Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (22 page)

Sable
prepared to intervene. Not to protect Colt from a pending attack. But to keep
him out of jail. If he strangled Candice, the cast and crew might cheer, but
not even his famous charm would get him out of a murder rap—justifiable or not.

“Stop,”
Colt commanded.

“I
can make you feel good.” Unbelievably, Candice kept on coming. “That skinny
rack of bones won’t keep you warm for long.”

Skinny
rack of bones
?
Sable had been called many things, but that was a first. She was lean, not
skinny. And snapping Candice like a dried twig would be a piece of cake.

“Listen,
and listen good.” Colt sidestepped Candice’s grasping claws. “Candice.” His
tone was sharp, finally getting her attention. “Get your ass in your trailer.
You have exactly forty-five minutes to be on the set. In costume and makeup.
And you better know your lines. I will shut this movie down and recast, no
matter what it costs, if you don’t begin to behave like a professional.
Understood?”

“But—”

“Forty-four
minutes, fifteen seconds.”

Candice
looked around, desperate for support. What she found were people, fascinated by
the show, but firmly on Team Colt. The only support she had was from her pushup
bra. And even that was showing signs of wear and tear.

Taking
a deep breath. Then another, Candice stomped her foot in frustration. She
turned and flounced to her trailer, accompanying herself with a long,
ear-piercing wail.

“OMG.
My hero.” Janis threw her arms around Colt. “I better freshen up. I’m in the
next scene.”

“If
she shows up,” Colt grumbled.

“She’ll
be there,” Janis said with absolute conviction.

“How
can you be so sure?”

“As
we speak, little Candice is getting her makeup retouched. And calling her
agent. He’ll stroke and soothe and tell her, in nicer language, to get her ass
on the set. She’s his meal ticket. A big fat cash cow. No way he’ll let her
derail that.”

Janis
jogged off, a sprightly bounce in her step.

“Why
did I become an actor?”

Sable
took Colt’s hand. “Come with me.”

Without
protest, Colt let Sable guide him over cables and around cameras. No one
approached or tried to waylay them with the usual endless questions and requests.
They wouldn’t have dared. After his confrontation with Candice, everyone looked
at Colt with new respect, and a touch of fear. As far as Sable was concerned,
that wasn’t a bad thing.

Because
of his inherent good nature, the cast and crew came to Colt with every little
problem. He wasn’t a pushover by any means. But he tried to smooth troubled
waters. Perhaps now they would think twice before dumping their messes in his
lap.

Sable
gently pushed Colt into his trailer, shutting the door behind her.

“You
became an actor because you love your mommy.”

Colt
paused in the middle of opening a bottle of water.

“Excuse
me? Are you saying I have mommy issues?” Colt wasn’t upset by the accusation.
He was appalled.

Wide-eyed,
Sable bit her cheek to keep from laughing.

“Don’t
you?”

It
took him a second, but Colt’s eyes narrowed when he saw the twinkle in her
eyes.

“Why,
you little—”

Colt
tossed the bottle on the floor. He grabbed Sable by the arms, pulling her
close. All she saw was a flash of bright blue eyes before he kissed her. Hard.
Without preamble. Hours of pent up frustration and anger surging out of him,
into her.

Sable
welcomed it. Gladly. She let him back her against the door and take whatever he
needed.

“I
don’t want to hurt you.”

“You
never could.”
Not physically.
“It isn’t in you, Colton. If you want to
play a little rough, I don’t mind. I can take it.”

“Turn
around,” he growled in her ear. “Palms flat on the door. Don’t move a muscle
unless I tell you to. Got it?”

Sable
didn’t answer. She let Colt position her the way he wanted. With one foot, he
tapped the side of her ankle, an indication he wanted her to spread her legs.
He bunched the skirt of her dress up around her waist.

“Are
you ready for me?”

“Yes.”

“Show
me.”

Sable
didn’t think—she reacted on instinct.

“May
I move my hand?”

“Mmm.”
Colt bit her earlobe, making Sable hiss, then moan.

Licking
her lips, Sable slid her hand between her legs. She was wet, moisture seeping
through the silk of her underwear. But she wanted more than a trace. She pushed
the material aside and coated her fingers with the proof Colt demanded.

“See?”

Colt
took her wrist, his grip firm. She wouldn’t have pulled away, but he wasn’t
taking any chances.

She
heard his deep intake of breath. “You smell like heaven.” He drew one of her
fingers into his mouth. Colt’s tongue made sure there wasn’t a drop left. “But,
God, the way you taste. There are no words.”

Sable’s
nails scratched at the door, finding no purchase on the cold metal surface. Her
heated skin sought relief, searching for something to cool it down. But it was
no match for the flame burning in her. The second her cheek made contact, the metal
burned as hot as she did.

Though
she couldn’t see him, Sable heard every move he made. The crinkle of foil as
Colt prepared a condom made her breathing deepen. He nudged her entrance with
his erection. Once. Twice. Sable closed her eyes—frustrated. Now he wanted to
tease? When his every move until now had been designed to make her as hot and
ready as possible?

“Colt?”

“Yes?”

He
licked the curve of her ear. Sable shivered.

“
Please
!”

“That’s
what I wanted to hear.”

Before
she could say,
fuck you
, he entered her. One sure motion.

“Say
it.”

Sable
groaned. She needed to move. She needed it hard and fast. She needed it now.

“Say
it, Sable.”

“Fuck!
Me! Now!”

“My
pleasure.”

One
hand around her waist, Colt cupped her between her legs. He urged her higher,
stroking with his fingers. Sable cried out his name. Her orgasm had barely
begun when Colt joined her, riding the wave with her.

“Thank
you,” he whispered when he could find the breath.

Sable
managed a small, but happy smile. “My pleasure.”

“LAUREL CANYON IS beautiful.”

“It’s
a great place.” Colt agreed. He shifted to a lower gear. The turns were not
meant to be taken in anything higher than second. “Perfect for someone who
wants a slower pace. Funny. When Garrett and Nate bought their places, neither
had any intention of settling down. They were on location so much of the time.
When in town, Garrett stayed at the downtown loft, and Nate usually crashed
with our parents. The properties in Laurel Canyon were more of an investment in
the future.”

“The
future came faster than they expected.”

“Twins,”
Colt laughed.

Sable
turned from looking at the view. “What does that mean?”

“It’s
something about sharing a womb. Nate and Garrett aren’t identical twins, but I
can’t count the number of times they’ve acted as one. They think the same way.
It makes sense that once Garrett had fallen for Jade, it would only be a matter
of time for Nate. The way he tells it, he and Paige clicked almost immediately.”

“I
was surprised when Jade told me Nate was engaged.”

“Because
deep down you wanted him to wait for you?”

Deadpan,
Sable said, “Yes. From the moment I kicked his ass, I was a goner. Months of
pining. He broke my heart.”

“But
it was me you kissed, not Nate.”

“Who
says I didn’t kiss him?”

Colt’s
head whipped around. “Did you?”

“Eyes
on the road, Colton.”

“Answer
the question, Sable.” But Colt did what she asked.

“You
have kissed every inch of my body. Would it matter if Nate got to my lips
before you did?”

“Yes.”

“Paige
doesn’t care.”

“Paige
knows?” Colt’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “Why do women tell each other
everything?”

“Beats
me. I’ve never understood it.”

Colt
glanced at her, then the road. Then back at her. When she grinned, he let out a
big, expressive sigh.

“Jesus,
Sable. You were kidding? About everything?”

“Yes.”
Sable patted his leg. “I couldn’t resist. Though for the life of me, I can’t
figure out why it matters. I’ve kissed plenty of men. Let’s not start on the
legions of women you’ve locked lips with. One kiss, Colt? Come on.”

What
Sable said was true. He didn’t care who she had kissed before him because they
were anonymous faces that he would pass in a crowd without a second thought.
But his brother was different. Not the end of the world. Simply… disconcerting.

“I
was never very good at sharing my toys.”

The
second the words were out of his mouth Colt wanted to pull them back. If the
car weren’t moving, he would have pounded his forehead against the steering
wheel.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
.

“What
did you say?”

“I
don’t know where that came from, Sable.” Colt pulled to a stop, but it was too
late to knock himself unconscious.

“Sounded
to me like you knew exactly what you meant.”

Sable
was out of the car before Colt could apologize. Or figure out how. She walked
to his door and opened it.

“Get
out. I can’t leave you here like a sitting duck. No matter how tempting the
prospect.”

“Sable…”

“Move.”

Colt
hated feeling like a chastised little boy, but there it was. He walked ahead of
Sable toward the house, his hands shoved in his front pockets and his shoulders
slightly slumped.

“Are
you going to let me apologize?”

“Right
now, I don’t want to hear the sound of your voice.”

“But—”

“You
made it.”

Frustrated,
Colt watched as Jade ran down the front steps to greet them, enveloping Sable
in a warm hug. The look Sable gave him over Jade’s shoulder made him feel about
an inch high.

“I
count nineteen cars. How many people are here?”

Here
was Nate and Paige’s home. It
was big and sprawling. Too big for one person. But now that Paige lived with
him, there never seemed to be enough room. She took care of animals. It was her
gift and her passion. Most of them were there temporarily until she could heal
their wounds—mental and physical. Then they moved on to permanent homes

Paige
started small. A few horses. Then a couple of dogs. But it didn’t take long for
the numbers to grow. There always seemed to be another animal in need, and
Paige hated turning one away.

Nate
had plans to add two more corrals and another barn. He liked living the life of
the gentleman rancher. But more than that, he loved Paige. If she were happy,
he was happy.

After
some deliberation, it was decided it made sense for Sable to teach the
self-defense class somewhere more private than the room where the support group
usually met. Besides, it didn’t have the proper equipment.

Jade
and Garrett were in the middle of a huge remodel—including the in-home gym.
Since Nate and Paige already had a state of the art facility, they volunteered
to play host.

“Most
of the women carpooled. I’m afraid word spread to some other groups. Callie
wanted to take the class. With her and Paige? Forty-six.”

Sable
couldn’t hide her surprise. It was depressing to think of that many women, in
such a small area, needing support. And of all the others trapped in abusive
relationships, who had no idea how to get out.

“If
there’s room, I don’t mind the number. In the Army, I taught bigger groups.”

“Mostly
men.”

“True.
Men can show a lot of stupidity when a woman is in charge.” Sable gave Colt a
long look. “Comparatively? This crowd should be a piece of cake.”

Colt
began to wander off. The idea of checking out the horses seemed more appealing
than entering a house filled with people.

“Are
you trying to get on my last nerve?”

Colt
sighed. What now?

“I
didn’t say anything.”

“For
which I am extremely grateful. But you can’t go out there by yourself.”

“For
fuck’s sake, Sable. It’s a corral. With horses. What do you think is going to
happen?”

“Nothing
is going to happen, you idiot.” Sable grabbed Colt by the ears, pulling him to
eye level. “Because I won’t let it.” Then she planted a kiss on his mouth.

Colt
didn’t have time to do more than enjoy the ride. When Sable dropped her hold,
both of them were breathing hard. The anger lingered, but most of the heat had
mellowed—at least on his side. Sable’s eyes held his for a second longer.

“Understand?”

“I
think so.” Sable held duty above all else. The problem was, it was easy to
forget that she wasn’t his girlfriend. And too easy for her to remember she was
his bodyguard. He couldn’t help it. It pissed him off—logical or not.

“Let’s
go in the house.” Jade took Colt’s arm. “Nate is going to give Garrett a tour
of the place during Sable’s class. You can go with them.”

“Am
I allowed out of your sight?” Colt asked, not looking at Sable as he passed her
and escorted Jade up the steps.

It
was just as well. He wouldn’t have appreciated the double
fuck you
fingers
Sable shot at his back. But Nate saw them. He stood on the porch, grinning.

“What’s
so amusing?”

“You,
little brother.” Nate winked at Sable.

Suspicious,
Colt glanced between them.

“You
kissed her.”

“Oh,
for God’s sake.” Sable rolled her eyes.

“What?”
Nate had no idea what was going on. “Kissed who? Sable?”

“Ignore
him, Nate. He put his head up his ass. Which is appropriate since he’s full of
shit.”

“I
don’t know what you did, Colt. But trust me. Quit while you’re behind. The hole
can only get deeper.”

“In
the house.” It wasn’t a request. Colt wanted to tell Sable to go to hell, but
Nate enjoyed the show way too much. This could wait for later.

Nate
waited until Colt and Jade were inside before putting a friendly arm around
Sable’s shoulders.

“You’re
good for him.”

“How
so?”

“You
don’t simper and moon over him.”

“I
should hope not,” Sable scoffed.

Nate
let out an appreciative laugh. His eyes, so like Colt’s, crinkled at the
corners. He was bigger than his brothers. Taller, with thicker muscles that
were necessary for his job. He made his living as a stuntman. And was damn good
at it. But his temperament belied his size. Sweet to the core. But get him mad.
Threaten anyone he cared about, and Nate Landis wasn’t a man to tangle with.

“What
was that kissing thing about?”

“I
suggested that I might have kissed you. Before you met Paige. I was teasing
him. Something we do to each other all the time. Suddenly, he lost his sense of
humor.”

“Mmm.”

“What?”
Sable put her fists on her hips. “He was completely unreasonable.”

“No
doubt.”

Nate
understood where Colt was coming from. His temper would have flared if one of
his brothers had made a move on Paige. Even if it were before they fell in
love. There was no statute of limitation on that kind of thing.

“Then
there was the
I don’t like to share my toys
crack. Try and justify that
one.”

He
groaned. That hole Colt dug himself was deeper than Nate imagined.

“There
is no argument for that one.”

“Exactly,”
Sable nodded.

“Except—”

“Go
on.”

Nate
loved the thrill of jumping from a plane at twenty thousand feet or crashing a two
hundred thousand dollar sports car into a building. Controlled danger was one
thing—Sable was another. She had the skills to kick his ass—something she had
proven on one very memorable occasion. The spark of heat in her eyes had him
holding up his hands in surrender.

“I
was going to say I understand the impulse. A man in—” Nate almost slipped and
said
a man in love
. It wasn’t his place to put that out there. No matter
how obvious Colt and Sable’s feeling were to anyone with eyes. “Colt isn’t used
to a woman like you, Sable.”

Sable
crossed her arms. Her stance was a little too combative for his liking. “A
woman like me? Who am I, Nate?”

“Independent.
Non-clingy. You don’t care about his money or his celebrity. Colt is used to
women who want to be seen on his arm as much, or more, than they want to be
with him.”

Sable
didn’t speak for several seconds. But her eyes softened from a hard brown to a
mellow gold.

“Why
does that make me sad?”

Nate
wanted to give Sable a shake and say
because you love him, you beautiful
idiot.
Instead, he smiled and gave her a hug.
Why was it so hard to
admit
something so wonderful
? Nate wondered. If he knew the answer,
he would have said it to Paige weeks sooner. He supposed that love made idiots
of them all. Hopefully, Colt and Sable would wise up and put themselves out of
their misery.

“Colt
knows the score, Sable. He’s not a victim. Call it tit for tat.”

“In
other words, they let him play with their tits in exchange for his tat.”

Nate
threw his head back and laughed. Hard. It made Sable smile and drew Paige from
the house.

“Want
to share the joke?” she asked with a grin, her eyes sparkling.

“Yes.”
Nate wrapped his arms around her. “Later. When we’re alone.”

“Oh.”
Paige winked at Sable. “It’s that kind of joke.”

“No.
But I don’t want to show you my
tat
in public.”

Chuckling,
Sable slipped into the house, giving Nate and Paige some privacy. As she closed
the door, she saw Nate cup Paige’s face so sweetly it made her heart ache a
little. A woman would give up a lot to have a man look at her like that.

“Hey.”
Colt gave her a tentative smile.

“Hey.”
Her smile wasn’t the least bit cautious.

Talking
to Nate had helped settle things in her mind. It gave Sable a new perspective
on Colt’s life. Yes, women catered to him. Pampered him. Built him up to almost
God-like status. And Colt reveled in the attention. But those women were often
users. Taking advantage of his fame and power to advance their own agendas.

Colt
knew the score. He wasn’t a babe in the woods. No one took what he wasn’t
willing to give. However, it had to prey on his mind. Occasionally, he had to
ask himself the question. Do they like me? Or are they only interested in
Colton
Landis, Movie Star?

“Still
pissed?” Colt asked.

“A
little.” She wasn’t going to lie. “Are you?”

“A
little.” Colt sent her a half-grin instead of a whole one. It didn’t matter. It
only took a fraction of his smile to make her stomach flip-flop. “Want to kiss
and make up?”

“In
front of all these people? Not on your life.”

“When
did you get shy?”

“Not
shy. But, Colt.” Sable lowered her voice. “Your mother and father are over there.”

“Who?
Them? They hug and kiss all the time. No matter who’s looking. They wouldn’t blink
an eye.”

“My
parents barely spoke. Or touched.” Sable let out a happy sigh when Colt took
her hand. “Honestly, I can’t remember them kissing in front of me. Not even on
the cheek.”

Colt
loved when she unintentionally gave him another piece to the Sable puzzle. She
wasn’t a toucher. Hugging didn’t come naturally. For Colt, it was like
breathing. Second nature. The longer they spent time together, the more she was
at ease with it. Every now and then, much to his delight, she would rub his
back when he leaned over to look in the fridge. Or brush her fingers across his
cheek after she handed him a beer. Little things. But, as time went on, they
added up to so much more.

“No
kissing in front of my parents,” he promised.
For now
.

“Good.
Would you like a clean slate?”