by Nicola Marsh
The wariness was back in his voice, tingeing his tone with uncertainty.
Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head up. ‘For me too.’
He didn’t answer, giving her the floor to deliver what promised to be one heck of a speech.
‘It’s taken me the week to build up the courage to see you again.’
His eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re scared to face me?’
She winced. ‘Embarrassed more like it.’
Shaking her head, she said, ‘I overreacted that night…when we…’
He wasn’t making this easy on her and she ploughed straight in.
‘This may sound crazy but I spent most of my life being controlled by my mum, trying to live up to her expectations. She organised what I’d wear, what I’d eat, where I’d go, who I’d socialise with. My whole life revolved around Shareen and Mum made damn sure I was along for the ride.’
Swallowing the lump of emotion that always arose when she strolled down memory lane, she continued.
‘My opinions didn’t matter. What I liked didn’t matter. I soon learned it was easier to go along with everything than make waves so I did.’
She found herself tugging absentmindedly on a curl and tucked it firmly behind her ear.
‘When I came to Melbourne I vowed to never be controlled by anyone again.’
‘But I wasn’t—’
‘Let me finish.’ She held up her hand. ‘Being in control has meant shutting myself off from people, men especially, emotionally.’
Ignoring her churning belly, she went for broke. ‘You’re the first guy in years I’ve got close to and opening myself up to you in every way made me go a little nuts.’
‘You thought I’d hurt you.’ Shrewd as ever, his eyes narrowed. ‘Like that creep?’
She didn’t think he was anything like Bodey, not any more, but she’d started this, she had to finish it.
‘Guess I was wary. Once I slept with him he wasn’t interested in the fat chick any more.’
Fury flushed his face, his arms shooting out to grab her before she could move.
‘I’m nothing like that jerk. I—we—ah, hell.’
He released her and jammed a hand through his hair, the first time she’d seen anything other than slick and styled.
He paced a few steps before swinging back to her, his expression wild-eyed.
‘I’m in love with you,’ he blurted, looking anything but pleased by the declaration that had her grabbing a nearby tree for support.
‘This isn’t how I planned on telling you but I’ve missed you so much and I had this list of pros and cons I made and I wanted to ring you or turn up at your shop but the longer I left it the harder it got and—’
‘Shh…’
She placed her fingers over his lips. ‘Let’s take a step back to that loving part.’
With a goofy grin that made her heart flip, he snagged both her hands in his.
‘Honestly? I don’t know what love is. I date, I don’t do love. But this crazy, unstoppable, clamouring feeling for you invading my thoughts twenty-four-seven must be love because I know right now I can’t live another moment without you.’
Oh-oh, there went her tear ducts again, as tears of joy trickled down her face.
Sheer terror streaked across his face before her wobbly smile allayed his fears.
‘That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.’
Tugging on her hands, he hauled her into his arms and hugged tight until she could barely breathe.
‘Get used to it, sweetheart. There’s a lifetime more where that came from.’
Light-headed from lack of oxygen, she eased back and looked into the eyes of the man she loved.
‘Are you saying—’
‘I’m saying I want to grow old with you, right alongside all that fluff and frippery you’re into so much.’
Before she could say she loved him right back and would like nothing better than to spend a lifetime in his arms, he swooped, his mouth crushing hers in a breath-stealing, toe-curling, resistance-shattering kiss that had her laughing and sniffling and clinging to him all at the same time.
‘So what do you say?’
She wanted to say yes. She wanted to scream it with all the air in her lungs that this amazing, gorgeous, sexy man wanted her.
But a lifetime of insecurity gnawed at her newfound happiness, refusing to be ignored.
‘We’re so different.’
His smile faded, his eyes clouding with confusion. ‘That’s your answer?’
He released her and she instantly craved the strength of his arms again. Looking like she’d just struck him, he shook his head.
‘I lay my heart on the line, I give it to you straight, and you say we’re too different?’
Way out of her depth, she floundered for a response to make him understand how totally flummoxed she was.
‘Chase, let me explain—’
‘Of course we’re different. I knew that the moment I walked into your shop.’
She saw the silent plea in those heart-stopping blue eyes and it tore her apart.
‘But that’s not why I want to be with you. I couldn’t care less if you wore your hair curled every day or came to bed wearing a boned corset.’
She blushed but he continued, oblivious. ‘All this?’ He waved at her outfit, her hair. ‘Irrelevant, because it’s you I love. The real you. Inside here.’
His hand hovered over her heart and she held her breath, wishing he’d touch her, terrified he would.
‘If a guy who had no clue how to love before this is willing to take a chance, why can’t you?’
Good question, but she didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to tell him her deepest fears, her deepest regrets. For if she truly opened up to him, would he still want her?
Yet if she didn’t, she’d lose him anyway.
‘Lola, I’m dying here.’
Reluctantly raising her eyes to his, she blurted, ‘What if I’m not good enough for you?’
His jaw dropped. ‘What the—’
‘I know it’s crazy to feel this way but most of my life I didn’t live up to expectations. Too fat, too ugly, too quiet, too mousy.’
He opened his mouth to protest again and she held up a hand.
‘It’s lame blaming this on my mum and my sister because I should’ve stood up for myself a long time ago, but when I finally did I may’ve changed how I look on the outside but it didn’t really change how I felt inside.’
‘But you’re gorgeous! And confident.’
His mouth quirked into a smile. ‘No other woman has ever had the audacity to separate me from my smartphone and you did it within seconds of meeting me.’
She smiled at the memory. ‘Being in Go Retro, surrounded by my dream always gives me a boost. Most of the time, though…’ she screwed up her nose ‘…I’m the same insecure little mouse inside just craving approval.’
Understanding lit his eyes and she sighed in relief.
‘So why do you think you wouldn’t be good enough for me?’
‘Look at you, for goodness’ sake! Look at this place!’ She waved her hand towards the house, the grounds.
‘We’re worlds apart. I’m nothing like you. I’m old-fashioned, you’re addicted to your mod cons. You’re an A-lister, I’m lucky to make a Z list. You’re sociable, I prefer staying home. And once the novelty of my differences wears off, what’s to say—’
He kissed her again, effectively silencing the rest of her arguments and making her forget what most of them were in the first place.
All sense of time and place faded under the skilled onslaught of his lips and as she clung to him, every logical reason they shouldn’t do this evaporated into the dusk.
When his lips finally eased, he rested his forehead on hers.
‘Everything I do, everything I’ve ever done, I do for keeps. Even my folks, who’ve done their best to show they don’t give a damn about me, I’ve stuck by, because that’s the type of guy
I am.’
Lifting his head, he stared straight into her eyes. ‘I’m a long haul guy. In this for ever. So I’m going to ask you one more time. What do you say?’
She stared at his face, into his eyes, searching for the slightest flicker of doubt, of deception, of disengenuousness, and found none.
A solid, true, genuine love blazed from those eyes she’d fallen for practically the first moment she’d seen them and, in that instant, she knew what her answer had to be.
‘I say you’re the most amazing, gorgeous, charming man and I love you to bits. I say yes!’
She laughed as his arms clamped around her waist and spun her around until she was dizzy. When they finally stopped, she slid down, her body mesmerisingly plastered to his, the instant heat between them warming her cheeks.
‘Though there is just one more thing…’
Not letting her go, he nuzzled her neck. ‘Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.’
‘My real name’s not Lola.’
His head snapped up. ‘Huh?’
Blushing, she screwed up her nose. ‘I hated being boring old Louise being bossed around her whole life so when I came to Melbourne and reinvented myself, I changed my name by deed poll to Lola. Think I’m mad?’
With a relieved chuckle, he shook his head. ‘I think you’re wonderful, whatever you’re called.’
Trailing a fingertip down his cheek, she traced his lips, stunned and thrilled she’d get to do this for the rest of her life.
‘You know I love you to the heavens and back, right?’
With a slow, sexy smile that made her melt, he jerked his head towards the house.
‘Once the reception is over, you can show me exactly how much.’
With racing hearts, they headed for the house, ready for one hell of a party.
And eager to get to the real celebration later, much later.
EPILOGUE
THE party of the year was in full swing at Melbourne’s newest hot spot, the Hotel Antiqua, when the guests of honour arrived.
Cameras flashed, patrons oohed and ahhed, and reporters for newspaper society columns scribbled furiously in their notebooks as Lola Lombard entered the ballroom she’d designed on the arm of her fiancé, mega-successful entertainment guru Chase Etheridge.
People gasped at her dress, a strapless bodice embroidered with crystals and ice-blue chiffon handkerchief layers cascading to the floor, her hair, soft golden ringlets piled high on her head and anchored with a diamanté bow and her shoes, towering silver stilettos adorned with shoe buckles matching the bow in her hair, while her adoring fiancé looked on, delighted to bask in the limelight of his successful wife-to-be.
Everyone wanted a piece of the glamour couple and it wasn’t till a full hour had passed did they finally slip away.
Chase led Lola to the rooftop, pushing open the door and gesturing her ahead of him.
‘You know your impeccable manners were one of the many things that impressed me when we first met?’
He patted her bottom as she squeezed past. ‘That and my sizeable—’
‘Ego,’ she finished, blushing.
‘I was going to say mansion.’
He winked and her heart expanded until she thought it’d burst.
How had she got so lucky? A thriving business, a new close friend in Cari who she caught up with weekly, and the man of her dreams.
A man who’d cut back on his manic work hours so they could spend weekends at Mount Macedon, a man who encouraged and supported her, a man who made her laugh, a man who adored her.
She’d never felt so cherished, so appreciated, so loved, and she thanked her lucky stars every day she’d taken a chance and let him into her life, her heart.
‘So what’s up here…? Oh…’
She gaped as Chase led her out onto the rooftop. She’d expected flat concrete with a killer view. Instead, the rooftop had been transformed into a garden, lush with ferns and palms edging a gazebo, with freesias and frangipanis spilling out of giant terracotta pots.
‘It’s gorgeous.’
‘There’s more.’ Smiling, he tilted her chin up. ‘Take a look overhead.’
A million stars twinkled overhead, soft moonlight washing everything in an incandescent glow and she breathed out a reverent sigh. ‘This reminds me of that night in your atrium.’
‘When we danced to no music?’
He slid an arm around her waist, took hold of her hand. ‘Like this?’
They swayed side to side, their bodies fitting perfectly, her curves to his hardness, lost in a world where love was the only music required.
An exquisite eternity later, he eased away, cupping her face between his hands and kissing her.
‘I love you.’
Smiling against his mouth, she whispered, ‘Right back at you,’ before slanting her lips across his, wishing they could stay up here for ever.
However, Chase had other ideas as he released her and snagged her hand. ‘Come on.’
‘Where are you taking me?’
He wiggled a finger at her and held onto her hand more tightly. ‘It’s a surprise.’
‘Out here?’
‘Trust me, you’ll love it.’
He led her down the stairs and into a private ballroom where Chase’s family and hers stood around what suspiciously looked like a minister. She stumbled and would’ve fallen if her steadfast fiancé hadn’t gripped her hand.
Clutching onto him, she halted just inside the doorway, stunned to see her folks and Shareen, even more shocked to see them smiling at her with pride. ‘What…when…how…why…?’
He laughed and swept her into his arms, lowering his head to murmur in her ear, ‘You said you didn’t want a big fancy wedding so I thought we’d do a small, intimate family affair right here. The how? Well, you know I’m an ingenious businessman so I made a few phone calls, pulled a few strings and got the gang together.’
‘Some gang,’ she muttered, still in shock at seeing her supermodel sister deigning to be here let alone make polite small talk with Chase’s folks, who’d actually been making more of an effort with their son since Cari’s wedding.
‘As for the why… Well, I would’ve thought that’s obvious.’
He pressed a hot, lingering kiss just beneath her ear and she bit back a moan as the familiar fire raced through her body at his touch.
‘We’re really getting married?’
Laughing, he picked her up and swung her around as their audience applauded.
‘We really, really are.’
With her heart swelling with so much love for this amazing man she thought it’d burst, she gently pummelled his shoulders until he put her down.
‘Come on then, what are we waiting for?’
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0810-0
GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS
First North American Publication 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Nicola Marsh
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