Red Carpet Romance (12 page)

“Junior and I had a talk about you…”

“Oh?” He lifted his eyebrows. “And
what did he have to say?” A smile tugged at his lips.

“He said maybe I should…give you
another chance.”

“Not jump to conclusions?”

She took a bite and nodded at him.

“What are you so afraid of?” He
inched closer to her. “You might like me? You still think I’m the big, bad
movie star who’s out deflowering virgins every night?”

Heat slowly rose to her cheeks.
Spot on, dammit!
No glib answer came to
mind, so she kept her head down and continued chewing.

“Cat…no, wait…baby got your tongue?”

A whimper came across the monitor.
Slowly it changed to a soft cry,
Junior
to the rescue.
She finished chewing, swallowed, and got up from the table.
“Junior calls.”

“Don’t think you’re off the hook,”
Quinn called after her.

She tiptoed into the bedroom, afraid
to wake the baby if he had fallen back to sleep. His hair was matted down on
his sweaty little head, and his eyes were open. When he saw her, he let out a
yell. “I get it. You want out. Okay.” She lifted him up and carted him to the
kitchen, where she prepared another bottle of
Pedialyte.

She held him in her lap at the
dining table while Quinn ate and drank. Junior sucked contentedly on his
bottle. Susanna stroked his head. “His head is wet. Please get me the ear
thermometer?”

Quinn returned with the handy gadget.
The result was normal temperature. Her gaze connected with Quinn’s. “It’s
normal,” she whispered, smiling. The baby’s eyes began to close as his sucking
slowed. She stood up slowly and crossed the room as quietly as possible. When
she returned, Susanna plopped down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and sighed.

“Wow. He’s okay.” Tears formed in
the corners of her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn took his drink
and joined her.

“Never been so scared before in my
life,” she muttered.

When he took her in his arms, her
head rested on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, taking in his masculine scent
mixed with a faint whiff of beer and aftershave. “You were amazing. I’d trust
my child to you any day,” he whispered into her hair.

“You have.”

“Dammit!” he yelled, grabbing her
upper arms and holding her away from him.

“Just kidding.” She blinked, trying
to form a convincing smile.

“Kidding?” A twinkle came into his
eye as he suddenly jerked her across his lap and smacked her bottom gently with
the flat of his hand. “How’s that for kidding?”

She shrieked and kicked her legs,
squirming to get away from him. “You’ll regret that! This means war!” Trying
not to smile, she freed herself then jumped on him, grabbing his sides, poking
and tickling.

Quinn tried to fight her off, but
she was relentless. He alternated between yelling and laughing as the two of
them tussled on the sofa, falling sideways. Quinn seized the advantage,
fastening his hands on her wrists and wresting them to her sides. He raised
them above her head as he lowered himself on top of her. His mouth claimed hers
in a hard, passionate kiss.

When he released her, she wound her
arms around his neck. He combed his fingers through her hair, sliding one down
to caress her cheek. His tender touch melted her heart. Susanna softened
against him, opening her legs to cradle him between them. He shifted his weight
to his thighs and knees to keep from crushing her. Desire for him swept
unchecked through her body. Bad dad or not, she wanted him with every fiber of
her being.

His head came up, and their eyes
connected. He brushed the hair off her forehead and kissed the tip of her nose
before assaulting her mouth again. He coaxed hers open to slip his tongue in
for a second or two. He nibbled on her lower lip and placed his hands at the
base of her neck. “Oh, baby. I want you bad,” he whispered.

“You? Who? The movie star?”

“There’s the movie guy, the Joe
Martin guy, and then there’s just me…a man.”

“So who wants me?”

“The man.” He nuzzled her neck,
planting small kisses up and down the column. He eased the broad strap of her
tank top down a little, kissing the newly exposed skin. His hand closed over
her breast and squeezed gently. Heat shot through her veins at lightning speed.

Susanna groaned.
Oh, God. Must have him.
She dug her fingers
into his shoulder muscles and arched her back, crushing her chest against him.
“Touch me,” she whispered in his ear. He cradled the other breast while his
thumb searched for her peak. Her core was on fire, and Quinn Roberts was the
only one who could put it out.

She pressed her hips to his, and he
moaned. She worked her hands down his back, feeling his strength until she got
to his butt. A squeeze told her exactly what she wanted to know—it was firm,
strong, and cute.

“If you’re going to do that—” She
cut his words off with her mouth, kissing him hungrily, starved for his love.
He moved his fingers underneath her top and inched them slowly upward. Then his
cell phone rang. They froze.

“Crap!” He said, shaking his head.
“This better not be Chaz.”

Quinn sat up and fished his phone
out of his back pocket. He checked the dial then bolted upright. “Yes, hi, Mr.
Sumner. No, no, sir, this is the perfect time to talk about
BLIND LOVE
.”
He looked up at her, shrugged, and mouthed the words “I’m sorry.”

Susanna’s head fell back in
disappointment and resignation. A dry mouth drove her to fetch a glass of water
from the kitchen. When she got back, Quinn’s words were getting a little
heated.

“But I’m more than that. I know I
can do it. I did tons of summer stock…I know that’s not the same, but…give me a
chance, Mr. Sumner. I know it’s an expensive roll of the dice. Yes. But people
will come to see me because of Joe Martin. What? No. No. Definitely not.”

She sighed and padded to her
bedroom. Junior’s soft even breathing reminded her how tired she was. After
stripping off her clothing, she slipped into bed, still listening to the rise
and fall of Quinn’s voice on the phone. Though her body was tired, her senses
were still acute. She drifted off to sleep, remembering the feel of his hands
on her body and his lips on her skin.

Chapter Seven

Monday, Susanna and Junior were up
early, roused by the brightness of the early morning sun. He was fever-free and
hungry. She fed him, changed him, turned on the coffeemaker, and was ready for
a walk by seven-thirty. The resonance of a deep voice stopped her at the door.

“Hey, wait.” Quinn padded down the
hall in his boxers, rubbing his face and stifling a yawn.

“Good morning. How’d it go last
night?” Junior picked up a plastic donut and put it in his mouth.

“The phone call with Sumner?”

She nodded, her gaze stopped on his
chest, and her pulse kicked up.

“No go.” He scratched his chin.

“Seemed like you were winning the
argument when I went to bed.” Susanna forced her eyes to meet his.

“Yeah well, he’s not a risk-taker.
And he sees this project as a big risk.”

“I’m sorry. You have others to talk
to, right?”

“That’s what I wanted to tell you.
I’ve got a bunch of meetings today and tomorrow. Then we return to New York for
the premiere there. Will you go with me?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he blushed, his gaze falling to his hands.

“Guess so. Yeah.”

“Sure. It’ll be fun.”

“You have to see the movie again.”

“I loved it. No problem. Will there
be another big party?”

“Of course. Hollywood comes to New
York.” He grinned.

“Junior’s better today. He needs to
get outside, so we’re off for some fresh air.”

“Glad to hear it. By the way…I’m
sorry about last night.” He approached her, touching her hair.
Control yourself!
The temptation to
touch his bare chest was overwhelming. Clamping her hands firmly around the
stroller’s handlebars was the only way to ensure she wouldn’t assault him right
then and there.

“Me, too.” Increasingly nervous in
his half-naked presence, she exited quickly, opening the door and pushing
Junior outside. “Gotta go.” Fresh air and time to think cleared Susanna’s mind.
She carried on a one-sided conversation with the baby on the pros and cons of
getting involved with Quinn.

While there seemed to be more cons
than pros—his traveling, his risky business, his exposure to a ton of sexy
women, his shady relationship to Junior—she kept searching for more reasons to
plunge in.
I could just sleep with him.
Not get involved.
She wasn’t built that way.
Who am I kidding? The minute I sleep with him, I’ll be in love with
him. If I’m not already.

A wry smile claimed her lips as her
eyes scanned the scenery. The sound of cars whizzing by blended with the subtle
crashing of waves to create background noise that lulled Junior to sleep.
Susanna lingered on a bench to breathe some of the fresh, salt air and tuck a
blanket securely around the baby.
Resist
Quinn? I doubt it.

Upon arriving back in the apartment,
Susanna put Junior down for his nap. She opened her book to force thoughts
about Quinn Roberts out of her head. She dozed, unable to control her dreams,
which centered on the handsome movie star sharing his space with her.

After feeding lunch to Junior and
Quinn, she and Junior again went exploring in the neighborhood, winding through
apartment complexes and past empty lots. Quinn went out to meetings and
interviews.

While the baby took his afternoon
nap, Susanna padded into the kitchen to get an early start on dinner. Having
returned half an hour earlier, Quinn was on the phone in the living room,
pacing. She picked up bits of his animated conversation but couldn’t tell if it
was going well or poorly. Tonight she was preparing sautéed scallops and a
salad with beets, goat cheese, walnuts, and dried cranberries.

While the scallops cooked, she
called her sister.

“You’re a miracle worker. Junior is
fine.”

“Told ya. Hey, after three I oughta
know, right? Thanks for the flowers.”

“They were Quinn’s idea.”

“Classy guy.”

Susanna grinned. “I need your help
with something else.”

“What?”

“Quinn’s taking me to the New York
premiere of his new movie. I need a sexy, long dress. Got any ideas?”

“You’re going on a date with your
employer? Isn’t there a rule about that somewhere?”

“It’s not like that. Not like an
office.” She turned the stove down.

“Oh, I see,” she tried
unsuccessfully to muffle a chuckle.

“It isn’t!” Indignation made
Susanna’s voice rise.

“I believe you. Now convince
yourself. So…you’re going out with that hunky, gorgeous guy, Quinn Roberts,
eh?”

“Went to the first premiere here in
L.A., too,” she sniffed.

“I’m impressed, little sister. But
we do need a fabulous dress for you. I’ll go look at Bergdorf.”

“Can’t afford Bergdorf.”

“I’ll charge it. You can pay me back
after the estate is settled. You’ll have the money then.”

“Don’t go hog wild, Annie. No
topless or anything.”

Her sister cracked up over the
phone. “Tasteful and dignified…but sexy as hell, Susie. You’re going with Quinn
Roberts, not some slob from Outer Mongolia. You’ve got to look the part.”

“True. Go for it.” She stirred the
scallops gently.

“Are you sleeping with him? Are you
and Quinn living together?”

“Of course not! Annie!” Susanna
dropped the wooden spoon.

“I don’t know how you can resist
him. Under the same roof and all.”

She peeked around the corner and
spied Quinn deep in conversation. “It isn’t easy,” she giggled. Annie burst
into laughter.

“I knew something was going on. I
don’t care if he is a movie star. He couldn’t be around a woman like you for
long without making a pass.”

“Annie, this topic is now closed.”
She turned off the stove.

“Love you, girl.”

“Love you back.” She put her phone
down and placed the salad on the table.

“Is that dinner I smell?” Quinn
lurked by the archway.

“It is. Come, sit down.”

After doling out the food and passing
him a lemon wedge, she handed him a bottle of Chablis. He uncorked it and
poured two glasses. She couldn’t help but see how distracted he was, a frown
creasing his brow, his shoulders hunched forward.
No good news on the book.
She kept her gaze on her plate and ate in
silence.

“Good,” he muttered after taking a
mouthful.

She looked up and smiled. He nodded
and continued to eat. Her smile faded and her heart lurched.
The man who has everything, but he can’t
sell that story.
Suddenly, he appeared like any other man, a man who’d had
a bad day at the office or didn’t get the promotion or raise he was expecting.
Big star or no big star, Quinn was frustrated and down about being trapped in
one role by the Hollywood power brokers. His pain penetrated her psyche and
stung her, too.

“Maybe tomorrow will be better,” she
reached over and squeezed his hand.

His eyes widened for a moment as his
gaze caressed her face. “Maybe.”

* * * *

Quinn arose early. Susanna was
feeding Junior.

“Let me know when he’s dressed. I need
a run. I’ll take him with me.”

“But you with a baby?”

“Tough. So what? I’ll be running, no
one will recognize me. So what if they do?” He disappeared into his bedroom. In
fifteen minutes, he emerged in running shorts and a tank top. Energy dripped
off him.
Running will clear my head.
He
warmed up with some bends and stretches. Out of the corner of his eye, he
noticed Susanna watching him. “I’ll be careful. You deserve some time off.”