“No, of course not. It’s complicated, Mom. I really can’t say much right now, but I swear I’ll tell you more when I see you in person.”
“Where is your husband?”
“Right now?” Sam looked around the room. She didn’t want to keep lying, but what choice did she have? “He’s in the shower.”
A knock sounded on the hotel door.
“Mom, I’ve got to go. I love you. Everything is going to be fine, I promise.” Sam hung up before her mother could go on. She went to the door and opened it. A woman dressed in a suit embroidered with the hotel’s insignia nudged her way inside and placed Sam’s luggage on a luggage rack and two shopping bags on the floor. The woman looked around as if she hoped to catch a glimpse of Dominic. She eyed the unmade bed and rumpled sheets.
Sam looked inside the shopping bags filled with thousands of dollars’ worth of clothes. “These aren’t my clothes,” Sam told the woman.
The woman smiled. “A gift from your husband.”
Sam grabbed her satchel from across the room and handed the woman a tip.
“You’re a very lucky woman,” the lady said.
“That’s me,” Sam said as she ushered the woman out the door. “Luckiest girl in the world.”
Chapter Nine
Dominic stood in the lobby of the Waldorf with its glorious mosaic floor and crystal chandeliers and signed another autograph. He motioned toward Ben and pointed at his watch—a reminder it was getting late.
“I’ll call the room,” Ben said before disappearing.
Security had done a decent job of keeping the fans to a manageable number. While Dominic listened to an elderly woman lecture him about too much sex in movies these days, he glanced toward the elevator doors in time to see Sam make an appearance. A swarm of reporters followed close at her heels, prompting passerby to gawk and point.
Narrowing his eyes, he recognized two of the men closing in on her…the same pain-in-the-ass reporters who had been following him around for years, making his life miserable.
Sam’s hair was a tumble of loose curls about her shoulders. She wore a red T-shirt that said uncensored on the front, pre-washed jeans, and a pair of flat ballerina shoes that made her look eighteen instead of…how old was she anyhow?
As if she sensed him watching her, she looked between the two reporters and caught his gaze.
He acknowledged her with a nod.
Ben squeezed his way back to Dominic’s side and gestured toward Sam. “I thought you bought her some decent clothes.”
“I did. I sent up three new outfits for her to choose from, but she obviously has her own idea of what sort of impression she’d like to make as my wife.”
Ben frowned. “I think you’re going to have your hands full.”
“I think you might be right. I never should have let you and Tom talk me into going along with this crazy idea.”
Ben remained silent.
“How old is she, anyhow?” Dominic asked low enough so only Ben could hear him before he blindly signed a glossy eight-by-ten picture of himself and handed it back to the young woman staring at him.
“Hell, I don’t know,” Ben said after the woman walked off. “I guess you two didn’t do much talking last night, did you?”
Dominic kept a straight face, refusing to give anything away. Besides, what he and Sam shared last night was a make-out session—a heated make-out session—nothing more. Once they were in the room, their first kiss had been like a cool breeze, light, almost imperceptible. The cool breeze erupted into a frenzied storm and within minutes they had ripped each other’s clothes off. But Dominic knew she’d had too much to drink, and contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t the horny beast the tabloids made him out to be. Yes, he’d wanted Sam last night, more than he’d wanted any woman in a very long time. But he had principles, and he knew, despite the passion in her kisses, Sam Johnston was drunk. She’d made it clear in the limo ride that she had no desire to be a notch on his imaginary headboard. But after she’d flipped out this morning, he’d decided to let her imagination get the best of her. Clearly, she thought he was a good-for-nothing loser who would take advantage of an inebriated woman he’d only just met. So what was the point in trying to prove otherwise? Besides, maybe she was right about him, because after she’d asked him to kiss her and he’d obliged, she’d driven him crazy with her deep kisses and passionate hands and he’d needed every bit of willpower he possessed not to take advantage of the situation. Truthfully, he now regretted his restraint. She was his wife and she obviously needed a good toss in the sheets to get some of the kinks out of her armor.
The woman next in line for his autograph lifted her shirt, revealing a leopard push-up bra. Apparently, she wanted him to autograph her breasts.
“Ben,” he said, “take care of this one, will you?” Excusing himself from the line of people waiting to meet him, Dominic headed toward Sam and her entourage. More than a few businessmen staying at the hotel had joined her little party by the time he reached her, leaving him no choice but to squeeze his way through the pack.
At closer view, he noticed that Sam Johnston, the uptight reporter, had suddenly transformed into the life of the party, laughing and chattering up a storm, telling complete strangers things they had no business knowing. One of the reporters had the audacity to put his arm around her waist and give her a squeeze, his hand lingering.
It was downright disrespectful. “Get your hands off my wife,” Dominic snarled.
Everybody looked his way.
The reporter took his time removing his hand. The guy then had the nerve to retrieve a microphone from his pocket and hold it toward Dominic as if he hadn’t just been groping his wife. “Tell us, DeMarco. How was the wedding night?” The reporter’s eyes lit up. “Out of all those babes you have to pick from and you pick this one. She must be a scorcher in bed, if you know what I mean.”
Dominic grabbed a fistful of the man’s shirt, eliciting a round of gasps as he pushed the guy against a wall of polished wood paneling.
“Dominic,” Sam said. “It’s okay. Let’s go.”
Taking his hand in hers, she pulled him through the lobby. The doorman held the door open. Cameras flashed as they exited the Waldorf and climbed into the limousine waiting outside. Ben hopped in front with the driver and within moments they were headed for JFK.
Dominic turned to Sam. “Mind telling me what that was all about?”
Her eyes widened before she burst out laughing.
A small indentation set in his jaw. “You really do have a sick sense of humor, Johnston, you know that?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but what were you thinking? The guy was harmless. I was perfectly capable of taking care of the situation myself.”
She was right. What was he thinking? She wasn’t his wife in the true sense of the word. What the hell was wrong with him? Even now, angry and confused, he couldn’t get last night out of his mind: the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingers, her heavenly scent, the way she fit perfectly into his arms. She had driven him wild with a few kisses. He could only imagine what would happen if they ever took it one step further.
“Although I shouldn’t admit it,” she said, cutting into the silence, “I sort of like the idea of having a protector. I’ve never had a man fight over me before.”
“Well, now you have,” he said, annoyed with himself.
She rested her hand on his forearm. “Is something wrong? I thought this was what you wanted.”
He leaned forward and shut the panels to hide the glass partition between them and the two men upfront. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” he said, looking at her slender fingers still on his arm. “Every time you so much as touch me, you make me a little harder until I can’t think straight.”
Her chin came up a notch, her lips parted just so, prompting him to lean closer. “You said you wanted to pretend last night never happened. Is that what you really want?”
She didn’t answer.
&n
bsp; He kissed her ear before dragging his mouth downward over her neck. Her breaths came out in uneven puffs. “I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you,” he whispered, wishing it weren’t the truth.
Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling with each breath, but she pushed him away.
He wanted her. And if she’d given him the slightest hint that she wanted him, too, he would have taken her right here, right now.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I—I can’t.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just not used to having a woman play games with me.”
“Play games with you?”
He let out a caustic laugh. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you? The whole innocent act, you know, dangling a carrot in front of the silly rabbit? Flirting with other men to make the guy you’re with jealous.”
“Ridiculous,” she said. “If you’re saying I’m a tease, you’ve got me all wrong. That reporter back there wanted a reaction from you and you gave him exactly what he wanted. He wasn’t interested in flirting with me.”
He watched her closely, saw nothing but stubborn pride in her expression and in the way she held herself. It was difficult not to believe her. She hadn’t dressed to impress. She wasn’t telling him what she thought she wanted him to hear. Another man might find her stubbornness annoying, but not him. He was tired of women who bent over backward to do his bidding, women who only laughed when he laughed, talked only when talked to. Sam Johnston was like thunder on a clear day and she aroused him like no other.
And yet, if there was one thing he’d learned from his mother, it was that females were never what they seemed. Sam might seem genuine and real, but that wouldn’t last long. Her true colors would shine through soon enough. It was true, he lusted after her, but after his hunger was sated, he’d be ready to move on. A three-month relationship was practically a lifetime in his book.
She exhaled, breaking into his thoughts. “Last night was special,” she said, obviously mistaking his silence as hurt feelings again, another amusing trait of hers.
He remained quiet, his desire for her still palpable.
“But what happened between us,” she added, “can never happen again. We may be married in the eyes of the church, but we’re not married in here,” she said, laying a hand over her heart, “where it counts.”
“I’m all for honesty, sweetheart, but the truth is I want you. And you want me. I can see it in your eyes.” His gaze didn’t waver. “For some reason, Johnston, you do crazy things to my insides. You fascinate me.” He raised his hand to her face and swept the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “I won’t kiss you again unless you ask me to. But if you so much as lay a finger on me, one little finger, I’m not telling you, I’m warning you, you’re playing with fire.”
Chapter Ten
Their honeymoon had been pre-arranged. They were staying at the Princeville Resort set on twenty-three acres along Pu’u Poa Ridge, terraced on the bluff facing Hanalei Bay. Nothing but the best for Dominic DeMarco and his new wife.
To anyone on the outside looking in, everything probably looked darn near perfect. But as far as Sam was concerned, nothing could be further from the truth. They had arrived on the island of Kauai three days ago. According to Ben, she and Dominic were to spend most of their time inside the suite, since he wanted the world to think they were too hot and bothered to come out for air.
She stood on the balcony of their ridiculously large suite, watching the afternoon sun melt into the Pacific as the crystal blue water rolled gently onto the shore. Dominic had made his escape about an hour ago, telling her he needed to talk to the concierge.
Since arriving, she and Dominic had hardly said two words to each other. Ever since she’d pushed him away in the limousine, he’d been distant, avoiding her like the plague.
Their suite was large, but not large enough to stop her from hearing every move he made. In fact, he’d been spending much of his time reading scripts. Apparently movie deals were pouring in and he needed to make some important decisions.
She should be happy she didn’t have to resist his charms all day, but she wasn’t. Dominic had stirred something deep within her, making her feel restless.
Ever since her ex-boyfriend Ken had dumped her, she’d been focused on staying strong and independent—relying on no one but herself—because she never wanted to feel that same painful loss again. After five years together, she’d trusted Ken more than she’d ever trusted anyone in her life. She’d been so sure he was the one. And yet one day she’d come home to an empty apartment and a note that read: “I’ve fallen in love with someone else. All my best, Ken.”
Now here she was, married to one of the hottest actors in America. But just because her husband was gorgeous and had threatened to beat up other guys for touching her, that didn’t mean she had to fall in love with him.
Sam grabbed her notebook and pen from the table behind her, flipped the pages until she came to a blank page and wrote, “Third day married to DD. The man has made himself scarce. When he’s around, he’s a gentleman, but I still don’t know anything about him. It’s as if he’s put an invisible steel barrier between him and the world. Although we’ve been cooped up in the same room for three days, I’ve never been lonelier.”
The ring of the telephone interrupted her thoughts. She set the notebook on the outside table, and then went back inside the suite and picked up the phone, surprised to hear her mom’s tenuous voice.
“Mom?”
“Hi, honey.”
“How do you keep finding me? The front desk isn’t supposed to forward calls.”
“Oh, really? I tell whoever answers I’m your mother and it’s an emergency and if they don’t want their name dragged through the mud they might want to put me through. It works every time.”
Great.
“I wanted to tell you that Uncle Joe and Aunt Pat taped the wedding for us,” Mom went on. “I just finished watching the entire ceremony. I still can’t believe you’re married to Dominic DeMarco. My little girl is famous.”
Sam was glad to know her mom was warming to the idea of her being married. For the first time in a very long time, her mom sounded animated and happy. “I’m not famous, Mom. My husband is famous.”
“Of course you are. Pat told me she was at the grocery store the other day and your face lit up more magazine covers than your husband’s. I love what you’ve done to your hair, but I’m not sure about that outfit you wore the day after your wedding. Jeans and a T-shirt? What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to be comfortable on the plane ride.” Although she could feel a headache coming on, she was relieved to know her mother had gotten over her initial disappointment at not being invited to the wedding.
“Have you turned on the television lately?”
“I’m on my honeymoon, remember?”
Her mother laughed. “That’s what your aunt and uncle said but I just had to call. Clips of your wedding have been appearing on every news channel. During the ceremony, Dominic doesn’t look quite right. Was he nervous?”
Sam grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Pictures of her and Dominic seemed to be on every channel. It only took a few clicks of the remote before she found a station airing a close-up of Dominic at the altar. His expression was one of doom as his gaze followed the red carpet all the way to the exit. He looked miserable, trapped, and ready to make a run for it.
***
Dominic slid his hotel key into the slot and opened the door a few inches, stopping when he heard Sam talking to someone in the other room.
“Mom, it’s okay, really,” she said. “It’s the camera angles. Yes, we were both a little nervous, but that’s to be expected. There were thousands of people watching us.”
There was a slight pause before he heard Sam say, “Yes, I agree, Dominic looks a little panicky. Yes, I was crying. They were happy tears, Mom. That’s right…I was just happy to be marrying the man I love.”
Another mo
ment of silence followed and Dominic assumed her mother was talking. The tension he heard in Sam’s voice caused his chest to tighten. Pretending to be in love with a complete stranger wasn’t as easy as they had both imagined or hoped it might be. Dominic wanted nothing more than to wring both Tom and Ben’s necks for getting him into this mess. After being betrayed by his uncle, he should have told the world the truth. Instead, he’d listened to his agent and manager and made a mess out of an already complicated life.
“I know, Mom. Please tell Aunt Pat she doesn’t need to worry. Dominic is very attentive and romantic. I’ve never been happier. I’ll fill you all in with more details when we get back.”
Dominic suddenly felt bad about avoiding her these past few days. Sam Johnston seemed like a nice enough kid. She’d wanted a story and she’d gotten more than she’d bargained for. He liked her gumption, but he sure as hell didn’t like feeling crappy about her situation. She’d had a choice in this whole thing. No reason for him to take all the blame.
“I need to go, Mom. No, he’s in the shower again; otherwise, I’m sure he would have loved to talk to you.”
Shit. Dominic opened the door, giving it a good shove and letting it thud closed.
Sam looked up, her eyes wide as he headed her way. He took the receiver from her, held it to his ear, and said, “Is this Mom?”
He tilted his head close to Sam’s ear so she could hear her mom shouting to the rest of the family that she actually had Dominic on the phone.
Sam hardly moved. In fact, it was hard to tell if she was breathing. Dominic inhaled the fresh tangy scent of her hair. His lips unintentionally brushed over the silky strands.
Mrs. Johnston was saying something and her voice brought him out of his trance.
“Yes,” he said, “we’re having a wonderful time. Your daughter is everything I could have hoped for in a wife…and more.”
Sam glanced up at him. The innocent look, the brightness of her expressive eyes caught him off guard, making his heart skip a beat. What was it about her that made his insides do funny things, made him feel airborne like a kite being let loose on a windy day? Gliding and soaring across a blue sky one moment and then spiraling downward toward the ground in the next.
Here Comes the Bride Page 5