I backed away with my stomach in knots. I’d felt off all day, and facing the simmering dislike between Gideon and Christopher was too much on top of it. “Excuse me.”
“Eva,” Gideon said sharply.
“It was good seeing you both,” I murmured, playing my scripted part before turning away and heading the few feet over to Cary.
Gideon caught up with me after only two steps, gripping me by the elbow and whispering in my ear. “She’s calling my phone and work all the time. I had to talk with her.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“We had more important things to talk about.”
Brett glanced over at us. He was too far away for me to see his expression, but his posture looked tight. People, all of them pushing to get closer, surrounded him and he was focused on me instead.
Damn it. He’d seen me with Gideon and it was spoiling what should be a wonderful experience for him. As I’d feared, the whole outing was a mess.
“Gideon,” Christopher said tightly from behind us. “I wasn’t finished talking to you.”
Gideon glanced at him. “I’ll get to you in a minute.”
“You’ll talk to me now.”
“Walk away, Christopher.” Gideon stared at his brother so coldly I shivered despite the heat. “Before you make a scene that takes all the attention away from Six-Ninths.”
Christopher seethed for a long minute, then seemed to realize his brother wasn’t kidding. He cursed under his breath and turned, only to be confronted by Ireland.
“Leave them alone,” she said, with her hands on her hips. “I want them to get back together.”
“You stay out of this.”
“Whatever.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “Come show me around.”
He paused, his gaze narrowed. Then he sighed and took her by the elbow, leading her away. I realized they were close.
It made me sad that Gideon didn’t have that kind of bond with them.
Gideon brought my attention back to him with a brush of fingertips to my cheek, a soft caress that conveyed so much love … and possession. No one looking at us could mistake the claim. “Tell me you know nothing happened with Corinne.”
I sighed. “I know you didn’t do anything with her.”
“Good. She’s not acting like herself. I’ve never seen her so … Damn it. I don’t know. Needy. Irrational.”
“Devastated?”
“Maybe. Yes.” His face softened. “She wasn’t like this when she broke our engagement.”
I felt bad for both of them. Ugly good-byes weren’t fun for anyone. “She walked away that time. This time, it’s you. It’s always harder being the one left behind.”
“I’m trying to settle her down, but I need you to promise me that she’s not going to get in between us.”
“I won’t let her. And you’re not going to worry about Brett.”
It took him a few seconds, but he finally said, “I’ll worry, but I’ll handle it.”
I could tell it wasn’t an easy concession for him to make.
His lips thinned. “I have to go deal with Christopher. Are we okay?”
Nodding, I said, “I’m good. You?”
“As long as Kline doesn’t kiss you.” The warning was clear in his voice.
“Same goes.”
“If he kisses me, he’s getting decked.”
I laughed. “You know what I meant.”
He caught my hand and rubbed his thumb over my ring. “Crossfire.”
My heart hurt in the best way. “Love you, too, ace.”
BRETT disengaged from his fans and headed over to the tent, looking grim.
“Having fun yet?” I asked him, hoping to keep him feeling positive.
“He wants you back,” he said bluntly.
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“If you’re going to give him a second chance, I should get one, too.”
“Brett—”
“I know it’s tough with me being on the road—”
“And based in San Diego,” I pointed out.
“—but I can make it out here often enough and you can always meet up with me, see some new places. Plus, the tour ends in November. I can come stay out here for the holidays.” He looked at me with those green eyes of his, and the attraction hummed between us. “Your dad’s still in SoCal, so you’ve got more than one reason to come out.”
“You’d be reason enough. But, Brett … I don’t know what to say. I’m in love with him.”
He crossed his arms and looked exactly like the wickedly delicious bad boy he was. “I don’t care. It’s not going to work out for you with him, and I’ll be around, Eva.”
Staring at him, I realized nothing would convince him but time.
Brett stepped closer, then reached out to run his hand down my arm. He stood over me, his body curved into mine. I remembered other times we’d stood like this, the moments right before he pressed me back against something and fucked me hard.
“It’s only going to take once,” he murmured in my ear, his voice sinful as always. “One time inside you and you’ll remember how it is between us.”
I swallowed past a dry throat. “That’s not going to happen, Brett.”
His mouth curved in a slow smile, revealing that decadent dimple. “We’ll see about that.”
“I can’t believe they’re so much hotter in person,” Ireland said, looking over at where the guys were doing their prelaunch interview with the TV show host. “You, too, Cary.”
He smiled, his teeth dazzlingly white. “Well, thank you, darlin’.”
“So …” She looked at me with those blue eyes that were so like Gideon’s. “You used to date Brett Kline?”
“Not really. Honestly, we just used to mess around.”
“Did you love him?”
I thought about that for a minute. “I think I was close, maybe. I could have fallen in love with him under different circumstances. He’s a great guy.”
Her lips pursed.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Yes.” Her lips twisted ruefully. “I really like him—a lot—but it’s weird, because he can’t let his parents know he’s dating me.”
“Why not?”
“His grandparents lost most of their money to that scheme Gideon’s dad ran.”
My gaze went to Cary, whose brows were lifted above the line of his shades.
“That’s not your fault,” I said, angry on her behalf.
“Rick says his parents think it’s ‘convenient’ that Gideon is so rich now,” she muttered.
“Convenient? They think it’s convenient?”
“Angel.”
I turned around at the sound of Gideon’s voice, not having realized he’d come up behind me. “What?”
He just stared at me. I was irritated enough that it took me a minute to note the hint of a smile on his face.
“Don’t start,” I told him, narrowing my gaze in warning. I turned back to Ireland. “Tell Rick’s parents to look up the Crossroads Foundation.”
“If you’re done being offended for my sake,” Gideon said, coming up so close behind me that he brushed up against me, “they’re about five minutes from starting the video.”
My gaze searched out Brett, who’d rejoined the crowd, and found him waving me over.
I looked at Cary.
“Go on,” he said with a jerk of his chin. “I’ll hang here with Ireland and Cross.”
I headed over to the band, smiling when I saw how excited they were. “Big moment, guys,” I said to them.
“Ah, well.” Darrin grinned. “This whole event was set up just to get us on this TV show and Internet simulcast. It was the only way Vidal could get them to give us any coverage. Let’s hope it pays off, because fuckin’ A, it’s hot as hell out here.”
The host announced the exclusive premiere of the video, and then the screen switched from showing the logo of the show to the start of the video and the f
irst chords of the song began.
The black screen suddenly lit up, revealing Brett sitting on a stool in front of a mic in a puddle of light, just as he’d been at the concert. He began to sing, his voice deep and rough. Crazy sexy. The effect his voice had on me was powerful and immediate, just as it’d always been.
The camera slowly backed away from Brett, revealing a dance floor in front of the stage where he sang. There was a crowd dancing, but they were cast in black and white while a lone blonde was strikingly colored.
I stilled as shock spread through me. The camera was careful to film only her backside and profile, but the girl was undeniably meant to be me. She was my height, with the same hair color and style as mine before I’d recently cut it. She had my curvy butt and hips, and her profile was similar enough to mine to understand immediately who she was meant to be.
The next three minutes of my life passed in a horrified daze. “Golden” was a sexually charged song and the actress did all the things Brett sang about—dropping to her knees for a Brett lookalike, making out with him in a bar restroom, and straddling his lap in the back of a classic ’67 Mustang just like the one Brett owned. Those intimate memories were intercut with shots of the real Brett still singing onstage with the rest of the guys in the band.
The fact that actors were playing us helped me deal with it a little better, but one glance at Gideon’s stony face told me it didn’t matter to him. He was seeing one of the wildest times in my life relived before his eyes and it was very real to him.
The video ended with a shot of Brett looking soulful and tormented, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
I pulled away and faced him.
His smile slowly faded when he got a good look at my expression.
I couldn’t believe how personal the video was. I was freaking out that millions of people were going to see it.
“Wow,” the host said, leaning into the band with mic in hand. “Brett, you really put yourself out there with this. Was it the song that brought you and Eva back together?”
“In a roundabout way, yeah.”
“And Eva, did you play yourself in the video?”
I blinked, realizing he was outing me as the Eva on national television. “No, that’s not me.”
“How do you feel about ‘Golden’?”
I licked my dry lips. “It’s an amazing song by an amazing band.”
“About an amazing love story.” The host smiled into the camera and rambled on, but I tuned him out, my gaze searching for Gideon. I couldn’t spot him anywhere.
The host talked to the band a bit more and I wandered away, searching. Cary came up to me with Ireland in tow.
“Some video,” he drawled.
I looked at him miserably before my gaze slid over to Ireland. “Do you know where your brother is?”
“Christopher’s schmoozing. Gideon left.” She winced apologetically. “He asked Christopher to take me home with him.”
“Damn it.” I dug in my purse for the burner phone and typed out a quick text: I love you. Tell me you’ll c me 2nite.
I waited for a reply. When it didn’t come after a few minutes, I just held the phone in my hand, willing it to vibrate.
Brett ambled up to me. “We’re done here. Wanna bail?”
“Sure.” I turned to Ireland. “I’m out of town the next two weekends, but let’s get together after that.”
“I’ll keep my schedule open,” she said, hugging me hard.
Turning to Cary, I caught his hand and squeezed it. “Thanks for coming.”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t been this entertained in a long time.” He and Brett did some complicated handshake. “Good job, man. I’m stoked for you.”
“Thanks for coming. We’ll catch you later.”
Brett set his hand at the small of my back and we took off.
17
GIDEON DIDN’T SHOW up at Tableau One.
In a way, I was grateful, because I didn’t want Brett thinking I’d planned the interruption. Outside his long-term hopes for our relationship, Brett was someone who’d been important to me in the past and I wanted to be friends with him, if possible.
But I was preoccupied with imagining what Gideon was thinking and feeling.
I picked at my dinner, too unsettled to eat. When Arnoldo Ricci stopped by to say hello, looking very dashing and handsome in his white chef coat, I felt bad that so much of his fine food was still on my plate.
The celebrity chef was a friend of Gideon’s. Gideon was a silent partner in Tableau One, which was the reason I’d chosen the restaurant. If he had any doubts about how the dinner with Brett would go, he’d have people to ask that he trusted.
Of course, I hoped Gideon would trust me enough to believe me, but I knew our relationship had its issues and our mutual possessiveness was just one of them.
“It’s good to see you, Eva,” Arnoldo said with his lovely Italian accent. He pressed a kiss to my cheek, then pulled out one of the empty chairs at our table and sat.
Arnoldo extended his hand to Brett. “Welcome to Tableau One.”
“Arnoldo’s a Six-Ninths fan,” I explained. “He came to the concert with Gideon and me.”
Brett’s lips twisted ruefully as the two men shook hands. “Nice to meet you. Did you see both shows?”
He was referring to the brawl he’d had with Gideon. Arnoldo understood. “I did. Eva is very important to Gideon.”
“She’s important to me, too,” Brett said, grabbing his frosty mug of Nastro Azzurro beer.
“Well, then.” Arnoldo smiled. “Che vinca il migliore. May the best man win.”
“Ugh.” I sat back in my chair. “I’m not a prize. Or I should say: I’m no prize.”
Arnoldo shot me a look. Obviously he didn’t wholly disagree with me. I didn’t blame him; he knew I’d kissed Brett and had seen the effect it’d had on Gideon.
“Is there a problem with your meal, Eva?” Arnoldo asked. “If you liked it, your plate would be empty.”
“You serve big helpings,” Brett pointed out.
“And Eva is a big eater.”
Brett looked at me. “You are?”
I shrugged. Was he catching on to how little we really knew about each other? “One of my many flaws.”
“Not to me,” Arnoldo said. “How did the video show go?”
“I think it went well.” Brett searched my face as he answered.
I nodded, not wanting to spoil what was supposed to be a celebratory time for the band. What was done, was done. I couldn’t fault Brett’s intentions, only his execution. “They are well on the road to megastardom.”
“And I can say I knew you when.” Arnoldo smiled at Brett. “I bought your first single on iTunes when it was still your only single.”
“Appreciate the support, man,” Brett said. “We wouldn’t have made it without our fans.”
“You wouldn’t have made it if you weren’t so good.” Arnoldo looked at me. “You will have dessert, won’t you? And more wine.”
As Arnoldo settled back in his chair, I realized he intended to fill the role of chaperone. When I glanced at Brett, I could tell from his wry smile that he caught that, too.
“So,” Arnoldo began, “tell me how Shawna is doing, Eva.”
I sighed inwardly. At least Arnoldo was a babysitter who was fun to look at.
BRETT’S hired driver dropped me off at my apartment a little after ten. I invited Brett up, because I couldn’t see any way to avoid it that wasn’t rude. He took in the exterior of the building with some surprise, as well as the night doorman and the front desk.
“You must have a smokin’ job,” he said as we walked toward the elevators.
The clicking of heels on marble chased after me. “Eva!”
I cringed at the sound of Deanna’s voice. “Reporter alert,” I whispered, before turning around.
“That’s a bad thing?” he asked, turning with me.
“Hi, Deanna.” I greeted her with a strained smile.
“Hello.” Her dark eyes raked Brett from head to toe, and then she thrust her hand at him. “Brett Kline, right? Deanna Johnson.”
“A pleasure, Deanna,” he said, turning on the charm.
“What can I do for you?” I asked her as they shook hands.
“Sorry for interrupting you on your date. I didn’t realize you two were back together until I saw you at the Vidal event earlier.” She smiled at Brett. “I take it there’s no harm done from your altercation with Gideon Cross?”
Brett’s brows rose. “You lost me.”
“I’d heard you and Cross exchanged a few blows in an argument.”
“Someone’s got a big imagination.”
Had Gideon talked to him? Or had media training taught Brett the pitfalls to avoid?
I hated that Deanna had been nearby earlier, watching me. Or, more accurately, watching Gideon. He was the one she was fixated on. I was just easier to access.
Her answering smile was brittle. “Bad source, I guess.”
“It happens,” he said easily.
She turned her attention back to me. “I saw Gideon with you today, Eva. My photographer got some great shots of you two. I stopped by to ask you for a statement, but now that I see who you’re with, would you comment on the status of your relationship with Brett?”
She directed the question at me, but Brett stepped in, grinning and flashing that dazzling dimple. “I think ‘Golden’ says it all. We’ve got history and friendship.”
“That’s a great quote, thanks.” Deanna eyed me. I eyed her right back. “Okay. I don’t want to hold you up. I appreciate your time.”
“Sure.” I caught Brett’s hand and tugged it. “Good night.”
I hurried him to the elevators and didn’t relax until the doors closed.
“Can I ask why a reporter’s so interested in who you’re dating?”
I glanced at him. He was lounging against the handrail, his hands gripping the brass on either side of his hips. The pose was hot and he was undeniably sexy, but my thoughts were with Gideon. I was anxious to be with him and talk to him.
“She’s an ex of Gideon’s with a grudge.”
“And that doesn’t send up any flags for you?”
I shook my head. “Not like you’re probably thinking.”