Heartthrob (Hollywood Hearts, #1)

by Belinda Williams

  “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  It turned out to be a very effective method of shutting me up. It was just like the first time: the heat, the need and the kick to my system. My fingers and toes hummed with an energy that only he seemed able to create. And if I was humming now, what would it be like if he did more than kiss me?

  As if in response, he took the kiss deeper and I grabbed onto him, pulling him closer. An arm came around my waist, slipping low to grip the curve of my backside. The shock of desire that pulsed through me frightened me, and I tried to step away.

  “No you don’t.” His blue eyes appeared to swim in the moonlight and I was in danger of falling in. He held me by my hips so I could feel the pressure of his need pressed against me. “I want you, Ally.”

  I bit my lip because my own need bordered on painful, too. “Jake—”

  “But you’re not ready.” To my surprise his tone was calm, even understanding.

  “How?” I couldn’t finish the sentence I was so breathless.

  “Because you’re Ally Valenti. You lead with your heart, you speak your mind, you’re loyal to a fault and you don’t trust just anyone. But when you do, you trust them fully.”

  All I was capable of was a sort of whimper. His frank observations, combined with the need threatening to engulf me, were enough to make me do something stupid—like push him onto the sand and rip all his clothes off. If I’d been slightly less emotional I would have googled plastic surgeons so I could put a stop to my traitorous facial features.

  “What?” he asked. “You thought it was just your good looks?”

  “No!” Embarrassed by his compliment, I tried to step away.

  “Shh.” He pressed a finger to my lips. “Ally, first of all, you’re gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. It stuns me that you don’t see that. You have an innate ability to bring out the beauty in others with your designs, but for some reason you seem unable to see the beauty in yourself.”

  “Jake, really—”

  “Shh. I’ve been lying awake at night dreaming about how I want to explore your creamy white skin.” His eyes dropped to the neckline of my dress. “Those curves . . . ” He met my eyes again. “All of you.”

  I swallowed, or tried to, but something was firmly lodged in my throat. I didn’t know if it was shock or denial.

  “And I think you trust me,” Jake went on, “or at least you trust that I’m not some sort of fake Hollywood asshole.”

  “Of course! I never thought that for a moment.” OK, maybe for a millisecond.

  “It’s OK. I get it. From where you’re standing, you hopefully see a decent enough guy, but the problem is I come with a lot of baggage. Am I right?”

  “Well, it’s not exactly baggage. I mean unless you’ve got a bad-boy history I’m not aware of? Actually, maybe I should have googled you . . . ”

  Jake grinned. “Relax. I’m not divorced. I haven’t slept around. I won’t lie, I’ve had some fun, but nobody got hurt. I’ve had a few girlfriends but they didn’t work out.”

  “Define fun.”

  Jake reached over and brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “It was all pretty innocent and both sides knew what they were getting into.”

  I didn’t want to think about anyone else getting into Jake, but that was naive on my part. The man had women throwing themselves at him regularly. It came with the job.

  “I’ve known for a while that I’m not looking for fun anymore, Ally.” At my raised eyebrows he smiled. “Alright, I’d like fun and something more.”

  “Like what?”

  “Something more long-term.”

  Damn. It had happened again. I was speechless. I couldn’t figure out if Jacob Swan was my kryptonite or my missing half.

  “Stop looking so shocked. Why is that so hard to believe?”

  I decided to make a last valiant attempt at denial. “Because it’s not like you haven’t had offers. I’m guessing you’ve had no shortage of women who’d want to fill that role, Jake.”

  “And that’s the difference. I’ve had women throwing themselves at me. For all the wrong reasons. Then I met you. You’ve been running away from me. For all the right reasons.”

  His words were as absurd as they were truthful. “You Hollywood types really are screwed up. You know that, right? Completely cuckoo. How do you know it’s not because I just don’t like you?”

  “You like me, Ally.”

  I scowled at him. “You big shot movie stars. You think you’re so special. Ooh. ‘Women just fall at my feet.’ ”

  “You haven’t fallen at my feet.”

  “Not yet,” I mumbled.

  His hand cupped my cheek and I forced myself to meet his eyes.

  “Ally. Give me a chance. Get to know me and find out if you can do more than like me.”

  I stared at him. The cockiness was gone and his words almost sounded like an appeal.

  All of a sudden I felt as though all my Christmases had come at once. Ever since I’d met him I’d been dying to know the real Jacob Swan. And here he was, standing before me, asking me to do exactly that.

  I already knew he was a genuinely nice guy. Added to that, he was undeniably hot. Bonus points for that. But he was also a man who was lonely, I realized. Who wasn’t used to people looking beneath the surface. We were more alike than I’d realized. I’d spent my life being trustworthy, dependable Ally. He’d spent his being Mr. Gorgeous Nice Guy. But there was so much more to us than that and we both knew it.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I reached across, grabbed his hand and pulled him to me.

  “Deal,” I said, right before I kissed him.

  Chapter 20

  This kiss lasted a long time. It probably would have lasted longer if Jake hadn’t pulled away and murmured, “I’m taking you home.”

  At first I’d misunderstood. We were home—well, at his home anyway, which is what I’d thought he meant—and my wide-eyed look said it all. Nerves, mixed with expectation, swirled in my belly.

  He kissed me tenderly on the forehead. “I meant to your place. It’s time you got some sleep.”

  “Oh.”

  He gave me a lopsided grin, which made the swirling in my belly do a backflip. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

  I pouted.

  He kissed me on the forehead again. “Don’t tempt me. This is hard enough.”

  My pout vanished. “Really?”

  Jake laughed and the warmth of it calmed the knots in my stomach. “I told you, Ally. I want you, but not tonight. I want to do this properly.”

  I gulped. “Properly?” What did that mean? I had a feeling my sexual experience paled in comparison to Jake’s, and that wasn’t including his on-set encounters.

  “Relax. All I mean is I want to take you out a few times, get to know you better first. Besides, building the tension is a good thing.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been in too many movies. The only reason they promote delayed gratification is so people keep watching to find out whether the couple get together or not.”

  “So, right here, right now, then?”

  “Stop toying with me, Swan.”

  “But it’s fun.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  “Come on. Let’s head back to the house and I’ll take you home.”

  I didn’t argue any further and let him lead me back to the house.

  To my relief, Chris had made himself scarce and we found ourselves in the car alone. I was quiet on the ride home, the events of the day catching up with me, and I found myself drifting off.

  “Here we are.”

  It was after two in the morning when we arrived in front of Lena’s mansion. The ornate gates acted as a reminder of her success as well as her need for privacy.

  “What’s the code?”

  “Sorry. High security. I’m sure you understand.” I got out of the car and entered the code myself.

  The gates opened noiselessly—yet another indicator of Lena’s substant
ial wealth. I had no idea how something that massive could move without making any sound. By the time the gates were open, I’d hopped back into the passenger seat.

  The gatehouse was empty as we drove past, on account of Jay and Tim accompanying Lena to the awards.

  The white gravel crunched loudly under the tires as Jake drove slowly to the house. He pulled up in front of the grand entrance and cut the engine.

  “I’ll walk you to the front door.”

  I bit my lip to hide my grin. If Jake had the intention of courting me, I wasn’t going to object.

  We got out of the car and made our way up the steps.

  “Will Lena be home?” Jake asked.

  “I doubt it. That woman has a lot of celebrating to do, and not just because of the award win.”

  Jake cocked an eyebrow.

  “I could be wrong, but I don’t think she’s ever partied hard the entire time she’s been in Hollywood.”

  “Because of Duncan?”

  “Yes. This award win is significant for her in more ways than one. She’s alone now and I think she’s only just starting to see it’s a good thing.”

  When we arrived at the front door, Jake leaned in and gave me the sweetest of kisses, leaving every inch of my body tingling.

  “You have an unfair advantage, you know,” I told him.

  “How?”

  “With your acting. I bet you have a kiss in your repertoire for every occasion.”

  “I’m not acting when I’m with you, Ally,” he replied softly.

  I gave him a weak smile. “I know.” That’s what scared me most.

  “Hey, does Lena normally leave the door unlocked?”

  “What? No.” The warm buzz faded. “Why?”

  “It’s open.”

  I turned to stare at the door that had been left ajar. Had I left it like that? I had been in kind of a rush to attend the after party.

  “Oh shit. I guess that was me, although I don’t remember doing it. I’m still adjusting to the heightened sense of security around here. At home, if you lock the door that’s code for I’m not talking to you. Nobody does it because we’re all in and out of one another’s houses constantly and with that many people around it’s not like you need security anyway.”

  While I’d been prattling on, Jake had pushed open the front door. The expansive foyer wasn’t lit but there was enough moonlight coming in from outside to illuminate the space. Something on the floor near the stairs caught my eye.

  “What’s that?” Jake asked, noticing it at the same time as me.

  “I don’t know.” Whatever it was appeared more out of place than frightening. It looked like a small mound of something, like a slumbering animal. To my relief it wasn’t moving so I reasoned it couldn’t be anything living. I went to go inside and investigate, but Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  “I’ll go.”

  “Superhero springs into action,” I joked, because I felt the need to take the edge off the strange situation.

  Jake walked over then reached down and picked whatever it was up. “It’s a piece of material.”

  With a sense of relief, but still feeling confused, I followed him in and turned on the lights.

  “It looks like it’s from Lena’s dress,” he said.

  “It’s not,” I replied immediately. “It’s spare I had leftover.”

  “Why would it be down here?”

  Frowning, I joined him and took the material out of his hand, the softness of it whispering against my skin like a warning. “I have no idea.”

  Then I looked up.

  Jake followed my gaze. “What on earth?”

  I rushed up the steps, picking up more scraps of fabric as I went.

  “Don’t touch anything!”

  I startled at the demand in Jake’s voice, the deep baritone transformed into something harsh.

  I let go of the scrap of lilac fabric and it floated harmlessly to the floor. “Why?”

  “Evidence.”

  I blinked at him, not comprehending as he took the stairs two at a time so he was beside me again.

  “I don’t understand.” And I didn’t. None of it made sense. Not the strange discovery or his firm words.

  He took my hand gently. “I’m probably wrong, Ally, but it’s just a precaution.”

  “A precaution?”

  His expression was sympathetic when his blue eyes met mine. “Do you want me to go up and investigate first?”

  “No,” I replied, still not fully understanding. “I’ll come, too.”

  We walked up the stairs together silently, and with every step a sense of dread seemed to overtake me. Evidence. Precaution. Deep down I knew what Jake was implying, but things like that didn’t happen in my world, so it didn’t seem real.

  More scraps of fabric littered the floor as we reached the first level. I half expected a puppy to come tearing around the corner with some of the material in its mouth; it was that type of destruction.

  But Lena didn’t have a puppy.

  When we turned to go down the corridor that led to my workroom, my hand flew to my mouth.

  “Oh my God.”

  There was fabric everywhere, and not just lilac offcuts. There were blacks and reds and whites and every other color I’d used for my ready-to-wear collection.

  And they weren’t just offcuts.

  “Oh no. No!” I wrenched free of Jake’s hand and raced down the hallway to my workroom, disbelief coursing through me.

  The scream took me by complete surprise.

  By the time I realized it was me who was screaming—a high-pitched, tortured wail—Jake was pulling me into his arms and bringing my head to his chest.

  “No,” I sobbed. It was tempting to stay pressed against his sturdy chest. Instead, I took a deep breath and pushed away, forcing myself to survey the devastation that was my workroom.

  I remained silent this time. There was nothing to say anyway. Everything had been ruined. The pieces that were still on hangers were merely shreds of fabric. I switched on the light and walked into the room.

  “Holy shit,” I heard Jake say from behind me.

  I took another step into the room but didn’t know where to stand. Pieces of my designs were strewn everywhere. On the floor and all over my worktable. The shelves had been pushed over so sewing supplies added to the mess.

  It was like someone’s sick idea of a jigsaw puzzle, but there would be no putting it back together again. Whoever had done this had wanted to make certain of that. From what I could tell it looked like they’d used my scissors as well as a knife, because some of the cuts were neater than others.

  “We should call the police,” Jake said.

  “I’ll call Lena first.” My voice didn’t sound like my own. I was amazed I could still hold a conversation. “Something tells me she’s going to want to see this.”

  Chapter 21

  It was like a scene out of a crime show. People swarmed throughout Lena’s house while I stood off to one side with Jake and Lena, mute and feeling numb.

  Jay was talking to one of the police officers in my workroom and there was no mistaking he was seriously pissed. This had happened on his watch. Or actually, it hadn’t. Jay had been with Lena all night—as he should have been. The house was equipped with state-of-the-art security, but whoever had done this had gotten around it.

  I’d heard enough to understand that the cameras had been disabled. I hadn’t even known there were cameras. The price of Lena’s fame extended to her being on-screen at home, too.

  Lena kept apologizing at every available moment. Like this was somehow her fault. It made me madder and madder. Seeing her pale face stricken with guilt and sadness when she should have been celebrating her award win pissed me off. So did the strangers trampling all over my ruined designs. Yes, the damage was irreparable but they were still mine.

  “What sort of sick fucker would do this?” I demanded.

  Lena straightened and blinked at me. I didn’t usual
ly swear quite so openly.

  “I don’t know, Ally, but we’re going to try to find out. I promise.” She was still in her lilac gown. Between the two of us we wore the entirety of my collection.

  “You’d better talk to someone else about a dress for the Academy Awards,” I suggested, sounding more defeated. The navy gown I’d almost finished had been reminiscent of something Greta Garbo would have worn.

  “Why?”

  “Um,” I gestured to the fabric lying all over the floor. “Doesn’t fit you anymore?”

  “Yes it does. The dress is in my closet.”

  “What?”

  “I wanted to try it on with some shoes I had already so I hung it in there last week.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t believe her. I did. I just needed to see it with my own eyes. I took off at a jog down the hallway, heading for her room.

  Inside I went into her dressing room—it was as big as my bedroom at home—and scanned the hangers.

  “It’s over here,” Lena said, joining me.

  She walked over to the left wall and pulled out a dress bag.

  “I didn’t want it to get dusty so I put it in this,” she explained.

  I threw my arms up in joy. “You’re brilliant!”

  We shared a tight hug. Whoever had broken in hadn’t touched Lena’s dressing room. And if they had come in here, they would have missed the Academy Awards dress because of Lena’s thoughtfulness.

  When we pulled apart, Lena gave me a reassuring smile. “See? Everything will be alright. It’s just a plot twist.”

  The laughter that escaped my throat sounded slightly manic. It was one hell of a plot twist. I also wasn’t certain everything would be alright, but at least she still had a dress to wear to the Academy Awards.

  “Lena?”

  Jake stood in the doorway. “Marc Romero is waiting to speak to you both.”

  A flicker of something dark crossed Lena’s features, but she appeared to catch herself. “Fine.”

  She stalked from the room without waiting for me and I gave Jake a questioning look. He shrugged.

  I went back out into the hallway where I found Lena talking in hushed tones with Jay.