Close to Heart (11 page)

“What in the world are these?” Justin stared at the brownies on the table as he sat next to her on the couch.

“Those are ‘Slutty Brownies.’ ”

H
ER MOUTH WATERED
at the thought of them. With a chocolate chip cookie base, Oreo cookies in the center, and packaged brownie mix topping the entire thing, it was pure chocolate decadence. They had made hundreds of pans in her sorority, but Elijah watched every calorie that went into her mouth, warning how it might affect future roles, so she hadn’t had them since graduation years ago.

Justin leaned back into the corner, arching a brow and giving her that boyish smile. “Trying to tell me something, Lyssa?”

She felt the heat warming her cheeks. She wasn’t about to touch his comment, especially since it had crossed her mind that he was as sinfully delicious as the brownies. His laughter made her heart start racing and her insides flutter as he looked at her. She could read the desire in his eyes, knew she felt the same way, but she couldn’t allow herself to act on it. He’d already done so much to assist her, he shouldn’t be forced to face Elijah’s wrath any more than he already would for providing her help.

He took a bite and she could see the pleasure written across his face as he closed his eyes and chewed. “These are incredible.” He slid his arm around the back of the couch, maneuvering so that she could lean backward against his chest.

“I knew you’d like them.”

One of his hands came to rest against the side of her stomach, sweetly caressing the life she carried.

As if it was his.

Alyssa caught herself before she got too carried away with the thought. She was likely reading far too much into the simple gesture.

Maybe not
, her heart sang.

“Tell me about the baby. I’m betting you want a girl.”

She slid a hand over his at the side of her stomach as she looked down, shaking her head. “No. I wanted a boy from the start.”

Justin tipped his head to the side, staring at her profile thoughtfully. “Why? I could see you holding a little girl, with your gorgeous green eyes, with your sweet smile.”

She smiled at the image he created for her. “Boys can have sweet smiles, too,” she pointed out. “And, believe it or not, I was a tomboy growing up in Carson City. Mud pies, hiking through the brush, and playing with lizards.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.

Justin couldn’t help the surprised rise of his brows. “You?” He grinned. “I guess that explains why you weren’t too squeamish about delivering puppies.”

“Oh no,” she argued with a laugh. “That was a completely new experience and not one I’d like to repeat too soon.”

Justin chuckled and the rumble vibrated against her back. The sound washed over her, relaxing her, making her feel safe, secure in his presence. It almost made her forget about the media that were guaranteed to descend on her as soon as Franklin filed the paperwork announcing her divorce. The only thing that had saved her at this point was the fact that no one knew where she was. According to Franklin, she was going to have to properly thank Dave for lying about seeing her. At least he’d had the good instinct to distrust Elijah’s investigator.

His fingers played over her stomach, as if searching out the baby’s movement. “Have you picked out names yet?”

She wondered if he was really interested in their discussion. Elijah had rarely talked about the baby, other than to inform her that he didn’t care one way or another what she did, whether she chose a home or hospital birth or how she decorated the nursery. The only thing he’d been adamant on was their son’s name—Elijah Michael Cole Jr.

She repeated the name they had chosen and could feel him tense behind her, as if trying to avoid saying something he shouldn’t. “What?” She looked back at him, but Justin shook his head, refusing to answer. “I want to know,” she insisted.

“Why are you still doing this? Why are you still giving him this power over you?”

She started to move away from him but his fingers caressed her arm, near her shoulder, making her stay. She could feel the tingle of heat travel up her back, spiraling in her chest, warming her. “I’m not, I . . . ”

“Yes, you are.”

His voice was gentle, almost hypnotic, as he brushed her hair from her neck with the back of his fingers, dropping it over her shoulder and breast. When she looked at him, his blue eyes were electric and she could feel the tension in the way he held his body stiffly against her.

“He was an idiot not to recognize what a treasure he had, Lyssa.” One of his large hands slid over the side of her waist, tenderly caressing her child, while the other curled around her shoulders and chest, pressing her against him.

“Justin,” she whispered, “you have no idea what he’s capable of, what he could do to you if he found out. He could destroy your reputation, your sisters’ businesses.”

The last thing she’d expected was his smile as he ducked his head to meet her gaze. “Trust me, I’ve been through far worse than some spoiled, rich asshole spreading rumors. I’ve waited too long for someone like you to let a guy like him discourage me.”

“S
IR, THERE
’
S AN
officer here to see you.”

Elijah pressed the intercom button on his phone, hoping it was news of someone spotting Alyssa. It had been a rankling five days waiting for information about her, not knowing where she was or what she was doing. So far, his lawyer’s efforts to locate her had been futile. He’d expected her to try to get in touch with him again after he’d ignored her first two calls to make her sweat, but after that initial attempt she’d remained silent. It was ridiculous. She was a celebrity. There should be hundreds of people sending them blurry pictures from cell phones and calling in with sightings. But the phones had been quiet.

At least it hadn’t been a complete loss. The media attention her missing status had garnered him was priceless for the agency. Already he’d been able to play on the sympathies of several producers, demanding more and getting his clients signed over far more qualified actors.

But he didn’t have the time, or the inclination, to continue this game with her.

“Send him in.” Elijah rose from behind the desk and greeted the officer as he came through the heavy oak door. He frowned when he saw the uniform. This wasn’t Beverly Hills police. He held out a hand in greeting. “How can I help you, Officer? Does this have something to do with my wife?”

The officer didn’t change his serious expression as he lifted two thick manila envelopes and slapped them into Elijah’s hands.

“What’s this?”

“You’ve been served, Mr. Cole. One is a restraining order, the other is your divorce papers.”

The officer turned to walk away as Elijah slid the documents from the first, thinner envelope. “Wait, she can’t do this!” He flung the fatter, much heavier envelope at the departing officer.

His assistant rushed to the open doorway as the cop spun back around, holding his hands in the air in warning. “Mr. Cole, I’m sure you’re upset, but assaulting me is only going to get you a one-way trip to the station.”

“I know my rights, you can’t threaten me. And neither can that bitch who sent these—” He raised the documents but his assistant hurried inside, grabbing the packet from his hand and pushing Elijah back toward his desk.

“Sir, I assure you, it’s no threat,” the officer warned.

“Thank you, Officer. I’ll take care of him. As you can see, he’s extremely distraught. Mr. Cole was under the impression that his wife was missing. He’s been searching for her tirelessly, so you can imagine this is a surprise.”

“Get your hands off me, you worthless piece of—”

His assistant shot him a stern look, reminding him that if he didn’t regain control, and quickly, he was going to make a fool out of himself. Elijah ran his hands through his thick hair, pulling at it as he fell to his knees.

He could play the wronged husband to the fullest extent. “Why? Why? We were so happy.”

“You see?” The intern escorted the officer into the outer office, leaving Elijah to his very vocal commiseration. He heard his assistant trying to reassure the cop. “Yes, sir, I’m going to call his therapist right now.” Elijah heard the outer door close, and his assistant returned to his doorway. “Sir?”

Elijah stood, dusting off his knees even though there wasn’t a speck of dirt there. “Get James on the phone.”

The assistant frowned as he watched Elijah move across the office. “On it.”

“And put in a call to Graves at the
Hollywood Insider
. Tell him I have an exclusive story for him.”

The assistant scooped up the documents and headed back to his desk. “I’ll fax these over to your lawyer as well.”

The kid was intelligent and, so far, he’d kept quiet about Elijah’s less ethical dealings, pretending he didn’t notice them. He deserved a raise. Elijah knew if he didn’t offer it soon, he was risking the kid getting greedy and spilling his guts to one of the tabloids. He reached the bar he’d had installed in his office and poured himself a Scotch. It might be only ten in the morning, but it had just become one of
those
days. After slamming it back, not even taking a moment to enjoy the taste of the liquor, he poured another.

“Sir, your lawyer is on line one.”

Elijah took his drink and slid behind his desk. A massive mahogany workspace designed to intimidate. “James. Talk to me. What’s the plan?”

A
LYSSA SET
R
OCKY
down with the other puppies while Lucky nosed each one in turn. She still didn’t treat Rocky the same as she did the others, but she was accepting him more, which Justin said was a good sign. Over the past few days, Julia had been by several times, helping her with the puppies while Justin headed out to make his rounds. Bailey had even snuck in when he was out, claiming that she felt sorry for Alyssa for dealing with the pigheaded man, but Alyssa knew the young woman missed her job.

“You know Justin would give you your job back.” Alyssa smiled at Bailey. “He’s tried calling several times.”

“I know, but I’d like to make that arrogant ass sweat a little longer.” Bailey shrugged. “Besides, now he has you.”

Alyssa scoffed. “I’m completely useless when it comes to anything other than scheduling or answering the phones. I know nothing about the animals, so he’s completely bombarded when it comes to appointments. He has to do it all.”

Bailey’s blue eyes glimmered mischievously as she reached over the baby fence to pet Lucky. “Maybe he’ll learn to appreciate me more instead of being such a jerk.”

“You don’t cut him much slack, do you?”

Bailey shot her a sideways glance. “And you cut him too much.” She stood up and wandered into the kitchen. “But I get it.”

Alyssa straightened and followed her. “What do you mean, you ‘get it?’ Get what?”

“He’s your rebound guy. You’re leaving your rich, upper-class husband in Beverly Hills and you’re slumming.”

“What? No!” Alyssa felt the blush rise from her toes as her skin heated with embarrassment. “It’s not like that. Justin and I are just . . . we’re friends.” She thought about his words to her a few nights earlier, that he’d wait for her. “He’s helped me more than you can imagine and . . . ”

“And?” Bailey grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator, helping herself as if she lived in the house.

“If it weren’t for Justin, I wouldn’t have had a place to go. I would have had to ask Franklin to find me a place, and as soon as word of my divorce hit the media, I’d have been mobbed by reporters. He’s been kind and generous and understanding.”

Bailey shut the refrigerator and leaned against the door, a sly smile gracing her lips as she crossed her arms. “I’m sorry. I guess I was wrong. He isn’t your rebound guy.”

“No, he’s not,” Alyssa agreed, turning her back on Bailey.

“You’re falling for him.”

Alyssa spun to face her, her mouth open, ready to deny Bailey’s assessment, but she knew the woman wasn’t wrong. She was falling for Justin—hard—faster than she’d thought possible. Now that Franklin notified her that the papers had been filed and served, it had been a torturous few days as she tried to maintain an appropriate distance in spite of the fact that she couldn’t help watching him work, fantasizing how those capable hands would feel moving over her body. She could still feel the fireworks that ignited when he kissed her. It frustrated her now that he hadn’t kissed her for several days. She’d wanted him to, desperately, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty at the baggage she was bringing into this relationship. Being an out-of-work actress with a lying ex-husband and a baby on the way wasn’t a good start.

“Ha, see!” Bailey laughed and came closer as Alyssa sank into one of the kitchen chairs. “I
knew
it.”

Alyssa frowned at her. “You know nothing. We’re just friends.”

“Sure you are.” Bailey set the soda can on the table, planting her hands on her hips. “I’d bet my job that my cousin is head over heels for you, too. You’re Alyssa-freakin’-Cole! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?”

“Uh, yeah.” She tried to reach her hands in front of her protruding belly that seemed to grow bigger every day. “And you don’t have a job so you have nothing to bet.”

“Whatever,” Bailey said, waving Alyssa off. “I’ll bet anything you want because I won’t lose.” She glanced at the clock over the stove. “Crap, I have to get out of here. Justin should be here for lunch anytime and I don’t want him to catch me. Then he’ll start thinking I miss him and that I want—”

“Your job back?”

Both of them turned to the doorway to see Justin leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest. The stance made him look enormous. His biceps bulged, stretching the material of the gray Henley shirt he wore. Had it not been for the boyish smile he was sporting, he would have looked imposing. Her heart pounded heavily at the sight of him.

“I see that ego is still as big as ever,” Bailey quipped, shaking her head. “I don’t know how you can fit your head through the door. I’ll catch you later, Alyssa.”

“Come on, Bailey. I’ve called you nearly every day and apologized. How many more times do you want me to say sorry?”

“Until I believe you.”

Justin just chuckled at her, then stepped aside, watching her head toward the front door. “Just so you know, your job is waiting whenever you want to come back,” he yelled after her. “Just say the word.”

“By all means, hold your breath. I’d love to see you turn blue and pass out,” she countered before closing the door.

Alyssa heard Bailey’s truck start up and frowned at Justin. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

She rose from the table and headed to the refrigerator. “All you would have to do is ask her to come back. You know you want her to as much as she wants to. Why don’t you just act like the bigger person? She needs to hear that you need her, that she’s vital to your success. Let’s face it, I can’t even do a quarter of the work she does in the clinic.” She shook her head and reached for the deli meat and cheese to make him a sandwich. “Do you want turkey?”

“Lyssa, you don’t have to make my lunch.”

“I was just about to fix my own.” She wanted to feel as if she was contributing something to this arrangement. “Will you tell her you miss her and need her to come back, please?”

“We’ll see.” Justin went to the pantry and took the bread to the counter. “Maybe I’ll agree if you agree to see the doctor in town. You’re getting close.” He nodded at her belly. “You should have a checkup.”

“If I’d known that was all it would take, I would have agreed days ago. Franklin already set up an appointment for me. He’s coming up to finalize a few things with me this weekend. He offered to stay and take me on Monday.”

“I’ll take you.”

She was surprised by his offer. Elijah had never been to any of her many doctor’s appointments, and she didn’t want to impose on Justin any more than she already was. When Franklin had made the offer, it seemed like an easy, safe solution. She’d been fighting the desire to visualize Justin holding her child in his huge arms, tenderly rocking her son to sleep. The image she’d had of her future was growing clearer with each day she spent with him, wishing it could be forever, wishing he could be the father her son deserved. If she didn’t maintain some sort of emotional distance between them, leaving Justin behind was going to rip her heart out.

“Justin . . . ” She wasn’t sure how to explain why she couldn’t let him take her to the doctor, that each step he made to get closer to her was going to make it hurt worse when she had to leave. She didn’t want to think how much he would grow to resent her once the media descended on them.

He turned and held her shoulders. “I’ll take you,” he repeated, closing the discussion to further argument.

“There you go, being bossy again.”

Justin closed his eyes. When he opened them, she could see the sorrow coloring the deep blue. “I didn’t mean to. Will you let me take you, please?”

She smiled at the fact that he would correct himself and apologize for something trivial. Elijah never would have. It was just one more thing on the long list of differences. She didn’t want to argue with him, especially when the thought of him being at her doctor’s visit made her heart soar. “Okay, I’ll let Franklin know. I think he was only coming up to go over Elijah’s response to the divorce papers.”

Justin turned back to the sandwiches, but her arms were still burning where his hands had touched her. “He’s countered?”

“Apparently, he’s furious about the car and demanding I pay him back the full value, or that it comes out of anything he owes me. He’s also saying I’m not entitled to any part of the business.” She bit the corner of her lower lip. “Honestly, the way he runs things, I’m not sure I want my name associated with it anyway.”

Justin put the bread on two paper plates and handed them to her, leaning his hip against the counter. “What do you want to happen?”

As soon as his fingers touched hers, she felt the zing of pleasure travel up her arm. She needed to get herself under control. She’d been surrounded by handsome men her entire career, but none of them had ever made her feel as if her entire body was about to combust from the sexual tension within. She took a deep breath to settle herself but instead, inhaled his musky scent. She glanced at him, wondering if he felt it, too, and saw his blue eyes darken. It was only a flicker, then he blinked and the look was gone.

“I just want the baby to be taken care of. I don’t mind working, even if it means going back to acting. I just want to be finished with this mess already.” She inhaled slowly, filling her lungs with the scent of him.

Justin nodded. “You’re ready to move on.”

She stared up at him, wondering what he would think if she told him that what she really wanted was to run her hands over the ridges of muscle his knit shirt showed off. To strip the shirt off him, to taste the fullness of his lips, to feel them against her throat. Alyssa could feel heat rise over her, flushing her skin, and she quickly looked away, concentrating on the sandwiches. She finished making them and handed him a plate.

“Exactly. I’m ready to move forward with my future.”