Never Been Ready (23 page)

We made our way through the rest of the airport and down to baggage claim. Just as we were about to leave the security area, he gave me one final look.

"You ready for this?" he asked.

I nodded, and he grinned.

"Welcome to the jungle, babe."

He wasn't kidding. As soon as we were off the escalator, they were on us —three or four cameras with men shouting questions. Declan was as cool as a cucumber. With his arm around my waist, he greeted them politely and answered a few questions.

"Hey, Declan, welcome home. Who's the blonde?"

"Thanks, Eddie. This lovely lady would be my girlfriend, and it's her first trip to L.A., so I would appreciate you gentlemen giving us a bit of space while I try to show her a good time," he said with a wink.

They laughed and gave us some room as we grabbed our bags. We headed out the door, and they followed, of course, asking a few more questions and flashing pictures of us. The driver Declan had hired loaded the car, and I made my way inside.

"Hey, Declan, give us a kiss, will ya? Something for the papers?"

"Sorry, guys. I'm not pimping my woman out for your paycheck. Have a nice day."

He joined me in the car, and we were off.

"Oh my God, is that what this place is like for you all the time?"

"Hmmm...not all the time, but yeah, pretty much."

I was shocked, completely shocked. His life was totally different. In Virginia, he'd been recognized a number of times when we'd been out, but for the most part, we had just gone about our normal lives. He had even gone to the grocery store with me.

"And you were so calm about it," I said.

"I've had a lot of practice by now, but enough of that. You've gotten your first paparazzi mob out of the way now." He grinned. "What do you want to do now?"

"I want to go to the beach! No, wait! I want to see your house!"

"Well, you're in luck. I can grant both of those wishes in one stop."

~Declan~

I never knew why I bought this big house until I heard Leah scream in glee when we pulled up to the driveway.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? You live on the beach? Why did I not know this about you?"

I just shrugged. Since I'd bought it a year ago, I'd probably spent less than half that actually living here.

"Well, don't just sit here. I want to see this place!"

The driver carried our bags inside, and then I handed over a large tip, thanking him for his help. When I returned, Leah was in the foyer, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the panoramic view of the Pacific.

"Holy shit. It's breathtaking. Can we have dinner right here? We can eat on the floor. I don't want to move from this spot."

"The master bedroom has the same view," I said passively.

Her eyes turned to me, and she looked around until she located the stairs. She took off and ran up them so quickly that I could barely catch up. She made a beeline for the guest room, but then she passed it by and went straight for the master. Decorated in steel gray, tans, whites, and various shades of blue, it matched the view perfectly. It was like an extension of the beauty nature had on display outside.

"So, I may not know a lot about actors, but I'm fairly sure that a house like this isn't cheap. I'm also pretty sure it is probably in the salary range of someone a bit more, um..."

"Famous?" I guessed.

"I was going to go with established, but yeah. Seriously, Declan, what gives? I know you've got to make good money, but this is stupid money rich. Unless they paid you twenty million for that sex scene I'll have to suffer through tomorrow, I really am at a loss here."

"It's called inheritance."

"Really?"

"Yes. My father, the jackass that he was, left his entire net worth, which was a lot by the way, to me. Since he was divorced from my mother at this time, she didn't get a cent, and he made sure of it. But the will didn't prevent me from giving over any of my inheritance to her, so I split it with her."

"And you still had enough to buy this house from Brad Pitt?" I joked.

"First of all, I didn't buy it from Brad Pitt. It was Will Smith's, and secondly, yes, plenty more."

Her eyes bugged out so fast that I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm kidding...about the Will Smith thing. You were about to go all fangirl on me, weren't you?"

"Don't kid when it comes to celebrities."

"You know, I'm a celebrity," I said smoothly.

"Yeah, but I've heard you pee, and now, all the mystery and allure is gone." She shrugged.

"You have not heard me pee!"

"Have to. You pee with the door open at night, and guy pee is really loud."

"This conversation has taken a really weird turn."

"Just trying to make sure your head doesn't blow up, Hotshot." She grinned.

"You're so sweet."

I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her as we watched the waves crash into the surf. This beach was privately owned, so only a few people were scattered along the shoreline, mostly runners and walkers. Surfers usually took to the waves in the early morning.

"You got your gigantic inheritance and bought a huge house, so you'd have a swanky place to bring home the ladies?"

I gripped her waist and swung her around until we were nose-to-nose.

"Is that your not-so-subtle way of asking whether you're the first woman I've brought here?"

"Maybe. Now, I'm starting to regret asking it because that bed looks so comfortable, and I really don't want to ruin it with an image of another woman rubbing her skanky body all over it."

"Leah..."

"Hmm?" she said, looking at the bed like it suddenly sprouted horns and bat wings.

"I've never brought anyone here but you."

Her head snapped back to me. "Promise?"

"Promise," I assured her.

"Oh, thank God," she squealed, leaping out of my arms and onto the bed.

"Ditched for my own bed. That's a first."

"You could join me, you know," she said suggestively.

I jumped on top of her, causing her to laugh.

"So...why? I mean, I'm beyond relieved, but I'm not dumb enough to believe that you've been a saint since purchasing this house, so I've got to know why you wouldn't use your bachelor pad for...well, bacheloring."

"Honestly, it's kind of a dickhead reason. But you asked. If I were to take a woman home, she would know where I lived, and then she could track me down. I didn't want any ties or strings with anyone...until you." I smiled. "It was easier to keep where I lived out of it."

"Wow, you were kind of a douche, Declan James."

"I'm a reformed douche," I amended.

"Yes, a reformed douche. Now, why don't we take this bed for a test ride? Then, you can take me on my romantic walk on the beach."

I slowly unbuttoned her shirt to be greeted by a sheer pale pink bra that left nothing to the imagination as I agreed, "You've got yourself a deal."

~Leah~

There were so many light bulbs.

They flashed and flared, memorizing our every move from the second we arrived, and their reign over the event seemed endless. I didn't think I'd be able to see straight for years.

Declan and I had spent a magical twenty-four hours in Los Angeles. We had taken a moonlit walk on the beach where I'd dipped my toes into the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
Holy fuck, it was cold. How did people swim in that water?
When Declan had threatened to throw me in, I'd sworn that I would never wear lipstick again. That had ended the water threats in a heartbeat.

He had woken me up with breakfast in bed, bringing me an omelet with fresh avocado and a side of strawberries from a local farm. I'd understood why California was known for their produce. It was amazing. When I had felt pleasantly stuffed, he'd taken me shopping on Rodeo Drive. I'd felt like I'd stepped into a scene from
Pretty Woman
—minus the fact that I was not Julia Roberts or a hooker.

But the shopping had been similar. He wouldn't let me look at any price tags, and he'd told me the sky was the limit. He'd sat back and let me play dress-up for him for hours. Never once had he gotten bored. He'd watched me come out of the dressing room, wearing each dress, and his eyes would darken and flare with heat. I hadn't known shopping could turn a man on so much. In fact, at one point, he'd asked the woman assisting me for a few moments alone, so he could help me decide, and instead, we'd gotten busy in the dressing room. Yep, I'd had sex in a dressing room on Rodeo Drive. I was such a classy slut.

And now, one dress, a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes, and a professional hair and makeup session later, we had arrived to an actual Hollywood movie premiere.

All I could think was,
Don't fall, don't fall.

As if sensing my nervousness, Declan leaned his head toward mine as his arm wrapped possessively around my waist. "You look breathtaking. You'll be fine. Just smile, and I'll do the rest."

I nodded, and to my surprise, he gave me a tender kiss before we entered the press area where the vultures would descend.

First, I felt actual pity for celebrities because they had to stand for that long and smile. It was agonizing. My face felt like it was going to cramp, and of course, we had to endure even more attention and scrutiny because Declan had never, ever brought someone to an event. He apparently very rarely ever showed up to events at all, so this was big news.

The last twenty-four hours had really opened my eyes. I knew, in the back of my head, that Declan was famous, that he was well known. This had been confirmed every time we had walked down the street or had been stopped in a store. But people in Virginia were different about it. They were polite, shy even. When they had approached him, they had been hesitant as if they couldn't really comprehend it was him right there in front of them.

Here, people held nothing back. Cameras were in his face whether they were held by a news crew, paparazzi, or fans. People wanted pictures with him everywhere we went. And, oh my God, the screaming —I couldn't get over the screaming. As soon as we exited the limo, women cried out blood-curdling screams. It was deafening.

We made our way through the flashing lights, stopping every so often to smile and pose again. Declan never strayed from my side. His arm was firmly fastened to my waist. He was announcing our status loud and clear, and I liked it —a lot.

As we walked by the screeching fans, yelling things like, "Marry me, Declan," and other things I'd rather not say, I might have slid my hand resting on his waist a bit lower, slipping it into the pocket of his suit pants over his firm ass. Declan looked over at me, giving me an arched brow, and I just smirked.

"Being a little evil tonight, aren't we?" he seductively whispered in my ear.

"Just making sure they understand you're taken."

"Well then, you should do it properly."

Pulling me to him, he slowly kissed me, wrapping his fingers from one hand around my neck while the other hand went around my waist. I swore I heard the crowd sigh. He turned back to the puddle of goo that used to be the crowd and flashed his award-winning smile as he gave a wink.

"Sorry, ladies. I just couldn't help myself. Love does crazy things to a man."

And just like that, the previously rabid fans were now the charter members of the Decah Fan Club.

Giving me a smug grin, we made our exit from the crowds and walked toward my most feared part of the night —well, besides the sex scene —the interviews.
What if they asked me shit, and I sounded stupid? What if I embarrassed Declan?

He squeezed my hand in reassurance as he told me that I was doing fantastic, and we took the last few steps to his first interview. An overly made-up woman started firing off questions, and Declan handled her like a pro. The first were a series of questions about the movie, so I relaxed a bit.

This movie,
Crossroads
, was about a love triangle, and Declan had explained that he was not the chosen one in the end. The heroine, trying to decide between her bad-boy neighbor and her long-lost love, finally comes to her senses in the end...but not before she shakes a few walls with my boyfriend.
I was totally looking forward to witnessing that.

The interviewer asked why Declan had chosen the movie and how he enjoyed his costar. He was polite and said she had been a delight to work with. I hid my smile, remembering him describe her as a pain in the ass.

Finally, running out of relevant questions, the woman looked to me. "And I see you've brought a date, Declan! Care to introduce us to the new woman in your life?"

He looked at me and grinned. "This is my lovely girlfriend, Leah, joining me tonight."

And then came the question Declan had prepared me for. "And what are you wearing, Leah?"

Apparently, this was the most important question of the evening, and Declan had told me to be prepared to repeat it over and over again.

I answered quickly, remembering the designer of my gorgeous floor-length, mermaid-style red dress that fit me like a glove and made my ass and boobs look like a million bucks. This was the dress that had Declan attacking me in the dressing room.