Living Dangerously (32 page)

Blake glanced at Troy, obviously seeking silent permission, which he got by way of a nod. “Sure,” he said, with a quick smile. “Smells really good.”

“Good,” Elena said, moving toward the kitchen. “Give me a few minutes to set the table and we can eat.”

Julie gave Abbey another five minutes before she softly knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?” she asked quietly.

The door cracked open and Abbey’s doe eyes looked back at her. “Is Blake still here?” she whispered.

“He’s staying for dinner.”

Abbey knocked her head against the door frame.

“Did he do something to you?” Julie asked. “Should I toss him out of my house?”

“No!” Abbey whispered fiercely, her head shooting up, her eyes wide. “He didn’t do anything. He’s really nice. I just...” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it.”

Can’t or didn’t want to? Julie sighed. “He seems adorable to me. Come on out and have some dinner. That’s an order.” She almost never used the boss card, but now seemed like a good time.

Abbey followed her into the kitchen where Blake’s cool glance at Abbey belied nothing. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving,” Elena said. Matchmaker that she was, she put Abbey next to Blake at the circular table, and by the look on Abbey’s face, she was going to catch hell for it later tonight.

“Hi, Abbey,” Blake said quietly as they all sat down.

“Hello.” Abbey barely looked at the poor kid. What the hell was that about? Everyone noticed his not-so covert glances at Abbey except for Abbey. Unless she’d become a better actress than Julie thought.

During bites of the best lasagna she’d ever tasted, Julie answered questions about the movie and got the scoop on Abbey’s recent auditions and callbacks.

“Is there anything new with Carrie Ann and Drew?” Julie asked. She’d stopped referring to her as Cal a month ago, after she’d shot her four times. That day had changed her whole way of thinking about her best friend. She’d waited most of the night to ask because the subject still made her stomach cramp.

“Carrie Ann is finally out of the hospital,” Troy said as Abbey and Blake helped Elena clear the table. “Her infection cleared up and she was moved to jail until the trial.”

“She doesn’t need jail, she needs treatment. Mom, I want to make sure we cover the bills her insurance doesn’t, okay?”

Elena shook her head as she rinsed the dishes. “It’s not your job to pay her bills. I don’t care if she was your best friend—she tried to kill you.”

“I know, but I can’t just abandon her. Or Drew. They need help and I’m all they’ve got.”

“You won’t be able to do anything if they’re found guilty and go to jail,” Troy said.

“Maybe not, but if they end up in a mental facility I want to at least see to it that they can be together. Can we work on that?” she asked Troy.

“Sure. I’ll see what I can find out.”

“And Allen’s mom? Is she doing okay?” Julie had not only covered Allen’s funeral costs, but she’d sent his mother a whopper of a check. Allen had saved her life at the cabin just as Troy had done on the red carpet, and she wanted to make sure his mother didn’t suffer financially because of the loss. Nothing could bring back a son, but not having to worry about money certainly made life a little easier.

Julie reached across the table and took Troy’s hand. “Dinner was perfect. Thank you. How did you know I love Italian food?”

Laughing, Elena closed the dishwasher door. “He’s a P.I. How do you think he found out?” She raised her hand. “He asked me.” She glanced at her watch. “Okay, this cleaning detail is done for the night. Abbey, let’s hit the road. My show starts in thirty minutes.”

“I guess I’ll be going too,” Blake said. “Thanks for dinner.” His mood had gone from somber to downright surly, but he’d been trying his best to hide it. Not much got by Julie though, including Abbey’s cold shoulder to the guy. Blake practically flew out the door and Elena and Abbey followed close behind.

Julie shut the front door and found Troy watching her from the hallway, his eyes hot and smoky. He checked his watch and she did the same. They had approximately four-and-a-half days before she had to be in New York City to start filming her next movie. God, she’d missed him. Missed his big hands, his sexy eyes, and his hard body. She’d spent all her downtime talking to him via text, email, Skype and phone. It was a hell of a way to start a relationship.

“We need to talk,” she said. She had to know before it went any further that he could handle everything that being with her entailed.

“Okay. Sounds serious.” He seemed oddly relaxed as he took her hand and led her into the living room. They sat on her comfortable sofa and he kept her sweaty hand in his. “What’s on your mind?”

Where did she start? She’d had nothing but time to think about how they were going to make this work. He was so intensely private and her life was so freakishly
not
.

“After Lucas and I broke up I dated a couple of guys,” she said.

Troy just looked at her, his expression unchanged.

“And,” she continued, determined to get this out, “I couldn’t give them what they wanted. I couldn’t give them a quiet dinner out without interruption. I couldn’t give them a normal home life when I was working crazy hours out of town for months at a time. These last few weeks were nothing compared to a big budget film. One of those could keep me out of town for months on end.”

Troy nodded, his face somber. “You’re telling me this because...?”

“Because, I want you to understand what you’ll have to give up to be with me. You’ve waited for me this whole time, and I know we’ve talked and it’s been as good as it can be for a long-distance relationship, but...” She shook her head because she’d been through this before. She hated messy and didn’t want this budding love with Troy to get messy.

“You’re forgetting one very important thing,” he said. Julie waited, her heart full and ready to break if he agreed that the distance was a deal breaker. “What about the perks of being with you?” His gaze softened. “What about the way you make me laugh and the way you make me a better man? What about the light you put in my life just by being you? As long as we have a home together, somewhere where it’s just us and the press or producers or well-meaning friends can’t intrude, then I don’t care what happens if we’re out to dinner or a movie.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m not those other guys you dated. I’m not looking to compete with you. I know I have to share. I’m on board because I love you and that means I deal with...” He searched for the word he wanted.

“The chaos?” she supplied.

He grinned. “You’re words, not mine. I was thinking more along the lines of
whatever
comes
our
way
.”

“What about your privacy?”

“What about it?” He shook his head. “If you’re trying to get rid of me, this isn’t the way to do it.” He linked their fingers. “I love you. That’s what it comes down to. I don’t care about the shit happening out there,” he said gesturing to the front door. “I care about what’s happening in here.” The honesty in his eyes melted her as he gestured around them. “And in here.” He lightly tapped the spot over her heart. “Yeah, the long-distance thing sucks, but we’ll make it work. If you want to. If you’ve decided I’m not what you want or—”

“God no!” she said. “I’m not saying that at all. I just want you to know what you’re getting into.”

His smile singed her eyebrows it was so hot. “I know exactly what I’m getting into and there’s no way you’re talking me out of it. After all those phone calls and Skype sessions you don’t think I’m invested in making us work?” As he leaned forward he wrapped his hand around her nape and brought her closer. “If we’re done here, I think we can move on to the next part of the evening.”

That sounded good to her. She was dying to get naked with him.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“You better believe it.” She put all the sex kitten she could muster into the words as she unbuttoned the top button of her silk shirt. Troy’s eyes narrowed. She undid the second one and his eyebrows quirked.

“Am I missing something?” he asked. “I thought we were meeting Trace Bradshaw for drinks.”

Julie’s jaw dropped open wide. “Oh, my God, I completely forgot! What time is it?” It didn’t matter that she’d just looked at her watch. She scrambled to button her shirt and get her shoes back on.

“Whoa, slow down. We’ve got time.” Troy kissed her sweetly and her pounding heart slowed a fraction. “Are you sure you still want to go? You don’t have to. She said if you were too tired that she’d see you next time around.”

“No, I slept on the plane, I’m fine. Just give me five minutes to freshen up.”

Some kind of Hollywood blowout was happening at the Beverly Hills Hotel because the paparazzi were out in force as Troy pulled up to the valet. Last month’s news had been splashed all over the paper and entertainment shows, but Julie had managed to keep a fairly low profile since she’d been on location and working so many hours.

But now. This. There was no way to avoid the crowd unless she cancelled on Trace, and she didn’t want to cancel. She hadn’t seen Trace since the woman had visited her in the hospital after the first shooting, and that visit had been short and sweet because Trace had to drive to a new venue for her next race.

“You ready?” Troy asked as he unbuckled his seat belt.

“I am if you are.” This test worried her the most. Could Troy handle the press? The constant questions and interruptions? Would he get tired of the attention poured on them?

She forced out a breath as the valet opened her door. She stepped out of the car and Troy eased by her side in a flash, taking her hand and walking the gauntlet as reporters threw out questions and snapped photos.

“Julie, have you recovered from last month?”

“Julie, who’s the new guy?”

“Julie, look this way.”

Everyone wanted a piece of her. Though she knew it came with the territory, it had never bothered her more than right now because she didn’t want to lose Troy. She didn’t breathe easy until they got to Trace’s suite on the top floor.

Julie knocked and the door opened with a flourish.

“Hey!” Mac Reynolds, Trace’s husband, greeted her with a big hug as she stepped into the room. Mac and Trace had both been technical advisors to Julie’s movie
Dangerous
Race
. Mac had taught Julie’s stunt double, Ellie, how to drive the race car for the movie.

Trace and Ellie got up from the sofa and joined them, giving Julie a hug.

“How was the race?” Julie asked Ellie.

“Not bad for a debut,” Trace said, speaking for her. “A second-place finish.”

“That’s great!” Julie hugged Ellie again and eyed the smile on Trace’s face, then glanced at Ellie. “Trace won, didn’t she?”

Ellie laughed. “Yes, she did. I figured I should let the boss win on my first time out.”

The group laughed and Julie introduced Troy, only to find out he’d already worked for most of them. She had no idea he’d been the private investigator who originally found Trace Bradshaw when Trace’s sister discovered she had a twin. That had led to Troy working for Trace’s brother-in-law, Quinn, who was now married to Julie’s former stunt double, Ellie.

Yes, it was a very small world.

After a couple hours of catching up, Troy and Julie ran the paparazzi gauntlet on the way out. Troy held her close and kept a guarded eye on the people crowded around them, but he handled the chaos with calm.

Once safely in the car, he took a right on Sunset Boulevard.

Julie had to know what he thought of the media circus. “So...did tonight freak you out?” She fiddled with the button on the cuff of her shirt. “Because that’s about the norm for me. It’s an acquired taste.” She waited for his answer, afraid to see the expression on his face.

“Bullets freak me out. Cameras...not so much.”

She glanced at the wry smile on his face and fell in love with him a little bit more. “I’m serious. It’s never-ending. The cameras, people wanting to meet or talk or find a connection somehow. It’s not easy.” He missed the right turn for her house. “Where are you going?”

“I have a stop to make. Hope that’s okay.”

“Sure.” Maybe this had to do with the client problem he had earlier. “Anyway, what I was saying before. It’s not an easy life and it takes a certain person to be able to handle it. I just love you, and I don’t want to put you in the limelight if you don’t want to be there.”

“I want to be wherever you are,” he said. “That’s when I’m at my best.” Julie swallowed the knot lodged in her throat and Troy continued, “This last month was a bear. A few times I didn’t think I’d get through it. But then I thought to myself, if this is what I have to deal with to have a life with you...to be with you...then it’s worth every second.” He glanced at her and the emotion in his eyes filled her heart with love. “Because you are worth getting shot over. You’re worth dealing with pushy photographers and obnoxious paparazzi. I can handle anything as long as I’ve got you with me and I know you’re safe.”

Julie reached for his hand and squeezed tight. “I hope you still feel that way in a few months.”

“Months? How about years? How about decades?” His half grin and hot glance took her back to their road trip. She loved his profile, loved his strong jaw, the shape of his nose and the curve of his lips. He always knew how to say the right thing.

Sunset Boulevard wound its way closer to the beach, and soon they were driving on the Pacific Coast Highway. The full moon illuminated the ocean like a giant nightlight. Troy made a left near Pepperdine University and cruised along a row of beach houses before pulling into a driveway.

Curiosity ate Julie up. “Who lives here?” she asked.

Troy’s sidelong glance and smile as he got out of the car only made her radar sharper. He opened her door and helped her out. Did this place belong to him too? Her heart thumped as he unlocked the front door, flipped on a light and ushered her in before him.

The house was gorgeous. A short hallway with closed doors on either side opened up to a huge two-level great room. A glass table for four preceded the large kitchen to the right, and three steps down the wide staircase, the open living room boasted a huge flat screen television and fireplace with a giant comfortable sofa.