Nina laughed. He looked bemused. She slid onto his lap, curled up against him and put her arms around him.
“Luke, you’ve told me you hate my wardrobe and my apartment. You’ve criticized my manners, my politics, my favorite music, my lack of domestic skills, and my temper. Why, in the midst of all those tender endearments—” she kissed him softly “—why have you never said you love me?”
“Nina,” he said in exasperation.
“Luke.”
“Nina, I’m a rock singer. Trust me when I say that’s the most overused, misused, abused expression in the English language. I mean, really, how many men have tried a line like that on you?”
“Love isn’t just a cheap line, Luke.”
“No, of course it’s not. It’s everything we’ve been doing together. My God, do you honestly think I would go through this kind of aggravation for anybody else? You’re the only person in the world who could get me to go to the opera, or to Saks Fifth Avenue, or to some of the awful restaurants you like. Do you think I’d taste raw fish for anybody else?”
Nina rolled her eyes.
He took her hand in his. His voice dropped, becoming softer and more serious. “Why do you think I chased you and chased you, despite all the times you tried to brush me off? Why do you think I tried to cancel an entire concert tour to be with you? Why do you think I wanted to meet your family and your friends? Why do you think I wanted to honestly show you what my life is like? Why do you think I lie awake night after night worrying that you’ll get sick and tired of being Luke Swain’s ‘girlfriend’ and leave me?”
“Oh, Luke.”
He scowled. “You can’t be that dense, Nina.”
She scowled back. “Well, I am. Why didn’t you say something like this before? Do you think it’s been easy for me to be in love with the most sought-after man in America?”
His hands slid into her hair and he tilted her head back to look into her eyes. “Well,” he admitted sheepishly, “you didn’t say anything, either.”
“You’re one stubborn man,” she said critically.
“Just scared. Well, maybe a little stubborn. But every time I turned around you were trying to shove me away or saying you could never adjust to my life. It’s easy for you to say ‘most sought-after man in America.’ That doesn’t amount to much when a guy falls in love with a woman who thinks it can never work out.”
“I feel so guilty about that. I’ll make it up to you”
“It’ll take years,” he warned, “forty or fifty of them, at least.”
“I don’t have any other plans.”
“I thought you were on your way out the door.”
“I was headed for the airport. Next flight to LA.”
His right eyebrow shot up. She nodded. He grinned. “Looks like we both had the same idea, for once.”
“Hmm.” She kissed him, expecting him to share her next idea.
“Wait a minute. About that girl—”
“Hmm?” Something about his jaw had always fascinated her. But his neck was pretty interesting, too.
“She’s my sister.”
That surprised her. “Your sister? You didn’t tell me your sister was visiting you!”
“I meant to, but we—”
“We let communications break down.”
“Yes. She thinks you’ve driven me crazy.” He looked at her. “She’s right.”
“I should have guessed it was your sister. She dresses just like you.” She patted his cheek. “I’ll take her shopping when she comes to visit you in New York.” He scowled again, and she kissed him lightly before saying, “I never got a chance to thank you for my Christmas present. The video, I mean. That really is the best present ever. Remember when you said that at least if I ever complimented you, you would know I meant it? Well, I loved it; I think you’re a genius.”
“That’s it, butter me up.” He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “When you didn’t say anything, I was afraid you didn’t like it. Or maybe you didn’t even want it.”
“I loved it. I love you.” They kissed again. Nina started to unbutton his shirt. “You have to leave tomorrow?”
He nodded.
“I wish you hadn’t extended the tour by ten days,” she murmured.
“I made a deal with Kate. She said if I would stay there a little longer, I wouldn’t have to go back this year. I could stay here with you.”
She kissed him to thank him, but her eyes were concerned when she pulled away. “I told you I don’t ever want to come between you and your career.”
“Well, that’s tough, because you come first now.”
“I don’t want you to give up live concerts,” she insisted.
“Actually, I don’t intend to. But I’m not going away for two months at a time anymore, let alone six or ten months. My touring days are over. I want to stay home with my wife.”
“Well, that’s good news,” she said, snuggling closer to him. “And I’ll just work in New York. No more seasons abroad. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough. As for all the fans and photographers...” he began hesitantly.
“Oh, don’t worry about them. I can handle them,” she said confidently.
“You can?” he asked uncertainly.
“Sure. I can handle you, can’t I? Anyhow, you were right, for once. Time spent worrying about that is time taken away from things that matter.”
“Honey, I’ve hinted a couple of times about getting married, and you haven’t—”
“Darling, you hint with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.”
“Nina,” he said in exasperation. Then, more calmly, “Nina, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m a sucker for punishment. Will you?”
“Of course I’ll marry you. But I won’t change my name.”
“I wish you would. Nina Gnagnarelli is going to be awfully hard to fit into a love song.”
“Names don’t come much wilder than that,” she said proudly.
“We could get married right after the tour’s over,” he said eagerly. “Something small and quiet. Just—”
“Oh, come on, Luke. Do you honestly think anyone in my family can have a small and quiet wedding?”
“Well...”
“I think we should have a huge wedding. Lots of pasta and ice cream and champagne and classical music—”
“Rock.”
“We’ll talk about the wedding later,” she said diplomatically and pressed a kiss into his palm.
“Okay.”
“But about where we’ll live—”
“Instead of you trying to get used to my place, which you’re too stubborn to do, or me trying to get used to your place, which would make me a nervous wreck—Ouch!” he exclaimed as she bit his hand.
“I think we should find a place we both like,” she said while he nursed his hand theatrically.
“For once we agree on something.”
“On the East Side,” she added.
“Oh, Nina, no—”
“And I’m bringing all my furs and paintings and vases with me as my dowry,” she added evilly.
“Then the least you can do is live on the West Side.”
They scowled at each other in mutual consternation for a moment. Then Nina smiled tenderly at him.
“I think,” she said, rising slowly to her feet, “that we can talk about these details when we have more time to spare. Surely there must be something more important we can take care of right now.”
“I think so.” He stood up. “I’ve missed you,” he said huskily.
Her eyes flickered down his body and a wicked smile lit her face. “So I see.”
“Come here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and finished unbuttoning his shirt. “We’ve got twenty-four hours; how many times do you think we can—”
“Don’t you want to save some energy for your concert tomorrow night?”
“I’ll sleep on the plane.”
“You’ll pass out on the
plane if we spend the next twenty-four hours ... making up.”
“I know it sounds strenuous, but ... it’s been an awfully long time, hasn’t it?” he said softly.
“Hmm...”
He shrugged out of his shirt, and his hands went to his belt buckle. He hesitated. “This is that part you do best,” he said hopefully.
Nina grinned. “By all means. But come into the bedroom first. If we do things your way, we won’t even have the strength to crawl there later.”
For once Luke agreed without argument.
About the Author
Laura Leone is the award-winning author of more than a dozen romance novels. Under her real name, Laura Resnick, she is also the Campbell Award-winning author of more than thirty science fiction/fantasy short stories, as well as several epic fantasy novels. In addition, she is the author of A Blonde In Africa, a non-fiction account of the eight months she spent traveling across Africa. You can can find her on the Web at: http://www.sff.net/people/laresnick.
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