Falling Star (21 page)

"Christ, Jade. You look amazing."

"Thank you, so do you."

He took her hand and twirled her under his arm. "Damn it. Now I'll feel like I have to keep my hands off you all night so I don't mess you up."

"Well, we don't want to embarrass you in public."

He shook his head, his eyes still glued on her. "Baby, you're going to be the hot topic of the night. I just can't wait to take you all apart when we get back to my place."

She brushed their chests together, and pulled his head down to hers. "Thank you for the dress."

"Mm, I owe Dean big. Where is he?"

"Made himself scarce when he heard the doorbell. Probably calling his new boyfriend to tell him the coast is clear."

He grinned that crooked smile she remembered from one of his videos, and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Tyrell stood by the limousine. He softened his face into a smile for only a moment before snapping back into his role and opened the door. Adam sat beside her, and the door closed.

"Ty is on high alert tonight. He won't be much fun."

"Why?" She lifted their entwined hands to her mouth.

"Tonight he's watching two. Doubles his work load."

"Oh." She didn't think of it that way. She dropped her eyes from his.

"Oh no you don't. I didn't say that to make you feel guilty." He used one long finger to tilt her chin back up. He shook his head, and smiled indulgently. "You know, I would have thought that most women would jump at the chance to ride around in a limo…have a big guy like Tyrell following them around, even collect gifts like designer gowns, or cash registers." He looked through her eyes and into her soul. "But not you," he continued. "You're not flaunting me like some prize. You're not asking for expensive trinkets. Hell, you haven't even asked me for an autograph. You, Jade Graham, are the most real person I've met in my adult life, and the first woman that makes me glad I'm a man."

Jade could see her heart pounding against the silk bodice of her dress. She swallowed hard.

"Can I kiss you? I'll be careful."

She could only nod. Her brain was incapable of sending speech signals to her mouth, but when he brushed his lips against hers, in his most tender kiss to date, her mouth suddenly began to work correctly. She opened to him, and met his sweeping tongue with the tip of hers.

The car pulled underneath the arched canopy. Four couples milled outside, talking or smoking cigarettes. Behind a thick red velvet rope stood another group of people, obviously not patrons of the fine restaurant, but armed with big black cameras. At the sight of the long black limousine, they all scrambled into position, elbowing each-other away.

"Are you ready for this?"

"I think so. We're not going to make a speech or anything are we?"

"No, nothing like that. Just smile and walk in like you own the place."

"I hope I don't embarrass you."

He placed his lips against her temple and held her. "I'm so proud of you, Jade. I can't wait to show you off to the world."

And then Tyrell was there, holding the door. Adam emerged first, and the flashes popped. He paused for only a second while the crowd yelled his name to get his attention, then he took Jade's hand in his, and drew her out of the vehicle.

The flashes blinded her, but Adam kept her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, and brought her down the sidewalk. Tyrell walked three steps behind them.

"Adam! Have you started recording…?"

"Mr. Nash, will you introduce us to the beautiful lady?"

"Adam, what can you say about the President's view on abortion?"

"Is it true you've stopped drinking?"

Jade followed Adam's instructions, and pasted a smile, albeit a cardboard one, and kept her head high. Adam ignored the questions, and even leaned down to whisper, "You're doing great!" in her ear. At that moment, her smile went from forced to genuine, and the flashes increased.

"Ma'am, can we get your name?"

"Who is she, Nash?"

Jade always thought ignoring a direct question was rude, but Adam wasn't fazed. As soon as the restaurant door closed behind them, they were blessed with peace.

Pianissimo, a four-star restaurant, was accustomed to its rich and famous patrons.

The tuxedoed maître d' approached them, and spoke discreetly. "Mr. Nash, Madame, welcome. We have your table ready, please follow me.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Jade noticed that inside the restaurant, the curious looks she received from the others were the same as those outside, but at least more discreet. "Not too bad. Not with you beside me."

A man appeared from nowhere to hold her chair, and another filled her glass with water. There were way too many forks! She looked up at Adam, but he was busy ordering a bottle of wine.

Dinner with Adam. That's all this is. Relax, Jade
. She forced the muscles in her shoulders to loosen, and by the time they were alone at the table, she felt a little better. The pride in Adam's smile made it easy to block out everything but him.

They dined in peace. Conversation was light and unforced. They could have been sitting cross-legged on the bed in his boat. She didn't even worry about which fork she used, and if she made a mistake, Adam was gentleman enough not to point it out.

Adam's friend
Marc,
was Pianissimo's
Chef de Cuisine.
He was a short plump man, with sad eyes and a big smile. His title gave him the ability to mingle with the guests, but he was only able to pump Adam's hand in greeting and kiss both of Jade's cheeks before he was called back to the kitchen.

Dinner dishes were cleared, the wine glasses were refilled by a waiter that seemed to be assigned to their table alone, then he'd slip back into the shadows. Adam reached over the table and held her hand.

"Have I told you how great you look?"

Her face heated. "Once or twice."

"Good enough to eat." His eyes trailed down her body and then back up. "Later."

Another couple walked in through the doors, and the noise from the crowd outside along with the bright flashes of cameras briefly drew her attention away from Adam's. "Who exactly are those people outside?"

"On Friday nights, you'll see groups like that camped out next to every restaurant that is known to serve celebrities. The one in the white shirt with the ugly tie is Randal Jessup. He works freelance, but mainly sells his garbage to the
Opinion
."

"Oh." The
Opinion
was the most prominently displayed of all tabloid magazines. The one that showed close-up pictures of celebrity cellulose, and cell-phone pictures of movie stars without makeup. That man had taken pictures of her with Adam Nash. Chances were high her face would be on the front page soon, right next to a pregnant half-alien man.

"I think on the way out I should introduce you. That might save some erroneous stories about who you are."

Jade knew she'd blanched. Even her hands turned ghostly white where they lay nestled in his. "I don't know, Adam."

"Just your name. I'll do the talking. Short and sweet. They still might make you into the princess of a Greenland cannibal tribe, but at least they'll get your name right."

When she looked into Adam's eyes, Jade felt like she could do anything.

"I'll be right there. And so will Tyrell. You just smile."

Jade looked around. "Where is Tyrell?" ++

"He's in the car. I've got him on speed dial." He poured the last of the wine into her glass.

"He has to sit in the car and wait while you eat dinner?"

"Don't feel sorry for him. It's what I pay him to do," he lowered his voice, "and I pay him well by the way. He's got all the comforts of home in the car. He and Jack are probably watching a movie or something."

"Oh."

When she finished her wine, and practically licked the plate beneath her succulent cheesecake, Adam stood and took her hand, pulling her against him so he could speak against her ear. "Are you ready?"

No.
"Yes, let's get it over with."

He tapped into his phone, then covered her hand where it gripped the crook of his elbow, pressing his warmth into her suddenly stiff fingers.

Adam stopped along the way to say hello to an older couple, whom he introduced as Roland and Jeannie French. Roland stood to bend over Jade's offered hand in an outdated yet thoroughly charming gesture.

"Miss Graham, your beauty takes one's eyes from the miscreant beside you, and for that we are all grateful."

"Roland! You're going to embarrass the poor girl," his wife admonished. "It is nice to meet you, Jade. Perhaps you can convince Adam to come to our summer party next month." She waved a white-gloved and heavily jeweled hand at Adam, and pursed her thin lips. "Every year we invite him, and every year he snubs us."

"Now Jeannie, you know I would never snub you. If you recall, last year was my niece's wedding, you wouldn't want me to miss that would you?"

"You have no such excuse this year, young man. You should have received your invitation by now, and of course it includes Miss Graham."

Jade smiled, and looked up at the miscreant beside her who tucked her hand back in his arm, and bid his friends goodbye.

"Their acceptance of you just elevated your status in the eyes of everyone watching."

Thank God Adam didn't tell her that before he introduced her to them. "Who are they?"

"Old movie money."

She didn't have time to ask him to elaborate. As soon as they walked through the tall oak doors, they were barraged with flashing cameras and shouted questions.

Disregarding the almost overwhelming urge to run the other way, Jade followed Adam's lead down the sidewalk, where he stopped directly in front of the blur of flashing shouting heads.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jade Graham. She's a botanist here in L.A., and she runs the best flower shop in town. I'd appreciate it if you would respect her privacy."

That was short and sweet. He didn't answer their questions, from "where did you meet her?" to "is she as good in bed as Nicole Reece?"

She stumbled a bit with that one, and Adam clenched his jaw, but he said nothing until they were enclosed in the back seat of the limousine.

"Some of those bastards bug the shit out of me. Are you okay?"

Nicole Reece? The English movie star? Oh how she wanted to ask him about that little bit of gossip, but she didn't want to upset him more. Surely there was information online she could always—

No!
She wouldn't stoop to that level. If Adam were any other man, she wouldn't Google his past lovers.

"I'm fine." She moved as close to him as possible without sitting on his lap, and that might have been all right too. "I'm glad we're finally alone, though."

"I don't suppose you went without underwear tonight." He sent his hand on the quest.

"No such luck, but you're welcome to take them off at some point during the night."

He reached beneath the elastic leg, and swept his knuckle along her slick opening. "I've been thinking about this." He used that knuckle to collect her moisture before he brought his hand out from beneath her dress, and into his mouth.

He watched her closely as he sucked on his finger. His enjoyment of her sent a surge of desire through Jade.

"Sweet…spicy…sexy. You taste so damn good Jade. I could spend hours eating you, and I'd probably come over and over right with you."

She leaned into him and kissed him, licking her taste from his lips. By the time they reached his house, strands of her hair had come free from its twisted confines, and he had lipstick on his chin. They managed to clean up fairly respectfully, and walk in a sedate pace to Adam's bedroom, where laughing like anxious children, they stripped and curled beside each other on the silky soft sheets.

"Your first taste of fame. How does it feel?" Now that they were naked, and touching as much of each other as possible, they slowed their frantic pace.

Jade traced the arch of his eyebrow with one lazy finger. "As long as you're there, I can do anything."

"I can't always be there, but I have faith that you can handle it."

"Already thinking about leaving me?"

He took her hand from his face, and kissed her fingertips. "I can't imagine leaving you."

"Then stay."

"It's out of my hands now. You're stuck with me."

"What do you mean?" She knew what he meant; she could read it in the depth of his dark blue eyes.

"Jade, I'm so madly in love with you. I don't want to even think about what my life would be like without you in it."

Her heart opened like a flower in full bloom. "Adam Herlihey Nash…I love you too."

They had sex on the boat last weekend. He fucked her in the hallway that day. Tonight, Adam made love to her.