Fifteen
Tessa jerked with a start, wondering what had actually woken her up. Beneath her, spread out on the chaise, Grant groaned and twitched.
Arms and legs tangled, Tessa tried to sit up, but Grant’s hands gripped her shoulders.
“Melanie, stop!” he yelled.
Tessa froze. Melanie? Whoever this woman was, she was causing him nightmares. Please, don’t be a girlfriend. Or worse...a wife.
“Grant.” Tessa tried to break from his hold as she patted the side of his face. “Grant, wake up.”
The storm wasn’t as violent as earlier, but growls of thunder still filled the night. The occasional lightning was the only thing cutting through the darkness of the cabin.
“I’m so sorry,” he cried.
Tessa couldn’t stand the anguish ripping from him. So she did the only thing she could think of: she slapped him, hard.
Grant stilled and his eyes flew open. For a moment she couldn’t tell if he was truly awake, angry or still living the nightmare.
“Tessa?”
Still naked from lovemaking, she crossed her arms over her chest and eased back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but you were having a bad dream.”
Grant ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Sorry I woke you.”
“Seeing as how this is the second time you’ve woken me with a nightmare, and this time you yelled out another woman’s name, care to tell me what’s going on?” she asked, trying to remain calm.
Just because he’d done so didn’t mean anything. He was obviously hurting, and Tessa wasn’t naive enough to believe he hadn’t been with other women before her.
But the fact he’d shouted it out while lying beneath her naked did warrant an explanation, in her opinion.
“Who’s Melanie?” she asked, when he still didn’t answer.
Grant shifted, obviously trying to get up, so Tessa came to her feet. Apparently the sexy moment was over. In the dark, broken by random flashes of lightning, she scrambled to find her clothes and get into them while Grant did the same.
“Melanie is my sister,” he told her after several minutes of silence. “She’s my twin.”
A wave of relief washed over Tessa. Okay, so she wasn’t dealing with the proverbial “other woman.”
“Why do you have nightmares about her?”
Grant finished putting on his clothes and walked over to the door, opening it to look out onto the dark night. “Just something that happened in my past. Nothing that has to do with you.”
She’d be lying if she didn’t admit, at least to herself, that his comment hurt. Why wouldn’t he open up to her? Was he that protective of his sister? Something had happened, and from the way his nightmares seemed to consume him, Tessa had a feeling whatever had gone on in his past was extremely traumatic.
“It’s pretty dark out,” she said, trying to change the subject and not be a clingy woman demanding to know what he was thinking. “We can try to go back, but I don’t have a flashlight.”
When she stepped up beside him, he wrapped his arm around her waist, tucking her against his side. “You’re in such a hurry to leave. I’m going to start thinking you don’t like my company.”
“Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed your company,” she said with a laugh, trying to lighten the intense moment. “I’m just not sure how comfortable either of us will be with nowhere to sleep tonight.”
“I was fine with you lying on me. Of course, I’d recommend you lose those clothes you just put on.”
Tessa swatted his flat abs. “You have a one-track mind now that I’ve let you have your wicked way with me.”
“Oh, I had a one-track mind all along. I can just be more vocal about it now without offending you.”
They listened to the rain, watching as the storm rolled through the night. Tessa would never look at this cabin the same again. This place had a special new meaning to her now. And a whole new meaning to her dreams.
“I hate to bring this up, but no one can find us here,” he told her. “I can’t let it out that we’re sleeping together.”
And if the secret nightmares hadn’t caused enough hurt, this cold realistic fact sure did. She’d known there was a clause in his contract; he’d mentioned it before. But she hadn’t thought it would be an issue. And now that they’d been intimate, she hadn’t thought about lying or hiding it.
“I don’t mean to make you upset,” he added, obviously picking up on her thoughts. “I just can’t afford to risk my career.”
Wrapping her arm around his waist, she squeezed him tight. “I wouldn’t do anything to damage your career. Besides, I don’t expect you to keep sneaking out to sleep with me.”
Grant turned, taking her by the shoulders and pinning her against the edge of the door. “Well, I expect more than just this, Tessa. Because I can’t see you in public doesn’t mean I can’t come to your house every night, slide into your bed and pleasure you over and over. I’ve not even begun to explore you, and I’ll be damned if another man is going to show you all there is to intimacy.”
His matter-of-fact tone thrilled her.
“What if you get caught?” she asked. “Your crew will be arriving in two days, and security will be tight around my premises and Stony Ridge. Do you plan on teleporting into my bedroom?”
He tipped his hips against hers. “Baby, I’ll make it happen, if that’s what you want.”
Grant nipped at her lips, slid his hands through her hair to tilt her head, allowing him better access.
“Tell me that’s what you want,” he murmured against her lips. “Say it, Tessa.”
God help her, she was drowning, and she had no one to blame but herself. She’d gotten this ball rolling when she’d set out to seduce him earlier, and now she was paying the price.
“Yes,” she told him, gripping his hard biceps as his mouth traveled down her neck. “I want you no matter how we have to sneak.”
This whole sneaking, lying and hiding scenario went against everything she knew. Her life consisted of schedules, organization and training, but she had a feeling she was going to love this new Tessa that Grant had uncovered.
The idea of sneaking around added an element of excitement and power. She would still have control over the when and where.
The only problem? What would this new Tessa do when the time came for Grant to leave? Because he’d still never said anything about staying.
* * *
“Looks like everything is ready to go,” said Anthony Price as he admired the trailers and the equipment set up outside the stables. “I’m impressed there were no glitches. There’s always a setback.”
Bronson laughed. “There’s a setback when you’re in charge. I completely trusted Grant to take care of things.”
Grant knew these half brothers felt a sibling rivalry. Of course, it wasn’t that long ago that the two had been heated enemies. Then the secret, decades old, revealed the two were indeed both sons of Hollywood’s most recognized icon, Olivia Dane.
“I had a few very minor hiccups, but managed to smooth them over before you both arrived,” Grant admitted. “I would like to try to get the stable scenes shot either first or last. With Tessa and Cassie training for the Kentucky Derby, we really can’t be in their way.”
“I agree. We can shoot those first.” Bronson looked through the folder he held, shuffling papers. “I’m intrigued about that cabin that’s back on the property. I’d like to see it. Not that I don’t trust your judgment, I just want to get a feel for it.”
Grant smiled. Oh, he’d gotten his own feel for the cottage. And he wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face while they were filming any scenes down there.
Not only had he violated the contract by getting involved with someone on the set, he had done the deed on the set itself.
“Max should be arriving tomorrow,” Bronson said. “I’d like to get his take on things, as well. We just wrapped up a film together a few months ago, and he added some great insight.”
“I worked with Max a few times,” Grant replied. “He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever been involved with, and Lily is such a sweetheart, I know this is going to be a major success.”
“I agree,” Anthony interjected. “I’d like to check out the grounds before everyone arrives, though.”
Grant motioned toward the expansive stables. “Right this way.”
As the three headed across the wide drive, Tessa flew by on Don Pedro and rounded the corner in the track. Grant couldn’t help that his eyes followed, couldn’t help his gut clenching at the sight of her as memories of a few nights ago stirred. Memories of a wild thunderstorm, when she’d abandoned everything she’d known. Every fear, every worry and every part of her she’d handed over to him with a trust that still made his knees weak.
“Damn.”
Grant turned at the soft curse from Bronson, and found the brothers staring back at him.
“Tell me you didn’t,” Anthony said.
Grant shrugged. “What?”
“The beauty that just went by on the track,” Bronson chimed in. “And I’m not talking about the Thoroughbred.”
Grant took another step, hoping the guys would follow and he could face forward without looking them in the eye. “We’ve spent a good bit of time together. She’s my go-to girl for questions and the tours.”
“As long as you don’t go to her for anything else,” Bronson muttered as they neared the open door of the stable. “Marty will have your butt if you pull another stunt like you did with the makeup artist.”
Grant laughed. Yeah, he’d never live down the whole makeup artist debacle. “I assure you, I’m not revisiting that time,” he stated.
As they passed through the stalls, Grant noted Nash cleaning out Don Pedro’s stall, and wondered if Tessa was still having reservations about the scruffy-looking man. To Grant he just seemed like a hard worker. Maybe a bit mysterious, with that long hair and scruffy beard, but he wasn’t dirty, he kept to himself and worked harder than anyone else Grant had seen here.
So far Grant’s investigator had turned up nothing. Apparently the new groom was just quiet.
He didn’t even lift his head when the three men passed by. No, Grant didn’t believe the stranger was out to sabotage the Barringtons or the upcoming race.
When Tessa sped by once more, visible through the stable doorway, Grant made a point to keep walking, keep his mouth shut and show no emotion. Damn, this fling might be harder to keep secret than he’d thought.
When they stepped out into the afternoon sunshine, Cassie greeted them.
“Hi, guys.” She walked over, all smiles, and extended her hand. “I’m Cassie Barrington. You must be Bronson and Anthony. We’re so excited to have you here.”
The brothers shook her hand and offered pleasantries.
“Tessa is just about finished,” Cassie commented. “She’s been pushing herself today, so I’m making her stop after this set.”
Grant grunted. “Is today different from any other day with her self-discipline?”
Cassie laughed, holding her hand up to shield the sun from her eyes. “Not really, but something has been up with her the past two days. Can’t figure out what.”
Grant knew exactly what had been up with her the past two days. But he totally ignored the questioning looks from Bronson and Anthony. No way in hell was he even mentioning Tessa’s name in anything other than a professional way.
The slightest slipup could cost him not only this film, but a future with his own production company.
After being intimate with Tessa, he couldn’t help but look at everything from a whole new perspective.
No, he didn’t want to lose this film or his credibility. But, more importantly, he didn’t want to lose his family. Tessa had helped him see that.
And at some point, he’d have to tackle that heavy burden he’d carried for so long.
“Cassie, if you don’t mind introducing Tessa to Anthony and Bronson, I’d appreciate it.” God, he was a coward. “I have a phone call I just remembered. Also, your dad wasn’t home, so when he gets here could you do those introductions, as well?”
“I’d love to,” Cassie replied, oblivious to any turmoil within him. “Do what you need to. Tessa and I can take things from here.”
As Grant walked away, he heard Anthony mention the pond and the old cabin. Yeah, Grant couldn’t be part of that. One step near that old shack with Tessa around and everyone on set would know. He had never had a problem holding his emotions in check before, but something had stirred in his heart when he’d taken Tessa to bed. Something deep within him had awakened, and he worried that whatever it was would get him into trouble before all was said and done.