Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) (21 page)

“My big protector.” Callie cupped Nate’s face with
her hands. “I should have realized. You need a woman as tough on the
outside as you are.”

“With a marshmallow center,” Garrett added. Good
old Nate. The relief he felt at hearing his brother explain his feelings for
Jade was short-lived.

“There’s always Colt.”

“What?” Garrett couldn’t believe his ears.
Different woman every night, Colt? Had Nate lost his mind?

“I thought of that. They are close to the same
age.” Callie smiled at Garrett. “Take the lasagna out of the oven,
sweetheart. It needs to sit before we cut it.”

“Colt is a bit wild,” Nate mused.

“Exactly,” Callie agreed. “He is having too
much fun sowing his wild oats. Jade needs a man who can focus on her. Colt’s
eye wanders too easily.”

Setting the casserole on the stove, Garrett added a silent,
damn
right
.

“Sometimes, no matter how much you wish it, there isn’t
a good fit,” Callie sighed. “We know plenty of eligible men. When
Jade is ready, I’ll set her up with one of them.”

“Excuse me.”

Callie smiled. “Did you need something, Garrett?”

“What about me?”

Callie and Nate exchanged puzzled looks.

“What about you?” Nate asked.

“Jade? And me?” Garrett threw up his hands.
“Come on. You considered your other sons.”

“Did I bruise your ego?” Callie reached over to
squeeze his hand. “You were actually my first thought.
Fleeting
thought.”

“Really? Why?” Garrett looked at Nate. “What
am
I
lacking?”

“Don’t ask me,” Nate said. He kissed Callie on the
forehead. “I need a quick shower. I’ll leave you to soothe Garrett’s
ego.”

As Nate passed by, Garrett punched him in the arm. It was
like hitting galvanized steel.

“Need some ice for that?” Callie asked.

“No, my hand is fine.”

“I meant for your ego.” She smiled at Garrett’s
disgruntled look. “What is it with brothers? If one of you has something,
the others suddenly need one too.”

“None of them has
had
Jade.” That
distinction belonged to Garrett. And he planned on keeping it that way.

“Do you want to know why I dismissed you so
quickly?”

“Please.”

“When you are directing a movie, you can’t think of
anything else. It’s one of the things that makes you so good,” Callie
explained. “That single-minded devotion has taken you to the top in a
short period of time.”

“You don’t think I can split my focus,” Garrett
said.

“Jade needs to feel like the center of someone’s world.
She’s never had that before. Trust me; it’s a heady feeling for any
woman.” Callie sighed.

“With the right man,” Garrett pointed out.
“You like it because it’s Dad. There’s a fine line between devoted and
stalker.”

“Which is why I thought of Nate,” Callie told him.
“He knows how to hold something close while allowing it room to breathe.
Your father is like that. Wyatt tried to be,” Callie’s eyes grew sad.
“Unfortunately, his wife
wanted
to be smothered. That isn’t a
healthy trait on either side of a relationship.”

“You don’t think Colt and I are capable of giving a
woman the kind of love Dad gives you?” Garrett hated to think that was
true.

“Of course you are,” Callie assured him.
“Colt isn’t ready for that kind of commitment. And you, Garrett, right now
your love is your work. When you find the right woman, you’ll make room for
both.” She pulled him down, kissing both cheeks. “Now, enough heavy
stuff. Go remind Wyatt the work day is over.”

When you find the right woman
. The words rang through
Garrett’s head. For the past six months, he had found his thoughts divided
between making movies and Jade. Until his mother verbalized it, Garrett hadn’t
given it a thought. Before now, he easily put his focus solely on the project
at hand. Women were fun diversions he used to blow off steam during the few off
hours he allowed himself.

Now, there was Jade.

She didn’t pull his focus. Finding time for her and his work
wasn’t a hardship; it just… was. He could do both because both were important.
No, not important.
Vital
.

Garrett needed a small list of things to survive. Food. Air.
His family. His work. And now Jade.

The realization both frightened the hell out of him and made
his spirit soar. His happiness was suddenly linked to another person. Without
conscious thought on his part, Jade Marlow now had the ability to crush his
heart with the force of a sledgehammer. No one should have that kind of power
over another human being. Unfortunately, when you let yourself love someone,
you didn’t have any choice.

Garrett felt his knees grow a little weak. Love. He loved
Jade. It seemed the old adage was true. Love came when you least expected it —
at its own convenience. Ready or not, here it was.

Was Jade ready? If she was, could she love him? Garrett knew
one thing. It was too soon. She was still regaining her strength, both
physically and mentally. She was trying her wings for the first time. Flying
solo for a while would be good for her. Garrett was fine with that. However, he
wasn’t stepping out of her life. If she wanted nothing more than a friend he
could do that. Temporarily. The day would come, he hoped, when that wasn’t
enough.

In the meantime, despite being in love with her, he was
royally pissed off. That break-up text she sent him still rubbed him raw.
Garrett smiled in anticipation. Suddenly, the thought of sitting across from
Jade at his family’s dinner table held a lot of appeal. That touch of
discomfort she was bound to feel would serve her right.

JADE WALKED DOWN the stairs. With every step, a feeling of
dread settled over her like a heavy wool blanket on a hot August afternoon.
Coming here tonight when she knew Garrett would be here was ten kinds of
stupid. The moment she saw him she knew her plans were foolish. Why did she
think they could be friends? The mere act of walking past him without touching
him had taken more willpower than she knew she possessed. How was she going to
endure an entire meal?

Jade wore the same jeans and cotton blouse she put on before
arriving here. She left her hair loose, adding a touch of lip-gloss. Her skin
had a healthy glow, the combination of exercise and a warm, fragrant bath. She
no longer looked ill. Every day, the fragility that clung to her for months
after the stabbing faded a little more.

As she approached the kitchen, the sound of masculine
laughter rang out. She could do this. How different could it be than the
thousands of times she would plaster a smile on her face to entertain her
father’s business associates? If she could sit through hours of mind-numbing
conversations about the fluctuating foreign market, she could make it through
this.

“I’m telling you, Judy Dench pinched my butt.”

“She’s lovely, Colt,” Garrett said. “A great
actress. But when you start fantasizing about women in their seventies, it’s
time to get professional help.”

Wyatt high-fived Garrett. Nate doubled over with laughter.

“Stop teasing your brother.” Callie gave her sons a
warning look. She smiled at Colt, her silver eyes brimming with laughter.
“Don’t let them make you feel bad, Colton. It’s the granny thing. Some men
find it irresistible.”

There was another burst of laughter. Caleb joined in the
good-natured ribbing when he asked if Colt pinched Dame Judy back.

“Jade,” Colt called out when he saw her.
“Finally. Come join me. You can be my ally against this
loving
family of mine.” Rushing forward, Colt took Jade’s hand, leading her to
his side of the kitchen island.

“You can’t ask Jade to take sides, Colt.” Nate
swung Jade into his arms, depositing her on a bar stool between him and his
father. “Until she gets used to us, consider her Switzerland.”

“As in sweet and creamy, like fine chocolate?”

Jade knew Colt was kidding. Still, she couldn’t control her
blush. It wasn’t every day the
sexiest man alive
flirted with you. No
matter what his intent.

“Enough.” Callie set a glass of Chianti in front
of Jade. “Jade, I blame myself for getting caught up in the teasing. Once
it starts, you never know where it will go.”

“I don’t mind,” Jade assured her. She didn’t want
them to treat her like an outsider. “I’ve never been around a big family.
This is nice.”

“Show of hands,” Callie declared. “All in
favor of making Jade an official member of the family?”

Unable to stop herself, Jade’s eyes slid to Garrett. His
vote mattered. If he didn’t want her there, she would accede to his wishes.
Jade caught her breath. Not only was his hand up, he looked directly at her.
Unwavering. The distance between them made it impossible to tell the color of
his eyes. Maybe a clear gray? Silver? Either way, he didn’t object to her being
here.

“Unanimous.” Callie opened her arms, drawing Jade
in for a warm hug. “There’s no getting rid of the Landis clan now, young
lady.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jade said, her eyes once
again meeting Garrett’s.

Damn. She had to stop that. How could she insist on nothing
but friendship if she couldn’t stop looking at him? Or wanting to touch him.
The answer to her problem was simple. She couldn’t come to the house when she
knew Garrett would be here. Plain and simple — he was too much of a temptation.

“Okay.” Callie clapped her hands. “Now that
we’ve settled that, let’s eat.”

Jade picked up her glass before she was swept away by the crowd
of hungry men. She felt a hand on her waist, guiding her to her chair. Without
looking, Jade knew who it was.

“I know what you were thinking back there,”
Garrett whispered as he held the chair out for her.

Jade sat, afraid to answer. Her throat felt tight. She
couldn’t force any words past the lump in her throat.

“You want to be friends.”

How did he know
?

As he pushed in her chair, Garrett leaned closer.
“Friends? No fucking way.”

It wasn’t said as a threat. Jade didn’t feel threatened or
frightened in any way. There was a low, deep promise in Garrett’s voice that
made a shiver run through her body. Damn him. With only a few words, she felt
that pre-sex languor pulse over her skin, through her veins, pooling between
her legs.

“Are you wet?” Garrett asked her with a voice so
low before she knew what she was doing, Jade leaned closer to his lips. Before
he stood back, he added three more words that were bound to have her squirming
all through dinner. “Think of me.”

Evil. Diabolical. Jade had no idea Garrett was capable of
such underhanded manipulation.
Think of him
? How could she do anything
else? Especially when he sat directly opposite her. She couldn’t avoid looking
at him and the half-grin he sported whenever he caught her staring. Jade swore
as soon as Nate taught her how, she was going to kick Garrett’s ass.

The two were so busy they didn’t notice Callie watching
them.
Well, what do you know?
Garrett and Jade. After that long speech
about why they wouldn’t suit, she should have felt foolish. Instead, she was
delighted. And curious. It was obvious this wasn’t their first meeting. How
long had this been going on? How far had it gone? Damn, damn, damn. The
unanswered questions would drive her crazy. Still, she was a mother first. She
wouldn’t poke at Garrett for information. The friend in her wanted Jade to
confide. Until she did so voluntarily, Callie would keep her suspicions to
herself. Oh, it was hard keeping her nose out of their business when she loved
them both. Then a thought occurred to her. If she let things develop naturally,
who knew? By spring, she might be helping to plan a wedding.

Grinning, Callie looked around the table at her big, happy
family. Life was good. Picking up the serrated knife sitting by the lasagna,
she asked, “Who’s hungry?”

JADE SPENT A restless night. What little sleep she did get was
filled with hot vignettes starring Garrett in various stages of undress. She
would be much better off if she didn’t know what it was like to be held next to
his naked body. She didn’t need an imagination. She knew what the real thing
felt like.

Jade was determined to never be with Garrett again. Her
resolve might slip when she was sleeping — in the light of day, she couldn’t
let herself weaken. No matter how many times he whispered sexily into her ear
or gave her looks that melted her insides, she couldn’t waver. Could she?

No! No! No!

Screaming the words in her head, didn’t make Jade believe
them. She wanted Garrett. More than that, she missed him. While the sex was
phenomenal, it was afterward, when he held her. When they talked about
everything and anything. An intimacy to those moments was new to her. Now that
she knew what it was like to connect with another person on such a deep level,
knowing she would never have it again made her want to weep.

What she needed to do was pull herself together. Stop
thinking about what couldn’t be. The best way Jade knew to do that was to
immerse herself in work.

Party planner? Event specialist? Whatever she called
herself, Jade knew one thing. No one was going to hire her if they didn’t know
she was open for business. Word of mouth was terrific. To get people to talk,
someone had to start the conversation.

Jade’s advantage over someone just starting out, were the
hundreds of names, numbers, and emails that were already at her fingertips.
Finally, all the years she was Anson Marlow’s
hostess
paid off.

Energized, Jade decided her first course of action would be
to build a website. True, most of her Beverly Hills contacts were not big
cyber-surfers. But their assistants were. Besides, she wanted to expand beyond
the closed off group she had mingled in all of her life. A new world was out
there, or at least new to her, that needed her services. She planned on tapping
into it.

Jade spent the rest of the day getting the bare bones of her
site put together. Deciding on a name was easy. She wanted something simple,
yet elegant. Jade was a distinctive enough name — easily remembered. Why not
use it? She wasn’t going to capitalize on her Marlow connection or her own
notoriety. Once word got out about who the Jade was in
Jade Events
, it
would be impossible to keep away the rubberneckers and reporters. However, that
would die down. If she dealt with the negative straight out, she hoped it wouldn’t
be long before the business was all she had to deal with.

For the first time, Jade found a practical use for her
background in graphic design. She delighted in fooling around with different
logo ideas. She discarded anything that was too complicated or too simple.
Again, she wanted elegant and distinctive. The gold intertwined J and E that
she finally settled on was perfect.

Jade rolled her shoulders, loosening the tightened muscles.
Two-thirty? Could that be right? No wonder her muscles felt stiff. It was eight
o’clock when she sat down in front of her newly purchased laptop. She had
worked all morning, missing lunch.

Standing, Jade decided her body needed a workout before she
filled her stomach. Sweet, patient Nate made it clear. If she was serious about
protecting herself, she needed to work on her strength and conditioning.

The yoga she did every other day was a good foundation.
After she was released from the hospital and her wounds were almost healed, she
started an online course. She didn’t have to go out or deal with anyone. In the
privacy of her own bedroom, she learned how to center her thoughts through
breathing. The moves were basic, yet still they worked wonders whenever Jade’s
thoughts would wander into dark territory. Long, deep breaths. Center her
careening emotions. Yoga, along with her therapist, turned out to be a
lifesaver.

And Garrett. Jade sighed as she changed into her running
gear. Why did she always come back to him? Because. If the yoga centered her,
and her therapist helped put things into perspective, Garrett brought her back
to life. Without him, she wouldn’t be out of her father’s house, starting a new
business. She owed him so much. Which was why she wouldn’t give into her
selfish impulses. Garrett didn’t need the headaches she would inevitably bring
him. She might need him — he didn’t need her.

Jade left the building, turning right. She already knew the
route she would take. It was exactly one mile to the shoe repair shop and back.
She could handle that distance. Slow and easy. If she needed to walk every now
and then, that was fine. Eventually, she would build up to running the entire
way. A little faster, then a little farther. Endurance. That was her goal.

She didn’t break any speed records, but she managed to jog
the entire distance at a steady pace. Maybe all that yoga was good for more
than steadying her nerves. Tomorrow she would hit the weights. Callie insisted
Jade come to the Landis house to use their gym instead of joining a fitness
club. They could be workout buddies. It was easier to stay motivated, Callie
told her, when you had someone to push you.

Jade waved at the doorman as he held open the front door to
her building. Feeling ambitious, she decided to take the stairs. She only made
it six floors before dragging her butt to the elevator. Hey, that was six
floors more than she did yesterday. Little steps that would lead to bigger
ones.

She needed a shower, then something to eat. Jade loved
having an appetite. Looking forward to planning her meals. Making shopping
lists. Even before she was stabbed, food didn’t hold much appeal. She would
skip meals, never making them. So when she came home from the hospital, having
lost her appetite altogether, it didn’t take long for her to be reduced to a
rack of skin and bones.

Once again, thank you, Garrett. He made eating fun. Before
Jade knew it, she was twenty pounds heavier. Her doctor encouraged her to add
another ten. With the muscle she hoped to pack on in the next few months, she
might meet that goal.

Jade did a mental inventory of what she had in the kitchen.
Milk, bread, and the leftovers from last night’s dinner that Callie insisted
she take home. A few pieces of fruit. All good, but she was in the mood for
something else. A big, fat, greasy hamburger. With French fries. She wasn’t
familiar enough with the neighborhood yet to know where to get a good one or
who delivered, so Jade called the front desk. Bruno was on duty. He claimed to
have a study of every restaurant worth knowing. After she had hung up, she was
convinced he at least could share a wide variety of places. She would judge for
herself if
Manny’s Burger Palace
truly boasted the best in the city.
Jade called in her order. They assured her she had at least half an hour, so
she headed for the shower.

The large stall with its multiple spraying jets washed away
the sweat from Jade’s body. She closed her eyes, running her soap-slicked hands
across the zigzag of scars. Since moving into the loft, Jade no longer obsessed
with how they looked. She didn’t turn away if she caught her reflection in the
mirror.

Last night, after returning home, she stood before the
full-length mirror in the closet. She removed her clothes, refusing to turn
away from her image. She wasn’t horrified by what she saw. It wasn’t as if she
had never looked before. However, this was the first time she looked with a
different perspective.

Before she was a victim, she saw the marks on the body as
something to be ashamed of — to cower from. This time, she saw them for what
they were. A crazy quilt badge of honor. Jade Marlow was a survivor. A cold,
unfeeling monster for a father. An abusive marriage. Almost starving herself to
death because she didn’t care enough to eat the bare minimum required to
sustain her body. After all that, she was still standing. Standing hell. She
was thriving.

Jade took a pair of jeans from the built-in mahogany
dresser, slipping them over a scrap of lace that could almost pass for
underwear. Not bothering with a bra, she pulled on a bright yellow camisole.
Her hair was still damp but since she wasn’t planning on going out, she decided
to let it dry naturally. She was just finishing rubbing in a lightly scented
cream over her arms when the doorbell sounded.

Grabbing the wallet from her bag so she could reimburse
Bruno, Jade hurried to the door.

“Perfect timing. I’m so hungry I could eat the
bag.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Garrett.”

“Let me in, honey. There’s little sadder than cold
fries.”

“Then hand me the bag and leave.”

“Where’s your curiosity? Don’t you want to know why I’m
here? Or how I got past the doorman?”

“I know why you’re here. And I assume you tipped the
doorman an outrageous amount.”

Realizing Jade wasn’t going to invite him, Garrett squeezed
by her. At least she didn’t yell,
You shall not pass
. Then again, he
didn’t know very many women who quoted Gandalf. That was more of a geeky guy
thing.

“Give the guy some credit, Jade. The doorman can’t be
bribed. He would lose his job in a heartbeat.”

With a sigh, Jade closed the door. She followed Garrett to
the kitchen, watching as he took out a sheet tray before turning on the oven.
He unwrapped the burger and fries, depositing them on the tray, before sliding
it into the oven. He didn’t hesitate or ask her where anything was. Almost as
though…

“You’ve been here before. And take that back out. I’m
hungry.”

“I don’t want it to get cold while we talk.”
Garrett took a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator. The glasses were to
his right. Again, something he already knew.”

“This is your loft, isn’t it?”

“Mmm.” Garrett handed her the half-full goblet.
“I bought it six years ago. When I decided to build a house in Laurel
Canyon, I put this place on the market.”

“Callie didn’t tell me.”

“Because she was afraid you’d say no if you knew a
family member owned it. Was she wrong?”

“I… Maybe. I don’t know.”

Jade felt like her brain was bouncing around like a
half-inflated rubber ball. Her thoughts were jumbled — sluggish, instead of
sharp. Garrett, the man she spent all day telling herself she had to avoid,
stood five feet away. Handsome, sexy. Irresistible. Why did life have to be so
unfair?

“I want you to leave, Garrett.” Good. Firm voice,
full of conviction. “I don’t care if you own this place. I’ll move out if
you want. If I stay, you have to respect my wishes.”

“Tell me about your wishes, Jade.”

Garrett circled around her like a panther stalking its prey.
Jade felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Not out of fear. He would
never hurt her. However, he could easily break her willpower. One look into his
clear, silver eyes and she could feel her resolve crumbling.

“You know what I want. I told you this; we are over. I
thanked you.” The moment she said the words Jade knew they sounded lame.

“Ah, yes. The text. Not cool, Jade.” Garrett gaze
sharpened. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“You’re angry.”

“Don’t you think I have the right to be,” Garrett
asked. “Only a few hours after one of the best nights of my life, I get a
message basically saying, thank you and fuck off.”

Jade winced.

“You seem surprised,” he continued. “What
made you think this was over?”

“Last night,” Jade said. “You were so…
calm.”

“I couldn’t make a scene in front of my family. Trust
me, when I saw Nate with his arms around you, I felt like someone had punched
me in the gut.”

“Nate?” Jade was confused. “He was showing me
some basic self-defense.”

“He’s a man. He was touching you.” Garrett leaned
closer. “Brother or not, I don’t want anyone else touching you.”

“Garrett…”

“You don’t know how to respond to that, do you?”
Garrett stepped closer. “Part of you wants to protest.
How dare I
presume to tell you who can and can’t touch you?
Then there’s the other
part of you.”

“What part?” Jade asked breathlessly.

“The part that likes it.”

“Stay back,” Jade warned, inching away. She had to
stop when her back literally came up against a brick wall. “Nate showed me
how to down a man with one kick.”

“That rarely works when you warn your victim ahead of
time.” Garrett put a hand on each side of her head. “I could never
hurt you, Jade.”

“I know.” Her eyes met his. Stormy gray. His
emotions were as turbulent as hers.

“It does occur to me, though, that’s it’s time to stop
treating you with kid gloves.” He moved, brushing her chest with his.
“You left fragile behind some time ago. I think I was too close to notice.
You’re stronger, aren’t you, honey? You don’t need to be petted like a wounded
bird.”

“No.” Jade felt mesmerized. Between his voice. The
words he spoke. His eyes. She was falling. No, not falling. This was completely
consensual. She was going to jump. The hell with the consequences.

“I want to be treated like a woman, Garrett. I can take
care of myself. No one will ever again take my choices away.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

Garrett’s lips were so close she felt the breath of every
word he spoke. Warm, sweet. Tempting.

Keeping her eyes locked on his, Jade took the hem of her
shirt, pulling it over her head, daring him to look. She had no safety net this
time. The bright afternoon light filled the room. There was no camera to switch
off. Garrett wasn’t hundreds of miles away. It was time to let him
really
see her. Every inch. Every flaw.

Less than a heartbeat later, Garrett dropped to his knees,
level with her stomach. Silently, he wrapped his arms around her hips. He
rested his cheek against her scarred flesh, simply holding on.