Relentless (Relentless #1) (5 page)

Gage called out as I was leaving the set one afternoon. I looked over my shoulder and saw him running to catch up with me.

“Do you want to hang out?” he asked. I must have had an odd expression on my face, because he rushed to continue. “I know we don’t get along very well, but I want to change that. Maybe if we actually spend some time together it might make it better. I’ve been an asshole in the past and I’m sorry about that, but if you get to know me you might like me.”

“Um, sure. What did you have in mind?” I tried to keep the surprise from my voice as I answered.

Gage was making an effort, so I wasn’t about to shoot him down. He was rapidly becoming a good friend to two of the most important men in my life, so it wouldn’t hurt for me to attempt to get along with him. I tucked my purse over my shoulder and led the way out to our cars. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and I grinned back at him.

We spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk, looking into the stores and joking around with one another. The afternoon was surprisingly nice. He bought us frozen yogurt and we settled down on the pier to eat it together. As we sat Gage asked about my relationship with Stephen. He laughed when I told him a story about us being dared to kiss in middle school.

“After the horrible incident, we had split a bottle of mouthwash and avoided each other for a week. We still don’t speak of it to this day.”

“You guys are hysterical. You two look like a couple half the time, well, you do until Jax comes around,” he winked at me and my cheeks flushed. “Then it’s obvious who your boyfriend really is.”

Gage told me about his family back in Michigan and how he grew up loving hockey. I asked him how he got into surfing and he told me about living with a bunch of guys crowded into a little bungalow before his career took off. They had given him so much crap because he didn’t surf. He tried it one day, and it wasn’t long before he was hooked.

We talked about my relationship with Jaxon, and he teased me, but I could tell he was happy for us. He told me he liked Jax, but he was a hard guy to get close to. For the second time in as many weeks, someone told me Jaxon Garrett was a difficult man to befriend. I wondered why he had chosen me of all people to open up to.

Yoga pants Sunday was my scheduled day to sit around, watch old movies, and eat junk food. The true testament of how committed I was to my ritual was that I never put on makeup or a bra. I would never let anyone see me looking this awful under normal circumstances

Stephen was the one exception to that rule, mostly because he sat right beside me half the time. He had also seen me at my worst and I didn’t care about impressing him. Most of the time it wasn’t hard for me to talk him into putting on a face mask as long as I promised not to blackmail him with pictures later. When we lived in Georgia, Stephen’s sister Lexi and Emmy were my partners in crime for yoga pants Sunday’s. Now they were in New York and it fell to Stephen to keep me company.

The first full Sunday I had off from filming, I planned a quiet day at home on the couch. Stephen had to work a partial day, so I had the entire house to myself for a good part of the morning and afternoon. I was excited to sit around, binge eat chocolate, and watch movie after movie. I had the remote in my hand surfing Netflix with a steaming latte sitting next to me when the doorbell rang. Sighing, I looked down at my tank top and pants; I decided I was decent enough to answer the door.

I cracked open the door and my eyes met Jaxon’s. He stood there with a sheepish expression, holding a Starbucks bag in one hand and a cardboard drink carrier in the other. The smell drifting up from the coffee was divine.

“Violet? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I was just debating if I could run fast enough,” I mumbled. I laughed at the confused expression that crossed his face. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Stephen told me you didn’t have plans today. He said something about yoga pants and it being a Sunday. I thought he was joking.”

“He’s learned not to joke about Sunday’s with me. Sunday’s are sacred.”

“Well, I brought a peace offering. Can I join you?”

I stepped back, opening the door for him to come inside, “Since you’re wearing basketball shorts, I’ll let you inside. Real pants aren’t allowed, and if the words calories or diet cross your lips, I will cut you.”

“I like your ass in yoga pants, so I’ll be good as long as you let me stare at it all afternoon. Please don’t put on a bra either.”

Damn him. He winked at me and a flush crossed my skin as he walked by me to put the coffee down. I crossed my arms over my chest. “If you stick around long enough, I will make you put on a face mask and then I’ll tease you mercilessly.”

A huge grin crossed his face. “Stephen didn’t tell me about that part.”

“I hope you brought something good, or you’re gone Garrett. If it’s an egg white breakfast sandwich, just leave now.”

Jax barked out a laugh and said, “It’s not. I brought blueberry scones and cake pops. Is that acceptable for you?”

I smiled in approval. Sighing dramatically, I pulled him over to the couch. “I guess you can stay then, but no talking during the movie.”

We cuddled on the couch all day. I talked Jax into putting on a face mask and his handsome face turned an awesome turquoise color as I slathered it all over. He grumbled the entire time, but he liked it, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Stephen walked in as we came back from the bathroom and without a word he grabbed his phone snapping a picture of us. Jax scowled at Stephen, but it was more hysterical than threatening. Stephen shook his head and laughed; I heard him mumble, “At least it wasn’t me this time.”

Jax poked me in the side every time I started giggling again. I planned on printing out the picture Stephen had taken and framing it for Jaxon’s nightstand. The crew would have a field day with that one.

Coffee was like crack to me and everyone knew it. Everyone thought it was funny to make fun of my severe need for caffeine. Amanda was almost as devoted to her coffee as I was, but she was a little, okay maybe a lot, nicer than me in the morning before she had a cup.

“No one treats you like you’re going to murder them if you don’t drink a cup of coffee before you talk to them,” I grumbled. Amanda laughed and passed the creamer over.

“That’s because I’m sweeter than you.”

The look I shot her made her giggle. We ate breakfast together every morning before we started filming for the day. Even though I didn’t talk much before I had my coffee, we enjoyed sitting in the silence before the hectic day started. This morning was no exception; we sat at the small table in the kitchen with our cups in front of us. I took the creamer from her and added some of my coffee. Taking a sip, I almost spit it across the kitchen. My stomach heaved, and I ran across the kitchen to the sink. Deep calming breaths were the only thing that kept me from throwing up.

“Is that creamer bad?” I choked out.

“I don’t think so,” she answered checking the date. “Nope, the expiration date is three weeks out and mine tastes okay.”

“Gross. That tasted awful. It smells so good though, but I’ll throw up if I take another sip. I must be hung over,” I mumbled to myself.

Amanda gave me an odd look. “You should try to eat something; try some dry toast. The coffee might have made you sick because you drank it on an empty stomach.”

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself of her words, not me. I stared down at the coffee and thought about why it might have made me sick. The last time I was sick like this, I was—

“Oh no.”

Turning away quickly, I bumped the table with my knee spilling coffee everywhere. I grabbed the towel off the stove and wiped up the mess as best I could. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I…I’ll catch up with you later.”

I ran back to Jaxon’s room and grabbed my purse. He was still in the shower, so maybe I would have time to leave before he got out. Turning towards the door, I ran into his very broad, very naked chest.

“Where are you running off to, love?” he asked, kissing my neck.

“Um…store?” His strong shoulders and defined chest and stomach distracted me. I ran my hands up his back and over his muscled arms.

“Are you asking or telling me?” he chuckled. Holy crap, what was I doing? I yanked my hands back. I needed to get the hell out of there before he drug me back to his bed. My eyes traveled to the towel slung low on his hips; it seemed to be dipping lower with each movement he made. I closed my eyes to block out the temptation.

“Telling. I need to go, but I’ll see you soon.” I kissed him quickly and ran out of the room before he could make me regret leaving.

My head swung wildly from side to side as I dashed up and down the aisles at the drugstore trying to find what I was looking for.

Where in the hell do they put those stupid things?

I stopped mid-step. There was a joke that Lexi made about condoms and pregnancy tests being right next to one another because if you used one, you wouldn’t need the other. My head dropped and I cringed as I walked over two aisles to get what I needed. I shoved four boxes into my basket.

Walking slowly to the register, my heart pounded in my chest. There were self-checkouts, thank the freaking Lord. My body relaxed somewhat as I realized I wouldn’t have to worry about some cashier selling my story to the tabloids.

My foot was heavier than it should have been as I made it back to the set in record time. I would rather have taken the tests at my house, in the privacy of my own bathroom, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

My fingers trembled as I ripped open the package and read the instructions. Time stood still as the seconds slowly ticked by, but I already knew what the test would say. I couldn’t bring myself to check for a few seconds after my phone chimed. Picking up the test with a shaking hand, I cried out as I saw the two distinct pink lines.

Pregnant.

Oh, god.
What am I going to do?
My stomach tumbled as I tried to process the information. I would need to leave the bathroom soon. How long have I been in here? Hearing a knock on the door, I braced myself for the worst. 

I‘m an actress, I can do this.

Wrapping the test up in my jacket, I opened the door with a smile plastered on my face. Amanda stared back at me. My thoughts were all jumbled up, and I had to fight to keep the panic at bay.

“Are you okay, Vi?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” My voice was unnaturally high as I spoke. “I looked at the schedule and I’m not filming today, so I’m going to go have coffee with Laura. I’m feeling much better now.” I was rambling; I needed to shut the fuck up. Amanda hadn’t asked anything about what I was doing for the afternoon. Fuck. I was seriously questioning my acting abilities the longer this conversation went on. My life was ripping apart at the seams. It was an out-of-body experience to watch things fall out of my mouth at such an alarming rate.

She pinned me with another hard expression and reached behind her and closed us into the bathroom. “I just wanted to check on you because you’re kinda freaking me out today. If you need to talk, I’m here.”

I was seconds away from confessing everything, but Jax deserved to be the first to find out. “Thanks Amanda, but I promise I’m okay.” I looked down at my watch, “I’m running late. Sorry for the weirdness today, I’m just out of it I guess. The whole coffee thing threw off my day.”

I reached out and opened the door. She gave me another hard look before stepping out of the way. My lips formed something like a smile before walking down the hall to Jax’s room. The schedule said the guys had shot a surfing scene at the beach this morning, but they were due back any second. I wanted to hurry so I wouldn’t have to see him before I left, but just my luck, I heard cars outside and knew they were back. Frantically looking around the room, I ripped open his closet door, threw my jacket inside, and slammed it shut.

Just in time.  

“Hey, love. What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I just came in here to make a call. Did you have fun at the beach?”

“Yeah, I did. I caught some massive waves, but Stephen wiped out pretty bad. Maybe you should check on him in a little bit. I’m afraid he might have a slight concussion. The medic on set checked him out, but he still seemed out of it on the drive back.”

Concern etched his handsome face as he told me. It made my heart flip in my chest that he showed such compassion. He would make a good father.

Did I really just think that?

“I’ll check on him as soon as I get back. I’ve got to go, I’m supposed to meet Laura for coffee and I’m already running late,” I lied easily.

My lips brushed his and I whispered, “We need to talk tonight. I’ll text you as soon as I can meet up. It shouldn’t be too late. Sound good?”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Is everything alright?”

I paused before answering, “Yeah, it’s fine. I just need to talk to you about something. Don’t worry about it.”

I’m worrying enough for the both of us.

I kissed the little v that formed between his brows. “Stop it. Everything is fine, Jaxon. I’ll see you later.”

My phone pressed to my ear as soon as I walked out the door. It was time to get things settled and it seemed more important than ever to get it done now.

“We need to set a production schedule as soon as possible. Several actors are threatening to walk if they don’t get things ironed out. I’m one of them.”

“No pleasantries, Violet? The schedule is fine, so you don’t need to worry about it. I need you in top shape for the movie. We’ll figure out something soon enough.”

“Zac quit blowing me off every time you hear something you don’t like. Everyone hates working like this and we need to get it taken care of immediately. I’m coming to the office now. Your team needs a true schedule and I’m done waiting for you to realize it. You’ve had it easy so far, but guess what? I’m having a diva moment and that’s about to change. Unless you fix it right now, I will come down there and scream my head off. I’m not being unreasonable and you know it.”

“Okay, you need to stop right there—“

“Zac, I’ll be at your office in fifteen minutes. And unless you want to have this argument in front of your entire staff, I suggest you make sure you can meet me as soon as I get there.”

My fingers fumbled as I reached back to zip up the skirt. I paused to examine the fit of the dress in the mirror. The black crop top wrapped around me like a bandeau top and showed a hint of my tan stomach. Thank goodness we had filmed at the beach so much lately.

The skirt of the dress was a gorgeous sapphire blue satin and the fluffy tulle underneath kept it from laying flat against my body and not having any shape. I paired the dress with a pair of black strappy Louboutins. I loved the way everything looked on me. It was sexy without being slutty. My hair had been pulled up into a low messy bun offset to the right side of my head. If I was caught by the paparazzi tonight, it would look like I had spent hours getting ready, not the thirty minutes I’d actually had time for.

Part of the agreement I made with Zac was that I would attend this stupid charity gala with him if he approved the schedule. Filming wasn’t nearly as bad as I claimed, but I needed to ensure certain scenes were shot soon and this was my best bet.

My phone rang and Jaxon’s name flashed across the screen.
Oh hell.
I forgot I was supposed to be meeting up with him soon. My head had been spinning since this morning.

I had to figure out how to tell him about the pregnancy, but I had no idea how he would react. Would he be excited or pissed off? Ignoring the call, I promised myself I would text him as soon as I got into the limo. It would give me an excuse to ignore Zac. I could tell him it was business and probably get away with it.

Zac had a horrible reputation. Dread filled me as I thought about the car ride ahead. I made it perfectly clear I wasn’t interested in him or ‘furthering my career’ by sleeping with him.

My phone started ringing again. Sighing, I answered, “Hi Jax. I was just about to call you. I didn’t make it to my phone in time just a second ago.”

“What the hell, Violet? You disappeared today after saying we needed to talk and you haven’t called me since you left. I’m freaking out over here.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I’ll tell you about everything in a few hours. Can I stop by later?”

“A few hours? Love, you acted like you would be back here already.”

“I know, Jaxon. I’m sorry, something came up and I have to go to a charity thing tonight. It was spur of the moment, but it will make everything on the set a lot better. Oh damn it! How is Stephen? I haven’t called him yet.”

“He’s fine; No swelling and no signs of a concussion. Violet, I don’t give a shit about things on set. I think we need to talk about whatever you wanted to bring up earlier. You seemed really upset,” he tried again. The doorbell chimed signaling that the limo was outside waiting.

“Look Jax, I’ll be there as soon as I can and we can talk, but I have to go.”

“Vi—“

I disconnected the call. All I could do was deal with one emergency at a time and right now, my priority was Zac. Hiding the pregnancy was important, because if the news broke, it would change not only my life, but Jaxon’s too. The paparazzi would be relentless in their chase. Even before I ‘retired’ I was secretive about my life. One thing I admired most about Jax is that he felt the same way I did about the media. Sure there were a few rumors going around about us, nothing had been proven and we didn’t encourage them.

Zac barely looked up from his phone as I climbed in the seat across from him. My thoughts were distracted after talking to Jaxon; thank goodness I didn’t have to keep up conversation. I wanted to be going to Jax, not to a formal event I had no interest in.

How am I going to tell him about this?

No grand ideas came as I thought it over, but he needed to be the first person I told. I pulled my phone out of my clutch, and sent a text to Jax.

I’m sorry. Trust me, this is important otherwise I would already be there.

He immediately sent a text back, but when I opened the text it was a picture, not words. The screen showed a picture of the pregnancy test. The second chime went off.

I think we need to fucking talk.