He lifted her into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. He dimmed the lights and placed her on her feet. He pulled back the sheets and took her hand, leading her to the bed. She slowly began to unbutton his shirt, and he saw her hand shaking. He placed his hand over hers and lifted her face to his.
“If you have any doubts, any worries, we don’t have to do this. I know you’ve been through a lot with me, and I wouldn’t blame you if you still needed some time.”
She shifted her hand from under his and studied his face. “I’m shaking, not because I’m scared, or worried, or having second thoughts. I’m shaking because the love I feel for you is overwhelming. My body is shaking because it needs you. I need you.”
“I need you too. More than you’ll ever know.”
He lifted the strap from her shoulder and pulled it down her arm. She stilled his hands, stopping him. “Hold on a sec,” she said.
He smiled. “You’re stunning.”
“I want this shirt off.” She fumbled with the buttons before she yanked it with her hands, popping his buttons all over the room.
He watched them fall and dance on the floor as she slid his shirt down his shoulders. “Nice,” he said.
“I didn’t know I could do that. I hope you hated that shirt,” she giggled.
She undid his belt and pulled it from his waist, throwing it across the room. He watched her, fascinated.
She unlinked his button and unzipped his jeans. He took a deep breath as his fingers trailed her arms before twisting a strand of her hair around his finger.
She slid his pants and underwear down in one motion, springing his erection free. He smiled at her blush. She glared into his eyes and pushed him onto the bed. He fell back into a sitting position, kicking his pants off his legs. She took a step back and took a deep breath. He watched her eyes take him in.
“You wanted me to look at you?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he managed.
Her eyes started on his legs. She raised her gaze to his waist, and his dick twinged when saw her mouth part slightly. She bit her lip as her eyes moved up his chiseled chest. She stood a little taller as her eyes met his.
“You’re amazing,” he said.
“So are you,” she replied. She took another deep breath and lifted the other strap from her arm, letting it fall off her shoulder.
He stopped smiling as he watched her undress in front of him.
“The other day, when you were sleeping in my bed,” she started, “I undressed in front of you. You didn’t see.”
He shook his head no as she slid the material from her breasts, hiding them with her arms.
“I was wondering if I’d be able to do it again with you actually watching me. I wondered how it would feel. If it would make me feel the way it did that day.”
“How did it make you feel?” he asked, his voice smoldering, cracking.
“It made me feel hot.” She slid the remaining material off her body and stood naked in front of him, removing her arms from her breasts.
He gasped, lowered his head, and took in the sight of her from the tops of his eyes. “How does it make you feel now?” he asked.
She smiled as she stepped toward him. “It makes me feel the way you make me feel.”
He leaned his head into her stomach and gently kissed her. “How is that, baby?” he asked as he lifted his eyes to hers.
“Beautiful,” she said softly.
He stood and pressed his lips against her mouth, lowering her onto the bed and making love to her like he’d never done before.
***
THEY SPENT THE next three days alternating between bedrooms and showers. He’d made love to her in every room and most definitely on the table. She made him breakfast while he played the piano and sang to her. She’d fallen asleep on the couch with Murphy curled up next to her while Jake made calls in the other room. She’d felt his arms lift her and carry her to their bed. She’d curled her face into his neck and smelled him deeply. He’d told her the next morning about the night he’d carried her to her bed when she was working for him and how badly he’d wanted to bury himself in her. It didn’t take much convincing for him to reenact the memory.
Madi returned to school and alternated her time between her dorm, when she was on call, and the condo. The days she spent the night at school without him were tough. She started to find it difficult to sleep without him. One night, after completing a difficult paper and two crazy nights on call, she heard a quiet knock on her door. She pulled her glasses from her eyes and opened her door to a hooded Jake holding a bouquet of mixed flowers over his face. She pulled him into her room as she heard Rob sigh in the hall. They christened her dorm bed that night.
She continued to receive emails. Some were pictures and others were news clips. One day, she received an image of Tessa’s car from a newspaper. Jake and Rob spent a lot of time behind closed doors, in deep discussion over that one. Madi knew something was going on. Jake seemed increasingly distraught and angry. She’d hear him pacing at night in the hall. He frequently barked at Dave on the phone. The music he would play on the piano was melancholy. She knew he was troubled. A few times he said he didn’t want to talk about it and that everything was fine. One night, a week later, she heard him moaning in his sleep. His eyes were flittering under his lids and she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Jake,” she said, gently shaking him. “You’re dreaming.”
He woke with a start and panted slightly before his hands eased through his hair. She leaned her head on his chest and stared into his eyes. “Something’s going on. You promised me you’d tell me the truth. I don’t like the feeling that you’re keeping something from me again.”
He pushed up on his elbows and Madi rose along with him.
He pursed his lips. “I’m not trying to keep anything from you. I don’t know how to process things. I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Talk to me. You know I’m always here for you.”
He lifted his hand and glided his finger through her hair. “I know you are,” he said. “Greg was here last week while you were at school. It seems that the reason he removed the water from my room backstage was because Caleb told him to. Caleb.”
Madi frowned as she sat up a little straighter. “Caleb? Why would he take the water out of your room?”
“That’s a good question. He was carrying a bottle of water that night. I took it from him after the concert.” Jake sighed as he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “It looks like the person I need to be worried about might be the person I thought I could trust beyond a doubt.”
Madi’s eyes bore into him as she processed what he was saying. She placed her arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “You should have told me. I could tell you were upset. I could have helped you.”
“How? How can you possibly help me? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with all this.” Jake stood and gripped his hair in his hands. “Everything is falling apart and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or who I’m supposed to be anymore.” He turned abruptly and stomped toward the kitchen.
Madi pulled on her robe and slowly eased into the room. She leaned on the doorframe and watched him take a long drink from a bottle of water. He looked down at it in his hand and crumpled it before tossing it into the sink. His head bowed down as he leaned forward, staring at the bottle in the sink. She didn’t say a word. She wasn’t sure what to say. Caleb had always been there for Jake. He was one of Jake’s best friends. Could Caleb have betrayed him? What would he have to gain? Madi stared at him as she considered how she would feel if Kendra had done something to purposefully hurt her. She shuddered at the thought.
His gaze shifted to her. She smiled reassuringly.
He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, coming toward her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you want to help.”
“Do you think Caleb might not have known the water was tainted?”
Ja
ke shook his head. “Greg said Caleb insisted he leave that night. He told him he’d take care of me. He was the only one I remember being there.”
Madi listened with furrowed brows. “Does that mean Caleb was blackmailing Allison?”
Jake frowned. “I don’t know. I want to confront him in person. I want to see his face when I ask him straight out. But I’m here and he’s there and—”
“Jake! If you need to go, go! Don’t stay here because of me.”
“I am here because of you. I want to be here. It’s just that being away from L.A. is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.”
Madi frowned. “You’re struggling because of me.”
“No, it’s not because of you. It’s because my life is fucked up. It’s because I don’t know who I can trust anymore. I thought everything was just starting to fall into place.” Jake paced with his hands behind his head. “Now I have Peter Markum gunning for me, sneaking into my job and threatening you at every turn. I have the media down my throat because they think I’m carrying on with Allison Gregory. My family is guarded because I don’t know if Peter is coming after them. The press is hounding Gina for information about me. I worry about you every second, wondering whether or not you’re safe enough here, or with me at all. Now I have to consider that my manager, who I’ve known for ten years, might have tried to drug me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how to make this right! Everywhere I look, there’s destruction, doubt and heartache.”
“Everywhere?” she questioned as she approached him. She gently tugged on his arm so that it fell from his head. He glanced at her painfully.
“That’s not what I meant. I just—”
“Shh,” she replied. “Look at me.”
Jake closed his eyes briefly before meeting hers.
“Even though Peter was released on bond before the hearing, we both know he’s going to go to jail for a long time for what he tried to do. The court date is coming up. Once he’s locked behind bars, we’ll check him off the list,” she said, marking the air. “Tomorrow morning, you are going to fly back to L.A. and confront Caleb. You’re going to find out if he did what you think he did and why. If he was responsible, then you’ll file charges against him and we’ll put him away, too. There’s another check off the list.”
Jake huffed in amusement as she spoke.
“As for Gina and your family, they’re tough as nails. They can handle this because they love you. We’re going to find out why Allison was involved, even if I have to beat it out of her myself.” Madi gritted her teeth as she spoke. “And as for me…” She pressed her palm into his cheek. “I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you. When I’m with you, I’m safe and I’m loved. I’d go through every second of everything that’s happened with us to know I’d still be standing here with you.”
Jake turned and breathed into her hand before kissing her palm. “Remind me again how I found you?” he asked, smiling.
“It was a contest,” she said. “Now that it’s over, it seems the universe wants to test us and our relationship. The other side of the contest is another test. We’re tested at every turn.”
“Yes we are,” he sighed. “But we always come out better than before.”
She nodded and he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose.
She gazed into his eyes. “I believe in you and I believe in us. There’s a reason I won that contest. It’s because you and I were meant to be together. What are the chances that my entry was picked and that we’d fall in love? It isn’t chance and it isn’t luck. I’m going to stand by you through all of this, and I promise you, I’ll still be here when the dust clears—and it will clear.”
Jake’s mouth curled into a smile. “How did I ever function without you?”
“I have no idea,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
He lifted her over his shoulder and held her legs to his chest.
“Jake!” she screamed, beating his backside with her hands.
He laughed as he flopped her onto the bed and climbed over her.
“I’m a lucky man,” he breathed into her mouth as he untied her robe.
“We’ll figure this out,” she whispered.
He pressed his lips and hips to hers until their thoughts were only of each other.
GREG AND DAVE stood in front of Caleb’s office building, waiting for Jake to arrive. Ang was inside, keeping Caleb busy. He had no idea that Jake had returned to L.A. to confront him.
Dave slid into Jake’s car as it pulled in front of the building. “What do you have?” Jake asked.
“It seems Diane filed for a legal separation. She stated irreconcilable differences as the reason.”
“Huh,” Jake huffed with his fist to his lips. “I had no idea things were that bad.”
Dave shook his head. “After you left the Halloween party, Caleb spent a lot of time with Allison. She seemed annoyed with him at first, but Trey said she seemed uncomfortable. They left around the same time, but no one thought anything of it.”
“Where is Allison?” Jake asked.
“She’s still at her family’s home. We haven’t heard a word from her. Has she contacted you?”
“No,” Jake responded. “But I think I need to see her again while I’m here. Maybe once I confront Caleb, I’ll finally get some answers from her.”
Jake’s cell rang and he glanced down. “It’s Ang,” he said to Dave. “Hey, Ang. I’m outside talking to Dave.”
“Well, you’d better get in here soon. Something’s going on with him,” Ang warned.
Jake ended the call. “Let’s do it.”
Jake walked through the doors into the building and up the stairs to Caleb’s office. Ang clenched her hands together as he approached. He kissed her cheek.
“I don’t like this one bit, Jake. Not one bit.”
“I know. Go home. I’ll call you when I know something.”
Ang nodded her head and grabbed her purse. “Be careful, Jake. He’s been acting weird all day.”
Jake watched Ang descend the stairs before he knocked on Caleb’s closed office door.
“Not now, Ang. I’m busy,” he shouted.
Jake opened the door and Caleb’s eyes jumped up from his laptop, slamming it shut as soon as he saw him.
“Jake!” he exclaimed excitedly. “You’re back.” His eyes darted from Jake, then to Dave and Greg, who stood behind him with their arms folded, faces stern.
“You and I need to talk,” Jake stated as he slid into a chair and motioned for Caleb to do the same.
“Alright… Guys, close the door on your way out,” Caleb said, motioning to Dave and Greg.
They stood there unmoving until Jake turned and nodded. Dave shot Caleb an evil glare before he pulled the door closed behind him.
“What the hell was that all about?” Caleb said in a huff as he pointed toward the door. “I’m not so sure about Dave anymore. I think he might be getting too old for this.”
“Dave’s not the problem,” Jake stated.
“Okay, so now that you’re back, I think I can get you some studio time, maybe Wednesday.” Caleb reached for his phone and Jake held up his hand to stop him.
“I said we need to talk.”
“What’s wrong?” Caleb questioned. “Did something happen with Allison? She seems to have dropped off the planet. No one can seem to find her.”
“I know where she is,” Jake stated, crossing his arms.
“Oh, I see. You two are together, after all,” he said with a smirk.
“I’ve never been with Allison. You of all people know that’s true.”
“What do you mean?” Caleb questioned.
“Tell me again what happened the night I was drugged.”
“Jake, there’s no proof you were drugged. Now I don’t know why you keep…”
Jake opened his wallet and tossed a folded paper onto Caleb’s desk.
Caleb glared at him as he opened the paper.
“Ketamine?
” Caleb asked. “What’s that?”
“Don’t play stupid with me. How did you do it?” he asked, lifting his chin.
“Do what?” Caleb asked, standing.
“Sit your ass back down, Caleb. You’re not going anywhere.”
Caleb slowly curled back into the chair.
“The bottle of water you gave me that night. It had Ketamine in it. You drugged me. You called Allison Gregory and had her fly to Melbourne. You set the whole thing up, you mother fucker.”
“Jake, I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but…”
“Save it. Dave checked your car. He found the camera this morning.”
Caleb sighed before a small smile tugged at his lips. “I didn’t think it was a good idea at first, but it grew on me. I admit, once I thought it through, I realized it was best for you. Don’t you see? Everything was for you. You have to know. Ever since those photos came out, your popularity has skyrocketed. You’re all over the press. Everyone wants you, Jake. I’ve had calls from movie producers. Movie producers who want you! You’ve made more money off sales in the last month than in the last six combined. Don’t you see? I knew this was best for you. I always know what’s best for you.”
Jake stood. His jaw clenched as he reached out and grabbed Caleb by the shirt over the desk. “You don’t know shit about me. This isn’t about me. It’s never been about me. It’s been about you and what you want, you greedy little bastard. You wanted me in the papers. You exploited me for your own personal gain. How many bribes did you take to get me to do those interviews? Huh?” Jake released his shirt and pushed him back into the chair.
“You kept pushing me toward her,” Jake continued. “You even told the press I said ‘Allie’ in Chicago instead of ‘Madi.’ Why? So you could link us? Did you have this in mind the whole time?”
“Cut the crap, Jake,” Caleb said as he straightened his shirt. “You agreed that releasing ‘Allie’ instead of ‘Madi’ was a great idea. You knew that being linked to some gold-digging brat from Chicago would be bad for your career.”
“Gold-digging what?” Jake said as he flew around the table and grabbed him by the neck.
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