Star of His Heart (11 page)

“H
ave a nice evening, Rachel.”

Rachel smiled over at one of her assistants. “You do the same, Loraine.”

“And don't hang around here too late. They start killing the lights around seven,” Loraine advised.

“Thanks for letting me know that.”

There were only a few more weeks of filming left before the final shoot of the season. A wrap party was already being planned and Frasier was going all out to make it a monumental affair.

As she thought about the season ending, Rachel was happy that Livia's character was not killed off. It left the door open for a possible return next season. Just as she had predicted, Dr. Duncan was not emotionally
ready for a hot and heavy love affair with Dr. Perry so soon after her husband's death. The season would end with her asking to be transferred to another hospital in Florida. That meant Dr. Perry would be free to pursue another love interest next season.

Livia would be joining her and Charlene for dinner over the weekend. Ever since Livia had mentioned that she was aware of her affair with Ethan, the two of them had become friends. Rachel appreciated Livia not gossiping about her and Ethan; apparently somebody in Hollywood could keep a secret.

Rachel's cell phone went off and she pulled it out of the pocket of her smock. “Yes?”

“Whooo, Rachel, you'll never guess what happened to me!”

Rachel couldn't help but hear the excitement in Charlene's voice. “And what has happened to you?”

“That guy Jason Burke is legit. Sofia checked him out. He works in A&R for the big music company that distributes Playascape.”

Rachel lifted a brow. Playascape was a well-known recording company. One of the biggies. “Are you sure?”

“Sofia verified everything.”

Then that settled it. Sofia knew just about everyone in the music, movie and television industry through Limelight Entertainment.

“And guess what?”

“What?”

“They want me to come in and meet with them.”

Rachel couldn't help but be ecstatic as well. “Wow, Cha, that's fantastic.”

“I think so, too, and Sofia suggested I send them a copy of that demo tape I did a while back.”

“That's a smart move.”

“Sofia's managing everything for me.”

Rachel's smile widened. She knew her sister's abilities when it came to working deals. “Then you're in good hands.”

Rachel heard a sound and turned around. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Ethan. He had entered the trailer and was leaning against the closed door. Their eyes met and she watched as he reached behind him and locked it. The click sounded loud.

“Cha, that's good news but I need to call you back later.”

“You okay?”

Evidently Charlene had heard the change in her voice. “Yes, I'm fine. I'll call you when I get home.” She then clicked off the phone.

“Ethan, what are you doing here? I thought you'd left hours ago.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. Instead of answering her, he had a question of his own. “And why are you still here?”

“I had some paperwork to do.”

He checked his watch. “It's late.”

“I know but I'm fine. The security guard patrolling the studio lot is still here.”

He was still leaning against the door, but now
his hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans. Although they saw each other every day on the set, they hadn't been together intimately for over a week thanks to that tabloid reporter dogging Ethan's heels. But they did talk on the phone every night and had made plans to try and sneak away to Tijuana this weekend.

“Go ahead and finish what you have to do. I'll wait and walk you out to your car.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “That's not necessary.”

“I think it is.”

Instead of arguing with him she slid behind her small desk and began going over the paperwork she needed to give John in the morning. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ethan had moved away from the door to straddle one of the chairs.

The air-conditioning system was working but she was beginning to feel hot. She was also feeling his eyes on her, singeing her flesh. In the quiet, she couldn't help but be aware of him. He'd been in the trailer with her lots of times while she'd applied his makeup, and because of where they were, things had always been professional between them. But she'd always been tempted with him reclining in one of her chairs and her over him and breathing in his scent.

Deciding the trailer was too quiet, she opted to share Charlene's good news with him. “Isn't that wonderful?”

“Yeah, I think it's great,” he replied. “I hear they have a good outfit over there.”

Rachel continued working, going through John's requests for the season finale. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Ethan had moved again. This time he'd gone over to the watercooler to get something to drink. She turned to look at him at the exact time he tilted the cup up to his lips to take a swallow.

The way his throat moved as water trickled down it did something to her. And when he licked his lips as if the drink had been one of the most refreshing things to go into his mouth, she actually began envying the water.

“How much longer before you're done?”

She blinked and realized he had spoken to her. In that case, he'd probably caught her staring. She drew in a deep breath as she looked down at the papers. “Not long. If you need to leave then I—”

“No, I don't need to leave. But I do need you.”

Now
that
she heard. And upon doing so, she couldn't smother the heated sensations taking root in the pit of her stomach or the hot tingle between her legs. This was where she worked, her business sanctuary. Actors came and went and usually she was too busy, too involved to connect the insides of this trailer to any one particular person. But for some reason, she had a feeling that was about to change.

Deciding not to respond to what he'd said, she turned her attention back to the papers in front of her. Ten minutes later, she was signing off on the last sheet. She opened the top drawer to slide them inside.

“Finished now?”

She glanced over at him and met his gaze. He had gone back to straddling one of the chairs. “Yes.”

“Good.” He stood. “Come here, Rachel.”

She continued to hold his gaze, felt the heat zinging between the two of them. She didn't have to ask what he wanted; the look on his face told her what he needed. It was there in his expression, in the chiseled and handsome features. Not to mention those beautiful eyes staring back at her.

Instead of putting up any fuss, not that she would have, she crossed the room without a word and walked straight into his arms. He pulled her to him and she felt it all. His heat, the pounding of his heart against her chest and the engorged erection pressing at the juncture of her thighs.

“It's been hell these seven days without you,” he whispered against her lips.

“Actually, it's been eight but who's counting?” she said as her arms automatically went around his waist and she rested her head against his chest. She had to fight hard to keep from being overwhelmed by him. When she felt his erection throb against her thigh, she pulled back and glanced up at him.

“We'll be together Saturday,” she reminded him.

He smiled down at her but she still saw the tension in his features. “I can't wait. I need you now.”

As he spoke, he backed her against the wall. Already his hands at her waist were lifting her up. Instead of wearing jeans today she had decided to wear a skirt.
How convenient for him,
she thought.

And for her.

Her legs automatically wrapped around him and his hands were busy under her skirt, pushing her panties aside before unzipping his pants and freeing himself. By mutual consent, he had stopped using condoms when she'd told him she was on the pill.

His finger slid inside her as if to test her readiness, and the feel of his touch had her moaning.

“Shh,” he whispered in her ear. “There's no need to bring the guard in here to check out things.”

No, there was no reason, which meant she couldn't let go and scream. How was she going to stop it? He always made her scream.

His finger inside her was driving her to the brink. He'd said he needed her and he was taking his time to make sure that she also needed him. She should tell him doing so wasn't necessary. She did need him. She did need this.

“Baby, you're hot and your scent is driving me insane,” he whispered before taking her mouth in a kiss that told her this was just the beginning.

He covered her lips, captured her mouth in a combination of hunger and tenderness that zapped her senses. And when his tongue began doing its thing, exploring her mouth as if it were conquering unfamiliar territory, she went weak in the knees. But he held her, making sure she didn't go anywhere. She had detected his hunger the minute he'd entered the trailer, and now she was experiencing it firsthand.

Her body was responding to him as it always did
and as it always would. Whenever it came to this kind of mutual satisfaction, they were always in accord. A deep, throbbing ache within her intensified and, of its own will, the lower part of her body rocked against his. She clung to him as his mouth clung to hers, plundering it, stirring sensations all the way down to the soles of her feet.

For one fleeting moment she felt the silky head of his erection probe her womanly core, then he entered her in one smooth stroke. She wrapped her legs around him to take him in fully.

She moaned into his mouth and gripped tightly to his shoulders, surrendering to the feel of him being embedded within her, stretching her wide. He deepened the kiss and at the same time he began to move, thrusting back and forth inside of her, feeding her hunger while making her skin tingle all over. Her breasts felt heavy, full and sensitive to the chest rubbing against them.

He was deep inside her and with each thrust he was going deeper still. As he rocked his hips against her, he used his hands to cushion her back from the wall.

He pulled his mouth away and whispered against her lips, “Come for me, baby. I need to feel you come.”

As if his words were a command for her body to obey, she felt herself begin to shatter into a million pieces. She clenched her teeth to hold back her scream, and when his mouth came down on hers she gave in and felt every part of her body explode in a climax so intense she trembled all over.

“That's it, baby. Now I'm yours,” he uttered huskily
right before his body ignited in an explosion as well. She felt the hot, thick essence of him shoot all the way inside of her in the most primitive way, and she called out his name.

He responded in kind, and the sound of her name on his lips sent everything within her throbbing for more. She only knew this kind of pleasure with him. She only wanted this kind of pleasure from him.

Sensation spiraled inside of her and she knew at that moment that Ethan Chambers had captured her heart.

“E
than, wait. I need to see you for a moment.”

Ethan looked over his shoulder and turned around. “I was on my way out, Paige. What's up?”

Joe Connors had finally stopped being his shadow, but that didn't mean he and Rachel could let their guard down. They'd been careful since that amazing night in the trailer, not hooking up until last weekend in Tijuana. Their Mexican rendezvous had been special, and they'd made up for the time they'd lost. Now they would be spending the night at
their
place and Ethan couldn't wait. He didn't need Paige Stiles delaying him.

“Evidently you're up, big boy,” she said in that flirty voice that annoyed the hell out of him. “I need a date to the wrap party.”

He chuckled softly. “And?”

“And you're going to take me.”

He was surprised by her bold statement. He had finally gotten Tae'Shawna out of his hair by his persistence in letting her know he wasn't interested. Paige, on the other hand, was not getting the message. He'd just have to be more explicit. “I'm not taking you anywhere.”

“Yes, you are. At least, you will if you want me to keep your secret.”

He felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. “And just what secret is that?”

“You banging Rachel Wellesley. She never fooled me. I figured she had the hots for you just as bad as the next woman, and I was wondering how long it would take for you to be lured by her bait.” The woman then chuckled. “Seriously, Ethan, are you
that
hard up? You couldn't do better than Rachel? If I was picking someone that you'd want to mess around with, it wouldn't be her. And don't deny the two of you are involved because I can prove it.”

He drew in a deep breath, not sure if she could prove it but truly not caring. “No, I seriously don't think I can do better than Rachel. Now if you will excuse me, I—”

“I mean it, Ethan. You make plans to get something going with me or else.”

“Or else what?”

She smiled sweetly. “Or else everyone, especially Frasier and John, will know that Rachel isn't the sweetie pie they think she is.”

Now that pushed his anger to the top. “I don't know what game you're playing, Paige, but keep Rachel out of this.”

“Sure, I'll keep her out of this, but only if you give me what I want. My name connected to yours will open doors. I not only want those doors opened, I want to walk through them.”

“It won't happen.”

She wiped the smile from her face. “Then I suggest that you make sure it does.”

She walked away.

On the drive home, Ethan tried to figure out the best way to handle Paige. Reasoning with her was out of the question since the woman was vindictive and obviously intent on hurting Rachel. He had detected her dislike and jealousy from the first.

The one thing he'd learned growing up as a Chambers was to not let anyone bully, or in this case blackmail, you into doing something you did not want to do. He had no intention of taking Paige or any other woman to the wrap party. The only woman he would take was the woman he wanted and would always want. Rachel.

He thought about telling Rachel about Paige's threats, but he could just imagine what her reaction would be. He wanted to save her from that worry. And he wanted to save himself from seeing it. No, he would simply ignore Paige as he had Tae'Shawna and hopefully she would forget about her foolish threat.

He had no problems with his and Rachel's relationship going public and he'd pushed for that several times with
Rachel—only to meet a brick wall. For some reason she thought news of their involvement would diminish the professional career she had created, and then there was her intense desire not to be in the spotlight.

There was no one who could say his and Rachel's relationship on the set had been anything other than professional. And as far as her being in the spotlight, he thought she didn't give herself enough credit for handling things. He knew the media could sometimes be relentless, but because of their families, he and Rachel had been born into the spotlight anyway and the key was not avoiding it but dealing with it.

As he continued on the drive home, he finally admitted something else. Something he'd known for a while but just hadn't acknowledged. He had fallen in love with Rachel. And because he loved her, he didn't want to sneak around to be with her. He wanted everyone to know the woman he loved and adored, the woman who could make him smile just by being close to him. The woman he wanted to bring home to meet his family.

The woman he wanted to marry.

He wanted Rachel, and only Rachel, to become Mrs. Ethan Chambers. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. To walk by his side for always.

He gripped the steering wheel, knowing those thoughts were true. Every single one of them. But they were thoughts he could not share with Rachel. She didn't love him, and she didn't want to share a future with him.

 

Two days later Paige was back in his face again, reiterating her demands.

Ethan gave her his total attention, squaring off and looking her right in the eyes with an adamant expression. “Look, Paige, I told you once before that I'm not taking you to the wrap party and I meant it. My feelings haven't changed.”

He saw the anger build in her features. Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. “Then you leave me no choice. Now everyone will know what you and Rachel have been doing behind their backs.”

Then she walked off.

Ethan got into his car, pissed but still positive he was handling the nagging woman the only way he could. He decided to forgo the air-conditioning on the ride home, preferring the warm breeze against his face. He imagined the stench of Paige Stiles being blown off him.

As if he'd warded it away, any thought of the encounter dared not enter his mind. Until the next night when his cell phone rang.

How Joe Connors, of all people, had gotten his cell phone number, Ethan didn't know and didn't waste his time asking.

“What do you want, Connors?” he asked instead.

“I like you, Chambers. You're different from most of the stars out there who can be anal, so I'm giving you a heads-up. You and your lady have been exposed. Not by me, but by a tip we received. And there are pictures,
nothing sleazy, but pictures that will substantiate this person's claim. They are pretty damn excited over here, and I understand the article, pictures and all, hits tomorrow's paper.”

Ethan felt his heart drop to his feet. He drew in a deep breath, knowing he had to get in touch with Rachel. She had volunteered to be a chaperone to Disneyland for a group of kids who attended the school where Charlene worked as a voice coach. She wasn't scheduled to return until late tonight.

When Ethan didn't say anything, Joe Connors continued, “I can't give you details but I can tell you the headline of the article isn't pretty.”

Dread turned to anger, and it raced through Ethan. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

Ending the call, he tried to reach Rachel. He had to prepare her for whatever the article said and assure her they would handle it, work through it and deal with it.

He only hoped she'd believe him.

 

Rachel finished taking her shower and was about to settle in for the night when she checked her messages on her cell phone. She lifted a brow. She had several missed calls from Ethan and just as many text messages and they all said the same thing: “Call ASAP.”

Wondering at the urgency, she was about to punch in his phone number when there was loud knock at her door. After running downstairs she took a quick look through her peephole and saw Ethan. She quickly opened her door.

“Ethan, what is—”

He suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her, kicking the door closed behind him as he continued kissing her and sweeping her off her feet, into his arms.

She always enjoyed being kissed by him and today was no exception. His lips moved hungrily over hers and instinctively she melted against him, loving the feel of being in his arms. She whimpered his name when moments later he pulled his mouth away.

“Rachel, sweetheart, we need to talk.”

She saw they were no longer at the door, but he had carried her across the room and had taken a seat on the sofa with her cradled in his arms. She had been so wrapped up in their kiss she hadn't noticed the movement.

It was then that she remembered the missed calls and text messages. “What about?” Her voice sounded wobbly from the impact of his kiss.

He continued to hold her tightly against him and when he didn't answer her, she glanced up into his eyes. She had been with Ethan long enough to know when he was deeply troubled. She pulled herself up. “What is it, Ethan?”

“I need to prepare you for something.”

“What?”

“The tabloids know about us, thanks to Paige, and
The Wagging Tongue
is breaking the story tomorrow. Someone I know on the inside called and gave me a heads-up.”

Rachel felt as if someone had just doused her with a pail of cold water right in her face. She jumped out of his lap. “What?”

“Yes, baby, I know. This is not how you wanted things, but together we'll deal with it.”

She backed away from him. “No, no, this can't be happening…” Shaking her head as if to get her thoughts in order, she asked, “What does Paige have to do with it?”

Ethan rubbed his hand over his face. “Earlier in the week she approached me claiming she knew about us and threatening to go to Frasier and John if I didn't begin dating her. She figured her name connected to mine would take her places. I flatly refused and two days ago, when she approached me again and I refused again, she got mad. I guess this is her way of getting retaliation.”

Rachel's head began pounding. “She approached you earlier in the week and you didn't mention it to me?”

He came to his feet and faced her. “I didn't want to upset you and I was hoping she would drop it.”

Rachel pulled in a deep breath. “Paige is like a sore that only festers. She's never cared for me, Ethan. Jealousy is deeply embedded in any decision she makes about me. She's always wanted you, and for her to find out you and I have been involved in an affair, there's no way she would have dropped it. You should have told me.”

“Maybe I should have, but I didn't want you upset.”

“Well, now I am upset. I am livid. I am mad as hell.”

He reached out for her. “The truth is out, baby, and we'll deal with it.”

She pulled away from him. “It's not that easy, Ethan. It's my privacy and professionalism being threatened.”

“And I still say we will deal with it, Rachel. When we're approached we'll tell them the truth.”

“No, we won't! We will deny everything. They can't prove anything.”

“I'm not sure about that. The person I talked to claims there are pictures.”

“Pictures! Oh my God!” She dropped down on the sofa and covered her face with her hands.

Ethan went to her and pulled her into his arms. He'd never seen her this upset. “Rachel, the best thing to do is not to deny anything. We're two consenting adults who—”

“Should not have let things get out of hand. We should not have gotten involved in the first place since we knew what was at risk.”

“But we did and we need to own up to it and not let the tabloids or anyone else control our lives or our relationship.”

She jerked out of his arms. “No! You make it sound so easy and it's not. Don't you understand what I'll be going through, Ethan? Don't you understand? You like this sort of stuff. It makes you who you are, but it can only destroy me.”

“Rachel, we can deal with it. Together.”

“No! That's just it. We can't be together. That will just be more fuel for their fire. We have to end things between us now.”

“That's not going to happen, Rachel. I won't give you up because of any damn tabloid,” he said angrily.

She glared up at him. “You don't have a choice because I'm ending things between us, Ethan. I can't sacrifice a professional career I've worked hard to build or a private life I've tried hard to preserve. Besides, our affair was about nothing but sex anyway.”

Her words were like a backhanded slap to Ethan's face and he felt the pain in the depths of his heart. “You don't mean that, Rachel,” he said softly.

He refused to believe all the time they'd spent together had been about nothing but sex. Maybe that had been the case the first few times, but there was no way he would believe she didn't care for him the way he cared for her. No way.

“I love you, Rachel. Our times together weren't just about sex for me and I refuse to believe that's the way it was for you. And I won't deny what we shared to anyone. I won't make it into some backstreet, sleazy affair. I've never loved a woman before you, and I hope that you'll realize that our love—yes, our love—will be able to deal with anything. Together. You know how to reach me when you do.”

He then turned and left.