Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (9 page)

“Yes.”

The
doors opened, and slowly, they shuffled out, their mouths fused together.

“Lift
your arms.” Colt slid the hem of her shirt up her body. “I need you naked. Now.”

“I—”
Sable started to comply, but instincts kicked in. Something felt off. “Someone’s
here.”

“What?”
Colt groaned when she pushed him behind her and pulled her gun from her purse. “You’re
wrong. No one can get in unless they have the—” Then he remembered. “It’s okay.”

“Stay
here.” Keeping her gun eye level, Sable checked around the corner.

“Sable,
I know who it is.”

“Freeze.”

The
sound of glass crashing to the floor followed a high-pitched squeal.

In
the kitchen, hands raised high, blue eyes the size of saucers, stood a tall blonde.
The glass of juice she had poured herself smashed at her feet. She didn’t move.
No one did.

Except
for the loaded gun, the scene bordered on the comical.

Feeling
something licking her ankle, Sable glanced down. A dog whose paws seemed to get
in the way of her every move stared at her with adoring eyes.

“Sable,
you remember Paige. And this,” Colt picked up the wiggling dog, “is Beauty.”

COLT LAUGHED WHILE he cleaned up the broken glass. Sable didn’t
think pulling a gun on his brother’s future wife terribly funny. Absurd, yes.
Chuckle worthy? No.

“I’m
sorry,” Sable said, relieved to see the color returning to Paige’s face. “Colt
didn’t warn me that anyone would be here.”

“I
forgot. I was distracted,” Colt snickered.

Idiot
. Sable rolled her eyes, grateful
that Colt had the sense not to tell them why he forgot to mention that guests were
waiting in the loft. That kiss. It reminded her why getting involved with a
client never worked. What if there had been an intruder? What if her
inattention resulted in Colt getting hurt? Or worse? If she crossed the line
into real girlfriend territory, she couldn’t do her job properly.

If
she couldn’t do her job, what good was she to Colt? Or anyone else?

“Is
it safe to come out?”

“Jade?”

The
redhead poked her nose out of the bedroom.

“I
almost called 911.”

“No
need.” Sable hugged her friend. “What were you going to do with this?” She
pried Jade’s fingers from a wooden hanger.

“Defend
myself and Paige. It was the first thing I could find.”

“Next
time, grab the brass lamp from beside the bed. The hanger might leave a
splinter, but it wouldn’t stop a flea.” Sable tossed it onto the counter.

“You
didn’t tell her.” Jade sent Colt an accusatory look.

“I
wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Oh,
boy.” Paige frowned. “Maybe we should leave.”

“Maybe
someone should tell me what’s going on. I almost shot an innocent person. I
think I deserve an explanation.”

Jade
scoffed. “Don’t exaggerate.” She patted Paige’s hand. “Sable wouldn’t have shot
you.”

“Hello.
Gun.” Sable sighed. “Okay. Chances are that at worst, I would have grazed you.”

“Gee,
that’s encouraging.” Paige didn’t seem particularly upset. She pushed the fall
of blonde hair behind her ear. “Ready for your surprise?”

“I
don’t know. Am I?” Sable wasn’t good at surprises. The few that had popped up
in her life from time to time didn’t end well.

“You’ll
love this one.”

Sable
followed Paige and Jade toward her bedroom. She glanced at Colt, a question in
her eyes.

“Go
on,” he urged. “Beauty and I will finish cleaning up.”

Warily,
Sable peeked around the door frame. Everything looked the same as she had left
it that morning. Neatly made bed. The items on the dresser arranged with
pinpoint precision. Some might say it was too organized. If you opened a drawer,
you would find straight rows coordinated by color. Light to dark.

It
wasn’t overkill. It was logical. If Sable needed a blue t-shirt and black
socks, she knew exactly where to find them. Her system saved time. Her father,
then the Army, taught her that a few seconds could be the difference between
life and death for her and her fellow soldiers.

It
never occurred to Sable to change her habits now that no one was around to
notice. She liked order. Life was filled with too many unknowns that she had no
control over. This was a small thing, but it was hers.

“Are
you ready?”

“Let
me have it.”

Jade
and Paige exchanged excited grins before throwing open the closet door.

“Ta
da!”

Sable’s
eyes widened. Slowly, she walked into the room.

Before,
her clothing took up one little section. They barely warranted a dozen hangers.
Now, she couldn’t tell where her meager belongings ended and a sea of shirts,
jackets and dresses began.

Shoes
of every style and color lined an entire wall. Another was reserved for
accessories. Purses, scarves, hats.
Who wore hats anymore?
Sable
blinked, unable to take it all in. She felt slightly dizzy as though she had
walked into a fun house where the mirrors were replaced by Beverly Hills booty.

“Well?”
Jade demanded. “What do you think?”

“I
think my head is about to explode. Colton Landis! Get your ass in here!”

“Oops,”
Paige said. “That is not a happy face.”

Cautiously,
Colt entered the room, his trepidation understandable.

“Before
you blow a gasket, let me explain.”

“Maybe
we should go.” Paige edged toward the door.

“Are
you kidding?” Jade pulled her back. “I don’t want to miss the show. Besides,
Colt might need us to call an ambulance.”

“I
hope you’re joking,” Paige whispered. She didn’t know Sable, but from what
little she had seen, the woman seemed volatile. To say the least.

“I
am,” Jade assured her. “I think.”

“Don’t
worry. Colt can’t return these things if they’re splattered with blood.”

“I’m
not returning anything.” Colt calmly crossed his arms. He seemed cool, but he
planted his feet, ready for battle. “Didn’t you complain just the other evening
about your limited wardrobe?

“I
did not complain.” Sable bristled at the implication. “I pointed it out. There
is a big difference.”

“You
want to argue semantics? Fine. The fact remains, you need these things.”

“It’s
too much.” Sable picked up a sling-backed pump with a four-inch heel. “Why
would I need this? And in six different colors?” She looked closer. “And how
the hell did you know my size. Any of my sizes?”

“That’s
my fault,” Jade said. “Colt asked me to check your things. I relayed the
information to his personal shopper. I asked Paige to help us put everything
away as part of the surprise.”

“It
all circles back to you,” Sable pointed an accusatory finger at Colt.

“You’re
overreacting.”

Colt
looked around. Okay, perhaps it was a bit much. He asked the woman who shopped
for him to pick out a variety. She may have gotten carried away. However, he
stood by the belief that Sable needed these things. He wouldn’t apologize.

“I
won’t touch any of it.”

“We
are attending an all-star tribute on Friday.”

“I
have a dress for that.”

“Then
there’s a cocktail party next Monday. A birthday bash for an old friend the
Friday after that.”

“Fine,”
Sable huffed. She would bend but she wouldn’t be defeated. “Send the bill to
H&W. Alex gives me an expense account that I’ve never used. This will cover
it for the next ten years, but he won’t argue.”

Sable
had never seen Colt angry. He was such an easygoing, happy person who let
things roll off his back without blinking. It was a trait she admired. She
imagined it made the day-to-day frustrations he encountered as a movie star
easier to live with if he didn’t take them too seriously.

However,
everyone had their limits. It appeared Colt had reached his. The warm blue of
his eyes turned frosty causing Sable to suppress a shiver. When he spoke, the
tone was so quiet and contained, she had to lean in to catch every word.

“Burn
the fucking wardrobe if you want. But no one pays for a single item except me.
Understood?”

“That’s
childish and irrational.”

Colt
held her gaze a moment longer, the tension sizzling between them. Then, without
another word, he walked out.

“Wow.”
Paige fanned herself with one hand. “That was intense.”

Jade
smiled. “If anyone smokes, now is the time to light up.”

“He’s
angry, not turned on,” Sable said, taking a deep breath. The room sizzled with
repressed emotion. Silently, she admitted a lot of the tension was sexual. She
had another thought. “Colt can’t go out by himself.”

“I’ll
go.” Paige picked up Beauty. The dog had slept through the drama but was now
eyeing a pair of flats that looked very chewable. “If I have to, I’ll throw
myself in front of the door.”

“Right.”
Sympathetic, Jade rubbed Sable’s shoulder. “What’s it going to be? Bonfire or
capitulation?”

“It
seems there’s no in between.”

Colt
had thrown down the gauntlet. Sable could pick it up or be the bigger person
and step over it. She wasn’t very good at compromise. In the Army, it was a
lesson she had learned the hard way.

“These
things
are
beautiful.”

She
ran her hand over a softer than soft gray leather jacket. How many times had
she dreamed of owning one item as luxurious as this? Now she had access to
hundreds. Not that she owned them. But they were hers as long as she worked for
Colt.

“Colt
picked the colors and styles. He was very specific.”

“Really?”

Sable
looked closer. She had to admit, with a few exceptions, the clothing fit her
taste and style.

One
row consisted of nothing but evening wear. Dresses of varying lengths. Colors
in every hue. Sparkles, lace, and satin. Another side trended toward the
casual. Jeans, with designer labels, cotton slacks, silk blouses.

Sable
had never hung up a t-shirt in her life, yet here they were in every color
imaginable.

“Good
thing Colt is tall.” Jade examined a pair of rhinestone-covered stilettos. “You’ll
be at least six feet tall in these babies.”

“Don’t
tell Colt, but he has good taste.”

“I
won’t.” Jade peered at Sable through a sheer lavender scarf. “But you should.
He did a good thing.”

“I
suppose.” Sable felt more and more like an idiot for, as Colt had pointed out,
overreacting. “He did this for himself as much as for me.”

“Because
it feels good to make someone else happy? Sure. What’s wrong with that?”

Put
like that? Nothing. Sable felt another wave of guilt. Damn. Colt wanted to do a
good thing and she did her best to make him feel like crap.
Way to go,
Sable
.
She gave herself a sarcastic pat on the back.
Once again, you find a way of
spreading sunshine wherever you go.

“Don’t
beat yourself up.”

“I
deserve a kick or two in the butt.”

“No.
Take it from someone who spent most of her life blaming herself for, well, everything.
Apologize. Colt doesn’t hold a grudge.” Jade held a blouse the color of a
moonless sky up next to Sable’s face. “And he does have good taste. In clothing
and friends.”

“Is
that what I am? His friend? We haven’t been doing this very long but the
dynamic of our relationship changes daily. My head is spinning. Not a good
thing when you’re responsible for another person’s life.”

“Those
Landis boys have a way of turning your head,” Jade said, her smile sly. “Does
Colt kiss as well as Garrett?”

“I’ve
never kissed Garrett.”

“But
you have kissed Colt.” Jade did a little happy dance. “Ha! I knew it.”

Sable
tried to backtrack. “I admit nothing.” Oh, hell. She wasn’t fooling anyone,
especially herself. She sighed. “Damn it, I’m supposed to be a professional.
But you’re right, there is something about a Landis.”

“Right?
They ooze this outrageous sexuality. It’s irresistible.”

“I’m
trying.”

“Why?”
Jade demanded. “There are no laws stopping you. And if there were, can you
think of a better reason to risk arrest?”

“My
father would be horrified.”

Jade
frowned. She could write a book about disapproving fathers. Or rather, one in
particular. Unfortunately, it would be long and extremely unpleasant.

“You
never speak of your father.”

“There
isn’t much to say at the moment. We aren’t in touch. Or rather, I try, he doesn’t
respond.”

“I’m
sorry.” Jade gave Sable a brief but warm hug. She picked up her purse. “I’m
going to go. Sable, I hate giving advice.”

“But…?”
Sable smiled, letting Jade know she didn’t mind a few friendly words.”

“Bear
with me. I’m going to give you the old life is short spiel. Grab the good when
it comes because there is way too much bad. Turn around and something will
joyfully rain on your parade. And there. I’ve reached my cliché limit for the
day.”

They
found Paige and Beauty standing side by side, admiring the view. Colt was
nowhere in sight.

“Don’t
worry,” Paige reassured Sable. “Colt grabbed a beer and mumbled something about
taking a shower. He is such a sweetheart. He stomped off and slammed his
bedroom door. Thirty seconds later, he stomped out, kissed my cheek and thanked
me for helping. Then repeated the first part.”

“Want
us to stay?”

“No.”
Sable escorted Jade and Paige to the elevator. “Colt will cool off. Or he won’t.
Either way, we’ll pick up our routine in the morning. Nothing has changed.”

“Hasn’t
it?” Jade asked.

“We’ll
see.”

With
one last wave at Jade and Paige, Sable watched the elevator door close. Alone,
she tried to decide what she wanted. Food or bed. She knew she wouldn’t sleep.
So instead of subjecting herself to hours of tossing and turning, she headed to
the kitchen. After opening the refrigerator, she stood and stared.

“This
is ridiculous.”

The
selection was endless. No one person would be able to eat this much food. Colt
had told her that he sent it to a shelter, but honestly, what was wrong with
these women? They filled his fridge, cleaned his house. Washed his clothes. And
for what? The chance to bask, ever so briefly, in the glow of Colton Landis,
superstar?

Ugh.
Get a freaking life.

Sable
grabbed an apple and a bottle of water. She searched the cupboard, happy to
find her favorite standby. Peanut butter. And none of that organic, oil on the
top crap. This was good old middle-America Skippy.

The
bread in the keeper had a few grains, but it wasn’t too bad. Sable slathered on
a layer of peanutty goodness, and for good measure, added a couple tablespoons
of the strawberry jam.

Sable
sat at the table, taking a moment to let her shoulders relax. She said a brief
thank you before taking her first bite. Food, no matter how simple, should
never be taken for granted.