by Carlyn Cade
“They do make an attractive couple, and I’d love to see them get together, although I guess that’s premature. I hope that’s what they both want though.”
“And you, Stacia, what do you want?”
“Right now? Just to do what we’re doing.”
Clay held her closer to him and hummed in her ear.
“I don’t recognize that song. Do you write music too?” she asked.
Clay chuckled. “I’ve been known to dabble in it a little.”
Stacia shook her head. “You keep on surprising me with all your talents. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Well, you’ve set up some unattainable boundaries.”
Embarrassed, she was glad the music had ended so they could leave the dance floor. She walked ahead of him back to their table where Helen and Sam joined them.
“How about tomorrow?” Clay asked. “Anyone got any ideas?”
“I do have one commitment that just came up today. It’s a dinner party at my brother’s house,” Stacia explained. “Ryan got engaged last weekend, and he wants to have a small surprise party for his fiancée. He invited all of you to come.”
“Count me in,” Clay said.
“Personally, I’d feel a little uncomfortable going. It sounds as if it’s a very personal time meant for family alone.” Helen looked at Sam as if waiting for a response.
“I agree with Helen,” Sam replied.
“We still have tomorrow morning and afternoon, which we can work out later.” Clay put out his hand to Stacia. “In the meantime,” he said, “how about one last dance before we leave?”
Once again Stacia was in Clay’s arms. The evening had been a success, and this was the best way to end it – in his arms. She snuggled closer to him, put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He responded by drawing her even nearer to him, and she couldn’t think of a person she wanted to be with more…with or without boundaries.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
...Dean guided the car down the road from the restaurant toward his grand-mère’s house. A path alongside the road showed up in the headlights, and he pulled into it and shut off the motor. The couple found themselves in the spotlight of the moon’s glow.
“This is bad timing, and I shouldn’t do this, but I can’t go another minute without giving you a kiss.” He gathered her into his arms. “Forgive me,” he said as he began to kiss her.
Victoria responded by kissing him back, and soon the passion they both felt raced between them.
“Tell me to stop, and I will,” Dean said, breathing heavily.
“I never want to stop with you,” she replied.
He kissed her again...
♥♥
The next morning and afternoon flew by as the two couples toured the Los Angeles area. Stacia realized immediately that no imaginary bout existed between SwissDen and California. Each was uniquely different, and Clay was equally at home in each area. She could tell his interest was genuine.
Before she knew it, the day had escaped, and they were in her car on their way to Ryan’s for dinner.
“This will be a first for you, I’m sure,” she said as they neared her brother’s home.
“In what way?” Clay asked.
“Well, this dinner will be very much like the kind we have in Wisconsin, except we had a more or less tradition of eating on TV trays in front of the television at home. That way we could all be together, eating and sharing whatever happened to us during the day, as well as watching our favorite programs.”
“Believe it or not, we did the same thing.”
“Except you ate exotic dinners prepared by your chef. We ate mostly beef, pork and chicken from what we raised on the farm. And Ryan hasn’t strayed far from that way of life. I’m sure tonight the menu will be T-bone’s charcoaled on his grill with baked potatoes and sour cream to go with them.”
“And you think I won’t like that?”
“Will you? Would you admit it if you didn’t?” Stacia took her eyes off the road and glanced at him.
“Steak happens to be one of my favorite meals.”
“I’ll bet you’re used to it being prepared as a main ingredient smacked down in the middle of a plate of caviar and washed down with vintage wine, right?”
“I’ll have to remember that recipe to give to my chef,” Clay teased. “They serve steak dinners plain in restaurants all over the world, and I’ve had my share of them. Let me ask you something. Did you enjoy the dinners that were served to you at SwissDen?”
“They were beyond delicious.”
“In that case, why do you think you can enjoy foods in my country, but I can’t here in the U.S.?”
He was right, of course, Stacia thought, feeling embarrassed. Instead of him being a snob because he was a prince, she must come off as the snobby one. She was going to have to forget his heritage and dwell on the man himself who, ever since she’d met him, had been doing everything right. She was glad she was on the street where Ryan lived, so she didn’t have to answer his last question. She parked her car a few houses away to throw off Josie when she came home.
“We’re here,” she said, feeling more relaxed than she had since Clay came to California. Probably because her big-city detective brother was still very much the country boy at heart, and her roots were joined with his, so visiting him was like going home.
“Hi, sis,” her brother said when he answered the door. “And welcome to you, Prince –”
“Call me Clay,” the prince said and shook hands with Ryan.
“Josie just called. She’s on schedule and should be home in about fifteen minutes.” Ryan walked over to his portable bar in the dining room. “What can I get you to drink, Clay?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“A beer it is then.” Ryan took two beers from the refrigerator.
“I understand congratulations are in order.” Clay took a drink of his beer.
Stacia wondered if she should get him a mug. He’d probably never drank beer out of a bottle. Stop it! she reminded herself. How was she ever going to control her thoughts about him not being royalty, but just a great guy?
“Maybe you’ve already seen my wife-to-be. She’s on a TV sitcom, Beginning Tomorrow. Her name is Josie Sommers?”
“I do know who she is. Your fiancée’s beautiful.”
“She’s more than that,” Stacia said, scooping up some taco salad on a tortilla chip. “She’s also very talented and very concerned with the environment and animal rights.”
“Yeah, she’s been known to walk in a few demonstrations,” Ryan contributed.
“She’s also good at exploring the psychic world,” Stacia said. “She believes strongly in soulmates and is sure Ryan is her twin flame. Her mother is a hypnotherapist and a psychiatrist and specializes in regressing people to help them understand their past lives, and why they act like they do in this lifetime.”
“Reincarnation, right?” Clay inquired.
“Exactly. Though Josie says meditation is what has really made a difference in her acting. Getting to know her inner self helps her to focus on her role, improves her breathing, plus she also gets the well-known benefits of meditation – relaxation and stress reduction.”
“Sounds like everyone should try it. Does she give lessons?”
Stacia laughed. “She’s been trying to convert me, but although I’m interested, I just don’t have the time. Someday though, I’d like her mother to hypnotize me and regress me.” And maybe she can explain why I keep having this recurring dream.
“Why don’t you two go into the kitchen,” Ryan said, “so Josie doesn’t see you? I’ve turned off the lights in there. Then when she gets here, you can come out and yell, surprise or congratulations...or...you’ll think of something.”
Stacia and Clay headed for the kitchen. Once inside the darkened room, she fought an uncontrollable urge to walk into his arms. Another thing she needed to stop, she reminded herself. She’d already played the te
mptress scene, and she wasn’t about to try that again. So how do you turn off desire?
All of a sudden two arms were around her. “I wanted to see how you felt in the dark,” he whispered in her ear.
She looked up at his shadowy face. “I didn’t know there was a difference between dark and light,” she whispered back.
“You really are inexperienced.” He stopped talking and kissed her. And kissed her again.
The kitchen light flashed on. Josie came bursting in and let out a loud scream. “What are you two doing in here? You scared me to death.” She put her hand over her heart.
“Surprise!” Stacia said weakly, and pulled away from Clay.
“Did you forget our plan?” Ryan asked. “I kept waiting for you to come into the living room. Finally, I couldn’t keep Josie out of the kitchen. She wanted to check on dinner.”
“We sorta got distracted,” Stacia replied, trying to regain her composure.
“Sorry,” Clay mumbled. “At least we surprised her.”
“And I’m sorry I’ve forgotten my manners. I’m Josie, and you must be Clay?”
“Good guess, Josie,” Ryan said.
“And why were you two hiding in my kitchen?”
“Surprise, babe,” Ryan interjected. “I wanted to have a little party to celebrate our engagement.”
“Oh, Ryan, I love you.” Josie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“So what’s for dinner?” Stacia didn’t know what else to say, so she went for the obvious.
“T-bones for the three of us, and a veggie burger for Josie,” Ryan remarked casually.
Stacia gave Clay a smug look. “And baked potatoes with sour cream too?” she asked.
“How’d you guess?” Ryan walked over to the refrigerator and took out a plate of meat and a large bowl filled with salad. “The grill is ready, and I have the table set out on the patio. Grab that bowl of rolls on the table, will you, Stace?” He walked out the kitchen door and put the steaks on the grill.
When they got outside, Stacia noticed Ryan had set up a candlelit table, draped with a white tablecloth. Two white china plates, each holding a long-stemmed rose, were set next to two other empty plates. White cloth napkins, silverware and glass goblets also adorned the table. A bouquet of white roses nestled in baby’s breath served as a centerpiece and reminded Stacia of a bridal bouquet. The two women walked over to the table.
“Ryan, it’s so beautiful,” Josie exclaimed.
“I didn’t know you knew how to do this,” Stacia said, pleased that her brother could set up such an enchanting dinner party.
Patio lights were strung between two trees standing as sentinels at either end of the picnic table. Together with the candles Ryan had placed around the yard, the whole effect, including low dinner music, was softly romantic.
“You did a great job,” Clay complimented.
“Everything’s perfect, Ryan. Mom would be proud of you,” Stacia added.
“Thank you. Now, how about sitting down? I have to check the steaks and get the potatoes. You can start dishing up your salad.”
“Stacia and Ryan were telling me about your interest in the psychic world,” Clay began.
“Yeah,” Josie said. “I’m one of those New Age chicks.” A grin crossed her face, which turned serious with her next question. “Do you believe in reincarnation, Clay?”
“I haven’t thought about it one way or the other, although the idea is intriguing.”
“So have you ever had a psychic experience?” Josie asked.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Don’t get Josie started,” Ryan inserted as he returned carrying the potatoes, “or she’ll have you buying a ticket to Sedona.”
“Sedona?” Clay asked.
Stacia laughed. “Sedona, Arizona. That’s Josie’s favorite place with all the New Age stuff there.”
“Don’t forget the vortexes,” Josie added.
“Vortexes? Never heard of them,” Clay said.
“You’ll learn lots of new words if you’re around Josie long,” Ryan remarked.
Josie grinned at her fiancé before turning her attention to Clay. “As I started to say, most people do have psychic experiences at one time or another. But until their minds are opened to the wonders of spirituality, both inside and out, they tend not to recognize what is blatantly in front of their noses...or their minds and eyes, I guess would be better to say. It’s much easier to look the other way and deny the presence of anything metaphysical.”
“And how does someone change this?”
“The first step is meditation. It heightens your awareness to what’s going on around you and inside you. Then start noticing coincidences in your life, except there is no such thing as a true coincidence when you’re dealing with the Universe – there’s only synchronicity. After you do all this, study, read and research. That’s the easy part. There’s so much hidden inside of you. It’s challenging and extremely fulfilling to discover the keys to unlock those mysteries.”
“I’d like to give it a try, but I leave tomorrow.” Clay glanced at Stacia and smiled at her. “But perhaps you can teach me more, Josie, if Stacia lets me come back, that is.”
“You already know how to focus,” Stacia said. “It has to take tremendous concentration to create your ice sculptures.”
“That’s true,” Clay admitted. “I like to keep on growing, so I’m curious about this, and I’ve read the millennium has heightened everyone’s sensitivity to the psychic world.”
“I believe that from all the TV programs, movies, books, etc., that’s around now,” Stacia said. She thought about her recurring dream. Was that a psychic experience? She wondered what Josie would say if she told her about it. She certainly didn’t want to discuss any of this in front of Ryan and Clay tonight. There would be time at a later date, or maybe the dream would stop soon, and then she’d never have to mention it at all.
♥♥
On the way back to Clay’s hotel, a gloom similar to what they’d experienced when they were parting in London, hung over them. “I’ve had a great time these last couple days,” Stacia said, letting her mind skim over everything they did together.
“Me too,” Clay agreed. “I can come back in a couple weeks, but you’ll be busy shooting your picture.”
“I’d like to see you, but I don’t think I’ll have any free time. I’ll be working twelve to sixteen hours a day, if it’s like normal.”
“What about weekends?”
“I’ll be memorizing my lines.”
“Can I call you?”
“Sure.”
“How long will it take before you’re finished?”
“Since this is a new procedure, I couldn’t even guess.”
“From what you’re saying to me, I’m finding it hard to believe you want to see me at all. You’re finding a lot of excuses to prevent it, instead of thinking of something to make it happen.”
What had she said to herself before? She wouldn’t see him again after this trip. Is that what she wanted to happen? Now was her chance. She could stop any future plans from taking place. Right here. Right now. All she had to say was, You can always see me on the movie screen. But the words stuck in her throat. He had become so important in her life that she had to see him again. “You can come back anytime you want. I just can’t promise how much time I’ll be able to spend with you. After this picture is finished, I have a contract for another one.”
“So you do want to see me again? Say it, Stacia. If it’s true, say it.”
“Of course I want to. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I get the feeling you won’t let us have a future together. Not until the time is right, as you told me before. What are you so afraid of? The worst that can happen is we’ll fall in love and live happily ever after.”
“I guess you’d know about the happily ever after part – being a prince and all.”
“Stacia, don’t treat this lightly and don’t block me out,” he
warned. “Talk to me. What are you afraid of?”
How could she tell him about the feeling she had adopted from her dream? The feeling that destiny wouldn’t let her be happily married. In fact, fate wouldn’t allow her to get married at all. It was only a dream, but it had become a part of her that she couldn’t shake off. She knew it was true, that was all. Perhaps she was having a psychic experience like Josie had described. On top of that, there was the prince part, and there was no way she’d ever fit into his life as a princess and later, a queen. “You’re imagining things, Clay. I’m not afraid of anything.”
“All right, you win, Stacia. Obviously, you need time. Time to figure out what you want and whether or not I’ll fit into your life even if the time isn’t right.”
“But...”
“It’s no good this way. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I’m ready to move on with our relationship. But I’d rather live without you than have it one-sided – like it is now.” Clay stared out the front window.
Silence entered the car for the rest of the trip back to his hotel. Clay got out at once. “Sometimes, Stacia, being right or having everything right doesn’t make you happy. True love always does, and you never have to be afraid to love or be loved.”
Alone in the car on the way home with doom as her passenger, she wanted to turn around every block she drove and race back to him, but she couldn’t. In spite of everything he’d said, the time wasn’t right even if she was in love with him. And for the first time in her life, she was in love. But the dream had to be reckoned with, and the only path she knew to take was the same one Josie traveled on exploring the psychic world. When she knew all the answers, the time would be right to go to Clay…if it wasn’t too late, and if he still wanted her.
♥♥
He had killed before.
Many times. Too many times to remember every face after face. And as the body count rose, so had his bankroll.
But this was different. This was revenge. The ultimate kill for his highest reward – satisfaction of a debt due. He owed it and he’d pay it.