FAMOUS
by Kahlen Aymes
Caden Carlisle is a world-renowned superstar with good looks, million dollar movie deals and women throwing themselves at him wherever he goes. He has it all… but wants nothing more than a normal life without the paparazzi and glitz.
Brooklyn Holloway is an up and coming starlet with a solid head on her shoulders and her eyes wide open. It’s all about art for her and she isn’t looking to star in blockbuster films. She’s perfectly happy keeping a low profile and doing indie projects with a message.
When fate throws the two of them together on set; both are unprepared for their undeniable connection. Cade is drawn to Brook’s down-to-earth wholesomeness and she can’t help the irresistible pull of his good looks, sense of humor and chivalrous ways... So, when he begins to think he’s in love with her, resisting is next to impossible, despite being committed to someone else.
Only when filming ends and the world's fascination with celebrity invades their bubble, can they decide if the emotions they felt on set were scripted, or forever.
Cade moved a little, as if to say something, and I put a finger to his lips as a tear fell from my eye. "I couldn't have done this with anyone else. You... brought me to life. Not just the character, but me. I've felt things with you, that... that I..." I stumbled over the words and shook my head, "...didn't even know were possible. I care about you more than you know."
I struggled to continue because I was crying softly. I sniffed back the tears as his hand tightened on mine again. "I'm really going to miss you." I felt a sob well up within my chest, threatening to break free. "I'll miss you, every day. I… um, I h-hope you'll al- always remember..." My voice caught and I had to stop for a minute to keep from sobbing. I took a ragged breath, my throat seriously aching.
He brought my hand to his mouth to kiss my palm, his breath hot against my skin. "Oh, Brook..." he sighed. “This is the worst bloody moment of my life. It’s hell.”
I nodded. "I brought you something to remember me by, but please don't open it until you get back to London," I said, wiping away my tears with my free hand. I offered him a tumultuous smile, but I could barely manage it through my misery.
He took the package and placed a hand lovingly on the top. His eyes closed and he sighed heavily.
"I don't need anything to remind me of you. I won't forget a single detail, not a single second of our time together here," he said softly. "But, thank you for wanting to leave me with some part of you. It means the world to me."
When his eyes opened, he set the package on the bed then knelt down in front of me. One of his arms wrapped around my body and the other came up to cup my face, his thumb caressing the line of my jaw. My skin tingled where he touched me and my heart ached at the tears in his eyes. My shoulders started to shake in silent sobs. It hurt so fucking bad.
"Brook." His beautiful blue eyes stared right into my heart. "You've always been stronger than me. You control your feelings so much better, than I." The corners of his mouth lifted in a sad smile as his fingers brushed along my jaw.
I gave a little laugh through my tears. "I'm not feeling very strong right now, Cade.” I took a shaky breath. "The only way I'm gonna get through this is to believe that we’ll still keep in touch with each other. I feel so close to you. I don't want to lose that." A tear slipped from my lashes and slid down my face.
"There will be things we'll need to do to promote the movie, so we'll be together again for some of it." His eyes searched my face as he spoke.
"I'm holding on to that. You’re so important to me." I swallowed hard and bit my lip against the pain.
"We will be together again, I promise. I don’t know how I’ll survive without seeing your beautiful face every day." I blushed at his words, and gave a shaky laugh, though my tears fell like rain.
I thought of my photo album gift, and knew now it was just what he would want.
"As the whole world will agree, you are the beautiful one." My eyes rose to his face. His strong features were flooded with a mixture of confusion, sadness and denial.
He would never believe how extraordinary he was. He couldn't see that he was amazing to everyone who met him and even millions who hadn't. "I've always found you beautiful. From afar, I mean. When I watched your movies. But, who you are inside," I placed my hand on his heart, "is the most beautiful part of you." I tried to brush a tear away with the other. “I expected you to be so different then you turned out to be.”
Suddenly his arms went around me and my hands came around his forearms as we stared into each other’s eyes.
"My God, Brook. I know you don't want me to say it, and I know I have no right, but if I don't, it feels like I'll die right here." His voice broke on the words, and my heart stopped. "I'm SO in love with you." He searched my face, trying to find an answer in my eyes. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I put my hands up to hold his face.
"I love you..." he whispered, “and I don’t care if I’m going to hell for saying it out loud.” I could see how urgently he needed me to believe it. My heart thumped heavily and my breath caught, as I read the truth and emotion in his dark blue eyes.
"Cade." At that moment, he was the only thing that existed in my world. I breathed his name as I kissed his eyes, his nose, his cheeks and forehead so softly. I opened my eyes, and moved my mouth down to his lips, hovering over his mouth.
Our kisses had always been so restrained. While passionate, so much was held back. We never really let ourselves kiss each other like I knew we both wanted to. I placed a feather light kiss on his lips, and I felt him draw in his breath, as his lips moved gently with mine. The moment of hesitation was wondrous: a pivotal moment in the fabric of my life, the precipice. If I jumped off, it either could kill me, or fill my wings and lift me up to heaven.
I knew this was the time to let Cade see my true feelings, and to take what I could of him while I had the chance. I could feel my body and my voice trembling, as I finally asked for what I'd been wanting for months.
"Cade, will you kiss me goodbye? As you... not Ryan," I whispered against his lips.
He understood what I wanted, and his mouth crushed down on mine instantly, our lips parted, our tongues melding in deep, slow perfection. It was everything… and it wasn’t enough. As we kissed, we held each other tightly, our arms moving up and down each other's bodies, and into each other's hair, as our mouths devoured each other.
It was heaven. I never wanted the moment to end.
He pulled me closer, and I kissed him back so deeply that surely we would melt together. My tears and Cade’s mingled on our cheeks. Our kisses softened, still passionate and reverent. We couldn't bear to separate and continued to hold each other, still placing little lingering clinging kisses on each other's mouths as his hands cupped my face and he brushed my tears away with the pads of his thumbs. He took my lower lip between both of his and sucked on it lightly. I sighed into him, our breath meshing as he rested his forehead on mine.
I didn’t want to fight it anymore. I couldn’t.
How could I have ever questioned my feelings for this man? I loved him so much it stole my breath.
I’m a single mother of one daughter, Olivia. She’s amazing in every way.
I was born in the Midwestern United States and educated at a private university where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration.
I’ve always been creative with art, music, theater and writing. I decided to write a story as a way to build a network for a business venture. The reader support of my stories and my overwhelming desire to find out where my characters would take me, soon had the writing morphing the business. No one was more shocked than I. When readers began nominating my work for online awards, it took my breath away and only made me love it more. It soon became clear that writing was, and should be, my focus.
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