“It was a real pleasure meeting you, Trudy,” she told Mrs. Shannon. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out, but I really need to go now. Goodbye.”
“’Bye, Samantha. It was nice meeting you, too.”
With that, Samantha grinned, then turned and left Alex’s condo for the very last time.
Once the girl left, Trudy looked around the place. She checked out every room, and at last, she found the words Samantha scrawled on Alex’s mirror.
She instantly picked up the telephone and dialed her son’s number.
“Alex? This is your mother, and I’m at your precious condo in Waikiki. What I want to know is, who is this ‘Titian’ person, and why did your girlfriend write that on the bathroom mirror?”
She heard a strangled sob come over the phone.
“I see,” she said. “You’re still letting Jennie ruin your life, aren’t you?”
“What can I do, Mom? She wants me to tell her dad, and he’s over-protective as it is. If I tell him this, he’ll probably kill me.”
“Oh, don’t be so chicken-shit, Alex. She seems like the best thing that’s ever happened to you, and if you let her go, you’re a bigger dumb-ass than I ever would’ve guessed.”
The next morning, Samantha unlocked the door to her new place and glanced around in dismay at her tiny new apartment. It really was incredibly small and shabby, especially after living at Alex’s, but she was glad nonetheless to be safely away from the condo. She resolved to get used to this harsh change in her circumstances.
In reality, the apartment wasn’t that much worse than her very first dorm room. In fact, it was much roomier, considering it was only she who’d be living there.
Besides, at least there was no annoying roommate.
Or lover.
Better to become accustomed to making her own way in life, she thought. With that in mind, she threw Trudy Shannon’s business card away. It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked Trudy. It was just that she felt it best to forget Alex P. Shannon altogether, to have no more links with him. She tried to convince herself, in doing so, that she’d washed her hands of him at last, would never again have to hear his name or think about him.
Within a few days, she had her new job pretty well down pat, which sadly left with her with way too much time on her hands, too much time to think, too much time to realize how terribly she missed Alex.
At first she was able to kid herself that she was better off this way - alone - but now she knew it was a lie and could no longer bring herself to believe it, not even a little bit.
There was no doubt Alex loved her, that he was suffering from her absence, but she knew she couldn’t live with him and his brooding, stubborn silence any longer. It was up to him to break free from his past and come clean about his feelings for her.
Of course, the evenings were the very worst of all. After she came home from work every evening, she’d glance around her room and discover how alone she really was. After all, she had no friends here yet, no family, and since she was a little shy by nature, she knew it was unlikely she’d make another close friend very easily.
But she wasn’t quite ready to call her loved ones in California and go another round with them, so she tried very hard to dream up some way to kill all those passing hours. She mercilessly wracked her brain for a way to begin her book, but nothing seemed to come to her.
Finally, one bright, golden Sunday morning, she worked up the nerve to call her parents again. She hadn’t spoken to them in days and hoped they’d be glad to hear from her.
Her mom answered, and Samantha felt a flood of tenderness and homesickness.
“Oh, Samantha,” her mother said, “I’m so glad you called. Where are you, honey?”
She heard her dad’s voice in the background and, in a second, he was on the line.
“Where are you, Baby?”
“Hawaii. Oahu. I got an apartment.”
“Alex was here two days ago looking for you.”
For some reason, this irritated Samantha to no end.
“Oh, now he has a name, does he? Alex? His name’s Alex now, not ‘that writer guy you’re shacked up with’?”
“Now you look here, little missy. He came to me like a man and confessed everything. You think that little bastard Randy would’ve done that? If you had any sense, you’d go back to him this instant. He’s a nice man and a good provider and he really seems to love you.”
“Daddy, please...”
“Samantha, he’s in love with you.”
She sighed, exasperated.
“You know what? Everybody keeps telling me that except him.”
“He loves you, Samantha. He really does. Go back to him, why don’t you? Or at least come home.”
“No. No, I can’t do that. Bye, Dad.”
Samantha quickly hung up the phone and sat there on her bed, trembling. She’d wanted to call Marianne and Paris as well, but no longer dared to, for she figured Alex had surely rallied the two of them against her, too.
Now she’d never hear the end of all this.
Now she had no one, thanks to him.
Just then, a thought flashed through her mind, and muffling the receiver with her hand, Samantha dialed the number for the condo. Someone picked it up after only two rings.
Alex.
He was here in Waikiki, not six blocks from where she sat.
Samantha quickly hung up, badly shaken. There was only one reason for him to be here.
He was looking for her.
Suddenly Samantha knew there was no force on earth strong enough to keep her from sneaking down to the beach to have a look. For protection, she waited until it was quite dark outside, then she stole over to his building. She wasn’t going to see him face-to-face. She just wanted to see if he was home.
Hiding in the shadows of a small vendor’s shack, she stepped out onto the beach far below his balcony, hoping to catch sight of him, but staying well-hidden herself.
She stifled a gasp.
He was out there. It was Alex, standing out there.
It really was him.
He was leaning against the rail, standing way above her on the lanai. Samantha could make out his figure in the dim moonlight, and though she really couldn’t see his face, something in his demeanor suggested the gloominess he obviously felt.
She kept watching, and in a moment, she saw his mother come out to comfort him, saw the older woman embrace him, saw him melt into his mother’s arms. This went straight to her heart, and she fought hard to keep control of herself, fought an almost irresistible urge to call out to them.
This is enough, she told herself, taking a deep breath of the salt air. Enough just to look at him, to be with him but not with him.
How long will he stay in Waikiki? she asked herself. Will he search for me forever, or will he give up and go home in a few days?
“Oh, Alex,” she whispered, drawing herself deeper into the shadows.
She knew then she’d better go back to her crummy little apartment or she really would lose all her willpower. With a final glance up at his lanai, Samantha reluctantly tore herself away, creeping home with a heavy heart.
On Monday morning, Samantha walked to work, absurdly afraid of running into Alex, or even Trudy. To disguise herself, she wore dark sunglasses and hid all her hair beneath a bandana. In addition, fearing he might recognize her clothes, she even put on a plain white tee shirt and some jeans, stowing her work outfit in a brown paper bag to carry along with her.
Kim, her new co-worker, laughed when Samantha showed up to work in this extraordinary manner. Samantha laughed, too, realizing she was being a little paranoid. Feeling better, she shared with Kim the situation that prompted her to adopt such a disguise.
In the rest room, Samantha pulled on her pantyh
ose and slid on her pumps. By the time she fastened her skirt, her fear of meeting Alex was slipping away.
The two girls worked quietly all morning. There were few customers, so they had a chance to get better acquainted. For the first time in days, Samantha started to feel less lonely, and besides, it was better to try to make a new friend than to spend all her idle time thinking about Alex.
“I’ll go to lunch first, yeah?” said Kim, glancing at the clock. She told Samantha she’d be back at noon and she strolled out the door. Samantha started toward the back of the store, but just then the phone rang.
She answered it, but the caller hung up instantly.
She went to the storeroom to haul out a carton of books that needed pricing and shelving. She hoped to get this task out of the way by the time Kim returned, and she pushed the cart out to the front.
While she was shelving them near the rear of the store, the electric eye buzzed to signal a customer. She peeped around the bookshelf to see who was there and then, quite abruptly, ducked back behind the shelf.
Alex.
She knew he’d seen her, for they’d made eye contact. Plus, she saw his shadow advancing on the floor. When she sensed he’d come up beside her, she shut her eyes, wishing she were anywhere else but here.
“Samantha, I want you to come home with me.”
She forced herself to speak.
“Can I help you make a selection, sir?” she asked brightly. She moved briskly away, propelling herself toward a nearby shelf to straighten its contents, but Alex was not to be fobbed off so easily.
He followed her. She refused to meet his gaze, but she knew he expected her to at least acknowledge him.
“All right, Alex, don’t get me fired from this job, too, okay? Not all of us are rich. Some of us need every penny we can get.”
“Would you stop this foolishness and come home with me?”
“I am home,” she told him, indicating her surroundings with a sweep of the hand. “I have a new home now. A new job, a new life...a new man.”
Suddenly he grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him, an expression of shock and hurt on his face. But she was no good at lying, which he perceived at once.
“I do have a new home, though, Alex,” she told him. “And the rent’s very high, so I desperately need this job. Please don’t get me fired, okay? Please don’t ruin everything for me.”
He eased his grip on her arm.
“How did you find me, anyhow?” she demanded. “I didn’t even tell my parents where I am.”
“You threw the want ads into the trash and forgot to dump it. I was desperate, so I looked at them. I’ve been calling every place you circled trying to find you.”
“Yeah? What for?”
Without a word, he flung his arms around her and pressed his mouth to hers. At first, she moved to resist, but found herself helplessly pinned against his chest. The heat of his body so close to hers unnerved her, and Samantha threw her head back to let him kiss her throat.
He tightened his grip on her, forcing her onto her tiptoes, his rough cheek brushing hers. She heard his breath in her ear, eager and rapid.
At last, she recalled herself and struggled away, stunned and out of breath.
“Please, Alex, I’ll get fired.”
“So? Who gives a damn?” he asked, lunging at her. She managed to move away, and just then the door buzzed again. Samantha’s eyes darted toward the entrance with relief. Kim was back and now she could go to lunch and leave Alex behind.
“Be back at one,” she announced, diving behind the counter to get her purse, and then shooting past Kim.
Alex didn’t seem at all inclined to let her escape, though, so Samantha ran out the door and onto the crowded sidewalk.
“Look, everybody. Look, it’s Jesse Dent,” she shouted, hoping to lose him in the crowd. But for once, no one seemed to care and Alex sped after her.
“Samantha,” he called.
She pressed her palms to her ears to drown out his voice. She knew she had to get away, had to get home to be alone and sort out her feelings.
This was all happening so quickly, so unexpectedly.
“Samantha? Damn it, would you stop?”
She stopped dead in her tracks, but refused to turn to look at him.
“Oh, God. What do you want?”
“Titian is a Venetian painter.”
She whirled around, furious, and rushed toward him, seizing his lapels.
“Oh, you’d better shut your mouth. If you say that to me one more time, Alex, I swear to God. Titian is a Vene - ”
Her voice faltered as she realized what he said. Alex smiled softly as she eased her grasp on his lapels, and he drew her to him.
“And Alex P. Shannon is a total ass.”
She nodded in agreement, smiling, as his lips brushed her cheek.
“And I changed the manuscript, Samantha, because you were right all along and because...I love you, is all. More than anything else in the world, I love you. And my mother tells me I’m being a total jerk-wad, and I’ve always known her to have a lot of sense, so please...please marry me and take me in hand.”
A broad grin swept her face. She glanced up at him.
“Oh, I will, but first you have to take me home, Alex. I want to leave for Molokai tonight.”
“Wait,” he said. “Can’t we just go back to the condo?”
Samantha looked at him through narrowed eyes and shook her head.
“What, with your mom there? Hell no. We’re going to need a little more privacy than that. I want you to take me home tonight, Alex, and take me to bed, and...and...and make me your woman.
“But first, know this. I really am hard-headed, just like you said, and I expect you to do right by me. I expect you to be the very best man and husband you can possibly be, and if you’re not ready for that, then I think you’d better just stay gone from me.”
“No, no,” he told her. “You’re right, sweetie. I agree with everything you’re saying, and like your dad says, you deserve the best.”
Samantha placed her hands on her hips and eyed him skeptically.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why would I lie now? I’ve never been false with you before. If anything, I’ve tried to restrain myself so I wouldn’t mislead you.”
She nodded then.
“That’s true.”
“Then come on home with me, already.”
“Okay, but we have to pick up my stuff first. All my best clothes are still at my apartment, and I’m not about to go home looking all raggedy.”
“What about my mom?” he asked. “She’s still at the condo.”
“I know that, and I like your mom, Alex. She’s cool. She’s for real. She didn’t sit there and tell me how awesome you are, or blah blah blah, how I hurt her poor innocent little son. In fact, she told me sometimes you’re a complete jackass.”
“So, should I call her, then?”
“Yeah, you’d better. But do you think she’ll get mad if we have a few hours’ head start?”
“No. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’ll like that.”
He sat down on the futon where she slept, while she hurriedly packed up her clothes. It was a cheap and appalling place to live and she was glad she was getting out.
“So, how hideous was it to talk to my dad?” she asked casually.
Alex grinned, and though she saw he hadn’t relished the experience, he seemed glad he’d faced the ordeal.
“I hate to say this, but that man scares the living crap out of me,” he admitted at last. “His face just kept getting redder and redder the whole time I talked. I thought he was going to blow a gasket on me, but in the end, he actually stood up and shook my hand. Hard.”
She smiled, but d
arted a quick glance at the lone alarm clock gracing her tiny apartment.
“Holy crap. I need to call work and let them know I’m not coming back.”
Samantha hung up the phone with a huge grin on her face.
“Kim, the girl I work with, says congratulations,” she told Alex. “She says it was nice meeting you and she’ll tell the boss I quit.”
He smiled and dialed his condo, and then he spoke for a few minutes to his mother. When he hung up, he faced Samantha.
“My mother says if I don’t win you back now, I’m the biggest dumb-ass ever born, and she’s going to wash her hands of me.”
“Really? I knew she was a smart lady.”
“She says she’ll give us until eight tonight, and then she’ll meet us on Molokai.”
Samantha nodded, and later on the plane, Alex leaned across his seat and spoke in her ear.
“You know something, Samantha? I’d love to ravish you right here on this damned airplane.”
“Don’t you think you’d upset the other passengers?”
“Yep. And believe me, that’s about the only thing stopping me. That and the fact that there’d be a picture of us in the tabloids tomorrow, with a big headline about Jesse Dent being arrested for a sex crime. I couldn’t do that to the poor guy. He tries so hard to keep us out of the papers.”
He smiled that fabulous smile of his that caused her to go weak in the knees. Samantha couldn’t wait to get him back to the ranch, and looked forward with longing to that huge, luxurious bed of his.
“When will we be married?” she asked.
“As soon as I can get it all organized. I’m not taking any chances on you escaping again.”
“Escaping? Why would I ever want to leave you now? I already know all your secrets.”
Just then, the plane touched down, so her question went unanswered. Alex had phoned ahead, so Albert was waiting for them with the Jeep. When he saw them coming across the tarmac, his huge grin showed Samantha just how glad he was to see her back.
Alex was unnaturally quiet as they drove to the ranch, but once they were on the road leading up to the house, Samantha turned to him.
“I swear, Alex, you have got to do something with this road.”
Tropical Temptation Page 18
