Hollywood Rebel by Misti Murphy

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

Rebel

“Did you send the invitation to the Bilson event?” I ask Ollie over speaker phone as I drive up through the hills toward home after a long morning at a table read for the movie we’ll start shooting soon.

“You lost it, didn’t you?” Ollie groans.

I imagine he automatically tucks the end of a cigarette between his lips and works a flame out of his lighter at this point. He inhales until the paper catches and then focuses on me. Old habits don’t die easy.

“You didn’t want to go, so you misplaced the damn invitation,” he says before a tell-tale silence indicates he’s taking a drag. “I can’t just get another one, you know. This party is exclusive.”

“While I would love to not go hang out with a bunch of pretentious pricks, I’m neither irresponsible nor an idiot.” I pull through the gates into the long driveway. “Besides, Summer is excited. There’s no way I can disappoint her. Can you please check it isn’t in your office?”

“You and the publicist?” he says slowly, like it never would have occurred to him. There’s some rifling and the sound of things being moved around.

“Yes, me and her,” I say in a way that brooks no kind of incredulous response.

“That’s great.”

“Thanks,” I say, hoping that will be the end of it. Knowing it won’t be. We’ve had almost a decade together. He’s never been anything but a blunt motherfucker, even though he damn well should have pandered to me on more than a few occasions. I appreciate that about him. Mostly. Right now not so much because I know what he’s about to say because it’s crossed my mind a time or two.

“She’s very invested in her career,” he says as I roll Emmy into her parking spot in the garage. “Lots of drive.”

“It’s not the same,” I say, flipping open the glove box to check whether the invitation somehow ended up there. No dice.

“She set up a tent in your yard and camped out until you agreed to work with her,” he reminds me.

I rest my elbow on the door of the car, lean my jaw on my fist and cut the motor. “I recall.”

“And you’re not worried?”

“Look who’s changed his tune,” I fling back at him. “You were the one who said she’d be good for me.”

“For your career,” he corrects. “Which she has done a fantastic job with. Another script came in for you this morning, by the way. Any chance the invitation got wedged between the seats in that old car of yours?”

“Don’t think so.” I run my hand along the seam of the bench seat.

“I didn’t think you’d go and date her. Not after Marty. Hell, you literally hadn’t dated anyone since that soul sucking witch.”

“Summer is different.” My hackles rise at his suggesting Summer is anything like Marty.

I pat the floor under the seat. God, Marty had that innocent thing down pat. You’d never suspect her of stabbing you in the back, let alone twisting the knife until you were gutted and quartered.

Summer doesn’t hide who she is. Ever. It’s all clumsy feet and big opinions and stubbornness. We argue just as much as we kiss and make up. The worst thing about her is that she doesn’t need anyone.

She doesn’t need me at all.

Not even to concrete her position with Bernadette and Knightly PR, since Bernadette decided she was doing a fantastic job. We celebrated that accomplishment with an intimate party at the house and several bottles of champagne, once she told me about it.

I just wish she’d let me in a little more. I’m falling hard. And she’s still holding back. It’s not a position I enjoy being in. It’s damn well nerve-racking not knowing what she’ll do if I inadvertently let it slip that I find myself more and more in love with her every day. Will she run so far and so fast back to Kansas, where I’m pretty sure I’m still not welcome, that even Dorothy’s red heels couldn’t bring her back to me?

My fingers touch the crisp edge of something papery.

“Shit,” Ollie says. “I’m going to fire her.”

“Becky?” I ask, getting the feeling he’s found the invitation on his desk and needs someone to blame it on. Becky is meticulous. Her desk is practically a sterile environment until Ollie dumps a load on it.

“Yeah,” he says. “I’ve got your invitation right here. I’m going to drop everything and run it out personally right now.”

I chuckle and climb out of the car. It’s the least he can do. “That would be appreciated.”

—*—

Summer smiles from the top of the stairs. Her hands clasp in front of the gauzy skirt of her blue cocktail dress. The top is fitted to her tits and covered in sequins or beads or something that glitters in the light. A scrap of lace covers one shoulder. How long will it take for that itty bitty piece of material to give to my fingers?

“Wowzah, Little.” Burke pats at the pocket on his flannel before patting down the pockets in his pants. “Where’s my phone? I have to take a picture of our little girl all dressed up to go to the fancy ball.”

“It’s just a party,” she tells him as she takes one step down in heels that glitter as much as her top.

“A party is a keg and a bonfire, Little.” He finally finds his phone. “Some music. A little dancing under the stars.”

Her gaze catches mine and we share a silent laugh at Burke’s expense, but honestly his idea of a party sounds a hell of a lot more fun than this. Fake people all vying to be the best and make the best connections. I might be the one they look at as the leader of the troublemakers but at least we keep shit real. Real fun.

I gravitate toward her. My heart tries to beat its way out of my chest. I want to blow everything off and keep her all to myself. If I could tell her brother to get the hell out so I could strip her bare and sink inside her right here on the staircase without blowing all the good will I’ve worked so hard to earn, I would.

Another step between us disappears.

“Hang on, Little,” Burke says as he pulls up the camera app and finds her in the viewer.

“You really don’t need to take photos,” she says.

“And get my ass kicked when I go home because I didn’t?” he mutters. “I don’t think so.”

“You’re… wow… damn,” I’m struggling to find the words.

“Thanks,” she says, her hand fluffing the strawberry-colored curls that rampage over one shoulder, while she levels a sweet smile my way.

“Fuck me.” Riot whistles as he comes into the room.

“Language,” I growl. In all our years I’ve never once suggested any of us should watch our language like some mother hen, but for some reason I feel the need to check him for talking like that tonight. In front of her. To her. This woman is my life.

“Summer Heart,” Rogue says. “You are one spicy pepper.”

“Absolutely stunning.” I can’t take my eyes off her as I offer her my hand.

“Do you think so?” She’s almost at the bottom of the staircase now.

I catch the wobble in her ankle as she strikes the last step wrong. My hands go around her waist before she can fall. I lift her up and spin her around to deposit her on the floor in front of me. I drink her in for one long moment. Just seeing how beautiful she is makes my chest balloon.

I take her hand in mine. Brush my thumb over her knuckles. Tuck my other arm around her waist to draw her in.

“You…” I inhale deeply while I shake my head. I can’t believe she’s here with me. Choosing me. Mine. “You’re going to cost me my freedom tonight, aren’t you?”

She tips her head back and stares up at me. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“You’re so damn beautiful.” Burke’s switched from taking photos to videoing the moment, so I put my palm over his phone to garner some privacy from the rest of her family as I press a light kiss to her mouth. “I have a feeling I’m going to have a fight on my hands to keep other men away from you.”

She walks her fingers up my black-shirt clad chest to where the top buttons are undone. Grabbing the collar, she tugs me down. “Or you could be on your best behavior.”

A wicked grin turns up my lips. “I have every intention of treating tonight like a second chance I never thought I’d get.”

“Good.” She smoothes my lapel back into place. “We can do a lot of good tonight with the right people if we play it the right way.”

“But if you think I’m not going to growl at every man who tries to flirt with you…” I let the threat dissolve in the air between us.

She pats my cheek. “I can handle myself.”

“This isn’t about what you can handle,” I say. “It’s about me being jealous when other men look at you like they think they have a shot.”

“They don’t.” Her gaze drops like she didn’t mean to say that out loud. Like she’s admitting more than she meant to.

It captures my entire attention. Every cell in my body sparks. I feel ten feet tall and indestructible because I’m the only one she wants.

And she’s the only one I want. The only one I could imagine being beside me tonight. Or any night for that matter. At these stupid events. On the red carpet. In my bed.

When those bright emerald orbs rise again they hold steady on mine. “I’ll make you a deal. You behave yourself and I will let you introduce me as your girlfriend.”

I catch her cheeks with my fingers and her mouth with my lips. “Is that what you want?”

She puts a half inch between our smiling mouths. “Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

“Alright,” Rogue hollers.

A second later it’s followed by the slap of two grown ass men giving each other a high five that ends up in a hug.

“We’re family now,” Burke crows into Rogue’s shoulder before he catches himself and addresses me. “You… you break my sister’s heart, I have to bury you. Sorry man, that’s just the way it is.”

“Yeah, I know.” I chuckle, glancing down at Summer. “Don’t worry. I have every plan to make your sister happy.”

“We’ll see,” Burke mutters.

“We should go,” Summer says.

“Just a second.” I reach into the pocket of my suit pants and pull out a little square box. It’s nothing overly fancy. More sentimental. It made me smile when I saw it in the jewelry store. Holding it in both hands, I clear my throat. “I saw this and I wanted to get it for you.”

“What is it?” She frowns at the box as she tugs the ribbon loose then pulls the lid off. The look of pure focus on her face shifts to a smile as she takes the silver chain out and holds it up so she can examine the little diamond penguin. Bright eyes sparkle as they lift to mine. She has a soft spot for the clumsy birds with monogamous tendencies. “You got this for me?”

“It reminded me of a redhead in a penguin onesie who wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Even then I wanted her. I just didn’t want to admit it.

“Can you help me?” she asks, turning around and scooping her hair out of the way.

I take the necklace from her and lay the fine chain against her neck before hooking the clasp. I smooth my hands down her warm shoulders.

Fingering the little penguin, she turns around. “It’s beautiful. I adore it.”

I clear my throat before I say something stupid. Like I adore you. Which, let’s face it, is just another four letter word in French.

“Limo is here,” Rogue says from the door.

“Do you have the invitation?” Summer asks me.

I pat my pocket. After this morning’s conversation with Ollie I’ve been checking and double checking I had the damn invite all day long. “Shall we?”

Summer smiles as I rest my hand on the small of her back to escort her out to the limo.

“I can’t believe you’re going to this shindig without us,” Rogue says off-handedly, like he’s not really speaking to me. “We normally crash these things together. I don’t like it. I’m supposed to be your wingman.”

“Uh, I was invited this time,” I point out.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Summer tells them. “No paintball. No racing bikes down the stairs. No building any kind of fire.”

“Poker then,” Burke announces as he walks away, like she’s sucked the life out of the party.

“Poker,” Riot agrees, following him.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Rogue winks and shuts the door to my house in my face.