‘You bastards,’ Lucas uttered. ‘You’re so going to regret this.’
‘Really? You’re telling me that it’s possible for you to scream more like a woman?’ James enquired. I had to clutch my side at the look on Lucas’s face.
‘Set up that damn army day, I’m so taking you down.’
‘O my God,’ I gasped, as we passed through a checkpoint and headed onto the tarmac to pull up alongside a private 767, owned by Davenport Technologies.
‘Ian was over there and had to return so I caught a lift last night, and we’re hitching another ride now it’s refuelled and ready to return,’ Lucas smiled.
‘You’re telling me that we’re going on that big plane, just the two of us?’ I looked up at it in awe. James jumped out to fetch Lucas’s bag from the boot.
‘Well no, not unless you fancy flying the damn thing,’ Lucas laughed. ‘But yes, the only passengers, with a crew to tend to our every need.’
‘Wow,’ I uttered.
‘We have our own bedroom,’ he whispered in my ear, kissing my neck in just the right spot to have me moan.
‘You must be so tired with jet lag,’ I sighed, as I reached up to touch his face.
‘I wasn’t planning on sleeping,’ he winked. ‘Come on, it will take about an hour to give you the grand tour, then we can settle in for some mile high action.’
‘Sex crazed pervert.’
‘Your sex crazed pervert, complaining?’
‘Absolutely not!’ I smiled. James opened the door for me and I stretched as I stepped out into the crisp December morning. I could do with a hot bath to ease these aching muscles. I shrieked with surprise as James suddenly bolted, then Lucas streaked past in hot pursuit. I watched with an incredulous look on my face as they raced around the plane and disappeared from view. When they reappeared on the other side, Lucas had gained on him and finally tackled him to the floor, pinning him face down and putting him straight into an arm lock, as he straddled him with a triumphant look on his face.
‘See, old man,’ he panted.
‘You had the element of surprise, I was being chivalrous and helping Miss Beresford out of the car, as you seem to have forgotten your manners, as well as the fact that I carry a Taser in my jacket pocket.’ Lucas yelped and shot up off him, as James roared with laughter.
‘O my God, you just Tasered him?’ I exclaimed, not sure whether to laugh or run to Lucas’s side to see if he was ok.
‘It’s a modified version that zaps a moderate current into your assailant, to throw them off guard. Highly illegal of course,’ James smiled, as he picked himself up and dusted down his suit while Lucas rubbed his side.
‘Moderate current? Let me Taser you and let you see how bloody moderate it is,’ he moaned.
‘I’d say that’s round two to the old man, wouldn’t you agree, Miss Beresford?’ winked James.
‘I think I have to agree,’ I laughed. ‘You two are like children. I dread to think what Lucas will be like when he’s playing with his son.’
‘I’m having a son?’ he straightened up and his mouth dropped in surprise as he stared at me.
‘A figure of speech, I meant maybe one day if we ever had children,’ I blushed. ‘I’m not pregnant.’
‘O,’ he replied, and I was sure I saw his face drop a little, as a flash of disappointment passed over it. ‘Do you want to have children though?’ he asked as he closed the gap between us, his head cocked to one side as he examined my face, waiting for my answer.
‘One day, yes,’ I shrugged.
‘O, angel,’ he sighed, as he put his arms around my waist, pulling me closely to him.
‘I never said with you though,’ I replied, with as straight a face as I could muster.
‘Nicely played, Miss Beresford, nicely played,’ chuckled James.
Lucas
I held her hand as Matt, my driver and main bodyguard over here, zoomed down the freeway towards Newport Beach. Summer was enjoying looking out of the window, she’d only been to America a couple of times on fleeting visits to discuss offers, usually being met in New York as a more central point to London, so she was as wide eyed as a child. I felt nervous as hell, wondering if I’d done the right thing as we approached our destination. She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
‘What’s the matter? You seem tense. I told you that you should have got more sleep on the plane.’
‘I’ll be fine, I can catch up,’ I reassured her, not sure how much sleep I’d be getting with my curvaceous temptress back by my side. We pulled up outside a set of white iron gates and Matt leaned out and punched in a code, making them swing open.
‘Is this the hotel we’re staying in?’
‘Not exactly,’ I replied, as we drove past the two small guest houses situated in the grounds, and the gate closed behind us. We continued up the drive and I kept focussed on her face as we pulled up in front of a 1920’s white weather boarded, two storey building, with a veranda complete with a swinging seat.
‘It’s a little bed and breakfast,’ she exclaimed. ‘It’s gorgeous.’
‘You think?’ I felt the smile creep across my face. Matt jumped out and opened the door to let her out. I quickly followed, taking her hand as I looked at him for reassurance everything was set up. He nodded and went to get my bag out of the boot. ‘Come on, let’s go and find some shade, then have a drink and something to eat.’
‘I can’t believe I’m hungry again. It smells salty here, like we’re by the sea,’ she observed, as she sniffed the air. ‘Thank God you had this bikini and summer dress for me on the plane, it’s sweltering.’
‘I’m told you get used to it, but I haven’t yet,’ I replied, as I led her around the house. She gasped and looked at up me as the beach came into view.
‘O my God, what an incredible view. It’s just like we’re in the Caribbean, not that I’ve ever been but, wow.’
‘It’s a private section of beach, just for the house.’
‘O, Lucas, can we stay here every time we come over to California?’
‘We can,’ I smiled, then grabbed her face and kissed her. ‘Come on, lunch is set up down on the beach.’ She kicked off her flip flops as we reached the sand, dropping my hand as she ran down to the ocean, her long brown hair billowing behind her. I took a deep breath and kicked off my flip flops as well and chased after her, picking her up and spinning her around as she laughed.
‘I feel like I’m on holiday.’
‘You are, sadly I have to work, but Ellie’s over here at the moment, she’s going to take you shopping and show you the sights and I’ve planned a short trip to Vegas for you both as well, just two nights as I couldn’t bear to be apart from you any longer.’
‘Lucas, you’re so sweet. What did I do to deserve that?’
‘Just by being you,’ I smiled as I carried her over to the gazebo shading two sun loungers, with a table set up with our lunch of salad and poached salmon under some silver domes. I sat her down as I popped the Champagne and poured in some Cassis for her, taking mine plain. She chattered away excitedly as we ate, and I suggested we go and freshen up before coming back down to spend some time lounging in the sun, maybe swimming too. Her eyes were on stalks as she saw the swimming pool running along the back deck and I led her up the stairs into the open plan living kitchen and dining room.
‘Where is everyone?’ she asked, as she looked around at the white spacious interior, with that coastal beach vibe going on.
‘It’s just us,’ I replied, as I hurried her up the stairs. I opened the door to the main bedroom, the balcony doors were thrown wide open with the scent of sea filling the room and the roar of the waves crashing on the beach could be heard. The white four poster bed had soft white mosquito drapes around it, which were blowing in the gentle breeze.
‘Look, they’ve even put a heart made of rose petals on the bed and a vase of calla lilies.’ She sighed, as she looked around, her eyes glittering with happy tears. ‘Have you ever seen a room more beautifu
l?’
‘I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,’ I replied as I stared at her, at her excited face and all my tension melted away. I pulled the nets back and sat her on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair as she looked up at me with those stunning blue eyes that always saw straight through me. I felt myself tearing up and quickly wiped my eyes.
‘Lucas, what is it? What’s wrong?’ she asked, in that soft nurturing voice.
‘You, you’re what’s wrong, Summer Beresford. I’m not the same man anymore, not since you sent me that booking form so long ago. My whole damn world revolves around you and it falls of its axis when we’re apart. Being away from you is catastrophic to my very existence. I can’t breathe when you’re not with me, I feel like I’m slowly dying and you’re the only one who can revive me. Life without you is meaningless, you own my heart, body and soul, every fibre of my very being is in love with you, you flow through my veins, Summer. Just seeing you brings me so much contentment, I feel like I’ve come home whenever our eyes met, or our fingers touch, suddenly everything in the world’s right again. I’m not too proud to admit that I need you to function, angel.’ I stalled for breath, overcome with emotion, the love I had for her threatening to drown me, as I dropped to one knee in front of her.
Summer
‘Lucas,’ I gasped, stunned as he sank gracefully to one knee in front of me and my heart skipped a few beats before starting again at a much more rapid pace. I held my breath as he gazed up at me, such depth of emotion showing in his beautiful grey eyes, eyes that seemed to see into my very soul, that read me like a worn ratty cornered, well-loved classic. Everything he did had me, my comfort and well-being in mind.
‘It’s no secret that I’m madly in love with you, Summer Beresford. But I’m tired, I’m tired of calling you Miss Beresford, I need to call you Summer Steel, I need to make you mine completely, to know that I can love you for the rest of your life, the way that you deserve to be loved. I want your face to be the last thing I see every night before I close my eyes and the first thing I see when I open them, because the sun rises and sets with you, being here without you I’ve been in perpetual darkness, angel, and I can’t bear it any longer. I don’t feel I deserve a woman as incredible as you, but I love you and I want to start a family with you, sooner than later. I want a house filled with mini Lucas and Summers, who I’ll love as much as I love you, you’ll never want for affection if you agree to be mine. Summer, will you … will you …’ he stalled as he took a shaky emotional breath, reflecting exactly how I was feeling.
‘Yes,’ I nodded vehemently, as I wiped some tears that had escaped and were cascading down my cheeks. He laughed and wiped his eyes on his white linen shirt sleeve.
‘You don’t know what I was going to ask, I could have been about to suggest you go and clean up the plates after lunch.’
‘Lucas Logan Steel, if you weren’t proposing then I’m tired. I’m tired of being Summer Beresford, girlfriend of Lucas Steel, I want to be Summer Steel, I want the world to know how proud I am to be yours. I want to get fat as I carry your child and watch you love him or her even more than you do me, because I have no doubt that as a husband and father you’ll excel, just as you do with everything you set your mind to. You’re the love of my life, my best friend and my soul mate. Life seems so dull, cloudy and blurred when you’re not around and my heart stops beating. Then you return and bring the sunshine, joy, clarity and focus back to my life, making my heart start beating again. So if you’re not proposing, then Lucas Steel I won’t wait any longer, will you marry me?’ My voice didn’t even waver, I had no reservations at all.
‘Tell me you did not just steal my thunder?’ he laughed.
‘Well you looked like you might be having second thoughts after all that beautiful, romantic and emotional talk. What with the girlish scream in James’s car, I thought you might feel that you’d had enough soft and tender in your life for one day,’ I teased, as he held my hands tightly in his.
‘Soft and tender is the Lucas Steel reserved just for you, angel. Whenever you want him you call, he’ll come running. So even though you stole my line, in typical actress fashion, my answer is yes, I’ll marry you, Summer Beresford,’ he beamed. It felt as if a million butterflies had been released in my stomach and were rising, lifting me with them, my body felt weightless as I floated on a cloud of love.
‘And I’d be honoured to marry you, Lucas,’ I nodded with a strangled sob, as I slid off the bed onto my knees in front of him and threw my arms around his neck. Our lips melded in an explosion of pure happiness, as we poured all of our emotions and love for each other into it. He finally pulled away, resting his forehead on mine.
‘I need to ask it, I’m the man, I can’t possibly allow us to get married with you having asked me. I need to ask and have you answer me, Summer. So, I’m officially asking will you marry me, and don’t you dare make me run out of oxygen as I wait for your answer this time.’
‘Breathe my darling man, because of course my answer’s yes, and don’t ever let me hear you say that you don’t deserve me again. You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known, Lucas, any woman would be lucky to have the chance to love you and have you love her in return.’
‘I’m not going to wait fourteen months for this milestone, angel. We’re getting married sooner than later.’
‘I have no problem with that,’ I smiled as I gave him another gentle kiss. He helped me up and sat me back on the bed, reaching into his pocket. I felt him sliding a ring onto my left hand and held my breath. O my God, I’d just got engaged to the most amazing, kind, loving, generous and seriously sexy, hot man on the planet. He flicked his head down to my hand and I slowly looked down. I had the most stunning large square diamond ring, flanked by two of the bluest sapphires I’d ever seen, set on a slim platinum band. I sat staring at it in awe as more tears flowed down my face. I’d never owned anything so beautiful.
‘Did I do ok?’ he asked, his quiet voice had an edge of nerves.
‘You did more than ok,’ I nodded, as I leapt up into his arms, wrapping myself tightly around him. He laughed and spun us around as I kissed his neck repeatedly.
‘So, Mrs. Steel to be, I’m really hoping that I’m on a roll. What do you think of our new house?’
‘Our what?’ I cried, as I pulled my head back to look at him with my mouth ajar.
‘I put down the deposit a week ago, we close in about twenty days. I had to do some serious negotiating with the agents to ask for the keys for us to spend the week here now, but when I dropped the name Summer Beresford they bent over backwards to make it happen.’
‘How did you afford it? I mean it’s a beautiful house on the beach in a lovely area, it must have cost you a fortune.’
‘I used some of my savings for the deposit and I’ve taken a mortgage, which I’ll hopefully clear with the proceeds from selling my apartment.’
‘Lucas, if this is our house I’m paying for half of it.’
‘No, because you purchased your apartment, which I’ll be living in when we’re in England. So it’s only fair I pay for this one. You’ll need to apply for a visa, I’m hoping you’ll do most of your films here too, so this will be our main home. I needed something to occupy me without you these last few weeks and came looking along the coast and fell in love with this. It’s not the biggest or the most modern, but I thought it was perfect. We have the two guest houses for the security team and maybe a housekeeper or nanny for when we have children and room for guests. The main house has four bedrooms in total, you even have your own very large dressing room. We can change anything you want, new bathrooms, kitchen, flooring, whatever you want, angel, I’ll do it. Anything to keep that amazing smile on your face.’
‘I think you’re just too good to be true,’ I sighed, as I clasped his face and kissed him, grinning and biting my lip as I saw my ring on my finger. I loved it, especially as he’d chosen the blue sapphires to go with my eyes. ‘Can we go and ex
plore? Then I have to ring Mum and Dad, Mandy, Jayne, Ellie, Brooke and Molly to tell them how happy you just made me. Then, if you’re not too tired, I’d love to have you make love to me in our new bedroom.’
‘I told you angel, whatever you want, it’s yours.’
‘I think other than a baby Lucas, I have everything a woman could ever need.’
‘A baby Logan, I like the idea of calling him that,’ he grinned, his face ecstatic with happiness. ‘Let’s do the tour, make our calls and then we can get on with the making of him.’
‘One of the best plans you’ve ever come up with,’ I laughed.
‘We must have time for a quickie, they’ve barely started and Best Actress award is way, way down the order list,’ Lucas murmured in my ear. If I hadn’t already seen the large erection straining against his black trousers, the horniness in his tone would have given away his state of mind, not to mention the look on his face.
‘We’re at The Golden Globes,’ I whispered in return. ‘It’s not exactly appropriate to sneak off for a quickie, not with all these eyes on me what with my nomination.’
‘It’s my eyes on you that you should be worrying about, angel. Your body’s looking seriously hot in that sexy red dress with those heels.’ He brushed his lips over my cheek, letting them settle lightly on my mouth, making it tingle with anticipation and longing.
‘You don’t look too bad yourself in that tuxedo,’ I replied, letting my lips linger on his. He looked absolutely knicker wetting, if I was wearing any. Now we’d set the date for the wedding, he’d convinced me to come off the pill, wanting to get me pregnant sooner than later. It just so happened that I was ovulating at the moment. He wouldn’t have it that it could take a few months for my body to settle after getting those hormones out of my system, or that it could take months more to actually get pregnant. So he was leaving nothing to chance and fucking me at every opportunity, which wasn’t exactly a chore. The day I complained about having Lucas inside me, was the day I no longer deserved him. ‘Come on then, big boy. Let’s go and get lucky.’
For the Night - Complete Box Set Page 65