A New York Love Story (12 page)

“Clover, it's freezing! If you don't want to open the gate, at least go inside…”

“You're so kind to worry about me, but I can't go inside my fucking house!” she mumbled, kicking the door again. “Stupid, old trash heap!”

“If you open this damn gate, I can try to help you…”

Clover stood up suddenly and came over to the gate, showing him a broken key. “Do you see this, Mr know-it-all? The other half is inside the lock. So, no, you can't help, unless you're an ex-locksmith with a new lock in your pocket!”

Cade took advantage of her proximity to wrap his arms around her waist. “Let me in.”

“No!”

“You can't spend all night outside. You'll freeze!”

“I was born in December and cold is my element…”

“God, you're more stubborn than a mule.” Cade exclaimed, holding her firmly in his arms. He lifted her head to force her to look at him. “Listen, you've misunderstood everything! I didn't think even for a moment that you could ruin my image or some other stupid bullshit like that! Only someone as nuts as you could dream that up!”

“Let's not start with my craziness. I'm not crazy! Although my mother would agree with you. She, too, is ashamed of being seen with me. She thinks I'm shabby, outspoken and lack class.”

When he realized that he had at last worn down her resistance, Cade held her face gently in his hands. “I don't care about what your mother thinks. I'm telling you what
I
think. You're magnificent, Clover. Boisterous, stubborn… yes outspoken, but certainly unique.”

Clover tried to step back, but Cade kept his hold on her. “Let me go…” She wanted to escape from that dangerous, irresistible man.

“Only when I'm finished.” He was searching for her eyes. “When I told you that you make me forget who I am, I didn't mean to hurt you. Hell, it was a damn compliment! Do you have any idea how rarely I enjoy the luxury of feeling normal? I go around with the constant feeling of being followed, photographed… everybody waiting for my next
faux pas
. With you I've completely forgotten to look over my shoulder. Yes, this might create gossip, but this time you would also be at the center of it – everybody would want to know the identity of the
mystery woman
who made the Prince of Hollywood flirt like a school boy in the middle of a park full of people!”

“You weren't flirting…” Clover mumbled, escaping his eyes.

“You're right, not completely. But I am now!” he sighed, and pulled her closer to kiss her.

Clover held her breath. Cade's lips were warm and sweet. She felt the chill that enveloped her melt away. She couldn't move one single muscle. She remained still, the broken key clutched in one hand, and her woolly hat in the other. When his kiss became more insistent, she closed her eyes and her lips softened. She grasped the gate with one hand to hold herself up. Her head was spinning. Just one kiss and she was giving in… but how could anyone resist that seductive, persuasive man?

She felt overwhelmed. Just the warmth of his hands on her face sent waves of pleasure through her body. His smell deeply excited her senses, and her breathing became faster – interrupting the surreal silence of the street. It was the unique kind of silence that Clover knew very well…

Finally, she opened her eyes. Light snowflakes swirled around them, visible in the glow of the street light. The atmosphere felt soft and quiet.

It was snowing!

Clover
adored
snow. Every year she waited with great expectation for the first magical snowfall. And it was happening right now, while Cade was kissing her! How could a romantic, dreamy girl not think this was a sign of destiny? It was all converging around her – she was helpless! Everything – Christmas, the chilly, electrifying weather, and the city itself with its special glow at this time of the year – all seemed determined to weaken her resolution. But in spite of his beautiful words and the magical atmosphere, she had to remember
who
was in front of her.

She stepped back, forcing herself to retain control. “Wow…” she mumbled.

He was looking at her in such a passionate way that her knees started to shake. He must have learned this on a movie set!

“Clover,” he whispered, while touching her cheek with the tip of his finger.

She felt warm shivers along her spine, but she didn't give up. She couldn't allow herself to be taken in.

“A perfect scene, Harrison! You even didn't need a rehearsal… undoubtedly you're a great actor.”

Cade dropped his arms and his expression became cold, but he didn't move.

Clover crossed her arms. Suddenly she was freezing. The only part of her body that was still warm was her lips, where Cade's taste still lingered. “What were you trying to prove?” she asked, a lump in her throat.

“Today would have ended exactly this way, if I hadn't realized that so many people were watching us. You would have appeared with me on local TV and tabloids, with stupid and embarrassing comments. But maybe that's what you wanted…”

“Not really.”

“However, Clover, I can't erase who I am. The risk of being swallowed up by my professional life exists and it's not always pleasant. This is why I have to be careful, especially when I'm with people I care about. What I tried to tell you in the taxi is that I'm always on the alert when I'm with women. You're so different that I completely forgot about everything.”

“Ok, I understand. I'm sorry if I over reacted. Let's forget it and not talk about it any more.”

They looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, then Cade said, “Do you want to stay under the snow and get frozen to death?”

“I need to call a locksmith…”

“Well, if you stay here a little longer, your tongue will freeze. Hmm – maybe that's not such a bad thing.”

Clover looked around with a helpless expression.

“You can stay at my house until they come to change the lock.”

With some hesitation, Clover opened the gate. “I'm starting to think you bring me bad luck, Mr Prince. Since you've arrived I've fallen three times, my Christmas lights have burnt out and I've broken my key… not to mention my horrible performance in the taxi! I hope you gave a generous tip to the driver to buy his silence…”

“I asked him not to talk, and he agreed. Actually, I think he had a little crush on you.”

“A crush – on me!”

“He told me you were a keeper – the kind of woman he would marry right away.”

At last Clover smiled. “Great! I finally have a sweetheart… too bad he's already gone.”

She followed him along the path to his house. Cade opened the door and let her in. “Go in, warm up and dry your hair. I will call the locksmith.”

“Thanks – just use your movie star super power to have him to get here as soon as possible!”

Cade looked at her with an ironic expression. “Oh, so now my fame could be useful! And I want to remind you that if I hadn't insisted on bringing you in here, you still would be out there freezing and doing nothing!”

Clover clenched her fists. She had no intention of admitting he was right.

“So, what do you want me to do? Should I call saying who I am, to move heaven and earth to get a locksmith here, or should I call as a
normal
person?”

“The fewer people who know about you and my involvement with you, the better. So, this time you can forget about your super powers!” Clover left him and his triumphant smile in the hall to find somewhere to dry herself off. She tried not to think about how she had managed to put herself in such a precarious situation. Feeling so comfortable and at home with Cade was draining her resolve to keep a safe distance from him. She could still feel the taste of his kiss on her lips. Damn it! She could only hope that the locksmith would arrive soon. However, she was unable to fully convince herself that this was what she really wanted.

*

Cade hung up the phone with a satisfied sigh. He knew that he could get a locksmith in a few minutes by simply calling his secretary, yet he hadn't wanted to use this shortcut; and not only because Clover asked him not to. Now that the red-head was in his house, he didn't want to send her back home too soon. He had actually told the locksmith that there wasn't any urgency… he had won a couple of hours! Hopefully, he could use this time to bring back the smile of his…
his
what? Friend? Neighbor? Personal shopper?

He wasn't sure how to think of her. Did they have a relationship? It was a bizarre feeling for someone like him, who always used to have everything under control. In his world uncertainty could be a serious problem, and kissing Clover could be considered both an
uncertainty
and a
problem
. But he would do it again a thousand times!

He thought again of her soft, sweet lips and felt a wave of heat through his body. At first Clover had remained as still as a statue, while he sensed the world around him vanishing. But then – before she had stepped back – he felt her body melting, he felt her desire to abandon herself. The joy and excitement he had felt at that moment made his head spin.

God! If just a simple and innocent kiss had caused these sensations in him, he wondered what kissing her for real – passionately and deeply – would be like. He felt a rush of desire, but tried to restrain himself. If he wanted to regain her trust, he had to be careful. He shouldn't be in any hurry…

He found her sitting uncomfortably in the living room. She was staring at the empty fireplace. “What are you doing? Did you dry off?”

“It's not my house and I don't rummage around in a stranger's things.”

“But I had given you permission…”

“Actually, this is not even really your house…”

Cade mumbled something under his breath. He felt a little discouraged as he started to build a fire.

Clover watched him with a cautious expression. “So, when is the locksmith getting here?”

“Not for a couple of hours.”

“A couple of hours!” she suddenly stood up and began to pace the room nervously. “What the hell am I going to do for two hours? And if I hadn't allowed someone to let me into their house, I would still be outside freezing, waiting on my steps in the snow. What kind of service is that?”

“Well, you insisted that I didn't use my
star power
influence, so you have to be patient, stubborn girl!”

“No, I don't think so. I want to call him back – I'll make sure he listens to me!”

Cade grabbed her hand to stop her from making the call. “Why be in such a hurry? Don't you want to stay here with me?”

“No.”

Cade tried to hide his disappointment. “Why? I thought you said I wasn't all that bad!”

“That was
before
.”

“Before what?”

“You know…”

“I thought we had cleared everything up; you even agreed that we were fine…”

Clover looked out the window. “Ok, but I really want to go home anyway. I'm cold and hungry. I've walked all day. I'm tired.”

“Look, I started the fire, it will be nice and warm in a few minutes. We could have dinner here and then you can rest on the sofa. You can watch a film or read a book or a magazine… you can do whatever you want!”

She perked up and looked around. “Really? I can do what I want?”

“Absolutely, as long as you keep your cool… don't do anything reckless… and of course stay here, in the house.” Cade was slightly suspicious about Clover's
plans
.

“Ok, first thing – I'm starving. Can you cook for me?”

At your service,
madame
.”

Clover's mischievous smirk caught his attention.

“I'm beginning to feeling a bit nervous. What is it that you have in mind?”

Now she flashed a real smile with those adorable dimples he loved. “I saw some boxes in the garage, can I take them upstairs? No worries! I wouldn't
think
of doing anything dangerous. I promise.”

“Ok. Do you need help?”

“No, I can take care of it by myself. You need to start cooking…”

Cade went to the kitchen to make something simple. He was thinking of her sudden mood swings. One had to pay close attention and know how to deal with her. When treated with kindness and tenderness, her bad mood suddenly lifted, her frown disappeared. In spite of her hot-blooded and stubborn character, she seemed unable to hold a grudge for very long. Behind the shield of that defensive attitude, she was very sweet. He instinctively sensed that she was incapable of real acts of spite and revenge. Nothing at all like Alice!

Thinking about his ex-fiancée, Cade realized he couldn't find one single memory of a moment when they might have shared any real closeness. They never had deep intimacy or cheerful complicity, not even real affection. In Alice's arms he had felt only brief moments of short-lived satisfaction.

On the contrary, just one single kiss with Clover and he was overwhelmed by powerful emotions. A few hours with her had given him more than his entire relationship with Alice had. In Clover's company, he had rediscovered feelings that he thought he had lost: the child-like giddiness of the holiday season, the excitement of the first snowfall, New York City so full of life… was he beginning to re-discover a sense of wonder?

Because of his fame and success, he had forgotten most of the things that really were important to him. Once he got back to LA, he wanted to put his life in order and modify his priorities. He wanted to be more available for the people whom he loved. He felt the desire to dust off old dreams and projects. He didn't want to get completely sucked into the vortex of his work and the social life that came with it any more.

But he knew it was going to be very sad and difficult to leave New York this time.