"I know, Brook. Me, too. Watching us like this together… it’s stunning."
Of course, he knew. He always knew. His hand tightened on mine.
THE ROOFTOP TERRACE of Armand Hammer Museum was decorated with lots of twinkling lights and a mural of the Boston skyline in the background was lit from behind, making it appear realistic. It was cool and insanely crowded. The theater held thirteen hundred people and while all of them weren't invited to the after party, there must have been somewhere around a thousand people in attendance.
The crowds outside the theater had been maddening. I was thankful that Brook was there with me. Even though I’d attended loads of these things, her presence gave me a center. Unconsciously, my eyes were always searching for her when she wasn’t near me, even as I was talking to other people, or doing interviews. It was hard to keep track of her with so many people in attendance, but I would find her and meet her gaze every now and then.
Roxanne Mason tracked me down and basically followed me around most of the evening. She was pretty, in a hard sort of way. She seemed so much older than her age, and I wasn't sure why.
"You know, Cade, the studio has plans for us." She smiled and put her hand on my forearm. I took a drink from my glass and looked at her blandly. I hoped I wasn't being rude, but I wasn't interested in this conversation at all, as my eyes landed on Brook across the room.
She was talking to Noah and Gavin, laughing with them until her eyes landed on me with Roxanne's hand on me. She visibly stiffened, and I had to tear my eyes away from hers. Fuck.
"Yeah? Like what?"
"Oh, they didn't tell you? We're supposed to hang out, plant speculation that we may be dating."
"Yes, my manager mentioned something of it to me, but I'm not particularly into lying to my fans or anyone else." My voice was flat and bored.
Her lips pouted as she looked at me. "Maybe it wouldn't be a lie. You might like me, you know."
I moved away from her slightly so her hand fell away from my arm. "I'm sure you're a wonderful person, Roxanne, and very talented as well, but I thought you were dating that Eli Dominic."
Bloody hell. Brook was gone from the where I'd last seen her.
"Well... yes, and no. So, you've been checking up on me, have you?" Her blue eyes flashed over my face. “I’m flattered.”
I raised my eyebrows at her and wanted to kick myself for mentioning it. "Um, not really. My manager keeps me informed of things she thinks I need to know. Will you excuse me for a minute?" I nodded to her and moved off to see if I could find Brook. I hadn't spoken to her since we'd arrived at the party, and I just wanted to make sure she was okay.
As I made my way through the crowd, I didn't see her anywhere. Her parents were gone as well, so maybe she'd left. My sister and brother, along with Nathan, were along one of the walls talking, so I made my way over to them.
"Hey, are you all enjoying yourselves?" I leaned in and gave my sister a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes, excellent, Caden. This is a big one," Layla teased. "Mum and Dad are so proud of you. We all are."
I smiled at her. "Thanks, sis. Have any of you seen Brooklyn? I was going to leave soon because I've got an early call tomorrow for a radio program and wanted to say goodbye."
"I think she left a little while ago, Cade. Crowds aren't her thing." Nate put his hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I know. Okay. Listen, Oliver, Layla, I'd like Brook to have brunch with you at the hotel tomorrow morning with Mum and Dad. Can you arrange to have it brought into the suite? I'll have Denise figure out how to get her over there, yeah?"
"You won’t be there?" Layla asked.
"Um, not sure, but definitely not at the beginning of it. I'd like her to have some time with all of you. She's fine with being there without me; we discussed it tonight."
"Sure, sure. I'll take care of everything. I've got her number. "
I hugged her, and shook hands with the two other men, before setting off to find my parents. I wanted to get out of there before someone else hooked into me and forced me to extend my time there. I found my parents on my way out of the venue.
"Thank you both for being here with me. It's meant the world to me." I hugged my mum and shook my dad's hand.
"We couldn't be prouder of you, son." My dad never was one to show his emotions on his sleeve, so this was a lot coming from him.
"Thank you, both. I've got an early morning, so I'm going to go back to the hotel now. I’ve asked Brook to come to brunch tomorrow, if that’s alright? I want you to get to know her."
My mother's arms came around me again. "It's obvious how much she means to you, Cade. Of course, we’d love to have her."
"Good. I know you'll love her as much as I do." My dad's brows shot up at me as I turned to leave but I just smiled brightly at him.
A few minutes later in the car, I took out my phone to text Brook.
I wish I could have you in my arms tonight. I'm on my way back to my lonely bed with only thoughts of you to fill my dreams until morning.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. We had a couple of weeks of interviews and appearances here in the United States and then one more intense week of European premieres before a break for the holidays. Brook and I hadn't discussed holiday plans, but I knew I didn't want to spend them without her.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I smiled as I pulled it out.
You looked hot tonight, babe. Wish you were here to warm me up.
I miss your body. XOXO
My body stirred as I read the words. She had so much fucking control over me, and she didn't even realize it. Control I was only too willing to hand over.
I'd love to be there with you, to bring your body to life under mine. I wish... I'm hard just thinking about it, my love.
Mmmmm... I closed my eyes and let the visions over take me. Her white skin, soft under my fingers and the soft moans that I brought out of her as I made love to her, drove me wild.
I love what you do to me... every touch is paradise.
Bloody hell, this was going to be one fucking long night.
CADE'S INTERVIEW WAS early this morning and I’d set my alarm so I could get up in time to listen to it. There were so many screaming fans in the background, obviously camped outside the radio station, that sometimes it was hard to hear his answers. When the girls would call in, they were all so giddy and gushing.
God. I rolled my eyes because I couldn't help myself.
That voice. I could listen to him talk forever.
Hearing it over the radio caused so many memories to flood my brain; The first time he said my name when we were introduced at the audition, all the times running lines, the breathless way he panted my name when we made love, or the way he made my heart race when he said he loved me.
Uuuuggggghhhhh! I wondered if he made every woman he met feel the same way I felt. Maybe even some who’d never met him, and only seen him on screen. It was crazy.
I got out of bed so I could take a shower and get ready to go over to his hotel to meet with his family. I cranked up the volume so I wouldn't miss any of it as I went about getting dressed.
I was a little nervous, but anxious to know them better. I knew some of the background Cade had shared about each of them, but it would really be intriguing to see if they saw him as extraordinary or was he just “Cade” to them; simply their brother or son... and nothing special?
I could hardly believe that was the case, but I knew my family didn't make a big deal out of my career, so maybe his didn't either, even though it was gargantuan. Hell, he didn't make a big deal out of it, so I assumed he'd prefer they didn't either.
I knew I'd never make it to the hotel before the interview was over, but Oliver called and asked if I could be there around 10:30 or if I needed a ride. They were bringing in brunch and my mom was going to take me over so my car wouldn't be parked in the garage. The damn paparazzi would be stalking us more than ever after last night's Hollywood premiere. I was going in through the garage, the same
way I’d gotten out the night Cade pulled me into the shower after the Entertainment Weekly photo shoot. Mmmmm... Those were some delicious memories.
My stomach was caught in a knot. What if they didn't like me?
Suddenly, it became imperative that they did. Usually, other people’s opinions didn’t’ matter to me, but Cade's family was another story entirely.
I showered quickly, and put on some jeans and a button down shirt, wondering if I should dress up more. What do you wear to English brunch with the parents of your boyfriend?
I stopped.
My boyfriend? Did I really just think about Cade in those terms?
"Hmmph." Was that what he was? I couldn’t go around calling him my “universe”, so boyfriend it is. I shook my head at myself. Shit.
I glanced at the clock. I needed to get going. The interview was winding down and the DJ was asking Cade the last few questions.
I wasn't paying that much attention because, let's face it, we'd been asked the same damn questions multiple times already and I knew all of his answers by heart.
"Could you fall in love with Brook? I saw the film and the chemistry is strong on screen. What’s it like in real life?" The question slipped out, immediately after a caller had just finished asking about doing the stunts in the film, so given the change of subject he was taken off guard.
Okay, what?
"Yes. She's amazing," Cade replied and then the people in the studio broke out in laughter behind him.
My heart leapt in my chest. Holy shit. He did not just say that, did he?
"There's that quote!" The DJ shot back.
I sank down on the edge of my bed with my toothbrush in my hand.
Cade, my mind implored, Try to save it, or Jeanne and Denise will have your ass.
"Uh, I just like making her life really difficult." He laughed some more. “You know, she’s got a bloke.”
"But help us understand it, Cade. You said earlier that you really felt this film and it's gotta be bizarre to sit with this girl... a beautiful girl... who you’ve spent a lot of time with…" The DJ’s voice drifted off.
"Yes."
"And develop this type of instant chemistry, which we all sort of look for in real life, have it play out on film and then not develop feelings for her?"
Okay... here we go, I thought. I couldn't breathe; my heart was pounding so fast I could feel the blood rushing through my ears.
"Yeah, it's really quite strange. Well, you do though. Sometimes. You do because that's the type of damage you undergo when trying to do anything real in acting. Like, you know, you kind of leave jobs with both people feeling like we have no idea who the other person is, so it's just like this horrible experience afterwards."
He was laughing it off, but I knew the pain behind the words he'd stammered around. He wanted to admit how closes we’d become, but instead had to make it seem like we’d left the set as strangers.
But for us, the horrible part being left with very real feelings you have to deal with when you try to go back to your regular life.
He told me it wasn't always like that on previous jobs; taking a very real chunk out of you, but it was for this job... for Cade and me. Remembering the agony at the wrap party and the morning after... I'd never experienced anything that painful ever before.
My heart seized and my mind screamed with love for him. I needed to get to him as fast as I could. I rushed around and got my stuff together so I could get over to the Beverly Wilshire before he made it back from the station. "Mom, are you ready?" I ran down the stairs with my purse in hand.
"Yes, Brook. Let’s go." She followed me out.
An hour later, as I sat on the couch in the hotel room laughing with Cade's parents, his brother and sister, I wondered what I'd had to feel nervous about.
His mother was generous and giving, and his dad had a wicked sense of humor. He told me how he practically had to force Cade to try his hand at acting, but his son had insisted it was for sissies.
"He was only fifteen and he'd had aspirations of being in a rock band, but what kid doesn't at that age? He was wise to listen to his old dad. Look at him now."
"Carter, I'm sure Cade won't like you telling all of those old stories to Brook," Lillian Carlisle admonished her husband.
"Cade's already told me the story, but it seems funnier when you tell it, Mr. Carlisle."
"Oh, sweetheart, how many times do I need to tell you to call me Carter?" he smiled at me warmly.
"Thank you. If you're sure." I smiled back. "You must be very proud of your son. He seems to excel at everything he does."
"Well, he wasn't always like that. He hated his studies. Not that he did poorly, but he always had better things to spend his time on, at least that's how he tells it."
"Dear, did you get a chance to hear Caden's interview today?" Layla moved into the room with a plate of food from the buffet set up on the bar in residence on one side of the suite.
"Most of it. We get asked the same questions over and over. It's hard to sound fresh in those things, but he always does a much better job than I do. I get so flustered."
Oliver was quieter than Layla, but both of them were so beautiful. Blonde and tall and very regal in their movements, the gene pool was kind. I felt like an ugly duckling beside two swans.
Layla's eyes sparkled at me. "So, what dirt do you want to know about Cade, Brooklyn?" She laughed as she asked me. “I’m only too happy to spill.”
"Well... "
"Layla. I doubt Cade will appreciate your enthusiasm," Oliver said pointedly, but he laughed as well... He was the oldest, four years older than Cade and six years older than Layla.
"He’s pretty much told me everything, I think. We've spent quite a bit of time together while we were filming."
"Did he tell you about that hag, Tina?"
"Layla!" Lillian spoke up sternly.
"What, Mum? You know you agree with me." Layla rolled her eyes.
"Well, whether I agree or not, it's not appropriate for you to bring that up to Brooklyn."
I glanced between Cade's mom and his sister on the other sofa. I bit my lip to stifle a smile.
"I know who she is, and that she was Cade's longest relationship, but he doesn't talk that much about her."
"Probably because he's so embarrassed that he was ever with her, she's that horrible. Sure she's tall and leggy, model-ish, but her personality is that of a cold fish." She leaned forward in her seat, eager to share all of the sordid details. “It had to be the shagging,” Oliver inserted wryly. “I shudder.”
“Oliver!” Lillian reprimanded.
“What?” He looked up from his plate blandly.
“That’s insensitive.”
“It’s the truth, Mum.”
"She's an artist now, if you can call it that. All those squiggly lines can hardly be called art," Cade's dad scoffed. "She pushed enough of that rubbish off on us to start a bloody gallery."
"Not you, too Carter," Lillian said, with a sigh.
"Lil, the girl had the personality of a stone, we all know it."
Layla giggled at her father's remark, "Yeah, I swear to God, her head is literally two sizes too large, and she was so full of herself... I never understood what Cade saw in that nag. She was always trying to dictate to him who his friends were and what he should do. I mean, constantly!"
"I thought she was an incredible bore, so as I said, shagging." Oliver said tongue-in-cheek, his eyes widening. He was turning out to be very engaging, despite his quiet demeanor upon first meeting, and it was clear that he shared his sister's opinion. "Cade always lost his fire around her. He wasn't ever happy, I don't know why the bloody hell it took him so long to wise up."
I burst out laughing at them. "Cade was afraid you were going to tell me some nappy stories or about how he used to imitate Elton John."
"What? He told you about that, did he?" Layla looked stunned. "He's ruining all of my fun!" She chuckled under her breath. "Damn, I don't have any of those pict
ures with me, either. He used to rummage through mom’s frocks and jewelry. It was ridiculous."
Cade's mother just shook her head. “He always was theatrical.”
"So Brook, tell us about yourself."
"Come on, Dad," Oliver interrupted. "Like she isn't the only thing Cade talks about! Honestly, Brook, I think we know you as well as he does by now."
I felt my cheeks flush as color came into my face at his words.
Lillian leaned over to pat my hand. "Don't worry, darling, he thinks very highly of you."
"Pffft. Is that what you call it?" His father got up to get some more coffee. "That boy's done for, I'd say. Brooklyn, can I get you anything else?"
"Um, no, thank you. It was delicious." I bit my lip as pleasure filled me at his words.
"I'm so sorry for my husband's, uh, brashness, dear. Men are so indelicate, aren't they?" Lillian shot him a look that clearly told him to stop talking. I wanted to laugh. They were so cute.
"It's just that we just haven't seen our son this happy before, and we know there is much more to it than his success." She arched her brows and her mouth widened in a big smile.
"He deserves everything that is happening for him. He's very dedicated in his work." His sister and brother were both looking at me with their eyebrows raised. She and Oliver were so like their brother. "He always downplays how talented he is, but it's just so essentially... Cade."
Okay, why are they all staring at me?
I couldn't help but shrug and shake my head. "Is this the place where I say, he's gorgeous and brilliant and sexy as hell?" I smirked at them as they all burst out laughing. "Seriously," I nodded at them, "Because he is all of that! But, if you tell him I said so, I'll completely deny it!" We all laughed for a couple of minutes, and his mother came over to hug me wiping her eyes on the way.
"Cade is very lucky to have such a supportive family. I can see where he gets so many of the awesome things about him. You're all so great! I’m really glad to have this time with you. Thank you, for making me feel so welcome."
"Oh, it's our pleasure to finally meet you, honey," his mother put her arm around my shoulder. "It's obvious why Caden is so taken with you."