Starstruck (31 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jesse was sitting opposite Sam, enjoying breakfast at the
small table on the top deck of the
Arteest
, when they were interrupted
by an all-too-familiar shout.

“Good mornin’, sweet cheeks! How are the lovebirds doin’
today?”

“Hey, Ricky! It’s good to see you, though you’d better be
respecting my cousin. We’ve got shovels stashed somewhere, you know.” She
winked in Jesse’s direction.

“Samantha! How could you even
think
such a thing?”
Rick feigned pure innocence as he puttered to a stop and tied the
Regal Lady
’srunabout to the back end. “I’ve been nothin’ but a gentleman. Isn’t that
right, Caitlin?”

“Yeah, he’s tryin’ real hard. Gotta give him that, Cuz.”

“Oh man, we just had the best feed at this little restaurant
in town. I ate so much I can hardly move.” He rubbed his bloated belly.

“Well, you didn’t have to eat it
all
.”

“Caitlin, it’s an unforgivable crime to let good food like
that go to waste. And besides, I didn’t want to offend the chef. You gotta love
a woman who can cook.”

Sam and Caitlin exchanged an amused glance and burst into
laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Jesse asked.

“Oh nothing.” Sam kissed his cheek. “I’m hittin’ the
shower.”

He followed her with his eyes until she’d disappeared inside
their cabin. Facing Rick and Caitlin, he smiled briefly before staring back at
the empty doorway.

“Go on, stud. Me and Caitie here can find somethin’ to do.
But if you try skippin’ daylight altogether, I’m bustin’ up the love shack and
draggin’ your sorry ass out…naked or not, you hear me? I wanna do somethin’ fun
while we’re here. I didn’t come all this way just so Caitlin could seduce and
ravish my virtuous self.”

“Ha!” Caitlin snorted. “You wish, drummer boy.”

Rick waggled his brow at Jesse. Before Sam, Jesse was the
only person who ever dared tease Rick with that nickname.

“Hey, you offered, remember?” He challenged Caitlin with a
grin.

“Hey yourself. I offered enlightenment
not
seduction.” She laughed, smacking him lightly across the back of the head.

He put his arm around her waist and led her inside their
cabin. “Well, that’s a start, darlin’. We’ll just play it by ear, shall we?”

Jesse ran as fast as he could on the dew-slicked deck to
join Sam in the shower before she finished up. He was extremely happy they had
two boats.

Later that day, Sam guided the
Arteest
farther up the
lake while Caitlin fixed lunch in the galley kitchen, packing homemade goodies
into a large cane picnic basket. When Sam cut the engine near the base of the
inlet that led to the ocean, Jesse threw the anchor. They had no choice as the
water ahead was too shallow for the large vessel to continue. The small
runabout was needed to reach the barbeque area near the beach.

It was after midday once lunch was eaten and the remainder
packed away. The sun was warm, both Rick and Jesse taking full advantage, lying
on the grass beside the table where the girls sat, stomachs beyond content.

The four of them got on surprisingly well. Two sets of best
friends. Two sets of family.

“Who’s up for a swim?” Caitlin pulled off her clothes to
reveal a bright pink bikini.

Rick shot up like a jack rabbit and stripped to his boxers.
“Just try to stop me, woman.”

He growled, chasing her across the sand where she squealed
and ran toward the ocean.

Unable to stand the irritation of the grass on his bare back
any longer, Jesse joined Sam on the wooden bench at the table.

Caitlin reached the wet sand and Rick sprinted past her and
dove into the shallow of the surf. Jesse and Sam watched with amusement.

“Looks like those two are hitting it off,” she said as
Caitlin caught Rick and dunked him from behind.

“I was just thinkin’ the same thing. I think Ricky might be
a bit taken with your cousin. What do you think about that?”

“What’s there to think about? I like Ricky. He’s nice and
Caitie’s fun to be around. Why? ShouldI be worried?”

“No. I’d like to see him dating a real woman for a change. I
think it would do him some good.”

“What do you mean a
real
woman? Please don’t tell me
he has a blow-up doll fetish or something.”

He inhaled quickly through his nose, snorting at her sense
of humor. “No, not that I’m aware of.” He chuckled. “I mean he usually goes for
Barbie dolls full of Botox with big plastic tits. Those types of women. Not the
natural pretty girl next door.”

“Well, it’s not like they’ll start dating or anything.
Caitlin’s done the long-distance thing before and knows it doesn’t work. And
from what I already know of Ricky, he’s not really a one-woman kind of guy, is
he?”

He tilted her chin toward him and kissed the tip of her
nose. “Any man will settle down for the right woman. I know I would.”

Jesse replayed the discussion they’d had earlier that
morning after making love. In the end, they’d agreed to take things slow. But
he had to leave on Sunday and wanted Sam to go with him.

He pressed the issue again after they’d coasted back from
their picnic, taking the opportunity while they had some privacy. Caitlin had
gone ashore with Rick to help him shop for clothes. It was the perfect time to
corner Sam and find out exactly what she was thinking.

“You’re asking me to go back with you, Jesse, but what
happens then? I can’t just leave without—”

“Without what? All I know is I need to be with you. Nothing
else matters to me.”

“Well how long are you talking about? A few days? A few
weeks? What?”

Though he loved her, he hadn’t been able to expose
all
his heart. It wasn’t an easy thing for him to do no matter how right being with
Sam felt. He was so out of practice. He had been deeply wounded and wasn’t sure
the scars had completely healed—the infection ran deep into his core.

He and the band had been away on their first East Coast
tour. Nothing huge, just some low-key pub gigs over the course of three weeks.
After their eleventh show, he’d gotten the call from his mother. She was at the
hospital. His high school sweetheart had suddenly miscarried at four months. He
had been devastated, threatened to leave the band if they didn’t agree to cut
the tour short. All he wanted to do was get home as quickly as possible and
comfort his woman…and have her comfort him.

But by the time he’d traveled back and finally barged through
the door of their small apartment, she was gone, having taken most of his
possessions with her. She hadn’t just ransacked his house, she’d robbed him of
the opportunity to grieve for his unborn child. His first love had mangled his
heart and he’d sworn to never reopen it.

He’d thought the damage irreparable…until Sam. And though
he’d asked her to return to New York with him, he hadn’t yet mentioned he
wanted her stay to be permanent.

He cleared his throat. “A few months, maybe?”

“A few
months
?”

“Yeah, well, I still have the tour to do. I want you to come
on the promotional run with me, Sam.”

“Jesus, Jesse, I don’t know.”

“Before you give me an answer, just hear me out, okay? You
told me in London you were sick of traveling without enjoying the scenery. Well,
now’s your chance to do some sightseeing and kick up your heels for a while.
Just think about it, Sam. We could be together every day. After a few more
cities in the States, we go to Canada, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Japan,
back here to Australia and then New Zealand. Think of it as a long holiday. You
could paint.”

“A holiday? I don’t call doing things on my own much of a
holiday, do you? You’ll be working all the time, Jess. I’ve seen your schedule,
remember? I can’t sit around waiting for you. I’ll go mad. What about when the
tour’s over? Maybe I could fly over and spend some time with you then.”

He groaned and gently pressed their foreheads together,
holding her face in both hands. “Baby, this tour will last almost twelve
months. Yeah we go home for a week here and there, but those’ll be few and far
between. We’ll mainly be on the road.”

She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. “I don’t know what to
tell you, Jess. This is a huge decision and a lot to take in. I’ve got
commitments here…my house, my job…and I’m not sure Daniel would let me go for
that long. The company’s global reputation is growing fast, and…well…I had a
lot to do with that. I can see him letting me go for a few weeks, maybe, but a
few months? That would be pushing my luck. Besides, I can’t afford to just take
off whenever I feel like it. The bills will keep coming in even if I’m not here
and I won’t have an income to pay them. I get a bonus for my last assignment,
but it won’t cover everything.”

Here was something he could help her with and the idea
brought a smile to his face. He licked his lips. He could taste victory.

“
Amore
,” he purred, “is that what worries you? You
know money isn’t an issue. I’ll cover all your expenses. You won’t need to
spend a dime.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Say you’ll come with me.”

She walked inside and busied her hands washing the dishes.
He followed her. Was she angry?

“Sam? Is there some other reason why you don’t want to be
with me? I’m a big boy, you know. I can take it. You can tell me anything.”

“Jess, I do love you. I really do so please don’t take this
the wrong way. I just don’t feel comfortable with that kind of…arrangement.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t feel comfortable with you paying my way, okay?”

“Baby, be reasonable. It’s not like I’m stretched for cash.
Sam, I could pay
all
your debts outright and not even make a dent in my
savings. It’s no big deal, really. I just want you with me. You shouldn’t feel
bad I can make that happen. Anyway, I’d be doing it for selfish reasons. Don’t
think of it as me doing you a favor, think of it as you doing me one.”

“But you’d still be—”

He plucked her hands out of the sink and put them around his
neck, lifting her and striding to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and
snuggled beside her.

“Jesse.”

“Hush, love. I’ve never been more certain about anything in
my whole life. I’m serious about you, Samantha Raven. I’d hand over my whole
fucking fortune if it meant you’d say yes.”

Moving over her, he straddled her hips, raising her hands
above her head. He hovered a soft smile over her slightly parted lips. Whenever
he was this close to Sam his body hummed as if he were a metal conductor and
she the electrical current. She filled him with lustful energy. He pressed
their lips together and just like it had been since their first kiss, their
mouths danced as one. Fred and Ginger had nothing on them.

She moaned against his lips. “This is not playing fair.”

“No.
This
is not playing fair.” He dropped his mouth
to her neck and sucked on the smooth flesh below her ear, leaving his mark
behind.

With a sigh, he pressed their foreheads together. “Say yes,”
he whispered against her mouth, grinding his shaft into the warmth between her
legs.

“Okay, now you’re just playing plain dirty.” She snapped at
his bottom lip with her teeth.

He avoided her bite without a second to spare. “I’ll give
you dirty, baby, if that’s what you want. All’s fair in love and war.”

“Ugh. You’re impossible!”

“So is that a yes?”

“Maybe,” she yielded beneath him.

He attacked her earlobe and ran his tongue down her neck,
ending the wet trail at just the right spot, in between her collar and her ear.
He sucked on her delicate skin, kissing her as he would her lips. It got her
every time and he knew it.

“Yes,” she whimpered her final surrender.

“Thank you.”

* * * * *

Jesse eased back in his deck chair, raked a hand through his
hair and scratched the back of his neck. He couldn’t remember the last time
he’d been so relaxed. Rick was occupied at the bar, mixing cocktails and
playing his new CDs. Sam and Caitlin danced along to the mellow tunes, their
laughter drifting across the water as nightfall blanketed the lake.

Rick’s not-so-subtle persuasion soon convinced Caitlin to
stay an extra night. She rang her boss—who also happened to be her father—and told
him she needed more time with Sam.

“Hey, wanna help me with dinner, Sam? We could use the boys’
kitchen. It’s better equipped with more burners. C’mon. All hands on deck. You
boys take care of drinks and music and we’ll do food,” Caitlin ordered.

Dinner on the
Regal Lady
, of course, was perfect. It
seemed things rarely went wrong with Caitlin and Sam in the kitchen.

With darkness came a slight chill and neither he nor Rick
could risk a cold so close to a tour. Closing most of the windows and doors of
the cabin, they all settled in for a quiet night.

“So where did you girls learn to cook? It was an exceptional
meal, ladies. I could get used to this.” Rick burped, rubbing his belly.

“I’m an executive chef. My dad owns the finest seafood
restaurant in Sydney.” Caitlin winked.

The boys exchanged a glance. Food was the way to Rick’s
heart. Lia Maurello was to blame for that. She spoiled him something shocking.

At Caitlin’s insistence, Jesse disappeared into the master
suite and returned with his acoustic guitar. With Rick making use of the
tabletop and the saucepan lids Sam tossed him from the cupboard below the sink,
he accompanied Jesse on vocals and drummed along to the songs. They sang a few
of their new tunes but kept mainly to old covers as the girls shouted out
request after request.

What seemed like hours later, Jesse put his guitar away and
joined Sam on the couch. He didn’t like being away from her. Even sitting
across the room was too far to curb his appetite. He never imagined he could
love this strongly. He was dead serious about giving up his entire fortune if
it meant he and Sam could be together. As a last resort, he was prepared to
leave his whole career behind. An early retirement had never been in the cards
and it wasn’t what he really wanted, but his need to have a life with her far
outweighed everything else.