Double the Thrill

by Susan Kearney

  Go with the flow. Use the knowledge.

  She’d also admitted that she’d loved him.

  Good. Good.

  And recent experience had taught him that stopping these strong kinds of feelings was next to impossible. He’d certainly tried, and failed.

  Where was he going with this?

  Perhaps she had been just as unsuccessful. After all, if her feelings for him hadn’t been so strong, he wouldn’t have been able to hurt her so badly, he realized with sickening clarity. Why were his thoughts so clear, now, after he’d done so much damage?

  However, Zane wasn’t much into remorse and regret. He much preferred to focus on rectifying his mistakes. What was he going to do? Now that he knew his goal—winning her back—he needed a plan.

  He loved her.

  He wanted the freedom to love her.

  He’d already tried flowers and phone calls and showing up at her door. She wasn’t ready to forgive and forget, but he refused to face the possibility that she never would.

  Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he’d cleared his path for action. One phone call to Birdstrum had accomplished his task. If Birdstrum didn’t back off from Toni, or if he fired her father or messed with her sisters, Zane would expose the senator’s sexual preferences on page one. Birdstrum, ahead in the polls, had caved, leaving Zane free to reclaim his woman’s affections.

  Zane knew how to charm women. He knew how to chase them and seduce them. Surely he could come up with a scheme to win her back.

  Would Toni go for the grand gesture? A spectacular gesture?

  And did he dare risk the humiliation of the very possible chance that she would refuse any overtures he made?

  Zane grinned, leaped out of bed and headed to the kitchen, hungry for the first time in weeks.

  14

  “TONI, YOU AREN’T GOING to believe this.” Bobby slapped the newspaper down on the kitchen table, almost knocking over a pitcher of orange juice.

  “Oh, my.” Jude peered over Bobby’s shoulder but Toni refused to look at the front page of the Louisiana Daily Herald. And she would continue to listen to her news on the radio until she could read a paper without thinking about Zane. The playful smile and his deceitful style may have done a number on her, but she was determined to put her mistake behind her. Reading his new daily columns about the upcoming elections, or the “Hot Scoops” column, wouldn’t help her cause. Sure she still loved him, even understood why he’d acted the way he had, but that didn’t make her hurt any less. If he had feelings for her, he would have told her the truth, at least his real name, before they’d made love.

  And that was how she thought of their time together—as loving. She had loved him. Just the thought of him still caused her breath to hitch in her chest and her heart to start its own tap dance across her ribs.

  Mickey stopped flipping bacon long enough to look at the paper and gasp. “Zane Masterson must be insane.”

  Ever since Zane had lied to Toni, she’d no interest in his newspaper, his “Hot Scoops” column or in him. In fact, she’d considered canceling his paper and ordering a competitor’s, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

  “Zane doesn’t look insane to me.” Bobby sighed dramatically. “He looks hot.”

  Mickey frowned. “Bobby!”

  “Well, he does,” she insisted as she bit her lip and smudged pink lipstick on her teeth.

  “Toni can’t ignore him now,” Jude muttered with dreamy satisfaction.

  “Sure I can.” Defiantly, Toni slathered strawberry preserves on her English muffin and refused to look at Zane’s column. “If he had any sense, he would have canceled that ‘Hot Scoops’ column.”

  Bobby thrust the paper between the English muffin and Toni’s mouth. “Does this look like a measly column to you? It looks like the entire front page to me.”

  Toni dropped the English muffin and stared at the picture of Zane on his knees. Zane on his knees in a tuxedo with an open jewelry box that showed a plain gold wedding band. What the hell was he doing on his knees? When she could finally tear her gaze from the compelling picture, her eyes strayed upward to the four-inch headline. “Marry Me, Toni.”

  “This has to be a joke. Like printing a sweetheart’s name on the cover of a fake Vogue magazine. Zane certainly has the resources to print a phony newspaper.” How dare he mock her, make fun of her like this. Toni shoved the paper aside. “It’s a fake, a mockup that he had delivered just to us.”

  Bobby shook her head, her eyes amused yet sympathetic. “I considered that, so I walked to the corner newsstand. The same headline and photograph are on every copy. Our neighbors have them, too. It’s for real, all right.”

  “I don’t believe it.” Toni stared at the paper, unsure whether to laugh or to cry as his outrageous gesture began to sink in. Not that Zane was a private, shy man, but, still, he had been willing to make a public spectacle of himself for her. The thought was flattering.

  She’d always wanted the right man to propose to her. Just not so publicly. What had he been thinking?

  “He wants to marry you,” Jude insisted.

  Bobby read over her shoulder. “He has the wedding planned for tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Five o’clock,” Jude said.

  This couldn’t be happening. Denial wanted to set in but her sisters kept jabbering excitedly.

  Mickey’s voice rose a notch. “He’s going to wait for you in Jackson Square.”

  “How romantic,” Bobby cooed.

  How utterly ridiculous, Toni thought. And ironic. Zane was doing precisely what Birdstrum had done—and, thankfully, had stopped doing—trying to force her into marriage.

  Only this time, she loved the man.

  “We haven’t even spoken to one another in almost a month.”

  Mickey chuckled. “Apparently, he missed you.”

  “Very funny.” Toni couldn’t seem to think with any kind of logic. What was with these men who kept trying to force her into marriage? She and Zane had had something special together, but she was still angry with him. And she didn’t trust him, didn’t trust her judgment after mistaking his character so badly. Her fingers itched to shred the newspaper and burn it. Pretend she’d never received a copy. She wondered why the phone wasn’t ringing and glanced over to see that one of her sisters had already taken it off the hook.

  “Zane Masterson’s invited the entire city to witness your wedding ceremony,” Jude read slowly.

  The doorbell rang insistently. “Don’t answer it,” Toni ordered in a panic, her stomach roiling in turmoil. “I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

  “It’s not just anyone. I called in reinforcements.” Mickey ignored her baffled look and stepped to the front door. “Hi Mom. Dad. Glad you could make it.”

  Clearly, Mickey had stepped in and decided to get their parents involved. Likely, they knew all the details by now.

  “How is she?” Their mother rushed into the room, her eyes full of concern and wrapped her arms around Toni, who suddenly wanted to burst into tears. Instead she just hugged her mom, then her dad, swallowing the burning lump in her throat.

  Her father patted her shoulder, his twinkling blue eyes serious but kind. His blond hair had long ago turned to a distinguished gray, a perfect complement to her mother’s dark auburn, cut short in the latest style. Her mother might have taught Toni about fashion, but her dad was the one she’d talked to about her goals and dreams.

  He tugged her back into her chair, then took the seat opposite and leaned forward intently. “So tell us what’s in your heart.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “She loves him,” her mother said. “I can see it in her face.”

  “Sometimes love isn’t enough,” Toni told them wearily, the excitement of the last few minutes sapping her energy. “Especially when that love is one-sided.”

  “Are you nuts?” Bobby thrust the paper back into her hands. “He loves you. He says so right here. Page one. Paragraph three. Line five.
”

  “That’s news to me.”

  “Honey,” her mother helped herself to a cup of coffee, “he’s obviously crazy about you.”

  “He lied to me.”

  “So get over it.” Jude sighed. “The man’s put a picture of himself on his knees and publicly proposed and declared his love for you in front of the entire city.”

  “What else could he possibly do to say he’s sorry?” Mickey asked softly.

  “Or to prove he loves you?” Bobby added.

  Toni understood all too well why he’d lied to her. In his eyes, she’d appeared guilty of sabotage, especially since Stephen had used her presence to his advantage. Given the circumstances, he couldn’t have trusted her. And if he couldn’t trust her, he shouldn’t have made love to her. But how could he resist—when she couldn’t resist him, either?

  In a way, his inability to resist making love to her when he didn’t trust her was a compliment. And an indication of the strong, undeniable connection between them. So, yes, he’d lied to her…but she forgave him.

  Her father took her hand. “While I appreciate your efforts on my behalf, did you really think I’d work for a man who would blackmail my daughter?”

  “You quit?” Her heart pounded with pride.

  He nodded. “And found another job. So you have no fear of Birdstrum’s backlash against me. You have only yourself to consider. What does your heart say?”

  “My heart says to marry him—”

  “Then do it,” Bobby urged.

  “But I’m still hurt by his deception.”

  Her father entwined his fingers in hers. “You shouldn’t marry a man that you can’t forgive.”

  “Wrong,” her mother disagreed. “She’s hurting because she loves him. She’s still angry because she loves him. A woman can hold anger and love in her heart. But how’s this for a plan? Set those conflicting emotions aside for the wedding day. Save them for the wedding night.”

  “Mom!” Mickey exclaimed.

  “Mother!” Bobby squealed.

  “Now I’ve really heard more than I needed to hear.” Toni squeezed her father’s hand, then withdrew it and stood. “If you all don’t mind, I have some thinking to do.”

  Toni paced her room. During this last month she’d missed Zane terribly. His aptitude for grand gestures made her smile and want to cry all at the same time. What a mess.

  Had Toni changed? What had happened to the reckless risk taker who had started up a business with only one month’s capital? What had happened to the reckless woman who’d set out to create a sex scandal? Where was she now when Toni needed her?

  To marry a man like Zane took courage. The man could be kind and infuriating. His lovemaking was the best she’d ever had. She loved him. But marriage? Tomorrow? Her mouth turned dry as desert sand. But she enjoyed his company more than anyone’s she’d ever met.

  So why did her knees shake so much she wanted to lie down? Why did she feel as if she stood unbalanced and unhinged on the edge of a sharp precipice? Would leaping toward Zane be foolish? Insane?

  Would stepping back to regain her footing be the biggest mistake of her life?

  ZANE WAITED IN Jackson Square, wondering if he’d ever recover from so public a humiliation if Toni didn’t show up. He’d deliberately removed his watch and placed it in his pocket in order not to be seen checking it every ten seconds. With the late-afternoon sun casting golden rays over the crowded square, he tried not to crane his neck to search for Toni, tried not to shift from foot to foot.

  The crowd, a mixture of curious tourists, friends and business associates, milled in the square, his brother, Grey, among them. Their parents wouldn’t make it back from their travels, but considering the bride might not show, Zane would have felt guilty for interrupting their trip.

  Toni still hadn’t communicated with him. Not by a note, a phone call. Not even an e-mail. If this was her way of taking her revenge, he supposed he deserved it. However, he still kept hoping that she would accept his oh-so-public proposal. Surely if she loved him, she would forgive him?

  He had plane tickets for their honeymoon in Tahiti in his coat pocket, one of those tiki huts on stilts over the water reserved in their names. Mr. and Mrs. Zane Masterson had a ring to it that he liked.

  Speaking of rings. He jammed his hand into his pocket and plucked out the plain gold band that had been his grandmother’s. If Toni wanted, she could pick out an engagement ring later. But this ring was his grandmother’s and she had enjoyed a lasting marriage. He knew a ring didn’t make a good marriage—but hey, what could using the same ring hurt?

  He couldn’t bring himself to believe that she wouldn’t come. Didn’t want to face that kind of pain.

  Grey joined him at the front gate where Zane kept a lookout. “How’re you holding up?”

  “I’ve been better.”

  Grey gestured to the paparazzi. “You want me to talk to the mayor about banishing those reporters?”

  Zane forced a grin. “Now how would it look for the owner of the Louisiana Daily Herald to ban the press from a public square?”

  Grey chuckled. “Who cares?”

  Zane turned and stared at the face that mirrored his own. Grey had never looked more relaxed. The shadows in his eyes were gone as his brother’s hungry gaze followed a dark-haired voluptuous woman—Reina Price, the erotic jewelry artist. Was she the reason that light had chased away the shadows in his brother’s eyes?

  Before he could comment or observe further, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up and stopped at the square’s open gates. Toni, her eyes seeking Zane’s, her white gown a vision of cream satin and lace that showed off her smooth skin, sat still as stone, her hands clutching a bouquet of daisies.

  Her sisters gaily stepped out of the carriage, leaving her alone. Unable to wait another moment, Zane hoisted himself up. He noted that two people who he suspected were her parents, exited a taxi behind them.

  Although dozens of cameras flashed in their direction, for a moment, they had a semblance of privacy. His mouth went dry and he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

  Toni turned to him, her eyes flashing with warmth, banked hunger and perhaps a touch of trepidation. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself.” Damn, this was awkward. But Zane knew how to put everything right. He leaned forward, dipping his head to hers. Another woman might fuss that her groom was about to mess up her makeup, but Toni wound her arms around his neck and raised her head to meet him.

  Her lips parted beneath his, soft and welcoming. She pressed close to him and he revelled in her scent, in the eagerness of her lips. When the reporters started to move in, breaking the moment, he instinctively tried to shelter her.

  “What made you say yes, Ms. Maxwell?” called out one reporter.

  “When did you know you loved him?” shouted another.

  “Do you have any doubts?”

  “Where are you going on your honeymoon?”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  Zane felt her stiffen at the last hurled question. She pulled back a little and whispered. “Do you want children, Zane?”

  “I don’t hate them. I’ve never thought about…”

  She chuckled. “I have a feeling there’re a lot of things you haven’t thought about.” Her face turned more serious. “Maybe we’re rushing things.”

  “I love you. The rest is all details.”

  “I love you, too, but we’ve never talked about a future together. Where we’ll live…”

  “We’ll live wherever you want. How’s New Orleans sound? I hear it’s a party town and a good place to run a business.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Zane, you have quite the jet-set reputation. You won’t feel tied down? You won’t get bored?”

  “Not with you. Never with you. Before I was alone in a crowd. With you, I don’t feel alone. I feel whole. Complete. Happy.”

  “For how long?”

  “The nomadic lifestyle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” He shrugged again.
“And whenever we want, I’ll sweep you away to Fiji or Nevis or the dry Tortugas.”

  “All islands.”

  “How do you feel about a honeymoon in Tahiti?”

  “How do you feel about spending the rest of your life with one woman?”

  “Lucky. Very lucky.” She looked so good that he ached to take her onto his lap and hold her, just to savor the feel of her in his arms. He’d missed her terribly these last few weeks, but until now he hadn’t realized how much. His spirit lifted just at the sight of her tender smile. A smile that was all for him, even while being captured by dozens of cameras.

  “I’ve arranged for a judge to marry us and I want you to introduce me to your parents.” He realized in his happiness that he was practically babbling, closed his mouth and helped her from the carriage while strangers and friends let out a cheer. The bride blushed, her eyes sparkling.

  She introduced him to her parents who seemed like nice people, especially under the circuslike circumstances. And then the wedding music started, her father placed Toni’s hand in his and together they walked toward the judge.

  Zane barely heard the judge utter the short civil ceremony. He kept his gaze on Toni, realizing he was a lucky man to have found her. Although he’d arranged for a photographer, he wanted to memorize the moment, savor their happiness. And when he placed his grandmother’s ring on her finger and waited impatiently for another kiss, he knew he could look forward to a lifetime of Toni’s kisses. And that whatever future they chose would be wonderful because they would share their lives. Forever.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8114-5

  DOUBLE THE THRILL

  Copyright © 2002 by Susan Hope Kearney.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.