At Frasier’s command, she moved forward. The set got quiet and she knew everyone was looking at her. At them. She greeted him only with his name when she stopped in front of him.
He did the same.
Their greeting sounded stiff. Being the professional she was, Rachel was determined to do her job. She took her makeup brush and swept across the bridge of his nose. She tried to ignore his scent, something she’d gotten used to, and the sound of his heavy breathing.
But she couldn’t ignore the blue-gray eyes that seemed to watch her every moment. Emotions stirred within Rachel but she fought hard to keep them at bay. Making sure she didn’t take any more time than necessary, she gave him a smile and said, “All done.” And then she quickly walked away. “Unfreeze!”
They resumed shooting the scene, and when she glanced over at Paige, there was a malicious smirk on the woman’s face. Paige doubtless assumed it was Ethan who ended things between them and not the other way around. She was probably also thinking that although she might not be his date at the wrap party, neither would Rachel.
She didn’t want to be the object of discussion and speculation. But since she was, she would do everything she could to stay professional and put her and Ethan’s affair behind her.
No matter how much it hurt.
“Ethan, wait up.”
He glanced around and saw Tae’Shawna approach with a smile on her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Paige watching. She’d had the good sense to avoid him today.
“What is it, Tae’Shawna?”
“I see you’re scheduled for makeup with Rachel tomorrow.”
“And what of it?”
“If you’re uncomfortable about it, I’ll speak to John for you to have one of her assistants do it.”
He didn’t need Tae’Shawna to tell him of his schedule. He knew Rachel would be doing his makeup, which meant they would be alone in the trailer for a short while. But he figured to keep talk down, Rachel had already arranged for one of her assistants either to do his makeup or be there with her when she did it. He doubted very seriously they would be alone.
He looked at Tae’Shawna. “Why would I be uncomfortable with Rachel doing my makeup?”
She shrugged. “I just assumed since the news is out about how she came on to you to boost her career that you are leery of her now. Coming on to you was unprofessional on her part.”
Ethan put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and he didn’t care one iota about the fierce frown that settled on his face. He was sick and tired of people assuming the worst of Rachel. Bottom line was he had pursued her, he had wanted her. He still wanted her.
“First of all,” he told Tae’Shawna, “anyone with good sense knows most of what’s printed in those tabloids isn’t true. Second of all, Rachel is one of the most professional women I know. She didn’t have to come on to me because I found her attractive from day one. I saw in her something I haven’t seen in a lot of woman lately.”
Tae’Shawna lifted her chin and he could tell his words had hit a nerve. “And what is that?”
“Unselfishness. She is not self-absorbed and I doubt that she has a shallow bone in her body. In fact, she never came on to me, but you did, many times, right here on the set. So who should I think is the professional one? Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to call it a day.”
A few hours later, in the privacy of his home, Ethan sank down on his sofa frustrated as hell. He hadn’t tried making any type of contact with Rachel while on the set but he had called her several times since getting home, and she still would not accept his calls. If the paparazzi were on her tail like they were on his, he could imagine what she was going through, but that was no reason to block him out of her life.
Considering everything, he had expected her to withdraw for a day or so, but he hadn’t expected her to put up an emotional wall that he could not penetrate.
For the last three days on the set she had been cordial yet distant, as if to prove to everyone that they were not together. When she looked at him, it was as if she was looking straight through him. He knew she was trying hard to maintain a mask of nonchalance where he was concerned, determined to avoid any situation that would compromise her professionalism.
He had tried not to be angered by her actions but a part of him couldn’t help it. And now in the comfort of his home, lonely as it was, his anger was turning into intense hurt.
Why was he letting her do this to him?
Because, as he had told her, he loved her and a part of him believed she loved him back. And he believed that one day she would realize that nothing, not the paparazzi and not the threat of jeopardizing her career, was worth sacrificing their love.
Rachel cuddled on her sofa and pressed the replay button to pick up her last call.
“Rachel, this is Ethan. I know what you’re going through but I wish you would let us go through it together. When you hurt, I hurt. I love you and I know you love me. Baby, please don’t do this to us.”
She glanced over at the beautiful bouquet of flowers that had been delivered to her from Ethan by way of Charlene. Her best friend had dropped by with the flowers earlier that evening. The card attached simply said:
I love you.
Ethan
Tears rolled from her eyes. She didn’t think it would be so hard giving him up. She hadn’t counted on the agony and the pain, the feeling of loneliness and heartbreak. It was hard during the day to see him and try to ignore him. Alone in her trailer, she would feel alienated. Even after three days, everyone on the set was still abuzz about her and Ethan breaking the rules, but so far neither Frasier nor John had approached her or Ethan. She figured they were probably waiting for one of them to approach them first, so tomorrow she would.
Tomorrow… Tomorrow she was scheduled to do Ethan’s makeup. Typically they would be alone in her trailer, but she didn’t want everyone speculating about what they were doing or saying behind closed doors. To have one of her assistants fill in for her would indicate she wasn’t professional enough to handle a controversial situation. So in a way it was a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation.
Livia had come to her rescue. She volunteered to be the buffer by being in the trailer at the same time Ethan was there, on the pretext of repairing a broken nail or something. Rachel hoped the ploy worked.
Ethan knew all eyes were on him as he headed for Rachel’s trailer. No doubt there were some who had their watch set to see how long he stayed inside alone with her.
“Ethan, wait up.” He stopped and glanced around. Livia was walking toward him. She was one of the few women on set who hadn’t tried coming on to him. Like Rachel, she was a specialist in her craft. Even with all those love scenes they’d done, they had still maintained professionalism.
“I need to see Rachel a minute myself,” she said, smiling. “Broken nail.”
He smiled, seeing through her ploy. Rachel was her friend and she was making an attempt to avoid gossip and speculation.
From the look on Rachel’s face when they entered her trailer, Ethan knew for certain that Livia’s appearance had been planned. Rachel showed no surprise at seeing them both walk in.
“Hello, Ethan, you can take my chair. And Livia, I’ll fix that nail in a minute, just as soon as I finish with Ethan.”
“No problem,” Livia said, smiling. “I’ll just sit over here.”
“You can go ahead and take care of Livia and then do me,” Ethan suggested. Only after the words had left his mouth did he realize their double meaning.
“No, Livia can wait until I finish with you,” Rachel insisted.
“And I don’t have a problem with you doing her first.”
Before Rachel could open her mouth to retort, Livia spoke up. “Look, guys, evidently you two need time alone to clear up a few things.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Yes, we do.”
Livia shook her head. “Since the two of you can’t agree, I’ll make the decision
for you,” she said. “Rachel, you can work on Ethan while I excuse myself a minute to go to the ladies’ room.” Livia then headed toward the back of the trailer where the dressing room and bathroom were located.
Rachel watched her friend’s retreating back.
“You can take care of me now, Rachel.”
Rachel turned and glared at Ethan. “Do you not care about my career?”
His face rigid, he returned her glare. “And do you not care about my heart? Or yours?”
Her stomach twisted with his question, and she forced herself to ignore the stab of pain that ripped through her. “I care, but there’s nothing I can do about it, Ethan. Please just let me make you up so I can be ready for the next person.”
“Fine, get to it then.”
He reclined in the chair and she stood over him. She hesitated a moment and looked into the eyes staring back at her. Just like always when she looked at them, she was in awe of their beauty, but this time she saw the anger and pain in their depths.
Drawing in a deep breath, she brushed foundation across his cheekbones, then around his mouth, and she couldn’t help but focus on his lips. Lips she had kissed so many times. Lips she wanted to kiss again. But she fought doing so.
Those lips moved and she heard the husky but low tone of his voice. “I love you, Rachel.”
She dropped the brush from her hand and took a step back. “I’m finished, Ethan.”
He eased out of the chair, his long legs bringing him to stand directly in front of her. “You might be finished but I’m not, Rachel. At least not where you’re concerned. What we’ve shared is too precious and I won’t give up on us. Admit that you love me as much as I love you.”
She looked up at him, her heart full, but was unable to say the words he wanted to hear. “Ethan, I—I can’t say it.”
He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms and she could not have pulled out of them even if she wanted to. He lowered his head and, of their own accord, her lips parted as she sighed his name. The moment his lips touched hers she felt soothed by something she had missed for the past couple of days, something her body had gotten used to having.
A sensuous shudder passed through her as his tongue reinstated its rights to her mouth, letting her know that no matter how she continued to deny them, put distance between them, there would always be this—a passion so intense and forceful, it would take more than negative publicity to destroy it.
When he angled his head to deepen the kiss, she stretched up on tiptoes to get the full Ethan Chambers effect. And it was worth every effort. He was kissing her like a starving man, and in kind, she was kissing him like a starving woman. Her heart swelled with every stroke of his tongue, and she knew in her heart what she refused to speak out loud.
He finally pulled his mouth away and tenderly touched her cheek. “One day you will tell me that you love me and I’ll be ready to hear it when you do.” His tone was raw and husky and sent sensuous shivers all down her spine.
He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips before turning to walk out of the trailer.
Chapter 18
Rachel’s lips twitched in a smile when the limousine pulled up behind Amaury’s, an exclusive restaurant in Hollywood whose doors usually were closed until eight every night. Only Sofia, with a list of connections and contacts a mile long, could make the impossible happen.
For the past week, other than leaving for work, Rachel had pretty much stayed in and not ventured out with the paparazzi breathing down her neck. Although the breakup between Rayon Stewart and Artis Lomax and rumors of another adoption by Brad and Angelina now dominated the headlines, there were a few reporters who just didn’t know when to quit.
“We’re here, Ms. Rachel.”
“Thanks, Martin,” she said to the man who’d been the limo driver for Limelight Entertainment for years. She could recall sitting in the backseat of the huge car, with him behind the wheel, while being transported to and from private school as a child of no more than eight or nine. During those days, he kept her entertained with his own rendition of the animated voices of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. He used to be so good at it.
Moments later, he was holding the door open for her as she got out. Amaury Gaston met her at the door and gave her a big hug.
“Sofia is already seated and waiting on you, Rachel,” he said in a heavy French accent.
“Thanks.”
“I’ve prepared your favorite,” he added.
Rachel licked her lips. Chicken cordon bleu, she guessed, and Amaury’s was the best. “You like spoiling me and Sofia,” she said, smiling.
“Yes, just like I used to enjoy spoiling your parents. They were two of my first customers, and your father proposed to your mother right here one night. It was very special.”
Rachel had heard the story before but didn’t mind hearing it again. According to everyone who knew them, her parents had been very much in love.
“And I know if they were alive, they would want me to treat their girls just as special as I thought they were,” Amaury added.
Moments later, Rachel made her way toward the table where her sister sat waiting. Sofia saw her approach and smiled. With her beauty and tall, slender figure, Rachel thought Sofia could have easily been a model or actress. Instead, she had followed in their father’s footsteps and had taken his place in the family business working alongside Uncle Jacob. Despite their age difference, she and Sofia had maintained a close relationship, especially now that Sofia wasn’t as overprotective as she used to be.
Sofia stood and Rachel walked straight into her sister’s outstretched arms. Then Sofia took a step back and studied her from head to toe. “Hmm, it doesn’t look like the tabloids have beaten you up too badly, although I’m sure there are scars on the inside that I can’t see.”
Rachel felt a thickness in her throat. She hadn’t intended to let Sofia know just how shaken up she really was. Ethan’s kiss yesterday had done that enough. She had expected him to call last night, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t sure what she would have said if he had.
“Are you okay, Rach?” Sofia asked, looking into her eyes.
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
Rachel forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Come on, let’s let Amaury know we’re ready to be served. I’m starving,” she said, moving to her chair and away from her sister’s intense scrutiny.
“Okay, but don’t think you’re not going to tell me everything,” Sofia said, taking her own seat again.
“Everything like what?”
Sofia held her gaze with that “let’s get serious” expression on her face. “Everything like how you really feel about Ethan Chambers.”
“Maybe we ought to buy stock in those tabloids since you seem to be in them quite a bit these days, Ethan.”
Ethan closed his refrigerator after pulling out a cold beer. He juggled the phone as he twisted off the cap. His heart had begun pounding in his chest when the phone had rung, in hopes the caller was Rachel. Instead it was Hunter. “That’s a possibility.”
“So is any of it true?” his brother asked.
“The only thing I will admit to is an involvement with Rachel. Her motives were exploited falsely. Our being together was mutual and she didn’t need me to advance her career. She did that on her own.”
“Pretty defensive, aren’t you?”
“Can’t help but be where she’s concerned. I love her.”
There was silence on the other end, and Ethan was well aware that his brother was recovering from what he’d said. In all his twenty-eight years, he’d never admitted to loving any woman. While his brother was pondering what he’d said, Ethan took a swig of beer.
“This is serious,” Hunter finally said.
“I hope she realizes that it is. She’s tabloid shy.”
“And you’re just the opposite,” Hunter pointed out. “For as long as I can recall, you enjoyed getting in front of a camera.”
Ethan shrugged
, remembering some of his wild escapades while in high school and college. “Not when they portray my woman in a bad light.”
“Well, we’re all looking forward to meeting her. And since things are that serious, don’t forget the traditional Chambers vineyard weddings.”
Ethan smiled. “I won’t, but first I have to convince her that she loves me and that I will make her life with me worth anything the tabloids might put her through.”
“Good luck.”
Ethan drew in a deep breath. “Thanks.” He knew he was going to need it.
Sofia took another sip of her wine. “And you think Livia Blake might be looking for another agent?” she asked.
“Yes,” Rachel said, eager to keep her sister talking about something else other than her and Ethan. “Livia says at thirty her modeling days are coming to an end, and she wants an agent who will take her acting career to another level and run with it. Of course, she’s heard about Limelight Entertainment and would love to talk to you, but she’s heard how selective you are.”
Sofia didn’t deny what Rachel said. She was selective. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Livia Blake’s modeling career for a while now and wondered if she planned on doing anything beyond that. Limelight is definitely interested, so have her give me a call.”
Rachel looked at her sister and could tell she was bothered about something and that it was something other than what was going on with her and Ethan. “You’ve been working a lot lately, Sofia. When do you plan on taking another vacation?”
Sofia smiled. “Hmm, a vacation sounds nice but I won’t be going back to the islands any time soon. My clientele has doubled, and I have to find work for a lot of people.” She took another sip of her wine, leaned back in her chair and asked, “Did you know Uncle Jacob is thinking about retiring?”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “No. I talked to him a few days ago and he said nothing about that. But I can see him wanting to just chill, take it easy and travel. He and Aunt Lily have been saying they want to build that house in Barbados for years.”
Star of His Heart Page 14