Quick, Find a Ring!
Page 18
“Both is probably out of the question,” Mitch said. “Right?”
Colker nodded.
“Then get ready, Mr. Colker. ’Cause we’re having ourselves a Hawaiian wedding.”
BENTLEY STARED at the ring on her finger. As things would have it, that was what she’d borrowed. The fake flowers she’d lifted from a hotel vase were something old, her jeans were something blue, and her name, Bentley Slater was her something new. All in all, no wedding had ever been more perfect.
“The elevator still isn’t working,” Mitch said. “And if I’m not mistaken, we’re officially on our honeymoon.”
“That is a problem.”
“Shall we walk?”
“I say we run.”
He grinned, and she knew she wanted to see that smile for the rest of her life. She’d never been more hopeful, more content, more excited. All from Mitch Slater. The last man in the world she would have figured. Just last week, she would have crossed the street if she’d seen him coming. Now she never wanted to leave his side.
“If I get tired, will you carry me?” she asked.
His grin turned devilish. “Only if you give me that kickback story you’ve been working on.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said. “Give you my story? I married you. I didn’t get a lobotomy.”
They entered the stairwell, and his laughter echoed off the walls.
She sighed. Life was certainly going to be interesting from now on. And if they didn’t end up killing each other, it was going to be more fun than she’d ever known.
“I guess that means I won’t be sharing the Hardesty story with you,” he said as they started their ascent.
“You don’t have anything on Hardesty.”
“No?”
“What? Tell me.”
He picked up the pace. Nope. I didn’t get a lobotomy, either.”
She ran faster until she was able to grab the back of his shirt and get him to stop. He turned around, his face very serious but his eyes filled with mischief.
“You don’t have anything on Hardesty.”
“I could have.”
She crossed her arms.
“All right. We could have. See, I have this theory—”
She shook her head and held up her hands. “Just this once, what do you say we don’t use journalism as foreplay?”
He pondered for a moment, then stepped down to be right next to her. “Okay. Just this once. But I know you love it.”
“Yeah,” she said, letting her sarcasm match the moment. “Newspaper lingo makes me hot.”
He leaned over so his mouth was very close to her ear. “Copyedits,” he whispered. “Lead-in. Byline.”
She pushed him away, laughing, but he captured her hands in his. Then he did the very best thing he could have. He kissed his wife.
And the adventure began.
Epilogue
One year and four months later…
“Listen, honey,” Mitch said, pulling out an office chair and giving Bentley a smile of overblown sympathy. “You shouldn’t be rushing around after a gangster like Pelby. He’s too dangerous. It wouldn’t be safe for—” Mitch reached over and put his hand on Bentley’s rounded belly “—for little Carter.”
“You’re right,” she said, smiling as sweetly as Miss Congeniality herself. “That’s the thing I love about you, Mitch. You’re so considerate.”
He cast his gaze down demurely. “I love you, sweetheart. That’s all.”
Bentley kept her smile in place while Mitch sidled over to his desk. He picked up his tape recorder and slipped it in his back pocket, as nonchalant as you please. Her blissed-out grin didn’t waver as he eyed the folded paper where she’d written Pelby’s address. Pelby was ready to talk, to implicate his own men in one of the largest black market rings in the country. The story had Pulitzer written all over it.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” Mitch said. “You just take it easy, you hear?” He started toward her desk, moving slowly and stealthily, backing away from Bentley and her smile. “Don’t forget to take your vitamins. I’ve got the beeper, so if anything should happen, I’ll be back in a flash.”
“Okay, honey. You be care—” She froze and put her hand on her stomach. A scared grimace took the place of her smile, and she reached out wildly with her left hand in her attempt to find the chair.
“What?”
Mitch was beside her now, the address forgotten in his concern. His gaze went back and forth between her belly and her face. He knew full well that she was only seven months along.
“What is it?” he said. “A contraction? You’re not supposed to—It’s too—”
“Uh…” She grabbed onto the chair and leaned against it heavily. “Maybe some water,” she said, her voice cracking in pain.
“Should I call an ambulance?”
She shook her head. “No. Just the water. Please.”
He nodded, panic-stricken, and ran out of the room.
Bentley smiled again and stood up straight. As quick as a wink she grabbed her own tape recorder and snatched the address from the desk. Then she hurried, as fast as a pregnant lady could, to the elevator. Mitch raced back to the office as she entered the elevator, and turned just as she pressed the Down button.
“Wait,” he yelled, racing toward her. “Where are you going?”
The doors began to close. ’To do my interview.”
“But…but the contractions.”
“Contractions? Who said anything about contractions?”
“Why you—”
“Bye, darling. I’ll see you tonight. Kiss, kiss.”
The door closed, and Bentley laughed aloud. After all this time, Mitch still didn’t stand a chance. Poor baby. She’d have to be extra nice to him tonight. Not that it would be hard. She was crazy about the guy. She closed her eyes, sending up another quick thankyou to the man upstairs. “For everything,” she whispered.
The elevator stopped at the first floor, and the doors whispered open. Bentley stepped out at the exact second Mitch crashed through the staircase door. He stood in front of her, panting. “Oh, no you don’t, Mrs. Slater.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “Not without me.” Then he smiled at her. The grin was filled with mischief, excitement and, oh, so much love. What could a girl do? She covered the two steps that separated them, grabbed him around the neck and kissed him.
Of course, while she was at it, she reached down to his back pocket and slipped his tape recorder out. This was her story, after all, and no matter how great his kisses were, he wasn’t going to steal it.
Mitch kissed her back, loving her more than life itself. She was everything to him. She and, soon, little Carter. It was hard to believe, but even the trust fund hadn’t knocked them off course. Who knew love could be this good? Or why he’d been so incredibly lucky?
Of course, none of that stopped him from reaching down to her purse and pilfering Pelby’s address. No matter how fantastic her kisses were, this was going to be a joint-byline story.
She just didn’t know it yet.
eISBN 978-14592-6770-1
QUICK, FIND A RING!
Copyright © 1997 by Jo Leigh.
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