Tinseltown (3 page)

Zach wasn’t a stranger among women. He could tell he’d just charmed the pants off Deb’s mom, but then his words registered and the look of shock widened her eyes. Catching the look of gratitude on Deb’s face, he sent her a wink, hoping to alleviate any remaining fears. She smiled tentatively and allowed her mother to usher them into the living room, or rather a room so big it reminded Zach of the ballroom where he and Deb had become engaged.

“This is a beautiful home, ma’am,” he said, placing his hands on Deb’s shoulders and kneading the tension he felt there. Surprisingly, she didn’t move away. He felt her lean back against him momentarily then, as if catching her slip, she sidestepped him and sent him a look of warning.

“Please, call me Marie,” Deb’s mother said. “Hopefully you’ll feel comfortable enough before too long. John!” she called across the room. “Deb’s home early! And she brought her new boyfriend!”

It was enough to make Zach grimace. He had always thought the term boyfriend was so… juvenile. He preferred lover, or mate or… husband. He certainly wasn’t a boy and he didn’t like being called one. It brought back far too many thoughts of his childhood.

A man made his way through the crowd and took Deb in a hug, much like Marie. Zach felt decidedly uncomfortable watching so much affection. He was just glad it wasn’t aimed at him.

John extended his hand and shook Zach’s heartily. “I’m John. Nice to meet you.”

“Zach. It’s a pleasure.” Zach took in John’s thinning hair, kind smile, and short stature. He was exactly the kind of man he’d expected.

He could see the approval in John’s eyes at his firm grip and strong shake.

Zach and John waded through the crowd, most of them situated near the refreshments. A few couples danced across the floor. It wasn’t a huge party, but big enough that Zach felt a little uneasy. Normally he was right at home with a crowd, but there was something about knowing part of this crowd was his
family.
Somewhere along the way, Deb and John drifted away, talking to other guests, and Zach meandered over to the corner, where, he hoped, no one would recognize him. He could tell this was going to be harder on him than he had anticipated. He wasn’t a family guy.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he took a good look around for the first time. The white and black marble floors gleamed, and he could see everyone’s reflection dancing. A massive mahogany fireplace blazed to his right, decked out in larger-than-life stockings. An even bigger Christmas tree, at least twelve feet tall, stood in the corner topped with the biggest bow he had ever laid eyes on. While some might find it gaudy, it reminded him of something he might have read about in
Christmas Story
or
Gone
with
the Wind
, although he’d never admit to reading the latter.

Across the room, a winding mahogany staircase disappeared into a landing holding several doors, which he assumed closed off the bedrooms.

He found a seat by the fireplace to warm up and studied his reflection in the floor. He didn’t want to seek out Deb’s face. His pain was still too fresh for him to feel the rush of love he felt for her every time she looked at him. Each time she came near, it reminded him of her rejection and how it cut him deeper than anything else in his life. But he would never admit it to her.

Ever.

“How long have you known Deb?”

Zach looked up into Deb’s father’s face and smiled as he sat down next to him. “Since we started filming a few months back, but I knew about her through mutual friends and the press.”

Although he never truly met her until they were on the set of
Letting Sparks Fly
, he had devoured every piece of information about her when it was available. He admired her work and her ability to step into a character’s world. She was not only talented but so beautiful it made his heart ache.

“She’s a special girl. I know you recognize that if you’re here with her.” John’s gaze drifted to his daughter, and Zach couldn’t help but seek her out. She stood alone like a diamond in a bed of coal. Her laughter met his ears as she chatted with an older woman.

Zach wasn’t a sappy kind of man. In fact, he considered himself pretty hardcore, so when Deb showed an interest in him too, he had been anxious when feelings he never knew existed stirred to life. He wasn’t the kind of man who fell in love, or so he had thought, but he didn’t like all the mushiness and sweetness he felt. It was foreign to him.

“Speak of the devil. Here she comes.” John nodded and walked away.

“Hey, I couldn’t find you.” Deb sat next to him. He looked up when her fingers laced through his.

“Just trying to keep a low profile. Your dad kept me company for a few minutes.” His gut performed a familiar tumble. He hated that feeling.

“Hard to do around here. Especially after my mom announced you were my new boyfriend, huh?”

“Yeah,” he agreed hesitantly. “Just steer us clear of the mistletoe under the entryway.” He pointed at it and she smiled.

“Mom and Dad put it there every year. It’s tradition, so you won’t be able to avoid it forever.”

“I’m not the one trying to avoid it,” he mumbled, looking away. He held fast to the anger of her rejection, trying not to let those blue eyes and pouty lips sway him to make a bigger fool of himself.

“Would you like to dance? Dad is salting the steps so we can get our luggage in, so we’ve got a few minutes to ourselves.”

Shocked, he looked at her. Her face held no trace of amusement and when she stood and tugged his hand, he realized she was serious.

Lovely
.
Nothing I want more than to hold you close and be reminded of what I can’t have
. “Sure,” he said, half-smiling. Looking into her eyes, he saw sunshine dancing there, even though the only lighting in the room was the Christmas tree. “Looks like you’re having a good time,” he observed.

Christmas music, something by Jim Brickman, played over the speakers. The piano music gave him goose bumps but he could think of nothing more beautiful to dance to.

“It’s always good to be home. Christmas at home has always been my favorite time of year, and it doesn’t hurt you’re good-looking and my ex-boyfriend is standing right over there watching us and turning green.”

Zach didn’t dare look over. He might be the one turning green. “You think I’m good-looking?” he asked, focusing on the one nice thing she’d said to him since Vegas, ignoring the rest of her sentence.

Deb rolled her eyes. “Of course, but that doesn’t mean I’m falling for all your charm… or rather lack thereof.” She gave him a flirty smile and pulled him forward as she walked backward. He knew she was only acting for the Ex, and he hated falling for her act. If he was, he knew the Ex was about to implode. If he wasn’t, he was a fool.

“Deb, I’m not sure this is a good idea,” he warned, tugging her to him and into his arms before he embarrassed himself. He kept his eyes averted from the direction she kept glancing to, so he wouldn’t be forced to take out his aggression on the Ex’s skull.

“Why not?”

But the panic in her voice and the smell of her amazing perfume, all vanilla and warm, told her he would, indeed,
make
it work. “Never mind,” he said. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“It might be beneficial for Ex over there to see how hot we are for each other.” He pulled back to look at her. Her cute little turned-up nose stood defiant.

“We aren’t,” she insisted.

He leaned forward, letting all his desire for her burn, knowing she thought he was only putting on a show, when in fact he was so hard he could barely shuffle his feet in pretense of dancing. He pulled her hips against his to show her his need. “No?” he whispered. “Then it shouldn’t be a problem.” If she wanted to use him to make someone jealous, he was going to reap the benefits.

“You’re taking advantage of me again,” she warned and pulled away slightly.

“Actually, I think it’s the other way around since you wanted to dance to make your ex jealous. By the way, is this the guy you’re in love with?”

Deb closed her eyes on the end of a deep breath then fluttered them open. “Yes. But go ahead and kiss me.”

But he could see the disdain dancing in her eyes and held back.

“I’ll wait until the right moment,” he said. He’d catch her off-guard and kiss her when she least expected it. That way Ex would be able to see their true attraction for each other and not something forced. He wouldn’t be a problem afterward because no one would mess with what they had. At least, he told himself that. The true reason was he was dying to taste her again after their kiss on the porch. The Ex had nothing to do with it.

She fell silent for a long while. When the song was almost over, his feet slowed and he pulled back so he could look at her. The love he didn’t want to feel for her reared again, but he pushed it aside and made way for the need to prove himself to her. To make Deb look at him the same way she kept glancing at the Ex.

“I’m not a bad person, you know,” he said quietly and moved his thumb over the back of her hand. Her palm pressed lightly on his chest, and her ear rested against his jaw.

“I never said you were. I just don’t appreciate you taking advantage of me when I was drunk.”

“You’ve made it clear it was a mistake. But, if we could erase it, where would we be right now? We were headed somewhere, Deb. Where? Or were you playing games after all?”

“I was really attracted to you, Zach.”

“Was?”

“Yeah…
was
.”

“What changed?”

She didn’t say anything immediately. “I’m smarter now. I know I shouldn’t get involved with you.”

“Why? And isn’t it kind of a moot point since we’re married?”

“You aren’t sincere. You’re in it for the publicity it will bring. I’d prefer to keep my relationships separate from work too. I don’t like dating someone from the entertainment business. Too many temptations.”

“Temptations are everywhere, Deb, at the mall, on the red carpet, everywhere.”

“Maybe so, but you’re a temptation I don’t want.”

He pulled back, hope stirring to life inside his chest. He hooked his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Tell me to my face.” He ignored the pain in his gut.

She looked away.

“No, look at me and tell me to my face.”

They stopped moving, but he continued to hold her. She felt like heaven, pressed against him so intimately. Her scent surrounded him like a cloud. “I don’t want you,” she whispered, but her gaze was hungry as she eyed his lips.

“Then why do I feel like you’re saying you do?” Maybe this wasn’t as hopeless as he’d first thought.

“I’m not.”

“I promised you I wouldn’t kiss you again unless you asked me to. I’m not performing for Ex until then.”
Keep it real
.

She sighed, closing her eyes slowly. He could remember those sultry eyes settling on him as he moved inside her. He stepped in closer to her, knowing she could feel his arousal. Her eyes shot open.

“Ask me,” he urged again, his lips only a whisper from hers.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, already headed for his lips. But he pulled back.

“I said ask, not tell.” He grinned.

She frowned, but her gaze darted past his shoulder and determination filled her eyes. “Will you kiss me, Zach?”

He didn’t hesitate to give her what she wanted. In fact, he was fairly convinced after about four point two seconds into their kiss, the Ex was all but forgotten. He claimed her mouth in a way meant to prove to her what she missed by denying him. His tongue pushed past her lips and delved deeply, fueled by her sigh and her hand on the back of his head holding him close. He wrapped his arms around her, molding her body to his.

There was an undeniable heat between them. It was why they had been hired to work together. During their test screening, they had made things look real because it
was
real. It would serve him well to remember he held the trump card.

He risked embarrassing himself by such an open display of affection but he couldn’t stop now. What he wouldn’t give to disappear into a dark room for a little while and show her what he was capable of. He brought his hand up and touched her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her jaw. Her skin felt like velvet under his fingers. Her fervent return of his kiss sent his senses spiraling.

His
wife
.

“Excuse me,” a man said to his left.

Deb pulled away but he followed her, reluctant for such a wonderful kiss to be over.

But Deb’s palms framed his face and she pulled away, laughing forcefully, kissing him chastely once more to end it. “Zach!” She giggled as she pulled away. Zach’s gaze clashed with a man he could only assume was the Ex. He had some balls approaching them while he kissed his wife.

“Sorry,” he muttered and took a step away from her, folding his hands in front of him.

Deb sighed and looked at him, her lips still swollen from his kiss, and he knew then and there he was a goner. She might be trying to fool him, but it wasn’t working. They would talk after the party. They had to get these feelings out in the open, whatever they were.

“Can I have a dance, Deborah?” the man asked.

Next to them stood a man with blond hair, blue eyes — the typical business type. He looked straight at him as if waiting for his permission. Zach bet there wasn’t a single callus on his fingers.

Fury blazed in Zach’s chest. He didn’t care whether Deb loved this guy; they were married and he would not have his wife, real, pretend, or otherwise, dancing with a man who looked at her like she was a piece of meat.

Taking a deep breath, Zach looped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close but spoke loudly enough for Ex to hear, “Let’s ditch this guy and go upstairs. You know you’d rather dance for me naked than waste your time down here.”

The guy narrowed his eyes at Zach. Zach grinned and dropped his hand to Deb’s firm behind and squeezed. She jumped and elbowed him, a little too hard, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Yup, playing this game allowed him a few benefits, too. Right now, he had to make Deb accept him as part of her life while they were here. He prayed everything else would fall into place and this loser would be nothing but a memory.