More Than Famous (Famous #2) (42 page)

Cade started to sing to me, his voice strong and clear. I listened to the lyrics that were so perfect, my hand tracing lightly up and down his back.

When the song ended, Cade put down his guitar and pulled me forward across his lap.

"That was just beautiful, thank you.  I love you so much."  I lifted my hand to the side of his face and stroked his jaw as his mouth descended softly on mine, tasting my lips so gently.  I felt his hand at the back of my neck under the curtain of my hair as he kissed me.

“Not as much as I love you." His deep voice was low.

Dawson and Daniel were putting their guitars away and discretely getting ready to leave when Cade pulled away when we finally registered what they were doing.  He stood, lifting me with him and setting me on my feet, so we could walk them to the door.

“Thank you so much for coming tonight, and for the song.  It was amazing.  I love you both."

Daniel hugged me and kissed my cheek.  "Thanks for making my mate so happy, love," he whispered in my ear. 

"He makes me happy.  He's a gift."  Cade’s friend smiled and hugged me again.

"Hey mate, no putting the moves on my girl." Cade gave Daniel’s shoulder a squeeze while I was kissing Dawson on the cheek.

"You're a good friend, even if your hair is off-the-charts bonkers."  I nudged Dawson’s shoulder as he passed me on his way out the door of my suite.

Dawson laughed as he went out the door with Daniel.

The minute the door closed Cade was putting one arm around my waist and the other under my knees as he lifted me and carried me to the bedroom.  I snuggled into him and placed several kisses on his jaw and neck on the way.

"Baby, do you want a bath or just sleep?"  I ran my hand down the back of his head and pressed my mouth to his.

"Neither.  I want you."

"Honey, you're dead on your feet.  We have all the nights in the world to make love, Brook.  Let me just hold you tonight, hmmm?"  He laid me on the bed and sat down beside me.

I ran my hands up his chest enjoying the feel of the solid muscles beneath his shirt, as he leaned over to turn on the lamp next to the bed.

Cade took both of my hands and kissed first one wrist, then the other, before getting up and peeling off his T-shirt and coming back to me.

I was tired, but I tried to fight it.  The wine made me so sleepy, but I wanted to be with him so much it hurt.  He quietly undressed me as I watched his face, softly kissing my shoulders, neck, and stomach as he exposed each portion of my body.

Soon, I was left with only my blue silk bikini panties on, and he pulled me up to put the shirt he'd just taken off, over my head.  I smiled up at him.

"You're so sweet to me all the time.  How do you do that?"  I ran my hand up his bare arm and over his shoulder to the back of his neck.  I pulled his mouth to mine and he gave in and slid his tongue into my mouth and kissed me hard.  We hadn't really kissed like this since that morning, and he tasted amazing. 

"I missed you a lot today.  Even though we were together, not being able to touch you and kiss you like this… I miss it."

Cade groaned against my mouth, our breaths mingling.  He sucked my lower lip into his mouth as he pulled it from mine. I felt myself moving forward to try to reclaim his mouth.

He kissed my temple, and then pulled the covers back.

"You've got an early call tomorrow and I don't want you tired, baby.  You need sleep, but I do have one more surprise for you," he whispered against my mouth and then nudged my top lip with the tip of his tongue.

"Cade, if you're refusing to make love tonight, you shouldn’t kiss me like that.  It's mean." I put a teasing pout on my face.

"Hmmmph!" He snorted. He reached out and cupped the side of my face and then kissed the side of my mouth.

I heard the bedside drawer slide out and he was placing a small flat box wrapped in sliver paper and a burgundy ribbon in my hands.

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "But I thought you weren't getting me a gift."

"Well, I did.  Open it, my love.  I've been dying to give it to you for the last two weeks."

I sat up a little in bed and took his hand in mine as I looked into his eyes.  They were aquamarine pools that darkened as he watched me.   I could see the pleasure in his face as he waited for me to open the box.

The ribbon gave way and I peeled back the silver paper to reveal a white jeweler's box.  My hand hovered over the top.

"Cade, what did you do?"

"Just open it already, Brook."

I flipped open the top of the box and nestled inside was a beautiful braided chain bracelet.  The chain was very delicate in platinum or white gold and sparkled just slightly.  In the center, opposite the clasp was an infinity symbol in the same metal.  The sideways figure eight was filled with two pear shaped gems.  A diamond on one side and an emerald on the other, one my birthstone and the other, his.

"How are you always so perfect?"  My fingers ghosted over the bracelet.  It was so beautiful and meant so much.  I raised my eyes to his, and once again, he'd brought me to tears with his incredible love.

"Do you know what it means?" Cade asked. His hand came out to cup my face.

I nodded as a tear fell on my cheek.  "It means you love me forever; that we are forever."

He took the bracelet from the box as he fastened it around my left wrist.  It fit perfectly and it was gorgeous as it glistened on my skin.

"Yes. 
We
are forever, Brook." He kissed the bracelet on my wrist and then removed his jeans, turned off the light and got into bed next to me. “I know you have the other one, but that’s Ryan and Julia’s. This is you and me.”

I curled into him and his arms enfolded my body.

"I know. Thank you. You’re a miracle," I whispered against his chest. "I love you so much."

His thumb was rubbing over the symbol on my wrist. I turned my face into his neck as my arm slid around him, to snuggle in close.  His hand moved to my hair and I felt his breathing increase.

"Are you sure you don't want to make love tonight?"  I whispered, dragging my mouth up to his.

He flipped me over instantly, his hand moving my hair off my face as his mouth hovered over mine.

"No.  I'm not sure at all."

In the next second, his mouth smashed down hotly on mine and we were wildly devouring each other, his body pressing into mine and mine surging up to meet his.

No more words were spoken for the rest of the night.  Both of us gave everything of ourselves to the other; endless, searching kisses, gentle caresses, breathless gasps, and passionate climaxes.

At the end of it, our hands were twined together, our breaths mingled as our mouths clung together, and our bodies were left trembling.  My heart was bursting at the worshiping way he breathed my name.

"Brook.  I love you.  I love you."

He was everything.  I was everything.  We were everything.

Just—
everything
.

I WAS SO
tired.  The time on set was flying by and I was acutely aware. Cade and I spent every minute together that we could, and there were appearances or events that the studio arranged that included us with one or more of the others almost every night we weren’t filming. I cringed. Last night it was a concert with Wendy and just her. It was an ordeal and Cade had been on the phone ripping into Denise the minute we realized it. We were used to the routine of not touching and keeping our relationship quiet, but last night was brutal. I tried to be civil and maintain the illusion of our friendship, while Cade, on the other hand; ignored her completely.

I'd just left Cade sleeping in my bed, and was on my way to meet Noah in the lobby to take us to set.  We had a few retakes to do today. I wondered if the lack of sleep would affect my ability to work today. 

After the late night, Cade didn’t try to make love to me and we snuggled all night. My body reacted automatically to his nearness and my mind was racing about his desire to confront the studio about their policies, so my mind wouldn't let me sleep.  I probably didn't fall asleep until 3:30, and I had to be up at 5:15. I blinked my eyes. They were dry and burned.

Noah was waiting in the seating area of the lobby looking totally spry and wide- eyed, dressed in jeans and a brown T-shirt.

"Hey, Brook.  Are you feeling all right?  You look..." He shrugged and frowned.

"Extremely tired.  Cade and I went to a concert last night with Wendy and I didn't get enough sleep.  Stupid me, I should have stayed in and gone to bed early." 

“But the studio is the studio,” Noah began and his mouth twisted wryly. “Bastards.”

I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Yeah,” I agreed, lowering my head as we passed through the hotel doors out of habit.

We walked out to the cars, and due to the early hour, the fans lingering were few.  We signed a few autographs, posed for photos briefly, and soon were on our way to the set of Mike’s photo studio.

"Brook, do you think you and I can get some rehearsal time for the office scene?  Maybe tonight?  That scene shoots in two days." 

I glanced at him and smiled.  "Sure.  If we get finished early enough today, I'd like a nap first, if that’s okay?  What part do you want to rehearse?"

"The whole thing.  It's just you and I, and we haven't spent as much time together as I think we should.  Also, we have a lot in the next movie, so we should hang out more. You spent so much time with Cade
on
the first film getting into character, I thought you'd want to do the same with me." He shrugged. “This is new to me and I worry I’ll crash and burn.”

"Don’t worry, Noah. I feel very comfortable with you."  I slugged his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know we're friends, Brook, but we have to be deeper than friends for some of the scenes, and I need to get in the zone.  I'm sort of worried you won't let it happen, because of...," he suddenly stopped and looked out the window, like he was embarrassed.

"Because of?"  I asked hesitantly. I wracked my brain to recall a scene where Mike Turner and Julia Abbott were more than friends and came up blank.

"Well, I've known that you and Cade had a thing going, and I assume he's not going to like you getting close with me or anyone, for that matter."

"He knows it's for the job.” My brow furrowed. “If that sort of thing is necessary,” I pointed out. “Cade and I will both have other films where we'll have to do close or romantic scenes with others, and well, yeah, it's uncomfortable, but we'll deal."  I put my hand on his shoulder, "What are you worried about?"

"I care about both of you guys and I knew there was something strained between you when we first got to set. I didn't want to ask what was up, but it occurred to me that it might be because the last two movies have so much more interactions between you and I, that he is upset."

I sighed and shook my head. "Nah, that wasn't about you or the movie. We've got it all worked out now.  Don't worry.  It's all good." I leaned in and nudged him with my shoulder.

"Well, I noticed that you were so happy in Tokyo when we got there and then on the flight home you were so closed off. Did something happen there?"

Noah noticed my hesitation and so continued...  "If you don't want to tell me, I'll understand."

We were just getting to the set, but I turned toward him and shook my head.  He was right; we did need to be closer to film these scenes and so I decided it was okay to let him into some of my personal stuff.

"Um, it didn't happen there, but we had a fight about it during that trip.  It was about something Wendy did last January.  She led me to believe..."

Noah's warm brown eyes widened, "Ah. Cade didn't mess with her, did he? She's fun to hang out with, but I never know what’s real and what isn’t with her."

Exactly. Wendy was a consummate actress in real life as well as on film. "No, but for three months I thought he had and we weren't communicating.  It was really difficult, but we're even closer now because of it."

"Well, don't go giving her any credit.  I saw the gossip about her supposedly staying with him the night that David was in town, and was sort of confused by all of that.  I mean, if you and Cade are together, then why has David been around?"