Chapter 24 #2
“Then what’s wrong? And don’t say ‘nothing,’ because I know you better than that by now.”
“This feels like our last night together.”
His eyes widened with surprise. “I told you I’ll be back.”
“I know you did.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I think you want to believe that, but you’ll get busy with work, and one thing will lead to another, and you’ll end up staying there.” She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Isn’t that what happened last time?”
“Yes, but everything is different now. When I said I’ll be back, I meant it.”
“You need to do whatever it takes to get your career back on track. I don’t want you worried about me when you need to be focused on work.”
“I will worry about you. Of course I will.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but it’s very possible that this”—she moved a hand between them to indicate their relationship—“was intended to be a fling and nothing more.”
His brows knitted with what appeared to be genuine concern. “Is that what it was to you?”
Stephanie wanted to lie. She wanted to tell him what he needed to hear so he’d be free to pursue his goals without the weight of her expectations holding him back.
But as she studied the handsome face she loved so much, she couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t lie to him. “No. It was more than that. A lot more.”
“For me, too, honey, and when I tell you I’ll be back, I will be back. I need you to believe me.”
This time, she did lie. “Okay. I believe you.”
He extended a hand to help her out of the tub and toweled her off with reverence. When he was finished, he wrapped the towel around her and tucked in the edges before he fought his way out of the soaked khakis. “Wearing pants into the tub might not have been the best idea I ever had.”
Stephanie laughed at his battle with the heavy, wet pants. “Do ya think?”
Once he was free, he reached for her hand. “Let’s go to bed.”
She placed her hand in his, anticipating this one last night with him. Tomorrow was soon enough to figure out how she’d ever live without him.
Stephanie never did sleep that night. She was either making love with Grant or watching him sleep.
As the first hint of dawn snuck through the blinds, her heart was heavy with dread.
Of course she’d survive the way she always did, but this day would be a tough one.
No way around that. She’d drop him at the airport and then head south to catch the ferry back to the island.
She couldn’t imagine spending an hour there without him, let alone days on end.
Drawing in a deep breath, she marshaled the fortitude it would take to hide her torment from him.
He needed to seize this exciting new opportunity and take it all the way to a second Oscar.
The last thing in the world she wanted to do, especially after all he’d done for her, was get in the way of that.
His hand moved slowly from her shoulder to her hip, blazing a trail of sensation, which was all it took to make her want him—again. He pressed against her from behind, his hands cupping her breasts and his lips firm against her neck.
Stephanie pressed her bottom into his erection, encouraging him as his fingers tweaked her nipples.
“Not like this,” he said, urging her onto her back. “I want to see you.” He settled between her legs and gazed down at her for a long, breathless moment before he kissed her softly and sweetly, as if he was trying to tell her everything he needed her to know with that one kiss.
She stroked his back and raised her hips, urging him to take what they both wanted.
He slid into her slowly and released a deep sigh when he was fully seated. For the longest time, he stayed perfectly still, throbbing deep inside her, connected to her in every possible way.
The tension built and grew and then exploded in a blast of heat and sensation that ripped through her like a tidal wave. As he picked up the pace, seeking his own release, Stephanie couldn’t contain the tears that streamed down her face, giving away the torment she’d tried so hard to hide from him.
Slipping his hands under her, he grasped her ass as he pounded into her, and sent her into a second less powerful but no less potent climax before he joined her with a cry of completion that echoed through the big room.
For a long time afterward, he rested on top of her. When he raised his head to meet her tearful gaze, he pressed one last, soft kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back for you. I promise.”
Stephanie nodded and drew him into a tight hug so he wouldn’t see her pain.
On the short ride from the city to the airport, Grant experienced a rising sense of panic.
He’d never felt this torn in his entire life.
All he had to do to get his struggling career back on track was show up for a meeting in LA.
Stephanie said she understood. She supported his career and knew this was important to him.
But he suspected she didn’t believe him when he said he’d be back.
“I’ll be here for the meeting with Dan.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it by myself. He’s not the first lawyer I’ve dealt with.”
“Still. I want to be there.”
She shrugged. “If you can.”
What am I supposed to do? The question nagged at him as they rode south in silence on Interstate 95. And then she was taking the airport exit and pulling up to the departures terminal. His bag landed with a thud on the curb, as if she was suddenly anxious to be rid of him.
Maybe she was. Maybe he’d read this all wrong.
Last night, she’d referred to their relationship as a fling.
While he’d gotten her to admit it had been more than that, maybe it hadn’t been enough for her to change her plans to suit him, to adapt her life to make room for what they might have together.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d read something wrong. He was still grappling with his dilemma when she gave him a quick hug and a lingering kiss.
“Good luck out there. I hope it all works out for you.”
“Thanks. Steph—”
“Don’t. Please.” She held up a hand. “Don’t say something you think I need to hear. Just go. Do what you need to do. I’ll see you when I see you.” Going up on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “Travel safely.”
Before he could summon the words he wanted to say to her or the reassurances he wanted to leave her with, she was back in her car and giving him a jaunty little wave as she pulled away from the curb.
Abby’s voice echoed through his head, reminding him that he could write anywhere in the whole world. And the only place in the world he wanted to be was with Stephanie.
Suddenly, it wasn’t all right that she was leaving without knowing how he felt. Why hadn’t he told her when he’d had the chance? “Because you’re still an idiot,” he muttered. “Steph! Wait!” He chased after her car, but either she didn’t hear him or she chose not to stop. He hoped it was the former.
Racing back to where he’d left his bag on the curb, he shouldered it and flagged down a cab.
“I need to get to Point Judith,” he said when he was settled in the back seat.
The driver turned to him. “For real?”
Grant withdrew his wallet and tossed two one-hundred-dollar bills through the window that separated the front seat from the back.
“Drive. Please. And quickly.” Adrenaline had Grant’s heart beating fast, his lungs straining for air and his hands damp with sweat.
Realizing how close he’d come to once again doing the exact wrong thing had finally sobered him up.
“At least this time you figured it out before it was too late,” he said, earning a wary glance in the mirror from his driver. At least he hoped it wasn’t too late.
He had about an hour to formulate a plan. Withdrawing his cell phone from his pocket, he got to work.