“Okay, take a breath, bro,” Dane said, putting up his hand as if trying to ease his temper. He shook his head. “Be serious, Steven. Did the word love just come from your lips? You haven’t spent more than a night or even half a night with a woman in the last ten years, and they weren’t all sluts.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Christ, you’ve practically screwed every beautiful woman in Hollywood. What do you think it means?”
“They slid between my sheets.”
“Yeah, and you’re going to tell me Moira won’t?”
His jaw tightened. “She has, but it wasn’t her who wanted to be there, it was me. I wanted her. I needed her. I can’t stop needing her for some reason, Dane. I seduced her.”
“Yeah right.”
“It’s true. And it wasn’t bloody easy, I’ll tell ya that.”
“You’re just tired of the scene, and now you think you want to settle down. Christ, I don’t even think it’s in your genes to do that.” Dane swirled the ice in his glass. “This is just some kind of midlife crisis?” He gave him a cool look. “You’ve got all the toys, now you think you’re going to be a family man. Get real.”
“It’s not a phase,” he said angrily. “I fell in love with her the second I saw her. She smiled at me, and it felt—” He paused, trying to think of how to describe it. “I don’t know—everything went nuts inside of me. She’s the woman I’ve been waiting for.”
“The second some lanky blonde puts the moves on you, Moira is history. You know that.”
“I don’t even see other women now. I mean I see them, but I have absolutely no desire, it’s all Moira.”
“Shit, Steven, you’ve known her for how many hours and you think she’s going to be your wife? How long is that going to last?”
“A lifetime, asshole.”
“So you meet her playing cards and you think she’s the one?”
“Not exactly. She saved my life. She was working when the yacht caught fire seven years ago. Remember the accident in BC? She worked the incident. I heard her then, and I’m telling you I should have gone to find her then. But I didn’t, and I keep thinking how much time we’ve lost. How different everything could have been for both of us. But I’ve got a second chance. I’m not going to lose that chance.”
“She’s not used to your kind of life, Steven. You try to drag her into your sideshow, and it is a sideshow, and she won’t like it.”
“I know it’ll take time, but she can handle it. I don’t have a single expectation. I just want her to be happy, with me.”
Dane leaned on his elbows. “You can’t do this to her. You’re going to hurt her. Hell you couldn’t keep interested in a toy for half a day when we were kids. Mom thought you had ADD until she found out you were a genius. You’ll get tired of her, and then what?” Dane looked over his shoulder and sat back in his chair.
“You don’t get it, Dane. For the last twenty years, every woman has wanted something from me. Moira doesn’t want anything. She looks at me as just a man, not a way to climb a ladder. In fact, when I told her who I was, I thought she was going to run away from me.” He sat back in his chair. “She’s not Grace. She doesn’t care about what I can do, what I have or how much money is in my bank account.”
“How do you know that in just a few days?”
“I know,” he said harshly. “When I made love to Moira. I made love to her, and she rocked my world, not the other way around. It blew my mind, and I can’t get enough of her. I want to spend every waking minute with her.” He couldn’t help the small smile that plastered itself on his lips thinking about it. “I can’t even think about work. I can’t concentrate on the business. Every second I’m away from her, she’s in my mind. That’s never happened to me before. Hell, I didn’t even think twice about following her into a burning building today.”
Dane shook his head still in disbelief. “Well, it certainly sounds like love, but it’s pretty hard to believe.”
“Believe it,” he snapped.
“Fine, but think about this. Think about who you are. You can’t change that.”
He looked at his brother questioningly.
“You own a lot, Steven. You’re a big guy, and nobody is going to tangle with you, but you’re a lone wolf. You can take care of yourself. If you bring Moira into your life, she won’t have a normal life anymore. She won’t be able to just go to the grocery store or go shopping. You’ll have to protect her from the predators out there. It won’t take long before someone will try to take her from you. It means caging her, surrounding her with bodyguards. She’ll be as popular and as much of a target as the royal family. You think she wants that?”
His insides chilled. His chin jutted out as he considered Dane’s words. The worst of it was—he was right. He’d never considered how her life could change.
Dane screwed his lips together. “Hey, if you dump her, I’ll have no problem consoling her. You’ll still be able to see her once in a while.”
“Fuck you,” Steven snarled.
“Jesus, man, calm down, I’m kidding. Well actually I’m not, but—” Dane bent forward. “Are you being possessive of a woman?” He laughed. “You’re sure you’re my brother?”
“There’s no one else around here who looks like you, is there?” With his blood pressure rising, he said, “We’ll make it work.”
“I don’t think it will.”
“Plenty of high-profile people go to the fucking grocery store, Dane.” He didn’t sound sure himself, let alone to Dane.
“There’s high profile, and then there’s you, brother. Moira will be a target as soon as the bad guys figure out she means something to you, and then her freedom is finished. She’ll go crazy. You just can’t expect her to go from normal to your kind of life in a day. It doesn’t work that way.”
“So you think I should let the only woman I’ve ever loved walk away because of who I am? That’s a great idea,” he said, his anger simmering.
“No, what I’m saying is leave her in her world. Visit her, quietly.”
“I don’t want her to be a secret. I want her beside me.”
“What do you think she’s going to do once you tell her that little tidbit you’ve been holding back?”
He swallowed hard with the thought. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah, sure ya will. Just like you considered how you’re going to ruin her life if you play house. You’re better off just doing what you always do. Keep changing the women in your life like most people change their underwear.” Dane shrugged. “She’s going to dump you because she’ll think you’re using her anyway. Hell, I think you’re using her. Maybe you just don’t know it yet because of what you want.”
“I’m not using her,” he ground out. “This has nothing to do with her books.”
“If you say so.” Dane nodded. “You better be sure, Steven. She’s the real deal, and I think it’s a shame that you found her first.”
He suppressed his anger at Dane when Moira slid into her seat. The fact that he was right on many counts really pissed him off.
* * * *
Stephanie and Dane ate leg of lamb while Moira had fish, and Steven had steak.
“How’s your fish, Moira?” Dane asked.
“Pretty good,” she said. “I like getting even with these little bastards. It’s too bad I can’t eat a whale. They cause more havoc in my office than you can imagine.”
Both he and Dane chuckled.
“Jesus, she has wit, Steven,” Dane said, still chuckling. “Think I’m going to have to read those books.”
He glanced at his brother then at Moira. Something stirred inside Steven, but he didn’t recognize the feeling, so he pushed it off.
“You know I’ve been admiring your necklace all evening,” Stephanie raved. “Where did you get it? It’s so beautiful.”
Moira finished chewing her mouthful and looked over at Steven. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“St
even gave that to you? Oh, my God,” she blurted. She smacked Dane on the shoulder. “He’s only known her for three days, and he’s giving her blue diamonds and emeralds. What’s wrong with you?” she said, turning to Dane.
She meant to tease him, but Dane looked a little uncomfortable. Moira quickly concentrated on her plate.
“Do you know how rare blue diamonds are? Man, you must just rock in bed,” Stephanie said.
Moira choked on her mouthful of food.
Steven’s jaw dropped a little as he stared at his brother. Dane lowered his head in embarrassment. Although Steff looked a lot like Moira, they were twelve years apart. Those twelve years suddenly made Steff look like a teenager and Moira an elegant woman in the prime of her life.
“It looks beautiful on you, Moira,” Dane remarked quietly.
She peeked through her bangs at him, and then at Steven. “Thank you.”
His heart twitched. He realized his brother’s compliment made him jealous. He knew Dane wasn’t just admiring the necklace, he wanted the woman as well. The thought gnawed hard in his chest.
“So, Moira, tell me more about the books. Stephanie says they’re a big hit. I would think the next thing is the leap to the big screen,” Dane said, resting back against his chair.
He tensed. He couldn’t read Dane at all. Was he doing this over brotherly protection or for another reason?
Moira gave a short laugh. “You’re talking about a movie? I don’t know. My agent deals with all of that. I just write. She mentioned something about people bidding on the stories, but I don’t have anything to do with that at this point.”
Christ, he had to do something fast.
“Well, Steven owns Palm Productions, don’t you, Steven?” Stephanie said. “I would love to see those books turned into movies. Wouldn’t you? You’ve read them, right?”
Shit, a line of sweat broke out on his brow. “Yes, I’ve read them.” Dane sat calmly watching him. He should have let him drown at the lake when they were seven instead of saving his ass.
“Isn’t that what production companies do? They find a book and then bid on it to own the film rights?” Stephanie asked brightly.
Fuck, this woman talked too much.
“Can I get you anything else?” the hostess asked, suddenly appearing from nowhere.
God love her.
* * * *
They wandered the grounds, admiring the landscape before everything became drenched in darkness.
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of this.” Moira said
“Maybe we should stay the night? They’ve got room.” Steven wrapped his arm around her shoulders and curled her toward him.
“It’s a nice idea, but I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“You don’t need anything.” He bent and whispered in her ear. “Except me making love to you, watching you go wild with my touch,” he said, tempting her. “I want to feel your beautiful hips brushing against mine, Moira. It’s all I’ve been thinking about during dinner.”
Her lids fluttered shut with the sensual sound of his voice next to her ear. “You’re such a…” Steven’s lips lightly touched hers, cutting off her thoughts. His hand slid up her waist and stopped, cupping her breast. His thumb brushed over the soft silk against her nipple, his broad form hiding them from his brother and Stephanie. “Steven…” She pulled away, giving him a cautious look. “We need to go back.” Her heart hammered in her chest when he looked at her like that.
“We don’t need anything except each other, Moira. I know that, and I think you do, too.”
“A-hem,” Dane interrupted loudly from behind them. “Is it time to head back? Steff wants to get in a few hours at a merciful slot machine.”
“There ya go,” Moira said, grinning. “Decision made.”
“Fine, let’s go.” Steven wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “But we’re coming back here, just you and me,” he said quietly. “Soon.”
Moira gave him a furtive glance. “I work for a living, Mr. Porter, and I’m going home in two days. The fairy tale ends then.” Her heart twisted as soon as she said it. She realized it sounded final and cold. Right away she knew she had hurt him.
He took her hand, but he wouldn’t look at her.
“No, Steven—wait.” She grabbed his arm to stop him. “I didn’t mean for that to sound—ungrateful. I just meant…” Twining her fingers together, she bit her lip. “I just mean.” She paused. “Oh hell, I don’t know what I mean.” She curled both her hands around one of his. He looked hurt, almost vulnerable. She didn’t think it was even possible for him to look that way.
“I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who has been as kind and generous as you. The girls remind me every day that I’m supposed to roll with this. I’m supposed to accept this as a fun, no-strings-attached vacation.” She bit her lip again. “I know you probably do this a lot with women. I’m just trying to say I’m not used to this, but I understand it’s just—living in the moment.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “Most of all, thank you.”
He pulled her close. “Everything we’ve done together is a first for me too. And when we come back here together, and we will come back here together,” he said with a determined look. “We’re hanging a Do Not Disturb sign on the door for three days straight, sweetheart. You better think about a lot of room service, because I’m not letting you out of my arms the entire time.”
“Steven—” She stopped him when he took a step to follow Dane and Stephanie. “I’ve loved every moment you’ve spent with me. I don’t understand why you have, but there won’t be any tomorrows, Steven. Seriously—I don’t belong with you, you know that. You have to know that.” She curled her arms around herself. “I have to know that.”
His expression changed quickly from concern to hurt. “Why?” he growled, looking confused.
She felt a tightness clutch her chest. “Because I don’t belong with anyone, Steven. I’m meant to be alone. Did you miss the fact that we almost ended up in the bottom of the Grand Canyon coming out here. I know you don’t want to believe what I’m telling you, but it’s just a fact of life for me.” She grasped his hand and squeezed it. “I’ve loved every second with you. You need to know that, too.”
* * * *
The trip back didn’t take very long, but his thoughts remained with not only Moira’s admission that she was some kind of lone she-wolf, but Dane’s as well. It felt like he had passed into an alternate dimension where everything was backward. He’d fallen for the only woman on the planet who wouldn’t bow down to him. He wanted her more than any woman he’d ever known, and everyone but him, thought it was a bad idea. The irony of it almost made him laugh.
His jaw tightened as he gathered her under one arm, and they walked toward the airport parking lot. You belong with me, and you will be, sweet lady. Your days of being alone are just as finished as mine, he vowed.
* * * *
Before long, they found themselves in the Mandalay Bay. Moira wandered the slots for a change, fighting off a yawn. Maybe a little excitement would perk her up. She felt drained, but it had been a long day. Burning buildings and near misses with midair collisions had a way of tiring a person out. But most of all, Steven’s words confused her, putting her on an emotional roller coaster. He kept dropping hints of tomorrows that weren’t possible. She tried to stop her heart from softening, but it was like trying to turn an ebb tide into a flood, impossible.
“You do know these are the worst odds in the house?” Steven whispered into her ear.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, tucking her tightly to his body, almost possessively. She wasn’t imagining the fact that Dane’s comment at dinner bothered him. She didn’t miss the looks they gave each other. Being twins, they probably could read each other pretty well.
“I know,” she said, “but they are entertaining.” She laid her hand on his muscled forearm gathered around her waist. Sliding her hand to his, he twined his fingers with her
s. Her body coiled with the sensual feeling that slithered through her. Just a simple touch from him made her heart swell and her pulse race.
They watched Stephanie burst out with excitement when she won a hundred bucks on her dollar slot machine. Dane rolled his eyes at his brother, and shrugged.
“Money doesn’t mean a lot to you does it?” he said, seeing she had won five hundred dollars already, and hadn’t said a word.
She shrugged. “Not really. As long as it keeps a roof over my head, and I don’t have to eat mac ’n’ cheese for dinner, I’m good. Besides…” She paused to think and rested her head against his chest. He watched her with expectant eyes. “When my mother and father passed, I was left with what they had saved over a lifetime. I don’t have to worry about money, Steven,” she said quietly.
Stephanie squealed again, and they both looked over.
“Fifty bucks,” Dane said, laughing.
“She’s nice.”
“I guess, but she’s definitely not you.” He rested his chin on her shoulder as she pressed the button and won another hundred dollars. “And what about my brother, are we alike?”
She hesitated for a moment then shook her head. “No, he’s different. You’re strong and always in control. Your aura pulls so hard at me I don’t know what to do about it,” she said, honestly disturbed by the thought. “Men like you are supposed to be shallow so I can instantly dislike you.”
She reached to push the button one more time. Steven’s hand sensually drifted down her arm. He wove his fingers with hers, and they pushed the button together. He turned her face toward him. His kiss met her lips with such deep desire it racked her body with its gentle power.
He glanced at her machine and laughed. “Are you sure you don’t have horseshoes instead of dolphins on your butt? That doesn’t look unlucky to me, Ms. Viterra.” Another two hundred dollars began counting up on her screen.
Too Grand for Words (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 19
