Falling for Mr. Unexpected

by Inge Saunders

  He chuckled. “Well, I’ve already claimed you, but I’ll be glad to do so again.”

  He took her face in his hands, kissed her so long and deep she forgot the phone and it slid from her weakened grip. As it clunked to the floor, they pulled apart.

  “I have to call my mother,” she said breathlessly.

  “Then call her.” He placed butterfly kisses on her cheek to her ear.

  “Oh! You can’t do that while I’m talking to my mother.”

  He laughed. “Why not?”

  “Because it’s rude.”

  He held his head against hers, laughing. “She won’t know.”

  “But I will.”

  “And that’s all that matters.” His tone was resolute. “Okay, I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  She dialed the number, her mother picking up at the first ring. She smiled. “Hi, Mom!”

  But her words weren’t even cold when Damian started to blow on her ear.

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’m fine,” she answered her mother’s question about how she was doing.

  “It’s healing nicely,” she said and inched away from him. He followed. “Um…I actually called to tell you something.”

  She moved her head away from his mouth. “I’m going away for a while.”

  She pointed a finger at Damian; he only gave her his famous grin.

  “Where to? The States,” she replied and bit her lip. “No I’m not going alone. I’m going with Mark’s brother Damian.”

  She closed her eyes as her mother’s frantic voice reached a height not humanly possible and yet she achieved it.

  Damian’s head was buried in her neck, but he had stopped all his plans on seduction as he paused in nuzzling her neckline and raised his head, clearly listening in on her mother’s rant.

  “Mom! Mom!” She tried, but her mother kept on bulldozing. “I’ll be fine.”

  And then, before she could heap more reassurances, the phone was taken from her hand. Damian got off the bed and talked to her mother.

  “Mrs. Cupido, it’s Damian Davidson.”

  The conversation took on a whole new route Emma had not expected. She listened to one side of the exchange.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you. Emma and I were at my parents’ yesterday having lunch. If I didn’t have to leave the country immediately, we would have made a turn to your home to tell you the great news.”

  And then her jaw dropped.

  “We are engaged.” She started to gesture to him to stop talking, but he kept on. “It’s come on so suddenly. Both of us caught by surprise. And I hope you understand, Mrs. Cupido, why I want to take her with me. Yes, she will be back when school starts. The movie will be filming for the next month. Then I’ll have a break and we can talk about wedding arrangements.”

  Emma couldn’t help thinking she must be losing her mind. Why would he tell her mother such an elaborate lie? It was unnecessary!

  “Yes, Mrs. Cupido. And you, too. I’ll take good care of her. Thank you. And have a nice day.”

  It was the end of the conversation.

  He turned to her with a huge grin.

  “Are you crazy?” Hysteria filtered through her voice.

  “What?” He asked like he hadn’t told the most convoluted lie in the world.

  “You didn’t need to do that. She needs to accept I’m an adult and can make my own decisions, whether they are right or wrong.”

  He shrugged. “Your mother doesn’t know me. I reassured her with the story.”

  “No, you created certain expectations.” She sighed.

  “And is it such a bad thing to be engaged to me?”

  She threw her hands up. “How did this become about you?”

  He laughed. “I’m trying to distract you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So not the right way to do it.”

  “You’re right.” He bent toward her. “I can think of a much better way.”

  “Oh!” she shrieked as they tumbled on the bed, limbs entangled and laughing like five-year-olds.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The drive to Cape Town International Airport had been uneventful. When they boarded, Emma discovered she wasn’t flying with the rest of the human population. A private jet waited for them because Damian wanted to make sure she was comfortable. Her first international flight, and she’d been over the moon it was on a private plane.

  The plane sported every luxury that could be cramped into an aircraft of its size. It was outfitted more like a small apartment rather than an aircraft and she soon forgot about the eighteen-hours lying ahead of her.

  Of course she had to have another upset before they took off.

  Emma’s phone rang and Damian pointed a playful scolding finger at her. She missed three calls from Nomsa. She had a sinking feeling Stephanie might have informed Nomsa of their trip.

  “I need to take this. It’ll be quick.” She held up a hand to Damian. “Hi Nomsa.”

  “How can you not tell me? It’s all over the papers! You and Damian Davidson making out in the front seat of his car!”

  Her ears burned by the end of that sentence, and from the worried look Damian was giving her, so was her face.

  “I can explain….”

  “And then Stephanie has to tell me you’re off to LA.”

  “We need to take off now…. I shouldn’t be talking on the phone. I’ll call you when I get there. I’m sorry, Nomsa. I have to go. Bye, love you!” She quickly switched off her phone before the stewardess could tell her to do so. “We’re in all the papers.” Her heart beat frantically.

  “I wanted to tell you. But I didn’t want to ruin the trip.”

  “You knew? How?”

  He had been in the beach house all morning. “Ian told me.”

  She nodded. His agent. Emma made a move to bite her thumbnail but then stopped midair and chewed the inside of her bottom lip.

  “How bad is it going to be?” She had to know.

  “They don’t know we are flying in to LA, so I don’t think anyone will be waiting for us at the airport. But I bet there will be some paparazzi waiting at the apartment.”

  Her heart sank. She blew out through her mouth. “You didn’t see the pictures?” She changed tack. To agonize over what lay ahead tomorrow wouldn’t bring her any peace of mind.

  He moved his head to the side. “Ian told me you weren’t visible in the car pictures.”

  “The car pictures,” Emma mused. She nodded and then realization dawned. “There are other pictures.”

  “Of us on the beach.” He leaned toward her, took her hand, and planted a kiss on it.

  “Oh my word. But it was deserted. A private beach! How were they even able to do that?”

  Damian frowned. “With the right lens, you can get a pretty good shot from afar.”

  “So my face is visible in those shots?”

  “It was dark. But it would be a pretty good match to a picture of you in daylight.”

  She groaned and moved her head back against the seat. “Oh Nomsa’s never going to forgive me!”

  “She’ll understand why you couldn’t tell her.”

  She snorted. “You know how men always go on and on about the guy code? Well there’s a girl code, too. And I have literally broken it.”

  “You’re being hard on yourself.” He pulled her closer, and she leaned in to him as his arms came around her.

  “This is so not like me. I can understand why she reacted the way she did.” Her words came out muffled against his chest.

  He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “What’s more like you? Playing it safe?”

  “No. Being sensible. Rethinking my options. Look right, left, and right again. I make sure of things before I leap into the unknown.”

  He smiled. “Then how is it the unknown if you already know what to expect?”

  Her brow lifted. “I never thought of it that way.”

  “So you’re a control freak.” Amusement laced his t
one.

  She stuck out her tongue at him. “Show me someone who doesn’t like to be in control and I’ll show you a liar.”

  “This should be an interesting flight.”

  She gave him an imitation of his grin. “Well you did tell your parents I’m…very interesting.”

  His laugh vibrated through her and she got a delicious feeling right to her toes. Even the broken one.

  The eighteen-hour flight had been pleasant, but very long. Although Damian entertained her, there had been a point when both of them reached their threshold and laid back and slept.

  She knew they would arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport at night. The knowledge actually eased her mind. She figured the media wouldn’t want to hound them during the late hour, and Damian had reassured her no one knew they were arriving.

  The airport in Cape Town had been low-key. No one recognized Damian because he rented a SUV rather than drive his Porsche and wore a cap, sunglasses, and dressed very casually to blend in. She didn’t know how he blended in being so tall and striking, even in his cap and sunglasses.

  Women had turned their heads as he walked by carrying their bags and, as he bent to pick up one of her crutches, one woman actually ogled his butt. Emma had smiled and also gave his Calvin Klein jean-clad behind a once over, and the woman a thumbs-up.

  She laughed when Damian had turned around to ask what was going on. She shrugged with a smile, all innocence.

  But they had left without any incidents, and she hoped it would be the same when they arrived. She didn’t need to see the papers to know she wouldn’t like the pictures. She honestly didn’t know how Damian dealt with it.

  A bit numb from the flight, she was ushered into a waiting car and though she didn’t really get to peek around, out her peripheral she made out flashing bulbs. The windows of the car were tinted black, and she understood immediately why.

  He took her hand in his. It made her chest squeeze tight. Emma couldn’t believe she had actually done this. She had flown to the United States with a man she’d only known for a week.

  Emma bit her lip. Am I nuts? Her tired mind tried to scream at her. But as he drew her in close, the voice quieted down to complete silence. Even her rational self had fallen for him. There’s no return from this. And she didn’t want to.

  She must have fallen asleep in his arms because when she opened her eyes, they had stopped and Damian was telling her they were at his apartment in The Hollywood Hills.

  Hollywood, her foggy brain told her, I’m in Hollywood.

  They got out of the car and Emma blinked at the strangeness of the place. Yesterday she had been in Strand, South Africa. Today or rather tonight she was in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The paparazzi waited for them outside Damian’s apartment complex, taking their pictures, and two bold ones wanted to know who she was and if she was the Emma Cupido he hooked up with in South Africa.

  She gawked at the apartment complex through tired eyes. If this was their idea of an apartment complex, she needed to rethink her concept of apartments and complexes.

  She couldn’t take her eyes off the big flowing fountain with its blue light, to the Italian-styled building in front of her. At least the style resembled Italian architecture to her.

  Damian smiled at her expression.

  “How big is this place?” she asked.

  “It has its own gym and spa facilities. Swimming pool and clubhouse, the latter is mainly used for business. There’s also a nice garden.”

  She turned to him. “Nice? Nice is the word you’re using to describe this place and its garden?”

  He laughed as they made their way to his door, where the driver held it open already waiting. He unlocked the door and the driver took in their bags. Without warning, he picked her up and carried her over the doorstep.

  “You’re not funny,” she said.

  He set her down and she forgot his silliness as she took in, what according to him, was an apartment.

  He tipped the driver and closed the door behind him.

  “This is not an apartment, Damian.”

  “It is. The agent said so.” His eyes sparked with amusement.

  She bit her lip. “This is…a house or a penthouse or…. I don’t know but it is not an apartment.”

  She took in the entryway, the high ceiling. The sheer opulence and obvious style of the place bowled her over from the first time she set eyes on it. She took a tentative step forward, and he followed and took in her experience of the place.

  They walked on with her in a trance, from room to room.

  The apartment had two living rooms. She assumed one to be some kind of sunroom, because it had huge glass doors and windows, its own balcony the same as the other one. That was the only similarity between the two.

  While one had red walls with white finishing and modern furnishings played off with antique furniture, the other had been done mostly for comfort, with soft sofas, a rocking chair, and side tables with books and knickknacks on them.

  She imagined herself curled up on one of the sofas with a book. “And you live here?” They had moved on from two of the three bedrooms.

  He nodded. “When I’m in town, yes.”

  “And how often is that?”

  “It depends on the movie. You don’t often get a movie done in the old grandiose style anymore, so most of my time is spent here in LA. But every now and then I get to travel the world. See some pretty great exotic locations.”

  As she inspected her surroundings, she didn’t miss the teasing note in his voice.

  “I would kill to….”But she didn’t finish her sentence as an excited squeal escaped her mouth. “I want to sleep here!”

  If her foot hadn’t been sore, she would have jumped up and down. What she did manage was an awkward hop on one foot.

  He laughed. “Okay, don’t hurt yourself. It’s all yours.”

  “All mine!” Emma ambled her way up the four-poster bed and laid spread out, making angel’s wings on the duvet. “I’m never coming out of this room.”

  Damian folded his arms. “And here I planned on taking you to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the wax museum, and Disney. I overheard you singing in the bathroom the other day. I didn’t know you’re such a fan. Hannah Montana? Really, Emma?”

  Before she could defend herself—she was a primary-school teacher and sometimes what the kids listened to rubbed off—he started listing attractions again.

  “Universal Studios, Venice….”

  “Stop!” Emma sat up. She longingly gazed around the room, at him, and then at the room again, feeling torn.

  Damian laughed.

  “This isn’t funny.”

  “You know you could always come back if we don’t get to do all the things I listed.” He smiled.

  She flopped back on the bed again. “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  She gave a deep sigh. “This must be heaven.”

  He went to lie next to her and stared up at the white ceiling. “Why don’t you take a bath? I’ll scrounge up something to eat.”

  “Not anything hectic. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anyway.”

  “You’ll have to try. I’ll have both your mother and Stephanie on my case.”

  She pulled a face. “I’ll try.”

  He got up and walked to the door. “Funny you should pick the guestroom with its own bathroom.”

  She perked up. “Really?”

  She proceeded to hop off the bed on one foot to find it. He laughed as he went down to order some takeout.

  She was glad he wasn’t there to see her, because she had tears in her eyes as she took in the bathroom. Fit for royalty was not the description she would use. The words she would use hadn’t even been invented yet. She reverently touched the bathtub, which wasn’t really a bathtub because its appearance was more like a Jacuzzi judging from the size of it. As she eyed the assortment of bubble-bath bottles around, Emma made plans on having a very long soak later.

 
“Emma!”

  She walked out of the bathroom. “Yes?”

  “Food’s on its way. Do you want to call your family?”

  She grimaced. “Not now. Maybe later. I need to get used to all of this.” She wearily gestured with a free hand.

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Plus some alone time would be nice.”

  A thought occurred to her. “Will the paparazzi be there, wherever we go?”

  He strolled over to her. “I’ll try my best to outsmart them. But I don’t want them to rule our lives. I ran from them once, I’m not doing it again.”

  Brave words, but she didn’t know if she was as brave as him.

  As if he could sense her doubt, he tipped his face toward hers and though she expected a kiss and had been kind of ready for one, he touched her forehead with his, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

  “I wouldn’t have brought you with me, if I couldn’t keep you safe.” His breath caressed her face.

  She closed her eyes, too. “I know.”

  “And this is real. I’m not going to hide it or you from the world. They can take as many pictures as they want. We are together; it’s not a lie. It’s simply the truth.”

  Well, she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. She sighed as his lips touched hers for a scorching, affirming kiss.

  ***

  After their first night in LA, life seemed to be one huge blur.

  It was official now. They were a couple. As much as she had fought it at first, the whole world could see, literally.

  When she finally saw the incriminating pictures, she’d been surprised at how sedate they were in comparison to what she’d felt at the time.

  Their arrival in LA had been also noted by the press, and the next day when Damian took her with him to Universal Studios to see where he would be working for the next month, they had a team of bodyguards and personal assistants surrounding them. Even when he took her to Disney and the wax museum.

  But what really had her head in a spin had been the obvious glamour of the lifestyle. They went to the best restaurants to meet up with some of his co-stars, producers, and director. Each outing had her scrambling for clothes because even though she knew it’s madness to be so superficial, she still wasn’t about to suffer being less than picture-worthy next to Damian.