Here All Along

by Crista McHugh

  He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

  It went straight to voice mail without ringing once.

  Tension gathered at the base of his skull. Red always had her phone on her. For her to turn it off only confirmed his worries. Panic fueled his steps as he pushed through the crowded set. He had to go back to the villa and see if his fears were true.

  The sharp ring of his phone halted him. Maybe she was calling him back. He answered without checking the number. “Red, we need to talk.”

  A very different voice answered. “Sorry, sweetie, but this isn’t Sarah.”

  He bit back the groan forming in his throat. Not another endless phone call with his mother. “Hi, Mom. I’d love to talk, but I’m right in the middle of something.”

  “Are you getting ready to shoot another scene? I thought you’d be done for the day by now.”

  It would be so easy to lie to his mom, but a small voice in the back of his mind urged him to talk to her. “I am, but I’m kind of in a tough spot.”

  “Having trouble with Sarah again?” his mother asked with an air of maternal smugness. The woman knew him too well.

  “Yeah, you could say that.” He searched the set for a quiet place to talk, finally deciding on a corner on the edge of the set. “She’s mad at me again, and for good reason.”

  He recounted his version of the events of the last week in a rush. Everything, from Gabe’s plan to get Sarah to replace Mackinzie to his own conflicted feelings about kissing Sarah, tumbled out without interruption. And when he finished, his mother remained silent. “So, yeah, I’m in a big mess.”

  “Is this what you want?”

  “The mess? Hell, no.”

  “Then what do you want, sweetie?”

  Her question caught him off guard. There were so many things he wanted, but at the heart of the issue, he knew the answer. “I just want Sarah to be happy.”

  “Good answer,” his mother replied. “But do you think she would be happy with you?”

  His breath hitched. All this time, he’d been focused on what he wanted—on convincing Red that they’d be perfect together—that he’d never considered her feelings on the matter. They’d been friends for so long, why wouldn’t they be happy together as a couple? But his mother’s question reminded him of the times Sarah complained about her mother’s revolving door of husbands and her father’s issues with fidelity. She hadn’t grown up with parents who truly loved each other. She was probably terrified that their relationship would end up like her parents’.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice as raw as his aching heart. “I think she would be, but…”

  “Give it some more time, and don’t let others try to rush things.”

  “You mean I should tell Gabe to butt out?”

  “Absolutely. He has his own agenda, and it’s not entirely in line with yours. Don’t let this film complicate matters. If you want Sarah to give you a chance, you need to show her that you two can be happy together without exposing her to the one thing she wants to avoid.”

  The spotlight.

  He cursed under his breath, finally seeing the hiccup in Gabe’s plan to bring them together. Yes, it had worked in getting him to finally kiss her, but it had also opened up a new can of worms. If he wanted to have a relationship with Sarah, he needed to do so without a camera recording their every move. And he could do it. The other night when they’d ended up on top of the Eiffel Tower was just one example of how they could have a normal existence.

  “By the way, I saw that clip of you two rehearsing the scene.”

  Shit! If his mom had seen the YouTube video, it must’ve gone viral. “And?”

  “You two have great chemistry together. Not that I didn’t know that already.”

  He caught himself grinning, despite the worries that had been plaguing him all day. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Of course, sweetie. Just take a deep breath and have an honest conversation with her. And if you need me to come over and play peacemaker…”

  He laughed. His mother had been a lawyer when she married his father, and her mitigation skills had come into play more times than he could count when it came to him and his brothers. “I think we’re adults.”

  “You have no idea how many adults need a third party to help smooth things out between them.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but let me try talking to her first.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want.” But the note of doubt behind her words told him she wasn’t quite convinced he could do it on his own. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I’m twenty-four, not eight.”

  “I know, but you’ll always be my baby.”

  He rolled his eyes. Part of the headache of being the youngest was that his mother still saw him in diapers. “Thanks, Mom. Gotta go.”

  He hung up before she managed to squeeze any more awkwardness into the conversation and turned around to find Gabe watching him with an amused smile.

  “Still talking to your mommy?”

  “Yeah,” Gideon replied with an extra helping of screw-you attitude. “Don’t tell me you don’t ever talk to your mom.”

  “I do, but I usually wait for her to call me since I never know what time zone the yacht is in.”

  And I thought I came from an overprivileged background. At least my parents were grounded in reality.

  Gabe threw his backpack over one shoulder and came closer. “Heard anything from Sarah?”

  “Nope.” Gideon gathered his things to leave before Gabe convinced him to participate in another one of his schemes.

  “Did you tell her about the screen test?”

  “How can I, if I haven’t spoken to her since last night?” He quickened his pace. He first needed to know if she was still in the villa before bringing that up.

  Gabe stayed hot on his heels. “Are you even going to tell her?”

  “Haven’t decided.”

  A text alert from his phone halted him, and he glanced down at the screen.

  You need to get up here quickly, boss.

  Jason’s text message sent a prickle of worry down his spine. The bodyguard hardly ever texted him, and he suspected it had something to do with Sarah.

  “What’s wrong?” Gabe asked.

  “Red.” He tucked his phone into his pocket and dashed for the door, not caring who he might have to knock over on the way home.

  By the time he arrived at the Octavius Tower elevators, his breathless lungs burned from running, and the sickening coil of fear choked his throat.

  Gabe came up behind him and leaned on an outstretched arm, his chest heaving. “What’s wrong?” he repeated.

  “I don’t know, but when Jason said to get here ASAP, I knew something was wrong.”

  The elevator opened, and Gabe went in first. The stubborn tilt of his chin dared Gideon to challenge him.

  He cursed under his breath and joined him. Things were already complicated enough without involving his co-star. For all he knew, Gabe was coming along to record more material to post on YouTube. “Stay out of this, Harrison.”

  “Too late. I’m in this as deeply as you are.”

  “So we’re both in over our heads.” The elevator opened, and Gideon wasted no time unlocking the front door.

  Raul greeted him in the foyer, his face grim despite the upbeat dance music playing in the background. “That was quick.”

  “Jason wouldn’t text me unless it was urgent.”

  “It is.” The bodyguard jerked his thumb at Gabe. “You want him to stay here.”

  With just a word, Gideon could order Raul to kick Gabe out, and the beefy bodyguard would get it done in seconds. But like Gabe said, they were both in this together. “He can come along, especially since this is probably his doing.”

  Raul’s lips thinned, and he cracked his knuckles, glaring at Gabe.

  Not a good sign.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” Gideon ordered, moving past the entryway.

 
; “The boss lady needs you.”

  That at least confirmed she was still in Vegas. The question was, for how long?

  Raul motioned for them to follow him, and he led them to the living room. The music blared from the stereo, but Gideon didn’t hear the words. His attention was focused on the redheaded woman in a tight, slinky dress that ended just past her luscious ass. Sarah was dancing with her eyes closed, her body moving in a sensuous rhythm that had the blood rushing straight to his groin. The desire quickly faded, though, the second he spotted the glass in her hand and the half-empty bottle of vodka on the bar.

  Three years sober, and I’m the one who screwed it up for her.

  “What are you doing, Red?” he asked, loathing himself more and more with each passing second.

  She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Dancing,” she replied, slurring out the one word.

  He took the glass from her and set it on the bar. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. You should’ve called your sponsor.”

  “Don’t be such a party pooper. Besides, my phone is gone. Splash! Bye-bye, phone.” She wound her arms around his neck and pressed up against him. “I was just getting ready to go out and have a little fun.”

  With her body this close to him, “a little fun” took on a whole new meaning.

  Only it didn’t involve going out.

  As much as he wanted to run his hands over her curves, to taste the sweetness of her lips, to carry her to bed and make love to her like he’d always imagined, he couldn’t. She was drunk, and he refused to become some bastard who would take advantage of her. Instead, he pried her arms away. “You probably should stay in, Red.”

  Her bottom lip jutted out in a kissable pout. “Why?”

  “Do I really have to answer that?” Especially since the last time she got this wasted, she ran out of a club into oncoming traffic. He almost lost her that night, and he wouldn’t allow her to be in that position again.

  She backed away, her brow wrinkled in confusion. “But I thought you liked going out. You certainly did with Mackinzie.”

  Things reached a whole new level of complicated when he heard the jealousy in her voice. It was bad enough she’d felt the need to guzzle half a bottle of vodka. “And it cured me of the need to see the inside of any club.”

  “Fine.” She turned to Gabe, her smile becoming more flirtatious. “Maybe Gabe will take me out.”

  Now it was his turn to be consumed with jealousy, although he suspected his was twice the intensity of hers. He wedged himself between them. “I doubt he will.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Gabe took Sarah’s hand and led her away from Gideon. “I’d love to take you out for a night on the town, especially since we don’t have to be on the set until ten tomorrow.”

  Motherfucking asshole.

  He curled his fingers into his palm and forced himself to stay calm. “Before we leave—”

  “I thought you didn’t want to go out.” Sarah arched one brow and waited for him to respond.

  “If he’s coming, so am I, if only to keep you out of trouble.” And out of Gabe’s bed.

  “Excellent! I’ll grab my purse.” Sarah disappeared into her bedroom, wobbling in her high heels with every step.

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Gideon turned off the music and went straight to Jason. “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know all the details, boss, but she kept getting these phone calls asking for Sage and got upset. Then, the next thing I know, her phone’s at the bottom of the pool, and she’s at the bar.”

  “And you didn’t think of stopping her?”

  Jason shook his head. “I didn’t even know she’d been drinking until she cranked up the music.”

  Shit! Life kept getting better and better. He looked at Gabe. “This is all your fault.”

  “My fault?” he asked, trying his best to sound innocent.

  “If you hadn’t posted that video on YouTube, no one would’ve known about us.”

  “It’s worse than that, boss.” Raul pointed to the article on Jason’s computer screen.

  A string of four-letter words flew from Gideon’s lips as he read the article outing Sarah. “No wonder she started drinking. You’d better give me one good reason why I shouldn’t beat the crap out of you right now, Gabe.”

  “Because not only do you need me to keep this film from getting even more delayed, you also need me to help keep her in line.” Gabe offered his arm to Sarah when she returned. “You look gorgeous as usual, Sarah.”

  She looped her arm through his and grinned. “Thank you, Gabe.”

  The noose of jealousy tightened around Gideon’s insides, and once again, he fought the urge to deck Gabe. But there was one valid point in his argument. If Sarah wanted to go out on the town tonight, he’d need all the help he could get.

  “Stay close by,” he murmured to Raul before wrapping his arm around Sarah’s waist and pulling her away from Gabe. “Any idea where you’d like to start?”

  She giggled, ending with a hiccup. “Remember what a fun time we had at Tao?”

  How could he forget? It was the club she’d snuck him into the night before his twenty-first birthday. “Let’s start there, then.”

  “Perfect.” She started for the door, then paused and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, and one more thing.”

  “What?”

  She answered him with a kiss that answered any doubts about which man she’d prefer to have at her side tonight. It was slow yet seductive, playful yet demanding, calm yet full of urgency. It was the type of kiss he’d imagined Red giving him hundreds of times, and for a brief second, he wondered if he was dreaming. If Gabe hadn’t cleared his throat to remind them of his presence, he would’ve been more than happy to allow the kiss to continue until they both needed to come up for air.

  She met his gaze without any trace of embarrassment. “I opened the box,” she said softly.

  His breath froze. He’d forgotten that he’d left the Golden Globe in her room. So much for making a grand gesture of his love to her. “And?”

  “Thank you.” The serenity of those two words mirrored the loving glow in her eyes, and he forgot about all his fears, his hesitations, and the chaos he’d walked into moments before.

  She rested her head on his shoulder, and he couldn’t help but wonder if this moment was as close to perfect as the night would get.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sarah’s dreams were as foggy as her head. Snippets of steamy kisses filtered in and out, but they all had one thing in common.

  Gideon.

  She’d dreamed that she spent the night in his arms with his warm body curled around her, holding her close. She finally knew what it meant to be protected, cherished, loved. She’d even dreamed that he’d promised those things to her.

  Such a nice dream.

  Her lips curled up at the memory of it.

  In the distance, she’d heard him murmur that he loved her before the dream faded into blackness.

  The next thing she was aware of was the pounding in her head, followed by the increasing queasiness in her stomach. She tried to cling to the dream, but her hangover proved more powerful. She rolled over and dared to crack one eye open.

  The room was cloaked in shadows, obscuring the time of day. An alarm clock came into focus.

  10:34 a.m.

  Where had the night gone?

  A wave of guilt washed over her. She hadn’t been this wasted since the night of her accident. Thankfully, she didn’t wake up in a hospital bed this time.

  The only problem was, she wasn’t in her room, either.

  What the hell happened last night?

  The faint gurgle of a fountain broke through the paralyzing fear. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it yet. The sheets were crisp and silky against her bare skin, far from what some seedy hotel would have.

  And then another thought rocked her reality. She was almost naked under the covers. A quick c
heck confirmed she still had her bra and thong on, not that they covered much. Her pulse hammered in her ears, accompanied by a chorus of four-letter words.

  What if it hadn’t been a dream?

  She sat up and immediately wished she hadn’t. The room swam around her, and she grabbed the wastebasket that had been conveniently left on the nightstand for her. Her stomach emptied itself in a series of retches, and when she was done, she pressed her head against the cool metal rim and replayed what she could remember from the day before.

  The phone calls for Sage.

  The first drink.

  The need to dance.

  The throbbing beats of the club.

  The hard planes of a sexy body pressed against her.

  The kisses that still made her toes curl from the memory of them.

  And the one man who’d stayed by her side until she couldn’t remember anything else.

  Gideon.

  She lifted her head and looked around.

  She was in his room.

  Her cheeks heated as a few more pieces fell into place. She was practically naked in his bed.

  Fuck!

  Panic revived the nausea still churning in her gut. Had she slept with him? Had she crossed the line and ruined everything? She pressed her fingers into her temples, but no matter how hard she tried to remember, she drew a blank. She couldn’t even recall how she made it back home from the club.

  A tremor rippled through her, and she prayed that she hadn’t done what she feared she’d done. She’d always cared for Gideon. He was her best friend. And until he’d kissed her, she’d ignored the selfish part of her that wanted to be more than friends. After all, he deserved better. She’d only break his heart in the end. But if she was going to ruin everything by sleeping with him, she wished she could’ve at least remembered it.

  She set the wastebasket aside and attempted to crawl out of his bed. Her legs wobbled as she made her way to the bathroom, and the room spun in circles until she fell to her knees in front of the toilet. She closed her eyes and battled the growing waves of nausea.