Starstruck (13 page)

He rolled to face her, kissed her lips as she continued to
fondle him.

“We only have a few hours before sunrise. It would be a
shame to waste them.” He ripped open the front of his robe and rolled her on
top of him.

She straddled his hips. “You
did
promise me six, rock
star.”

“At
least
,” he corrected her.

He made love to her slowly, gently, elongating the pleasure.
Afterward, Sam dozed, still trapped in his arms and magnetized to his hips.

Only five more hours and they would leave the hotel.

Chapter Nine

The alarm buzzed at 7:45 a.m., rousing Jesse from deep
slumber. He stretched across the bed and slammed his hand on the button—not an
easy task with a gorgeous blonde who was all arms and legs sprawled across his
body. He let his head drop back to the pillow and groaned, wrapping his arms
around her bare back, squeezing her gently to his chest.

“No…sleepy time,” she mumbled against his heart.

His soft chuckle was hoarse, shaking her on top of him.
“Come on, baby, time to get up. We’ve got a plane to catch.”

She rolled off him with a little help. He crawled out of bed
and dragged her whiny ass with him, his aching muscles protesting as he
stretched.

“Wanna go start the shower while I call down for breakfast?”
He shrugged on the bathrobe as she silently brushed past, her eyes barely open,
and trudged to the bathroom. He smiled at her naked behind until she
disappeared on the other side of the door. No signs of bashfulness this morning
and he was happy she appeared more comfortable in her skin. Either that or she
was too damn tired to care.

He ordered room service, joined Sam and showered quickly. He
left her standing under the warm spray while he gathered his clothes, and then
raced to his room with only a towel around his waist.

He was dressed a short time later, carrying his bags back
down the corridor, when the same young waiter from the night before left Sam’s
room. He seemed flustered, staring at his shoes as he power-walked toward the
service elevator and almost bumped into Jesse.

“Was she dressed this time?”

The man stopped short and his shoulders stiffened as he
slowly turned, his face bright pink. “Ah, yes sir,” he replied.

“Better luck next time, eh?”

The young man tripped over his own feet as he continued down
the hall.

Jesse knocked on Sam’s door and followed his nose to the
spread she’d transferred to the dining table. She poured some juice as he sat
to eat.

“Roger will be out front to pick us up at nine. I’m all
packed. How about you?” He bit into a piece of toast.

“Yep, I’m just about finished.”

She picked up the complimentary newspaper from the breakfast
trolley and floated back to the table.

“Come here, beautiful. I need a morning cuddle.” He grabbed
her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap.

She pressed against him, nuzzling his neck as he ran his
fingers up and down her spine. He held her tight, not wanting to let go.

“So you’re keeping the necklace, then?” He kissed her cheek.
“Please say you will.”

She hesitated. “On one condition. If you promise not to do
anything like that again. Really, Jesse, it’s way too much, and you shouldn’t
be wasting your money. I feel guilty wearing it. Just
one
of those
stones could probably feed a small country.”

“All right, I promise.” He childishly crossed his fingers
behind her back.

She wiggled on his lap before opening the paper. He’d never
really been much of a morning person—most days grumpy until his second cup of
coffee at least—but simply watching her read brought a smile to his face. He
closely regarded her expressions as they changed from story to story—one making
her frown and scrunch her face while another made her angelic with happiness.
His stomach rumbled and he reached for another slice of toast.

“Holy shit!” she shouted. “We’re in the paper!”

She jumped from his lap, pushing plates out of the way, and
laid the newspaper out in front of them. “How did this happen? I didn’t see
anyone at the bar with a camera, did you?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean anything. You’d be surprised what
lengths the paps will go to.” He quickly read over the half-page article,
liking the photo they’d captured of him and Sam onstage. “Look, there’s not
really anything in here that’s not true so don’t worry about it—I’m not.”

Her eyes widened a little and she parted her lips as if to
say something, but remained silent and downed her juice in one gulp, sitting
heavily on the chair beside him.

Jesse stood and stretched, glancing out the window to the
street below. The view encompassed both sides of the building—the penthouse
suite covering the entire front corner of the hotel. He checked out one side—an
almost empty street below—went to the opposite window and a large crowd covered
the sidewalk outside the lobby. He strolled back to his seat and continued his
breakfast. He didn’t want to alarm Sam any sooner than necessary. The less time
she had to think, the better.

* * * * *

Sam quickly finished eating while she flicked through the
rest of the paper. Afterward, she searched the rooms, making sure she had all
of her belongings. Her phone charger was still plugged into the wall and as she
collected it, the hotel phone rang. She answered on the second ring.

“Hello. Sorry to bother you, Ms., ah…”

“Raven, but Sam will do just fine.”

“Yes. This is Katherine, the hotel manager. I tried calling
Mr. Maurello in his suite, but there was no answer. Would he be with you by any
chance?”

She’d asked politely enough, but Sam recognized a hint of
annoyance in the woman’s voice. “Actually, he’s right here. I’ll put him on.”
She handed the phone to Jesse.

“Yes?” There was a long pause and his eyes flicked to hers
before he gazed at his feet. “I see. Yes, that’ll be fine. I appreciate your
concern. Thank you.”

He replaced the receiver on the cradle while she stared at
him, apprehension seeping from her pores. “What’s wrong? Something’s wrong,
isn’t it?”

“No, not really. Roger’s downstairs so we’d better get a
move on.” He carted her luggage to the door and dropped her bags beside his.
“Ah…Sam? Now I don’t want you to worry, but I think I should tell you something
before we head down.”

She didn’t like the unease in his voice. He was nervous.

“You see, there are some people downstairs…waiting.” He
opened the door.

She grabbed the back of his jacket. “What do you mean,
waiting? Waiting for what?”

He faced her. “Basically, ah, we’re gonna have to run to the
limo. Roger will lead the way, so don’t worry about anything. It’s times like
these, I’m glad he’s a giant. He deals with this kinda thing all the time.” He
kissed her swiftly on the lips before hugging her to his chest. “You’ll be
fine. Just stay close to me, okay?”

He swung his bag over his shoulder and picked up Sam’s. She
shrugged into her coat, eyeing him cautiously as she shouldered her laptop and
handbag from the desk.

They left the room just as the elevator doors opened and a
uniformed man rushed out, relieving Jesse of some luggage. “Mr. Maurello, your
chauffeur will meet you at the back entrance of the hotel. I’ve been instructed
to lead you by way of the kitchen. Please follow me.”

“After you.” Jesse wrapped his arm around her as they
followed the man to the smaller elevator near the back corner.

On the ground level, they were led through a maze of busy,
narrow corridors. They entered the kitchen in the midst of chefs preparing
breakfast and zigzagged their way between the steel benches and steaming ovens.

Katherine stood at the back entrance, arms crossed, the toe
of her spotless black pump tapping the white linoleum. “Mr. Maurello, I hope
you don’t mind. With the crowd that’s building I thought it would be more
convenient to leave this way. Your driver’s been circling the block and should
be here any moment.” She held out her hand to Jesse.

“Thanks, Kath. Good thinkin’.” He clasped her hand and
briefly pecked her cheek.

She blushed the moment Jesse’s lips left her face. “I hope
you enjoyed your stay…Jesse.”

“Finally.” He laughed. “You’re all right, Kath. Thanks for
everything.”

He opened the door a fraction and peered into the street.
From over his shoulder, Sam spotted four photographers, all with their backs
facing the door. Right on cue, a black limousine turned onto the street and
Jesse let the door close quietly.

“You ready?” He gripped her hand and squeezed. She nodded
and he cracked the door again. Roger was already out of the limo and rushing to
greet him. For a big man, he could sure move fast.

He flung the door open and grabbed all their bags in his
huge hands. “Ready, Jess? Oh! Nice to see you again, miss.”

Men with large black lenses poised at the ready surrounded
the exit, the popping of camera flashes beginning even before the door slammed
behind Sam’s back. Thanks to Roger’s huge physique, he mostly screened her path
until she and Jesse were safely inside the limo.

“Nice work, Rog,” Jesse shouted. With a satisfied smile,
Roger once again raised the black glass partition and pulled from the curb.

She stared at Jesse as he looked out the heavily tinted
window. The attention at the hotel didn’t seem to faze him at all. His mind
seemed elsewhere at that moment, but she wasn’t sure where exactly. She’d been
trying to get a read on him since their first dinner at the airport, but so far
had come up totally blank. Even with “hard to read” people she had gotten something,
a minor detail at least. Jesse’s mind was a mystery to her.

“I don’t know how you can stand it. Do they follow you
everywhere?” she asked, needing the comfort of his voice.

“Pretty much, but I’ve been lucky at that hotel. It must
have been the photos in the paper this morning. Word travels fast, huh? I guess
I’ll have to find another place to stay next time.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have gone out last night. If I’d known—”

He stopped her with a kiss to her lips. “If
I’d
known, I still would have taken you out. Don’t let it worry you so much. You’ll
get used to it, I promise. We’re both single. It’s not like we’re doing
anything wrong.” He kissed her again, dissolving the worried knot in her
stomach.

What does he mean, “you’ll get used to it”?

His eyes were more gray than blue today, much like the
weather in London, and he held her hand tightly during the drive to Heathrow.
The remainder of the ride was spent in silence, but she enjoyed the quiet and
how comfortable she’d become with him.

“Looks like we’ve got a clear run,” Roger said over the
intercom. He pulled up outside the departure entrance doors. “Ready, Jess?”

Jesse put on his Giants cap and dark sunglasses and answered
by opening his door.

* * * * *

Onboard the plane, Jesse settled in, surrendering the window
seat to Sam after she scowled when he initially sat there. He knew better than
to argue with a woman who wore that face. His momma wore it all the time.

Four hours into their flight, the first-class cabin
darkened. Most passengers slept soundly after being fed lunch and a few
champagnes. Sam snoozed beside him, her head on his chest, both of them sharing
a blanket and his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

She had gotten under his skin, and the more time he spent
with her, the more right it felt.

Does she feel it too?

They were both on the rebound from serious relationships—her
even more so—but she’d hit him like a ton of bricks when he’d least expected
it. They’d only met two days ago yet their connection was almost instant, as if
he’d known her forever. He’d been fighting his feelings since the first time
they’d slept together…or was it even before then? He gazed down at her resting
on his chest. Somehow he had to keep her in his life.

What little details he had of her previous relationship
weighed on his mind. He didn’t like that she’d been hurt, and by people she was
close to no less. She’d left her ex around the same time he’d left his. He had
no regrets about his decision to break it off with Becky and held no residual
affections for her either. But he wasn’t sure he could say the same for Sam. He
could only hope she was truly over the prick and ready to move on.

A list randomly formed inside his head of all the common
likes and interests he and Sam shared—their love of food and music at the very
top. He also loved that he could talk to her for hours and it seemed like only
minutes. But it was more than that…

She just
gets
me.

He and Sam definitely clicked in the bedroom…and the
bath…the floor…the couch. God, his cock was fuckin’ in love with her. He moved
his hand over his groin, shifting his semi to a more comfortable position
inside his pants.

Last night…
man
!He slid his hand under the
blanket and onto her thigh. He wanted to wake her with his fingers buried
inside her sweet pussy. If she were able to keep quiet, no one would know. Or
he could take her in the bathroom maybe. No, the cabin was way too quiet.
Someone would notice. He could though…maybe…

Oh
great
! He had a hard-on the size of Texas. He
imagined nuns…real ugly nuns… and when that failed he conjured an image of Mrs.
Bingle, his fourth grade teacher.

Yep, that did the trick.

Where was she planning to stay in New York? He’d forgotten
to ask.

Samantha Raven. Where had he heard her name before?

So familiar…

He drifted, holding her as she breathed evenly, the rhythm
of their hearts in sync on his chest. The beat was hypnotic. He closed his eyes
and dreamed of her.

* * * * *

The woman at the back of the plane wore a scarf to cover her
hair, dark sunglasses and a hat, dressed all in black.

Her mind raced. What was she doing?
Fuck!
What if
they saw her getting off the plane?She had to think of something
now
.
Just in case. She couldn’t have that. No, she couldn’t.Why was he with
her, anyway? That dirty
slut
! Who was Samantha Raven kidding?

* * * * *

He was home, relaxing by the pool and soaking up the sun.
Sam lay on the white deck chair beside his, holding his hand. They’d just made
love in the outdoor Jacuzzi after a spontaneous skinny dip in his large blue
pool surrounded by lush greenery. Even if anyone could see over the
twelve-foot-high walls bordering his estate, the trees and hedges would
obstruct their view.