If I Loved You (Hollywood Hearts 1)

by Jean C. Joachim

  * * * *

  Chaz saluted Briny as he waited for the doorman to contact Meg. The weight of his audition off his shoulders made Chaz feel ten pounds lighter. He moved the large bouquet of pink roses he carried from hand to hand.

  Our last night together for…months. A nervous feeling returned. Can she hack it? Will she stay with me? Is it Dunc or Chaz she’s fallen for? I need her…like air…like food.

  “You can go up,” Briny tipped his hat.

  Chaz shot him the Grady Spencer salute.

  “Aye, aye. As you were.” Briny chuckled as Chaz headed for the elevator.

  He might be imagining it, but he thought could smell the aroma of a home-cooked meal even while he was in the elevator. Is this coming from Meg’s place?

  When the apartment door opened, Chaz was met with a beautiful sight, Meg wearing a sexy sundress, at the same time as the aroma of a mouth-watering meal greeted him. He stepped inside before she could speak and took her in his arms. After an amorous kiss, he stepped back.

  “So?” She asked.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “The audition? How did it go?” She rested her hands on her hips.

  “Oh that! It was fine.” He grinned.

  “Did they say anything?”

  “They never do. I’ll hear in a couple of weeks. I did my best and can only hope. What’s cooking?”

  Meg handed him a bottle of Piper Hiedsieck champagne.

  “To celebrate. You open, I’ll get glasses.”

  “Love champagne. What are you cooking?”

  “Nothing fancy—my mother’s meatloaf. It’s Mark’s favorite,” she called from the kitchen.

  Chaz stopped twisting the cork on the champagne. He wandered over to the table set for two with good china and real silver. A lump rose in his throat. He put the bottle down and blinked rapidly. Meatloaf. No one has made meatloaf for me since…Mom.

  Megan bounced into the room with two champagne glasses in her hand.

  “Why haven’t you…” she started until she saw his face.

  “What the?”

  He raised his palm to her, still blinking while he inhaled a deep breath.

  “Are you okay?” Her brows knitted and she put a hand on his arm.

  He swiped the back of his hand across his eyes and turned away from her.

  “Did I do something…” her voice trailed off.

  His back to her, he shook his head unable to speak. Meg came up behind him and snaked her arms around his middle to hug him.

  “Whatever it is…I love you, so don’t…” Meg stopped speaking, her hand flew to her mouth, and she stepped back.

  Chaz whipped around to see that her face was pink. She avoided his stare.

  “What?” He managed to squeak out.

  “Forget that. Erase it from your memory…friends with benefits...”

  “Did you say what I thought?” She did.

  Meg led him back to the table. “The champagne,” she prompted, changing the subject.

  Chaz grabbed the bottle and popped out the cork while still staring at her.

  “Meg…did you just say…?” She said she loved me.

  “Don’t repeat it. We both heard it. Now forget it.” She busied herself straightening forks that didn’t need straightening.

  Chaz poured the champagne into the flutes, glancing surreptitiously at Meg.

  “I’ll get the meatloaf.”

  He took a big swig of the fine champagne when she left the room. Then, he sucked in a big breath before letting it out slowly. Calm down. Meatloaf and “I love you.” Can’t handle this.

  Megan approached the dining table carrying a platter of meatloaf covered in a chunky tomato sauce with roasted potatoes lined up on one side and green beans on the other.

  “It’s…it’s beautiful,” Chaz managed, his eyes watering.

  Meg set the platter down on the table. As he dabbed a handkerchief to his eyes, she stepped over and hugged him. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like meatloaf? It was the easiest recipe I had. Mark loves it, so I figured you would too.”

  “It’s my favorite.” His words were barely audible.

  “Then why are you upset?”

  Instead of answering, he eased her arms away from him, seized his champagne, and finished it before refilling the glass. He sat down where she indicated.

  Megan began to cut the loaf into one-inch thick slices. “So, give.”

  His mouth watered as he watched her cut the perfectly browned meat.

  “God that looks great. On holidays when my mom was okay…between her bouts with drugs…she’d make a meatloaf. We had nothing, no money, so we ate pasta most of the time. Food stamps supplemented her welfare checks. Meatloaf was the cheapest special food she could make.”

  “So it became your favorite.”

  He nodded.

  “She made a terrific meatloaf. I loved it. Her meatloaf was the only thing that distinguished holidays for me. She always managed to have a small gift for me along with meatloaf at Christmas but on Thanksgiving and Easter, we only had meatloaf. I’d look forward to it for days. After she died, none of my foster families made meatloaf. It was back to pasta. On Thanksgiving we had turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, but there wasn’t a whole lot to go around.”

  “Do you love turkey too?”

  “I love everything about a normal Thanksgiving Day…watching the parade, football games, eating too much…”

  “But you didn’t have a lot, right?” Megan asked, confused.

  “When you’re not used to big portions, just a normal portion makes you feel stuffed. But never had much meatloaf after mom.”

  “Even at the Gold’s house?”

  “The Gold’s house was a palace compared to other foster families. But they were older, watching their weight and cholesterol. We had a ton of chicken…and a beautiful turkey for Thanksgiving. I got sick my first Thanksgiving there from eating too much. There was no limit on food at their house.” Chaz could see Megan blink back tears. He took her hand.

  “Don’t cry, little chick. It was a long time ago and only for a couple of years. I had holidays, presents, and great food at the Gold’s house.”

  A few tears slipped down her cheeks when he kissed her palm.

  “I can’t imagine what that was like. How did you turn out to be so…so…giving, after that?”

  Chaz chuckled. “The Golds were very generous people. Those were some of the happiest years of my life. Emily would play piano for me, so I could practice singing…just like you did.”

  Megan smiled at him. “So I remind you of Emily Gold?” Megan cocked an eyebrow.

  “Hardly!” He burst out laughing. “Are you going to let me taste that? Can’t you see I’m drooling over here…not just for you.”

  Meg lifted a healthy slice with the spatula and put it on his plate. She arranged the potatoes and the green beans before adding a little sauce over the meat. To appease his growling stomach, Chaz shoveled in a forkful as soon as she filled her plate. He closed his eyes for a moment while he chewed. Although the taste wasn’t exactly the same, it was close enough. He swore he could see his beautiful mother watching him eat, a worried expression on her face. “So Chaz, how is it?” she’d ask.

  “It’s great, Mom, like you always make,” he’d reply, gulping down huge forkfuls of the tasty meal before it vanished.

  “Girls you date don’t cook for you?”

  “They expect me to take them out.” He speared another piece.

  “But sometimes they reciprocate…no?” Meg cut her meatloaf with her fork.

  He shook his head. “Some women don’t want to cook until there’s a ring on their finger. A woman who likes to cook is a…treasure.”

  “You’ve been dating the wrong kinda girl,” she muttered before tasting a piece of the savory meat.

  “This is heaven. How did you do this? It’s…it’s magic. I love it.” He scooped up another forkful and put it in his mouth.

  “And I though
t the big deal would be dessert.”

  “Dessert?”

  “I baked an apple pie.”

  Chaz choked on his food, coughing and sputtering. Megan ran to the kitchen, returning with a glass of water. He stopped coughing and took a drink before speaking. “You baked me an apple pie?”

  “What’s the big deal?” She shrugged.

  “I’ve never had homemade apple pie before.”

  ”Oh my God.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She kissed him. “You’re such a surprise to me.” Leaning back, Meg studied his face.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re this rich, famous movie star yet so many things I take for granted never existed in your life.”

  “Ah, that’s the point. To keep the public from knowing about Dunc, the Bronx guy, who’s still trying to catch up with life.”

  “I understand now.” Megan dug into her food. Chaz finished his helping then requested seconds, which he finished as well.

  When Megan brought out the pie, Chaz bent over to sniff the warm creation. The aroma teased his taste buds the way a sexy centerfold teased his body. “This smells fantastic. You did all this for me?”

  Megan sliced the pie. “Why not? It’s a celebration…hopefully, you’ll get the part…be on Broadway…”

  “Then we can be together all the time.” He finished her sentence.

  After the meal, Chaz loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up, insisting Megan relax. When he returned to the living room, drying his hands on a towel, he stopped short upon seeing her. Obviously, she had changed. Now wearing a very short nightie with spaghetti straps and a small ruffle at the bottom, she tempted his other appetite.

  “Ah…now I see what the real dessert is, eh?” His gaze stopped at her breasts.

  She giggled and approached him. “Since you have to leave tomorrow, I didn’t want to waste time.”

  “Little chick, you tempt me beyond endurance…again.” Chaz led her back to her bedroom.

  * * * *

  Megan lay flat on the bed while her fingers played with his chest hair. Every time…never felt anything like this making love before. Alan could take lessons from Chaz. When she looked into his eyes, she saw a gentle, loving gaze covering her, protecting her like a house shields people from snow and rain. His fingers combed through her hair, his lips wore a soft smile.

  “I’ve never had a man… make love to me like that before,” Meg admitted, her gaze dropping down to his chest again.

  “That’s a shame. You deserve to be well loved…every day.”

  The clock in the den chimed ten o’clock. “Time for another piece of pie.” Chaz kissed the top of Meg’s head.

  “Hungry again?”

  Megan pushed to her feet as Chaz slid out of bed. Then suddenly, he grabbed her by the waist and threw her back down on the bed before bouncing down next to her. “I don’t know which I want more…a piece of pie or a piece of you …again.” His mouth covered hers in a hard kiss.

  “Now I have to compete with pie?” She arched an eyebrow at him, trying to keep from smiling.

  “Can I eat a piece of pie while I’m making love to you?” He smirked.

  “Some nerve!” Megan sprang out of bed, grabbing a pillow.

  Chaz put up his hands in a defensive position. “Now Meg…only joking…”

  She whacked him with the pillow then fell into a laughing fit. Chaz snatched the other pillow off the bed to smack her bottom. He laughed as she widened her eyes in indignation.

  “Bash me with a pillow will you?”

  Chaz took off, running naked down the hall with Megan—also naked—chasing him. As he reached the living room, she threw her pillow at him. It knocked him off balance and he fell to the floor. Jumping on him, she straddled his hips. He grabbed her hand with one of his, pummeling her with the pillow in the other. Both of them were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. Megan leaned down to blow a raspberry on his neck. When he dissolved in laughter, she seized the moment to reach for her pillow. He raised his to hit her again, but she blocked it. He hugged her to him with one arm and bounced the pillow off her behind.

  She pushed up a few inches. As he was about to kiss her, there was a creak. Their heads turned to face the front door in time to see an astonished Mark and Penny, standing in the doorway, drop their suitcases.

  Megan screamed. Penny tugged Mark out into the hall and shut the door while the naked lovers beat a quick retreat to the bedroom. Meg shut her bedroom door and leaned against it. The front door slammed, indicating Penny and Mark were in the apartment.

  “Oh my God,” Meg breathed.

  Chaz covered his face with his hand.

  “Shit! Mark is going to kill me.”

  Meg nodded slowly, “you first, then me.”

  “I’d better go.” Chaz reached for his boxers.

  Megan put her hand on his arm. “No!”

  He stopped.

  “This is our last night together for…maybe three months. I’m entitled to have a ‘sleep over’ with you…I’m a woman, not a kid.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” he said, his eyes lighting up.

  Megan retrieved her robe from the hook behind the door.

  “This is awkward for you, Meg. I should go.”

  She reached for his arm. “Please stay. They’re tired and cranky after a long plane ride. We can stay in my room and deal with them over breakfast. Please…Dunc?”

  He moved closer to her and closed his hands over her shoulders. She lifted her chin to accept his kiss, which quickly turned passionate. As he crushed her to him, she felt boneless in his arms. Chaz eased her down on the bed, looming over her. Her hands smoothed over his shoulders, her fingers dug into his flesh slightly. A soft moan escaped her throat.

  “I want to be with you tonight.” With the tip of his tongue, he tickled her peak, making it hard.

  “Love me,” she whispered, sliding her hands down his back.

  “My pleasure,” he muttered.

  Megan narrowed her eyes, studying his perfect face. Want to remember him up close.

  Chaz laced his fingers with hers and held her hands hostage while he kissed and nibbled her neck and chest. When he released her, she lost her fingers in his thick hair as his mouth lit her on fire.

  “Your skin…so soft,” he muttered. His hands slid down over her breasts and belly, then to her thighs and back up again.

  Megan touched his chest. My favorite part…no…well…maybe…almost.

  “I love your body.” He kissed his way down to her belly.

  “No kidding.” She chuckled and leaned in, placing her palm flat on his chest and kissed his neck. A moan escaped his lips encouraging her to keep kissing, working her way down to the sensitive hollow of his throat where she could feel his heart beat faster and faster. Gently pushing him over on his back, she ran both hands over his chest before her lips followed, planting kisses. His groans became louder when her hand slid down farther and gripped him. He threw his head back and closed his eyes.

  “God, Meg.” Her touch made him grow harder.

  She grinned at the look of passion on his face. Chaz moved his hand down her back and over her rump. He squeezed her bottom and snuck two fingers in-between her legs. She gasped in surprise when they entered her. He sat up—eyes hot with need—and shoved her back down on the bed. His lips clamped down on hers, and his tongue demanded entrance while his fingers thrust in and out of her hot, wet center. A small cry, trapped in her throat, urged him on. He brought his head up to stare into her eyes as she moved her hips rhythmically with his hand.

  “Dunc, oh God, Dunc,” she moaned, closing her eyes.

  Ducking his head, he nipped her peak lightly before licking and sucking hard. His fingers slid out of her but continued to stroke her sensitive flesh.

  “I want you, Meg,” he whispered.

  “Take me,” she breathed.

  “Be mine.”

  “I am…please…” She squirmed under his deft touch.


  With both hands, he parted her legs and stopped a moment to gaze at her. Too excited to be embarrassed, she panted and opened her arms. His hand gripped one knee, raising it up as he entered her, gently at first. Then, with a hard thrust, he went deeper.

  Passion darkened his features, his hair shone in the dim light from the nightstand lamp. His eyes glowed, and his sexy mouth smiled at her. Looking at him increased her desire. Heat flew through her veins, sparking every nerve ending. Fire licked at her muscles, her insides burned as he moved in and out of her possessively, demanding her body, her spirit, and her heart. Megan was overcome with his passion and hers mixing together to create a rumbling of want. She needed him physically, emotionally, and mentally.

  As their bodies rocked, Meg shifted her head to the side to bury her face in his neck and shoulder. Closing her eyes allowed her to concentrate on the sensations he created in her body. Pressure began to build. Her desire intensified, doubling and tripling until she could hardly bear it.

  “Dunc!” She cried out as her body shivered with release, pleasure pouring all the way to her toes. Her fingers gripped his shoulders hard. When she eased back, her breath uneven, he slowed down and stopped.

  Propped up on his elbows, Chaz leaned forward and kissed her nose. “Ladies first.” A sexy smile tugged at his lips.

  Her mouth claimed his, and she kissed him with all she had. He increased his pace. Her fingers grasped his back through a thin sheen of sweat. The heat between their bodies continued to grow as he thrust harder and faster.

  “Oh, yes,” she murmured as her body responded.

  He drove harder and harder, faster and faster. Megan’s second orgasm washed over her right before he lost control, exploding inside her. For a moment, the only sound was the ragged breathing of the two exhausted lovers.