Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (26 page)

Instead
of walking into the lobby, Sable went around the side of the building and down
the ramp to the garage. It felt natural entering this way, and it meant she
avoided any prying eyes that she might encounter in the lobby. She laughed at
herself. Thinking about her privacy was another offshoot of spending so much
time with Colt.

The
elevator doors were in sight when a disturbing thought suddenly crossed her
mind. What if Colt had the security updated while she was gone? Not likely. But
it would certainly alert her to his feelings. A man didn’t lock out the woman
he loved.

Heart
racing, Sable leaned in, letting the light scan her retina. When she heard the
familiar beep, and the doors slid open, she let out a sigh. One hurdle out of
the way.

The
ride to the top seemed to take forever. Until she was staring at the living
room sofa and couldn’t make her feet move. Then it seemed like it had taken a
few seconds. She wasn’t ready. When she thought of it later, Sable was
embarrassed that she had reached for the button. But before she could do it,
Beauty stood before her, half in the loft, half in the elevator.

Tail
wagging with the force of a small engine, the dog cocked her head to one side
as though asking, “Well? What are you waiting for?” Then she plopped on her
back and offered a very furry tummy for Sable to scratch.

“You
took the decision out of my hands,” Sable laughed. She gave Beauty a thorough
pet—head and stomach—then whispered, “Thank you.”

“She
is such an attention hound. No pun intended.”

Sable
looked up to see Paige walking from the kitchen. She carried a bowl of water in
her hand. Carefully, she laid out a towel on the hardwood floor, before setting
the bowl on top.

“There
you go, Beauty.” Done with Sable, Beauty trotted over to the blonde who patted
the dog’s head.

Paige
smiled at Sable. “She spills as much on the floor as she swallows.”

“So
I see.”

The
sounds of a big, enthusiastic tongue lapping water filled the room. Sable didn’t
know why, but she felt awkward and unsure what to say.

“Colt
isn’t here,” Paige told her.

“He
isn’t?” Frowning, Sable looked at her watch. “It’s only four o’clock. It’s too
soon for him to be at the party.”

“There
were some last minute details he wanted to go over with Callie.” Paige shook
her head at Beauty, who had finished drinking. “I know what you want. What did
Nate say? No snacks between meals. Remember?”

Beauty
turned her head one way, then the other. Her big, brown eyes pleading.

“Fine,”
Paige sighed, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. “One biscuit. But don’t tell
Nate.”

Beauty
delicately took the treat between her teeth, trotting to the rug. She plucked
down and happily began eating.

“Sorry
about that.” Paige stood. She and Sable were almost the same height—without
heels. Today, Sable wore flats with her jeans. With the strappy sandals that
went perfectly with the body-hugging coral-colored dress, Paige topped her by
four inches. “We have a daily routine. A little more polish and we’re taking it
on the road.”

Sable
had questions—lots of them. But she didn’t know where to start. Not without
sounding a little crazy. Sorting through and discarding most of them, she
picked one that seemed relatively innocuous.

“Why
are you here?” She added quickly, “Not that it isn’t great to see you.”

“But
I wasn’t who you expected,” Paige smiled knowingly. “Colt didn’t want you to
come back to an empty loft. I, along with Beauty, volunteered to be your
official greeters.

“Was
I wrong to hope he’d be here?”

“No.”
Paige gave her an understanding look. “When you left, Colt wondered if you were
coming back.”

Sable
wanted to have this conversation with Colt. But she understood. If the tables
were turned, she wouldn’t be here either. On the other hand…

“I
texted.”

“ETA
between four and five? Be still my beating heart.”

Well,
crap.

“I
love that the Landis family is close,” Sable sighed. “But do you have to share
everything?”

“Not
everything,” Paige assured her. “Colt was a bit… incredulous. He passed his
phone around asking, ‘What the hell? She’s been out of touch for almost four
days and this is all I get?’“

Sable
frowned. “I have things to say.”

“And?”

“And
I want to say them to Colt. Not with a text. Or on the phone.
To
him.
Face to face.”

“Why
didn’t you say so?”

Paige
grabbed Sable’s hand, pulling her toward the bedroom.

“All
of a sudden, we’re in a hurry?”

“I
feel energized. The party starts at seven. It is now,” Paige scanned the room
for a clock, “ten to five. Two hours to get you ready, drive to Callie and
Caleb’s where my dress is waiting. Then off to the
Four Seasons
.”

“I
thought this was a wrap party for Colt’s movie? You’re going?
The Four
Seasons?
It sounds like a big deal.”

“You
know the Landis clan,” Paige said with a wave of her hand. “The bigger, the
better.”

“It’s
a wrap party.”

Bewildered,
Sable followed Paige into the closet. A small party meant a few drinks. Casual.
Friendly. A place where she could ply Colt with some liquor, coax him onto the
dance floor, and find a cozy place to be alone. But no one gathered at the
Four
Seasons
for beer and chips.

“Colt
decided to use the occasion as a charity event. You know how people are. The
more celebrities and champagne, the looser they get with the purse strings.”

“Stupid.
Why not save the money they spend on a new dress and give to charity?”

“I
agree, in theory. But this is a time-honored method—because it works. And
speaking of new dresses. Ta da!”

“Wow.”

Dazzled,
Sable stared, unable to take her eyes off the garment draped over Paige’s arm.
The color was hard to describe. It was a shade she didn’t recognize.

“What
shade is that?” she mused.

“That’s
what I asked. Promise you won’t laugh? Colt calls it
Sable blue
.”

Laugh
? Sable wondered how she would
keep from crying. Sable blue. The man knew how to go straight to a woman’s
heart. Hope. It started down deep, warming her from the inside out.

“You
have to hand it those Landis boys.” Paige handed Sable the dress. “They know how
to knock a woman for a loop. In a good way.”

“Very
good.”

Sable
ran her hand over the material. It shimmered—iridescent in the light and
slipping like water through her fingers. There wasn’t much to it but what there
was, was spectacular. She couldn’t wait to put it on.

“Leave
that with me.” Paige laughed when Sable reluctantly let go of the dress. “I
promise it will still be here after your shower.”

Sable
took one last look before heading for the bathroom. Funny. Her stomach was
calm. Her nerves under control. Maybe the dress possessed magic powers.
Soothing qualities. Or maybe the jolt of hope it had provided was all the magic
she needed.

Sable
reached into the shower and turned on the taps. As she undressed, she suddenly
realized she was humming.
Crocodile Rock
. Interesting choice. She
thought about Colt singing the same song. The man’s influence seeped into all
aspects of her life.

Grinning,
she walked under the falling water. She belted out the chorus, singing about a
Chevy and some old blue jeans. Sable’s voice didn’t compare to Colt’s, but if
she played her cards just right, she might be lucky enough to hear him serenade
her from the shower every day for the rest of her life.

THE LOBBY OF the Beverly Hills
Four Seasons
was always a
busy place. However, tonight it was overflowing with more glitz and glamour
than usual.

The
management was used to hosting celebrities, dignitaries, heads of state, and a
few minor royals. It was their job to make them feel that, while guests of the
hotel, they were the most important people to ever walk through the doors.

Sable
imagined that if she had arrived by herself, the greeting would have been
gracious. But she wasn’t alone. She was surrounded by the top of the Hollywood
food chain. The Landis family was as close as it came to royalty in a country
that had decisively disposed of the monarchy close to two hundred and fifty
years earlier.

Caleb
and Callie led the procession. They drew stares as much for their good looks as
for who they were. Evening clothes suited the big man. His broad shoulders
filled out the perfectly fitted suit. The streaks of gray in his hair didn’t
age him. Caleb was the definition of a silver fox.

Callie
Flynn, dressed in a gold gown that showed her youthful figure to perfection,
walked next to her husband with regal grace.

Garrett
and Jade. Nate and Paige. The next generation. Handsome. Beautiful. And
obviously, head over heels in love.

No,
Sable thought with a smile, it wasn’t her arrival that had the hotel manager
fawning with more enthusiasm than usual.

“We
are honored that you chose the Four Seasons to host your gala.”

Gala?
Now it was a gala
?

Sable
looked around as they entered the ballroom. It was almost full. Groups of
people stood around visiting, accepting glasses filled with sparkling champagne
from nattily dressed roaming waiters. To her surprise, Sable recognized many of
the faces.

“When
did a simple wrap party become a gala?” she whispered.

Jade
smiled. “This is Hollywood. There’s an old saying. I went to a party and a gala
broke out.”

Sable
laughed.

“You
got the joke,” Jade said, obviously pleased. Her hair was piled into an artfully
messy bun. Her dress hit her mid-thigh, showing off her toned legs. Pink seemed
like an incongruous color for a redhead, but on Jade, it worked.

“It
was a good one.”

Jade
gave Garrett a light jab with her elbow. “I told you so.”

“Jade.
Love of my life. That is, what, the fourth time you’ve told that joke? How many
laughs have you gotten?”

“Counting
you? Two,” Jade conceded. “But that means I’m batting five hundred.”

“A
baseball reference.” Garrett groaned. “God, that is hot! Let’s dance so I can
hold you in my arms.”

“Since
when do you need an excuse?”

“Public
place, sweetheart.”

Garrett
swung Jade in a circle and onto the dance floor.

“You
look gorgeous.”

Sable’s
breath caught in her throat. Colt. She turned, her eyes going straight to his.

“So
do you.”

Actually,
gorgeous didn’t begin to describe how good he looked. In a room filled with
handsome men, a good portion of whom were directly related to Colt, he stood
out. She would accept that she was biased, but in Sable’s opinion, it wasn’t a
close race. The blazing blue eyes. The dark wavy hair. The tall, leanly muscled
frame. And she knew every inch of it—intimately. She would be a fool to
willingly walk away from that.

“I’m
not a fool.”

“No.
That is the last thing you are.”

Oh,
and she couldn’t forget that killer smile. It made her stomach do a back flip—every
time.

“I’m
sorry I wasn’t at the loft when you got there.”

“Paige
explained.”

“How
was your trip?”

“Good.”
Small talk? Really
? “Uneventful.”

“Did
your client hit on you?”

Sable
could tell that Colt meant it as a joke. And that he expected her to laugh it
off accordingly. When she hesitated, his eyes narrowed. Light blue to dark in
only a few seconds.

“Well,
fuck me,” he growled under his breath. “Did you rip his balls off? Please tell
me you left him singing soprano.”

“He
was very sweet.”

Colt
rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable. We see a woman and boom. Our brains go into
neutral and our dicks take over. We can’t help rooting around like a pig
searching for truffles.”

“He
asked, Colt. That’s all. We touched exactly twice. Shaking hands when I arrived
and when I left. Wait.” Sable’s eyes sharpened. “Did you just call me a
truffle?”

“And
men pigs. Besides, truffles are rare and sell for a lot of money. Scratch that
last part.”

“It’s
hard to un-hear something, fella.” But Sable knew what he meant so she decided
to give him a pass.

“What’s
his name?”

“Why?”
Sable sighed when Colt pulled out his phone. “Are you planning on calling him?”

“No.
I want to look him up.”

“He’s
a sweet, shy, science nerd.”

“Not
so shy if he bucked up the courage to hit on you.”

“Colt.”
Gently, but with intent, Sable took his phone. “I wasn’t interested.”

“Jealousy.”
Colt frowned. “It’s been riding on my back since you left.”

“I
ran.”

That
got her his full attention. The frown was replaced by a look of surprise. Colt
took her hand. He began purposefully weaving through the crowd, not giving
anyone time to waylay them.

“Come
with me.”

“Where?”

Colt
didn’t answer and she didn’t argue. She let him lead her out of the ballroom
and to a bank of elevators.

“You
have rented a room?”

“I
always do. You never know when you’ll want to get away for some peace and
quiet.”

“Or
sneak off with a sexy partygoer.”

Colt
turned his head, his eyes filled with mischief. “In my misspent youth. These
days I’m more likely to take a nap. Alone.”

“Interesting.”

“Hmm?”
Colt waited until the car emptied before pulling her in.

“Elevators.
We’ve spent a lot of time in them.”

“One
of my best memories happened behind one.”

“Mine
too.”

“Stand
over here.” Colt left her against one wall. He walked to the other. “I’ve
missed you.”

“You
have a funny way of showing it.” Sable took a step his way but stopped when
Colt held up a hand. “What?” she asked, batting her eyes as though butter
wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

“
You
know what,” he told her. “Look at that smile. I haven’t touched you in four
days. I’m not getting arrested for public indecency because you enticed me into
having elevator sex.”

“Could
I?” Sable’s smile widened. She ran a finger along the neckline of her dress,
drawing his attention to the creamy expanse of bare skin.

Colt
swallowed. “What?”

“Entice
you?” She paused at her breast, lightly caressing the slope. “Could I entice
you?”

“In
a heartbeat.” The elevator dinged and Colt sighed with relief. “Thank God. That
had to be the longest ride in history.”

“Thirty
seconds. Forty-five max.”

“It
felt like an eternity.” Pulling her into the hallway, Colt checked right, then
left. Seemingly satisfied, he put an arm around her waist. “I think we can risk
a kiss.”

Sable
rubbed her cheek against his palm. She loved when he cupped her face, smoothing
the skin with his thumb. It felt wonderfully intimate. His eyes only a few
inches from hers. She felt as though they were the only two people in the world.

“One
kiss?”

“To
start.”

Her
gaze dropped to his mouth, willing it to touch hers. Had it only been four
days? It felt longer.

“The
hell with this.”

“Wait,”
Sable protested when Colt pulled away. “Nobody likes a tease, Colton.”

“You’ll
get your kiss.” He pulled a keycard from the inside pocket of his jacket. “And
more. But not out here. I want you away from prying eyes. And cameras.”

Following
closely behind, Sable felt a wave of embarrassment. Security was her business.
More than anyone, she should be aware of the eye in the sky. There were few
places you could go anymore where you weren’t watched.

For
Colt, it was even worse. He had fans and paparazzi dogging his heels at every
turn. She knew that. And yet she, the so-called expert, forgot the second he
tempted her with a kiss.

“I
didn’t think about the cameras. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t
beat yourself up. I’ve dealt with this my entire life. And remember. Tonight
you’re a guest.”

Colt
opened the hotel room door, standing aside for her to enter.

Sable’s
first instinct was to insist he go first. With a clear head, her bodyguard
training kicked in. But Colt shook his head.

“You’re
off the clock.” He gently pushed her over the threshold. “It’s you and me. A
man and a woman. Not a man and his bodyguard.”

“I’ll
always carry a gun.”

Colt
glanced at her purse, then at her. “I can live with that. But forgive me if I
balk at you for always taking the lead.”

“No
more checking the area before I let you leave your trailer?” She set her purse
on the bureau.

“I
hated that.” Keeping his eyes on hers, he unbuttoned his jacket and began to
pace. “No more sitting in the car while you rush around to open my door.”

“Sounds
fair.”

“No
more…” he tossed up his hands, “any of it.”

Colt
seemed agitated. At the rate he was going, he would wear a hole in the carpet.
He put his hands behind his back. Then ran one through his hair. This was the
first time Sable had seen him like this. Unsure of his next words.

It
had a calming effect on Sable. They were in the same boat. She liked thinking
of it that way. The same boat meant, no matter what the problem was, they would
figure it out—together.

“Stop.”
Sable laid a hand on Colt’s arm. “Take a deep breath. We’re getting ahead of
ourselves.”

“Right.”

Colt
breathed in—held it—then slowly let out the air. He tilted his head, looking
directly into her eyes and smiled.

“Hello,”
she whispered. The moment felt too important. Almost reverential.

“Hi.”
Colt brushed his lips over hers. Once. Twice. He pulled back a bit. “Did I tell
you that I missed you?”

“You
did.”

Sable
sighed when he deepened the kiss.

“Did
I tell you that I haven’t been able to sleep without you next to me? That I
would lie awake, certain you were never coming back.”

“I
didn’t sleep very well, either.” She rubbed her cheek against his. “And I
always planned on coming back.”

“To
me? Or to say goodbye?”

This
time when she sighed it was deeper—heartfelt.

“I
had no idea.” Colt stiffened. Sable wound her arms around him, rubbing his
back—soothing. “I missed you. I wanted to be with you. But I didn’t know if our
lives fit. If I wanted them to. Or if you did.”

“Sable—”

“You
have a pretty sweet setup, Colt. You’re young and rich. Saying the world is your
oyster is putting it mildly. Why settle for one woman when you can have a
different one every day of the year? Every hour of every day, if you were so
inclined.” Sable’s words were serious, but she couldn’t help teasing, “And had
the stamina.”

“No
one has ever questioned my stamina.”

“Certainly
not me.”

“I
love you, Sable.”

“I
love you, too.” Funny. The words weren’t so hard to say—not to the right man.

“Our
lives will fit if we want them to. I do.”

“So
do I. But—”

Colt
put a finger to her lips. “Give and take.” When she kissed the finger, his blue
eyes sparkled. “Nothing is perfect. God,” he shuddered. “Who would want it to
be? Isn’t it the little imperfections that make life interesting?”

“I
have plenty of those.”

“Me
too. You’ve seen them.”

She
had. But at that moment, she couldn’t think of a single one.

“My
mind’s a blank.”

“Give
it time,” he grinned. “They’ll come rushing back. As for other women? I played
that game when I was younger. And enjoyed every minute.”

Sable
gave him a look that told him she didn’t doubt it for a second.

“I.
Love. You.” He punctuated each word with a kiss. “We Landis men don’t take
those words lightly. You don’t say them unless you mean them. And once you say
them, you’re all in.”

“
All
in?”

“For
life.”

“That’s
a long time.”

“I
certainly hope so.” Colt took her hand. Slowly, with great deliberation, he
went down on one knee. “I want forever, Sable. Will you marry me?”

Sable
never jumped. She thought things through. Weighed her options. Researched the
pros and cons. She didn’t believe in making hasty decisions—especially when it
involved the rest of her life. She listened to her head, not her heart.
However, now and then, when everything aligned just right, her head and her
heart were in complete agreement.

“I
love you. Now. Tomorrow. Forever.”

“Is
that a yes?”

“Yes,
Colton. I will marry you.”

“One
of us should cry.” Colt lifted her, swinging her in a circle. “Isn’t that the
normal reaction?”

“I
don’t feel like crying.” She was too happy. All she could do was grin. A big
goofy grin, if the one on Colt’s mouth was at all like hers.

“I
could.” He set her on her feet. “I am an actor after all.”

“Fake
tears don’t count.”

“Agreed.
Sex.” If possible, Colt’s face lit up even more. “Let’s celebrate the old-fashioned
way.”

“Of
course. There’s nothing as traditional as pre-marital sex.”

“We’ll
make our own traditions.”

Shaking
her head, Sable slowly backed away. She recognized that glint in Colt’s eyes.
If she didn’t move fast, her beautiful dress would be in a heap on the floor.