Eternal (16 page)

But the press wasn’t quite done, oh no. They
showed pictures of Cayden watching me as we exited the limo, his brilliant
blue-eyed gaze placed firmly upon my rear end, smile stretched wide across his
face. Then there was a picture of me as I glanced over my shoulder at Cayden
while we made our way through the airport and a photo using some sort of
long-range lens. If that wasn’t bad enough, the next series of poignant shots
skipped across the screen in progression. Chandler entered the plane, myself
followed, and Cayden, who was behind me, had been caught with his hand on my
shoulder before the subsequent photo showed his hand on the small of my back,
resting it there as we entered the jet for New York. It was a full on
photographic montage of the recluse romance writer, and what the press called,
“her men.”

As I watched, the story made a metamorphosis.
The host was joined by three other attractive female commentators. They began a
panel discussion. The main topic of discussion was could it be possible Cayden
and I were having a secret affair with each other? Then they wondered how long
it would be before
Chandler
found out, stating he would probably be the last to know.

Further topic was my age and speculation about
our age differences. The buxom blonde, thought it was horrible and said it
would ruin Cayden’s career. One host, the auburn beauty, saying who cares if I
was older. After all, it has been socially acceptable if the man is older,
therefore that archaic belief, it being taboo for the woman to be older, should
be thrown out with the bath water. The male host shot out the fact of hunky
Hugh Jackman, who’s in his early forties, and his wife Deborra-Lee, who is in
her fifties. “Look at Deborra-Lee Furness,” he said. “She is older but no one
seems to focus on that fact.”

The blonde commentator snickered, flipping up
her hand. “Oh my God,” she uttered as if she were going to gag at the comparison.
“This is Cayden Cain we are talking about; he needs a Demi Moore if he is into
older women, not some recluse romance writer.”

The third host, who by the way, looked like a
Sport Illustrated
swimsuit model, had no
real opinion, only felt the need to cry if Cayden came off the market, so to
speak, having fantasized about him. But before the program ended, there was
further speculation regarding Cayden’s recent bombshell about the possibility
of hanging up the acting career. One of the female commentators tied the whole
thing up in a nice little bow stating it could be possible Cayden’s
announcement was really due to me. While the press was not accurate in their
predictions or their assumptions they were eerily close, which made me very
anxious.

I was beginning to think I shouldn’t watch TV
any longer. Altogether avoid it. I would suffer less anxiety.

“How is my lovely fiancée?”
Chandler
asked in his booming husky voice
from somewhere behind me, making me jump up from the couch.

“
Chandler
,
crap!” I yelled. I heard him laughing. “Do you always need to scare me? Can you
not enter into a room properly and make yourself known?”

I shifted around to see him.
Chandler
’s hair was wet as if he had just
taken a shower. It looked as though he had thrown on his clothing instead of
putting them on. Actually, I wasn’t quite sure he was finished dressing.
Chandler
was wearing
low-slung jeans, a dark navy blue shirt, unbuttoned, and he wasn’t wearing any
shoes. In his right hand, he held a mug, probably coffee, and had a paper
tucked under his arm.

“Sorry,” he said, smiling. The familiar crinkles
returned around his jade green eyes.

I was fairly sure he wasn’t sorry but
Chandler
would be
Chandler
.

“Um,
Chandler
,
do you think you should actually finish dressing?”

He peeked at me from the side, his bad boy grin
appearing. “Why, does my sexual magnetism and rocking hard body bother you,
Winter?” He chuckled wickedly.

“Ch…right,
Chandler
,”
I said, rolling my eyes. “So you’ve seen the latest?”

“Yep,” he replied, plopping down on the large
leather couch beside me, seeming quite undisturbed.

“I am getting worried,” I admitted.

Placing his feet onto the rustic log-looking
coffee table,
Chandler
smirked. “Relax, Winter, you are always worried. You are going to go
prematurely gray from all the worry.”
Chandler
opened his paper and started reading the sports section.

“
Chandler
,
they had pictures of my hand. My hand,” I emphasized. “And from what I can tell
I am going to need to start wearing sunglasses so no one can see where I am
looking. And then you have got to love those long-range lenses.”

 
“You
would look good in sunglasses.”

“
Chandler
!”

“Winter, stop. You need to relax. Right now it’s
all speculation. Unless you and Cayden snap and stick your tongues down each
other’s throats while out in public, they have no real proof of your
relationship. And I will give you the same advice I gave my little brother.”
Chandler
looked directly
into my eyes and said quite seriously, “When you are out in public stop groping
each other with your eyes.”

I felt the expression on my face turn to
surprise.

“Groping?”

“Yes. Can you not get through a day without
eating each other up with your eyes?”
Chandler
chuckled. “Sometimes I get nauseated watching you two look at each other.
Cayden looks at you like he wants to take you up against a wall, and you look
like you are going to drop to your knees and—”

“I get it,
Chandler
.”
I interrupted his lured commentary.

I started blushing at his accuracy. I remembered
the little endeavor in the restroom of the restaurant where I did indeed drop
to my knees, and Cayden did take me quite expertly against the wall. Okay, door
not wall but door, wall, it’s semantics really.

“You have got to be kidding me?”
Chandler
blurted out with
amusement.

“What?”

“By your blush, I’m assuming it’s too late. It
was at the restaurant, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,
Chandler
.”

“I can’t believe what my brother can get women
to do,” he mused. “I knew something was going on that day. My brother looked
far too happy when he came back to the table.”

“You are letting your dirty mind speculate.”

“Uh huh…,” he said taking a sip from his mug,
eying me. “You need to be careful. The paparazzi are lurking everywhere so no
more restroom breaks for the two of you.”

While
Chandler
’s
advice was borderline pornographic, he did have a point. Cayden and I would
need to be much more careful. The paparazzi and their invading cameras seem to
catch everything. Of course they tend to catch things when they hang out in
alleys, by trash cans, lurk in back rooms, hallways, hang off rooftops, and
perch themselves in the bushes ready to ambush you with their long-range
lenses.

“You always have a unique way of looking at
things but you are right, we need to be careful. But I am not admitting to
anything by saying this to you,
Chandler
.”
I clarified with a laugh.

He chuckled. “Well at least you are laughing now
and not a crabby ass.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“I’m going to get something to eat. Do you want
anything?” I offered.

Chandler
shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

My cell phone rang. I glanced down to see it was
Zander’s number. I smiled, stood up and headed for the kitchen.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Hey baby, what are you doing?” Cayden’s voice
was upbeat.

“Hey,” I said, relief washing over me as it always
does to hear his voice. “I just finished watching a nice little program about
all of us on the Reelz channel.”

“Yeah, I hear it was quite interesting. I have
not seen it yet. Are you okay?”

 
“I am
fine. But the verdict is out. If you want an older woman, it needs to be a
Demi.”

 
He broke
out into a chortle. “Baby, you are a Demi, even better, you are my Winter.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your announcement
in the French interview?”

Cayden’s low even laugh vibrated across my ear.
“I didn’t get the chance to tell you much of anything. I believe you sexually
harassed me while I was doing that interview. And then you made me weak in the
knees after the interview was over.”

I laughed. “I couldn’t help it. You were so
frickin’ hot, I had to.”

“Speaking of the sexual harassment I suffered.
Have I ever told you how much I love your lips?”

“I think you have mentioned my lips before,” I
admitted.

“Well, your mouth and tongue is quite
impressive. In fact, you have an extraordinary talent, an artist really. I would
also like to say, just for the record, anytime you would like to sexually
harass me like that again I would be happy to oblige.” He laughed wickedly.

“Well, an artist is only as good as the subject
she chooses and just so you know, for the record, you are very, very good.” I
giggled. “I think we better change the subject.”

“Why? Are you blushing?”

“Maybe, but speaking of being naughty, did you
know that you and I, eye grope each other?”

Cayden laughed harder.

“Baby.” He was still laughing. “You’ve been talking
to
Chandler
.”

“Yeah, but in his own weird way he has a point.
The pictures they have on us are very eye opening,” I said.

 
“Well I
will work on it, but I can't promise to stop groping you with my eyes. It is
hard enough not being able to touch you when we are out. I’ve got to have
something. Besides, a little eye groping never hurt anyone. We’ll wear
sunglasses so we can continue our eye groping.”

I giggled. “I love you, Cayden.”

“I love you, too. You be good and stay out of
trouble while I’m gone. I will call you later tonight.”

“Okay. I miss you. Please be careful, keep
Langdon close.”

“I will, baby, don’t worry. You are the beating
of my heart,” Cayden said before he hung up.

I wandered around the kitchen trying to decide
what I wanted to eat. I settled on making some chicken noodle soup, not really
sure if my stomach could handle much more. My stomach issues from the flu
wanted to linger. With my mug of soup in hand, I took a seat at the bar in the
kitchen. I heard someone coming in through the front doors of the estate. I
knew it had to be either Zander or Melissa.

“Hey, Winter,” Melissa called out as she entered
into the kitchen.

 
“Hi,
Melissa, how have you been?”

 
“Good,
how are you feeling? You looked a bit peaked on the flight back to
New York
.”

I shrugged. “I feel much better. My stomach is
still a little iffy from time to time, but I’ll be fine. How are things going
with the shoot in the city?”

“Pretty good, it looks like the movie might even
make the original completion date.”

“That’s good to hear.” I paused wondering where
Zander was. Melissa and Zander seemed connected at the hip most of the time.
“So I am a bit surprised to see you here without Zander,” I commented.

Melissa smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t supposed to
tell you this.” She paused glancing down at her hands briefly. She traced
eights on the surface of the counter with her finger. “I’m going to tell you
anyway.” She looked up at me with her bright blue eyes flashing the color of
denim.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m here, cause Cayden asked me
to come keep you company, make sure you stay out of trouble and to help you get
ready.”

“He did, did he?”

“Are you upset?”

I chuckled. “No, it doesn’t surprise me. He
knows I have a tendency to go a bit….” Nuts seemed like a good description and
the correct word choice for this conversation. “Nuts when he is gone,” I said
as I looked at Melissa who giggled at my answer. “From my past behavior, I
would imagine Cayden is worried.”

“He does worry about you,” Melissa confirmed.

Melissa said
to keep me company so I stay out of trouble and to help me get ready. Help me
get ready. What does that mean?

“Wait a minute. You said to help me get ready,
what does that mean?”