by Dee J. Adams
She deserved a guy who didn’t have a record. A guy who could get a well-paying job and keep her in a safe, comfortable environment. He didn’t have a college education and was seriously behind the curve when it came to finding a decent job. In short, he couldn’t give her what she deserved. Even if he managed to pull his life together and make something of himself, it would take years of struggle.
His thoughts took a different route when two men in suits approached with another man behind s="p9" aid="MS
Chapter Twenty-Three
So much had happened in the three months since Tanner had rescued her family that Jess felt as if she’d fallen into a Robert Altman film. Most of the time, she’d been so busy that the weeks had flown by but other times, like now, the seconds ticked along so slowly they almost hurt.
Tanner and she had both been arrested and released on bail posted by her father. She’d nursed her family back to health, which had given her something to do since she no longer had a job.
Only as she spoke to the dozens of crew members from past films and some of Maurice’s investors who’d called after the news went public did she realize that she was much more than just his assistant. Maurice had done such a good job of keeping her down that it hadn’t dawned on her she was practically doing his job.
Jess toed the skin under the ankle monitor that had become her mandatory jewelry the last several months. Despite the comfort of house arrest on manslaughter charges, she still hated the implication of the monitor. She’d never run. Especially since her dad had put the house up as collateral for her bond.
Alone, sitting at the large round table in the new solarium of her parent’s home, Jess stared unseeing at the flashing icon on her computer screen and took a deep breath. There was no more to add. She’d gone over it multiple times and she was officially done. Typing the end should’ve given her a sense of pride or fulfillment, but it hadn’t. Because finishing the screenplay was only a fraction of her battle. The screenplay wouldn’t mean anything if she went to prison. Her cell phone rang, but she didn’t recognize the number so she let it roll over to voice mail. It felt as if everyone who’d ever done business with Maurice had learned of his death. Rumors and conjecture ran rampant, and the publicity surrounding the trial was nearly harder to bear than the actual crime.
She’d come to grips with what she’d done. The fact remained that she hadn’t killed Maurice on purpose and it didn’t matter how many times she replayed the scene in her head because the outcome would never change. For the thousandth time, the question r,” she whisperedsedayvian through her brain, “Would I have shot Maurice if he’d fired at Tanner?” Although she thought the answer would be yes, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she’d have been in the state of mind to pull the trigger. Knowing the way she froze in panic situations, Maurice might have just as easily gunned her down after Tanner. Of course none of it mattered. What mattered was that she had three months before the trial. Thanks to her father’s reputation—and a few pulled strings, she didn’t have to wait a year or longer to know her fate. She’d had twelve weeks to enjoy home cooked meals or take out from her favorite restaurants. Ninety days to soak up the love from her family. She swallowed back the knot in her throat and shook out of her stupor.
The house was quiet for the first time that Jess could remember since her house arrest began. She looked around the new room that had been added on to the back of the house. Her parents had been talking about an addition for years, and after the whole Facinetti incident they’d decided to go for it. “Life was too short to put off living,” they’d said. The side and back walls were made of tinted glass that kept out the California summer sun, but gave the room a feeling of being outside. A comfortable sofa and two extra wide chairs filled the main space. Though the room had only been finished for two days, Jess had moved her computer and files in here and made it her unofficial office.
She should’ve been happy to have the place to herself, but the silence was unnerving after the all the noise she’d lived with for the past two months while the room was being built. Up until now, it was as if her family had made a point of someone being home with her. Not because they were afraid of her running, but because they were afraid of her being alone. Alone with her thoughts? Or alone to consider what being in a cell might be like? Either way, there’d always been someone at the house with her.
The kitchen door squeaked. “’Lo?” Tanner. Her parents had given him a key a few weeks ago.
Her heartbeat picked up the way it usually did when she heard his voice. He’d become a regular fixture in the house, part of the family. At first she didn’t think he’d stick around once her dad managed to get the charges dropped against him. Why hang around a town that had only caused him misery? But Tanner had promised to testify on her behalf and do whatever they needed. Still, the trial was another three months away and he could’ve moved somewhere else. He hadn’t. He’d chosen to stay. Jess wasn’t sure if it made her happy or sad. Happy, because she got to spend time with him and sad because she worried that her life was a dead end and he was simply wasting time being around her.
“In here,” she called. Jess saved the final draft on her laptop and closed the lid as Tanner entered. He looked gorgeous in a ribbed, black, long sleeved shirt that couldn’t hide the definition of his muscled chest. Dark jeans and black boots completed the picture. He was the ultimate male. Strong, confident and full of sex appeal.
“Where is everybody?” he asked, looking around the room.
“Out.” Avoiding eye contact, she methodically stuffed her notes into a file. She had a ton of calls to make tomorrow regarding a location, but it was too late to do any more work tonight.
It was hard to look at him and no every cell alive and scream, .t him t want him. Despite the intense physical relationship they shared months ago, they’d hardly touched since. When they did, the contact was electric. At least it was on her part. Maybe he didn’t feel the same. Granted they hadn’t been alone together, but he’d shown very little interest other than friendship.
“Out?” The surprise in his voice made her smile.
“Yep. Dad’s buried under paper work at the office. Mom volunteered to serve dinner at the local women’s shelter, but they had some kind of power outage so she’s waiting there. Eric and Danny are unpacking the last of the boxes in their new place. Mom can’t believe they really moved out—she’s not taking it too well.” Jess grinned sympathetically. “And the twins went to a Seger Hughes concert in Anaheim. Aside from some leftovers in the fridge, you’re stuck with me. But don’t feel obligated to stay.” She got the feeling he sided with her family when it came to her being alone. Everyone worried about her. It should’ve made her mad, but it only made her realize how much her family loved her.
“I know you worked your butt off today. You can take off. Have a night to yourself,” she prodded. He’d started working for her father almost since the day Jay had bailed them both out of jail because Tanner insisted on repaying his bond. Then he’d joined the construction crew that built this new room. She understood his need for money and loved her dad for giving Tanner the chance, but now the room was done and Tanner had no reason to hang around. He’d have to find a job, which he could do in another city since he didn’t have to be back until the trial. Of course that meant finally giving up her apartment since she’d sublet to him when the house arrest began. That would mark the beginning of her actual loss of freedom and the thought made her stomach cramp.
“Today wasn’t so bad,” he said, moving farther into the room. “Just returned some of the materials.”
“Yeah, but they weighed a ton.”
He shrugged it off then turned and faced her. Working outside had given him a healthy tan and he looked better than ever. His hair had grown out and she itched to run her fingers through its thick softness. It was hard to believe they hadn’t touched each other in three months. The first month, the whole family had focused on recovering from th
e trauma. Then the construction on the house had started and what was supposed to be a four week job had doubled because of one thing or another. In all that time, Tanner had melded into the family. He’d stayed for meals and her family had treated him like gold.
“How’s the screenplay going?” he asked, gesturing to her computer as she zipped her files in a case. She’d been working on it since the room construction started. Two months of intensive hours at her computer, trying to come up with a screenplay good enough to make Bobby McBride want to invest his money with her. It was surreal to think that Maurice’s potential partner, the oilman from Texas, considered doing business with her. Bobby told her he’d noticed her problem solving abilities and her attention to detail. It was his appointment she’d canceled the morning she’d abducted and shot her boss.
Like several of Maurice’s other investors, Jess had called to tell him there would be no meeting. That Maurice had been killed in a freak,” she whisperedation atay b accident and if he still wanted to invest in a Hollywood film, then he needed to find a producer looking for money. In the course of a half dozen calls, he’d asked tons of questions about show business and movies, and he’d decided that she was the producer he wanted to work with. Bobby had told her if she brought him a project he liked, he’d fund it. She’d been upfront with him during their phone calls. Told him she’d never produced a movie before, but he hadn’t seemed bothered by the fact. He insisted he was prepared to write her a check whenever she was ready.
Instead of involving a scriptwriter, instead of unnecessarily getting someone else’s hopes up, Jess had another idea. It was Tanner who convinced her to run with it. So in the span of two months, she’d written a screenplay. It hadn’t been hard. The story was fresh in her head. She called it Payback. It was certainly the kind of thing that moviegoers wanted. Action, intrigue, romance. It had a little of everything. Including violence, which Jess had hated writing.
The pride she hadn’t felt at typing the end suddenly washed through her, but only because she knew how Tanner would react.
“It’s done. For real.”
His eyes widened and a giant smile lit his face. “Finally!” In two strides, he reached her and pulled her out of her chair, crushing his arms around her in a massive bear hug. “That’s great! God! That’s so great!”
Jess closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of his body, the strength of his big arms wrapped around her. She hugged him tight, reveling in the moment before it ended. In all these months, Tanner hadn’t made a move on her. Hadn’t given any sign that he wanted her, and even though her conscience argued that the guy hadn’t had a chance to do anything with a houseful of people and considering that he’d worked from sun up to sun down most days—she still didn’t know what to make of it.
But now, as Tanner eased back and stared down at her, she saw something else in his eyes. She saw the man who’d snuck into her heart three months ago. One hand eased through her hair and his gaze smoldered.
“Your hair is growing out,” he said softly. He’d barely glanced at her hair. He focused on her eyes, then her mouth.
A sharp thrill zinged beneath her skin, down her back. She loved when he looked at her like he might eat her up in one bite. It made her feel valued. Desired. Jess pushed aside the unfamiliar feelings. “So is yours.” She had to touch him and stroked her thumb across his jaw.
He slowly leaned down and Jess braced herself for contact. But nothing could ready her for the electric sensation when his lips touched hers. He didn’t kiss her hard, but he kissed her well. Jess ran her hand up his muscled chest as his tongue explored her mouth. She’d forgotten how good it was to kiss him. How safe she felt in his arms. How the intimacy always made her forget everything around her. His erection grew against her lower belly and Jess rubbed against him, loving the fact that she made him this way. That she had that kind of power over this man. His hands trailed down her sides then roamed lower and cupped her ass until he’d brought her more firmly against the hard ridge in his jeans.
Desire flared hot and hungry, and,” she whisperedpositionatay b Jess lost the will to take her time. She stood on her toes, yanked Tanner closer and took control of the kiss. A second later, he jumped on board, and what had been sweet and soulful turned rough and raunchy. Their kiss exploded into a ferocious taking of lips and mouths. Their hands searched out soft skin and hard muscle. Jess wanted him more than anything else in the world, every part of her focused on the way his fingers moved along her body and the way his tongue danced with hers, so when he pulled back, breathing hard, she didn’t understand his problem.
“The phone,” he panted. When she looked at him blankly, he said it again at the same time she heard her cell phone ring. “You’d better answer it. Don’t want anyone worrying about you if they think something’s wrong.”
Taking a deep breath, Jess reached for her phone on the table. The distraction was probably a good thing. What would be the point of hooking up with Tanner? She couldn’t risk starting something with him on the chance she ended up in prison. The man deserved a full life with a woman at his side and her odds at remaining free were fifty-fifty at best.
____________
Tanner ran a hand through his hair and reined in his libido. He’d been about two seconds from tossing Jess onto the new sofa and making her his. He wanted her so bad he could barely think straight. He was so damn proud of her he wanted to burst with it.
“This is Jess,” she said, answering her phone. She listened and looked up at him. “Yes, hi, Bobby. How are you?”
Bobby McBride. The man who could make her dreams come true. Tanner held his breath, waiting for Jess’s side of the conversation. McBride was just the kind of patsy that Juneau always targeted, a man with a ton of money and no experience in show business. It was Tanner’s idea that Jess write something herself. He figured it would take her mind off the trial and kick-start a career she wanted more than anything. Her family had agreed. Instead of trying to rewrite an old screenplay, Jess had started fresh with a new idea. The past two months, she’d spent as many hours at her computer as he’d worked on the new room.
“Actually, I was going to call you tomorrow,” Jess said. “I have a project you might be interested in.” She listened and her eyes went wide. “Tonight? Oh, I don’t know about to—” She listened again and looked a little panicked before finally nodding her head. “Yes, I can, it’s just that I—” She waited again, darting a glance at him. “Okay. Sure. I’ll email it to you as soon as we hang up.” Another brief pause and she went on, “Okay. Thank you, Bobby. You too. Goodnight.” She hung up the phone, sat down and scrubbed her hands through her hair. “He wants it now. Tonight.” Then, as if Tanner might not understand her words, she looked at him with wide eyes and repeated them very succinctly. “He wants the screenplay now! Tonight!”
Tanner grinned. “Yeah, so? You finished it. Your exact words were for real. Send it to him. What’s the problem?”
“The problem? The problem?” She jumped to her feet and started pacing. “The problem is I just typed the end ten minutes ago and I’,” she whisperedce.t him m not sure it’s good enough. I mean, am I really done or do I need to change the ending? Maybe I should read through it again and see if it’s really good enough. I should—”
Tanner snagged her by the shoulders as she passed him. He kissed her hard, just once, and set her back. “It’s good enough. Send it.”
“How do you know? You didn’t even read the whole thing.”
“I read most of it. I would’ve read it all if you’d let me. Besides, you didn’t just finish. You finished it weeks ago and you’ve been obsessing over it since. I know it’s good.” It was better than good. It was their story. She’d called it his story, but it was about them. He was dying to know the ending, but she’d struggled over it and he didn’t want to press her. “It’s ready. Send it.” He watched her worried eyes. “Look. What’s the worst thing that can happen? He’ll say no to this proj
ect and ask you to find another one.”
“Or he’ll take his money somewhere else,” she said.
“Or that. But you risk that with any project you send him. You’re the one who told me it’s subjective. Not everyone is going to like the same things. You have to take the risk.” He rubbed her shoulders and tried to ease some of the tension out of her tired muscles. “Go on,” he told her. “Send it.” He gave her a little shove toward her computer and lifted the lid. Jess waited for it to boot up, then typed a quick email, attached the screenplay and, after a few seconds of hesitation, hit Send. The ensuing silence hovered like a fog filled with mind-numbing possibilities. Would McBride like it enough to offer the money Jess needed? If he did, would Jess retain her freedom and make her dreams come true?
Tanner closed the lid on her computer and put an end to the stilted quiet. He helped Jess to her feet and turned her toward him. “You have to risk to win,” he told her. “Life’s too short to put off living.”
Jess arched her brows. “Since when did you start quoting my parents?”
“Since I decided they know what they’re talking about.” He hadn’t planned on liking Jay and Terry so much, but some things couldn’t be helped. They were fair, decent people who looked out for their kids and their community. Since the day he’d gotten them out of Facinetti’s house, they’d looked out for him as well. He could’ve refused the offer to work on the construction crew, but Tanner hadn’t seen the logic in that. Taking the job accomplished a few things. It gave him the income he needed to survive, it kept him in Los Angeles before the trial and most importantly, it gave him close proximity to Jess. Even though he hadn’t been this close to her—and man, how he’d missed it—he’d been able to see her and talk to her practically every day. But having her in his arms…that was something he’d fantasized about for months. He’d been waiting for a sign, any kind of sign that might indicate she wanted him, but he hadn’t had one until now. Maybe she was afraid of what her family might think of them being together. Maybe she didn’t want a relationship with an ex-con. He’d been so close to calling it quits, packing up his belongings and taking off. But the thought of leaving Jess made him empty. Emptier than experience in show business Tanner behind when he sat in a cold prison cell. As crazy as it seemed, the St. Johns were all he had. They’d circled the wagons to protect both of them from the media and anyone that might do them any harm. He wasn’t sure where he fit in. He just knew he wanted to.