California Dream (12 page)

Roddy smiled, certain he knew the way around her objections. “I suppose you could just stay cloistered up here all the time. We don’t have to go out together. You’d be my little secret.”

Lee actually seemed to consider it for a second, until she noticed the look in his eyes. His suggestion was not serious; it was a dare. Though he would allow her to stay hidden if she wanted, he already knew she would not. She would fully be a part of his life if she was going to be in it at all, and he knew it.

She wrinkled her nose. “I love it here, Roddy, but I can’t stay hidden away from the world. I guess I’ll learn how to deal with the paparazzi.”

He cocked a teasing eyebrow. “Only if you’re sure.”

She shoved him off the chaise and into the pool, then followed him in, and they abandoned serious discussions for the next little while.



The next morning, while Lee still lay in bed, Roddy gave her two little wrapped packages. The uncertain look on his face made her afraid to open them, but she couldn’t refuse.

The first little box held a credit card with her name on it.

“That’s yours,” Roddy informed her in a no-nonsense tone. “You can use it whenever you need something, want something, or if you’re just bored.”

Lee just stared at the little rectangle of plastic. If she took it, she would truly be a card-carrying, kept woman.

“Roddy, I don’t know,” she murmured. “It’s sweet of you, but I feel so…”

“Ssh,” he silenced her with a gentle finger over her lips. “I know we didn’t really talk about this when you agreed to stay, but it’s part of the deal. I had your name put on it, so nobody but us and my accountant will know who pays the bills. I know you worry about that kind of stuff, but I really don’t care about the money. I don’t think any less of you today than I did when you had a job. And this is how it always used to be before women started having careers.”

“I know, but…”

“Besides,” he cut her off, “you need new clothes. I like everything you brought with you, and it’s fine for hanging out here, but you’re gonna need some new stuff when I take you out. It’s all about image in LA, and I can’t have anyone making comments on my girlfriend’s clothes.”

Lee just stared at him for a moment. Unfortunately, he had a point. Since he had warned her about the paparazzi, she had noticed that sections of magazines and portions of entertainment programs were often devoted to what people were wearing. Even if she had a job, she doubted she could afford the kind of clothes she saw on celebrities. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass Roddy by looking like a fashion-impaired doofus from a flyover state.

Roddy pushed the card into her palm. “Go out, find a few stores, and buy whatever you want to be photographed in. You’re doing it for me, you know. Even I tweak my image a little when I go out.”

Lee allowed him to curl her fingers around the credit card, but she sighed. “Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer to let me be a recluse.”

Roddy shook his head with a smile. “That window of opportunity is already closed, and I didn’t really mean it anyway. You’re gorgeous, babe. I
want
to be seen with you.”

Lee flushed. “Are you serious?”

He took her chin in his hand and tipped it so their eyes met. “Of course I am. I could have tried to keep you in the background if I wanted to, but that wouldn’t make you happy.”

“I guess not. It probably would have made me go back home.”

He smiled now. “Probably. So, you see, you’re just going to have to bend a little bit. You’re not a librarian in Minneapolis anymore. You’re Roddy O’Neill’s sexy girlfriend.”

She laughed along with him, realizing he was right. Quite frankly, she had never enjoyed the conservative style of dress forced upon her at the library. She just got used to it. Lee supposed she would probably take to her new role like a fish to water. If she and Roddy lasted long enough, it would probably become a part of her, just like Roddy’s wardrobe and tattoos were such an integral part of him.

She accepted the credit card at last. “I don’t know what to buy.”

“Whatever you want,” he said. “Buy things that please you, not what you think I’ll like. I trust your taste, and I want you to be comfortable. This is LA, but I still want you to be you.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she threatened quite seriously.

Roddy just laughed and kissed her, and then pushed the other package she had forgotten into her hands. She stared balefully at it for a moment before slipping the ribbon off, and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline when a set of car keys fell into her hands.

“I will if you want one,” he said in all seriousness. “The insurance would be hell on two of them, but you can have whatever you want.”

Lee sighed and had to look away for a moment. Her expression was prim when she turned back to Roddy. “I am not allowing you to spend that much money on me for anything.”

“I had a feeling you’d take that attitude,” he said with a grin. “That’s why I haven’t bought your car yet. I thought I’d let you pick one out.”

Lee felt like she was going to cry for a moment, but the look on Roddy’s face held her in check. He wasn’t trying to paint her into a corner, she knew. He was trying to take care of her, like he promised he would, and she should be happy. Most women would be ecstatic in her position, and she needed to get with the program.

Roddy was obviously tired of her objections and went on as if she hadn’t voiced any. “Tell me what you want, and what color, and I’ll have it delivered tomorrow.”

“Just like that?”

Roddy tossed the keys on the floor and wrapped his arms around her, rolling them over on the bed until she was on top of him. “Yep. Time to get used to the rock star lifestyle, Lee.”

Roddy rolled them back over until she was under him again. “Yes, you do. You have no idea what it was like before you came out here. I couldn’t write a damn thing. I wrote a song about you on the tour, and then…nothing.”

“You wrote a song about me?”

He ignored her question and went on. “The guys were getting ready to bail on me, and even I was starting to think I had lost it. Eddie told me I should bring you out here, and the minute you showed up, music started coming to me again. I need you, Lee. Right now, I wouldn’t have a career without you.”

“Oh, please.” Lee knew he was exaggerating more than a little bit.

“I’m serious. I’m not ready to retire, but it was scary when I couldn’t write. I’ve never had that problem before.” His eyes darkened. “You changed something in me, Lee. Nothing matters anymore without you, so please, let me share my stuff with you.”

It was hard to put forth any more objections when he said it like that. Lee didn’t fool herself into thinking she was in any way responsible for his success, but she agreed with one thing Roddy told her. Nothing seemed to matter anymore except being with him.

Chapter twelve

Roddy ended rehearsal early. The band liked his new song a lot, and they had already started working with it. Roddy liked to wrap up a session early when things were going well. It meant everyone would return to the studio with an upbeat attitude and the next session would also be productive. He wouldn’t admit to anyone in the band that he also wanted to get home early so he could see Lee.

There was always a fly in the ointment, though, and Roddy had not been able to shake Eddie after rehearsal. Eddie was in a mood because of a premiere they were to attend that night. The movie featured one of the band’s songs, and the video for it would play during the opening credits. It was quite a coup for the band, and a major honor. But because of it, Eddie would not leave Roddy alone. He stuck to him like glue all day, even going so far as to follow him home so they could arrive at the premiere at the same time.

Roddy wasn’t fooled. Eddie was curious about Lee. He knew that night would be her first public appearance with Roddy, and he didn’t want to miss a minute of the excitement. It made Roddy feel a little bit like he and Lee were going to the prom, but he could not exclude Eddie. Without a family of his own to hover over, Roddy got his attention by default.

He had to force himself to saunter through the house, rather than charging like a bull. He was glad he maintained control when they did not find Lee out back. It was Rosa’s day off, so he couldn’t ask her where Lee had gone, and he began to worry. Lee was always right there, waiting for him when he got home, no matter the hour, and it bothered him that she was gone when they had plans for the night.

Honestly, though, he wasn’t really worried about the premiere. He just missed seeing Lee after a long day of work. He had already gotten used to the way she greeted him every day with a smile before he mixed them drinks out by the pool. They then sat and talked about whatever they had done that day before going in to eat the meal Rosa always prepared for them. Roddy enjoyed their conversations because Lee never talked about silly things, like finding the right sizes when she shopped. She usually had funny anecdotes about her encounters with other people, or wry observations about the state of the world. Roddy felt like a vital part of his day was missing since she wasn’t there.

He also admitted to disappointment because he wanted to show her off to Eddie. Though he never slept with them, Eddie was fascinated by intelligent, witty women. The guitar player was unfortunately convinced that sexy and smart did not go together, and Roddy wanted to prove him wrong while he enjoyed his bragging rights. Since Lee wasn’t there, he supposed it would have to wait.

“Make yourself a drink,” he suggested to Eddie, heading for the stairs. “I’m going to see if she’s sleeping.”

Roddy took the steps three at a time. He was starting to get nervous about Lee. She had only ventured out in her new car a few times, and she still wasn’t familiar with Los Angeles. It was entirely possible she was lost or had been in an accident. She didn’t have a cell phone yet, which he vowed to fix the very next day, so he had no way to contact her. But before he worked himself into a lather, he wanted to make sure she wasn’t merely taking a nap.

He tried to take the last few steps in one leap and missed. He was glad Eddie wasn’t there to see him sprawl on the floor, because he would have burst a seam on his jeans laughing. Now hoping Lee wasn’t there to witness his clumsiness, he picked himself off the floor and walked more casually into his bedroom.

Lee wasn’t there, or in the bathroom. Instead, a wet towel lay on the floor, and there was lipstick all over the mirror.

Apparently, Lee had left him a message. How like her to do it with flamboyance, instead of just scribbling a note on a piece of paper or leaving a voicemail. She also didn’t follow any Hollywood clichés, and instead of leaving a message of one or two words, she had scrawled an entire paragraph that covered the entire mirror from top to bottom. He hoped Rosa would forgive her.

The message read:

Roddy, if you get back before me, I’m still out shopping. I had to find something nice for our first important date! I’ll get back as soon as I can, but you know LA traffic even better than I do. By the way, your new snakeskin pants were delivered today. Rrrrr! Can’t wait to see how they look. They’re in a box on the bed. Lee

She had left a lip print next to her name, and just looking at it got him all hot and bothered. He no longer had to worry, but he still could not wait until she got home.

Roddy O’Neill wasn’t used to waiting for anything. If he asked for something or made demands, someone immediately gave him what he wanted. Even Lee had not disappointed him thus far. Perhaps it was indicative of an incurable sickness, but Roddy found waiting for Lee and the attendant anticipation of her arrival to be intoxicating indeed.

He slipped easily into a fantasy scene of lounging by the pool with Eddie wherein Lee suddenly appeared in the doorway to the house with a shopping bag dangling from her fingers. Eddie’s mouth would naturally fall open at how beautiful she was, especially since Eddie didn’t have a clear recollection of her and tended to picture all girls with brains as dull and mousy. Lee would say, “Hi, Eddie,” in her sultry voice and then completely forget him as she approached Roddy. At that point, the picture misted over and his body began to take over the vision, until he jerked himself back to the present.

He wondered if everyone sat around indulging in such fantasies, but then decided he better stop standing around thinking about it.

He was really running out of patience with Eddie. The guitar player had been a Class A pain in the rear all day. He had refused to let up on giving Roddy a hard time about his appearance, and even suggested he should spiff up a little bit for the premiere, since it was such an important occasion. Roddy resented his overbearing interference, but knew he was mostly annoyed because he wanted to be alone with Lee. Now that Lee wasn’t even there, it was irksome that Eddie had the nerve to laugh at him.

Knowing Eddie would just rile him more, he let it go and decided to talk about less incendiary things like the new record, their new video, and the movie being premiered. They had plenty of time before they needed to leave for the festivities, so they sat back and sipped at cold drinks while they waited for Lee.

Considerable time had passed by the time Eddie glanced at his watch. “I don’t know about you, but I should probably start getting ready to go,” he said.

Roddy also noticed the time and set his drink down. Worry about Lee crept back into his consciousness. “Yeah, me too, I guess.”

Neither of them mentioned his missing girlfriend as they peeled out of their deck chairs and made their way into the house.

Roddy told himself to shake off his dejection when the front door suddenly flew open and Lee came careening through with an armload of shopping bags.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said through heavy breaths. “They had to make a couple of adjustments and it took forever.”

It wasn’t the scene Roddy had envisioned, but since it was real, it was better. Lee looked absolutely delectable standing there wearing painted-on jeans with her hair in wild, gold disarray. Her tee-shirt clung enticingly to her skin, and Roddy was about to drag her upstairs for their usual greeting when Eddie rounded the corner and got singed by the heat radiating from the two of them.

“Oh good, Lee’s here,” Eddie said cheerfully, his voice working like a bucket of cold water on both of them. “Reintroduce us, Rod.”

“You remember Eddie?” Roddy asked, stepping back a little.

Lee collected herself nicely. “Hi, Eddie. Of course I remember you.” She shoved the handles of a shopping bag up one arm and extended her hand.

Eddie raised a brow at Roddy but took it and gave it a perfunctory shake. “Nice to see you again,” he said in a show of manners Roddy rarely saw. The way he looked her up and down was anything but polite, though. “Roddy should have taken you out earlier than this. He’s been hoarding you to himself for way too long.”

Lee smiled easily at his flattery and turned to Roddy. “You didn’t tell me Eddie had a charming streak.”

“I didn’t know,” Roddy said in response, earning a scowl from Eddie. His eyes laughed down into Lee’s. They both knew she felt compelled to be especially cool toward Eddie because he fully expected to be able to pique her interest somehow. It warmed Roddy immensely to know it would never happen since Lee only had eyes for him.

“Shouldn’t we all get dressed and head for the ball?” Eddie snapped, obviously a little uncomfortable with the intimacy between them.

Lee glanced up at a clock on the wall and winced. “I know I should. I better get moving.”

She gathered her packages and dashed off up the stairs, leaving Roddy to shrug his shoulders at Eddie before the two of them followed.

Lee had told Roddy her dress was a surprise, and she was getting ready in one of the guest rooms down the hall from the master suite so he wouldn’t see her until her look was complete. Roddy already missed her when he shut his bedroom door, and decided it was a good idea to take a cold shower before he got dressed to go.



Eddie whistled under his breath as he shut himself into the room he kept at Roddy’s house. Things were more serious with Roddy and Lee than even he had imagined. The electricity between them was palpable, and he was afraid he might suffer severe burns if he accidentally stepped between them. Roddy was blind to everything but her, and she seemed to suffer a similar affliction over him.

He grimaced at their domestic bliss, certain it had never been that way between himself and Claire. Roddy and Lee were almost nauseatingly happy together.

Lee sure was a looker. Even casually dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt she took his breath away. Though she hailed from Minnesota, she looked like the quintessential California girl with her sun-kissed skin and golden locks, not to mention the body he was certain had never been defiled by a plastic surgeon’s scalpel. If Roddy wasn’t so obviously gone for her, Eddie would have pulled out all the stops himself.

“Damn it!” he suddenly heard her yell through the wall separating the rooms where they dressed.

He smirked, used to domestic instability, and turned back to the mirror to inspect his appearance. Eddie’s long, brown-black hair fell naturally in a wild mane. His black leather pants couldn’t have been tighter without permanently crippling him in some way. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just an unbuttoned black leather vest over his smooth chest. He carefully laid a black leather cowboy hat over his hair, winked at his image, and smiled. He looked hot, if his own opinion was anything to go by.

Mid-smile, he heard a timid knock at the door. Thinking it was probably Rosa, he sauntered over and flung it open. He would never forget the vision that confronted him on the other side.

Lee stood there in an incredible creation of yellow leather and feathers. She had yet to don her shoes, so she seemed shorter than he remembered, since Eddie wore his boots. He watched her toes curl in the carpet as her eyes spit fire and brimstone.

“Can I come in for a second?” Her polite tone belied the angry look on her face.

Eddie stepped back in astonishment, wondering how to act. Why was she there? Had the yelling been a fight with Roddy? Was she coming on to him? What should he do?

“This damn thing is supposed to fit!” she hissed when he shut the door.

“What?” Eddie just gaped at her in confusion.

“The dress!” she snapped. “I can’t get the stupid zipper more than halfway up and I can’t ask Roddy to help me because I want to surprise him, and he’s not supposed to see me ‘til I’m dressed. Rosa’s not here, and I had nowhere else to go. Can you help me?”

She turned to show him her partially-exposed back with its half-done zipper. Eddie got a view of nothing but her shoulder blades, but he still turned his head and zipped her up as quickly as possible.

Lee’s yellow dress was skin-tight leather that stopped a few inches past her hips. The dress could probably have kick-started her career as a model with the way it clung to her skin and pushed her breasts provocatively toward the sweetheart neckline. The sleeves were a profusion of bright yellow feathers that fluttered halfway to her elbows. She wore dramatic eye make-up, and her lips were a traffic-stopping red. Lee hadn’t needed to do much with her hair, though. Apparently, flipping her head a couple times and hair-spraying the results was all it took to make it red-carpet ready.

Utterly unaware of the effect she had on him, she gave Eddie a tentative smile. “You look great, Eddie. No date tonight?”

“She’s coming with the car,” he said, attempting to sound casual and unaffected.

Considering his unexpected reaction to Lee, he was glad he and Roddy were traveling in separate vehicles. Until he could convince his hormones that Lee was strictly off-limits, he knew it would be best to keep his distance from her.

The smile Lee gave him was devoid of guile. “Thanks for your help. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Eddie had never been happier to close the door on a beautiful woman. No wonder Roddy had not flinched at losing five hundred bucks over her.



Roddy glanced at his image in the mirror. He didn’t think he looked too bad in his new snakeskin pants with a wide belt slung low over his hips. He had tucked a white silk shirt into the waistband, but had only done up a couple of the buttons. His usual bandanna had been replaced by a swath of dark red silk in a black paisley pattern to match his boots. The overall effect was pure rock and roll, but Roddy still sometimes envied Eddie his pretty-boy looks. It got tiresome having magazines put him down in comparison to the band’s lead guitar player. He thought he always looked better when he smiled, though, and he had plenty of reasons for that these days. As long as he could remember to keep a smile pasted to his face, they wouldn’t be able to trash him too much.