Victoria's Got a Secret (25 page)

Jennifer nibbled on her bottom lip. “Really?”

“You’ve always said your greatest regret was losing him, that your timing was off.” Heather smiled. “This time you can make it happen.”

“You’re matchmaking.”

Heather shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe this time it will stick.”

The location of their first meeting in years impressed the heck out of Jennifer. The club, El Macombo, was a famous live music joint in Toronto. The Rolling Stones and other famous bands had stopped by unannounced for jam sessions. The idea of Paul being there, playing there, filled her with a ferocious pride. The achievement was his, but she gloried in the fact he had gotten there. No one handed him an easy life. If he’d made it here, he’d earned it.

Dressing for the night was only one in a long line of problems. Hard to know what to wear to see the love of your life for the first time in years. Even harder when the email issued a casual invitation.

Jennifer didn’t know if Paul wanted to introduce her to his new wife or something else. Every time her mind traveled to the first possibility, her stomach rebelled.

Then there was the problem of being noticed. Ever since Naked News had been picked up by a local station, it was harder for her to be Jennifer in public. Heather and her boyfriend agreed to tag along for protection and moral support. Jennifer vowed to duck behind them if a drunk fan got out of hand.

The slim-fitting electric blue shirt and blue jeans were perfect for the bar, at least she hoped so. She hadn’t been in a club or bar in a year. Preston ruined those haunts for her.

When they walked in, the place was almost empty due to the early hour. The main crowd would pile in to hear the music a few hours from now.

“Where is he?” Heather asked.

Jennifer looked around. No band in sight. The only people in the room were the bartender and the sound mixer. Both were busy with their respective jobs.

“I could ask someone,” she said more to herself than for agreement.

“It’s your show.”

Jennifer ignored Heather’s comment and walked over to the sound guy. “Do you know Paul Gobits?”

The guy didn’t look up. “Sure.”

Maybe being noticed wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Might mean better service. “Can you clue me in to his current location?”

This time he glanced up. He must have liked what he saw because a smile broke across his face. A second later, he pointed behind her.

She turned in time to see Paul come out of the prep room. He walked in and stopped right under a pool of light. The haze circled his head, making him look like an angel. An angel with broad shoulders and the soft hair she remembered so well.

Her hungry gaze ran over him. The blue jeans and tee hugged his trim frame. Tall and fit without a wedding ring.

She took it all in during a short flash no longer than a blink. When her stare returned to his face, he was looking at her and smiling.

Her heart leapt. Took a jump and landed right in her throat. It pounded hard enough to break through her skin. She had no idea how she would talk. She wanted to throw her body at him, wrap her arms and legs around him and never let him go.

He moved before she did. One second he was standing there like a figure out of her dreams, and the next he took two steps and landed in front of her.

He put out his hand and then held onto hers as he beamed that sexy smile in her direction. “If it isn’t Jennifer Hopkins.”

“Paul Gobits.”

He dropped her hand but didn’t move back. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

Little did he know she almost ran the whole way there. Only Heather’s insistence stopped that little escapade. “Why?”

“I expected you to send a representative to make sure I wasn’t some kind of wacko.”

She couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks actually hurt from the force of it. “Are you?”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Not usually.”

That quickly, she felt at ease. All those worries about timing and him being with someone else fell by the wayside. Comfort came with the welcoming warmth in his eyes.

“You do know you’re famous, right?” he asked.

She never thought of it in those terms. “I’m still Jennifer Hopkins from Sarnia.”

“You always will be to me.”

It never failed. He said the right thing at the right time and sent her stomach tumbling. “Do you have time to sit down and talk?”

He glanced at the clock behind the bar. “About a half hour and I’m all yours.”

They sat down, and he signaled the bartender for a drink. “I keep thinking this is a dream.”

“For me, too.”

She tore slices in the napkin she twirled between her fingers. It was either that or throw her arms around his neck and hug him close enough to feel his heartbeat against hers. “So you’re still playing music.”

“And you’re still beautiful.”

“Sweet talker.”

His smile reached the whole way to his beautiful eyes. “Sounds like you’ve been busy in the years since we last saw each other.”

The way he said it, amused and without judgment, put her at ease. “You have no idea.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s not all that interesting.”

He took one of her hands in his. “I want to know everything about you. Every minute and every dream. It all matters to me.”

“Do I get to hear the same from you?” She remembered how closed he’d been, how secretive.

He lifted their joint hands and kissed her knuckles. “Ask anything.”

“That’s a pretty open invitation.”

“Whatever you want is yours.”

All the past tension was gone. He didn’t panic or tense when she turned her attention on him. He opened the door and dared her to walk through it.

She did. At the end of thirty minutes she knew all about his photography interests and scuba trips. He didn’t talk about a girlfriend, and she didn’t ask. Hearing it on his lips would bury her in grief all over again.

The strange news was his address. He lived only four blocks away from her. All that time and so close.

A man is coming for you.

The longer they talked, the more she wanted the press of his body against hers, the taste of his lips against hers. It was as if they were transported back to the good times. Like they’d never been apart or with other people.

Every part of her silently screamed with joy. Seeing him was a gift she never expected to receive. Being this close, sliding her thigh against his as they sat there, reinforced her view that sometimes people did get lucky.

She wanted more . . . and this time the more in question was him.

The room filled around them, and the sound guy motioned for Paul to come up to the stage. She didn’t want the time to end. No way was she letting him slip out of sight and out of her life again.

“Can you come over on Friday?” She rushed out the question before he walked away. Any day worked for her, but choosing a weekend day worked as a test. She wanted to know if he was available.

“I can do Saturday.”

He returned the volley with ease. Didn’t give any extra information about his Friday plans to put her mind at rest. She would have to stumble through the week, waiting to see him. But none of that made any difference. She felt lighter, her nerve endings singing and shouting with excitement.

When he stood up to get ready for his set, she almost grabbed his hand again. Letting him go proved as hard this time as it had in the past, and she knew this separation was only temporary.

“You going to stick around and listen?” He asked the question before he walked away.

She motioned to the bar. “Heather and her boyfriend would be upset if I dragged them the whole way here only to take them away without hearing any music.”

Paul waved to Heather. “Man, I didn’t even see them.”

He’d been too busy looking at her. Jennifer knew the truth and reveled in it.

“I think we’ll refrain from letting Heather know that,” Jennifer said.

“She’d kick my butt, and I’d deserve it.” Paul tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and leaned so close that his warm, fragrant breath tickled her skin. “Enjoy the show.”

She already had.

Twenty-Seven

Only forward.

—Jennifer Hopkins

T
HE DAYS TICKED BY FOR WHAT FELT LIKE WEEKS
. Paul thought he would go crazy waiting for Saturday to arrive. He
immediately regretted testing Jennifer.

Delaying seeing her for an extra day seemed like a good idea at the time. He didn’t want to seem pathetic, but now he wished he’d been honest about not having another date. He didn’t want anyone else. Sure didn’t want another day to pass without touching her.

Jennifer opened the door before he could knock. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

She nodded. “I’m thinking that’s enough talk for now.”

Heat flashed through him. “Where’s Heather?”

“Not here.”

“Any chance I can come inside?”

Jennifer laughed in a sound filled with warmth. “I think we’ve played this scene before.”

“I am dying to hold you, kiss you, and I’m happy to do it right here in the hallway, but your neighbors might get testy.”

She threw her arms around his neck and sealed his mouth with hers. It was one of those mind-blowing kisses that whipped through him, wiping out every bad memory and replacing them with a sizzling need.

He groaned against her lips. “I missed you so much.”

He didn’t care who saw them or heard them. How much ego he had to set aside to get this time right. The entire building could come out and watch, and she could post his feelings for her on the broadcast. Nothing was going to drive him away. Not this time.

“Come inside.” She took his hand and led him through the sunny front room.

He expected her to drag him to the couch. They passed the beige sectional, then the table. They were at the base of the stairs and up before he could blink.

With every step, his body’s alert status rose. Seeing her bedroom door and the mattress beyond stole his speech. He’d expected talk and a getting-to-know-you-again phase. She was offering so much more.

The fast forward proved what he thought at the club—they didn’t need to go backward. They could spin right into the future.

He ran his fingers through her hair and felt her tremble. He smelled flowers on her skin and gave in to the need to trail his fingers down her back. She shifted her head to the side to give him better access.

It was all the incentive he needed.

He pressed her back against the bedroom door and trapped her there between his arms. “You sure you’re ready?”

She lifted her lower body against his. “I’ve been waiting all week.”

“I thought about sleeping on your doorstep until you let me in.” He wrapped her hair around his finger, letting the silky strands fall over his skin.

“I would have dragged you through a window to get you to the bedroom.” She whispered the sexy threat against his lips before dragging him into another kiss. “Like I basically just did.”

He nuzzled her cheek then her nose. “I want to go slow and relearn all the things you enjoy.”

She reached for the buttons on his shirt. “Next time.”

They didn’t even try to talk until almost two hours later. In bed, naked and lounging on the rumpled sheets, she celebrated the special moment. For all the times they got this wrong, this time it felt right. All the heartbreak was behind them.

The usual panic didn’t overtake her. She wasn’t worried about growing up and growing apart. Thoughts of losing herself and her dreams didn’t take hold. She’d lived enough to know he was her every fantasy.

All she wanted to do was hold on and not let go.

She propped her shoulders on the only remaining pillow on the bed. Paul held his body over hers as he brushed his fingertips against the bare skin above her breasts.

“Please tell me you’re not seeing anyone.” She knew he wasn’t, that he wouldn’t do that to her, but she needed to hear the words. The implicit promise would be enough.

He pretended to mull over the question until she pinched the skin on his elbow. “I have a rotating harem, but I gave them the night off.”

“You’re such a good guy.”

“I prefer the term master.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “I bet you do.”

His lips found her exposed neck and began nibbling. “No.”

“What?”

“There’s only you.” He pressed his index finger in the sweet spot between her eyebrows.

All the tension in her body fled. “And only you for me.”

Light kisses fell in a line along her collarbone. Soft hair tickled her neck as warm breath skimmed across her skin.

She turned her head to give him better access. “I can’t believe you e-mailed me.”

“I saw you on television and . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter.”

It did when he said it like that. “What?”

“Well, I waited for a long time before getting in touch. I worried you were with someone else or wanted to forget our time together.”

“I’ve never forgotten you. I’ve lived on those memories for years.”

His forehead pressed against her shoulder. “I love you.” The soft whisper skipped over her skin.