.
He chuckled quietly, but the sound wasn't quite genuine. “No, you don't. You'll be so into your new gig, and you won't even miss me.”
The back of his knuckles brushed against my cheek and I turned my face into the caress, the tears squeezing from my tightly clenched eyes. I shook my head, willing this pain to go away and trying to keep the tremor from my voice. “Stop saying shit you know isn't true.”
His chest rose beneath my cheek in a huge sigh and he shifted slightly to bring us ever closer, more entwined as the fingers of one hand slid into the hair at my nape and his thumb brushed over my cheek again and again. I could feel the burn of his blue eyes on my face, even though my eyes were closed, and the beat of his heart next to mine. He was wrapped around me and it still wasn't close enough for either one of us.
“Brook.” His fingers continued their gentle assault on my cheekbone until finally he nudged my chin with his thumb. “We've done this before. We're always us. Nothing comes between us. It never will.”
I nodded and snuffled, still unable to open my eyes. He was trying to be positive, but my sadness would be mirrored in his beautiful face. “I know. But this is…this is…”
“This is just the end of a job, not the end of you and me.”
He was right; I knew it. Logic screamed at me that this was the start of the rest of our lives, not the end of anything, but all my heart could recognize was that he'd be away from me so much more.
Somehow hearing the words fall from Cade's lips made it too real, and I lost the battle with the tears and his arms tightened around me even more.
“Listen, love; it's only a film. We're the real thing. You won't be able to get rid of me that easily. I'm sort of looking forward to it, actually.”
I pulled back and opened my eyes. I must look horrible with my eyes are puffy and my nose running. “What?” I frowned in bemusement.
Cade smiled, his lips lifting in the crooked grin I loved as he nodded. “Yeah. I mean, not about being apart, but um…when we're together after this madness ends, there'll be no mistaking that we're together.”
I huffed. “Pfft! Everyone knows, Cade. Jesus, it's no secret anymore.”
“We still haven't come out, formally. It will piss me off if you stay away from premieres and set visits just to keep from confirming. And I sure as fuck will not stay away from you.” He grinned at me. “So, don't do it either.”
I rolled my eyes. He'd already proven it when he'd flown to Los Angeles for my screen test with Sheldon Richards, walking off set, and leaving Martin to deal with a lost day of production. It was against my will and it was a surprise when he showed up in the middle of it, but damned if I wasn't happy as hell he did. “Yeah, I remember.”
“You were glad to see me. I know you were, so no arguments. You do a piss-poor job of convincing me you don't want me around.” His mouth found mine in a soft kiss, pulling one lip in between both of his, just before his teeth sank into the tender flesh.
My breathing quickened as the air charged. “Do I?” I said as my lips began playing with his. “Are you sure?” I bit him back as his mouth played with mine. Cade yelped and pulled back with a surprised expression, his eyes wider.
I could feel the tears clinging to my lashes, but the look on his face made me smile. “Ow! That hurt!”
“No shit?” I tugged on his hair harder than I needed to bring his mouth closer once again.
“Ow!” Cade said again. “I can play this game, too!” His fingers closed around my right nipple and squeezed, his eyes widening with mine, a smirk creeping slowly along his lips as I winced from the pain.
I grunted and pushed hard against his chest, toppling him off of the couch and onto the floor. He landed with a thud and I burst out laughing. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah!” Cade reached up and grabbed the leg of my sweats and then closed his fingers around my ankle to pull me down, shift me beneath him and start tickling me ruthlessly. “You're gonna get it, now!”
I gasped and struggled, giggling uncontrollably. “Stop! You know I can't stand it when you tickle me, Cade! Stop! Stop!” I screamed and tried to pry his hands away from my ribs but it only opened me up for more torture. “Please! Oh, God! Stop it, Cade!”
Cade laughed and kept it up, leaning over me and pinning me down. “Give!”
“Agggghhhh!” I screamed again as he continued his merciless onslaught. “Cade!”
“Give, Brook!” His face was animated, openly laughing at me now and clearly enjoying my predicament.
“Alright! I give! I give!”
Suddenly he stopped, still pinning me down, his body over mine. “What do you give?” he said softly, his tone serious and sensuous as his blue eyes burned into mine, still blurry from laughing so hard.
The fingers of my right hand reached for his jaw, skirting over the stubble, now softer from a full day's growth. “Everything.”
His brow crinkled and he looked at me skeptically, cocking his head slightly. “That sounds good, but-”
“Don't you trust me?” He felt so good, his breath on my face and arms around me. I relished in the closeness as his lower body settled into the cradle of mine. “You're bigger than me anyway.”
“But you're more devious. I know how your mind works. You'll suck me in, get me all soft and gooey, then move in for the kill.” Cade rested his elbows beside my head and bent to kiss my mouth as my heart threatened to burst from my body. His lips brushed mine. “But if this is dying, kill me now.”
“I'll miss you. Miss this.” I brought my knees up beside his hips, which brought him more intimately against me. I reached up and our mouths moved in intimate unison, tongues moving together as the kiss deepened and the ever present passion flamed between us as his body moved against mine. When his lips finally lifted, we were both left breathless as he rested his forehead on mine.
&nbs
p; “This is the stuff I think about when we're apart.”
I wrapped my arms and legs more tightly around him and buried my face into the crook of his neck. “What will I do without you?”
“Love, let's not be sad. We still have three weeks of shooting and I want to make the most of it. And after, it won't be so bad, I promise. We'll see each other as much as I can make happen. I'll have Denise work with Jeanne on the schedules. And I bought the house in L.A.”
I drew in a sigh and let it out. “I know, but I'm used to being with you constantly.”
“Yes, I've spoiled you rotten and enjoyed every bloody second of it.”
My fingers raked down his back and he hissed as they settled on his firm ass, pressing his hardness tighter against my sex. “Mmmm….yum,” I whispered and his mouth devoured mine again and again. I never wanted it to end as I responded passionately. The rush never left. Every time he touched me, it was amazing. I moaned in protest as his mouth lifted from mine and my hands grasped the back of his head, telling him I wanted more.
“Fuck Brook. This sucks, but haven't you got somewhere to be?”
I pulled back with a sigh, my heart dropping. “Shit. Thanks for reminding me.” I frowned. “Wanna come with?”
I had the final costume fitting and I couldn't miss it. I'd have to wear one of those fake bellies. We'd be filming in a week and frankly, I was anxious for him to see it.
“Um, no. I'm just gonna hang with my guitar .”
“You're choosing that over me?” I teased as I found my shoes in the corner and shoved my feet inside. Nick would have the car waiting soon. “I see how you are. Please come, Cade.” I didn't want to spend any time away from him.