Chapter 13
Thirteen
Liana was sleeping in Travis’s arms when a flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder awakened her.
Through the big windows, she watched the lightning streak across the sky and remembered hundreds of summer thunderstorms from her childhood.
Back then she would run into her parents’ bed, jump in between them, and pull the covers up over her head until the storm passed.
Now all she could do was hope the storm would move quickly.
She focused on breathing in and out to slow the pounding of her heart until a huge clap of thunder directly overhead caused her to cry out.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Travis asked in a sleepy voice.
“Nothing,” Liana squeaked.
“Baby, your heart’s pounding.”
Another loud clap of thunder shook the room.
“Is it the storm?”
She nodded.
“Come here.” He turned her into his chest and held her tight against him. “Better?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
He ran a soothing hand over her long hair. “Um, I think it might’ve been the huge crash of thunder that woke me. Have you always been afraid of it?”
She nodded again.
“Maybe it’s time we change your memories of thunder and lightening,” he said with that devastating grin of his as another bolt of lightening sent a blue glow flashing through the room.
“And how do we do that?”
He shifted her so she was on top of him and massaged her shoulders and then her back.
Liana sighed with relief as the tension and fear left her body.
With the next thunderclap, he kissed her tenderly. “How are we doing?” he whispered against her lips.
“Better.”
“The next time you’re afraid of a thunderstorm, maybe you’ll think of being here with me and that’ll take your mind off it.”
“I can do that,” she said, not wanting to think of being anywhere but with him. She tensed when another bolt of lightening streaked across the sky.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he whispered, his arms tightening around her. “You’re safe with me, remember?”
So overwhelmed with love for him, she could only nod and then sigh with contentment when he pressed his lips to her forehead.
Even though he was aroused he did nothing more than hold her close and whisper soft words of comfort as the storm began to subside.
By the time the rumble of thunder was further away and the lightening less frequent, Liana wasn’t afraid anymore.
“Thank you.” She caressed his face and kissed him.
“For what?”
“For being sensitive and taking care of me.”
He groaned. “You’re not going to let that one go, are you?”
“Not with such strong evidence to support my argument.”
“You should have been an attorney.”
“You’re going to be beat tomorrow.”
“I don’t care,” he said.
“Well, I have to work tomorrow, so we need to go back to sleep.”
“You don’t have to work.”
“We’ve already covered that. I want to.”
Rolling onto his side, he took her with him. “The bride won’t believe who her new wedding coordinator is.” He kissed her lightly and tugged her closer. “If I were her, I’d be worried about being shown up by the staff.”
Liana scoffed. “No one will be looking anywhere but at the bride.”
“I know where I’ll be looking, and it won’t be at the bride. Thank you so much for pitching in.”
“I’m looking forward to it. It really sounds like fun.”
“We’ll go see Niki in the hospital tomorrow, and she’ll tell us what we need to do.”
Liana yawned. “Okay, boss.”
Travis laughed. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.”
Liana smiled and the soft caress of his chest hair against her face was the last thing she felt before sleep took over.
The next morning, Liana was glad she had packed a skirt and top that would be appropriate to wear to work. Work! The idea of going to work in an office—Travis’s office—gave Liana the giggles as she picked up her hairbrush.
Travis snuck up behind her and startled her when he kissed her neck. “Are you thinking about my sexual prowess again?”
She laughed. “Not this time.”
He took the brush from her and ran it gently through her silky hair.
Liana tipped her head back to encourage him. In the mirror she watched him and was unnerved by the raw desire she saw on his face.
“What were you laughing about?” he asked, continuing the long, slow strokes through her hair.
“Going to work with you—in an office. Another thing I haven’t done before.”
“I’m never going to be able to concentrate with you around.”
She turned to him. Today he wore a burgundy North Point polo shirt with khaki shorts. “I expect to be treated like any other employee,” she said with mock sternness.
“Sure, sweetheart.” He reached out to touch the hair he had brushed. “Whatever you want.”
Liana waited for him to kiss her, but he didn’t.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” Liana said, puzzled by his sudden withdrawal. “Is everything all right?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” He took her hand to lead her out of the bathroom. “The paparazzi will probably follow us to the hospital, but I think we should just ignore them.”
“The pictures will be everywhere,” she warned him.
“I don’t care if you don’t.”
His tone was so businesslike, almost cold, that Liana felt a trickle of fear work its way down her spine. He was retreating from her. After the tender way he had cared for her during the storm, the loss hurt. “Travis?” She worked hard to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
He slid his wallet into his back pocket, picked up his keys, and turned to her.
She closed the small distance between them and put her hands on his shoulders.
His dark eyes were unreadable as she went up on tiptoes to kiss him.
His lips were rigid with resistance until her tongue glided over his bottom lip.
With his hands on her waist, he dragged her to him and tilted his head to kiss her with what felt like desperate need.
“Liana,” he whispered against her lips.
“What is it?” she asked, her hands on his face.
When words seemed to fail him, he reached for her hands and held on tight.
“Travis, is something wrong?”
The quick, charming smile she’d become accustomed to returned as suddenly as it had left. “No,” he said with a final kiss. “Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go see Niki and figure out what we’ve got to do in the next two days.”
Liana wasn’t convinced, but she went with him anyway.
In the car, Travis focused on evading the media that followed them when they left North Point on the way to Newport Hospital.
Concentrating on driving was better than thinking about what had almost happened in the bathroom.
Brushing her hair had been so intimate, almost even more so than making love, that he’d been swamped with want—not the physical kind but the emotional kind.
He wanted her to love him. All at once he wanted her love so badly he ached more than he ever had when he had only wanted her physically.
He’d almost told her he loved her. The effort not to had been painful and apparently obvious to her, for she’d tuned right into his dismay.
That she read him so well and so easily was both frightening and exhilarating.
During the storm, he had been touched by her courage as she tried to combat her fear. He hated imagining her in some luxurious hotel room suffering through a thunderstorm alone. He wanted to always be there to make her feel safe and loved.
What was I doing a week ago today before I knew her? I have no idea. What will I be doing two weeks from today when she’s gone? I can’t imagine . . .
Liana reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. “What’s going on over there?”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Just thinking about the wedding this weekend. We’re meeting with the bride and groom at two to go over everything one last time. I’m sure Niki has it all under control, but there are probably a few last-minute things to tend to.”
“I’m sure we can handle it.”
He glanced over at her, knowing he could handle anything with her by his side. “I have no doubt.”
When they arrived at the hospital, Liana suggested he drop her off at the door and then come in after her so the photographers couldn’t get a shot of them together.
But Travis refused to sneak around like they had something to hide.
He parked the car and took her by the hand to walk through the crowd of photographers.
Liana fought the urge to cringe as she imagined the headlines.
Reporters called out questions to them, but they pushed their way through without answering.
“Is it me or are there more of them than there were yesterday?” Liana asked once they were inside.
“A lot more. I should’ve brought a couple of guys with us.”
Liana cast a glance over her shoulder. “There were two men following me yesterday. I forgot about that until right now.”
Travis cleared his throat. “They might’ve been the guys I assigned to keep an eye on you in case the press got unruly.”
“Travis! I told you I didn’t want that!”
“I know, sweetheart. But I was worried that once they realized they had a story here it might get crazy.” He gestured to the crush of reporters outside the main door of the hospital. “Looks like I was right. Forgive me?”
“For wanting to keep me safe? I think I can forgive that.” As they walked to the elevator, she said, “I’ve never understood what they find so interesting about me. I’m just a model. I don’t act or sing or dance. I’m actually pretty boring when it comes right down to it.”
“Boring?” Travis laughed. “You’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever known, and they’re probably interested in you because you’ve never given them anything to chew on—or at least you hadn’t until now—so they’re left to speculate on that glamorous life of yours.”
“Did you know who I was when you saw me at Enid’s wedding?”
Travis flashed her an embarrassed grin. “I knew I had seen you somewhere before, but one of the twenty-something waiters had to connect the dots for me.”
Liana laughed. “Why do I believe that?”
“It’s never been about your public image to me, Liana.”
She slipped her hand through the crook in his elbow. “I know.”
Niki was in pain but relieved to see them since she’d been worried about the upcoming weddings. She gave them a long list of final details that needed to be addressed and filled them in on where to find everything in her office.
“Don’t worry about anything, Niki.” Travis squeezed her hand. “Just focus on getting better.”
“I had no idea,” Liana said when they were in the hallway.
“About?”
“How many details there’d be.”
“Weddings are pretty involved, although thankfully for us, most are not as involved as Enid’s was.” He rolled his eyes. “You want to talk details?”
Liana laughed. “I can only imagine.”
“You’re sure you’re up for this?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I can’t wait.”
In the lobby they were dismayed to find the press corps had grown during their hour-long visit with Niki.
“Why don’t we find a side door and sneak out,” he said.
She took his hand. “No.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “Maybe if we give them a little something, they’ll get their story and leave.”
Travis raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You think so?” “Not really.”
He laughed and followed her into the maelstrom.
Travis was right. The bride, Justine, and her fiancé, Tom, were star struck when they found out who would be taking over their final wedding preparations.
Liana had read their file and sat with the couple to go over every detail, from the arrival of the bridal party to the departure of the last guest. She asked a hundred questions and took tons of notes.
By the time their meeting concluded, Justine and Tom had almost forgotten who she was.
Almost.
When Liana looked up from her notes to glance at Travis across the table her heart skipped an erratic beat.
The expression on his face reminded her an awful lot of the way Brady had looked at Enid at their wedding.
Is it possible? Could he love me? No, Liana, don’t be foolish. He’s grateful. That’s all it is.
She cleared her throat and forced her wandering mind back to the task at hand. “Um, Travis, do you have any final questions for Justine and Tom? Did I forget anything?”
His eyes danced with amusement. “It seems you have everything covered.”
Liana gathered the papers into a neat pile. “We’re going to make sure everything runs smoothly. You just enjoy your day and try not to worry.”
Justine and Tom exchanged glances.
“Do you think,” she said tentatively, “that we could have your autograph?”
Liana smiled. “Of course.”
Justine reached into her purse and produced a copy of their wedding invitation. She slid it across the table.
Liana turned it over and wrote several lines before she signed her name and returned it to Justine.
“Thank you so much,” Justine said.
“My pleasure. We’ll see you Saturday. Call the office if you need to speak with either of us before the wedding.”
Travis and Liana walked them out, and when they were gone he turned to her.
Liana rolled her lip between her teeth as a flurry of details and questions floated around in her mind.
Travis poked lightly at her abused lip. “Why don’t you give that poor lip a break and tell me what’s on your mind?”
“I just can’t believe how much goes into a wedding. I’ve never once considered what happens behind the scenes. You figure there’s food, drinks, flowers, music, cake. What’s hard about that?”
Travis laughed and put his arm around her to lead her to his office.
“It gets complicated when the tablecloths have to be an exact shade of apricot and the crab has to come from Alaska and the fresh flowers for the cake are delivered separately from the table arrangements and the band needs fresh-squeezed orange juice backstage.” He closed the office door and gathered her into his arms. “I’d understand if you wanted to back out. ”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She rested against him and swayed to a Sinatra song that played on the club’s sound system. “I do have just one question,” she said after several quiet minutes.
“And I have just one answer, but first I need this.” His kiss was deep and searching, his fingers spooling through her hair. “You can’t get so busy that you forget about our fling, do you hear me?”
“Yes, boss.”
He smiled and kissed her again. “Okay,” he said between kisses. “I think I’m ready for your question.”
Liana caressed the light dusting of stubble he had left on his jaw just for her. “What do we do first?”
Travis laughed and hugged her to him.