Starstruck (4 page)

She withdrew her hands from Jesse’s, surprised at how easily
she’d opened up to him. She reached for the small black book on the table, but
he snapped it up just as her fingertips brushed the cover.

“I told you dinner is my treat.” He pulled his wallet out of
his back pocket and extracted a black American Express card. He placed it
inside the book and slid it to the corner of the table out of her reach.

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment, the little boy’s room is
calling my name.” He rose from his chair. “You’ll still be here when I get
back, won’t you?”

“Unless Johnny Depp comes by and sweeps me off my feet.” She
flashed him a saucy smile.

He walked in the direction of the men’s room, his quiet
chuckle barely audible over the din of the restaurant.

Once he was out of sight, she reached across the table and
picked up the black book containing the bill, glancing in both directions
before peeking inside. She was itching to know how much dinner would cost him.
There had been no prices on the menu.

She flipped over his credit card and ran her eyes down the
piece of paper until she reached the total.

Sweet Lord! One thousand two hundred and seventy…pounds!

She tried to mentally calculate how much that was in
Australian dollars.

My God!

More than twice her monthly mortgage payment. The wine was
the killer. She couldn’t fathom spending that much on drinks alone. She quickly
replaced the book to its original position on the table, her mind still reeling
over the amount. Probably a good thing he was picking up the tab. It would have
pretty much maxed out her credit card.

Shortly after, Jesse returned as their waiter picked up the
black book and rushed off to the register near the bar. “You ready to go?” he
asked.

“Whenever you are.” She grabbed her things.

Jesse rose and shrugged on his coat, ambled toward her and
reached for her hand as she stood.

“I hope your meal was to your satisfaction?” the waiter said
at the register, sliding the slip across the counter for Jesse’s signature.

“Perfect, as always. My compliments to the chef.”

Chapter Three

Side-stepping through the huge crowds gathered throughout
Heathrow Airport, Jesse held tight to Sam’s hand. He didn’t want them
separated. He’d swiftly put his cap and dark shades back on before they’d
hurried to retrieve their luggage and, so far, had gone unnoticed—much to his
relief. With so many people concentrated in one place, things could get ugly if
he were spotted. Thankfully, the stranded passengers were too busy complaining
about fully booked hotels and hungry bellies.

He found his luggage quickly, but Sam was still searching.
While they waited for the baggage carousel to finish its loop, he dug out his
phone and surreptitiously made another call. “Hey, big Rog, you close by?”

“Jesse? That depends. Hey, shouldn’t you be in the air by
now?”

“Yeah, that was the plan, but I’m still at Heathrow and I
gotta get back to Park Lane.”

“Well, that’s a real shame ’cause I’m on my dinner break.
And you know how cranky I get when I’m interrupted. You’re lucky I even
answered the bloody phone.”

“So? I bet you’re just eating pizza in the front seat again,
aren’t ya? Come on, I’ll make it worth your while, buddy…just hurry up, will
ya? I don’t want to be freezing my ass off out front.”

“Okay, okay. I’m not far away. I’ll see you soon.”

“Cool. Thanks, man.”

Jesse glanced to the other side of the carousel as he
returned his phone to his pocket. Two young sailors blatantly drooled over Sam,
checking her out from head to toe. They undressed her with their bloodshot
eyes, their hand gestures and loud laughter ripe with vulgarity. A heavy
sickness stirred in the pit of his gut—one he hadn’t experienced in a very long
time. Heat steadily rose to his head and he ground his teeth, the muscles in
his jaw flexing with each subtle movement. His right hand clenched into a fist
before he gradually lowered his sunglasses on his nose.

The shorter of the two sailors locked onto his glare and,
based on the surprise on his face, he definitely recognizedJesse. He
stopped speaking to his friend, slapped him on the chest with the back of his
hand and tipped his head forward. The tall sailor’s mouth gaped wide as he
looked from Jesse, to Sam, then back to Jesse. Suddenly appearing somewhat embarrassed,
the two boys stuffed their hands in their pockets and bowed their heads.

Jesse pushed his shades back into place.

She’s got no idea, does she? How can a woman be so
goddamned gorgeous and not even know it?

This was a first for him and he admired her even more for
her unassuming indifference. He’d dated some of the world’s most famous and
beautiful women, but their vanity drove him crazy. They didn’t want to know the
deeper side of him, they just wanted the rock star—someone good-looking and as equally
famous to accessorize them on the red carpet. He couldn’t believe he was
already starting to have feelings for the Australian bombshell. He hadn’t
experienced jealousy in a really long time and wasn’t sure he liked it.

He loved a woman who enjoyed her food as much as he did. His
parents would have been proud if they could’ve seen him dine with her. With the
very few women he thought he’d had genuine feelings for over the years, he’d
taken even fewer to his parents’ restaurant for a meal. All his girlfriends had
eaten like sparrows, much to the disappointment of his folks…especially his
mom.

“You can tell how big a woman’s heart is by her appetite,”
she would often tell him. “Jesse, Jesse…why do you continue to waste your time
on these skinny models and movie stars? Settle down with a nice girl and give
me some grandchildren already!”

He loved his mom to death, but that lecture of hers was
getting old, as was the swat across the top of his head that generally
followed.

Every part of Sam intrigued him, excited him. Her subtle
oriental perfume mixed with the citrus scent of her hair. All of his senses had
heightened since meeting her and the growing bulge in his jeans was becoming
unbearable, not to mention extremely uncomfortable.

Fuck!

This hadn’t happened to him since he was fifteen years old
at the public swimming pool with a group of friends, trying to impress Lily
Ryan—the blonde-haired, blue-eyed neighbor he had a major crush on since he was
seven. He groaned inwardly at the embarrassing memory and tried his best to
ignore the throbbing erection he sported.

“Finally!” Sam shouted, patting Jesse’s upper arm, and then
pointing to her twin, bright-blue-and-purple bags.

He helped her retrieve her luggage and they raced out the
front entrance into the blistering wind and snow.

The cold cut straight through his clothes and Sam’s leather
trench coat didn’t appear to be providing much warmth. She was shivering,
holding her laptop bag tightly against her chest. He put his arm around her,
edging her toward the curb when a familiar black limo turned the corner and
parked at the front doors.

Roger popped the trunk and stepped out, his massive
shoulders hunched against the wind as he rounded the car. “The things I do for
you,” he whispered bitterly, but a sly grin contradicted his displeasure.

Jesse handed his bags to Roger, and then reached for Sam’s
himself, carrying them to the trunk and carefully laying them inside. Roger
widened his eyes, silently asking who the woman was.

“Fuck off, Rog…she’s just a friend. And wipe that smug look
off your ugly mug. What sort of man would I be if I left a damsel in distress
stranded at the airport on a night like this?”

“You’d be a very stupid man, I’d say,” the chauffeur
whispered in his deep baritone. “She’s top shelf, Jess. Too good for the likes
of you, if you ask me. What did you have to bribe her with?”

“Just natural charm, my friend. Something you wouldn’t know
anything about.” Jesse slammed the trunk. “Now get back in the car, he-man, and
help me get this lovely lady out of the cold.”

He raced to Sam’s side, pilfered her laptop bag from her
arms and opened the back door of the limo.

She gave the long black limousine the once-over and tilted
her head. “How very rock star of you,” she said, entering the cavern of plush
white leather.

The cabin was roomy, much bigger than the town cars he used
at home. The air was warm and his bones slowly began to melt.

There were plenty of seats for him to choose from, but he
sat next to her, barely leaving a gap between their thighs. He carefully placed
her laptop bag on the adjacent seat and settled into the soft cushions.

“All set, Jess?” Roger asked, peering over his shoulder.

Jesse nodded and Roger pressed a button on the dash, raising
the black-tinted partition. He shot a wink in the rearview mirror and smiled
smugly before the glass reached the top.

* * * * *

Sam stared out the window, lost in thought. The comfortable
bubble she’d been in since dinner had burst with the slam of the limousine
door. Her nerves had reawakened, ricocheting inside her belly like a rogue
bullet. What kind of hotel were they staying at and how expensive was the place
going to be? If dinner was anything to go by…

I’m screwed. Shit! Abort! Abort!

Sam wasn’t a huge fan of Jerico, but she did like them and
was familiar with a lot of their songs. She wasn’t fanatical like Charli, of
course, but she had seen them in concert in ’97 and enjoyed herself immensely.

Jesse was a natural front man and the chemistry he shared
with the boys in his band was like a New Year’s Eve fireworks display. He
seduced the audience with ease. Any girl in the stadium would have gladly
chewed off her own foot just to get close enough to touch him. All he had to do
was smile, pop his hip or wiggle his cute butt at the crowd and women went wild,
some even fainted. So did some of the men.

He shuffled the last inch closer to her, closing the small
gap between them, picked up her hand and placed it in his, resting them both on
his leg. Sam’s heart skipped a beat…or two…but she didn’t attempt to move away.
As nervous as she was, she liked his touch on her skin. Tomorrow she would go
back to work and this wonderful dream would end.

Past the darkness of the interior, with only the
streetlights flashing through the window, the snow swirled random patterns in
the wind before falling to the ground. A feather-light caress along her jawline
made her body shiver and her breath quicken. She slowly turned her head and his
fingers warmed her cheek. He tilted her chin with his thumb and leaned closer
to her mouth. His lips lingered in front of hers as he pushed his chest against
her shoulder. His breath whispered over her lips, sent chills up her spine and
back down again.

He held her that way for a moment, staring into her eyes.
Perhaps he was waiting to see if she would pull away. She didn’t and he gently
brushed his lips over hers, once, then twice, before gliding his tongue along
the seam of her mouth, urging her to part and let him in.

Her head spun like a Ferris wheel on speed. Her pulse
thumped in every part of her body, drowning out the traffic from the street.
She let loose a small moan when he tipped her chin up and slanted his head for
a deeper kiss. His hand ran through her hair to the nape of her neck, pulling
her closer still. She didn’t resist him. She couldn’t. She swam in his kiss and
thought of nothing but his lips.

He was tender but insistent and she willingly let him ravage
her mouth. Their tongues danced as if they’d tangoed before. They were
naturally in tune, meeting and withdrawing in perfect harmony.

Finally he pulled away from her, his breathing heavy, eyes
glazed. He slowly leaned back and released a long sigh. “I’m sorry, darlin’.
I’ve wanted to do that all night.”

“Sorry? Don’t be,” she whispered, still buzzing from his
kiss. “I get pashed by rock stars all the time. No biggie.” She ran a trembling
hand through her hair,

Jesse laughed and it didn’t take long for her to join in.

“Pashed?” he asked. “I’ve never heard that word before.”

“Really? It’s how we Aussies describe what you just did to
me.”

“Pashed,” he repeated, snorting when he laughed again.

Jesse clasped her hand and held it for the remainder of the
drive. Wrapped in comfortable silence, Sam let her head drift down and rest on
his shoulder.

* * * * *

Jesse kept trying to think of a good excuse to make the
night last longer. He wasn’t ready to say good night and the kiss they’d shared
left him electrified—his skin was
still
tingling. He wanted Sam in his
bed, tonight, but she didn’t seem like that kind of girl.

She was classy in a down-to-earth kind of way. He liked that
about her. He was also aware of her inexperience with men. She said she’d been
with her ex for what…fifteen years? She didn’t look old enough for such a
lengthy relationship so she must have been very young when she’d met him. He’d
assumed she was in her early twenties, but if he calculated correctly, she must
be older than that. She radiated innocence, blushing whenever he touched her,
though she had the confidence of a mature woman whenever she spoke.

The car pulled up outside the London Marriott Hotel Park
Lane. Standing eight stories high, the white corner building overlooked both
Hyde Park and Mayfair. He stayed here whenever he visited London. It was close
to everything he needed and he liked the exclusive corner suites. The staff
protected his privacy and went out of their way to accommodate his every whim.

“We’re here,” he said, looking down at her. Her eyes were
closed, her breath even. She was sound asleep.

“Not quite the reaction I was hoping for with that kiss,
darlin’,” he whispered against her temple. “I’ll never hear the end of it if
big Rog sees you nappin’.”

He wrapped his arm around her and gently squeezed her
shoulders. Her eyelids fluttered open and she finally met his gaze. For a
heartbeat those pools of green seemed to glow with contentment, but then her
eyes grew wide and a soft gasp escaped her full lips. He smiled, hoping to ease
her worries, and was flooded with relief when she relaxed against his chest and
sighed.

“Did I fall asleep? I’m sorry. I didn’t drool on you, did
I?” She sat up and rubbed her eyes before checking out the window.

Jesse let out a shallow laugh. “No. I should be so lucky.”

She playfully punched his arm, too weak to make much impact.

“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” He grasped her hand and
opened the door, helping her exit the car.

He and Roger retrieved the bags from the trunk and all three
hustled through the front entrance of the hotel and out of the fiercely
building blizzard.

After putting the bags down at the check-in desk, Roger’s
mitt-sized hands swallowed one of Jesse’s in a double-sided handshake. “I’ll be
around if you need me, Jess. Just give me a call.”

He winked and addressed Sam by taking her hand. “Pleasure to
be of service to you, miss.” He kissed the soft skin by her knuckles, reached
into his breast pocket and handed her his business card. “Give me a call should
you need a ride or if this one gets too frisky.” He nodded in Jesse’s
direction. “I’ll come and save you.”

Jesse withheld a grin, tapping his fingers on the desk
beside him. Sam giggled and treated Roger to a royal curtsey, holding out a
pretend skirt at her sides. Roger bowed in return with a smile and headed for
the exit.

Jesse turned as Katherine Whitfield, the hotel’s concierge,
left her office at the rear of the lobby and headed toward the front desk. She
smiled brightly, welcoming him back, though he didn’t miss the slight waver of
her lips when her eyes landed on Sam. He had never brought a woman to the hotel
before.

“Hey, Kath. Glad to see me again?”

“Always glad to see you, Mr. Maurello.” She giggled, batting
her eyelashes, nervously touching her hair.