Typecast (31 page)

“If Logan’s busy with all his money laundering, you can always cover me solo.” Ryder winked at her.

A cold chill ran through her, yet she broke into a sweat. The urge to run overtook her, exactly like any time a camera was aimed at her. Well, until Logan.

Left without a comeback, she almost gave in and dashed to her rightful man, but was saved by the most unlikely source of them all.

Erin.

In a shimmering gold, figure-hugging cocktail dress, she joined them. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello before.”

“Hi.” Ivy forced a smile on her face. “You and Ryder showing up was a huge surprise to Logan.”

“It’s been too long since we were seen together.” Erin moved her hair away from her face. “But it feels as if change is in the air.”

“Well, there’s a lot going on right now.” In search of Logan, she peeked around, finding him still talking to Brian.

“You seem to understand.” Erin held out her hand.

With no true choice in the matter, she took it.

Erin pulled her closer. “The only thing that would have made this night perfect would have been Drew. I almost thought he’d be here.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” She dared ask the burning question.

Ryder crossed his arms.

She glanced between the two of them and swore they had a silent conversation. Erin even went as far as to shoo Ryder away with a slight lift of her chin.

“I never get to talk to anyone.” Erin turned away from him. “I saw him right after, then I saw him a year later, and he looked so different. The last time I saw him, he wouldn’t talk to me, but I swore I thought he’d be here. I almost felt him here.”

Ivy took a breath. The woman in her, not the wannabe actress or reporter, caused her to ask the next question. “Were the two of you together?”

As if she were on fire, Erin let go of her.

Ryder went to Erin’s side, bent down, and said something in her ear, and Erin nodded.

Unsure of how to handle the situation, she scanned the room for Logan only to be blinded by a flash and another uproar of the crowd. She really wished Logan, the man who wouldn’t normally leave her side, would do one of his amazing appearing acts right now.

She blinked away the stars in her eyes.

“There they are!” Several men holding up cameras charged inside.

Both Ryder and Erin struck a pose.

“Tell us, is this an unofficial reunion?” one of the photographers called out.

“Are you all here?” shouted another.

Neither answered, and it seemed as if the three of them were caught looking for the one man designated as the mouthpiece.

After what seemed like years, Logan dashed across the room with Brian right behind him.

“Ivy!” He headed toward her.

“Logan, now that you’re here, can we get some answers?” the first photographer yelled.

Before he reached her, Logan stopped, glancing between her and the other two. “I don’t remember hiring any photographers for the event.”

The crowd rumbled with a low laugh.

“He was always the natural.” Brian came up beside her. “Quite a few of his lines in the movie are ad-libbed.”

“I know.” She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Of all of them, he should have been the breakout star.

“Can we get a picture of the three of you together?” The man gave Logan a thumbs-up.

“Do you promise to send me copies?” He joined Erin and Ryder.

Again, laughter.

“Of course.” The photographer raised his camera. “I’ll even frame them.”

The flashes went off as the three posed. Around the room the guests raised their cell phones to snap a shot.

“Got my story snaked again.” She sighed and watched the flashes pop around them, little stars bursting with light, but the fan in her wanted to savor the moment, forget the backstory, and simply enjoy.

“You got the interviews, and you got Logan.” Brian patted her shoulder.

“If we ask nice, can we get you and Erin?” the second photographer asked.

Even though Ivy knew he loved her, the request still made her chest constrict.

Ryder stepped back.

Erin slid closer to Logan, and Ivy swore the woman looked back at her with a slight smile.

Were they in some competition she didn’t know about?

“This is good for him.” Brian leaned back on his heels. “He always fit in the spotlight.”

“Then why was he pulled out of it?” She balled her hands into fists. Anyone could see where he belonged.

“He chose to leave,” Brian countered.

“I think you and I both know that’s not true.” She refused to allow the man next to her, or anyone else, to tell her different.

“How about we make tonight really special and recreate the scene everyone wants to see?” The photographer stood on one of the chairs.

“The dance.” Fan or not, she couldn’t watch, but she refused to be one of the many that ruined Logan’s chances. She tiptoed into the background.

“They want us to do the dance.” Still staying in a pose, Erin faced him.

Logan held up his hand in an attempt to stop the scene before him. He scanned the area. Every person’s face blended together, but one would stand out. Where was Ivy?

All eyes were on him. For the first time in twenty years, he wasn’t the man responsible for getting the sequel to a beloved movie canceled. He wasn’t the bad guy. His woman was responsible for the tide turning.

“Did you ever wonder why one of the most memorable scenes was between me and the villain and not me and the hero?” Erin produced one of her smiles, a mixture of sexy and sweet. She tilted her head slightly, knowing exactly how to catch the light to show off every asset.

“You do know you are not Roxy, and I’m not Steven.” The rhythmic clapping of the crowd beat in time with the reverberating through his body.

“You know that’s not true. We should have been together. That’s why this is the scene everyone comes back to time and again.” She reached up to get in position.

“Let’s see it,” a photographer yelled out. “The world is waiting to see the famous couple.”

Only one person’s arms went around his neck. “Then let me get the right girl.” He backed away from Erin. “Get the music on.”

A collective gasp went through all the guests, and Erin’s expression went from her model-perfect smile to wide-eyed and unrehearsed. Without caring if he remained the villain for the rest of his life, he rushed through the bar and headed straight for the kitchen.

The chef and one of his assistants both pointed, showing him the way.

With a slight nod to the staff, he snuck around the far side of the refrigerator to find Ivy holding a glass, complete with a lime wedge as a garnish. “I believe this is mine.” He approached and plucked the unwanted citrus off her drink.

“It got a little warm out there. Please, do whatever you need to do. Maybe it was all those champagne cocktails.” Rather than turning, she remained facing the wall.

After putting the lime in his mouth, he called her bluff. “So you decided to chase it with a vodka on the rocks?” At least whoever served her gave her the good stuff.

“Logan, you need to go back out there. Didn’t you see how they want you?”

“I don’t care who wants me as long as one person wants me.” He set her glass aside.

“Logan, you know I want you.” She stared down at the floor.

“Plus, they want the two of us anyway.” He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer.

At last, she lifted her head.

“If they want me to recreate a scene from the movie, they’re going to have to do it with the woman I’m in love with, not some actress playing a role.” His admission earlier had come unexpected to both of them, yet he had meant every word. For a second, he paused, not realizing until that moment that even though he’d told her to wait, he had wanted her to repeat the sentiment. “Will you dance with me?” Rather than wait for an answer, he took her hand and led her back out to the main room.

Among the applause from the patrons, the penultimate song from
Hollywood Stardust
began.

Ivy’s trembling resonated through his hand, but he wouldn’t allow her to succumb to stage fright. He guided her right into the middle of the room, but rather than melding into him, her body was tense, wound tight. “Look up at me.”

She did as he asked.

“It’s just you and me.” He stared into her eyes. “Come on, you know you dreamed of this.”

A hint of a smile twinkled on her face, and at last she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Those are the right arms.” He pulled her flush with his body and started by swaying to the music.

“That’s her, the one from the tabloid.” The photographer’s statement was followed by a series of flashes.

The song boomed through the speakers, the music that followed him for two decades. Every time he heard the familiar tune, he took pause. It brought him back to a specific moment to being on set, being with his friends, and thinking he was on the verge of something spectacular. He wished someone would have told him the something spectacular would happen decades later and not with some movie contract but with the woman in his arms.

He treated his audience and his girl to a bit more sensual version of the dance he and Erin had shared on set and wondered if anyone would guess that for the first time tonight he had told someone other than his mother that he loved them. All he could do was pray she returned the feelings and hope his little display fulfilled one of her dreams.

In
Hollywood Stardust
, the song served as a turning point. It cast a doubt on Roxy’s love for William and made her realize she could have feelings for the manipulative Steven.

He glanced around the room at the guests gawking, the photographers taking advantage, and his big brother, who had the smarts and the ingenuity to find a video camera to capture the moment. Lastly, Ryder and Erin stood on the sidelines with twin scowls at not being the ones in the spotlight. As he and Ivy danced, a different turning point barreled down on him, but nevertheless one of change.

When at last the music ended, Ivy hugged him tight.

Applause vibrated the room, and she pulled him close. “I love you too, Mr. Alexander.”

Along with never having told someone he loved them, no one sans his mother had ever said the words to him. Unable to resist, he turned his head and kissed her, a true kiss, not a camera kiss, complete with opening their mouths and tangling their tongues and leaning her back. Only the whistles and catcalls stopped them, and with reluctance, he pulled back. She hid her face in his chest.

“What did she say to you?” the more boisterous of the two photographers asked.

“She loves me.” He had to let it out. “But it’s all good, because I love her too.”

Again, the guests applauded.

Exhibition time was over, but contemplation and alone time with Ivy was upon him, and he lifted his hand toward the photographers. “Thank you.”

One photographer saluted, while the other gave him a thumbs-up. “Good luck.”

He leaned down to her. “How about we disappear?”

She nodded and cupped her hand over his ear. “I want you to make love to me. I can’t wait.”

His body jolted at her words. Though no one else could hear her, her admission in a public venue still aroused him. “We’re out of here.” He assessed the room, making an exit strategy and seeing nothing but unwanted commitments, connections, and favors he needed to repay laid out before him.

The first rushed over to them.

“This is for Ivy.” Wilson held up the data card from the video camera. “I didn’t want you not to have your own story.”

“I appreciate that.” She took the card.

“Good work.” Wilson held out his hand.

“Hey, we’re going to head up. You have it covered. This place is going to be a great success.” He shook his brother’s hand.

“I knew planning the opening around the anniversary was smart, but I’ll never know how you managed to get Ryder and Erin here. It was brilliant, brother, brilliant.” Wilson leaned in and hugged them both. “I always told you that
Hollywood Stardust
would continue to make us money. You just didn’t want to listen.”

He took a breath and pushed back. Ever since the day the agent had spotted him, Wilson had played his second banana, and Logan had spent the rest of the time trying to make it up to him. Try as he might to get away from the movie, everything in his life revolved around it, down to Ivy.

“Go on, you two lovebirds. You deserve the night off. Wonderful performance.” Wilson gave him one last pat and walked away.

He glanced down at her. If he ever needed to be alone with her, the time was now. “Come on.”

They no sooner turned, than Ryder, Erin, and Brian appeared, almost causing him to jump back. Both his former costars appeared as if they recently had a root canal.

“Ivy and I have an early shoot tomorrow for Chargge and have to go, but I want to thank you for coming.” The urge to push Ivy behind him to shield her overwhelmed him. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Well, that’s a brush-off if I ever heard one.” Ryder chuckled. “Maybe this will be the jumping-off point to a new career. Just don’t forget where you came from.”