As I opened my front door, the scents of bacon and herbs hit me. My stomach growled. Well, no wonder it was so strong in the corridor — he’d left his door open.
“Dallas?” I called out.
“Come on in,” he returned.
My cell vibrated, just as I pushed the door open the rest of the way. I dug it out of my pocket. Jackie. She was probably checking in. “I gotta take this. Be right back.”
“Hey.” I ducked back out into the hallway.
“Why are you whispering?” she asked.
I closed his door and raised my voice. “I’m not.”
“Everything okay? You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?”
“Uh… no.”
“Uh-huh.” Long pause, like she didn’t believe a word of it. Even though, technically, I’d only uttered two.
“What’s going on?” I asked, unable to fathom what could possibly be annoying her.
She exhaled. Loudly. “Did you see this morning’s TMZ blog?”
Oops. Lisa’s handi-work? “No. Why?”
“They’re saying I’m pregnant, because I refused a drink last night. What gives? You’re young and single. Would it have killed you to imbibe?”
“I'm not twenty-one. Besides, lots of people don’t drink,” I said.
“But I do — until last night. Therefore, I must be knocked up,” Jackie growled. “Worse, they’re saying Dallas is the father and we’re back together. The pictures of you wearing his jacket, then leaving together didn’t help. Maddie, am I back together with Dallas?”
“Wh-What? No!”
“Did he drive you home last night?”
“Well…”
“Oh, my God.” Her voice had taken on an apathetic tone, like I’d disappointed her. Hey, I was in this mess because I was doing her a favor. “Did you sleep with him?” she asked.
I straightened my spine, even though I knew she couldn’t see over the phone. “No way. I just met him yesterday.”
She sighed. “Out of all the reasons you could give me for not sleeping with him, that’s the one you picked. How about—”
“One more minute.” I held up an index finger when Dallas poked his head through the doorway.
“You’re with him right now, aren’t you? Oh, Maddie.”
“He’s just making me breakfast. No big deal.”
She groaned. “He’s cooking for you?”
I removed the phone from my ear. “It's a harmless breakfast.”
“Nothing harmless about what he whips up. His parents are chefs, so he’s picked up a few tips and anything he makes is beyond yummy.”
“Uhm, you’re not doing a good job talking me out of it,” I said.
“You know what I mean. Better to just avoid the whole package.”
I snuck back into Jackie’s condo, so I wouldn’t have to worry about Dallas overhearing. “Hmmm.”
“So you’ll cancel breakfast, right?” It was more like a command than a request.
The scent of whatever delicious goodness he was whipping up followed me inside. Yeah… like I could turn that down. “But I’m hungry,” I said, almost whining.
“Listen to me. This is my life you’re living. And I’m so grateful you’re doing this, but I could give you a million reasons why you need to stay away from Dallas, the least of all being that I dated him. Just keep in mind that if you start something up, do anything with him, I’m going to have to dump him when I get back. You get that, don’t you?”
“I guess.” She was right. It was wrong to make her deal with something I started. Not only that, he thought I was Jackie. What would I do when it was time to go home? I couldn’t tell him I’d been lying and pretending to be someone else. Oh, yeah, that would go over well.
My heart sank. Anything I did with Dallas would only end badly for me. I couldn’t afford any entanglements.
“Hey, Maddie?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks again for doing this.” Her tone softened. “I’m sorry if I sound bitchy. It's not your fault tabloids suck.”
“No problem.” I smiled into the phone.
“And I know it can’t be easy for you there without Mom and Dad, without me. But it won’t be forever, then you’ll be home again.” She paused. “Which is more reason not to start anything up with Dallas.”
She made a good argument. I shouldn’t have said yes to coffee. “Yeah.”
“You’re doing the right thing. He’s good at being adorable and, next thing you know, you’re watching a movie at his house, snuggling.”
Jackie made snuggling sound like it was right up there with cleaning toilets. “What’s wrong with snuggling?” I asked.
“Nothing wrong if you’re going to keep him. But you’re not. Besides, we’re eighteen. We don’t want to get tied down with one guy. This is the time to make mistakes and experience life while we’re young and can still get away with it.”
I couldn’t disagree more. And she wasn’t getting away with it at all. Not if you read the tabloids and all their judgy comments. But I didn’t want to go into all that with her right then.
“Speaking of getting away with things. You’re doing okay as me?” I asked.
“Easiest acting job I’ve ever had.” She laughed. "You live an easy life, Maddie. It’s just what I needed."
I smiled into the phone. “You sound better.”
“It’s good to get away.”
We hung up just as Dallas tapped at the door. “Jackie?”
I swung the door open and the aroma, stronger this time, invaded my nose and tickled my saliva glands. My mouth watered.
He grinned. “Breakfast is ready.”
So was I.
For a home-cooked meal, I mean. He’d never go for me. As if.
Breakfast. That’s it.
“Great. I’m starving.” I followed Dallas into the dining room where two plates sat on a table, filled with an omelet next to fried potatoes and bacon.
He pulled a chair out for me. “Going for a more natural look today?”
Damn. Back home, I usually skipped makeup, like now. But I was supposed to be Jackie Bloom. Dressing up was required, even if you never left the building.
“I didn’t want breakfast to get cold,” I offered.
“I like the natural look on you.” But he still seemed suspicious.
“Food smells great.” My olfactory system danced in anticipation. I sat and scooted the chair in, hoping if I ignored his doubtful stare, he’d forget all about the recent changes in Jackie.
One side of his mouth lifted. “Dig in.”
“Mm,” I said, chewing the first bite. Not being much of a cook, I couldn’t identify the spices. I only knew they were exactly right, blending perfectly with the bell peppers, mushrooms and what tasted like pepper jack cheese. “This is delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He paused a moment, still watching me. “Would you mind reading with me? After we eat,” he said between bites.
“A book?” What an odd request.
Dallas chuckled. “No, a script.”
“I thought you weren’t doing anything for a few weeks.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve got a small part on Love and Loathing.”
I tilted my head, brows drawn. “That’s a daytime soap.” A definite step down from starring in blockbuster movies.
“Yeah, but my mom is a huge fan. She hasn’t missed a show in thirty years. I play a fitness trainer. One of my lines is ‘Happy birthday, Rose.’ That’s my mom’s name and it airs on her birthday. I'm keeping that gig quiet though, so she'll be surprised.”
Unbelievably sweet. My insides turned to mush.
Jackie had said Dallas was too nice. I was beginning to understand why it hadn’t worked out with them. She went through guys like a bulldozer and wasn’t very nice. Plus, she had terrible taste in men. Usually.
“So you’ll read with me?”
As if I could say no after telling me about his mom’s birthday p
resent. I’d read with Jackie before. It didn’t require much acting. “Sure.”
I rose to take my plate to the sink, then rinsed it off. I swung around to stick it in the dishwasher and bumped right into Dallas and his hard chest. He grasped my shoulders to steady me.
“Sorry.” I tried to back up, but my butt hit the counter.
“For what?” If he moved any closer, our thighs would touch.
I blinked.
“What are you doing later today?” he asked.
That voice. Sometimes gravely. Sometimes just above a whisper. It turned all his words into something sexy, even though he couldn’t mean everything that way.
“I have an appearance at two. Stella’s coming over at noon.”
“What’s it for?”
I leaned my elbows on the counter to create some distance between us, then held my breath as he reached over to brush a finger across my chin.
“Crumb,” he informed me.
“Oh.”
“So, where’s your appearance?” he asked again, his eyes roaming my face.
“Hollywood Boulevard. A restaurant some famous guy is opening.” I knew the name of the movie star, but my mind drew a complete blank. Probably because Dallas’s nearness was sucking out my brains cells, little by little. How was I expected to function with his full, luscious lips so close to mine?
He chuckled. “You mean Steve Heller.”
“Yeah, that guy.”
“And what are your plans tomorrow tonight?” Dallas reached up to rub a lock of my hair between his thumb and finger.
“Plans?” My mouth went dry. He stood way too close and my concentration slipped.
“You always have plans.” His eyes caressed my face.
“Not tomorrow night.” Somewhere deep in my soul, I knew that was the wrong answer. But when your brain stops working, telling the truth is so much easier.
“A friend told me that Josh Adams is jamming at Hanks Blues. It’s supposed to be a surprise. Should be fun.”
I nodded, since it was all I was capable of at the moment.
“We’ll have dinner there. I’ll pick you up at six.”
Preventing Dallas from making another date with me would’ve been smart. The words hovered in my throat, but I couldn’t force them out. Even if I didn’t reject his offer, I needed to say something. Or, at the very least, finish cleaning up after breakfast. And yet, I couldn’t move. I just stared into his eyes as they fixed on mine.
His gaze fell to my mouth, then he reached both hands up to cup my face and, inch by inch, lowered his mouth to mine.
Chapter Six
Our lips touched, feather-light. He shifted his body and brought his thighs against mine, but he didn’t deepen the kiss. He just skimmed the surface, gently teasing my mouth until my nerve endings hummed. Seconds stretched and my lungs stilled as I ached for more.
Then, slowly, he withdrew, keeping close enough that I still felt his warm breath against my skin.
A thick haze clouded my brain and I worried he might ask me something, anything, that required a response and I’d slip up. I couldn’t catch my breath. Fear that I’d blow it for Jackie paralyzed me.
Oh, my God! Jackie! If she knew I’d just kissed the guy who dumped her, she’d feel hurt and betrayed and what had we just talked about? Jackie didn’t need this, on top of everything else.
“I…” I had no idea what to say. I only knew that if someone didn’t say something soon and break the trance, I would let Jackie down worse than I already had. Because, more than anything, I wanted this guy, no matter how nice he was.
“Yes?” His gaze locked onto mine.
“You said it was just coffee.”
He blinked.
“Last night, you assured me it was just coffee,” I repeated.
An uncertain expression crossed his face. “I thought that at the time.”
“But it should be. Just coffee, I mean,” I whispered, as if saying it any louder would make the truth more painful and more real. I wanted to be with him, with nothing in our way. That wasn’t going to happen though. “We’ve already been there, right?”
He stared at me, silent, like he couldn’t quite go where I was trying to take him. Maybe he found it incomprehensible that a girl might say no to him.
“That’s what my head keeps telling me,” he said, brows drawn. “But I keep getting this feeling like we’ve just met and it’s all new.”
“You…” You what? You’re right that I’m a liar and a fake?
He frowned and I inwardly cringed. I knew I should tell him right then and save him from the confusion he had to be feeling, but I chickened out. It wasn’t my place to tell Jackie’s secret and I’d made a promise.
“I can read those lines with you later. Stella will be here soon, so I should probably take off.”
No idea if that was true or not, since I’d totally lost track of time and wasn’t wearing my watch. I sidestepped and backed away.
“You’re leaving?”
“Well, yeah. That appearance, remember?” Maybe he had intended to kiss me again. Maybe not. I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
He looked disappointed and I didn’t want to come off bitchy. Not after he’d fed me, then laid dessert on me against the kitchen counter. So I slid my hand down his arm as I passed him — an intimate gesture while keeping my lips off him.
In the clear and a few feet away, I picked up my pace. “Thanks for the awesome breakfast,” I threw over my shoulder.
“Sure. See you later.”
Yes, he would. Tomorrow night. I shouldn’t be thrilled at the thought of seeing him again, but I couldn’t stifle it.
When I returned to my own life, I’d miss Dallas. There was something about him, something so not Hollywood. Except for his extreme hotness, he was down to earth, not full of himself or anything. What would it be like to have him as a boyfriend?
That would never happen. I was the kind of girl who guys liked, but never liked quite enough. They thought I looked good on the outside, but they lost interest once they realized I was a nice girl. And I don’t mean the Dallas kind of nice — super hot and sexy. I mean the real kind of nice that didn’t give it up for just anyone. And, idiot that I am, I fell for the wrong type of guy every time.
Stella would arrive soon, but until then, I wanted to hang out with Dallas — another wrong guy. Instead, I planted myself on Jackie’s couch, flipped on the TV and tried to focus on something besides Jackie’s life and her uber-hot ex.
The doorknob rattled and a moment later, Stella marched in. “TMZ filled their pages with you and Dallas. Could’ve been worse, I suppose. Everything went okay after you guys left the theater? Does he still think you’re Jackie?” she asked as she hung her purse on the back of the chair.
I flipped the TV off and straightened my shoulders. “Yes, of course, he does.”
“You sure?” She came into the living room for a closer look. “I’ve had a bad feeling since I woke up this morning.”
I hated my life. No, I liked my life. It was Jackie’s life I didn’t want — except for Dallas. “I’m sure. But if something went wrong, Jackie couldn’t blame you for it. Or me. I’m doing her a favor, because she begged.”
“Geez.” Her eyes narrowed as she dropped her purse on the sofa. “You’re awfully defensive. Did something else happen last night?”
"No." Not last night. I avoided her gaze as I went to open the fridge. Not like I was hungry, but it gave me something to do.
Stella shadowed me to the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb. “Let’s pretty you up and get this appearance over with.”
I grabbed a soda, popped the top and slapped on a smile. “Yes, so I can hurry up and come back to this condo filled with Jackie’s things.” At least at home I had all my belongings — and my parents.
She sighed. “What’s bothering you?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I hate lying to everyone, especially Dallas. It??
?s hard.”
“Because you like him.” It wasn’t a question. “And you know it won’t go anywhere.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“Would it help if I came over tonight with a movie and popcorn? It might take your mind off him and keep you in the condo.” She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“That definitely sounds better than brooding.” I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Good. We should start getting you ready if we’re going to be there on time.”
Stella dressed me in a mini skirt, a blouse that fell off one shoulder and, of course, a pair of heels specially designed to torture me. Lucky for Stella, it was daytime and she wouldn’t be the center of attention, so she got to wear comfortable slacks with shoes that wouldn’t require suicide watch.
* * * *
The wide sidewalk in front of the restaurant left room for pedestrians while still allowing space for media and guests. Stella and I waited on the sidelines and smiled as cameras flashed and clicked. Cars honked as they passed, probably recognizing a few faces.
“You’re doing great,” Stella said, never breaking her smile. “Like I said, you’re a natural.”