Red Carpet Romance (15 page)
Read Red Carpet Romance Online
Authors: Jean C. Joachim
“Susie, my God, you’re…oh…God,” he
muttered, his eyes closing.
Her fingernails dug into his back as
excitement grew inside her, swirling through her body. Her back arched, heat of
passion took over, pushing her to the edge. “Quinn…I…” He increased his pace.
“Do it, baby. Let go,” he whispered.
The white heat of her desire burst
into tiny fragments, like fiery little stars shooting through her, bringing
pleasure and release. Her body shuddered as she gripped him with all her
strength. Her lips clamped down on his shoulder.
“My God,” he murmured as his hips
moved faster and faster, rocking him to and fro. Sweat broke out on his forehead
and back. His mouth closed over hers for a second before it ripped away to
utter sounds of pure ecstasy and relief. He groaned loudly when he thrust one
last time and stopped moving. Heavy breathing accompanied the faint sounds
coming from the monitor.
Quinn placed a tender kiss on her
lips while she combed his hair out of his eyes with her fingers. He kissed the
tip of her nose before he pulled out of her and rolled off. Springing to his
feet, he disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. Susanna stretched out on
the bed, her arms above her head, as a sigh of satisfaction escaped her throat.
He rejoined her, pulling her into his embrace before patting her on the rump.
“Let’s sleep in your bed.”
She peered up at him through thick
lashes.
“Then Junior doesn’t have to wake up
to an empty room.”
She bent over to plant a kiss on his
cheek. “I was wrong about you.”
“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.
“You’re a great dad.”
He shot a lopsided grin at her. “Do
you think it will traumatize him if we’re naked when he wakes up?”
She giggled. “I don’t think so. I
sleep nude.”
“The little slugger got to see you
naked before I did?” He laughed.
They pushed to their feet, turned
off the light, and padded into Susanna’s room. Quinn pulled down the bedcovers,
and they got in. He spooned her from behind, folding one arm over her middle,
resting his hand on her breast. She snuggled back into him an inch or so.
“You were amazing,” Quinn whispered
in her ear.
“So were you. Never had it so good,”
she mumbled, fighting to stay awake.
His kissed her neck twice then
pulled up the covers over the two of them. A sense of safety from his strong,
warm arms closed around her, nestling her into his body, put a smile on
Susanna’s face. Her eyelids got heavy, her body relaxed, and sleep overtook
her.
Chapter Nine
Junior’s cry woke them at six.
Though Quinn wanted a repeat of their lovemaking from the night before, he knew
that wasn’t possible with the baby awake and needing attention.
How do parents find the privacy to make a
second kid?
Skimming his hands over Susanna’s
soft, bare skin did nothing to sate his arousal, but it felt damn good. He
kissed her neck, whispered “good morning,” and opened his arms to release her.
She groaned. “Junior, why couldn’t
you let us sleep a little longer?”
“Or do something else?”
“That, too.” She turned her head to
smile at him.
“Last night was great,” he said,
bending down to kiss her breast.
“Wish we could continue, but the
little general there needs attention.”
Quinn backed off. “He does. Damn.” A
cock-eyed, rueful smile twisted his lips.
“I’ll feed him first, then us.” She
swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
“I’ll get the paper.”
“Robe first?” She lifted her
eyebrows as she approached the crib.
“Duh!” He stood and padded down to
his room to retrieve his robe.
When she arrived at the kitchen,
coffee was brewing, and Quinn was sitting at the table with the paper,
frowning.
“What?” She asked, putting Junior in
his highchair.
“Nothing,” he muttered, adding more
milk to his coffee.
She puttered around, gathering the
things she needed for the baby’s breakfast, before taking down a mug and
filling it with coffee. She mixed Junior’s cereal and spooned some into the
eagerly awaiting little mouth.
His frown deepened as he thumbed
through the paper. “I’ve gotta go out for a few minutes. Do we need anything?”
She shook her head. Quinn ambled down the hall to his private bathroom, turned
on the shower, and stepped in. A sense of foreboding permeated his body.
Story was small. Have hope.
He dressed
quickly, loaded his wallet and phone into his pockets, and headed for the front
door.
Ducking into the kitchen for a
second, he kissed Susanna. “Love you,” he murmured. Her brief look of surprise
made him smile as he slipped out of the apartment and down to the lobby.
“Heads up, Mr. Roberts,” Crash said
their code that meant reporters were lurking. Press was outside.
“Where?”
Crash rolled his eyes toward the
outside. Quinn’s gaze followed, spotting a man on the other side of Central
Park West, a camera around his neck and a mic in his hand. Quinn made the
thumbs up sign to his doorman, who opened the door. He walked toward the
corner, watching the reporter out of the corner of his eye. The man crossed the
street, following along behind Quinn.
Halfway down the block, he called
out. “Mr. Roberts? Quinn Roberts?”
Quinn turned around and cocked an
eyebrow. “Yes?”
“
Celebs
R Us
. May I talk with you a minute?”
“Depends. What about?”
“A young woman. Susanna Barnes, I
think.”
“What about her?” Quinn shifted his
weight from foot to foot.
“Are you two lovers?”
“We’re friends, that’s all.” Quinn
resumed walking.
“Come on. I saw her at the premiere
last night. No guy is gonna wanna be just friends with that chick.”
“If you know the answer, why are you
asking me the question?”
“So you’re confirming that you and
Ms. Barnes…”
“I’m not confirming anything except
we’re friends and attended the premiere together.”
“Both premieres…”
“Whatever.” Quinn continued on his
way. The reporter buzzed around him, asking more questions, but he was ignored.
At the candy store, Quinn purchased a newspaper before returning home. He
stopped at the door and scanned the area, but the reporter appeared to have
moved off.
When he entered the apartment,
Susanna was sitting on the floor with Junior. While the baby chewed on a toy,
she read the newspaper.
“You saw it?” he asked.
“You mean the little piece about you
and me?” She looked up.
He nodded, plopping down on the
sofa.
“It says I’m your girlfriend.”
“Yeah. Let’s take a look at this.”
He opened a copy of
Celebs R Us
.
Flipping through the paper, he stopped and uttered a grunt, snagging her
attention.
“What?”
“Here it is. Damn.” He handed it to
her, already opened to a spread taken at the premiere. On one side was a
picture of Quinn and Susanna. The facing page had Quinn’s co-star and her
boyfriend. The headline read “New Number Ones for Quinn and Margo?”
“Were you and Margo Fredericks a
couple?”
“Not really. We wanted to give that
impression for the last movie. We went out a couple of times.”
“Were you sleeping with her?”
He blushed, avoiding her gaze.
“She’s ancient history. Does it matter?”
“Not to me, I mean…what happened
last night was…uh…a mis—”
“A what?” He pushed to his feet.
“And don’t say a mistake or one-night-stand.”
“I…uh.”
She can’t be backpedaling.
“You were, weren’t you? Going to say
that? You were!” Anger colored his face.
“No, no…well maybe.” She looked at
her hands, avoiding his stare.
“Sleeping with you was not a
mistake, not a one-night-stand. We’ve been heading toward that for a couple of
weeks. You wanted it. I wanted it…and I still want it, want you.”
Don’t you still want me? You did last night.
He sank down on the floor next to
her, placing his hand on her neck. His fingers gently stroked her skin. He
kissed her then moved his mouth to her ear. “Tell me you don’t want me to touch
you, kiss you, love you…look me in the eye and tell me,” he whispered.
She squirmed out of his grasp,
slowly lifting her gaze to his. He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited. She
turned her eyes away from him to Junior, who gurgled and laughed. Quinn took
her chin in his hand, redirecting her face so she couldn’t look away. “Tell
me.”
Anger welled up in his chest.
Calm down. Your anger scares her.
He
took a deep breath, allowing anger to flow out of him and be replaced by his
desire for Susanna’s love. His eyes stared into hers. She rested her palm on
his cheek. He thought about how much he loved her, hoping it would show on his
face, reassure her he wasn’t playing with her emotions. He whispered very
softly, “Tell me. Tell me you love me.” He glimpsed a tiny love light shining
through her eyes. She nodded. “Me, too,” he whispered. His lips grazed hers
tenderly.
Junior threw the ring he had been
chewing on, but Susanna let it bounce off her leg without breaking her focus on
Quinn. She pulled him closer and kissed him ardently. He cupped her face with
both hands and deepened the kiss. A twinge between his legs warned him to stop
before he couldn’t.
He broke from her and returned to
the sofa. “
Celebs R Us
now has us in
their sights. Be careful what you say to reporters.”
“What reporters?”
“There was one asking me questions
when I went for the paper.”
“What did you say?”
“I said we were only friends. I know
it’s not true, but it’s nobody’s business what we are to each other.”
“True.” She returned the toy to
Junior.
“Don’t let them fool you or goad you
into revealing anything. They’ll blow it up, make a big deal, and you won’t be
able to go to the drugstore without people bothering you.”
“Fame? I don’t care.” She shrugged and
returned to the sofa.
“I’m sorry I got you into this. I
should have known better than to take you to both premieres.”
“We can’t go out together…ever?” She
turned pleading eyes on him.
“We can. He won’t be there forever.
Crash and Stokes’ll tell us when the coast is clear.”
“A price I pay for being with you?”
“I guess so. I’m sorry.” He sidled
up next to her.
She squeezed his hand between both
of hers. “I’ve lived with that stuff all my life. No biggie. It’s worth it.”
She looked at her watch. “Time for Junior and me to get going.”
“What’s the rush?” He slid his
fingers up and down her arm.
“My friend, Max, is waiting for me.”
“Max?”
“An older guy I met in Riverside
Park. He watches Junior while I shoot a little ball. I gave him some advice
about his son. We’re friends.”
“Just how much older?” A jealous
tone reverberated through his voice.
“Max is at least fifty. Don’t worry.
He’s not competition.”
“Go then. Meet him. Play ball.”
“He brings bagels.” She dialed her
phone. “Max?”
Quinn filled his mug with coffee and
headed for the terrace, picking up his script for the next Joe Martin movie
along the way. Susanna raised Junior high up in the air at arm’s length and
nuzzled her face into his belly. He giggled and kicked his legs. As Quinn
watched her, a warm feeling surrounded his heart and he smiled. She fastened
the baby into the stroller, blew Quinn a kiss, then opened the door.
* * * *
It was warm and sunny, a beautiful
summer day. Susanna stopped at the big, wrought iron door, shooting a
thousand-watt smile at Stokes. “Is the coast clear?” she asked. He gave her a
thumbs-up signal then opened the door.
Her body seemed lighter than air.
She was floating, her step springy, her spirit weightless. Susanna couldn’t
stop smiling. Last night couldn’t have been more wonderful. Quinn was a tender,
passionate lover, satisfying her in every way. Sleeping in his arms again was
heaven. The aura of safety and love surrounding her had lulled her into the
best sleep she’d had since before the accident.
Her smile refused to leave, lighting
up her face as she bounced down the street, heading toward Riverside Park. A
singsong sound let her know a text had arrived on her phone. She checked.
Got bagels &
coffee. Am in park. See you soon. Max
The thought of a toasted bagel with
cream cheese made her mouth water. She picked up her pace but stopped at the
red light. A creepy, tingly feeling on the back of her neck made her turn
around. There wasn’t anyone standing close by but still her heart rate kicked
up a little and a bit of adrenalin flowed through her veins.
When the light changed, she crossed
quickly, anxious to meet up with Max. Slowed by the necessity of bumping the
stroller down wide, stone steps, a reporter had the chance to catch up and was
waiting for her when she reached the bottom. The clicks of the camera around
his neck caused her to snap her head up and stare at him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Richard, from
Celebs R Us
. You’re looking very pretty
today. Tell me…are you Quinn Roberts’ girl?”
“No comment,” she said and walked
toward the basketball courts.
“Is this Quinn’s baby? Oh my God!
You and Quinn have a child? Are you married?”
“None of your business. Now get out
of my way.” He kept snapping shots of the two of them. She stopped, blocking
his view of Junior. “Leave him out of this. No pictures of the baby.”
“Is he yours?”
“No comment.” She sidestepped,
blocking his view again.