Here All Along (16 page)

The faint gurgle of a fountain broke through the paralyzing fear. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it yet. The sheets were crisp and silky against her bare skin, far from what some seedy hotel would have.

And then another thought rocked her reality. She was almost naked under the covers. A quick check confirmed she still had her bra and thong on, not that they covered much. Her pulse hammered in her ears, accompanied by a chorus of four-letter words.

What if it hadn’t been a dream?

She sat up and immediately wished she hadn’t. The room swam around her, and she grabbed the wastebasket that had been conveniently left on the nightstand for her. Her stomach emptied itself in a series of retches, and when she was done, she pressed her head against the cool metal rim and replayed what she could remember from the day before.

The phone calls for Sage.

The first drink.

The need to dance.

The throbbing beats of the club.

The hard planes of a sexy body pressed against her.

The kisses that still made her toes curl from the memory of them.

And the one man who’d stayed by her side until she couldn’t remember anything else.

Gideon.

She lifted her head and looked around.

She was in his room.

Her cheeks heated as a few more pieces fell into place. She was practically naked in his bed.

Fuck!

Panic revived the nausea still churning in her gut. Had she slept with him? Had she crossed the line and ruined everything? She pressed her fingers into her temples, but no matter how hard she tried to remember, she drew a blank. She couldn’t even recall how she made it back home from the club.

A tremor rippled through her, and she prayed that she hadn’t done what she feared she’d done. She’d always cared for Gideon. He was her best friend. And until he’d kissed her, she’d ignored the selfish part of her that wanted to be more than friends. After all, he deserved better. She’d only break his heart in the end. But if she was going to ruin everything by sleeping with him, she wished she could’ve at least remembered it.

She set the wastebasket aside and attempted to crawl out of his bed. Her legs wobbled as she made her way to the bathroom, and the room spun in circles until she fell to her knees in front of the toilet. She closed her eyes and battled the growing waves of nausea.

Please don’t let me puke any more
.

Her stomach quieted to the point where she felt safe to open her eyes.

But the second she spotted the golden band around her left ring finger, she started hurling again.

***

Gideon ran into the air-conditioned trailer and shut the door before he lost any of the precious cold air. He’d been out in the desert sun since ten this morning, and sweat drenched his costume. Thankfully, Karl had called for a two-hour break once he noticed the entire crew wilting under the heat.

However, that didn’t stop him from pestering Gideon between takes about setting Sarah up for a screen test. He didn’t give Karl an answer. He had bigger problems to deal with than who was going to play the female lead.

He grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from Jason and retreated to a far room where he could afford a moment of privacy. He’d been waiting all morning to call Adam, and yet he dreaded the conversation he was about to have. His eldest brother would probably call him impulsive and irresponsible, but if he reminded himself that he’d woken up next to Sarah this morning, it would be all worth it.

A smile formed on his lips as he remembered the soft way she sighed when he told her he loved her before reluctantly tearing himself away from her. If he didn’t have to be at this remote corner of hell in the Nevada desert, he would’ve gladly stayed beside her all day. As it was, his “wedding night” was not exactly what he’d always imagined, but Sarah was passed-out drunk by the time they got home. It gave carrying the bride over the threshold a whole different meaning.

At least last night had resolved one issue. Sarah loved him, even if she needed half a bottle of vodka in her system to admit it.

Of course, it also meant he’d have to get Sarah back to her regular AA meetings and remind her to call her sponsor before reaching for the bottle again. At least he’d asked Raul to remove all the alcohol from the villa so she wouldn’t have easy access to anything.

But there was another call he had to make right now. He pulled out his phone and worked up his courage while he dialed Adam’s number.

“How are things in Vegas?” his brother answered as soon as he picked up.

“Hot.” He loosened the top buttons on his damp shirt and ran the icy sports drink bottle along his neck and chest. “But I didn’t call to talk about the weather.”

“Then what did you call about?”

Gideon braced himself for the lecture he knew was coming. “You know how you told me to get a prenuptial agreement if I ever decided to get married?”

“Yes,” Adam replied with a slow drawl of warning.

“Well, um, if I didn’t have one in place beforehand—”

“Stop right there, Gideon. Please tell me you didn’t get wasted and visit one of those drive-by chapels.”

“I can honestly tell you that I was not wasted last night.”

“Shit.” Some more incomprehensible muttering followed, and Gideon could almost picture his eldest brother sliding his hand over his face. “What did you do?”

“Sarah and I got married last night.”

“Oh?” Surprise replaced the critical edge in Adam’s voice. “You and Sarah?”

“Yeah, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“No shit.” Adam paused, seeming to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Have you told Mom?”

“No, and the reason is that I’m not sure how this is going to end up. Hence, why I’m calling you about the prenup.”

A weary sigh answered him. “Start from the beginning.”

Gideon sat on the small sofa that was in direct line of the window air conditioner and stretched his legs out to maximize their exposure to the cold air. “Sarah got drunk last night and proposed to me, and I figured it was now or never.”

“But she wasn’t thinking clearly when you got married. That’s grounds for an annulment.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not going to tell Mom until I see how things pan out.”

“But you sound like you want this marriage to work.”

Gideon closed his eyes and remembered the passionate kisses from last night. It had taken every drop of will power to keep his desire in check, but he refused to sleep with Sarah when she was wasted.

But if she had given him those same kisses when she was sober…

“Yeah, I want it to work. I love her, Adam. I think I always have. And she finally admitted to loving me back.”

“You haven’t picked the easiest way to start things.”

“I know, which is why I’m turning to my big brother for advice. I doubt she’ll try to take me to the cleaners if she wants to end things.”

“Don’t be too hasty. After all, she’s been living in your garage apartment for three years.”

Gideon jerked up, consumed with the need to defend her. “And working as my assistant to cover her rent and earn a paycheck. She’s not a freeloader.”

“But she hasn’t been motivated to move on, either.”

“Yes, she has. She’s even been working on starting her own fashion label.” Then it hit him like a blow to the chest. She’d been setting up everything to leave him, and now he’d done an asshole maneuver to keep her. “Shit, Adam, I’m worried I might have fucked things up between us by marrying her, and I need to know the best way to convince her to stay with me.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“Mom and Dad raised us better than to take advantage of a drunk woman.” Although it still rankled him that his brother would even think of asking him that question.

“Good. At least you haven’t complicated things by bringing sex into the equation.” The soft sound of footsteps filled the line, indicating that Adam was pacing. “Have you told her how you feel?”

“I—” It was one thing to confess his feelings to her when she was drunk or sleeping beside him. But to tell it to her face? “I haven’t.”

“Why not?”

“For the very same reasons I’m dreading tonight’s conversation. What if she doesn’t feel the same way now that she’s sober?”

“Then you’d be better off getting this marriage annulled within sixty days before she’s subject to the community property laws.”

Gideon cursed under his breath. Adam sounded so cold, so emotionless, so at odds to the frantic emotions raging inside him. But he needed his older brother’s perspective. It kept him from acting like an overgrown teenager. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, his words quiet and morose from the thought of what could happen.

“I’m sorry to be the heavy, Gideon.” Adam’s confidence seemed to waver as he added in a rush, “Do you need me to come down there and help—”

Gideon cut him off. “No, I don’t. I am an adult, after all. I made this mess. Now I’ll have to sort it out on my own.”

“No, you don’t. Just say the word, and I’ll be there.”

He held his breath and fought the urge to let his brother swoop in and clean up everything. “No, Adam. I’ve got this. Just please don’t tell Mom.”

“Keep me posted?”

“I will.” Gideon hung up the phone feeling more confused than ever.

Chapter Thirteen

Sarah smoothed the wrinkles from the skirt of her maxi dress and fought the urge to have another drink. Even after she’d borrowed Jason’s phone to call her sponsor, she still couldn’t shake the craving. Alcohol had complicated her life more than once, and the wedding ring on her finger was all the reminder she needed to stay away from it.

She massaged her forehead, but she still couldn’t fill in the void from last night. What had she done? Was she really married? And if so, to whom? What if she’d married some whack job from the Strip?

No, Gideon had been with her. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. If she was married to anyone, it would be him.

Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that Gabe Harrison had been there, too.

Way to go, Sarah. You’re married, and you can’t even remember the name of your husband. The next thing you know, you’ll be on husband number four, just like your mother
.

She cursed and started pacing. Night had fallen, and Gideon still hadn’t returned. Raul told her that he’d been shooting scenes in the desert all day, but he didn’t know how far away.

Pull yourself together. You can’t be this frazzled when he gets home
. She forced herself to stop and take a deep breath.

At least one blessing had come out of last night’s misadventures. The suite bar had been completely cleared of any alcohol. If she wanted a drink, she’d have to leave the villa, and based on the media coverage of her “audition,” she’d be instantly recognized.

A new wave of panic seized her, and she doubled over. What if the media found out about last night?

The front door opened, and she dashed toward it before she lost her resolve. She needed answers, even if they confirmed what she feared the most. “Gideon, we need to talk about last night.”

However, Gideon hadn’t returned alone. Standing next to him was Gabe Harrison.

Her tongue grew clumsy when she spotted them together, and her courage faltered. Even if she could get out a coherent word, she didn’t want to air her dirty laundry in front of a crowd.

Gabe gave her a charming smile and kissed her cheek. “How’s the lovely bride this evening?”

Her stomach dropped, and for a second, she wondered if she would either pass out or puke. Maybe both.

Gideon kept his distance, his gaze on everything but her. If she wanted any help, she doubted it would come from him.

She backed away from Gabe. “Please tell me this is some sort of sick practical joke.”

“You mean you don’t remember?” A mischievous glint appeared in his dark eyes. “You, me, and the Kid turned the Strip upside down.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Her head swam, and she sank into the nearest chair. “Do I want to know the details?”

Gabe elbowed Gideon. “Should I tell her about the matching tattoos we got? Or the striptease she performed on the bar? Or how we got away from the cops who were chasing us?”

Her throat started closing up, and her vision blurred. A few years ago, those kind of stories followed her everywhere she went. Now after she’d worked so hard to clean up her act, she’d fallen right back into her old ways.

“Shut the fuck up.” Gideon pushed Gabe aside and crouched in front of her, his forehead wrinkled with worry. “You okay, Red?”

She shook her head, not trusting what would come out of her mouth if she opened it. A lone tear escaped her eye and slid down her flaming cheek.

“None of that happened.”

“You promise?”

“Absolutely.” Gideon squeezed her left hand.

That’s when she noticed the matching gold band on his finger. Her breath shook as she pointed to it. “But that did.”