by Miranda Lee
‘You mean since bloody Lachlan poisoned your mind about everything,’ Blake snapped.
Kate could not deny that she’d begun having doubts about what she was doing here in Blake’s house...what role she was playing. As much as she had enjoyed their interlude in the bathroom this morning, it had highlighted to her that Blake’s feelings for her were probably largely sexual. His generosity and caring might not be real—just a means to an end. Falling in love with him might have blinded her to his true character.
‘I wouldn’t say “poisoned”,’ she said slowly. ‘But he’s given me food for thought.’
‘You still love that bastard, don’t you?’
‘No,’ she said truthfully. ‘No, I don’t. I told you that already.’
‘I know what you told me, Kate.’
His scepticism shocked her.
‘Love doesn’t die that quickly,’ he growled.
‘It does when it wasn’t true love in the first place.’
‘If only I could believe that...’
Kate hated it that he didn’t believe her. She ached to tell him that he was the one she truly loved, but she doubted he’d believe that, either. And if by some fluke he did, then it would just give him more power over her.
Not a good idea, Kate. She was having enough trouble sorting her head out as it was.
‘I think it would be best if I went home, Blake,’ she said shakily.
‘No, it would not!’ he roared down the phone. ‘You hate it there.’
‘I don’t hate it.’
‘Bull-dust. Your sister and your mother might not mean to, but they suck all the life out of you. Your family will make you feel like a failure if you go back now. And you’re not a failure. You’re a beautiful and talented actress who just hasn’t had the right break yet.’
Blake’s lovely compliments sent tears pricking at her eyes.
‘You have to stay here, Kate. Okay, don’t take the part I offered if it bothers you. Though damn it, girl, you’re looking a gift horse in the mouth. I suppose that’s why you don’t want it? You think it’s charity on my part, or something much worse. You don’t realise just how fantastic an actress you are. I would kill to have someone like you in any of my movies. Hell, Kate, watching you in that play practically blew my mind.’
‘But, Blake, you offered me that part before you saw me in the play,’ she pointed out.
He was silent for a few fraught seconds, then he laughed. ‘Okay, so you’ve caught me out. Yes, I wanted you, Kate—almost from the first moment I saw you—and I wasn’t above using your ambition to get you into my bed. But I wasn’t lying when I said I want to make you happy. I honestly do. You’ve touched something in me, Kate—something that is rarely ever touched. I’m not known for my empathy, or my compassion. And as for passion—the only passion I’ve had for years is for my movies. Until I met you. God, but I want you with passion, girl. And I need you. I won’t let you go home—not whilst there’s breath in my body. You’re to stay here with me—not as a guest, but as my girlfriend. A proper live-in girlfriend. Then, once your visa comes through, you can knock yourself out going to endless auditions until you get yourself an acting job. And once you’ve made it on your own you will do a movie for me. Not some minor role but the lead, in a script I will write especially for you!’
Kate sucked in breath sharply. Lord, how did an aspiring actress in love say no to all that?
‘And if you’re worrying about how much money I’ll have to spend on you until you’re earning money on your own,’ he charged on, ‘then I’ll keep a tally. You can pay me back as soon as you can. What do you say to that idea?’
‘I’m pretty speechless right now.’ And brimming full of emotion. Okay, so he hadn’t said he loved her, but he did care about her. Passionately so.
‘We can’t let other people spoil what we have together, Kate. It’s special—our connection, our chemistry. Don’t you agree?’
‘Yes...’ she choked out.
‘So you won’t go home?’
‘No.’
His sigh was a sound of total relief. ‘Thank God.’
‘But promise you won’t try to change my mind about doing that part,’ she said with a sudden rush of worry.
‘I promise. It wasn’t quite you, that role, anyway. You need to be the heroine of the story, not some slutty other woman. Now, I must get off this phone. I have an important meeting this afternoon. But I’ll be home by six at the latest. If I’m going to be any later I’ll ring you, so don’t turn off your phone. And if your stupid sister rings you again you be the one to hang up.’
‘I just might do that.’
‘Good girl. I’ve booked dinner for us at seven. I won’t be taking you to any of those celebrity restaurants—just a local steakhouse which does fabulous food. Wear something nice, but nothing over the top. The dress code at Jimmy’s place is quite casual.’
‘I’ve got just the thing.’
‘Good. Have to go. Bye.’
He’d hung up by the time Kate said goodbye in return.
She sat for a long time, thinking about what he’d said. And what she had said.
She was proud of herself for deciding not to let Blake present her with her career on a silver platter. The temptation had been there to do just that. Face it, she’d been well on the way down that particular road. But, honestly, if she had she would never have felt good about any success which might have come her way.
Kate wasn’t overly concerned about what perfect strangers thought of her, but she did care about what her family thought. Silly, really, but that was the way it was. Maybe one day she’d be able to be like Blake, not needing or caring about anyone back home. But that day hadn’t come yet.
Kate already regretted being stroppy with Maddie over the phone. Maybe she should ring her back. Or text her.
And maybe not.
Best leave things for now.
Glancing at the time on her phone—it was after two—Kate decided to go in search of Juanita and that lunch she’d offered her. At the same time she aimed to find out where everything was in the main kitchen, so she could get herself her own breakfast and morning tea and lunch. She wasn’t used to being waited on hand and foot and, whilst it was a deliciously pleasurable experience, Kate didn’t want to become one of those spoiled rich women who wouldn’t lift even one precious finger unless it was to get her nails done.
Not that she was rich. But she was living with a very rich man.
This was still the part which didn’t sit well with Kate. Because it made her feel like a kept woman. A mistress. Being any man’s mistress had not been in her life plan at all. Love did make a woman weak in some ways, but hopefully not in others.
Kate reaffirmed her determination to keep that tally Blake had mentioned, of what he spent on her. And to pay him back once she got herself an acting job. She also resolved to do some research on the internet, find out what was hot now in television series. She knew that several young Australian actors had found work in LA that way. Being unknown hadn’t worked against them in that field. It was, in fact, often seen as a plus. The television industry loved new faces and fresh new talent.
With these resolves fixed firmly in her mind, Kate stood up, slipping her phone into the pocket of her jeans before heading downstairs in search of Juanita.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘SORRY I’M A bit late!’ Blake said as he dashed in shortly after six-thirty.
When Kate had heard him running up the stairs to the top floor she’d emerged from the bathroom, where she’d been titivating for the last half-hour.
He stopped to stare, his eyes turning hungry as they raked her over from top to toe. ‘God, don’t you look gorgeous?’
‘Not too casual?’ she asked as she hooked silver hoop earrings into her ears. Her hair was up in a loose knot, with a few wispy b
its around her face.
‘Not at all. I love girls in white jeans and heels. And I love that jacket.’
‘So do I.’ She flipped it open and shut, giving him a better look at the sexy silver cami, not to mention her braless breasts.
‘Damn it, girl, you really make it hard on a man,’ he growled, his dark eyes glittering. ‘I desperately want to kiss you, but if I do we’ll never get to the restaurant.’
Kate’s heart started racing with a hunger of her own. ‘Would that be such a disaster?’
‘Not a disaster. But perhaps unwise. Because I’m starving. And starving is never good if a man wants to make love to his woman all night long.’
‘All night long?’ she choked out as her whole chest squeezed tight.
‘Absolutely. Tomorrow’s Sunday. I’m not going to work and I’ve cancelled my morning golf game. Which—and trust me on this—is not something I do very often. I love my golf. But I love making love to you even more.’
‘Oh...’
His eyes narrowed on hers. ‘You’re not going to cry, are you?’
Kate swallowed, quickly pulling herself together. But that had been so close to him saying that he loved her. So heartstoppingly close...
‘No, no. Absolutely not.’
‘Good. Now, I’m going to have a quick shower. Alone. But I don’t have time to shave or we’ll be late. Do you mind me with a stubbly chin?’
‘Not at all. It suits you. It’s sexy.’
And it was. Very. It made him look like a pirate. Kate loved movies with pirates in them. Their characters were always masterful. And whilst they could be wicked, it was never in a horrible way. They just dared to do what a modern man wouldn’t. Like kidnap women and then force them to fall in love with them...
A bit like what Blake had done to her.
Blake rubbed his chin. ‘Sexy, eh?’
‘Yes. Very.’
He laughed. ‘You’re not trying to seduce me, are you?’
‘Could I?’
‘Could you?’ He shook his head at her, smiling a wry smile. ‘Oh, that’s funny, Kate. You’ve no idea how funny. Now, I suggest you go downstairs and have a pre-dinner drink. There’s plenty of wine in the fridge. Or champagne, if you prefer. I won’t be long.’
* * *
Blake slammed the bathroom door shut, sighing as he started reefing off his clothes. Lord, but she didn’t know how close he’d come to reefing off her clothes—her very sexy clothes.
His plan to seduce Kate with sex was really backfiring on him. He was the one totally seduced and obsessed, and so in love with her that he could hardly contain the words.
I love you! he wanted to shout out. I love you and I want to marry you!
Once again the idea of marriage had jumped into his head, and it was beginning to annoy him. He didn’t need to marry Kate just because he’d fallen in love with her. Why marry her? It was unnecessary in this day and age. They could just live together, as he’d already suggested, which would be so much easier, and much less complicated.
But it was no use. Marriage was what he wanted—along with her love. Nothing else would do.
‘Stupid bastard!’ he ground out, and stepped in under a cold shower, gasping as icy shards of water beat down on his overheated brain and body, bringing him back to reality with a rush. To a reality that was as sobering as it was sensible.
Because it was still way too soon to say such things to her. He had to give her more time. Had to let her get over that other stupid bastard before she was capable of falling in love with him.
Meanwhile he had to be patient. Not his favourite activity.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JIMMY’S STEAK HOUSE was not a large establishment. Neither was it a place whose popularity rested on celebrity patronage, like lots of other Hollywood restaurants. Or so Blake told Kate on the way there.
‘You’ll like it,’ he said. ‘The food is great and it’s quiet. There are no bands playing, nor even a piano player. They have booths as well as tables, so you can get some privacy, and you can actually hear yourself talk. I hate eating in places where you have to shout to be heard.’
Kate couldn’t have agreed with him more.
‘This is great,’ she said, once they were seated in a booth well away from the door.
Of course she would think anywhere was great if she was with Blake. But she did genuinely like the quiet ambience and the decor, which was all clean lines and simple. White walls, wooden floor and tables, no tablecloths.
They hadn’t been stared at when they’d come in, though all the ladies present had given Blake a few second glances. And why not? He looked devilishly handsome in black jeans, a white silk shirt—open at the neck—and a sleek lightweight black jacket. His casually sexy clothes, combined with his five o’clock shadow and his slightly rumpled black hair, gave him that bad-boy image women found so attractive.
Kate was no exception.
‘Do you like red wine?’ he asked as he picked up the drinks menu.
‘It’s okay,’ she replied. ‘But I prefer white.’
‘You can’t drink white wine with steak,’ he pronounced, with his usual arrogance.
He ordered red wine, and Kate discovered to her surprise that she did like it. Or at least she liked this particular red wine, which she suspected was hideously expensive. It had a French label, and the waiter treated the bottle as if it was made of gold.
‘Well?’ Blake asked after she’d had a few sips.
‘Lovely,’ she replied.
‘I told you so. You must widen your horizons, Kate.’
She smiled. ‘I’ve widened them quite enough already, don’t you think?’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘I suppose you’re referring to throwing in your lot with me?’
‘Yes. I suppose I am.’
‘Best thing you ever did. You were losing your way back in Sydney.’
Kate sighed. ‘Don’t you ever have doubts, Blake?’
He looked at her hard, then laughed. ‘Everyone has doubts, Kate. But you have to learn to ignore them and just go for what you want. Otherwise you’ll spend your whole life regretting your lack of courage.’
‘Is that what you’ve always done? Just gone for what you wanted?’
‘In the main. I was seriously derailed once—but you don’t need to hear about that.’
Kate presumed he was referring to his divorce. Horrid thing, divorce. Especially if there were children involved...
‘How long did it take for you to get back on the rails?’ she asked him.
‘How long?’ he mused, lifting his glass to his lips for a long sip. ‘Not too long. But I was terribly bitter for a while. Which I now regret. Bitterness is as self-destructive as revenge. And it gets you nowhere. You have to learn to move on and not dwell on the past.’
‘You’re talking about Claudia, aren’t you?’
‘Partly.’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘I was talking in general—not just about Claudia in particular. I harbour no animosity towards Claudia any more. I met her the other week at a party and we had quite a pleasant chat. She’s not too bad when you’re not in love with her.’
Kate hated to think that he’d ever been in love with her. Which was pathetic, really.
Their steaks arrived at that fortuitous moment—Blake’s medium rare and hers well done. Both were accompanied by French fries and salad, plus a side dish of herbed bread. The steaks covered half the plate.
‘My goodness,’ she said. ‘I wish you had a dog. Then I could take him home some of this steak. I’ll never eat it all.’
‘You might have done, if you’d had it medium rare like me. Goes down much easier that way.’
‘No, thanks,�
�� she said, crinkling her nose at him. ‘I don’t like eating meat with blood in it.’
‘Have you ever tried it?’
‘No...’
‘Then don’t knock it ’til you try it.’
‘Okay. Give me a mouthful of yours, then.’
He did—and she did like it. It was very tender...more tender than hers.
‘See?’ he said smugly. ‘You shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, Kate.’
‘Yes, boss.’
He laughed. ‘You sounded just like Carlos, then.’
‘And you sounded like an old schoolteacher of mine. Not one I overly liked.’
‘Ouch. That’s not good.’
‘No—so cut it out with the life lessons. I’ll get there, Blake. In my own good time.’
He cocked his head to one side. ‘You’ve become quite an independent little miss during the past week, haven’t you?’
‘I hope so.’
‘Good. I like that. Now, eat up or the food will get cold. Nothing worse than cold steak.’
They both tucked in, and Kate realised how hungry she actually was. She ate ninety percent of the steak and all of everything else—including the herb bread.
‘I like to see a girl with a good appetite,’ Blake said as he dabbed his mouth with a serviette. ‘Rare thing in Hollywood, I can tell you.’
‘I’m lucky that I can eat whatever I like and not get fat. I have a fast metabolism.’
‘That is lucky. And good for your career. You’ll stay slim and at the same time you won’t get all skinny and fragile like some of the actresses I know. Speaking of your career... I was talking to Steve late this afternoon and—’
‘Who’s Steve?’
‘Steve Kepell. The agent I think would suit you. The one I sent the DVD of your play. Anyway, he was as impressed as I was—both by your acting and your looks. Said you were very photogenic. But he did suggest that whilst you’re waiting for your working visa to come through you have some lessons from a dialect coach. Get rid of your Australian accent entirely. Oh, and he also suggested you have a few sessions with an audition coach. He gave me the name of a good one. Anyway, I’ll line up both for you on Monday so that you can get started ASAP.’