Illusions of Love (35 page)

‘We are so good together, baby,’ Dominic whispered, his mouth still close to hers and it was all she could do to not to reach out and touch him too, but she was stronger than that now.
 
Where Michael Walsh was concerned she’d learnt one lesson too many and this time she had to step away.
 
She had to let Dominic go.
 
For her own good.

‘I can’t do it, Dominic, I just… I can’t do it.
 
This is all wrong…’

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, tiredness and frustration sweeping over him.
 
‘I love you,
India
.’

She felt an overwhelming pull on her heart as she heard those words from him, his body so close to hers, so close she could feel the heat.
 
But she had to dig out that strength and push him away, before this mess got any bigger.

Resisting any urge she had to kiss him again she took a deep breath and stepped back from him, confusion and anger and a pain so raw she could feel it burning up inside her over-ruling anything else she was feeling.
 
She just needed him to go.

‘So, it’s over?
 
Just like that?’
 
Dominic really hoped this would just turn out to be some cruel nightmare that he’d eventually wake up from, leaving him another chance to put this right, to stop it from happening.

She nodded, folding her arms across her chest again in that defensive manner, silently telling him not to come any closer.
 
She was done.
 
‘It’s the way it has to be.’

‘Why?
 
Why
does it have to be that way?
 
Surely we can…
 
You and me, we still have that thing in common,
India
.
 
That shock of finding out who our real fathers are… You know how that feels, and I can see what an idiot I’ve been…’

‘I can’t do it, Dominic.
 
It’s too late, okay?
 
And if you want to find out the real reason why, try asking your father.’

Dominic looked at her again, her beautiful face masked by an expression he knew she was trying hard to make him believe was real, but he could see underneath that hard exterior.
 
He knew she was acting a role she was having trouble keeping up with.
 
But it wasn’t her best work, and she certainly wouldn’t win any awards for this performance.

‘Okay.
 
You want me to go, I’ll go.
 
But you can’t avoid me,
India
.
 
We still have a movie to make; we still have to work together.
 
Like I said, this is a situation you can’t run away from.’
 
He began to walk towards the door, turning back to look at her one more time.
 
‘And one day you’ll have to face up to those real feelings, honey.
 
One day.’

CHAPTER 23

Due to the press intrusion on the Vegas film set, and The Amber Palace itself – not to mention
Las Vegas
in general – following the revelation that Michael Walsh was Dominic MacDonald’s real father, filming on the movie had been put on hold for a few days.
 
It was a much-needed and necessary break to give everyone time to take in the news, to deal with the repercussions, and to hope that – once the press and media had got the story out of their systems – everything could settle down and filming could resume.

But could things ever really go back to normal?
 
Was that ever going to be possible now?
 
What had happened wasn’t just some piece of gossip that would be touted round town for a few days and then be forgotten about in favour of the next rumour.
 
It was something that had changed things, big time.
 
For a lot of people.

And that’s why
India
had grabbed her chance to escape Vegas for a while and head back to her
Malibu
beach house with Kenny, leaving Michael and Dominic behind.
 
She needed time to think; time to get her head straight.
 
Time to forget everything for a few days and just chill out with the man she loved spending time with.

‘He might
follow you out here, you know that, don’t you?’ Kenny said, joining
India
outside on the sand as she watched the day begin, the sky slowly becoming lighter as the early morning sun cast its warmth over the quiet, almost deserted beach.

‘He might.
 
I know.’

‘So, have you thought about what you’re going to do?
 
If he
does
come to
L.A.
?’

She looked at him, taking the cup of tea he held out for her.
 
‘No.
 
I’m trying
not
to think about him, Kenny.
 
I’m trying to push him to the back of my mind for a few days.
 
So, can we stop talking about him, please?’

He smiled, slipping his arm around her, pulling her into him.
 
She rested her head against his shoulder as she stared out at the ocean, its calm waters giving her some clarity to a situation that was becoming increasingly complicated.

‘Okay.
 
I
know what we need.
 
Let’s have a beach party.
 
What do you think?’ Kenny asked.

India
smiled at him.
 
‘Like the old days?
 
Me, you and all the old gang?
 
Loud rock music and a fire here on the beach?
 
Beer, barbecued food, and the smell of motorbikes filling the air… Kenny, that’d be heaven!’

He couldn’t help laughing at her obvious enthusiasm for the idea.
 
It reminded him of the girl she’d been all those years ago, before the glamour and glitz had got a hold of her, turning her into this beautiful but sometimes unattainable movie star.
 
The girl she’d been when she’d lived in cut-off denim shorts and T-shirts.
 
The girl she’d been when she’d been his.
 
Pre-Michael Walsh.
 
The days before her involvement with that man had changed her forever.

‘Yeah.
 
Just like the old days.
 
I’ll ring round everyone, get them over here tonight.
 
I think Mark and the guys from Black Rock Diamond are still in town, actually.
 
Be good to see them again.’

She gave a little squeal, hugging him tight and he held her close, a ridiculous feeling of hope building up inside him that he knew he had to curb.
 
Because this was just a stop gap for her.
 
This was her chance to escape from yet another media circus that surrounded her, a chance to forget, even if was just for a couple of days.
 
And that was all he really was – her escape, and he was happy to be that, happy to be there for her.
 
Happy to help her get through this in whatever way she saw fit.

‘Okay then,’ he laughed.
 
‘I’ll get on to that right now.’

‘Hey, hang on, mister.
 
Not so fast.’

He looked at her, sitting back down beside her.

‘I want you to be happy, Kenny.
 
You know that, don’t you?’

He took her hand, gently running his thumb over her knuckles.
 
‘I
am
happy.’

‘Are you?
 
I mean, I thought you and Casey really had something.
 
I thought you’d finally found someone to settle down with, someone to share your life with…’

‘
India
, quit worrying about me, okay?
 
I’m fine.
 
I’m Kenny Ross – I’m a free spirit, I always have been, and that ain’t really gonna change any time soon.
 
And I’m fine with that.’

‘But, Kenny…’

‘I’m fine,
India
.
 
I’m fine.’
 
He smiled at her, standing up and pulling her up with him.
 
‘Now, come on.
 
We’ve got a party to organise.’

A party Kenny hoped would give them both the chance to forget things they had yet to deal with – for just a few hours more.
 
Because, once they both got back to Vegas, everything would still be waiting.
 
It would still all be there –
India
would have to face Dominic again, and for Kenny, he had the problem of Jimmy Cash’s reappearance to deal with, and everything that had happened with Charley because of that.
 
If Vince ever found out…

So, for tonight, he just wanted to forget.
 
He
just wanted to forget things too.

***

Vince pushed open the door of the apartment then kicked it shut behind him, flicking through the pile of newspapers he was carrying, absent-mindedly scanning the front pages but not really taking anything in before throwing them down onto the dining room table, making his way to the open-plan kitchen for some much-needed coffee.

Since the revelation about Dominic and Michael’s relationship, The Amber Palace – not to mention Vegas in general – was teeming with press and media, all wanting that elusive first interview with either of the famous men in question.
 
And
India
.
 
Although, it was common knowledge that
India
had fled to
Malibu
for a few days, and it was more than likely that both Michael and Dominic had followed her.
 
But that hadn’t deterred the press from hanging around in Vegas, safe in the knowledge that filming of their movie was due to resume in just a matter of days.
 
God willing, because Vince was exhausted fielding questions every time he set foot outside his private apartment within the hotel.

‘Charley!’ he shouted, flicking the switch down on the coffee machine and checking his watch.
 
He had a meeting with The Amber Palace casino managers in half an hour and he needed to make sure Charley was around to look after Lily and Ethan.
 
‘Charley!
 
You there, honey?’

‘Yeah, I’m here.
 
I’m here.
 
What’s the emergency?’
 
She came running out of the bathroom, pushing a hand through her damp hair.
 
‘I was taking a shower.
 
Is everything okay?’

‘Everything’s fine,’ Vince replied, retrieving a couple of clean mugs from the dishwasher.
 
‘Where’re the kids?’

‘Lily’s taking a nap and Ethan’s on his way back to
L.A.
with Michael.
 
Reece has gone too.
 
They left this morning.’

Vince’s suspicions had been right, then.
 
He’d had a feeling that Michael wasn’t going to let this go so easy, and just the thought of what could kick off next was giving him a headache.

‘Any idea where Dominic is?’ Vince asked, although it was very much a rhetorical question.
 
It was highly unlikely he was still here in Vegas if Michael had followed
India
to
L.A.

Charley shrugged, towel-drying her damp hair before discarding the towel over the back of the sofa.
 
‘I haven’t seen him since it all happened.
 
Have you?’

Vince shook his head, pouring himself a strong black coffee.
 
‘I haven’t got a fucking clue
what’s
going on at the minute, Charley.
 
Anyway, you gonna be around for the next couple of hours?
 
To look after Lily?
 
I’ve got a meeting with the casino managers in a few minutes, not to mention dealing with all this crap that’s going on with the movie.’

‘Why have
you
got to deal with all of that anyway?’ Charley asked, fastening the towel she’d hurriedly grabbed tighter around her body.

‘Because all this crap is going on in
my
hotel.
 
And I’m one of the movie’s executive producers, so it’s kinda my job to deal with this shit.
 
Especially as everybody else appears to have fucked off back to
L.A.
for a few days.’

Charley couldn’t help noticing how tense he was at the minute, and she knew a lot of that had to do with her, and the way she’d been acting lately.
 
But Kenny had really started to help ease some of that fear she’d been feeling, allowing her to relax slightly.
 
Allowing her to let Vince see that everything
was
okay; because that was the way she needed things to be.
 
Maybe it was akin to burying her head in the sand but sometimes, if she could at least
feel
as though everything was alright then maybe she could start to believe that one day it might actually be that way.
 
But if Vince ever found out just what it was that Kenny had done to make her more relaxed… Well, she didn’t even want to think about that.