L.A. Cinderella (13 page)

A
half hour later, Natalie’s car stopped in front of the intercom outside Chase’s gate. Her heart still thundered in her chest from her mad dash through her apartment, jerking on clothes over her jammies and tying her hair back.

Her hands shook as she coached herself.
You can do this
. She glanced down the street at the man sitting in a car with a camera around his neck. If this didn’t work, she would be shooting herself in the foot.

The headlines would read Accountant Couldn’t Take a Hint. But what was the point of being in love, if you didn’t at least try?

She pushed the button and squeezed her eyes shut. An eternity passed while she waited, her heart in her hands. Maybe he wasn’t in. Or worse, what if he already had someone there?

Fearing the worst, she put the car into Reverse.

“Hello?” The muffled sound of birds came across the intercom with Chase’s voice.

“Chase?” Oh, crap, why hadn’t she practiced what she was going to say? Everything she’d thought of on the drive over slipped out of her mind and left her fumbling for the words. Mercifully the gate opened, and she didn’t have to make a fool of herself to the box on a stick.

The photographer shifted up in his seat and put the camera to his eye. She couldn’t tell if he was taking a photo or not. She didn’t care. The car pulled through the gates.

A garage door was open, and she drove the car into it. The garage door closed behind her with finality. She couldn’t go back on her decision now, but she didn’t get out of the car. Her pulse beat so loudly that she couldn’t find the train of her thoughts.

What if he wouldn’t forgive her? What if he didn’t want her anymore? What if he’d never loved her? What if he laughed in her face? Her eyes burned as tears worked their way to the surface. No, he’d loved her, even if he didn’t now. He’d loved her.

The thought gave her strength. She stepped from the car, expecting to find Chase in the garage. She glanced around and didn’t see him. She ran clammy hands over the back of her jeans.

Maybe he was in the kitchen. She forced her feet to propel her forward. The kitchen was empty, except for the memories. They clung to her as she moved forward. She could picture him making her an omelet.

She peered into the dining room and spun through the media room, where they’d spent an evening watching movies and laughing as he’d shared stories from the set. Her curiosity built as she made her way toward the green-
house. Why not meet her out in the garage? Why force her to find him in his favorite room?

She pushed through the doors and swallowed the thick, fragrant air. The whispered rustling of wings and the discord of birdsongs filled the room. The hot moisture clung to her, and she discarded her sweatshirt, leaving it behind on the path. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered, but Chase.

Yanking out the tie in her hair, she let it slip from her fingers to the stone below. The atmosphere of the room pulled at her. The fact that after everything he wanted her in here had to count for something. His favorite room.

She rounded the bend and stared up at the colorful birds perched on branches as if waiting for her. As one they lifted off, flooding her view with rich colors.

Leaving the birds behind, she moved down the path to the gazebo. She could see his shadow in there. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her stomach clenched. She reached up to straighten her glasses only to realize she wasn’t wearing them.

She stopped at the door to the gazebo. He stood inside leaning against a pillar. His face was in shadow. Her hand went out to the door frame to steady herself. What if he hated her?

“Why are you here?”

She couldn’t take her eyes off his. This was it. She either wimped out or tried for the gold. She cleared her throat. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of you. Of me. Of the cameras. Of what I feel.”

He straightened from the pillar. “Why are you scared of me?”

“Because I can’t tell when you are acting.” She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “My past experiences
with guys haven’t been great. You know I was homeschooled before I went to college?”

He nodded but didn’t interrupt.

“Well, my first boyfriend, Bill, seemed to care about me until after we had sex. The door didn’t even hit him on the way out. The guys who pretended to like me to get close to Rachel were even worse. I trusted them, and they lied to me.” She still couldn’t see his face to read it. “Your performances are award-winning. Theirs weren’t.”

His body relaxed back against the pillar.

“I never felt for any of them what I feel when I’m with you. I want it to be real.” She stepped into the gazebo, dropping her hands to her side. “What I feel is real. I love the way I feel when I’m with you. I love that you take care of me. I love you.” Her heart pounded in her chest.

He didn’t move toward her.

“How do I know you aren’t acting? How can I know what we have is real?”

“You can’t know, but you need to trust me. We can’t go further with this, if you don’t trust me,” he said.

“I want to trust you. I want to be with you. I didn’t mean what I said that day. I didn’t mean any of it.” The words could barely make it past the lump in her throat. What if…

“I did.” His voice was steady as he stepped forward. Within touching distance, he stopped. His eyes searched hers. She could only hope he would find what he was looking for within them.

“I…” She cleared her throat. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Chase? I love…I love you. Please forgive me.”

He didn’t move. She stood there open, vulnerable, more naked than she’d ever been in all her life.

“My life hasn’t changed.” He held back still.

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I know.”

His hand lifted as if to brush the tear away, but stopped. “They’ll take your picture and follow you around, waiting for something spectacular to happen.”

She caught his raised hand between hers and brought it to her lips. “If I’m with you, it will be spectacular.” She pressed his hand against her cheek and closed her eyes, enjoying the spiral of warmth that radiated through her body at his touch.

“Natalie?”

She opened her eyes. He still stood there stiffly. Releasing his hand, she reached up and pulled his face down to hers. Her lips pressed against his, and for a moment he didn’t move. Had she been mistaken?

His arms curled around her and dragged her into his body as his mouth claimed hers. A wave of pleasure swept over her, drowning her in sensations of his hard length pressed against her.

The pain of the past week disappeared as her heart filled her chest. She pushed forward to back them into the gazebo. He pulled her back with him until he sat on the bench.

Standing between his legs, she stared down in wonder at the love in his eyes. This amazing man loved her. The feelings inside her were so overwhelming, so pure.

“I love you, Chase.” She brushed the hair away from his face and kissed his forehead. “I love you so much.”

He captured her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers, but he didn’t kiss her. Her eyes opened and stared into green as pure and deep as the leaves of the forest surrounding them. “I love you.”

A spear of heat hit her core. He brushed his lips over hers, a gentle back and forth motion. So slowly it was driving her insane. She straddled his lap, placing her knees on the cushioned bench beside his hips. His erection pressed against the juncture of her thighs.

The rich smell of him assaulted her nose, filling her with need, but he kept up his relentless brushing never deepening the kiss and not allowing her to. She rubbed her breasts against the hardness of his chest.

Her brain suffered meltdown as the heat between them intensified, but he did no more than brush his mouth over hers. A low rumble started in the back of her throat as the pressure continued to build within. Her clothes were too tight, and there were way too many layers between their bodies.

She stepped back from the bench. His eyes were glazed as he watched her, but he didn’t pull her back to him. Kicking off her sandals, she jerked off her pajama top and shimmied out of her jeans and underwear.

His eyes took in her body, but she was beyond being embarrassed. Her body was on fire, and she needed him. She stalked toward him. She yanked his shirt out of his pants and up. He held his arms up for her to get the shirt off, but didn’t help or say anything.

When her breast brushed against his cheek, his mouth closed over her hardened nipple. She froze as the pulling reached down to her center. Her core pulsed in time with his gentle suction. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from exploding.

She ripped the shirt the rest of the way off and flung it to the side. Her naked flesh slid against his, warm and moist. He smiled up at her with passion-laden eyes, but he made no move to take over. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him up to stand with her.

Her body pressed into his as she popped open his jean button. Her knuckles brushed against his stomach causing shivers of anticipation to course through her.

She lowered his jeans and his boxer briefs and pushed
him back on the bench. She knelt at his feet and pulled the jeans and underwear off the rest of the way.

Crawling her way back up onto his lap, she straddled his hips again. This time nothing blocked her flesh from his and she groaned deep in her throat as the velvet softness of his erection pressed against her stomach.

It’d been too long. A week of longing to be with him. A week of feeling horrible for the things she’d said to him.

Her mouth lowered and captured his. His hands remained at his sides. She would go insane if he didn’t touch her soon. Her body was fevered and pulsated with desire.

She slid along him. Her tongue parted his lips and sought his. Her core pulsed with its emptiness as he parried with his tongue.

He leaned over and grabbed a condom from his discarded pants. She guided him to her throbbing center.

Gripping his shoulders, she lowered herself fully on him. Her lips parted and a sigh of relief passed out of them. His mouth captured hers and his hands found her hips.

He didn’t move her, just held her. She slid up excruciatingly slowly enjoying the friction of his flesh on hers before lowering herself again. She repeated the process and Chase groaned.

His mouth moved with the desperation she felt and his hands took over her rhythm, sending her soaring higher until all that existed was the pulsating within her. His flesh against hers. His mouth on hers.

Her body clenched around him and her mouth opened in a silent scream. His fingers convulsed on her hips as their bodies continued to strain together. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as her body rocked into another orgasm.

She could feel his answering pulse within her. He held
her body still as he found his own release. Wrapped around him, she opened her eyes and looked down into his.

“I love you.” Her voice trembled and was weak, but very, very satisfied.

He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her softly. “I have never loved anyone the way I do you.”

Chase still couldn’t believe Natalie was here, asleep in his bed. He trailed a lazy finger down her back, from her shoulder to her waist where the sheet rested.

He’d been in misery the entire time he was in Ontario, but he couldn’t have stayed here. Being close to her was torture. Knowing she was only a car drive away had almost crushed him since she’d made it clear she wasn’t willing to be in the spotlight.

She didn’t know what she was getting into. She hadn’t begun to be pursued by the paparazzi. As an ex-lover she’d been interesting, but to be his girlfriend meant a whole new level of scrutiny. Her nose crinkled in her sleep. He gently brushed her hair off her face.

Would they be able to see what he saw when he was with her? Beautiful, intelligent eyes. A smile that made his heart swell every time she gave him one. When she looked at him, he knew he could do anything, be anyone.

When he’d been gone, he’d lost the peace that seemed to settle over him when she was near. What had changed? Did he really want to question why she was here? Wasn’t it enough that she was? That was it, wasn’t it? How long could she handle the pressure? How long before she left him for good? How long would love be enough to hold her to him? Would he ever be sure she was here to stay?

He couldn’t know, but he didn’t want to go back to the
way things were before. He didn’t want the superficial Hollywood romances. He wanted Natalie.

His fingers tangled in her shoulder-length hair. He leaned down and kissed the pale skin of her shoulder. When he lifted his head, he caught the slight smile on her lips before it disappeared again.

His hand trailed down her spine while he kept careful watch on her face. The little minx was pretending to sleep. His hand didn’t stop at the sheet, but continued under and over the curve of her buttocks.

When his hand slipped between her thighs and cupped her, a moan escaped her lips. Gently he stroked her as his other hand wrapped under her to lift her rear up. She rocked against his hand.

The flush of arousal coated her but she kept her eyes closed. Would anyone know the secret beauty who shared his bed? This wonderful creature who dominated his thoughts. Her lips parted.

He grabbed a condom off the nightstand and shifted on the bed until he was behind her raised hips. He replaced his hand with his erection and pulled her up against his body.

“Good morning, sleepy,” he whispered huskily in her ear.

Her arm draped up over his shoulder to clutch his neck as he rocked gently against her. “Morning.”

His arm crossed her chest, holding her to him as his other hand found the moist center of her. His fingers slid over her as he continued to rock inside her.

She shattered all around him. Her body shook as she came hard. Her sex clamped down on him. He lost control as his body shuddered in hers.

He lowered them to the bed still inside her, cradling her against his body.

“Definitely a good morning.” Her voice was soft as she
stretched against him. She gently turned into him to face him. Her eyes reflected his satisfaction.