by Virna DePaul
“At the party, she was upset. I tried to tell her it didn’t matter what other people thought, but she refused to listen. She left and ended up driving the car into a tree. It was an accident—she wasn’t trying to commit suicide, just lost control of the car. She died at the scene.”
“Her death isn’t your fault,” she said immediately.
“I know that.”
“Jamie, it wasn’t, and it’s horrible for Marie and anyone else to suggest it was.”
“I think they blame me for not letting her break up with me when she first tried to.”
“So they blame you for being a nice guy? Well, fuck them.”
He laughed then grew serious. “I thought you viewed my niceness to my detriment.”
“You have a lot more to who you are. You’re super smart, and super funny and sexy and fun to be with…”
Jamie put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He held her there for a few minutes before he said, “So, would you ever consider overlooking my “niceness” because of all my other redeeming qualities and actually being with me…for real?”
“I’ve been considering it a lot lately.” She was going to say more. She was going to say but...
But before she could, Jamie kissed her, making her toes curl, and not in just a sexual way. The kiss was akin to an overwhelming expression of emotion that made her chest swell and her head spin. The kiss was akin to a declaration of love, one that was unnecessary because they’d already told each other they loved one another.
The problem was, she still didn’t know what they should do about it.
Lucy kept her thoughts to herself because she didn’t want to upset Jamie anymore than she had. What he’d said had struck a chord for her. She was being cowardly, afraid to commit herself completely to him because she wasn’t willing take on anyone or anything that would dare try to come between them. Yet she was strong. Stronger than Sierra, she told herself, if only because she was older and more experienced.
And bottom line, Jamie was…well, Jamie.
If ever there was a man worth fighting for, a man worth making compromises for, it was him. She knew that.
She knew it. But she still couldn’t get the words out to tell him that.
After a few minutes, likely sensing the internal struggle she was having, he said, “You hungry?”
“I am,” she said, hooking her arm through his.
“There’s a really cute little restaurant on Main Street that has the best hamburgers I’ve ever tasted.”
“Mmm, sounds good,” she said. “Let me change.”
Lucy put on a pair of jeans and a Harley Davidson T-shirt she’d bought when they were in Vegas. It was fitted, red, and showed just a hint of cleavage.
They walked hand in hand through the little town. As they strolled past the town library, Lucy glanced in the window. “Oh my goodness. Look.”
There was some kind of reading circle going on, with kids ranging anywhere from two to about seven or eight years old. Standing in front of them was a man that looked like he’d just walked in from the Outback. He was holding a giant, yellow boa constrictor and there were multiple cages behind him with various other animals inside.
“Let’s go in,” she told him.
“I thought you were hungry.”
Lucy rolled her eyes and said, “I’ll live. Come on.”
* * *
Lucy’s enthusiasm was contagious. They stood in the back of the room behind the parents of the children and listened to the man talk in a strong Australian accent. He told the kids about the snake and answered their questions. When he finished his talk, he said that if anyone in the audience wanted to hold the snake, he or she should raise their hand. Jamie wasn’t the least bit surprised when Lucy raised hers.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I thought my snake was the only one you liked to play with.”
She elbowed him in the ribs and actually shushed him, making him laugh.
After the difficult talk they’d had back at the inn, he felt light years better. He hadn’t missed the fact that Lucy had failed to answer his question about being with him for real. But it was definitely a topic he planned on raising again. Soon.
Hell, he still couldn’t believe it. She’d said it. She’d admitted she loved him.
That, he could work with. That, he could be patient for.
Lucy didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be his in every way there was.
Lucy joined the children and held the boa and a baby python and even a baby alligator. Jamie chatted with the Crocodile Hunter for a few minutes and decided that even though he was looking at Lucy like he wanted to eat her with a spoon, he wasn’t half-bad as far as hunky, Australian tough-guy types went. The best thing in his favor? He seemed to know Lucy was with Jamie and didn’t even try to hit on her. Big points for that.
Lucy was giddy and chatty on the rest of their walk to the restaurant. When they got there, her eyes widened once more. Standing guard outside was a stuffed eight-foot tall grizzly bear. He was in a glass case but his teeth and nails were bared as if he was about to pounce. The name of the restaurant was “Kodiak” and the entire theme was bears. It even had a gift shop filled with teddy bears and collector cups and T-shirts.
“This is so cool,” Lucy said.
Jamie smiled, loving how she seemed to take the same pleasure in holding snakes and visiting bear-themed restaurant that she did in taking a private jet ride to New York.
“Before we leave, I want to look around and get something for the baby,” Lucy told him.
Jamie gave her an indulgent smile as they were shown to their table. He watched her eyes flit from one big bear to the next. Once they were seated and the waiter had taken their drink orders, Jamie said, “First the aquarium, then the snakes, now the bears. You really like animals, don’t you?”
“I love them. When I was a kid I used to tell my dad I wanted to own a zoo when I grew up.”
Jamie caught himself just before he did something stupid like offered to buy her one. But honest to God that was his first instinct. He’d do anything, pay anything, to make Lucy happy. Instead, he jokingly said, “Oh, I see now why you chose the zoo as our next day trip with Milly.”
They enjoyed their lunch together and then continued their walk around the little town. They walked through the park where there was a baseball game going on and they stopped to watch. One of the guys choosing teams saw Jamie sitting behind the backstop and said, “Hey, we need one more player, are you up for it?”
Jamie shook his head and Lucy said, “Aw, come on…I’d love to watch you play some baseball.” She made her pouty face and a minute later, he was jogging out to the field.
It wasn’t buying her a zoo, but hell, it was still a pretty big deal for him.
Even as a teenager, Jamie hadn’t been all that good at baseball, but he was decent enough not to embarrass himself. At one point, he was actually applauded for catching a ball and scoring the last out. The various men thanked him for playing.
When he strode back to Lucy, she high-fived him and said, “Go Jamison! Woot! You kicked baseball booty.”
He leaned closer. “Did it impress you enough to—”
“Jamie Whitcomb?” a man called from behind him.
Jamie turned. “Yeah,” Jamie told him. “That’s me.”
Lucy stepped closer toward him, practically pasting herself to his side, and he smiled down at her. She looked ready to tear anyone apart if they dared said a bad word to him.
“I’m Garrett Hawk. Your family wants to open that airplane parts plant?”
“Yes,” Jamie said, bracing himself.
A couple of guys stopped next to Garrett. “I heard the town council was putting a stop to that,” one of them said.
“They have concerns. I’m here to address them.”
A few of the men still glared at him and another one of them said, “We have kids here, families. We may not have billions like you and your family
does, but our families are important to us, and we love them. We like our town the way it is and we don’t need outsiders coming in and ruining things any more than they already have.
“I understand your concerns,” Jamie said. “I’d just like the town to hear what we can bring to the table. To your tables.”
When there was more grumbling, Garrett said, “Well, thanks again for playing, Jamie. Never any harm in hearing people out and learning all the facts, is there, boys?”
He stared at the men around him until they finally nodded or verbally agreed.
Jamie put his arm around Lucy and guided her away from the others. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
They walked silently for a while.
Finally, she said, “Are you angry with me?”
He stopped walking and looked at her. “Why would you think that?”
“I goaded you into playing, and then those guys—”
“I had a great time playing, and they have a right to speak their minds. If I’m going to win them over, Lucy, it’s not going to be with avoidance. I have to know their concerns to address them.”
Lucy hugged and kissed him. “You’re a good man, Jamie Whitcomb.”
“I love you, Lucy,” Jamie said.
“I love you, too,” she said. She smiled. “In spite of all the energy I’ve expended trying not to. Whoever said nice guys finish last never met you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lucy and Jamie fell into each other’s arms and into the bed as soon as they got back to the room. As they lay on top of the down comforter, kissing and licking and sucking on each other’s lips, Lucy looked into Jamie’s eyes. Holding his face in her hands she said, “I think we can make this work.”
In a voice that was already heavy from shortened breaths, Jamie said, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it work and make you completely believe it. I can’t imagine a life without you in it, Lucy.”
“I feel the same way,” she told him. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and ran her tongue along it, tasting him, loving the way it felt to just lie in his arms, finally saying the words that were so hard to say but meant so much out in the open. “I love you.”
Their kissing led to heavy petting. Clothes began coming off and were thrown to the floor. Jamie’s cock throbbed and jerked as Lucy reached down and wrapped her hand around it, stroking it lightly. She put her lips to his ear and said, “No teasing or extended foreplay today, okay? Just you inside me. I need you to fill me up.”
Jamie climbed on top of her, holding his weight off her with his arms. Lucy clung to his biceps as he slipped slowly inside of her. She was already soaking wet.
“I love you, sweet thing.” He moved in and out of her, everything fitting and flowing just right. If there was ever such a thing as perfection, this was it.
With each thrust of his hips, Lucy squeezed his cock tightly with her internal muscles. Their hearts were racing, and every time his rhythm increased, she matched it perfectly.
They made love that way, slow and gentle, professing their love for each other over and over again. They caressed one another, riding the wave of mind-blowing pleasure until finally Jamie exploded inside of her. Lucy’s body shook and quaked with her own release and at last they collapsed into a sweaty tangled pile of arms and legs.
Words couldn’t capture or express what she was feeling at that moment. Instead of speaking, she burrowed closer to him. They lay there together, getting their breathing under control and feeling each other’s hearts beat.
* * *
Lucy and Jamie spent the rest of the weekend exploring the town, sitting in the hot tub and overall having a great time. Monday morning came and after a hearty breakfast at the inn, Jamie met with the town council while Lucy had coffee in the courtyard.
There seemed to be quite a bit of press accumulating, but that seemed par for the course, given the situation. She was sending a text to Grace and didn’t notice reporters surrounded her until one of them said, “Miss Conrad, John Stuben of the Los Angeles Tribune. Do you have any comment?”
Lucy looked up at him, confused. “Comment on what?” she said.
“The photos that were released this morning by the Golden Enquirer.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lucy said.
The reporter handed a copy to Lucy and she glanced at it.
She gasped, horrified at what she was seeing.
The other reporters and cameramen were snapping photos and yelling questions. There were at least six of them now. Lucy felt light-headed and she thought she was going to throw up, right there in front of these people. She swallowed the bile down, not wanting to give them the satisfaction. Looking at the reporter who’d given her the paper, she said, “I have no comment.”
She pushed her way through the reporters, and instead of going back into the courthouse, she headed for the inn. The whole way there, she cursed herself for being the coward Jamie had said she was.
* * *
Jamie discovered that Garrett, the man he’d met at the baseball game, was the chairman of the town council. The meeting didn’t take long. Jamie told them of the company’s offer to help repair the damage committed by the previous company’s waste system. When Garrett asked what Whitcomb Enterprises wanted in return, Jamie simply said, “We hope you’ll view our efforts as a genuine desire to help this town. Afterwards, if Summitville wishes to do business with us, we can talk. But we won’t be asking for anything in return.”
Garrett and the council seemed stunned by Jamie’s offer and as expected had several questions. Jamie patiently answered them. Then, after shaking hands with every person in the room, Jamie left to find Lucy.
As soon as he got outside, he was confronted by the press.
When he got the gist of what they were saying, he almost panicked. But he managed to stay cool in order to deal with the reporters.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I have no comment,” he told them. As he started to walk away one of the female reporters held a copy of the Golden Enquirer out in front of him. Across the front were the words: Jamie Whitcomb, heir to the Whitcomb fortune, engaged to marry a stripper? Underneath there was a picture of Lucy in her bra, backstage at the nightclub, talking to Jamie.
He remembered when she’d torn off her wig and mask in her anger after he’d carried her off the stage at Divine.
Apparently someone had taken her picture, but who?
There were more pictures, as well; several photos of Lucy completely bare-breasted as she gyrated against a pole on stage.
He knew immediately the pictures had been altered. His friends had told him Lucy hadn’t returned to strip after he’d carried her off the stage. But it didn’t matter if the photos were fake. Everyone would think they were real.
He felt sick. Not because he cared about the pictures, but because he’d guessed the reason Lucy had disappeared was because she’d seen them. He had to get to her right away. He shoved the paper in the closest recycle bin and jogged down towards the inn.
By the time Jamie got there, Lucy was already gone. She’d left him a note…and the engagement ring.
The note said,
I’m sorry. I obviously can’t do this. I’ve screwed up my chances to get the baby. I’ve embarrassed you and your family. How can I ever be accepted into your world after this? I’m sorry, Jamie. I do love you, but this will never work.
Jamie took out his phone and tried to call her. It went straight to voice mail. He sought out Marie, who said that Lucy had asked her for directions to the bus depot.
“She seemed upset,” she said. And in spite of everything, she didn’t look pleased or even judgmental. She just looked worried about Lucy.
“I’ve got to go after her.”
“I was going to say the very same thing.”
* * *
Lucy refused to take his calls and she never returned to her apartment. When Jamie finally called Grace, the other woman said
Lucy was staying with her for a few days. “She doesn’t want to talk to you or see you right now, Jamie. I’m sorry.”
And he could hear how sorry she was over the phone.
When he called back on Tuesday, Grace told him that Lucy’s in-laws had tried to deny her upcoming Saturday visit with Milly, but apparently Lucy had called her own lawyer, who’d taken care of that matter by producing a court order granting Lucy visitation rights.
The fact that she’d called her own lawyer and hadn’t allowed Mason’s family to bully her had given Jamie renewed hope. But when he tried calling her again, she still refused to take his call.
A few more days went by. Then a week.
By that time, Jamie was pissed.
How dare she shut him out like this? She’d told him she loved him, and this was how she treated him, when he’d done absolutely nothing wrong?
He jerked when his phone rang and his eyes widened when he saw the caller was Lucy. Despite his anger, he picked up immediately.
“This is Jamie,” he said.
“I’m not angry with you,” she said quickly. “I’m not angry with anyone but myself. I’m the one who got on that stage and stripped, and I’m the one who pretended to be your fiancée so I didn’t have to deal with the messy consequences of my previous choices.”
He wanted to hold on to his anger, he really did, but he found himself reassuring her instead. “First of all, that strip-tease may have been a poor choice, but who hasn’t made poor choices in Vegas? Second of all, you are that baby’s aunt, her flesh and blood, and you love her. Whether you actually took your clothes off in front of others doesn’t speak to that at all. Anyone who knows you, and I mean the real you, knows that. And I know you. I love you, Lucy.”
She sobbed and he closed his eyes, wanting to ease her pain but knowing he couldn’t do that for her completely. “I can’t do this,” he said quietly. “I can’t make love to you, hear you say you love me, and yet still worry that when something upsets you, you’re going to run away from me. The past week has been devastating.”
