The day was filled with clowns, bean bag races, and bumper cars. Security was tight and photographers and reporters were not allowed through the gates. Sam had never seen so many celebrities at one event, many of them enjoying the day with their families. Hundreds of thousands of dollars would be raised today.
The temperature was in the high seventies, low eighties. The sun felt good on her back. She breathed in the smell of grilled burgers and cotton candy.
“Hey, you two,” a woman wearing the red and white shirt of the event committee shouted, gesturing them over with both hands.
“What do you need?” Dominic asked.
“I need one more couple for the dance marathon.”
“Oh, gosh,” Sam said, “I’m a horrible dancer.”
“Please?” the woman begged. “We need ten couples right now. Every fifteen minutes, one couple will be pulled off the dance floor. People have paid a lot of money to get special tickets for the front row seats.”
Dominic grabbed Sam’s hand. “We’ll do it. Where do we go?”
The woman turned around and divided a curtain, showing them the way to the dance floor where people had already gathered to watch the show.
“This is embarrassing,” Sam told Dominic.
“Just do whatever I do. If we’re lucky, we’ll be the first couple kicked off the stage.”
“This is crazy,” she said as the crowd of people began clapping when they saw Dominic DeMarco would be part of the show.
“Okay, we’ve got our ten couples,” the woman said into the microphone. “We’re going to start with the Twist, a popular dance craze of the sixties. Everybody knows how to do the Twist. Let’s do it!”
Before Sam could protest further, a recorded version of Chubby Checkers began. Today was her lucky day. The Twist was one of the few dances Sam could do without looking like a complete idiot. She gave it all she had, trying not to laugh at all the dancers around them, each with their own version of the dance. Holding her arms bent at the elbows, she used the balls of her feet to rotate her hips and torso. Dominic was a pro and every once in a while he would lift his leg off the floor, going for style and wowing the crowd in the process as he varied his speed, leaving Sam to concentrate on keeping up with him.
When the fifteen minutes were over, Sam couldn’t stop laughing. She’d never had so much fun. The crowd went wild as the judges held a number over each couple’s heads. After Dominic’s performance, it was clear they would remain on the dance floor for another round.
The next dance was a slow dance. Sam hesitated since she wasn’t sure she could handle being held in his arms for fifteen minutes.
He reached over and anchored a few strands of her hair behind her ear, and then held out his hands.
She hesitated.
“Are you too scared to dance with me?”
Smiling, she slipped her hand into his as Eric Clapton began to sing “Wonderful Tonight.” Holding each other close, body-to-body, they swayed to the music. His eyes peered into hers and she couldn’t have looked away if she had wanted to, lost in the moment, just the two of them.
For a moment, she thought he might say something, but he didn’t; he just held her closer and after a while, she rested her head against his shoulder.
A medley of songs played over the next fifteen minutes and when it was over, they found themselves moving on to the next round.
An hour later, it was hip-hop that ended up being Sam’s downfall.
“Third place isn’t bad,” Dominic said as he pinned her ribbon to the right side of her yellow blouse.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep up with you towards the end.”
“You did great.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like hours. “You have beautiful eyes,” he said. “Have I told you that before?”
She smiled. How could she not? She couldn’t remember ever enjoying herself as much as she was today. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“It never entered my mind,” he said. “Do you want me to kiss you?”
“Not if it didn’t even enter your mind. There would be no point and I—”
His lips were on hers, leaving her no choice but to kiss him back. The kiss was tender and sweet and if she had one wish, it would be for this kiss, this moment, to last forever.
***
Dominic pulled away. He didn’t want to, but making out in the middle of a festival where children were running around wasn’t the best timing on his part. However, Sam had pressed the matter, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
Sam Johnston was full of surprises.
Watching her do the Twist and then holding her close had been too much. Hell, yes, he’d wanted to kiss her. He’d wanted to do that for days now. More than anything else, he wanted to take her home and continue what they had just started, but she had other things in mind.
“I love riding the Ferris wheel. Come on,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him that way.
“It’s getting late,” he said. “We should probably head home.”
“Just one time,” she said, giving him no choice but to follow her lead.
The first part of the ride wasn’t too bad. The breeze cooled him off as they took a nice slow ride to the top, but then Sam squealed happily and raised her arms in the air, making their passenger car rock.
“I don’t think you want to do that,” he said, gripping onto the safety bar.
“Oh, come on,” she said, “it’s fun!”
“You’re rocking the boat, sweetheart.”
She noticed the perspiration on his forehead. “Are you afraid?”
“No, of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”
“You’re pale and you’re sweating, and your knees are shaking.”
“Okay, that cat’s out of the bag. I’m not a big fan of heights. Sue me.”
She laughed, and despite his obvious horror, her hands shot up in the air again, higher this time.
“Please don’t do that.”
“Oh, stop it. Come on, Dominic, you really need to loosen up and live a little. It’s just a harmless ride through the sky. It’s like flying.”
His knuckles were white. “It’s not anything like flying. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw a few people hanging from one of these things on the news once.”
“You’re going to be fine,” she told him, and then she frowned and brought her arms into the safety of their capsule. “I’m sorry. You really are afraid of this thing, aren’t you?”
“Not really,” he lied. “I’ll be fine. Maybe you could ask the nice man who’s fast approaching to stop this machine.”
They swept past the kid working the machine and were already making their way to the top again.
“Sorry,” she said with a shrug.
“You’re not sorry at all.”
She smiled. “I am, really. We just passed right by him. I didn’t have time to say anything. Next time I’ll ask him to stop, okay?”
“I would appreciate it.”
As they reached the top, Sam threw her hands up again and screeched like a six-year-old. Before he could beg her to stop, the Ferris wheel did just that—it stopped in mid-air. Their seat rocked forward and back, the brackets squeaking loudly.
“What’s happening?” He dared a peek over the side. Not a good idea.
“They’re probably letting a frightened two-year-old off the ride.”
“That’s not funny.”
She looked at him with those big brown eyes, cupped the palms of her hands around his jaw and kissed him. Her lips parted slightly, her body relaxed in his arms. He felt the tip of her tongue brush against his bottom lip. The kiss was passionate and so damn intoxicating he hadn’t realized they were on the move again until their passenger car came to a jerky halt.
Dominic didn’t sleep that night.
Instead, he watched Sam sleep. It was the first night since she’d moved in that she didn’t toss and turn and hit him in the face with flailing
arms and legs.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed as much as he had today. He liked Sam Johnston. He liked her too damn much.
In that moment, he realized he’d never met the right woman because he’d never seen past the long legs and large breasts.
But Sam was so much more. Somehow she managed to bring out the best in him. The two of them had a lot in common, too. They were both driven and passionate about their careers. They had fun together.
He rested his head on the pillows and wondered what he was going to do about Sam. Somehow when he wasn’t looking, she’d gotten under his skin. In such a short time he’d come to care about her, but could he ever trust her?
***
Sam opened one eye and then the other. Oh, God, she’d done it again. There wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t attached to Dominic’s flesh. Her lips were plastered to his arm. One of her hands was firmly planted on top of his rock-hard chest, while her leg was tangled with his.
She started to pull away when suddenly he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close.
His eyes were closed. He couldn’t possibly be asleep, could he?
This time she tried to move her leg, but his calf held tight and she saw a smile tug at his mouth.
“Dominic, are you awake?”
“Somebody’s been sleeping on my side of the bed again.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help myself.”
He rolled over so that she was snuggled beneath him, his body hovering over hers as he used his elbows to stop himself from crushing her. He kissed her neck. “Are you ready to end this foolishness?” he asked, moving his lips to her chin next.
“Are you asking me if I’m ready to make love to you?”
He kissed her cheek and then her ear. “That’s exactly what I’m asking.”
His kisses left her breathless. “Are you saying you’re ready for a relationship?”
“Define relationship.”
“A meaningful attachment between two individuals,” she said, trying to ignore the scorching heat caused by his sensuous lips.
“I can live with that. Yes, I’m ready for a relationship.”
“A meaningful and emotional relationship,” she amended. “That means we trust each other and tell each other where we’re going during the day and night.”
“Trust takes time.”
“True, but how can we ever expect to trust each other if we don’t tell each other things?”
“Hmm. This sounds like much more than a relationship.”
She laughed and pushed at his pecs. “Get off me. You’re not ready to move on to the next level.”
“Why are you playing so hard to get?”
“Because I don’t want to have sex with you just for the sake of having sex. I want it to mean something more.”
“You’re afraid I’ll lose interest afterward?”
“That might be part of it.”
“We understand each other,” he said, “and you make me laugh. I think we’re ready.” But Sam had already slid off the bed, ready to start her day.
Chapter Seventeen
Dominic spent the next day sneezing. The cat was going to have to go, especially after scratching Rex twice on the nose, letting the dog know who was boss. After Sam went for a run on the beach, he left to run some errands. He knew she wanted to leave the house at five so they wouldn’t be late for dinner at her parents’ house. It was five thirty by the time they managed to climb into the car and head to Pasadena.
They were on the freeway for less than five minutes when Sam spotted a dog limping on the side of the road and pleaded with Dominic to pull over.
After bringing his car to a stop on the side of the road, Sam jumped out before he could stop her.
His heart beat double time when he saw her running too close to traffic. His adrenaline soared, but he was afraid if he got out of the car the dog would freak out and run into the middle of the road, bringing Sam along with it, so he stayed put.
Sam was inches from the dog when the blast of a horn sounded. Before the dog could dart out into the road, Sam lunged for the frightened animal, pulling it into her arms, scraping her elbows and risking her life in the process.
As she approached the vehicle, Dominic jumped out of the car, opened the back door, and helped her get in. Once everyone was safely inside, he looked back at her. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” she said cheerfully as if she hadn’t nearly died out there. “I’m fine.”
“You are not fine. You’re bleeding and I’m serious. Don’t ever do that again!”
Their gazes locked.
“The only one who almost got himself killed,” she said calmly, “was this poor half-starved mutt.”
“Next time I pull over to save an animal, I’ll be the one getting out of the car. Not you. Do you understand?”
“Honest to God, I hope you’re joking right now.”
Dominic sat behind the wheel while Sam sat in the backseat holding the shaking dog. He pointed a finger at her, his face stern. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“For a guy who’s made it clear he doesn’t care about me, you sure are making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Who said I didn’t care about you?”
“You did. You’re not interested in having a real relationship. Every morning your expression turns grim and you close up. You disappear for hours on end. If it will make you feel better, I’ll give you your damnable exclusive back because I don’t know how much longer I can share a room with a man like you, let alone a bed.”
“I’m not the one crawling to your side every night and sucking on your earlobes. If you don’t want me bothering you, then all you have to do is stay on your side of the bed.”
She growled.
The dog squirmed.
“Oh, no. The poor animal is bleeding. You have to find an animal hospital fast.”
***
A jumble of emotions swirled through Sam as they once again headed for Pasadena and her parents.
They had taken the dog to the closest veterinarian hospital. The poor mutt would be having surgery soon. According to the vet, the dog had been hit by a car, but somehow managed to keep on walking.
The moment they had arrived at the animal hospital, Dominic had taken charge, rushing the dog inside. She and Dominic would return to get the dog in the morning.
As they drove along, neither of them said a word.
One moment he was concerned and caring and the next he was reserved, tucked away in his shell. If he wanted to remain aloof and distrustful of the world, then so be it. The other morning in the kitchen she’d hoped for a breakthrough when he’d opened up about his parents. Unfortunately, not even their wonderful day at the festival had changed anything.
Dominic exited the freeway and continued on North Arroyo Parkway.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m fine,” she lied. “How about you?”
“I’m good, too.”
He made a right onto El Molina.
“It’s the brick house on the right,” she told him.
Sam didn’t get home often these days, but when she did, the English Tudor house with its perfectly manicured landscape always seemed cold to her.
Dominic pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine.
“And you give me a bad time about living in such a big house?”
She answered with a smirk.
They climbed out of the car, both somber, as if they were walking to their deaths. He followed her to the main entrance. Instead of just entering the home where she’d grown up, she knocked on the front door and waited as if she were a stranger in her parents’ home.
A minute later, their longtime butler opened the door.
“Jeremy,” Sam said, throwing her arms around the old man’s waist, hugging him tight. “I’d like you to meet my husband, Dominic.”
They shook hands.
“Nice to meet yo
u, sir. I’ve read all about you. You starred in one of my favorite movies.” He snapped his fingers. “The one with Bob Ryan.”
“That’s right,” Dominic said. “Into the Light.”
“Great movie.” Jeremy’s gaze fell on Sam and he frowned. “Are you bleeding?”
“No, I’m fine. We found an injured dog on the way here. He’s at the animal hospital, but the doctor said the dog will be fine.”
“You always were a softie when it came to animals.” Jeremy gestured for them to come inside. “Everyone’s waiting. Your mom’s worried, afraid you two got in an accident on the way here.”
“How about Dad? How’s his mood?”
“Same as always,” Jeremy said as he led them into the living room.
“You made it,” Emma said, rushing over to give Sam a hug. “What happened to your shirt?”
“We found an injured dog on the side of the road.”
“Where’s the dog?”
“He’s at the animal hospital, but he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank God.” Emma looked at Dominic next and blushed. “You’re even better looking in real life.” She pulled out her iPhone. “Mind if I get a picture with you so I can brag to my friends?”
“Not at all.” Dominic and Emma spent the next few minutes taking pictures together while Sam crossed the room to talk to her father.
“What do you have on?” he asked, stopping her from wrapping her arms around him. “You look like a homeless person.”
Despite the warm day, Sam’s father wore a cashmere sweater vest over a long-sleeved shirt. Her dad had a barrel chest and his hair and moustache were peppered with gray.
“On our way here, I made Dominic stop so we could help an injured dog on the side of the freeway.”
“Still a bleeding heart. That sort of work isn’t going to get you anywhere in life.”
Sam didn’t bother responding. Instead, she turned back to Dominic. “Dominic, this is my father, Cameron.” She then gestured toward a tall, slender man with blond hair. “This is my oldest brother, Taylor, and that’s my brother Kevin over there.”
“So,” Kevin said, “you two are really married, huh?”
Here Comes the Bride Page 10