Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2)

by Mary J. Williams

  “You said I would have to make the next move.”

  “I remember.”

  “Consider it made.”

  Paige felt a flutter around her heart an instant before her lips touched Nate’s. Nerves? Excitement? Anticipation? All of the above? Plus that bit of the unknown. She was ninety-nine percent certain that this was a good idea. That one percent worried her. As Nate pulled her close, Paige had a fleeting thought.

  What if my heart isn’t safe?

  She didn’t have time to worry about it. What Paige had started, Nate had taken over.

  This was no tentative ‘let’s try something’ kiss. Now that Nate had her approval, he was all in.

  “You taste like sweet honey,” Nate growled the words into her ears.

  Paige tipped her head, giving Nate access. She sighed. When had that spot become so sensitive? She hated having her neck slobbered on. However, what Nate did could never be called slobbering. Every touch of his tongue sent tiny sparks through her body.

  Unable to stand it a second longer, Paige threaded her fingers through Nate’s impossibly soft hair, tugging until his mouth returned to hers.

  Paige felt as though she was discovering kissing for the first time. Whatever it was she had experienced before, it was nothing like this. Nate hadn’t invented it. However, he put a new spin on the activity that put every other man to shame.

  Not too hard. Firm. Commanding. Nate wasn’t afraid to take what he wanted, yet he never made Paige feel like she wasn’t a full participant.

  “You make my head spin.” Paige opened her eyes to find Nate looking at her. “You’ve had a lot of practice.”

  “I was twelve years old when Maisie Plumber gave me my first kiss. It’s been a favorite pastime of mine ever since.”

  “Thank you, Maisie.”

  Paige’s lips caught Nate’s one last time before she reluctantly moved away. Touching him felt good. Too good. It wouldn’t take much effort on his part to get her up those stairs and into her bedroom. Tempting. However, this wasn’t the time or the place.

  “That felt like an ‘I’ve made up my mind’ kiss.” Nate smiled. He looked as happy about that as Paige felt. “What pushed you my way?”

  “I like you. What?” Paige asked, laughing at the disgruntled expression on Nate’s face.

  “I hoped it was my overwhelming charisma and sexual magnetism.”

  “Don’t be so needy.” Paige gave Nate a playful punch on his rock hard abs. “You know your own appeal.” It screamed from every inch of him.

  “My turn. What is that expression about?”

  “It’s silly.”

  “I’m a fan of silly.” Nate’s eyebrows lifted. “Tell me.”

  Paige sighed. Nate was one of those people who wouldn’t let something go.

  “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m asking you this out of curiosity. It isn’t a come on.”

  “I thought I was curious before.”

  “Remember,” Paige said.

  “You aren’t coming on to me. Got it.”

  God, this was embarrassing. Taking a deep breath, Paige plunged forward.

  “Would you lift your shirt?”

  “My shirt?” The look Nate gave her was confused — and a little intrigued.

  “Please?”

  “How can I say no when you ask so nicely? How’s that?”

  Paige wondered if she had drool on her chin. That bit of tanned skin that he exposed was better than she imagined it would be. She wanted to beg for more. Rip the shirt off. Then she could fall to her knees and lick every well-defined ridge.

  “Paige?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Say the word and I’ll show you every inch. Every long…”

  Long? Paige’s chest heaved.

  “Hard…”

  No fair. She couldn’t remember the last time she had long and hard.

  Nate’s eyes lowered to his groin. Unable to resist, Paige’s gaze followed.

  “Very hard. Harder by the second.”

  “You are a mean, mean man.”

  “You started it,” Nate unnecessarily reminded her.

  “I’m not the one who has to suffer with that thing.” Paige nodded toward the straining zipper on Nate’s jeans.

  Grinning, Nate shrugged. “I’ll take care of it in the shower. Unless you would like to wash my… back?”

  “Wait?” Paige held her hand to her ear. “Do you hear that? I think my father is calling. Bye.”

  The thought of Chuck was more effective than a bucket of ice. Nate heard the door slam, signaling Paige’s exit. How the hell did that woman scramble his brains to the point he forgot the possibility that Chuck could interrupt them at any moment?

  Lift your shirt. Nate knew what she was up to as soon as Paige asked. His body was his livelihood. It was up to him to keep it in tip-top working condition. It was his instrument. His tool. Sometimes, his weapon. His muscles had nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with giving himself every advantage when doing his job.

  That said, Nate knew what he looked like. Good genes played a big part. He and his brothers hit the jackpot. A beautiful mother, a handsome father. Both sides had a history of long, healthy lives. Add that to his disciplined regimen of eating right and never missing a workout, Nate was what one lady friend had called catnip. A fact that he took advantage of at every opportunity.

  Women liked him. And he liked women. It was a happy symbiosis.

  However, this was the first time he could remember reacting so strongly to a woman’s appreciative gaze. With Paige, Nate lost all sense of time and place. He promised Chuck that nothing would happen in his house. One hot look from Paige and he almost forgot.

  Nate reached past the shower curtain, turning the faucet on full blast. In spite of what he told Paige, he made the temperature on the cold side. Considering for a second, he shrugged and turned the hot water off. Before he could think better of it, Nate shed his clothes. Damn dick, he admonished his erect organ. This will serve us both right.

  Taking a deep breath, Nate walked under the spray. The string of colorful and inventive curse words that spewed from his mouth was a testament to a childhood growing up on movie sets.

  His mother tried to shield Nate and his brothers from the coarse language while his father shrugged it off. Boys are expected to pick up curse words he told their mother. It would be different if they’d had girls. Not the most enlightened attitude and one that got him a dirty look and a night in the guest room from his wife.

  Callie Flynn insisted her sons curb their bad language whenever possible. It wasn’t a problem — most of the time. However, icy water hitting an engorged cock seemed like a good time to call an exception. Nate’s mother would have been appalled. His father would have been the first to sympathize.

  The remedy didn’t cure his problem; it simply reduced it. Nate stepped out of the cold shower. He should have jacked off — given himself some temporary relief. However, sometimes his hand was a poor substitute. Especially when having Paige was more than a possibility. Soon. Very soon, he hoped.

  He could suffer until then. If he’d done his job properly, Paige pictured him in the shower. Naked. Touching himself. Misery loved company. He suffered and since she was the reason, he thought it only fair that she know a little of what he felt.

  Nate slipped a towel around his waist and headed for his bedroom. Unlike when he left for his run, the sun streamed through the window. His bed was already made, no sign of his restless night remained. Another thing he could thank his mother for. His parents expected them to keep their rooms neat and tidy. Picking up after himself was second nature.

  He was about to grab some clothes from the dresser when his phone buzzed. Picking it up, Nate sighed. Great. A text from Garrett. It seemed his brother hadn’t forgotten his promise. Or was it a threat. He supposed it depended on what was in the text.

  Resigned, Nate looked. Then looked again. Staring in disbelief, Nate barely contained the impulse to sma
sh his phone against the wall. Instead, he sat on the bed. He looked at the screen. Then looked again.

  Somewhere, Garrett was laughing his ass off.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  NATE SETTLED EVERYONE into their roles with surprising ease.

  Working the camera that Chuck borrowed was simple. Aim and shoot. That was it. The young grocery clerk assigned to the job seemed at ease with the piece of equipment. Homer Freed informed Nate that he was an amateur photographer. Nate patiently waited while Homer opened his iPad and scrolled through some of his photos.

  Nice composition. Good lighting. Homer had a good eye for his subjects. Nate would keep an eye on the young man, but he believed Homer knew what he was doing. It appeared he had one less thing to worry about.

  The call sheet for the morning, or rather the phone calls Chuck made last night, consisted of six people. Nate decided it would be best to work with small numbers as often as possible. It was an intimate story. Plus, the fewer people on set meant less chance for distractions and accidents.

  Nate worried about someone getting hurt. It wasn’t a huge concern. The biggest, and only, stunt would come later when a pickup truck ran off the road and into a tree. It would require one person. Nate. The biggest problem was finding a vehicle to wreck. Chuck swore he had that taken care of so Nate put it out of his mind

  Nate shook his head in amazement. Chuck was a wonder. He understood why the man had been in high demand when he worked in Hollywood. Between the equipment, the volunteers, and God knew what else, all that was left was for Nate to step in and make a movie.

  “How did you get anyone to insure you?” Nate helped Chuck unload some cables from the back of Paige’s truck.

  “Wilt runs the local insurance office.”

  Nate gave a shout of laughter. Leave it to Chuck. To get the coverage he needed, he cast in the lead the man who could provide it. Genius.

  “He is the best choice for the part,” Chuck added with a smile.

  “Undoubtedly.” Nate slapped him on the back. “If you ever want to come back to Los Angeles, Chuck, you could make a fortune.”

  “I did fine when I was there.” Chuck set down the box. Taking a deep breath, he looked around. “This is home, Nate. Everything I want is here. The only thing that would make it perfect would be my Erin.”

  “I’m sorry, Chuck. You must miss her.”

  “Every day.” Chuck breathed in again. “She’s with me, Nate. Someday, if you’re lucky enough to have what Erin and I had, you’ll understand. Her body was taken from me, but her memory, her soul, is right here on the Double C.”

  “Mom and Dad have that,” Nate said.

  “Then you do have an idea of what I mean. You’ve been lucky, son. You know what love looks like. You know how precious it is. When it happens to you, you won’t make the mistake of letting it go; you understand that feelings like that are a gift. They don’t come along every day.”

  “No, sir. They don’t.”

  “Dad, there’s a delivery that you need to sign for.”

  Nate watched as Paige walked toward them, her smile bright and easy. He tried to ignore the little ping he felt in the region of his heart. All this talk about love and forever. It was bound to send a man’s thoughts in that direction. Enter a beautiful woman? It was only natural for him to feel… things.

  When Nate told Paige he wasn’t looking for anything long-term, he wasn’t lying. He wanted what his parents had — what Chuck and his Erin were lucky enough to find. However, he didn’t want it now. Did he? He gave Paige a longer look then shook his head. Nope. Not ready.

  “I got a call from Dr. Mount.”

  “The vet?” Nate asked. Happy for the distraction, he fell in step with Paige.

  “She has a horse at her place that she wants me to look at. The former owner is in jail on charges of animal cruelty. They had to put down all the horses but this one. Irene fought hard to save it. She wants me to give her a second opinion.”

  “It’s a tough job. Life and death decisions can’t be easy.”

  “No.” Paige’s eyes were sad when she looked at him. “Irene deals with it more than I do. When she does save an animal, the rest is worth it.”

  Nate made sure no one was watching before he took Paige’s hand. The last thing either of them needed was gossip about a romance. Movie sets were tiny worlds often shut off for hours, days, sometimes months at a time. This one was smaller than most, and everyone already knew each other. Word would travel fast. To Basic and beyond. He didn’t think Paige wanted to be the subject of tabloid gossip.

  If he had half a brain, Nate would stop what was happening between them before they took the next step. He could slow down the gossip, but he couldn’t prevent it. If he stepped back now, Paige’s name and face would never hit the supermarket checkout lanes. She didn’t deserve the notoriety that came with the Landis name. He chose to work in this business. Dragging Paige into it wasn’t fair unless she knew what to expect.

  “You know that I’m famous. Or rather, my family name is recognized all over the world. I’m a minor player, but when you’re a Landis, you can’t help but get sucked in now and then.”

  “Minor player?” Paige’s eyes twinkled as she pulled out her phone. “I’d say you’ve made the big time.”

  Nate groaned when he saw what was on the screen.

  “Don’t teenage girls have better things to do with their time?”

  Sometime after they had met, Jenna and her friends made a Facebook page devoted to Nate. And Instagram. And Twitter. And God knew how many others. The pictures were easy to come by. The internet was filled with them. However, seeing them all together, some with hearts drawn around his face, was more than Nate could stomach. He wasn’t a movie star. Or a public figure. He was a hard-working grunt. And he liked it that way.

  He knew it was a temporary blip. The minor excitement these girls generated would die down as soon as they found someone else to lift onto their wobbly, impermanent pedestals. He would survive with little, if any, damage.

  He worried about Paige.

  “You know I would never hurt you.” Nate squeezed her hand. It was friendly. Comforting. Not the least bit sexual.

  “Nothing that starts like that can end well,” Paige said with a smile. Inside, her stomach wound into a mess of knots. Was it possible to dump someone when nothing had happened beyond a few kisses?

  “I didn’t think ahead of the here and now.”

  “I like the here and now. I thought we already agreed. This lasts as long as you’re in Montana. What’s changed?”

  “That?” Nate pointed toward her phone. “The Landis name draws its own attention. I’ve managed to avoid the publicity circus — with a few exceptions.”

  “Like dating Nina Starr?”

  Nate barely contained his wince.

  “We didn’t date. We…” How could he put it delicately?

  “Screwed?”

  Nate nodded. If he were honest, screwed was too nice a word. For one gloriously hedonistic month, he and the lead singer of Wanderlust fucked like overheated rabbits. Then it was over. No regrets. No recriminations. By mutual agreement, they ended it as quickly as it began — walking away friends.

  The press glommed onto them as the next hot couple, dubbing them N & N. One clever headline read Landis sees his Starr rising. He and Nina got a good laugh out of that. One of the reasons they remained on good terms was that neither wanted anything beyond what they’d had in the bedroom.

  Nina was successful. She wasn’t using his name in hopes of taking another step up the Hollywood ladder. Nate was his own man. He didn’t need her money or the shine some men hoped would rub off on them when they spent time in the company of a famous woman.

  “What are you afraid is going to happen, Nate?”

  “The tabloids can be brutal.” Nate frowned, his eyes a little sad. “I don’t want you to have to duck cameras or nasty questions. If we do this.”

&n
bsp; “Sleep together?”

  “Yes.” Nate tapped her phone. “That seems harmless. Funny. And it is. When you see your face, with a not very flattering caption, you won’t be laughing.”

  “I see.” Paige pulled her hand from his. “You don’t think much of me, do you?”

  “I think about you all the time. That’s the problem.”

  “No. I’m not talking about how your dick reacts to me.” Paige’s eyes weren’t sad. They were angry, headed rapidly toward pissed off. “You think I’m weak? You see me as a woman who would crumble because of a little negative publicity?”

  “Paige—”

  “You’re right. We need to stop. I’m no longer interested.” Slowly, her gaze traveled up the length of Nate’s body. “No matter how pretty the package.”

  “Damn it, Paige. That’s not what I meant.”

  Ignoring him, Paige slid into the cab of her truck. “Go fuck yourself, Nate. I won’t.”

  Nate stood with his mouth open, watching Paige drive away.

  What the hell just happened?

  “Hey, Nate.” Chuck walked into the barn, his confused expression mirroring Nate’s. “What sent Paige out of here with a bee in her bonnet? She was steaming worse than my Granny’s teapot.”

  “You explain women to me, Chuck, and I’ll tell you why she was mad.”

  “It’s like that, is it?” Chuck grinned. “Paige’s mother didn’t lose her temper often, but when she did? Watch out. Most of the time I didn’t know what I’d done.”

  “That’s a big help.” Nate’s words dripped with sarcasm, mixed with a big dose of frustration.

  “I’ll share a secret. If you’re interested.”

  “Jesus, Chuck. I have a movie to make and a woman who gets pissed off when I’m trying to be a good guy. Hell yes, I’m interested.”

  “It isn’t a mystery. If you asked him, your dad would probably tell you the same thing.”

  “Should I call him or are you going to spill?”