by A P Gore
A protective urge surged in his heart, and he slipped through the narrow gap to stand in front of Robert.
“Dad, what’s the matter?”
Robert’s face darkened. “Is she the one you carried through your office?” His stare pierced Gavin’s soul, scaring the shit out of him. “The one who also dragged you through your planning department?”
Damn. So that’s what he was asking about. He’d thought his father had learned about his fake marriage plan. The man had eyes everywhere. Gavin wouldn’t be surprised to find a microphone planted in his office. After all, his father was hell bent on getting Gavin into the family business.
“Yes,” Gavin said. “Also, she’s my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” Tan said, eyes wide.
With his heart pounding in his ears, Gavin cast a glance at Samantha, who had covered her face in her hands. Poor rabbit.
“Girlfriend?” Robert’s tone rose. “Do you know she has a four-year-old child, and her husband is dead?”
Samantha stiffened. Gavin wanted to pull her in his arms and tell her that everything would be okay, but he had a bigger fish to fry.
Turning back to face his father, he stood eye to eye with him.
“So what? Can’t she have a second chance at love?”
Robert’s nostrils flared. For a moment, Gavin feared he would slap him. Instead, a smile spread over his face.
“Fair enough. I was just testing your resolve.” He brushed Gavin aside and looked at Samantha who remained in the corner, her face still behind her hands.
“Sam.” Guilt gnawed at Gavin’s stomach. It must be hard on her. He should have warned her about his family. Damn, what was she going through now? Whenever things seemed to go smoother between them, something else cropped up and threatened everything. And his father was the last person he wanted to introduce her to.
“Child. Look at me,” Robert said.
Samantha pulled her hands away. “Yes, sir.” She looked up at Robert with watery eyes.
“Come. Come to my plane. I have a lot to discuss with you.” Robert extended his hand.
“Dad, no.” Gavin stepped in between them. “I’m sorry, but we’re trying to have a romantic date here. And all you’re doing is scaring her. Please don’t do that. I don’t want to lose her.” He glanced at his mom, a desperate plea on his face. Right now, only she could save him. If he made his mind up, his father would pull as many strings as needed to get Samantha on his jet, which would be the end of everything between them.
His mother nodded. “Honey, why are you disturbing the lovebirds? Let’s go.” She glared at his siblings. “You too. Including Rosie. Come on.”
“But—” Rosie began, but Tan pulled her away.
“Come on, Rosie, let’s get out of here,” Tan said. “Do you want to stop in San Francisco first? I heard there’s a new Hermes bag in the store. Wanna check it out?”
“No extra stops,” Martha said firmly. The girls had no choice.
“Buckle up, child,” Robert said to Samantha. “It won’t be easy being his girlfriend.” With that advice, he stepped out of the rapidly emptying cabin.
Gavin walked them to the door, but as soon as they headed down the stairs he ran back to Samantha. Damn, that woman must be scared. And so she was. Head down in her knees, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Chapter 24
Mr. Hamilton’s voice boomed in her mind like thunder, sending shivers through her legs. For the first time, she regretted getting on this plane. Why did he have to shout like that? He was like James’s mother, shouting at her, cursing her for James’s death. It wasn’t her fault he went on a hiking trip. How was she responsible for that? Why was Samantha responsible for her son’s death? Why was his mother all over her again?
An invisible hand wrapped around her throat, choking her.
Jesus! Please save me.
She gasped.
A firm hand wrapped around her shoulder while another rubbed her head. She lost herself. It was too much to bear. The shouting, the sarcastic voices, the accusations. Everything came back to her like a flood. Everything she had run away from. No, she wanted it out of her and Aaron’s life. Why was it coming back?
She wouldn’t let James’s mother take Aaron away from her. It wasn’t her fault that James died.
The invisible hand shifted and clasped around her heart, squeezing the blood out of it.
“For God’s sake, it wasn’t my fault. Please, no. Go away! I’m not giving Aaron to you.” She shouted, trying to push the hands away. Those hands would only choke her, drain the life out of her, and take her Aaron away. Forever.
Firm hands pulled her deeper in an embrace, not letting her go, forming a circle of protection around her.
“I didn’t kill him. I didn’t. Why can’t you understand that?” Once again, she tried to push the hands away, but they held her tight, like they would never let her go.
After a while she realized she was leaning on someone’s chest. Gavin’s chest. But she didn’t let it go. She just wanted some stability, and right now his firm chest gave her that. Losing herself in his arms, she let her tears flow until her eyes dried up.
After what seemed like an eternity, her emotions settled and the reality of being in Gavin’s tight embrace sunk in. His chin rested on her head, and his metallic cologne eased her mood while his firm grip provided her much needed comfort. She didn’t pull away. It felt so good. For the first time in years she felt like she could lean on someone. After James died, she was all by herself, fighting the storm called life alone, getting beaten up, getting buried in the ground, but rising from the dead for her child. But right now, she could let go of her worries and rest in a moment of solace. Maybe it was the last time she would find comfort like this, and she didn’t want it to vanish. Not yet.
She didn’t know when her eyelids became heavy, but she slipped into the welcome darkness of sleep.
SAMANTHA SNUGGLED IN his arms, eyes closed as her breathing settled into a normal rhythm. Pushing her hair back from her face, he stared at her closed eyes. He hadn’t known the poor rabbit was holding so much inside her. When she cried, he felt helpless, helpless to take her pain away. It was the most helpless he’d felt in years, but he didn’t know how to break the walls around her, to reach her and comfort her. All he could do was pull her closer and let her cry her heart out.
But now, after everything was settled, he wondered why he was getting attached to her. Why it felt like his heart was being stabbed by a thousand knives when her tears wet his shirt. Wasn’t this just a fake marriage? They would be on their way in a couple of days. But when she’d pushed his hands away, he’d felt like she would fade away from his life like an illusion. So, he held her tighter, not letting her go.
Now, he could see four faults in his emotional judgment. Four ways he could get entangled with her.
No, she had a four-year-old kid. He wouldn’t fall for her. Never.
Thinking about the kid, he remembered her painful cry. ‘I’m not giving Aaron to you.’ Who was trying to take her son away from her?
Making sure he didn’t disturb Samantha’s sleep, he dialed Rosie.
“Gavin, God, what have you done man? Gram and Tan are killing me with questions. They want to know about your girlfriend.” Rosie’s frustrated voice evoked a wave of sympathy, but he couldn’t let it distract him.
“I need you to run a background check on James, Sam’s late husband. Also, hire a private security agency to guard Aaron 24/7 until I get back.”
Rosie grasped. “Is everything all right?”
Samantha shifted in his arms, her cute nose brushing against his chest. Having her in his arms felt good. So good that he could let her sleep like this forever.
“Gavin, you there? Is everything all right?” Rosie’s voice had a hint of worry.
“Nothing. Everything’s great. Just do this for me, please.” Gavin disconnected the call.
Samantha stirred, wrapping an arm around Gavin’s tors
o and pulling herself closer to him, sending all sort of signals through his body. Damn. She smelled like a rose, an irresistible, exquisite rose, and for the first time he didn’t hate that scent. Instead he could bathe in it.
She shifted again and then slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she didn’t seem to realize what she was doing, and she actually snuggled into his arm. Lifting her chin slightly, she stared into his eyes.
Then life happened. Her cute and sheepish expression changed into shock. She looked down like she was holding a lion. Pushing him away, she curled up in the corner of her seat.
“What—” She pointed at him. “What were you doing to me?”
Gavin chuckled. No matter what, she pulled something new out of that hat. This time, he knew something like this would happen.
He leaned closer to her.
She shifted away.
Opening the gallery on his mobile, he pulled up a picture of her snuggling in his arms like a rabbit.
Biting her lip, she tried to grab the phone from him. But how could he let her do that? It was his proof, and a memento.
“Do you see this?” Gavin smirked, slipping some mischief into his voice. “I should ask what you were doing with me.” He poked her sharp nose.
Her cheeks burst into color, and all he wanted was to eat them.
“Delete that. I was sleeping.” She brushed her nose with the back of her hand, looking far too cute and irresistible.
Gavin chuckled. “It’s proof.”
Her eyes opened wide. “Proof of what? What are you going to do with it?”
Yes, what was he going to do with it? “I don’t know... But I’m not deleting it.”
Turning away, she snorted, burying her face in the small window. “I don’t care. I’m going to kiss you tomorrow. What’s the big deal about sleeping in your arms?”
Yes, the kiss. Lightning bolts shot across his heart in anticipation of that. Now all he could think about was how her lips would feel on his.
The flight attendant knocked on the cabin door and then entered. “Sir, we’ll be landing in fifteen minutes.”
Great. Tomorrow they would be officially Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Hamilton. Goosebumps rose all over his body.
Chapter 25
What would you do if you woke up in a stranger’s arms and found yourself not wanting to let him go? Well, that’s what happened to Samantha when she opened her eyes to find herself in Gavin’s arms, her arms tightly wrapped around his firm muscular torso. If that wasn’t bad enough, then what would you do when you felt the irresistible urge to kiss that stranger’s full lips? That certainly happened when Samantha stared at his full lips. She wanted to kiss those kissable lips.
Jesus!
And as if that wasn’t bad enough...
Instead of feeling embarrassed, she’d wanted to stay in his arms for one more second. What motivation could possibly drive her to stay in his arms for one more second. Even if it was just a second. It still counted, right? Tomorrow she would be his wife. If not for the marriage, she had known him long enough to trust him, trust his touch. For some reason, his touch never scared her. Not even once. Yet, it was wrong to find herself comfortable in a man’s arms. A man who wasn’t James.
As she thought of James, the memory of her blabbering nonsense while crying popped up in her mind.
God! Why did she say those things to him? What would he think of her now? If it hadn’t already, her reputation had just taken a deep dive.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Gavin as he spoke with the flight attendant. Apparently, they were landing in few minutes.
When the attendant left, he turned to her and pushed her hair back. One touch of his soft fingers brushing against her temple was enough to send thick tingles across her core. Staring into her eyes, he leaned forward, his lips reaching hers slowly. Her eyelids automatically closed in anticipation of his kiss, but an annoying song broke the silence—and broke her out of Gavin’s spell.
Sitting up straight, she smoothed her dress. What was she doing? Dreaming of kissing him? God, why didn’t she jump out of the plane instead? And why did the ringtone annoy her, as if she wanted to kiss him. Did she?
No way.
“Hey, did you do what I asked?” Gavin spoke into his phone but stole a glance at her. “Okay, thanks.”
Silence prevailed for a moment as he listened. “Okay, I’ll ask her right away.”
Gavin turned to face her. “Rosie’s asking if you are fine to go dress shopping alone, or if should she choose something for you.”
A weight settled in her stomach. Shopping alone for a wedding dress. It sounded difficult. Also, she didn’t have enough in her bank account to shop for a lavish wedding dress, and she wouldn’t ask Gavin for money. No way. With Rosie holding Gavin’s card, she wouldn’t need to worry about money. Money aside, how would she know which dress to choose? When it came to wedding dresses—or any kind of dresses, really—she was clueless. It wouldn’t be as easy as picking up an extra-large T-shirt from Target. What if she chose a suboptimal dress?
She shook her head. “It’s okay if she picks it up.” It was better left in the expert’s hand. She glanced down at her pretty red dress. Rosie hadn’t steered her wrong yet.
He placed his hand on the phone. “I’d accompany you, but a groom shouldn’t do that. Right?”
Why did he care? It was a fake marriage after all. Samantha shrugged. “I understand. Whatever Rosie chooses is fine.” After all, it would go back to the shop after the wedding.
Gavin nodded and resumed his conversation. “Choose the one you find suitable, but make sure my bride looks beautiful.”
Another round of silence passed and then a playful smile played on his lips before he cut the call.
“What did she say?”
Gavin looked at her with a wide grin, his gaze lingering on her lips. “Nothing. It’s just...” His hand lifted, thumb reaching for her lips like he wanted to feel her skin, but a soft beep interrupted. The seat belt sign lit up on the overhead display. “Sorry. Let me help you fasten your seatbelt.” Leaning over, he buckled her seatbelt tightly, his metallic cologne evoking the memory of his touch. Especially the missed kiss.
GAVIN PACED THE FOYER of his hotel room, waiting for the parcel. Rosie had sent Samantha’s wedding dress over by courier. His pace quickened as the time went by. The courier was late. If Rosie had told him where to go, he would have collected the dress himself. The dress and Samantha both. Anxiety tightened his throat as he imagined Samantha walking down the aisle wearing a pure white wedding dress and holding a bouquet in her hands.
Damn, he shouldn’t be imagining that. It was a fake. A big fat fake marriage, ending in six months, and yet here he was as anxious as a VP coming for a round of investment. Even the VPs never got him worked up this much.
His smartwatch beeped with the Skype meeting reminder. Yes, he had a meeting scheduled with a couple of developers to discuss a new product.
Rubbing his forehead, he weighed canceling it versus attending it. One thing was sure, he wouldn’t be able to focus in his current condition. He’d better postpone it.
Smiling, he sent a cancellation message through his smartwatch, using a piece of software he’d developed in his last foray. Being the former owner of the company, he got all the updates delivered to his watch at lightning speed. If only he could get the courier to appear that quickly.
Glancing at his watch again, he counted the hours. Fifteen to go. The wedding chapel wasn’t far. He’d originally wanted to stay in their family house on the outskirts of town, but when he’d found out his family was also coming to Vegas he’d changed his mind and booked two suites in the nearest hotel to the chapel.
Someone knocked on the door. He dashed to answer it, jumping over the couch and crossing the distance in three jumps. Damn, he was excited to see how beautiful the dress looked.
A happy smile played on his lips as he threw open the heavy black wooden door.
He immediately wish
ed he had opened the door slowly, so he could see his bride revealed in a dramatic motion. Like they show in romantic movies.
Samantha stood outside in a sleeveless blue gown reaching her toes. With her hair cascading down over her shoulders, she looked no less than an angel sent to steal his heart.
His hand automatically reached for her face, where a naughty strand dared to touch her lips.
“Sam,” his voice deepened. “God, you look stunning.”
Red reached her cheeks. She placed a hand on his chest, sending lightning bolts across his skin. “Gavin.” She said his name with intensity.
Suddenly he realized he was inches away from her, his hand reaching for her face. He was practically invading her personal space.
Damn, what was happening with him? Why was he acting like a college student in love?
Smiling sheepishly, he moved aside. “Sorry. Please come in.”
A mischievous grin played on her lips as she stepped into the room. “Rosie called a few minutes ago. She said I shouldn’t let you see the dress, so I came to intercept the courier.”
“Why?” After closing the door, he followed her inside. “That’s cheating. The courier was sent to my room.”
Samantha touched her earlobe. “Someone was saying he wouldn’t come shopping with me because of some particular reason.”
Gavin scowled. That Rosie. Why did she tell Samantha about the dress? He punched his left palm.
“Gavin.” She raised her chin, giving him a serious glance.
He straightened, hoping she wasn’t here to pull out of the marriage. That would be terrible, and even if it breaks the contract, he wouldn’t be able to force her.
She lifted a notebook lying on the table. “Actually, I came here to say something.”
Gavin leaned forward, all ears. Why was she being so serious?
Her gaze lifted, met his for a moment, then jumped back to the notebook.
“Sam, speak freely. I think we’re close enough to share what’s on our minds. You should tell me if something’s bothering you.”