by Amy Lignor
And as Amber's eyes closed, Nicole waved her hands in the air. "Just did my nails," she whispered.
I laughed, and began to rise from my seat, but Matt beat me to it. Kissing me quickly, he carefully wrapped Amber in his arms and headed upstairs. My heart grew even larger with the picture. "He should at least be an uncle," I whispered.
Chris shot me a look. "Why an uncle?"
I shrugged. "Good with kids."
"I'm sure he has fatherhood in his future." His eyebrows rose. "Hmmm…perhaps he's even picked out the receptacle."
"Receptacle?" I offered a very grossed out face.
Chris leaned across the coffee table. "I'm afraid if I use the 'W' word there will appear a Beth-size hole in the wall as she bolts."
I rolled my eyes. "We've only known each other—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Chris sighed. "And Bobby and I have only known each other…yada, yada, yada."
Bobby grinned.
"Yada, yada, yada, what?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two. I glanced at Nicole but she was sitting quietly on the edge of her seat. She loved new information; it made her feel like a journalist tripping over a million dollar news story.
The blush rose in Chris's cheeks as he stared at Bobby, as if allowing him to finish his sentence.
Bobby cleared his throat. "Well, Miss Busy-Body," he began, reaching out to grip Chris's hand. "I have to admit to my best friend that I think—no, I am—very much in love with this man."
I was speechless. Nicole jumped off her chair, sent the nail polish flying and threw her tiny body onto Bobby's lap.
"Ouch!" Bobby yelled, as Chris was pulled into the group hug and Nicole plastered his face with kisses.
"YAY! I am SO excited! We should have the ceremony at—"
Bobby put up his hands. "Whoa, girl." Carefully he removed the small form and placed her back on the couch. "We're quick but we're not that quick."
Chris patted Nicole on the knee. "I was thinking about a stunning place out in Malibu."
And just like that, the planning committee was formed.
Bobby stepped over the coffee table and landed beside me. Sitting silently, we tried not to laugh at the two wedding planners already sharing their ideas, color schemes and themes.
I whispered, "I actually expect Joan Rivers to walk in at any moment."
He laughed. "I know it's silly, Beth. I know you don't believe that…"
I hit him on the leg. "It is definitely not silly. I pretty much thought you were a goner the minute Chris walked into this house."
"I've never met anyone like him. I mean…he's outspoken, strong, kind, and his brain is so fast he can come up with words, phrases, jokes and answers in seconds. He actually reminds me of you in that way."
"Poor guy."
"You know what other trait you both share?"
"Oh, no. He's obsessed with Kiefer Sutherland, too?" I snarled. "Because if he is, whether you love him or not, I'll fight him to the death for that guy."
"Funny," Bobby said, sending an elbow into my ribs. "Chris is like you because underneath all the strength and bravado there's a quiet, shy, loving person who just wants to be romanced. He wants to be a part of something bigger than himself, and I love that. A total geek, like you."
"There is no way I'm going to talk about 'time limits' when I see that face you're wearing," I said. "I love you. Always have. And Chris is something special. Heck, I even love the guy." I looked over at the duo and almost burst into laughter. Nicole already had out her briefcase, pens and organizer jotting down notes. The laptop was open as they discussed everything from the newest line of tuxedos on the market to the best venues available to proclaim your lasting love. "And anyone who can put up with her is definitely a genius."
Bobby laughed. "How true."
"So," I stared up at him. "Marriage?"
He sighed. "Well…I wouldn't say no."
I raised an eyebrow.
"But, of course, we have to actually certify in a state that allows us to claim 'forever.'"
"You will. And one of these days all the morons out there will realize it's none of their damn business who gets married."
Bobby grinned. "Maybe you should write a book about it. The masses seem to be listening to you right now. And," he continued, taking my chin in his hand, "Miss Queen of Deflection, if I feel all these things about Chris and I'm thrilled with not knowing what's coming next, I have a feeling that man upstairs feels the same way about you. And he's allowed! Please don't dismiss this, Beth. Please?"
I tried to pull away but his grip was strong. "It's not the same situation, Bobby. We don't feel that way about each other."
"You sure about that?"
"Come on." I sighed.
"I mean it. I've seen him by your side, and when he's there you smile more, laugh more, and have such a huge arm of support that you didn't even need me, pal."
"Of course, I do."
He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I mean. I'm not replaced as, 'The Bud," I'm simply saying Matt has brought you out of that writer's shell and made you live a little. I admire him for that. And I've also never seen you let anyone get remotely close to you before. So, whether you like it or not, I'm betting he's the one."
"After only days I should be the receptacle?"
Bobby laughed. "No, I actually like the "W" word. Wife seems prettier. Oops," he said, offering me a teasing smile.
"Bobby," I began, taking a deep breath. "Matt has an entire life on another coast; a large life filled with friends, a girlfriend, fans, cameras, a huge career—the guy has it all. He certainly doesn't need yet another entanglement in an already really busy life."
Bobby sighed. "Girlfriend or no girlfriend, I'm telling you, Matt has been looking for you forever. And now that he's found you, I don't see him walking away anytime soon—big life or no life." His voice grew serious. "Matt didn't sign on to all this for Amber. No offense, he did this to get closer to you."
"Tomorrow we go back to New York," I announced.
Bobby took a deep breath. "And what? Everything simply disappears? Matt turns back into a hardworking actor chasing his dreams and you turn back into a writer who wants to save the world one reader at a time? Come on. You're not this stupid."
Leaning forward I put my head in my hands, trying desperately to get my brain to stop spinning from the whirlwind of the past few days.
"Just try? For me? Even if you're right and I'm wrong." Bobby glanced at a smiling Chris who was shaking his head on the far couch, obviously hearing Bobby's speech. "Well, not wrong about everyone, but if I'm wrong about you and Matt…"
Chris's head continued to shake.
"Then you get hurt, you heal, I help and we move on. But the one thing about you, Beth that I love above everything else is the fact that you've lived your life with absolutely no regrets so far. You did what you wanted to do and still came out on top. You can never say, 'What if?' So please don't turn into a scaredy-cat now. It's just not you."
Standing up from the couch, I gave Bobby a hug and sent Chris a smile. "Can you listen for Amber?"
Chris nodded. "We certainly can."
Nicole's voice raised another octave. "Look at THIS!"
I snorted, "Are you sure you can hear Amber over all this?"
"I have ears like a jaguar." Chris laughed. Standing up, he hugged me close. "Thank you."
"For what?" I pulled back.
"It was you who let us in. If you hadn't, I never would've even known that Bobby existed. You changed my life."
"Well…just wait 'til you spend a few months with the old bat," I said, flicking my head toward Bobby. "You'll probably knock on my door with a kitchen knife and pay me back."
"I'd prefer to just make you go shopping with me. The whole blood, macabre thing really isn't my scene," Chris said, making a nauseous face.
"Goodnight, Nicole!" I shouted so loud that I truly believed the laptop would go flying, yet the consummate professional with tunnel vision simply li
fted her hand, waved and grunted as I walked out the door and up the stairs.
~***~
I heard the soft voice when I pushed on my open bedroom door and moved quietly down the small hall. I listened to Matt's stunning tenor tones offer a sweet goodnight to the small child who was now far away in dreamland.
Turning slowly, his face lit up. "Hello, Beautiful. I thought it was Nicole. I heard you scream at her in that lovely voice you save only for your agent," he whispered.
"You got me."
"Do I?"
I looked at Amber's sweet face. "She really likes you."
"Do you?" Matt kept his smile, as he stood from the bed and turned off the small lamp on the table.
Without responding, I took his hand and led him into the library.
"Goodnight, Star." I heard a mumble from behind me.
"Night, kiddo."
"I love you." The voice sounded as if it was coming from far away, as if Amber's dream of being part of a real family had just begun.
I choked on the emotion, although I had no idea why. I'd said the words to her a hundred times before. Perhaps it was just the strange feeling of standing with Matt, holding his hand as we both looked back at a precious face and the owner of a pure heart. "I love you, too."
All I felt was Matt's hand in mine as I led him down the stairs. Without stopping, without thinking, I opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside into the cool night breeze.
We didn't speak. We didn't need to. Placing his arm around my waist, I put my head on his shoulder and we walked, just strolled as if there was nothing but time in our little world.
The alcove was intimate; the sand was white and soft against my skin, as I pulled him down beside me.
Matt remained silent, almost rigid, as if touching me would be the wrong move to make now that we were here.
"What's the matter?"
"When you touch a vision it disappears," he whispered.
Reaching for the buttons on his shirt I began to undress him, wanting nothing more than to be as close to Matt as humanly possible. I wanted his warmth, his strength and, most of all, I wanted to make sure that if Fate was simply playing a cruel joke on me, I would still have the opportunity to enjoy the amazing Matt McKenna for at least one perfect night.
He simply stared at me as I peeled off his clothes, making sure that my fingertips memorized every inch of the skin and muscle they touched. I wanted to photograph him with my mind—remember every scent, sound and movement Matt made. "Turns out…I do like you."
"Told ya' so." Offering a half-smile, Matt reached out and made sure that I was soon as bare as he was; a naked lady who wanted him with every inch of her soul.
~ His ~
I've heard of keeping a 'top ten' list for the greatest days of your life. But this day was about to end with such a spectacular moment that it deserved a much higher spot than number one.
My heart raced as Beth's soft hands moved against my flesh. The wind tickled the branches around us, sending violet buds into the air that landed in Beth's beautiful hair. It felt as if the angels were adding decoration to an already perfect scene.
I undressed her slowly…touching, kissing, feeling every inch as she had done to me. I watched her skin jump as I moved my mouth to her breast, and then found myself thrilled to once again be home. I listened to the whispers of my name and the light moans escaping her lips with each and every stroke.
Our voices joined together as I felt the excitement build between us. I wanted to spend hours, months, years just lying like this and have the rest of the world just disappear. I craved Beth with everything I had and I wanted—no—had to be inside her. Now. I had to make her mine.
Beth was the only woman I'd ever known who actually made me feel like she was making love to me. My body felt like a violin string pulled taut; quivering uncontrollably, as I parted her long legs and slid inside her. I can't explain it…the thrill of being in her; the tight, wet heat that I pushed through, slowly, until I was completely embedded in the woman I loved.
Our kisses grew fast as I moved to her neck, that private space behind her ear that her hair hid so well from a lover's sight. Her voice was deep, a growl filled with passion when she said my name. I could barely keep breathing. It was like being seduced by some magical creature. Completely under her power, I was thrilled that the pleasure Beth was feeling came from my love.
Her beautiful body rose from the soft sand as my thrusts increased. Our bodies began to dance, moving in perfect symmetry, as the speed grew. I rose up and stared into those amazing eyes, now glazed with a look of desire I'd never seen before. Beth was whispering my name, as her body writhed underneath mine. I wanted to stop time, but my head began to spin as her body tightened around me. I was throbbing inside her, as my own moans increased. The scream of her name drowned out her calls for more, as everything seemed to explode at once. Her body arched beneath me, taking me into her as deep as possible…until I felt the perfect spot.
Her hands grabbed me and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Clenching me tighter, Beth came over and over again as she rode me fast and hard. I couldn't stop…thrusting, licking, touching, tasting, kissing—not even my own imagination had come remotely close to what I was feeling now.
…I was so desperately in love with her. Beth was my soulmate.
Thirty-One
~ Hers ~
With the exception of feeling like I'd returned to high school and was speaking with my best friend, Karen Z., about the sheer hotness that Kiefer Sutherland offered in The Lost Boys, the only slightly 'odd' feeling I had was that beside me, in the backseat, was Matthew McKenna, looking as if he had just won the lottery.
As Nicole's SUV whipped through New York City traffic at a pace that would only be appropriate for NASCAR, I actually held the hand of a man who was looking at me as if he'd just found the treasure of a lifetime.
The shirt was white, so his eyes had turned into a silvery-hazel color. We spoke about his past on Broadway, with Amber glancing back from the passenger seat every once in a while to send me a smile. I swear, the child knew I was absolutely in love.
She gabbed away up front with Nicole. As always Nicole's headphones were plugged in and she was looking mostly at Amber. I was privy to the seriously frightened faces of hundreds of pedestrians as Nicole almost made them her hood ornaments as we flew by.
Take all your speeders, moronic cell phone lovers, and all the drivers who seem to want nothing more than to go three miles an hour before slamming on their brakes after they've already gone through the stop sign, and you will never see a worse driver than my agent.
"Man, the angels are busy," I mumbled.
"You are?" Matt laughed.
"Seriously. When this chick gets on the road they must have to come here in flocks to protect the pedestrians. Hell, she could probably off one of the workers up there on that scaffold." I pointed to yet another New York landmark getting a well-deserved facelift.
Matt chuckled and reached up to pat Nicole on the arm. "There's a child in the car."
Nicole glared in the rearview mirror. "I know that."
"Could you perhaps get us to the venue alive?"
She shook her head and moved her gaze to me. "You really like this guy? He's more than a bit annoying."
"What can I say? I seem to attract the annoying ones, dear. How else do you think we became friends?"
Her smile was more of a sneer as she went back to, supposedly, watching the busy street.
Matt leaned over and brushed his lips against my neck. "With you comes her?"
I raised an eyebrow. "See? Any relationship with me will be hellish."
"The compromise is worth it." Matt kissed my lips and sent my heart racing far faster than the speeding vehicle. "Besides," he said. "She's really small. I can just lock her in a closet."
"Good luck with THAT, pal!" Nicole shouted into the back, as Amber laughed at the strange adults.
"You pick on each other worse than m
e and Mike." Amber giggled. Aiming her gaze at Nicole, her voice suddenly turned into that of a protective mom, "You can't be mean to Star, or Matthew."
"And…why's that?" Nicole said in a teasing tone. "Maybe after the show we won't even see Mr. McKenna again."
My heart dropped. I knew Nicole; all she wanted was to make sure that her friend wasn't being used. But just the thought of him heading back to California and out of my life forever was a little too much to think about right now. Even though I knew the scenario was more than likely to occur.
Matt squeezed my hand and stared at Nicole. "I'm not going anywhere."
Amber rolled her eyes. "Well, of COURSE you're not."
I laughed at the way she spoke—emphasizing certain words just like Nicole.
"And how do YOU know?" Nicole continued.
I thought Amber's eyes would roll straight out of her skull. "Duh! If they're in love, that's it. It's already been decided."
I glanced at a smiling Matt who was looking at the little girl like a proud father. He turned to me and shrugged. "Kid's got a point. It is what it is. And…"
"It's love?" I smiled, just waiting for him to burst into song and make this ride even stranger for me.
He grinned. "Exactly! You tell her, Amber."
I glanced out the window and said a private 'hello' to Patience and Fortitude as we passed by my true haven. I glanced over my shoulder. "I think you lost Bobby and Chris."
Nicole waved her hand. "Bobby drives like my grandma. If I waited for him we'd miss the show tomorrow night completely."
I watched a shadow pass over Matt's face as he scanned the streets. "I hope Chris remembers to wait for me," he mumbled.
"For what?"
He took a deep breath. "We're going to pick something up this afternoon…for the show."
God, he was a rotten liar, but I let him have it. Apparently, I just didn't want to ask any question that would make Matt disappear even quicker than I already knew he would.
I took Amber's hand. "You excited?"
She nodded so fast that it looked like her neck had come detached from her head; her excitement seemed to mix with mine and fill the car to the roof with female giddiness.