by Marie Force
“Gladly.” He skimmed two fingers over her, causing her to cry out. “Are you sure this is what you really want?” he teased, as he pushed his fingers into her.
Liana whimpered and broke out in a sweat. He drove her mad with his fingers and tongue until she came with a shriek not once but twice. She was like a rag doll by the time he reached for the last of the condoms.
With his hands framing her face, he slid into her. Brushing his lips over hers, he moved slowly.
Drowning in him, she looked up to find him watching her and wanted so badly to tell him she loved him. Instead, she wrapped her legs around him and used everything she had to show him.
Chapter Nineteen
Awakened by the call from Liana, Beck propped his head on his hand to watch Jessie sleep. Sprawled face down on the bed hugging the pillow, her blond curls formed a wild halo. Between bouts of passionate lovemaking, she had slept in his arms throughout the unforgettable night. He twirled a curl around his finger and brought it to his nose to breathe in the scent of flowers and sunshine that was all Jessie.
He marveled at the way she had stormed into his life and turned his well-ordered existence upside down. If only he could see past the next week to how they would manage to make a life together. Imagining her getting into a limo to return to New York, he saw himself going with her. He’d give up his job, his home, his entire life if that’s what it took.
And to think, he hadn’t even known her a week ago. The thought made him laugh softly as he pressed his lips to her shoulder.
She stirred, and one bottomless blue eye fluttered open. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“I was just having the most amazing dream.”
He shifted to cover her body with his. “Yeah?”
“Mmm.” She raised her bottom to press against his erection.
Blinded by lust, Beck couldn’t believe he already wanted her again. “What happened in this dream of yours?”
“I saw you and me and three little blond kids running around. You were wearing faded jeans and an unbuttoned red plaid flannel shirt. I watched you with the kids, and all I wanted was to kiss the bit of chest I could see under your shirt. There was a Christmas tree and a fire in the fireplace. I could smell the pine and the smoke and maybe a turkey roasting in the oven. It was so vivid. I wanted to reach out and touch it.”
Choked with love and emotions he had never experienced quite so acutely, Beck slid his hands under her to cup her breasts. He watched a lone tear trickle down her cheek and kissed it away.
“I want it so bad,” she whispered. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever really wanted—a home of my own that’s safe and full of people who love me.”
“I’ll give you that, Jessie. I want to give you everything.”
She squiggled under him, seeking him.
“Wait, honey. I need to get a condom.”
“No condom. Just you.”
“We can’t.”
She reached back to stop him from leaving her. “We can. The timing’s not right anyway.”
He slid into her from behind. Knowing the position was new to her, he moved carefully, reveling in her heat and the rare sensation of sex without a condom. “You’ll be sore, honey.”
“I don’t care.” She pushed back at him frantically. “Don’t go slow.”
Biting his lip to keep from coming too soon, Beck raised her to her hands and knees, spread her legs further apart, and gave her what she wanted.
Travis and Liana spent the day overseeing final wedding details. He left for an hour to take Dash to the vet, who found nothing at all wrong with the dog. At five o’clock, an hour before the wedding was due to begin, Liana stood in the middle of the deserted tent and gave the setting one last visual inspection.
Travis watched her as she chewed on her lip, her brows knit with concentration. My sweet, amazing girl. Your father was right—there’s so much more to you than your exquisite face. And now that I know just how much, what am I ever going to do without you? Was it really not even a week ago that I had to ask Sam who the lovely creature in the hideous dress was?
He stepped into the tent to rescue her from the obsessive attention to detail. Massaging her shoulders, he kissed the back of her neck under her heavy ponytail. “Everything looks perfect, sweetheart.”
She turned to him. “Are you sure it’s right? Did you check?”
“Not that I needed to, but yes, I checked. You did a terrific job.” He toyed with the wireless headset that lay around her neck. “You’re a natural. Everyone here says so.”
She laughed off the compliment. “They have to say that. They know I’m your girlfriend.” Her eyes clouded. “Or, well, your something . . .”
“My girlfriend.” He kissed her softly. “At the very least, my girlfriend.”
The sparkle of excitement in her eyes delighted him. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “Want to go steady?” he asked with a small smile.
“Another thing I’ve never done.”
Travis drew her into his arms, touched by her on so many levels. Once again the words he wanted to say to her burned the tip of his tongue. “Liana . . .”
Resting her head on his chest, she said, “Hmm?” When he didn’t answer, she looked up at him. “What is it, Travis?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He kissed her forehead and then the tip of her nose. “Let’s go get changed.”
Travis showered, shaved, and took his tuxedo into the bedroom to give Liana full run of the bathroom.
Dash lay on her bed in the corner and watched him with tired eyes.
When he was dressed, Travis squatted down to scratch Dash behind the ears.
The dog sighed with pleasure.
“How you doing, girl?” He spoke softly, and Dash seemed to hang on his every word. “I sure am glad you’re back. You knew you had to come home so I wouldn’t be alone when Liana left, didn’t you? We’ll be all right, though, won’t we? We were all right before she showed up, and we’ll be all right after she goes.”
“Travis?”
Still in a squat he twisted around. Dumbstruck by the sight of her in a simple black gown he could only stare.
She smoothed her hands over the long skirt. “Is this all right?”
Travis stood up and crossed the room to her. “When did you find the time to go shopping?”
She smiled. “It pays to know people in the fashion world. My friend Marco sent it by overnight mail yesterday. I work at his shows, so he has my measurements. I didn’t want anything too fancy, but since the wedding was formal . . .” Her voice trailed off. “It’s all wrong, isn’t it?”
“No, sweetheart,” he said, his voice thick with emotion as he ran his hands over her bare shoulders. He could see she had made an effort to downplay her appearance, but had succeeded only in making herself even more beautiful than usual. “It’s perfect.”
“I was worried about what you said. Maybe having a minor celebrity at their wedding will annoy Justine and Tom. I don’t want to do anything to take the attention away from them, so it might be best if I wasn’t there. You could take care of anything that comes up.”
“First of all, if the number of reporters sitting outside my gate is any indication, you’re a major celebrity. And second, Tom and Justine don’t mind if you’re there. In fact, they think it’s very exciting.”
“How do you know?”
“I asked them before I put you in charge of their wedding.”
Amazed, she said, “You did?”
He nodded and kissed her nose. “So did your friend Marco send shoes to go with that dress?”
Liana’s face lit up with a delighted smile. “Are you jealous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Travis said with a sniff. “Jealous of a man who makes dresses for a living? Whatever.”
Liana laughed. “You are!”
He tapped on his watch. “Shoes, Liana . . .”
She looped her arms around his neck. “Did I mention M
arco is a full-blooded Italian with that jet-black hair and that fabulous olive-toned skin that all Sicilian men have? Mmmm . . .”
“You’re just trying to piss me off so you can have more make-up sex,” Travis said.
She tossed her head back and laughed.
He took advantage of the opportunity to sink his teeth lightly but possessively into her neck.
Liana gasped.
“You need to break the news to your Italian stallion that you’re going steady,” Travis said, trailing his tongue over her collarbone.
“Marco and his lover will be thrilled to hear that. They’ve been after me for years to get a boyfriend. They say everyone should have one.”
With his arms tight around her, Travis lifted her off her feet. “You’re an evil bitch,” he said with an amused scowl.
She framed his face with her hands and kissed him with complete abandon. “And you’re very sexy when you’re jealous,” she whispered. “Especially in Armani.”
“Let me guess,” he said, raising an eyebrow as he set her back down. “Another friend?”
Since she couldn’t deny it, she nodded and slid her hands over his lapels. “He’d want you to model for him if he could see the way you wear him.”
Travis cringed. “Not in this lifetime, sweetheart.”
“You could make a fortune,” she insisted.
“I’d rather live out of the back of a Pinto.”
Travis saw the flash of hurt that crossed her face and was sorry he had been flippant.
“Do you really think it’s so terrible?” she asked.
“For me it would be. That’s all I’m saying. For you, it’s something you’ve been very successful at, and you should be proud of that.”
“I am,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin. “I know it’s not exactly a noble profession, but I’ve always believed if you’re going to do something you should be the best at it.”
Travis died a little inside as she defended her work, reminding him that she’d be going back to it far too soon. “And you are. The very best. Now, get your shoes, and let’s go before we’re late.”
Liana started to say something, but seemed to think better of it. She turned and went back into the bathroom where she had left her shoes.
Hand in hand, they walked the short distance between The Tower and the club with Dash trotting along at their heels. Photographers with huge long-range lenses went wild at the North Point gate and in boats that dotted the shoreline.
“You’d think they’d be tired of us by now,” Liana said.
“We seem to get more interesting to them with every passing day.”
“I can’t wait to see the headlines our formal attire will generate.”
Travis stopped walking all of a sudden and pulled her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a scandalized whisper.
“Making their day,” he replied the moment before his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss.
Liana’s face was scarlet by the time he finally let her go. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she said as she brushed a hand over her mouth.
Surprised to see she was genuinely annoyed, Travis asked, “Why?”
She gave him a look that said he should know why and went into the club ahead of him.
Inside, they were hit right away with several last-minute issues, and Travis never had a chance to pursue it further.
Hours later, he stood at the side of the tent—in almost the same spot as when he first saw her—and watched Liana oversee the cutting of the cake.
Beck walked up to him. “Everything going all right?”
“Seems to be. Liana’s got it all under control. Is Dash behaving?”
“She’s been sleeping in the office all night.”
“She’s done in from her big adventure.”
“No doubt.”
“You talked to the photographer?”
Beck nodded. “I made it very clear we’d slap him with a lawsuit if any pictures of you or Liana end up in the press.”
“Thanks. How’s Jessie doing?”
“She’s great. Fabulous, in fact.”
Travis studied his friend, noted the smug, satisfied look on his face, and would bet big money that he’d recently gotten laid. “Anything you want to tell me?”
“I love her.”
Taken aback, Travis stared at him.
“Don’t act so surprised. Like you aren’t in the same boat.”
“Yeah, well. . .”
“Can’t deny it, can you?”
Travis knew it was pointless to even try. “No.”
They stood together in silence and watched Liana interact with the bride and groom.
“She’s got a real way with people,” Beck observed. “Look at her. She’s almost made them forget who she is.”
Pleased his friend was able to see beyond Liana’s glossy veneer, Travis nodded. “I offered her a job coordinating weddings for us.”
Beck raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?”
Travis shrugged but never took his eyes off Liana. “I thought she might enjoy it. She hasn’t come right out and said no, but she’s leaving next weekend to go back to her real life. That’s probably for the best.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s where she belongs.”
“Let me ask you this: When you offered her the job did you tell her you love her?”
Travis winced. “Didn’t mention that.”
“Why not?”
A knot of tension settled in Travis’s chest as he watched Liana share a laugh with the bride. “I figured I’d start with the job, and if I was able to convince her to stay we’d figure out the rest later.”
“And of course you know that was ass backward.”
“Um, no, not until you graciously pointed it out to me,” Travis said, dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks for that. Did you tell Jessie yet?”
“Yep. Last night. When you know you’re looking at ‘the one,’ it’s not hard at all to say the words.”
Travis glanced over at Liana again. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Tell her, Trav.”
He shrugged. “I don’t want make her feel obligated to me. Whatever she decides, she has to do it on her own.”
“She can’t decide anything if she doesn’t know how you feel.”
Travis had to concede that Beck had a point. “I’ll think about it. What are you going to do about Jessie?”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea.”
Travis laughed. “Let me know when you figure it out, will ya?”
“You’ll be the second to know.”
Travis navigated his way through the tent to where Liana consulted with the wait staff captain, took the headset off her, tossed it to the surprised waiter, and reached for her hand.
Liana, who had stopped talking in mid-sentence, tugged at the grip he had on her hand. “What are you doing? I was working.”
“You’re done,” Travis said as he took her into his arms on the dance floor.
“Says who?”
“The boss.”
“Oh, you’re being so insufferable!”
He kissed her cheek. “You did a wonderful job, sweetheart. The whole thing was smooth as silk.” He was aware of the exact instant her head of steam dissipated.
She turned her eyes up to meet his. “Really?”
Touched once again by her vulnerability, he said, “Really.” He pulled her tight against him and swayed to the music.
“Travis.”
“What?” he asked against her ear, sending a tremble through her.
“Thank you for letting me do this, for showing me there are other things I can do.”
“I should be thanking you. You really bailed me out this week.”
“It was fun. This whole week has been the most fun I’ve had in far too long.”
“For me, too. I’ve been all work and no play for years. Speaking of play, what do you say we get out of here for a couple o
f days this week?”
“And go where?”
“New Hampshire. Beck has a place on Squam Lake. We can sneak away, leave the paparazzi behind, and hide out for a couple of days. What do you think?”
“I’d love that, but I promised my mother I’d spend some time with her tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. We can leave Monday morning. How about we take her and David out on the boat tomorrow?”
“I’ll ask her. She adores you, so I’m sure she’d love to spend the day with you.”
“Adores me, huh?” Travis said with a smug grin.
“You’re being insufferable again.”
“And what does her daughter think of me?” Travis asked, gazing down at her as he held his breath in anticipation of her reply.
Liana reached up to caress his face. “Her daughter thinks you’re a very special man.” With a smile, she added, “A sensitive, romantic, special man.”
It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was a start.
Chapter Twenty
The brisk westerly wind the next day helped Travis dodge most but not all the photographers who followed them in boats.
Liana kept twisting around to see how close they were.
“Relax, honey.” Agnes patted her daughter’s knee. “Just ignore them. They can only ruin our day if we let them.”
“You’re right, Mom. I’m sorry. Can I get you another Diet Coke?”
“No, thank you.”
Travis had brought the dinghy so they could row into the beach after they anchored the sailboat off Prudence Island. On his second trip to the beach, Travis swore when Dash jumped out of the boat and beat him to the shore.
Watching from the beach, Liana and Agnes laughed as he glowered at the dog.
They enjoyed the lunch Travis had brought, even though they were being photographed the entire time. After they had eaten, Agnes wandered down to the water. When her wide-brimmed straw hat blew off her head, Travis gave chase. He finally caught up to it and returned it to her.
“Thank you, Travis.”
“No problem.” He glanced back at the blanket, saw Liana absorbed in conversation with David, and decided to walk along the water’s edge with Agnes.