One Hot Secret (Love on Fire)

It makes me realize that her love for me is conditional. As long as I behave in a way that she approves, then she’ll continue to love me. If I don’t, she withdraws the love, as she has done now. It saddens me and makes me long for a mother. A real mother. A mother who would love me unconditionally and support me whether she agrees with my decisions or not.

My cell phone rings, and I hit answer and put it on speakerphone.

“Finally, she answers her phone!”

I smile, instantly cheered up to hear Isla’s voice. “Hey, Mrs. Cole.” I giggle, remembering what she’d said about taking Mark’s surname.

“Don’t,” Isla says in a warning tone, which makes me laugh. Silence follows her words, and when I stop laughing, she continues. “How are you doing?”

I don’t want to spoil her honeymoon with my troubles. “I’m good.”

“Liar!” she says. “Talk to me and don’t worry about my honeymoon. I’m your best friend, and I know you need a friend right now.”

“Oh God …” my voice catches, and I can’t speak for a few seconds. She knows me so much, and I wish she was around. I’d have gone straight to her place. I let out a laugh that is devoid of humor.

“That bad, huh?” she says.

I nod until I realize that Isla can’t see me. “I’ve just come from my parents’ place.”

“They read about the ‘wedding,’ huh?” she says, her tone sympathetic.

The whole sorry tale pours out of me. I feel bad for piling it on Isla when she’s on her honeymoon, but as she said, I need to get it out. I’m like a dam that has burst its banks. Without pausing for a breath, I also tell her about fighting with Kyle.

“Oh, Grace,” Isla says. “Why would you trust that evil woman over Kyle?”

“What reason does she have to lie?” I ask her.

“We’re always reading how a celebrity couple went on fake dates to increase their dwindling popularity or whatever. This is a different world from the one which you and I are familiar with, Grace. They play by different rules, and if you and Kyle’s relationship is to survive, you have to learn those rules, fast.”

I swallow hard as her words penetrate my brain. “I guess you’re right.”

“I am right. Give him a chance, Grace. He’s a good man, and you know my instincts are always right. He hasn’t done anything wrong except being an actor, and you can’t continue judging him for that.”

Tears fill my eyes. Is that what I’ve been doing? Judging Kyle?

Chapter 32

Grace

Before I can touch the door, it flies open, and Kyle stands there looking as lost as I feel. We stare at each other, and then he opens his arms, and without giving it a second thought, I fly into them. It feels as if a warm blanket has been wrapped around me. He circles his hands tightly around my body, and I cling to him. The sobs come then. It feels as if my world is spinning, but with Kyle holding me up, I let myself go. I’m ugly crying, but I can’t stop myself.

“It’s okay,” Kyle says over and over again.

I don’t know how long we stand in the foyer with Kyle whispering comforting words into my ear before he takes me upstairs to our bedroom. He sits on the bed and pulls me into his lap. He smooths down my hair and tacks stray strands behind my ear.

“What happened?”

“I went home, and my mother and I had a fight.”

“About me?” he asks.

I nod, but I don’t want to say too much. It’s not fair to Kyle to tell him that my mother wants me to end things with him.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I come with a lot of baggage, and if I were a better man, I would set you free to find someone whose life is not usually splashed on the front pages of newspapers and tabloids. I’m not, Grace. I can’t bear to let you go. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

He looks at me with such sad eyes that I immediately lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips. “You’re not going to lose me. I love you just the way you are. Lack of privacy and all.”

Kyle’s face transforms. Joy and disbelief light up his face. “Really?”

I nod happily. Just saying that aloud, that I love him, and I’m willing to fight for us, feels like I’ve removed a burden from my shoulders. “Really.”

He buries his head in my chest, and I thread my fingers through my hair. I feel bad that I’m going against my mom’s wishes, but I can’t give up Kyle. I love him, and I want to see where this thing we have between us will take us.

Kyle cups my face and sits still, just staring into my face before pressing his mouth to mine. He kisses me gently, taking his time as if it’s the first time. I part my lips, and he slips his tongue into my mouth. I let out a deep sigh as I lose myself in his kisses. All the pain and hurt of the day melts away, and all I feel is pleasure and a deep connection to Kyle. I give his tongue teasing laps with mine, and he growls into my mouth in that beastly way that makes me feel so desirable.