Eternity of Love: Los Angeles Armstrongs - A Billionaire Romance (The Armstrongs Book 9)

by Jessica Gray

  “So, you said something to me…” Gina started.

  “I love you. I’ll say it a thousand more times if it will help you believe it.”

  Gina shook her head, “No need. I guess I’m just afraid the feelings will fade away over time…that whatever this is between us is simply the result of emotional overload.”

  “That’s not what’s happening here,” he tried to convince her, struggling to stay seated.

  “But how can you be so sure?” she insisted. “So many things have happened…”

  “Have a little faith. I’ve never felt this way before…like I can’t take another breath if I don’t know you’ll still be in my life when tomorrow arrives. Tell me you don’t feel that as well.”

  Her eyes dampened and he wanted to reach out. Hold her. Tell her everything would be alright. But he resisted.

  “I do feel the same, but I’m not sure I can trust my feelings,” she whispered. Silence grew between them.

  “I don’t want to lose you. Tell me what you need to believe we have a future together,” Preston said in a soft voice.

  “Preston, right now…I’m so confused.” Tears threatened to spill and she swallowed a few times. “First I have to finish my classes and take my exams. I’ve worked too hard to throw everything away.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to,” He couldn’t sit still any longer and walked over to squat in front of her, “I want you to pursue your dreams. Graduate, get a job, everything that makes you happy.”

  Gina smiled, “I need the next two weeks to focus on my studies. Can you give me two weeks?”

  “I can give you whatever you want. If you need two weeks, you have them. I’ll change my schedule around to stay…” Preston took her hand.

  “No, I mean, I need two weeks without seeing you at all. That way I can finish my classes, take my exams, and see whether these feelings for you dissipate or not.” She smiled, but he could see how serious she was.

  Preston paused to think. The mere thought of being without Gina for two weeks strangled him.

  “Those feelings are not going away, Gina. I hate to leave you, but if this is what you need to be sure about us, I’ll do it. But you have to promise me that you’ll fly to Los Angeles when the two weeks are over.”

  “Or wherever else in the world you happen to be,” she held out a hand, “but only if I’m still as madly in love with you as today.”

  “You will,” he grinned at her, “you have now chance to rip those feelings for me out of your heart.” Two weeks seemed an awful longtime, but she had promised to give them a chance and he’d hold onto that promise until he could wrap her in his arms again. “What about your classes today?”

  Gina stood up, “I still need to attend. I can get the notes for the one I missed from a friend, but I need to be in class for the rest.”

  “Come and I’ll walk you downstairs.” Preston held out his hand. When she grabbed it, he pulled her a little harder than needed and she bumped into his hard body.

  “You did that on purpose!” Gina’s eyes flashed the green gleam he loved so much.

  “Who? Me?” Preston said with his best puppy face, “would you really put such a shameful act past me?

  “I’d put anything past you,” her eyes gleamed a shade darker.

  Preston couldn’t resist, he had to kiss her. His mouth pressed on hers, coaxed her lips open and his tongue took control. He could feel the shivers of desire rise in Gina’s body and squeezed her ass, before he broke the kiss. Her face showed the beautiful color of arousal and he could barely keep himself from ripping her clothes off.

  Let’s go, you wouldn’t want to miss another class,” he chuckled.

  They took the private elevator to the lobby when Gina started giggling.

  “What’s up,” Preston asked her.

  “It’s just…you should have seen yourself standing there in nothing but that scarf…it was pretty funny.”

  “I bet. Just be thankful some old lady on the sixth floor took pity on me or I would have come after you with nothing to hide behind.”

  Gina’s eyes widened, “You wouldn’t have!”

  “I did. I jumped in the public elevator and didn’t even realize I was naked until the lady who gave me the scarf pointed it out.”

  They stopped at the lobby and stepped out of the elevator, only to come face-to-face with said lady. Preston didn’t know whether to hide or thank her, but she’d already seen him and taken the decision out of his hands.

  “Well, I’m pleased to see that you do have clothing. Is this the young lady you were rushing after?” she asked, turning to look at Gina.

  Preston nodded, “Yes, ma’am. If you tell me which room you’re staying in, I’ll see that your scarf is returned.”

  “Congratulations on finding her, but there is no need to return the scarf.” She eyed the two of them closely and continued with a smile, “Consider it an early wedding gift. I only need the scarf returned if you two decide not to stay together.”

  She held out her hand to each of them, “I’m Bella Dulcino and pleased to see that young love still exists. Young lady, you make sure to hold onto this one…he’s one of the good ones.” Then she turned towards Gina and lowered her voice, “he’s well endowed and that’s worth something. If I were fifty years younger, I wouldn’t let him go without a fight.”

  Gina blushed furiously as the old lady walked away. When she’d regained her cool, she turned to Preston, “Do you know who that was?”

  Preston shook his head, “Should I?”

  “Well, considering you’re male, probably not. She’s Bella Dulcino. Founder and owner of the largest cosmetic company in Italy. She’s an icon.” Gina started to giggle, “Her next perfume bottle will probably be a well-endowed male torso. She does that kind of things, you know?”

  Preston looked after Bella Dulcino. “As long as she doesn’t put my name on it.” He grabbed Gina by her shoulders and stared deep into her fir-green eyes, “So, are you going to heed the advice of a sage and kinky old lady and hold onto me?”

  Gina raised one eyebrow, “That I’ll tell you in two weeks from now, Mr. Curious.”

  She leaned up and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. In the next moment she was gone.

  Preston already missed her.

  Chapter 27

  Preston arrived at the Los Angeles airport at the same time as his brother River, who returned from a scuba diving trip trip to the Caribbean.

  Their brother Chuck was the one to pick them up, even though they’d insisted they could take a cab. Preston suspected that neither River’s same-time arrival nor Chuck’s offer to pick them up were a coincidence.

  Off course, the family was starved for gossip and had sent them to pump him for information. Preston grinned. They’d made a wise choice. Impulsive, fun-loving, and superficial River had always been the one to point out the positive things about Sandrine’s – mainly her stunning looks – and would do the talking. And private investigator Chuck would listen to their conversation, picking up on what Preston didn’t say.

  His siblings would be in for a surprise. He was more than willing to shout his love for Gina from the roofs. No need to coax him.

  “Hey, man,” River greeted him with his signature boyish grin. With twenty-four he owned and ran a successful scuba diving company, but looked and behaved like a teenager.

  “Hey, bro, long time no see,” Preston answered, giving him a man hug.

  “So what’s up with Sandrine? We saw the videos,” River didn’t waste a second to cut to the chase.

  “Wait until we’re in the car. I promise I tell you everything.” Preston chuckled.

  His brother almost toppled over, “You? Ready to talk? No joke?”

  “Wait and see.”

  In this moment they spotted Chuck and his lovely girlfriend Linda, together with her Golden Retriever Courage. They waved them over and after plenty of hugs and hellos, they finally made it to Chuck’s truck. Courage took the place to Linda
’s feet in the front, while River and Preston sat in the back.

  “Okay, I know you two have been sent to fish for information,” Preston was interrupted by Linda’s giggles, “Here’s the deal: I tell you everything that happened and you promise never to mention her name again and never to say, ‘I told you so’.”

  “You sure you’re my brother? Telling us your secrets without us using brute force or hidden traps?” Chuck murmured.

  “Deal or no deal?” Preston insisted.

  “Deal,” River and Chuck said with one voice.

  Then he recounted the happenings with Sandrine. “I believe I’ll never hear from her again. But there’s something else…” He paused for effect.

  “I knew it…a woman,” River shouted from the backseat

  “Hey, don’t scream into my ear, I have to drive,” Chuck complained.

  “Well, actually, yes, there’s a woman. Her name is Gina,” Preston said and then told them the entire story, leaving out the juicy parts meant only for Gina and he.

  His brothers were surprisingly sympathetic and the ensuing teasing much less than he’d feared. When they arrived at Preston’s place, Chuck took him aside and helped him dispel any doubts, “Preston, if Gina is the one, you’ll know it right here.” Chuck put a hand on his heart, “I can’t explain it, but you just know when it’s right. That’s how it was when I met Linda. I knew she was mine from the first moment I saw her.” He glanced over to Linda with so much love in his eyes that Preston shook his head.

  “Know what, coming from you that means a lot. You were the least likely to fall head over heels for a woman. I’d always thought you’d analyze her to death before you’d even ask someone out.”

  Chuck grinned. “I did. But then came Linda and knocked out my analytical mind. If this is how you feel for Gina, you have all my support.”

  “I do.”

  Preston said goodbye to his family and went inside to call Gina. He hadn’t seen her for fifteen hours and already felt like it had been years.

  They days slowed to a crawl, despite the fact that he was swamped with work. The daily Skype calls with Gina were the highlight of his day. He wanted to surprise her flying back to Rome for the day of her last exam, but several important business meetings came up and he ended up having to cancel his plans.

  Which probably was a good thing. He could just imagine her angry stare when he’d shortened their two weeks to thirteen days. But then he had his means to appease her…his became hard within seconds at the thought.

  Preston was cranky, because he missed her so much. His siblings tried their best to change his mood. Especially River and Tyler had their own idea of helping him to deal with missing Gina. Going out with them.

  He joined them once and after an hour he’d taken a cab home. Unwinding in a bar, drinking, and hooking up with whichever woman offered herself just wasn’t on his radar. I want Gina. Only her.

  After that one night, he’d politely declined any further invitations to join them. But soon he hoped, he hadn’t. His sister coincidentally “was in the area” and dropped by his place every other day.

  Vivian had seen all of the videos and pictures that were in the Internet, and she’d made it her mission to prevent him from stepping into another disaster.

  “How do you know this girl isn’t like Sandrine?” Vivian hedged once again.

  “I just know,” he said.

  “That’s what you said about Sandrine, too. I want to meet your Gina.”

  “Viv, please don’t meddle. Stay out of it and better find yourself a boyfriend,” he could tell he’d hurt her feelings, but this was his life and he’d messed it up enough on his own. He didn’t need his nosy siblings adding to the mix.

  For the next few days, Vivian didn’t visit or even call. While everyone else annoyed the heck out of him calling or texting with pep talks, she worried him with her sudden silence.

  Chapter 28

  One dreadfully slow week had passed. Gina had finished her classes and only the final exams lay between her and graduation, but her lovesick mind refused to concentrate on anything but Preston. Preston. Preston.

  Despite being on the other side of the world, he occupied her every thought and she missed him more every day. During their daily Skype session they talked about anything under the sun, except for their plans after the two weeks probation time.

  It was the unspoken elephant in the room and neither one of them dared to bring it up. Preston probably kept his mouth shut because she’d asked him too, and Gina…well Gina was afraid. Afraid that his family wouldn’t like her. After the disaster with Sandrine they must be extra wary about another woman trying to snatch one of the most coveted bachelors in the world.

  She was sitting at her kitchen table, absently doodling on a piece of paper when her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number except that it was from outside the country, “Hello?”

  “Hi, is this Gina Giordano?” a lovely voice asked.

  “Yes, who is this?” Gina asked suspiciously.

  “My name is Vivian and I’m Preston’s sister.”

  “Hi.” Gina almost fell off her chair. Preston’s sister? What did she want? Probably vet your suitability for her brother.

  “I thought it would be nice to introduce myself to the woman Preston doesn’t stop talking about.”

  Gina had seen pictures of Vivian, a beautiful woman her own age with dark auburn hair and shining blue eyes. Preston had warned her about his curious, meddling sister.

  “I’m glad you did. So he talks about me?”

  “All the time,” Vivian sighed and probably rolled her expressive eyes.

  “And now you’re calling to find out if I’m worthy of your brother?” Gina knew how important his family was to Preston and if she wanted to have a longterm relationship with him, she had to win the support of his family. She could as well lay her cards on the table.

  Vivian swallowed. “Wow. You are blunt. I didn’t believe Preston when he said you always speak what’s on your mind.”

  “Yes, he was on the receiving end more than once.” Gina giggled. “But I’m working to rein my temper.”

  “So, Preston said you were finishing your studies?” Vivian changed the topic.

  “Yes. I have one week of exams. If I pass ,the graduation ceremony will be three month from now. I’m so looking forward to having this behind me. It feels like I’ve been a student forever.”

  Vivian chuckled, “Well, one week doesn’t seem like that much.”

  “You have no idea. I’m counting the minutes until I see your brother again. It’s been the longest two weeks in my whole life.”

  “Tell me about it. My brother is walking around with that sad puppy face as if his life ended the moment he left Rome. He even planned to fly back before the two weeks were up and convince you to come back with him early...”

  Gina’s heart jumped. He’d come a few days early? Her stomach did several flip-flops and she totally forgot to be angry at his breach of their agreement.

  “…but then something important came up at work an he had to cancel those plans,” Vivian continued and Gina’s heart plummeted.

  “Oh,” Gina said.

  Vivian paused for a moment and then said, “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have told you. Now you’re disappointed.”

  “No…yes. That was so sweet of Preston. And just between us, it wouldn’t have taken much convincing to forego the last few days of our two weeks-probation.”

  “Really? So you think you still love my brother?” Vivian pressed her.

  “I know I love your brother. God, I miss him so much.”

  “Well, I for one look forward to meeting you. Can I call you again tomorrow so we can get to know each other? The other girls are also keen to meet you,” Vivian asked.

  Gina smiled, “I’d like that. Aside from Preston, I won’t know anyone in Los Angeles when I get there.”

  “Not a problem. I’ll introduce you around. We Armstrongs are a large
family, and you’ll soon be longing for some alone time.” Vivian giggled into the phone.

  “Thanks.”

  “Good luck on your exams. And…Please don’t tell Preston I called you. He’d be livid at me.”

  “Okay, it will be our little secret,” Gina smiled and disconnected the call, her mood livened up. It looked like at least one of Preston’s siblings would like her.

  A knock on the door distracted her and she went to open it. Roberto was standing outside with a bright grin. “Hi Gina!”

  “Roberto. What’s up?”

  “I bought Pizza on the way home. Have you eaten already?” He walked past her without waiting for an answer. Since she’d told him about Preston, he’d been surprisingly supportive and had checked in on her almost every single day.

  “Actually I was too busy studying to eat,” she pointed at the mess of books, papers and notes on the table.

  “Be grateful that you have me, then.” He chuckled, “I’m sure your boyfriend won’t appreciate it when you’re just skin and bones.”

  Gina flushed slightly. Preston did like her ample curves. A lot.

  “Thanks. I’m sorry—” She said, but Roberto interrupted her.

  “Don’t be sorry, Ginita.” He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, “we’ve been friends for such a long time and I don’t want this to end, just because I had that crush on you and you didn’t.” He cleared his throat. “All I want for you is to be happy.”

  A lump formed in Gina’s throat and all she could do was nod.

  “But… if he ever hurts you, I’ll personally crush every single bone in his body.”

  Gina smiled. “You really are a good friend. Let’s eat our Pizza, or I’ll start crying, okay?”

  Preston called later that night and just before they ended their call, she said, “I can’t wait to finally see you again.”

  “See me?” He answered with the biggest grin on his face she’d ever seen. “So you haven’t changed your mind?”