At other times he was the romantic figure that had always stood on the periphery of her imagination, waiting for his cue. Although he was an affectionate person, one who enjoyed touching, he made few overtures off the set other than a gentle good-night kiss at the door to her hotel room, which was just as well. The script had a few torrid love scenes that more than made up for what wasn’t happening in their private lives.
His on-screen lovemaking melted Lisa into a bubbling caldron of sensuous yearning. She longed to learn more about the passionate side of her nature. Yet he never took advantage of their situation. Never before had Lisa been as affected by anyone as she was by Drew.
During their last day on location, Drew walked over and casually draped his arm around Lisa’s shoulders. “How are you going back to L.A.?”
Lisa glanced up in surprise. “Flying. Isn’t everyone?”
“I thought I’d rent a car and drive back. There’s a place I wanted to visit on the way. Would you like to ride along with me?” Although his tone was casual, his expression was intent, as though her answer meant a great deal to him.
And what could she answer? She’d like to go anywhere with him, but was that the best thing for her? Their time together had been something out of a dream, a fantasy of sorts, but it was time to return to reality.
“I’m not sure, Drew….”
“Do you have to be home at any particular time?”
“Not really.”
“Then come with me. We should get back to L.A. by Friday—Saturday at the latest.”
Which means we’ll be spending the nights somewhere together. Not a very wise move if you don’t want to get too involved, Lisa reminded herself.
“I’m not trying to coax you into anything but sharing the ride with me, Lisa. You will be as safe with me as you want to be.”
What a provocative statement. He was placing the responsibility for what happened next squarely on her. She studied him for a moment. “All right, Drew. When do you want to leave?”
Two days later they were following the scenic coast south of San Francisco. Lisa had discovered she had nothing to fear but her own reactions to Drew. The first night they had stayed in a Sacramento hotel, in separate rooms. The next night they stayed in San Francisco, after exploring the sights around the city. Again, in separate rooms.
Lisa couldn’t remember ever being so relaxed with anyone before. Drew made a marvelous companion. She had laughed at how well he could camouflage himself so that few people recognized him. One lady had commented that he looked very much like Drew Donovan, the movie star, and he’d gravely thanked her for suggesting there was a resemblance.
Lisa was used to not being recognized. The audience didn’t realize how small she was, how easily overlooked in a crowd, and in her jeans and casual tops, she blended in with her surroundings. The sultry cinema beauty was nowhere in evidence.
Drew turned off the highway and began to follow a winding road that led into the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“Where are we going?”
“I have some friends up here I wanted to see.”
“Oh, Drew. You should have said something. I’m not dressed for meeting anyone!”
He glanced over at her with a smile. “You look fine. They’re going to love you.”
“Who are they?”
“The closest family I have. They don’t see me as a movie star. They accept me as one of them.”
At the time, his comment meant nothing to Lisa, and she eagerly looked forward to meeting the people who caused such an eagerness in Drew. They must be very special.
A large fence appeared alongside the road, and when they came to a driveway, Drew stopped the car and got out, opened a large wrought-iron gate, drove through, stopped and closed the gate, then continued up a driveway.
A long, rambling Spanish-style adobe house sat on the crest of a hill, looking as though it had been built during the previous century—or even before. Large trees surrounded the home, casting welcome shade for the travelers.
Drew had no sooner stopped the car than the front door burst open. A sudden cacophony split the tranquil silence as several children ran down the steps and surrounded the car.
“It’s Drew! Drew’s here!”
“Go tell Miz Stratton. Drew’s here!”
“Hi, Drew. How ya been?”
Drew stepped out of the car and was immediately surrounded by several laughing children of all ages. Lisa could see no resemblance among any of them. The only thing they had in common was the wide smile of welcome for Drew. Their ages ranged from about four to twelve or thirteen.
“Say, Tiger, won any ball games lately?” Drew asked the tallest boy there. The boy grinned bashfully.
“We’ve won the last three. Those pitches you showed me really helped.”
Drew ruffled the curls on the boy’s forehead. “Glad to hear it.”
A tiny little girl was trying to shinny up Drew’s leg. “Hold me, Drew. Hold me,” she demanded imperiously.
Lisa watched him lift the young child high in the air, listened to her gurgle of laughter and felt a surge of emotion in her chest when he brought the girl to his chest and hugged her. “How’s my favorite girl doing, Teresa? Have you been a good girl for Ms. Stratton?”
She tucked her head down into his neck and nodded vigorously.
Drew turned around and saw Lisa still sitting in the car. He walked around to her side, Teresa still clinging to his neck. “I’m sorry, Lisa. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Lisa crawled out of the car and smiled at the boisterous children surrounding them. “You seemed to be busy.”
He laughed, a young, relaxed sound that Lisa had never heard from him before. He draped his free arm around Lisa and headed toward the front door.
“C’mon. I want you to meet Beth Stratton.”
Lisa would never forget that day. It was the day she’d acknowledged to herself that she was in love with the man the world knew as Drew Donovan. But he was so much more than his image suggested. She watched him work with the children, listen to them, talk with them, advise and console. He treated each child as though he or she was special to him, and it was obvious to Lisa that they were.
Beth Stratton had been charming. The middle-aged woman had the energy of ten people, it seemed to Lisa, and the patience and wisdom that bespoke a lifetime of loving and caring for others. She was a truly beautiful person, inside and out.
They were invited to spend the night, but Drew insisted they needed to be on their way. Lisa saw tears in the eyes of more than one child and was touched by the obvious affection all of them shared for Drew.
He was quiet for several miles after they were once again on the road heading south. “I’m glad you came with me today, Lisa.”
“So am I. I really enjoyed meeting everyone.”
“They enjoyed meeting you, too. I had to take a lot of teasing about having you along. I’ve never brought anyone before.”
“You didn’t want anyone to see the soft side of you?”
“No, that’s not it. I’ve never wanted to share that part of my life with anyone before.”
Lisa looked at him, his profile silhouetted in the late afternoon light. “I think what you’re doing for those children is wonderful, Drew. You’re adding something special to their lives. Are they orphans?”
“Yes.”
“How did you find out about the place?”
“Simple. I was left on the front door when I was around two, or so the authorities guessed, and spent the next sixteen years of my life there.” He glanced at her, then back at the road. “If I have parents, I’ve never known them. And I made a vow that when I left, I would never forget what it was like to live in a home without parents, without identity. I was determined not to let those who made their home there live without knowing they were loved.”
Lisa heard the slight roughness in his voice, revealing some of the emotion he felt. To look at him, a person would think that Drew Donova
n had the world in the palm of his hand. He had looks, intelligence, talent, and with those assets he had been able to acquire a great deal of money. Whoever the people were who had chosen not to raise the small child he’d been, they would never know how much they had missed. Any love they would have given him would have been returned tenfold.
She yearned to hold and love the tiny boy deep inside of him that still felt abandoned, but she didn’t know how. She could only love the man who was beginning to reveal himself to her.
Perhaps that would be enough.
Two
For the next few months, Drew and Lisa spent as much time together as they could manage with their busy schedules. They both fought hard to be sensible about the fierce attraction that had sprung up between them. They had seen it happen too many times—falling in love with a co-star only to find that once the film was finished, so was the strong attraction.
Lisa was aware that Drew chose places for them to be together where they wouldn’t be tempted to become intimate. He finally admitted to Lisa that once he made love to her, he would never be able to let her go.
During their time together, Lisa never brought up Drew’s childhood, although she often wondered what scars it had left.
One day while they walked along the beach, she timidly broached the subject.
“Why were you never adopted, Drew?”
He was quiet for so long she decided he either didn’t hear her or chose not to respond to her question. She wondered where she’d gotten the nerve to ask.
“Because no one knew anything about me,” he finally answered. “Prospective parents want to know such things as family health problems…that sort of thing. Besides, I wasn’t the most lovable little kid, you know.” He smiled down at her, the sunlight making his eyes glitter.
“I can’t believe that.”
“They tell me I was scared of the dark and screamed whenever I was left alone…which in an orphanage doesn’t happen all that often.” He took Lisa’s hand and slid his fingers between hers.
“Did they ever try to trace your parents?”
“No one knew where to start. They found me sitting in the driveway early one morning, crying. The tire tracks weren’t traceable. At least I was abandoned at a place where I could receive care.”
“Was there any note…or clothes?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, Drew.”
“You know, Lisa, it sounds worse than it was. I mean, my earliest memories are of being treated kindly. I don’t think I was ever abused. Someone just wasn’t able to accept the responsibility of caring for me.” He bent over and picked up a seashell, studied it for a moment, then stuck it in his shirt pocket. “I’ll admit I spent years hoping to find a family that I could call my own—a home, people who loved me. I think that’s when I first started fantasizing. I know that’s why I’ve enjoyed acting so much. For a little while I can be anyone I want. I don’t have to wonder who I am, what sort of people I came from.”
“You give so much of yourself in your acting. There’s a vulnerability that is generally missing with so many other actors. I’ve often marveled at the sensitivity you show.”
“Thank you, fair lady. I could say the same about you.”
Lisa chuckled. “Here we go again. Seriously, I wondered why you haven’t married before now—you have so much to give to a relationship.”
“Except a name.”
“Is that really so important?”
“To some people.”
Not to me, love, Lisa thought. Not to me.
In all their time together, Drew had never mentioned the future or where their relationship might be heading, and Lisa couldn’t help but wonder about his feelings. He made it clear he was seeing no one else, but he made no sign that he wanted their friendship to deepen into anything more than the companionship they’d found.
Maybe he sees me as his long-lost sister. What a revolting thought. I’m supposed to be such a sex symbol. No one would believe the platonic relationship we have.
Lisa kept remembering how comfortable Drew was around the children. He was so obviously cut out to be a family man. Finally one afternoon she found the courage to bring up the subject.
“Do you want a family, Drew?” she asked while stretched out beside him on a lounge chair on the deck of his home.
He rolled over and leaned up on his elbow to peer down into her face. “Are you volunteering?” he asked with interest.
“Volunteering for what?”
“To help me start a family. I’ve often wondered how women approach seduction. I should have known you’d go in for the more direct approach.”
Lisa sat up suddenly, nudging his elbow so that he lost his prop. “Dream on, cowboy. That was not the reason I asked.”
He started laughing at the look of outrage on her face. “I can always hope, can’t I?” He stretched out once more on the lounge. “Years ago I used to dream of being part of a large family. But like most of my dreams, that one was packed away with the rest of my childhood fantasies.
“I think I must have been about five years old when I discovered that those of us who lived at the San Luis home were different from other children. We had regular visitors, townspeople who cared and who brought us toys and books and periodically took a group of us out for the day. I realized that other children had a mother and father, or at least one of them to call their own.”
He glanced at Lisa. “They tell me that for the first few months after I arrived I cried for ‘Mommy,’ so at one time she was very real to me. But I don’t remember any of that.”
Drew stared out at the waves, but he saw only memories. “I must have been about ten when Beth Stratton came to San Luis. Secretly I pretended she was my real mother and that she had come back in disguise to be sure I was all right.” He smiled slightly. “She was and is a very understanding person. She gave so much of herself to each of us, making us feel very special. She gave me the closest example of motherhood I ever had.
“I grew up determined that someday I would establish a family of my own, but not before I had the time to devote to making them feel they had a father who loved them. I want to be with them on a daily basis, enjoy each new learning skill they develop, give them the security of knowing I will always be there.”
He touched her cheek. “How about you? Do you want a family?”
Lisa smiled. If she were honest she would tell him that it had only been since meeting him that her daydreams of having a family had taken on a sense of yearning. “Yes.”
Slowly Drew sat up. He leaned over and tugged Lisa to a sitting position. “Since meeting you, I keep picturing myself surrounded by little black-haired boys and girls calling me Daddy. I can think of nothing that would give me more pleasure.”
He leaned over and kissed her, a soft, tentative kiss that caused shivers to tingle through her. Then he stood up and drew her to her feet, enclosing her in a loose embrace.
“Lisa, I don’t know how you feel about us, but I love you so much that I feel like I’m going to explode with it. I want to love you, and live with you, and have babies with you. Lisa, love, please marry me.”
Now that he was saying what she most wanted to hear, Lisa didn’t know what to say. She felt a panicky tremor. To her, marriage was a permanent commitment, one not lightly entered into. A Hollywood marriage was even more fraught with peril. But if they both loved each other, wasn’t that enough?
“Isn’t it too soon?”
“For what? For me to love you? I have no control over that.”
“We agreed to use this time to get better acquainted.”
“We are. I have. And I already know enough about you to know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He sounded very sure of himself. Very certain of his feelings. And Lisa wanted to believe him.
She studied his clear, tawny eyes and saw the love in them. It would work out. With the love they both felt for each other, they would be able to solve anything.
Sliding
her hands up around his neck, she moved closer to him. “I love you, Drew Donovan, more than I believed it possible to love anyone.”
“Then you’ll marry me,” he stated in an aggressive tone.
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she agreed softly, pressing closer to him.
He scooped her up in his arms and walked into the house. Both of them had waited for this day, both had subconsciously known when Drew had suggested, and Lisa had agreed, to spend the day at his place that a decision would be reached for them.
Lisa clung to his broad shoulders while he strode down the hallway. She had never been in that part of the house. Now that the time had come, she was nervous, but she loved him too much to pretend she didn’t want him to make love to her.
For a brief moment she wished she had more experience. At thirty, Drew was no innocent boy. He was a man with a man’s needs and she could only hope that she would instinctively know how to fulfill those needs.
Drew seemed to sense her nervousness. He placed her gently on the mammoth bed, which dominated the spacious room. Lisa tried to remember all she’d learned from the parts she’d played. However, this was much different—no cameras, no director, and no script. All she had to go on was her desire to give pleasure to the man who was casually stepping out of his jogging pants at the side of the bed!
He was gorgeous. There was no other word to describe him. Suddenly, Lisa lost her self-consciousness. She wanted to touch him, to feel him close to her, to explore the smooth surface of his chest, following the beguiling trail of soft blond hair as it arrowed down from his navel.
“Lisa?”
“Hmm?”
“Aren’t you going to get undressed?” Drew asked softly.
Oh. There she went, daydreaming, and she must have missed a cue. Lisa unsnapped her halter top, then unsnapped and unzipped the snug shorts she wore—not the most graceful way to get out of clothes, she was forced to admit.
Drew’s hands fell on either side of her waist, and he began to slide her shorts down her legs. His lips followed the same path until her clothing lay forgotten on the floor. Then his mouth slowly moved back up again until it reached the satin of her bikini briefs.
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