Falling Star

by Olivia Brynn

  "But the kiss—"

  "There wasn't a kiss, Jade. On the way to her car, she thanked me for joining them, and gave me a hug. Nothing more."

  Jade's whirling mind tried to pull all the information together to make sense of it.

  "Her father was sitting in the car, but of course no one bothered to mention that. The whole thing lasted ten seconds. We got into the car, and they dropped me off at the hotel. I called you when I got into the hotel, remember? That was the night I ordered Shawshank Redemption on pay-per-view."

  She did remember that phone conversation. She dug her fingers into her temples. The pictures weren't dated, and she didn't even stop to think about his phone call before she read the news.

  "But what about the kiss?"

  "I didn't kiss her."

  "The pictures say otherwise." And pictures don't lie, she reminded herself. Do they?

  "Jade, I didn't kiss her. She's just an old friend—"

  "I read about that too." She pushed herself away from the sink. Adam was way too close, and she couldn't think.

  He put both hands on her shoulders, halting her retreat, and she was stuck looking into those eyes. "I dated Nicky, yes. But it was years ago, and it was one of those things that fizzled out before it even started. We just sort of laughed at ourselves for trying to make something more of our friendship than there was, and went back to being friends. That's it. His hands on her made her want to collapse in his arms. She resisted, but only barely. He tilted her chin up until she was again captured by his blue eyes.

  "The only time our conversation turned away from my music and her father was when she asked about you."

  She licked her lips. She wanted to believe him. "She asked about me?"

  "Everyone asked about you. Every time I got cranky, Henry threatened to fly you in for a booty call to get my head on straight. When I showed up late one morning for a breakfast meeting, they blamed my late-night phone calls, and Ty gave me a hard time when I dragged him into Tiffany's to look at rings."

  "Oh." She blushed.

  "Yeah. This isn't a game for me." His eyes danced over her face. "I walked around Manhattan with a goofy grin on my face because I couldn't get you off my mind. It's obvious to everyone how much I love you. Nicky even said she was sorry she asked about you, because I wouldn't shut up after that. I have never been this happy in my life. You're not just another woman in my bed. You're the woman in my heart—the one I love. The kind of love I've written about for years, but looking back those songs are so sterile compared to what this really feels like." He laughed. "Yeah, I sound like a sap, but I want you to know everything I feel so you never doubt again. Fame, fortune, notoriety, women, alcohol…even my dream of making music for a living didn't make me happy. You, Jade. You make me happy, for the first time in my adult life, and I can stop looking for pleasure in strings of women, or gallons of alcohol." He furrowed his brow. "God, Jade…I know I'm not good enough for you yet, but I'm trying."

  Jade clamped both lips between her teeth. She had a stronghold on his shirt, now damp handfuls of silk the color of his eyes. She so wanted to believe everything he said. Her heart recognized him, her body missed his, and the warning bells in her brain grew progressively quieter.

  "Now listen to me." He cupped her face in his hands and forced her to see the honesty in his. "I wanted you to stay away from those types of articles, and this is the reason why. I hope someday you can trust me more than you trust them."

  Now she felt foolish. He had warned her. "But the pictures…and it's hard when they won't leave me alone."

  "I know. I just want you to have enough confidence in me to hear me out. I love you, Jade. I don't want to ever lose you because of some damned reporter or photographer. If I have to take you everywhere with me, then so be it. It's a sacrifice I'd be more than willing to make," he teased.

  She tried to smile, but her face was still too stiff. "I don't want to be that girl. I should be able to trust you. No matter what I see or hear."

  "Then tell me you believe me." His voice dropped to that after-sex tone.

  His explanations did make sense. She did want to believe him. He'd never lied to her before, and to top it all off, he was the man she loved. She looked up into his eyes and saw the truth there. She saw the worry, the desperation, and even the love.

  How could she put the credibility of the tabloids over his word? She suddenly felt ridiculously childish for every action over the past three days.

  She nodded, a frantic movement. "I do. I believe you Adam. Oh God, I'm so—"

  "Huh uh." He stopped her with one long finger against her lips. "You believe me, that's all I need. You don't apologize for this one. Show me the kiss online, and I'll find the bastard who's sorry.

  Without permission or apology, he wrapped her in his arms. "I love you Jade. Always…forever…only you. Tell me you know that. If you don't, then I've failed."

  She couldn't hold back her tears. She cried because he was home. She cried because in his arms she felt like she was home, and she cried because her broken heart finally began to beat again.

  She couldn't get close enough to him. She wanted to crawl underneath his skin and curl up inside him where it was safe and warm. His familiar scent filled her nostrils, and she breathed it in, reveling in the spiciness that was so alive. So Adam. She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  "I missed you." She traced the outline of one sinewy muscle by his shoulder. The sounds from the sales floor grew quieter. Either Tyrell had kicked them all out, or Dean enforced his "buy or fly" rule. It didn't matter; they were gone, and Adam was here.

  "I missed you too. I don't want to let go of you." He bent his head and kissed her. Jade melted against him, thankful for his strength. He sipped at her lips, he licked them, and then he drew her tongue into a homecoming celebration.

  "Do you think Dean would let me take you home? We really need to pack."

  "Pack?" She opened sleepy eyes to blink him into focus.

  "Among other things." He winked. "Don't tell me you forgot about our Vegas trip."

  She had forgotten. "I just was sure that you…I mean."

  "I know. Come on, I'll ask The Warden. Maybe you could take a nap with me, I haven't slept in days, maybe with your legs tangled in mine I can remember how. But before we go I need to hear one more thing."

  For the first time in days, Jade smiled, the expression again familiar to her, reaching her eyes and filling her heart. She looked directly into his eyes, and she saw the love in them through the love in hers. "I love you Adam."

  Lord, how she missed his kisses.

  "God damn, that's music to my ears."

  About the author:

  Olivia Brynn is the very saucy alter ego of romance author Alanna Coca. Olivia was the one who lured Alanna into trouble as a child. She also would have been the one to get her mouth washed out with soap. Since controlling Olivia wasn't as easy as she thought, Alanna decided to set her alter ego free with Olivia's first book, For a Price, a story about one woman's journey to sell her virginity. Other books followed, earning five-star reviews and bestselling status. Alanna realized what fun Olivia had writing sexy romances without censor. Olivia writes contemporary erotic romance near a window where the view of the Rocky Mountains beckons her to run naked through the tall foothill grasses. Except when it snows.

  Connect with Me Online:

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/OliviaBrynn

  Facebook: http://facebook.com/Olivia.Brynn

  My Website and Blog: http://OliviaBrynn.com

 

 

 
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