Crazy Love (26 page)

Sierra’s heart twisted with sympathy. Flo never used make-up, dyed her hair or chose clothes with flair. What came as second nature to most women intimidated Flo and it showed, the usually brash woman cowering in front of the mirror. Time for a confidence boost.

“Look in that mirror. Tell me what you see.”

Flo’s brow puckered, as if trying to decipher the mystery of eternal youth. “You’re not helping.”

“Humor me. What do you see?”

“A bloody fool dressed in a stuffy suit wearing enough war paint to scare little kids at Halloween, with the hair color of a woman half her age.” Flo held her arms up to her sides, did a slow three-sixty, poked her tongue out at her reflection. “Yep, a damn fool.”

“Want to know what I see?”

Sierra led Flo away from the mirror, sat on the bed and tugged her down beside her.

“I see a woman who takes pride in her appearance, a woman whose blonde rinse blends perfectly with her grey hair, a woman whose curls have been trimmed to soften her face.”

Sierra tucked a stray curl behind her ear and Flo’s lower lip wobbled. “I see subtle makeup that looks natural, a lovely indigo pant suit that brings out the color of those blue eyes and there you have it. A woman who looks good and is proud of it.” Sierra elbowed her gently. “So I don’t want to hear any more of this self-pity crap, okay?”

“Thanks, love.” Flo dabbed at the corner of her eye with her pinkie. “I owe this all to you.”

Sierra hoped William appreciated Flo’s efforts, especially the quit smoking campaign. Her neighbor had finally realized perfume was more alluring than stale tobacco and had given up a few days ago as part of her makeover.

“I can’t take all the credit. Belle showed you how to do the make-up and Rosa did a super job with your hair.”

Flo patted her curls self-consciously. “She did, didn’t she?”

“Uh-huh. Now all you need to do is wow William with that fabulous Aussie humor of yours and he won’t stand a chance.”

“Wish it were that simple.”

Flo’s shoulders sagged. “He’s so
stuffy
. All he wants to talk about is the places he’s traveled, the fancy people he’s met. I don’t go in for any of that boasting bullshit. We have nothing in common.”

“Maybe he’s trying to impress you?”

Flo snorted. “I’d be more impressed if he offered to make me a cup of tea. Or better yet, dinner.”

“Wouldn’t hold your breath. He does that stuff for a living, probably thinks domestic chores wouldn’t impress a woman as much as his stories.”

“You could be right.” Flo straightened, decidedly brighter. “He has mentioned Australia a few times and how much he loves the country.”

“Maybe you could travel there together?” Sierra nudged her in the ribs. “Show him a few
sights
?”

“Like the old codger would be interested in checking out anything I’d like to show him.” Flo glanced down and grimaced. “All the bits men want to see are drooping or wrinkled.”

“Too much information.”

Sierra leaped off the bed before Flo could go into detail about what drooped or how wrinkled her bits were. “William should be here any second, I better go.”

Flo glanced at her watch and paled. “I’m too old for this shite,” she said, fidgeting with her cuffs as she took a final look in the mirror.

“You’ll be fine.” Sierra hugged her before giving her a gentle shove in the direction of the door. “Go get him.”

She grinned as Flo muttered a few expletives as she exited the bedroom, prepared to bring her man to his knees.

Then it was her turn.

Marc wouldn’t know what hit him.

I don’t frigging believe this
.

Marc stared at his cell phone and wondered if he was hearing things. He could’ve sworn the person on the other end sounded like Jeff Rodgers from the LA Times, the same Jeff Rodgers who had nothing better to do than badger him for the inside scoop on his rivalry with George.

“Marc? Can you confirm you’re in Love?”

Damn, how did the vulture get wind of his whereabouts? He could deny it but knew better. If the bloodhound reporter picked up on his deliberate evasiveness God only knew what he’d print in tomorrow’s paper.

In a few days Marc would’ve been back in LA and his mom would’ve been safe from possible scandal. Now he better tread carefully if he wanted to avoid a full-page spread on her whereabouts—and why.

“You have interesting sources, Jeff. I’m taking a break from LA for a while, that’s all.”

True to form, Jeff wouldn’t be deterred.

“That doesn’t answer my question. I hear you’re in Love. Care to elaborate?”

For once in his life Marc was grateful he’d taken lessons from George, the master of evasion.

“A-Corp is flourishing. A busy man like you would understand what it’s like being under pressure. A guy needs a break occasionally so that’s what I’m doing. Taking time out. Getting away from my desk, trying to get a new perspective on things.”

To his surprise, Jeff chuckled. “Okay, I’ll let you off answering my first question if you answer my next. What are you really doing there?”

Didn’t this guy ever give up? From past experience, never.

Marc forced a fake chuckle. “Thought I’d answered that one too.”

“Give me a break. You never take time out from A-Corp, especially when my sources tell me you’re on the verge of taking over top spot in California. What gives?”

Jeff paused and Marc knew what was coming next. His usual tag: “
If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll have to make it up
.”

The more Jeff meddled, the more headaches for him. The nosy reporter wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than the truth.

Dammit, he’d have to give Jeff some snippet to keep him happy and off the trail of the real reason he was here.

“You’re onto me. Businessmen like me can’t take a break for long so I’ve been doing some work here.” Partially the truth. He
had
been working, slotted between spending time with his mom and Sierra, the two most important reasons why he’d stuck around.

Not that Sierra had been part of the equation at the start. Now that his stay was drawing to a close it was time to make a few decisions regarding his future.

Walking away would be the easy option but since when had he ever done easy?

He hoped she’d want to maintain a casual relationship, two grown ups who enjoyed each other’s company, happy to catch up on occasion without the hassle of having to answer to each other for every little thing. She struck him as fiercely independent and proud of it, so he didn’t see a problem with her agreeing to his way of thinking.

If she wanted anything more…well, one step at a time.

“I knew it. Working on anything in particular? Anyone needs to worry you’re about to nab their company?”

He grimaced, Jeff’s question hitting a little too close to home.

“No, just the usual stuff. Now I really have to go.”

“Anything else you want to add for the record?”

He didn’t like Jeff’s tone. The reporter sounded like a man who hadn’t been appeased by his answers. Though what could he invent this time? He’d reiterated his time away was business focused. Jeff would assume he was assessing companies to acquire and that would be the end of it.

“No, nothing to add.”

“Thanks for your time. And be sure to read the Times tomorrow.”

“Shall do.”

Like hell. He’d grown tired of reading Jeff’s lies and half-truths so he didn’t bother these days. Besides, he hardly had time to read the
Los Angeles Business Journal
let alone the tabloids. Business was his first priority, always had been, always would be.

Though these days he had room for other stuff in his life, namely one curvy redhead.

“Slick, you ready?”

A series of short, sharp knocks—Sierra’s signature rap—at Marc’s door had him more than ready.

He opened the door, leaned against it. “Ready and raring.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she stared pointedly at his groin.

“Raring?”

“For you, always.”

He kissed her, loving her responsive nature and the way her lips clung to his, prolonging the moment.

He’d never met a woman so affectionate, a woman so willing to give pleasure as well as receive it. She matched him in many ways, complemented him despite their opposing views on everything, and given half a chance he knew he could go all the way and fall for her.

Was he willing to take that chance? A huge risk-taker in business, could he follow through in his personal life this once?

“Looking forward to your first Love Fest?”

She slid her arms around his neck, nibbling at the tender skin under his jaw, making his libido sit up and howl. She’d discovered all his hot spots, exploring them in intimate detail, and the memory had him hard in an instant.

He pulled her flush against him, watching her eyes widen when she felt his hard-on.

“How about we have our very own private love fest right here?”

“You’re a bad boy.” She gyrated her hips slowly, rubbing against him until he groaned. “I like it.”

“What are we waiting for?”

She sighed and eased away. “I said I’d man Belle’s stall for half an hour and I’m due there now. Later?”

“Party pooper.”

He dropped a peck on her nose and slid her hand into his. “I’ll accept a rain check but only if you make it worth my while.”

“Have I disappointed you yet?”

“Not once.”

She tugged on his hand, the cheeky smile he’d grown so fond of playing around her glossed mouth. “Then you’ve got something to look forward to later. In the meantime, you get to see what Lovernians get up to when celebrating.”

“Sure this is going to be safe for me to witness? My sensibilities are quite delicate, you know.”

“Yeah, real delicate.”

She backed up and rubbed her cute little butt against his crotch. “You
never
do anything naughty.”

He slid his arms around her torso and hugged her tight, snuggling into her neck, allowing her subtle vanilla scent to infuse his senses. When he left he’d have to buy a bottle of the stuff so he could remember her smell and the way it clung to the sheets after they had sex.

“What do you think?”

She squealed as he nipped her earlobe, sucking it into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue until she purred.

“I think you’re one hell of a guy. For a city boy.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, sweet thing. Now, let’s go before I drag you inside and have my wicked way with you.”

“Mmm…hold that thought,” she said, her eyes glittering with promise as she turned and tapped him on the nose.

He did, hoping it would sustain him until they returned for another night of incredible sex.

He only had two nights left in town and he intended to make them earth-shatteringly memorable.

When they reached the town square, Marc took one look at the kitschy chaos and groaned.

“Don’t you people ever get tired of the hearts and flowers crap?”

Sierra laughed and tugged on his hand, leaving him little option but to keep up with her eager steps. “It’s part of our charm. Thought you’d have worked that out by now.”

“But the over-the-top hearts thing? It’s so—”

“Romantic?” She fluttered her eyelashes.

“Tacky,” he said, laughing at her antics.

“Typical.” She turned up her nose and pretended to ignore him. Impossible, considering he looked like a jeans model. Denim did wicked things to his butt.

“You’re such a
guy
.”

“I thought that’s one of the things you liked about me.” His voice turned husky, leaving her in little doubt as to how manly he could be.

“There’s more to life than
that
.”

“Like this?”

He gestured toward the park and town square, converted into a giant fairground complete with rides, marquees, food stalls and the well-attended kissing booth.

When she’d first arrived in town as a kid she’d thought the weekend festival corny but it had grown over the last twenty years, the music changing from static PA-filtered Rolling Stones to smooth jazz played on a state of the art sound system, predictable corndogs, popcorn and candy floss replaced by sushi, Thai and spicy Malaysian satays, the tantalizing aromas of lemongrass and ginger thick in the air.

While the stalls had become more sophisticated too—massage oils, hand-made heart-shaped chocolates, ylang-ylang scented candles—the rides had stayed the same, with ponies and the ancient carousel firm favorites with the kids.

“Love Fest promotes romance. Builds dreams for people.”

“Dreams can turn into nightmares.”

His cynicism scared her. They hadn’t had The Talk, the one to make or break
her
dreams. Her live-life-for-the-moment motto had worked fine the last week and she’d been genuinely happy for the first time in ages.

But she’d fallen for Marc, fallen hard, and with every incredible moment they spent together there was no turning back.

Love fostered dependability, responsibility and reliability. Three valid reasons she’d avoided it.

Until now.

“You’re such a cynic.”

“You’re such a
woman
.”

“Cute and quick.” She chuckled as they entered the town square, the heart of the fairground. “You’re good, Slick, I’ll grant you that.”

“Good for you?”

Her heart twisted as their banter took a serious turn. As much as she wanted to have this conversation, now wasn’t the time or place. She had no clue what she wanted to say or hadn’t mentally rehearsed a thousand times. She needed to be prepared for a potentially life-changing conversation and fumbling for the right words in front of the Ferris wheel? Not good.

“What do you think?” She deliberately kept her tone light and flirty, while her lungs seized waiting for his response.

“I think we’re good together.”

She released a breath, unaware she’d been holding it. “Will we stay that way after you leave?”

The spark in his brown eyes gave her hope. “I want to talk to you about—”

“Not now.”

She silenced him with a finger to his lips, her heart hammering in her chest. “I want to talk to you too but we’re topic of the week for the Love grapevine, let’s not give them more fodder.”