“What did you say?”
“I don’t know where that came from, Sable.” Colt pulled to a stop, but it was too late to knock himself unconscious.
“Sounded to me like you knew exactly what you meant.”
Sable was out of the car before Colt could apologize. Or figure out how. She walked to his door and opened it.
“Get out. I can’t leave you here like a sitting duck. No matter how tempting the prospect.”
“Sable…”
“Move.”
Colt hated feeling like a chastised little boy, but there it was. He walked ahead of Sable toward the house, his hands shoved in his front pockets and his shoulders slightly slumped.
“Are you going to let me apologize?”
“Right now, I don’t want to hear the sound of your voice.”
“But—”
“You made it.”
Frustrated, Colt watched as Jade ran down the front steps to greet them, enveloping Sable in a warm hug. The look Sable gave him over Jade’s shoulder made him feel about an inch high.
“I count nineteen cars. How many people are here?”
Here was Nate and Paige’s home. It was big and sprawling. Too big for one person. But now that Paige lived with him, there never seemed to be enough room. She took care of animals. It was her gift and her passion. Most of them were there temporarily until she could heal their wounds—mental and physical. Then they moved on to permanent homes
Paige started small. A few horses. Then a couple of dogs. But it didn’t take long for the numbers to grow. There always seemed to be another animal in need, and Paige hated turning one away.
Nate had plans to add two more corrals and another barn. He liked living the life of the gentleman rancher. But more than that, he loved Paige. If she were happy, he was happy.
After some deliberation, it was decided it made sense for Sable to teach the self-defense class somewhere more private than the room where the support group usually met. Besides, it didn’t have the proper equipment.
Jade and Garrett were in the middle of a huge remodel—including the in-home gym. Since Nate and Paige already had a state of the art facility, they volunteered to play host.
“Most of the women carpooled. I’m afraid word spread to some other groups. Callie wanted to take the class. With her and Paige? Forty-six.”
Sable couldn’t hide her surprise. It was depressing to think of that many women, in such a small area, needing support. And of all the others trapped in abusive relationships, who had no idea how to get out.
“If there’s room, I don’t mind the number. In the Army, I taught bigger groups.”
“Mostly men.”
“True. Men can show a lot of stupidity when a woman is in charge.” Sable gave Colt a long look. “Comparatively? This crowd should be a piece of cake.”
Colt began to wander off. The idea of checking out the horses seemed more appealing than entering a house filled with people.
“Are you trying to get on my last nerve?”
Colt sighed. What now?
“I didn’t say anything.”
“For which I am extremely grateful. But you can’t go out there by yourself.”
“For fuck’s sake, Sable. It’s a corral. With horses. What do you think is going to happen?”
“Nothing is going to happen, you idiot.” Sable grabbed Colt by the ears, pulling him to eye level. “Because I won’t let it.” Then she planted a kiss on his mouth.
Colt didn’t have time to do more than enjoy the ride. When Sable dropped her hold, both of them were breathing hard. The anger lingered, but most of the heat had mellowed—at least on his side. Sable’s eyes held his for a second longer.
“Understand?”
“I think so.” Sable held duty above all else. The problem was, it was easy to forget that she wasn’t his girlfriend. And too easy for her to remember she was his bodyguard. He couldn’t help it. It pissed him off—logical or not.
“Let’s go in the house.” Jade took Colt’s arm. “Nate is going to give Garrett a tour of the place during Sable’s class. You can go with them.”
“Am I allowed out of your sight?” Colt asked, not looking at Sable as he passed her and escorted Jade up the steps.
It was just as well. He wouldn’t have appreciated the double fuck you fingers Sable shot at his back. But Nate saw them. He stood on the porch, grinning.
“What’s so amusing?”
“You, little brother.” Nate winked at Sable.
Suspicious, Colt glanced between them.
“You kissed her.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Sable rolled her eyes.
“What?” Nate had no idea what was going on. “Kissed who? Sable?”
“Ignore him, Nate. He put his head up his ass. Which is appropriate since he’s full of shit.”
“I don’t know what you did, Colt. But trust me. Quit while you’re behind. The hole can only get deeper.”
“In the house.” It wasn’t a request. Colt wanted to tell Sable to go to hell, but Nate enjoyed the show way too much. This could wait for later.
Nate waited until Colt and Jade were inside before putting a friendly arm around Sable’s shoulders.
“You’re good for him.”
“How so?”
“You don’t simper and moon over him.”
“I should hope not,” Sable scoffed.
Nate let out an appreciative laugh. His eyes, so like Colt’s, crinkled at the corners. He was bigger than his brothers. Taller, with thicker muscles that were necessary for his job. He made his living as a stuntman. And was damn good at it. But his temperament belied his size. Sweet to the core. But get him mad. Threaten anyone he cared about, and Nate Landis wasn’t a man to tangle with.
“What was that kissing thing about?”
“I suggested that I might have kissed you. Before you met Paige. I was teasing him. Something we do to each other all the time. Suddenly, he lost his sense of humor.”
“Mmm.”
“What?” Sable put her fists on her hips. “He was completely unreasonable.”
“No doubt.”
Nate understood where Colt was coming from. His temper would have flared if one of his brothers had made a move on Paige. Even if it were before they fell in love. There was no statute of limitation on that kind of thing.
“Then there was the I don’t like to share my toys crack. Try and justify that one.”
He groaned. That hole Colt dug himself was deeper than Nate imagined.
“There is no argument for that one.”
“Exactly,” Sable nodded.
“Except—”
“Go on.”
Nate loved the thrill of jumping from a plane at twenty thousand feet or crashing a two hundred thousand dollar sports car into a building. Controlled danger was one thing—Sable was another. She had the skills to kick his ass—something she had proven on one very memorable occasion. The spark of heat in her eyes had him holding up his hands in surrender.
“I was going to say I understand the impulse. A man in—” Nate almost slipped and said a man in love. It wasn’t his place to put that out there. No matter how obvious Colt and Sable’s feeling were to anyone with eyes. “Colt isn’t used to a woman like you, Sable.”
Sable crossed her arms. Her stance was a little too combative for his liking. “A woman like me? Who am I, Nate?”
“Independent. Non-clingy. You don’t care about his money or his celebrity. Colt is used to women who want to be seen on his arm as much, or more, than they want to be with him.”
Sable didn’t speak for several seconds. But her eyes softened from a hard brown to a mellow gold.
“Why does that make me sad?”
Nate wanted to give Sable a shake and say because you love him, you beautiful idiot. Instead, he smiled and gave her a hug. Why was it so hard to admit something so wonderful? Nate wondered. If he knew the answer, he would have said it to Paige weeks sooner. He supposed that
love made idiots of them all. Hopefully, Colt and Sable would wise up and put themselves out of their misery.
“Colt knows the score, Sable. He’s not a victim. Call it tit for tat.”
“In other words, they let him play with their tits in exchange for his tat.”
Nate threw his head back and laughed. Hard. It made Sable smile and drew Paige from the house.
“Want to share the joke?” she asked with a grin, her eyes sparkling.
“Yes.” Nate wrapped his arms around her. “Later. When we’re alone.”
“Oh.” Paige winked at Sable. “It’s that kind of joke.”
“No. But I don’t want to show you my tat in public.”
Chuckling, Sable slipped into the house, giving Nate and Paige some privacy. As she closed the door, she saw Nate cup Paige’s face so sweetly it made her heart ache a little. A woman would give up a lot to have a man look at her like that.
“Hey.” Colt gave her a tentative smile.
“Hey.” Her smile wasn’t the least bit cautious.
Talking to Nate had helped settle things in her mind. It gave Sable a new perspective on Colt’s life. Yes, women catered to him. Pampered him. Built him up to almost God-like status. And Colt reveled in the attention. But those women were often users. Taking advantage of his fame and power to advance their own agendas.
Colt knew the score. He wasn’t a babe in the woods. No one took what he wasn’t willing to give. However, it had to prey on his mind. Occasionally, he had to ask himself the question. Do they like me? Or are they only interested in Colton Landis, Movie Star?
“Still pissed?” Colt asked.
“A little.” She wasn’t going to lie. “Are you?”
“A little.” Colt sent her a half-grin instead of a whole one. It didn’t matter. It only took a fraction of his smile to make her stomach flip-flop. “Want to kiss and make up?”
“In front of all these people? Not on your life.”
“When did you get shy?”
“Not shy. But, Colt.” Sable lowered her voice. “Your mother and father are over there.”
“Who? Them? They hug and kiss all the time. No matter who’s looking. They wouldn’t blink an eye.”
“My parents barely spoke. Or touched.” Sable let out a happy sigh when Colt took her hand. “Honestly, I can’t remember them kissing in front of me. Not even on the cheek.”
Colt loved when she unintentionally gave him another piece to the Sable puzzle. She wasn’t a toucher. Hugging didn’t come naturally. For Colt, it was like breathing. Second nature. The longer they spent time together, the more she was at ease with it. Every now and then, much to his delight, she would rub his back when he leaned over to look in the fridge. Or brush her fingers across his cheek after she handed him a beer. Little things. But, as time went on, they added up to so much more.
“No kissing in front of my parents,” he promised. For now.
“Good. Would you like a clean slate?”
The look in Sable’s eyes turned from friendly to cagey, putting Colt on red alert. He knew he would regret it, but he couldn’t resist the offer.
“Sure. What can I do?”
“Nothing strenuous. All you have to do is stand around and look pretty.”
AS IT TURNED out, Colt didn’t do a lot of standing. When he wasn’t on his back, he was trying to avoid landing on it. Nothing was injured. Except his pride. But the laughter that followed his every defeat wasn’t malicious. At first, the chuckles were muted. A bit reluctant. But soon it filled the room. Loud and unrestrained. Colt didn’t mind a slightly bruised ego if it meant he was helping to bring these women out of their shells.
“Remember. Your first and best defense is to find a way not to engage your would-be attacker. Run. Scream. Draw as much attention as possible.”
“I heard yelling fire is more effective than calling for help.” The comment came from the back. Colt tried to see who it was, but she was hidden by several other women.
“Unfortunately, that’s true.” Sable kept her gaze steady and her voice even. She was there to help empower these women. That meant giving them the truth. No matter how brutal.
“It’s easier to look the other way. Some people are afraid to get involved. Others figure, if it isn’t me, I couldn’t care less. But.” Sable looked around. “And this a big one. Most people do care. They want to help.”
It was a hard sell to women who had been brutalized by so-called loved ones. Boyfriends. Husbands. Fathers. Men whose first instincts should have been to protect—not hit.
“They are the weak ones. You are strong. You got out. You survived. Gradually. A little bit at a time, you are thriving. I’m here to help you take one more step in that direction.”
Colt noticed a few of the women nodding. There were a few tears. And a few curses. But they all held their heads up with pride. Sable couldn’t have put it better. Survivors. Each and every one of them.
“Hands up. Who wants to knock the Sexiest Man Alive on his ass?”
More laughter. Sable grinned at him. Colt silenced a groan. She knew she had him. He couldn’t refuse.
As the women lined up for the pleasure of manhandling Colton Landis, he started a list in his head. One hundred and one ways to get even with Sable Ford. It was such a satisfying mental exercise, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sable asked so only he could hear.
Colt held her gaze. “I’ll tell you later. With pleasure.”
HOURS LATER, THE last thing Sable was thinking about was Colt’s thinly veiled promise.
After she had finished the class, most of the women lingered to ask follow-up questions. Some stayed to rubberneck.
It wasn’t every day they met so many famous people. The chances of it happening again were zero to none. Sable couldn’t blame them for taking advantage. Especially when Colt and the rest of the Landis clan were so friendly and gracious.
“When is the next class?” The question came from a pretty woman with shoulder-length auburn hair. She spoke in a soft, hesitant voice as though she wasn’t used to speaking for herself.
It wasn’t the first time one of the women had asked. Sable realized that she should have made an announcement that this was a one-time thing before she dismissed everyone, but she thought they already knew.
“I’m sorry. What’s your name?”
“Marta.” She looked around furtively.
Sable smiled, wanting to assure Marta that no one was going to fault her for asking a simple question. She admired the woman for making the obvious effort to step up and make herself heard. For most people, it wouldn’t seem like a big deal. But something told Sable it was a big step for Marta.
“I wish I could continue the classes, Marta. But I have a job that takes up most of my time.”
“Oh.” She seemed to melt into herself. Part embarrassed. Part afraid. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to… I mean…”
“Marta?” Colt gave her a gentle smile. “Would you like a glass of my mother’s world-famous lemonade? I usually keep it all to myself but I would be happy to share a glass with you.”
“I don’t know.” Marta looked around, then down at the ground.
“Please,” Colt urged. He spoke as he would to a frightened kitten. “You would be doing me a big favor. If you’re with me, I won’t gorge on cookies.” He patted his flat stomach. “The camera picks up every extra pound.”
“Okay.”
Colt held out his arm. The gesture surprised Marta so much, Sable thought she was going to faint. Instead, she smiled shyly, tentatively letting him escort her to a table laid out with refreshments.
“If I didn’t adore him already, I would now,” Jade said, joining Sable. They watched as Colt kept up a casual conversation with Marta. “She’s a new member of the group. It took a lot to persuade her to come today. Talking to you took every ounce of courage she possessed. Now look at her. Colt has her blushing and answering his questions. The man is a sweetheart.”
>
Sable agreed. Colt was irresistible.
“I don’t know how this works.” Sable frowned. She didn’t want to step on any sensitive toes. “May I ask what happened to Marta or is it confidential?”
Jade shook her head. “We share our stories—when we’re ready. Talking about it helps. The point is to get abuse out of the shadows. Even now, there’s a stigma attached. If someone punches you, you must have done something to deserve it. If you’re raped, you led them on. You asked for it so you deserve what you got.”
“I wish I could say that surprises me.”
“You understand better than most, don’t you?”
Sable frowned, her eyes puzzled. “I empathize. But no one has ever abused me, Jade.
“What about your commanding officer?”
“What about him?”
Sable’s stomach clenched. What did Jade know? Had Colt said something? She refused to believe he would betray her trust, but there was no other explanation.
“You don’t remember, do you?” Jade’s green eyes filled with concern. “I’m sorry. You mentioned it in passing. You were packing your things and the car was waiting to take you to the airport. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I’d realized.”
Suddenly, the memory of that day came back to her. Jade had asked why she left the Army and Sable made an almost joking reference to her C.O. asking her to get on her knees. It had been stupid to make light of it, but sometimes it was either laugh or cry. Sable preferred laughter.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Jade. It’s something I try not to think about. I forgot that I’d said anything to you.”
“I know you walked away,” Jade said. “It was still abuse. It does help to talk about it, Sable. The women in my group are there if you need us.”
“Thank you for the offer.” Her gaze wandered to Colt. “But I have someone who’s a very good listener.”
“I see.” Nodding, Jade smiled when she saw where Sable was looking. “There’s something about a Landis boy. They make opening up easy.”
“Why is that?” It was something that had puzzled Sable for some time. She wasn’t the type to confide her problems. Yet she told Colt everything. About her strange relationship with her mother. How painful it was to be cut off from her father. And the ugly business that made her resign from the Army. He knew it all.
Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) Page 22