california christmas dreams (16 page)

One eyebrow rose. “I thought you were out of the business, Miss Gray.”

Her exploits were front-page material; the industry was still a small world and everyone either knew everyone or knew of them. Jake wasn’t surprised that Daryl knew her history.

“No, no I’m not,” Annie said in a rush. She glanced at Jake, biting her lips nervously. “I’m revamping my image.”

Daryl studied her thoughtfully. “Let’s get together sometime next week and we’ll talk.”

Annie looked ecstatic. “Yes, thank you.” She drifted away as though she were walking on a cloud.

“She has talent, but terrible choice in material. I can help her,” Daryl said. “If she ever decides she wants to be a singer and not just a pop star.”

Jake didn’t know what to say. This business was cutthroat, and this man had just been kind to a young woman with the personality of a child.

Merry leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. “You always were one of the nicest guys in the business.”

Daryl shrugged. “I learned a lot from you.”

“In three dates,” Merry said.

He leaned over. “It would have been more if I hadn’t been such a jackass.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I have to get ready for my opening number. I’ll see you inside. If you ever feel like reliving the past...” He walked off.

“Are you going to call him?” Jake asked.

“That’s not my life anymore, and believe it or not, I’m good with that.”

Jake said nothing. They managed to get into the foyer, away from the hounding of the entertainment reporters and the photographers.

“You’re an odd woman, Meredith Alcott.”

Her eyebrows rose. “How so?”

“I’ve never met anyone in the business who graciously retired the way you have.”

“It took me a while to be graciously retired,” she replied.

An usher approached and Jake pulled the tickets out of his pocket and handed them to the young man. He led them into the theater and showed them their places.

* * *

Merry settled in her seat. She felt a little odd over all the attention she was receiving. Who knew she’d had that kind of impact? She’d once run into a couple of young teens who’d told her that her character had influenced their lives. She would never have thought that Chloe was so influential. To Merry she was just the girl who had cleaned up Maddie’s messes.

And now being here at the Music Awards set her heart to pounding. So many people remembered her, and she was totally surprised.

“Are you all right?” Jake asked.

“Yes. Today was a little more eye-opening than I had expected.”

“You thought you’d come here, blend in and no one would remember who you are.”

“Pretty much,” she replied.

“How does that make you feel?”

“No. We’re not playing shrink today. Let’s just enjoy the show.” She settled back in her seat and took several deep breaths, trying to calm her jumping nerves.

Her mind leaped to the two offers for set design. She wasn’t about to put that money into the shoe fund just quite yet. She needed to see if the offers were genuine or just people being polite. Though the prospect of working for them was exciting.

The seats were filling up fast. A discreet glance at Jake’s watch told her the show would be starting in less then ten minutes. She was going to enjoy her evening with Jake and not think about anything else.

* * *

During the after-party, the ballroom was alive with music, flashing lights, the clink of china and glasses and a hundred people on the dance floor gyrating to the loud music. Waitstaff moved between tables, balancing trays and flutes of champagne and other drinks.

The beautiful people of the music industry were all having a great time, especially Merry. Jake sat at his table, hardly able to take his eyes off her. In her dragon dress, as she called it, she looked almost demure compared to the other women who in various states of revealing décolletage seemed overblown.

Merry’s long-sleeved gown covered her from neck to midthigh without revealing a piece of skin other than her long legs. And yet she was the sexiest woman at the party. Merry didn’t need to show skin to be sexy. Her self-confidence showed in the classy look of her dress and the matching shoes. The other women in the room, no matter how wealthy or famous, didn’t even begin to compare to her.

Daryl and Merry were on the crowded dance floor and Jake could barely contain the spurt of jealousy he felt. They looked good together, with their easy camaraderie and graceful moves. Merry was laughing and looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Victor Taylor slid into the empty chair next to Jake. “You haven’t taken your eyes off her for hours.”

“She is my date,” Jake said.

“How many years have we known each other?” Vic took a sip of his champagne. “I’ve met some of the women you’ve dated. And trust me. She’s more than just a date.”

Merry twirled around, the hem of her dress flaring and showing more of her beautiful legs. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, her body swaying with the music.

Jake thought about that for a moment. “When I first met her, I was so prepared to dislike her that finding out she’s not some psycho ex-celebrity trying to get back into the public eye has thrown me off my stride.”

“Maybe somebody has become a tad too jaded about their profession.”

Jake twisted to look at his friend. “What are you saying?”

Vic glanced thoughtfully at Merry and then back to Jake. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always stuck to really safe women. Women like you, committed to their career and, well...dull.”

“Are you saying I’m dull?”

“I’m saying you think you like dull. And Merry isn’t dull.”

“No, since I’ve known her, my life has been sort of like being on one of my dad’s roller coasters.”

“You told me once you didn’t like roller coasters.” Vic took an olive from the table’s vegetable centerpiece. “Have you changed your mind?”

The music had changed to a waltz and Daryl’s hands seemed to be all over Merry except where they should be.

“Maybe,” Jake finally answered.

“Then you need to get her away from Daryl. That man still uses women like hankies. Go dance with her, bro.” Vic shoved Jake out of his chair.

Jake stepped through the dancers until he reached Daryl. He tapped Daryl on the shoulder and when the man looked up, Jake smiled and said, “My turn.”

Merry smiled at him and walked into his arms, her body pressed against his as he led her into the first step of the waltz and whirled her around.

“Are you thinking about dating him again?” Jake asked with a tilt of his head at Daryl Wicks, who’d already found another partner.

“No,” Merry said. “He’s hard on the women he dates. And frankly, he just wants to date me so he can dump me.”

“That’s a little cynical,” Jake said.

“You’re probably right. Daryl hasn’t found the right woman yet, and I know I’m not her.”

She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, and he reveled in the sensation of her lean body against his. He could stay this way all night. The feel of her in his arms was so right, so...perfect. He wanted the dance to go on forever. He wanted to do more than just dance. He wanted more than a kiss, more than a moment of having her in his arms. He wanted to make love to her, to feel her beneath him in the throes of passion.

Jake was so startled at the trajectory of his thoughts, he almost stopped dancing.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

She let him lead her back to the table. She grabbed her purse, and with her hand tightly in his, he led her out of the ballroom, through the hotel foyer and out into the cool November night.

Chapter 10

M
erry couldn’t believe she’d asked him in for a nightcap. She’d been even more surprised when he’d accepted. He’d dismissed the limo, saying he’d get a cab home, and now Jake sat in her living room, his tuxedo jacket neatly folded over the arm of the sofa and a glass of wine in his hand. She’d removed her shoes and neatly tucked them in a corner. She knelt in front of the fireplace and started a fire. She sat down on the fuzzy rug she kept there, and he joined her.

The fire flickered across his face. Something in his dark eyes sent her pulse racing and her heart pounding until she was breathless.

He wasn’t taking a cab home. He was spending the night. And the thought of what was about to happen made her knees weak and her palms hot.

“I like your house,” he said, looking around. “You have excellent taste in art.”

“It’s all mine,” she replied. “I started drawing when I was barely out of diapers and as I grew older, I took a drawing pad and pencils with me everywhere I went. I have boxes of drawings in the attic.” When she’d bought her house, she’d delved deeply into the arts and crafts period and at first created artworks to fit it. Then she’d fallen in love with Erté, and even though his art was classified as art deco, she loved the contrast between his lithographs and her furniture. Her own art began to reflect her love of his style.

His eyebrows went up. He tilted his head and half closed his eyes as he studied each canvas.

“I have more in the bedroom.”

“I want to see them...eventually.” He grinned at her.

She wanted to tease, to tantalize him. She ached to touch his skin, to run her fingers over the curve of each muscle.

“Thank you for this evening.” The warmth of his knee pressed against hers. Heat exploded through her, spiraling down her spine in a burst of passion that made her gasp. “I enjoyed myself very much.”

He set his wine down on a nearby table and then took her hand. “For a moment, I thought I was going to lose you to the media.” He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed the tips.

“Not a chance.” Her skin tingled. She almost snatched her hand back at the flare of desire that touching him roused in her. “Have you finally decided I’m not going to hurt your father?”

“I’ve decided I want to kiss you.” He slid his arms around her and pulled her to him. He leaned against a chair flanking the fireplace and gathered her close to him. She closed her eyes, taking in the feel of his body next to hers, his fingers on her skin.

Goosebumps rose on her arms. Her breath caught in her throat. His lips were warm and soft against her; his breath fanned across her cheek. She breathed deeply of his scent, like a forest after a rain.

A fire started deep in her stomach, radiating outward. She gasped at the strength of her passion, of her desire to grab him and tear off his clothes.

His fingers trailed gently down her neck to the swell of her breasts beneath the soft fabric of her dress.

He parted her lips, his tongue sliding against hers, his breath sweet. Heat flooded her.

“You are so soft.” He nipped her ear, his tongue twirling around the lobe.

She shivered. Her breasts grew tight against her dress and heat curled its way across her skin. Her fingers started unbuttoning his shirt. She’d watched a TV show where the heroine seduced the hero by tearing his shirt off. Merry called it naked-chest seduction. The wild, uninhibited part of her wanted to tear Jake’s shirt off, but the practical part of her said he’d have nothing to wear home later. She almost giggled at the oddness of her thoughts.

“And you are—” she ran her hand over his warm chest “—smooth.” She flicked a nipple and it grew taut.

He kissed her again, so deeply she felt it all the way to her toes. She felt so alive, so in need.

He slid his hands down to the hem of her dress and slowly inched it up her legs exposing her black silk panties. She leaned away to allow him to remove it completely. He folded the dress carefully, as though preserving it for the distant future. He draped it over the arm of the chair.

“I like black lace,” he said, sliding his fingers under her bra and testing the hooks.

She’d file that away for later. She pushed the sides of his shirt away and rested her head against him. She could hear the wild beat of his heart, matching the crazy thump of her own.

She couldn’t remember how, but soon they were both naked and lying in front of the fire, curled up on the rug. His erection was rigid against her hip, his fingers swirling around her nipples and brushing against the undersides of her breasts, which had grown heavy and full. He slid down her body to kiss each nipple.

A flame of desire so intense grew from her core, and she cried out as his finger slid between the folds of her sex.
Oh, God. Oh, God,
she thought, panting with need and the passion of her growing orgasm.

“Protection?” she asked. She should have asked earlier.

“Taken care of.” Then, gently, he parted her knees and slid between them, the hardness of his erection nudging against her core, and began to enter. Waves of pleasure crested as her muscles contracted around him. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She threw her head back as he shuddered inside her. His body went rigid and hers seemed to shatter into a multitude of orgasms.

* * *

Jake couldn’t believe he was finally where he wanted to be—in Merry’s arms, touching the delicate perfection of her body. This exquisitely beautiful woman was finally his.

Having her on his arm at the awards show, surrounded by the most beautiful people in the world, had left him feeling as though he were walking on a cloud. The fact that she knew so many people and they remembered her with fondness had filled him with pride. She had chosen to be with him, and she was with him now. He had no doubt she could have had her pick of any number of men tonight. He had seen them watching her. One man had even murmured to Jake that he’d had a crush on Merry since he’d first seen her. Jake had been surprised. Somehow he had thought that his own crush on her had been unique, and to find out others had felt the same way surprised him.

Merry stirred in his arms. Her soft flesh hot against his brought him back to the present. He pressed a kiss on her brow. Heat rose inside him as he ran his hand down the side of her chest and up under the swell of her breast.

“Hmm,” she said. “That was amazing.”

Amazing
wasn’t the word he would have used. Incredible. Miraculous. He felt himself growing hard again. He didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, but he knew right now what would happen next. As much as he enjoyed the comfortable, fluffy rug and the fire, he really wanted to be somewhere a little more conducive to making proper love to her.