“We’re here today—” Rick stood on the high school auditorium stage on Tuesday afternoon in black jeans and matching T-shirt “—to honor 31,000 teens who have died over the past decade from car crashes.” He waited for the chattering to die down before he continued. “Every year, more and more of you…” he dramatically pointed to the audience “…will die from either driving, being a passenger in a car with a teen driver, or being in an accident caused by a teen driver.” He cleared his throat and scanned the now-silent crowd. “Alcohol, drugs, loud music, distracting friends, cellphones. The list of excuses goes on and on, but unfortunately the grim reaper doesn’t care what your reason is. He just wants someone new to keep him company.”
On cue, the tallest basketball player they’d been able to find from the team stepped onto the stage in a black cape with a hood, his face painted ghoulish white and carrying a scythe. An imposing Halloween-type figure, he jumped into the audience and randomly chose a student, dragged him onto the stage and delivered him to Rick.
China watched with delight as a girl screamed and the audience gasped when the dark figure snatched up one of them. She prayed the program would get through to someone today. It was her personal hope for redemption. Her long, unanswered prayer.
Rick nodded solemnly at the victim.
“What’s your name?”
“Arturo Hernandez.”
“Follow me, Arturo.” Rick took hold of his elbow. “We’re going for a ride.”
The lights dimmed and the video started with the sound of laughter and rap music and a teenager behind the wheel of a car.
Twenty minutes later, when the video ended, the somber crowd remained silent.
“I’d like to introduce our special guest,” Rick said, returning to the stage. “A courageous young woman you all know from the hit television series, The Undead. You may know her as Zola, but Hollywood knows her as Brianna Cummings!”
The audience went wild.
“I have a confession to make,” Brianna began, when the audience finally settled down. “I used to smoke. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did. I mean, I know about lung cancer, but I never dreamed smoking could cause me to have a car accident and almost kill me.”
Fresh pink scars lined her cheek and forehead. Her nose had been straightened, but now looked bumpy and swollen compared to its prior perfection.
With her permission, a picture of her was flashed on a screen, fresh from the ER two months earlier. She was covered with stitches and dressings, her nose was bent out of shape, her lips were bloody and swollen, and there was bruising under both of her eyes.
She glanced at it, and back to the students. “I’m lucky to be alive. How did my Corvette get wrapped around a pole, you ask? Contrary to rumor, it didn’t involve drugs or alcohol. No. I had a life-threatening accident because I was talking on a cellphone and trying to light a cigarette while speeding down Sunset Boulevard. I thought I could do it all. Turns out I was wrong. I know we live in the world of multi-tasking, but I’ve learned when we’re driving, that’s the only thing we should be doing.”
From backstage China peeked out and caught a glimpse of D’Wayne raptly watching the young actress. Intense satisfaction caused her to inhale raggedly. A firm hand cupped her elbow.
“This is going great,” Rick whispered.
She nodded and looked over her shoulder at him.
“I think you’re changing lives today, China. You can be proud.”
Without warning the floodgates of her soul opened up and she wept uncontrollably. He guided her into his chest, wrapped her up in a comforting embrace and rocked her.
“I don’t know what’s haunting you, honey, but you’re working miracles here today.”
He cupped her face with his hands and stared at her. She wiped her cheeks with the cuffs of her sleeves.
“Look out there.” He turned her head. “They’re listening. You’re saving lives.” He kissed her forehead and snuggled her back into his arms. “You’ve made a difference.”
She believed him. The sincerity in his voice made her skin prickle. She let herself dream for a brief moment, and imagined a chance for a normal life with a guy like Rick. In the center of her heart, she felt a kernel of love sprout.
“Let’s celebrate this weekend with that special dinner date I purchased.” He nuzzled her cheek. “I’ll arrange everything. All you have to do is show up. What do you say?”
She glanced quickly into his eyes.
“Come on, honey. You deserve it.”
She gave a hesitant, unconvincing nod.
How would he feel about her if she told him her deepest secret? If he knew the truth about her past, how she’d messed up and taken the life of her best friend. If Rick knew the whole story, would he still call her honey?
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHINA opened the door on Friday night to find Rick leaning against the frame. Thick brown hair, still damp from a recent shower, curled gently at his neck. He was wearing a silky thin button-up shirt, which he hadn’t tucked in, beneath a pinstriped jacket. Faded, tight jeans and his signature cowboy boots rounded out the near perfect picture.
She wavered on her high heels.
He felt too close. Looking more like a fire department calendar pin-up than her date, she wanted to back up and run for the hills.
“You look great,” he said.
Ditto.
His gaze drifted from her face down to her feet. A big smile stretched across his cheeks and he lifted his brows. “And you wore my favorite shoes.”
A blanket of heat covered her entire body under his intense scrutiny. She felt daring enough, wearing the glove-tight black leather pants and high-heeled sandals. Obviously he had been hoping for a mini-skirt. But didn’t the nearly see-through black lace top and matching bra make up for it?
“Would you like to come in?” Nervous hands flitted from her neck to her waist.
He reached for her wrist, tugged her close and dropped a light kiss on the corner of her mouth. Tingles fanned across her shoulders.
“Ask me that again later,” he said. “If I come inside now, we may never make it out in time for our dinner reservations.”
What was she going to do with him? Every time he came around she fell apart. One look, one touch and she developed an out-of-body experience, leaving her weak at the knees and foggy-minded.
“Oh. OK,” she said, forcing a quick recovery. “Let me get my purse.”
She’d taken great care in preparing for tonight. Using her tropical magic shampoo, special plumeria body lotion, and an extra dab or two of make-up when she’d gotten ready, she’d wondered what her intentions were for the evening. Truth was, she hadn’t wanted to impress a man this much since the night she’d known she would become engaged, three and a half years ago.
She didn’t just want Rick Morell. Crazy as it seemed in such a short period of time, she thought she’d fallen in love with him. He’d proved his sincerity and worth over and over to her in the last few weeks, and she’d succumbed to his natural charm. But it was more than physical, that much she knew. He’d also managed to touch a part of her she’d kept buried. He made her feel lovable again. And realizing he wasn’t as perfect as he seemed made him all the more appealing.
Was she sure she was ready for the next step?
When she got back to the door, Rick cast her a mischievous glance and asked, “Are you ready?”
This time China had been the one to ask Sierra to switch shifts with her at work, even going so far as to offer to pay for a sitter for Timmy since it was Friday night and Lance’s bowling night. There was no way she’d miss her auction-bought celebration date with Rick for anything in the world. The odd thing was, she almost felt she deserved it. Funny how a few weeks could make such a big difference in a person’s outlook on life.
China closed the door and made an effort to focus on small talk. “How did your job interview go today?”
Rick’s smile spread to a grin. “They asked all the right quest
ions and I gave all the right answers.”
Hating to put a dampener on his mood, she hesitated before asking, “Was your father on the panel?”
He tossed his head and walked jauntily down her steps toward his car. “Nope.”
“Well, whew,” she said when he opened the door for her. “That must have made your day.” She smiled and slipped inside.
Rick leaned over. “Conflict of interest, they said.” He laughed. “Little did they know it worked in my favor.”
Over dinner, Rick couldn’t quit looking at China. She glowed with pride, but something more sparkled in her eyes, something intentional and alluring. He hoped he was the reason for that special look. He’d realized while getting ready for their date that the feelings he had for China went beyond infatuation. Hell, he’d almost tripped in the shower when the thought had hit him between the eyes. He loved her. Now all he needed was a way to find the right time to tell her.
The beachfront restaurant was crowded and noisy, but the view of the ocean from their reserved table was phenomenal, and he wanted to impress China tonight. When was the last time he’d gone to the effort of really working for a woman? He had to admit it was exciting and fun.
By the sexy way she’d dressed, he had high hopes she wanted to impress him, too. And so far she was doing a fantastic job. As long as he could keep her from pulling her usual disappearing act, the one where they’d reach a new level of closeness and she’d withdraw, like she’d done since Tuesday after the high school video program, he had a fighting chance.
When he’d gotten a glance earlier at how the second-flesh leather slacks caressed her shapely hips and rear end, he’d almost stumbled down the steps. Now, if he could only keep from drooling, he might have a shot at getting to third base tonight. And if he got really lucky, he might make it to home plate. He delved into his meal with gusto. A guy could dream, couldn’t he?
A long silence pressured him to make small talk. He cleared his throat. “I heard they had an 80 per cent success rate for signing the safe driving agreement from those students attending the assembly,” he said, trying to make her think his head was somewhere besides the bedroom.
She used her napkin to daintily wipe her mouth. “My stats showed 87 per cent.”
True to form, she’d corrected him. Never mess with a crusader’s statistics. He fought off a smile.
He loved it when she got prim. She tossed her silky black hair over her shoulder and challenged him with forest-deep eyes from under those sexy bangs. Oh, yeah, she was proud, and it turned him on. But what about China didn’t excite him?
“And D’Wayne was the first one to sign it. Isn’t that great?” She beamed.
He nodded. “I’m positive we’ve turned him around.” He grinned. “I think the point really got driven home when we put him in a body bag, zipped it up and slid him into the fridge in the morgue. Little did he know the video camera wasn’t even running then.”
They laughed, and he thought he caught a glimpse of adoration on her face. Now, that was progress. He liked making her smile. In his opinion, she didn’t do it nearly enough. His heart had ached for her on Tuesday when she’d fallen apart. Hell, he’d wished he could take away her pain. But like a brave little soldier, she always kept up her guard.
She’d recovered from her tears in record time and wriggled free from his embrace, once again ready to take the lead in her project. As if closing an iron gate, she’d willed her emotions to be locked away. If he could only break through the barrier she hid behind. Come out, China. Let’s finally get to know each other. Let me into your life.
He knew they had a lot in common and Lord only knew how strong the sexual attraction was, at least on his part. But she couldn’t fool him. Every time they’d kissed, a powerful surge of desire had ignited, and she’d been right there with him. He could feel it—they were special together. He knew it was love. But now wasn’t the time to think about that, or he’d never make it through dinner.
Now, where were they? Right. D’Wayne and the assembly agreement.
Rick watched her animated recounting of the recent triumph. He could relate to how she must feel about being successful. He remembered feeling proud in the service when three-quarters of the men he’d tended in combat had progressed without complications. Field medicine was a challenge, to be sure, but the biggest enemy would always be infection, and if he could prevent it, he’d done his job. Yeah, he knew about success and self-satisfaction.
He clicked back into their conversation.
“I couldn’t wait to share the good news with Mercy Hospital. I even pitched my next project to them, and they’re already on board.” She sipped her water. “And then, of course, I called my mom. She’s my biggest fan.”
A guarded expression accompanied China’s abrupt stop, as though she worried she’d said something wrong.
He’d long ago given up sharing any good news with his old man, if that was what she was concerned about. No point.
“Your mother has a lot to be proud of in you.”
Her hand darted to his arm. “Your father does, too. Maybe one day he’ll figure that out.”
Oh, no. He didn’t want tonight to turn into a pity party. Not on the night when he’d decided to tell China how he truly felt about her. He’d change the subject, and quick.
“Let’s drink a toast.” He raised his glass of deep red wine. “To your success, and all the good you bring into the world.”
Instead of lightening the mood, a veil of sadness covered China’s previously glowing face. She tried to hide it, but it was as apparent as the pale half-moon-shaped scar on her brow.
They solemnly clicked glasses and sipped. He saw her thick lashes flutter and troubled thoughts cross her face. He’d pushed too hard, and now he was losing her, damn it. After their toast he leaned in, reached for her hand, and searched her eyes. What was she not telling him?
What would he think of her when he found out about her past, about what she had done?
China couldn’t tolerate another moment of smoldering looks from Rick. Her tingle-scale had risen to seismic proportions with each attentive touch. When he reached across the table and took her hand, her heart almost imploded. And the crazy thing was, he didn’t have anything in particular to say. He just probed with his stare, gazing into her eyes with yet another moony grin like a man in love, like a man who really wanted to know all about her, which only made her more uncomfortable.
She didn’t deserve anyone’s love or respect.
She squirmed in her chair.
If he kept on giving her those sexy lover’s looks, she’d be sitting in a pool of sweat—not very appealing.
The sudden need to freshen up had her gingerly removing her hand from under his.
“I need a quick trip to the ladies’ room,” she said, with a nervous quiver in her voice.
He smiled and nodded knowingly, releasing her. Though she was sure a slight look of disappointment registered in his penetrating eyes when she stood.
When she walked away, she used every fiber of control to appear composed. And she did fine until she passed the bar, her gaze scanning the crowd, and a strikingly familiar face smiled at her.
China stumbled on the carpet, catching the back of a barstool to help recover her balance.
The girl looked just like Amy.
She broke into a cold sweat and strode to the powder room to regroup.
Shaky hands reached for her mouth, then touched her cheek and adjusted her hair. She primped and prayed that her speeding heartbeat would return to normal.
It was just her imagination.
Old guilt-ridden feelings strangled the joy and wonder at rediscovering love with Rick. No. She didn’t deserve happiness—hadn’t that familiar face at the bar been a sign?
China tried to recover a semblance of control. As she stepped up to the basin, the bathroom door opened. The same young woman from the bar burst unsteadily into the room. She’d obviously been drinking. Up close she looked y
ounger than Amy would have been. China attempted to stay calm, and worked to steady her chaotic breathing while she washed her hands.
Her mind was playing tricks on her. That’s all.
The tipsy woman grinned widely and looked straight at China. “Hi, there,” she said breezily. “You have a great life. OK? You deserve it, sweetie.” She giggled. “Hell, we all do.”
We all do.
Something in China broke free. The emotional handcuffs she’d been bound to for years suddenly released their hold. Gooseflesh covered her body.
She deserved to be happy.
She wanted to weep, but stopped herself. She looked toward the ceiling and smiled. Feeling buoyant and free for the first time she could remember since high school, she dashed out of the ladies’ room, eager and excited to get back to Rick. Onward across the hard wood floor, she almost collided with a couple dancing.
She grabbed the man’s arm and apologized. “I’m sorry. I get klutzy when I fall in love.”
The female partner nodded with a knowing look, and China, feeling like a brand-new woman, strode back to the table where Rick, the man she loved, waited.
China came bounding toward the table a different woman than the one that’d left, smiling bright as the planet Venus. Things were definitely looking up, and hopefully in his favor. After all, Venus was the goddess of love. Rick was glad he’d already paid the bill.
He stood in anticipation to greet her. “Shall we go?”
She tossed him a winsome glance. “Your place or mine?”
Now, that was a welcome change, and all the encouragement he needed. He laced his fingers through hers and led her out to the parking lot at a vigorous pace. Liquid heat flowed up his arm and into his chest, setting his soul on fire as they walked. The damp sea air couldn’t cool him down. No. Only one person could do that, but first it was sure as hell going to get a lot hotter.
They reached the car parked in the far corner of the dimly lit lot in record time. He couldn’t control himself another second.
Instead of unlocking the car door, he backed China against it in a full body press. She smelled fruity and he expected her skin to taste sweet. He nipped her neck, soft and warm like honey. His mouth covered hers in a lusty, deep kiss.
Her L.A. Knight Page 9
