by Wendi Zwaduk
“Silly me, I got caught up in the moment. I read for that part, you know.” She clapped both hands over her mouth and tittered. She dropped her hands and shrugged. “I just finished watching Kicks and Clover Perception and got caught up in the stories. Don’t you want to play with me? It’ll be a lot of fun. I know things she’s never even tried.”
Wrapping his fingers over her hands, he edged her back. He kept his voice level. “Sabrina, enough.”
A squeak erupted from her throat. “You’re not giving me a chance. I know things about her. Things you need to know.”
He grabbed the coat from the floor and draped it over her bare shoulders. “We’re done here.”
She whimpered. “She’s good at hiding her habits—like who she’s sleeping with and what she’s taking.”
He wrangled her arms through the sleeves of the trench coat. “Wait. What? Sleeping with?”
“On the set of The Mythical Beast, she snuck off a lot without her boyfriend. We found out later it was to…powder her nose with the lead actor.”
Opening her apartment door, he held out his hand. “That doesn’t mean she’s still using.”
Sabrina kicked off her pointy-heeled shoes. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg. I spent time with her in Hollywood. We worked together on the set of Kicks. I know her secrets—all her secrets. Secrets that will ruin your career.”
“Enough, Sabrina.” He headed for the door. No more roadblocks. “Go home.”
Licking her lips, she grinned and let the coat drape open to her concave navel. “You bet, neighbour.”
Back inside his apartment, Marlon raced through a shower and shave. Did men normally shave to fix a leaky sink? If a hot honey blonde waited, ready and able to test the faucet when he finished, then yes ma’am—he’d be there and smooth to her touch.
Even the feel of his own hands on his body made him think of Jaden and her light caresses. What if he played out the scene from the movie with the real woman? He shuddered and stroked his length. Dear God, Jaden invaded his life, his dreams…hell, his fantasies. If it took rubbing one off every day to keep from coming across as a sex-driven man in her presence, he would without complaint. She warmed his days and steamed his nights.
Rinsing away the soap and the result of his fascination with Jaden, he turned off the water and dragged the towel down his torso. With as much as he hoped for with Jaden, Sabrina’s comments bothered him. She knew Jaden from Hollywood. What if the crap she’d said was actually the truth?
But relationships failed without trust.
“Shit,” he muttered. “God help me, I don’t want to fail…again.”
Chapter Nine
Jaden ran the canister vacuum over the hall carpet the next morning, humming to the last song she’d heard earlier when her alarm clock went off. As she worked, her butt vibrated. Pausing, she looked around. What the hell? When she’d cleaned the living room, she’d dusted the silent radio… She cocked her head. Her phone!
She clicked the power switch and slid her phone from her back pocket. She’d called Bobby earlier in the morning to check in—no sight of the paparazzi or her father’s band of henchmen. The number didn’t look familiar. Despite the notion of letting it go to voicemail, she flipped open the device. If her father wanted to harass her, then fine. She could ignore him. “Hello?”
“Hey Jaden. Did you enjoy the races last night?”
Her hand trembled as she wiped the loose strands of hair from her forehead. “Fine, but I’m a little fuzzy. You are?”
“It’s Corbin—I drove the car. Maybe I should’ve waited to call you.”
“Hey, Corbin.” Holy hell, the blond Adonis behind the wheel was calling. An electrical jolt went the length of her spine. “You made hash out of the field.” She mentally replayed that. Why hadn’t she paid attention to the race lingo? “I mean, did I say that right? The field? I’m not big into racing.” She rolled her tongue around her dry mouth. Corbin Moss, the handsome and very single Late Model driver for Team Jensen. He had called her.
On his end of the line, Corbin laughed. “Honey, you got it just right.” He cleared his throat. “Um, are you free tonight? Cass said you and Marlon might be involved, and I don’t want to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted.”
Squeezing the vacuum hose, she nibbled her bottom lip. A date? Involved? Hot damn! “I’m not involved with anyone exclusively. Why do you ask?” Marlon said he liked her, but he hadn’t asked for more than flirtation. Would it be wrong to give him a run for his money? Would it be fair to Corbin if her true desires lay with Marlon? And what if the fanatic showed up?
“Hillbilly Boots, Ray’s band—I’m on the drums now since Levi quit—is playing at the Ricochet. Cass said you liked to dance. She gave me your number, so I thought you might like to come out for the concert.”
Her heart thundered in her chest. A semi-date sounded fun. “So is this an official night out? Because I haven’t been out of the house save for last night and each afternoon to walk Sparky.”
His voice cracked. “Umm…I hadn’t planned on a real date but yeah, this can be a date. I’m a little rusty at dating, myself. If you don’t want to, I understand. You barely know me and you probably think I want something from you.” His voice faltered. “I mean…shit…I’m babbling. We could keep it loose, instead of a real date.”
A night on the town sounded like fun. She could be carefree and decide what she wanted. Maybe it’d give Marlon a reason to make a move. “Then why don’t I meet you at the Ricochet?”
“That works, since I have to be there at seven.” He chuckled and static fizzled on the line. “I’m looking forward to hanging out.”
“Yeah.” She said goodbye, clicked her phone shut and kicked the switch on the vacuum to bring the machine back to life. A night out meant she could dress up. She could dance and forget her worries.
Two more passes over the hall carpet and she shoved the canister into the dining room. She glanced through the doorway into the kitchen. A pair of jeans-clad legs stuck out of the cabinet under the sink. Marlon? Oh no… Judi had asked him over to fix the sink. Had he heard her conversation? Damn, damn, damn.
Sneaking further into the dining room, she hoped he didn’t know she’d seen him. But what was she to do? It wasn’t like he’d actually asked her to go out…had he? She cringed. No, he’d said something about being his fashion patrol, not a night on the town. For all she knew, he wanted to be friends. She smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. Wouldn’t her Cali friends laugh! Jade Weir indecisive about a date and lovesick over a man!
Angling around the corner, she sneaked a glance at the sink. The doors, once open, now sat shut. The tools weren’t scattered on the floor. Even the towels no longer lined the edge of the countertop. What the hell? How had she not heard him cleaning up? And how’d he manage it so fast?
A pair of strong arms wound around her. “Looking for me?”
She screamed. The instantaneous surge of fear passed as she realised who held her. Marlon. She dug her elbow into his stomach, barely making a dent in the taut flesh. “Don’t freak me out like that!”
Warm breath tickled her ear. The rasp of whiskers abraded her cheek. “Check. Hands off if I want to keep my lunch down.” When she elbowed him again, he backed away. “Hey. What’s going on?”
Raking her fingers through her hair, Jaden closed her eyes. “I thought you were under the sink. I didn’t know you left the kitchen.” I had a panic attack thinking you were one of Daddy’s goons here to kidnap me. She rubbed her temples and opened her eyes. Telling him the whole truth now wouldn’t help her cause. It’d prove her to be a liar and would certainly push him farther away.
He leant on the wall and crossed his boot-clad feet. “I finished and saw you’d moved into the dining room. I’d like to know why you’re jumpy but I’ll settle for asking about the dog. Where’s Sparks?”
She nodded to the back door. Sparky was a topic she could deal with. “He’s doing his business.
”
“I’ll check on him in case—” He waggled his fingers in the air. “—the green car bogey man is hanging out in the backyard.”
As he edged past her, his touch made every hair on her body tremble. The man reminded her of sin in the flesh. So why commit to a night out with someone else?
Even a former party girl needed options.
Her phone rang again. This time, she checked the screen—her father. Dammit. She pressed the button to ignore the call and shoved the device into her back pocket.
When Marlon returned with Sparky, the dog jumped on her. Muddy prints marred her sequined ballet flats and the carpet. Infusing fake irritation in her voice to cover her frustration, she pointed at the dog. “Sparks, I love ya honey, but you messed up my vacuuming.”
Marlon’s cheeks streaked with crimson. “Don’t blame him. I forgot to wipe his paws.” Hooking a finger under her chin, he met her gaze. “Are you going to go?”
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Go?” Her voice broke. “I’m—” No, no lies. He deserved the truth, even if he wasn’t acting as fast as she wanted. “I’m going to the Ricochet with Corbin Moss. He asked and I accepted, but it’s not a real date. And I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t like people sneaking up on me. Never know who it could be.”
Rubbing his chin, he nodded. “Well, good.”
She huffed. “Well, good?” She wasn’t a doormat and she wasn’t about to let him get away without an explanation. “What’s good? Are you going to go out with someone? We could double up.”
He shrugged. “I might. You don’t know who I have lined up for a hot date.”
“Oh really?” The gall! The nerve! She knelt to pet Sparky. The no-good, sexy jerk could live his life. She wasn’t about to interfere. “Then have a good time, since you didn’t bother to ask me. May I ask who she is?”
His eyes narrowed. “None of your business. But since we’re being nosy, who was that on the phone while I was out back? I heard the second call. Is that the person you’re afraid will jump you? Or someone else? Lie to me and I can’t protect you.”
She snorted. The jerk. “As you put it, none of your business! I don’t have to answer to you.”
His eyes widened. “It might not be my place because I didn’t act first, but you cut me deep. You infuriate me and yet I still worry something might happen to you.” He snorted. “Doesn’t matter. You’ve made up your mind.”
He started to walk away and paused. “And to think I really came over here to ask you on a candlelit supper and dancing kind of date. I’ll have to try later when your social calendar is free.”
His words stung. The ice in his eyes bored into her soul. She fought back tears. He could cut her down, but he wasn’t going to break her. Sparky nuzzled her face, licking the tip of her nose. At least the dog understood.
Just after the front door slammed, Judi poked her head around the corner. “So, that was interesting. Is my sink fixed?”
Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Jaden cleared her throat. No more weeping over a jerk. “I assume it’s working. He cleaned up his mess.”
Judi pulled out a chair at the table. She folded her hands and licked her lips. “Why don’t you sit down with me? I wanted to share a few things with you.”
Patting Sparky’s head, Jaden stood and brushed away the residual tears. She had nothing to say. Maybe she was the spoilt rich girl Marlon made her out to be.
As she sat down, a grimace fluttered across Judi’s face and her right hand clenched.
“Judi? Did you take your meds this morning? You look pale.”
“I have my good days and ones I want to forget.” She sighed. “But I’m fine. Fact is, I’m more worried about you.”
“Me?”
“Despite what that boy says, you’re a nice, decent girl. You have a big heart.” Judi patted her hand. “Sparky loves you and I love you. He’ll come around—even if it takes a while. He knows what kind of woman you are inside.”
“Woman inside?” No matter how hard she tried to hold it back, the rush of emotion engulfed her. “I ran away because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life showing off my body to feed my addictions and sell my daddy’s magazine! I just wanted to go out and have a life, and when I made that choice, my past came back to kick my ass.”
Sparky whimpered and cowered at Jaden’s feet. She bent to scratch his floppy ears. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“So are you done feeling sorry for yourself?”
Jaden wiped her eyes. “What?” Was this a sob fest? Revulsion and embarrassment warred within her. It was.
“Give up the pity party. We all have things in our past we wish we hadn’t done. I sometimes wish I hadn’t been so hard on my son. If I’d taken the time to talk to my sister on a regular basis, I might have made amends before she died. Damned heart attacks run in the family. But that’s all in the past and I have to live with it. Are you done crying over spilt milk?”
Jaden tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m done.”
Judi giggled. “Good. I don’t like being worried, but don’t you dare fib to me to save my feelings. I’ll find out. Same goes with someone looking in my windows. I don’t like nosy-bottoms. Got me?”
“Did someone peek in the windows?”
“A photographer, but he won’t be back. I had a hot flash in front of the window.” She winked and the fluorescent lighting glittered in her eyes. “I wanted to talk about more exciting things, like my will and what I’ll do with Sparks when I go.”
“Your will? That’s not exciting!” Jaden covered her mouth with her hand as the import hit her. Judi couldn’t leave. Not yet. Maybe never. “When you go? You can’t go!”
Judi scratched Sparky’s back. “The document is very stimulating when it comes to Sparks. I want someone to care for him in the event that I can’t. To that end, I chose you. Mr Tibbets came over while you and Marlon had your argument. He changed the will, naming you as Sparky’s guardian. I even set up a small trust for his care.”
Gasping, Jaden grasped Judi’s hand. “You have faith in me?”
“It’s not that I have faith in you, necessarily. I do, but this is about Sparky. He believes in you and he’s never wrong.”
“Then Sparky’s guardian it is.” Jaden sniffled. “I won’t let either of you down.”
Wiping away more tears, Jaden grinned. Funny how thinking she had nothing to lose had changed the moment she crossed the Indiana-Ohio line. Besides her own independence, she now had Judi and Sparks to lose. They believed in her. Good start on the road to living with her choices.
Now to deal with the man situation.
* * * *
Marlon stormed into his apartment. For the love of God. To spend the morning working under a stinky, leaky sink and then have the woman of his dreams decide to date another man! Fuck. Okay, so yeah, Corbin Moss was a nice guy, a decent guy. The kind of guy any level-headed woman would love to go on a date with. So why get so worked up?
He wanted her honesty. If she was struggling with something, he’d make sure she got the help she needed. Why? In the grand scheme of things, she was little more than a good friend. Wasn’t she?
He plopped down in his easy chair and stared at the couch. She’d sat with him. Told him she’d come to see him. Was it a lie? She still hadn’t said why she’d come back. He stood and crossed the room to his free weights. As he dry-lifted the dumbbell, he could almost hear his mother’s voice. “Your rational brain wants an explanation. Your subconscious wants the woman. Which do you want?”
“I want to stake the first claim.” He replaced the weight and grabbed another. The more his muscles burned, the brighter his fury blazed. Jaden wasn’t a mountain to chuck a pole into and claim for the USA. She was a vibrant, sexy woman—soft and curvy and beguiling. He wanted to make her happy. To see the smile light up her face. she was woman any man would jump through hoops for. Like Corbin. Or Bobby.
He continued pumping the weights in both hands
as a mental image of his tirade came to mind. She needed to slap him and hard. When had he let irrational emotions take over his life?
About the time she walked back into Crawford. If his mother could’ve seen him, she’d more than likely groan, after giving him a lecture. When he screwed up his life, he did it on a monumental scale. First with Addy and now with Jaden.
Time to start getting things right. Time to show Jaden what she’d be giving up.
He placed the weights back on the rack and wiped the sweat from his brow. He’d dated since Addy’s passing, but no woman had compared to Jaden. None mattered. So why was he standing back and letting her get away? He had no idea what she’d do or who she’d choose. But Corbin couldn’t dance with her all the time if he was up on stage…
He shook his head and walked into the bathroom. “I’ve played it safe way too long. Safe sucks ass.”
Chapter Ten
Jaden applied another swipe of mascara and pressed her lips together. So she didn’t know Corbin that well. If Cass thought he was a nice guy, then she’d give him a chance. She’d pissed Marlon off. Any chance with him had fizzled the moment she’d opened her mouth.
She narrowed her eyes at the reflection in the mirror. Marlon. The two-faced jerk in muscle-hugging blue jeans. He didn’t trust her. Didn’t own her and didn’t have the right to get so cranky. She sighed. Why did he have to be so blasted sexy? Why did she have to care about him?
Judi knocked at the door. “Honey, you have another visitor. He’s a sweet-looking young man.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “So is he your date?”
“I was supposed to meet him there, but whatever.” With a nod to the mirror, Jaden turned. “Wait, another visitor? Who else was here?”
“Bobby Hutchins came by. He wanted to make sure you got home all right. I didn’t think you knew him.”
“We met when Logan was shooting Broken Wheels. Bobby did set security and we were close.” She cocked her head. “Was he driving a green car when he stopped in?”