“Watch your step
now.” Alex kept a firm grip on Kayla’s hands as he swung her off
the ski lift. “The ground’s a little uneven in spots.”
They’d ridden up
and down the lift three more times, because the moon-sparkled ocean was
just too beautiful to leave behind. And somewhere during the
journey, Kayla had found an unexpected peace.
Tonight she and Alex would become lovers. She knew it, and
accepted it, without the frantic heartache of days gone by.
Tomorrow they
would go their separate ways, and the magic might never happen again.
She’d always regret that it couldn’t last forever. But she had to
be realistic. They lived in separate worlds. Hollywood’s
tempestuous glitz and glitter was just as foreign to her as quiet
small-town suburbia would be to him.
This one
breathtaking night would have to be enough. She would keep the
memory safe, and a part of him would stay with her forever. And
perhaps, with Alex, she could find healing for her heart and soul.
Then she’d be whole again.
The cave entrance
was dappled with moonlight and dancing shadow, seeming somehow mystical
beneath that rich velvety sky. Kayla remembered her first
impression of the upper cave--a leprechaun’s paradise--and a whimsical
smile curved her lips. Her pen was indeed mightier than a sword,
if it could create such an idyllic trysting spot from mere starshine and
imagination.
Alex led her into
the darkened crevice, and she let the blackness enfold her. Only
this time, she wasn’t alone in the empty void. She could feel his
pulse beating strong and fast through their joined hands. The
intimate contact warmed and excited her. Tonight, after all this
time, she was truly coming back alive!
Vivid green light
began to glow at the end, as they passed one remote sensor after
another. The gurgle of bubbling water greeted them, welcomed them
to the inner cave. Then they stepped together into an emerald
paradise.
Thick scented
candles were burning in rocky niches above the steaming pool.
Their wavering light cast an exotic glow over the rippling water.
Kayla drew an appreciative breath, and savored the sweet aromas of
jasmine and gardenia.
Two fluted wine
glasses were perched on a wooden serving tray beside an open wicker
picnic basket. Beads of moisture trickled down the bottle of
chilled champagne thrusting up from a brimming silvery ice bucket.
Maybe she was
snugly asleep in the script hut, and dreaming. It felt like
a dream, as Alex turned to her without a word, and stroked her bare arms
in a delicate caress. Who could have guessed that he could be so
gentle, so sensitive to both her fears and her growing needs?
Several thick
sleeping bags were spread across the hard rocky floor. The plush
blankets were soft beneath her knees as they sank down together.
Then the entire world dissolved into sweet ecstasy as Alex curled his
fingers into her hair, and began to kiss her.
He wanted to make
it last forever. But there was only tonight. Kayla Farrell
was from a different world, one that could never meld seamlessly with
his. Tomorrow she’d return to her cozy life in her cozy home, a
thousand miles away from his stark little apartment. Within six
months, she’d probably forget that tonight had even happened.
Seduction could
be addictive as fine wine. If this one short night was all he had,
he’d make it count.
Before passion
could flare high, he eased back and slid reverent fingers along her
face. “You’re so beautiful, it dazzles me!”
At any other
time, with any other woman, the words would have sounded trite.
But coming from his heart, they struck a chord deep inside that Kayla
couldn’t deny. “Whatever happens tonight, I’ll never have any
regrets,” she whispered.
There were so
many things he wanted to tell her, so many vital things he yearned to
say. Where was Mac when he really needed a glib phrase to express
his feelings? But Mac was gone, lost in a welter of emotions he’d
forgotten it was possible to feel. Only Alex was left. And
Alex felt helpless and vulnerable without his protective alter-ego.
She could have
stayed on the beach with Tommy. He repeated it like a comforting
mental litany while he reached for the glistening champagne bottle.
Whatever she felt for him, she’d come here of her own free will.
Perhaps there was
hope yet.
The cork popped
free, and shot across the room to splash in the bubbling pool.
Kayla began to laugh. The unbridled delight in her low voice made
his pulse thud with gnawing hunger. But he reminded himself,
again, that this single night was all he’d ever have. He was
determined to move slowly.
Delicious
sparkling wine gushed from the bottle, and frothed into the tall crystal
glasses. Kayla sipped hers, and felt the bubbles swim into her
brain. Giddy pleasure curled in her stomach like warm honey.
Even in her wildest imagination, she’d never envisioned such a
delightful fantasy!
“I always knew
this would be a magical place,” she shyly confided as he refilled her
glass. “Patrick described it for me one night, about two years
ago, while I was fighting an awful case of writer’s block. And I
knew he was right, that this was where I’d find my miracles. So I
had to write it into the script. It changed everything I’d been
planning to have you do.”
Hearing her speak
so casually about communing with her dead husband sent a cold chill
racing down Alex’s spine. He simply didn’t believe that such
things were possible. When a person died, they were dead.
Maybe there was a heaven and hell, he didn’t know. But he was
pretty darned certain that lost souls didn’t really hang around, giving
brilliant script advice, several years after their deaths.
“What is
it you want me to do?” he murmured, setting aside his glass. Her
soft auburn hair felt like the finest silk under his searching fingers.
“Say the word, Kayla, and it’s yours.”
Only in her
wildest fantasies could she dare admit to such treacherous emotions.
“Just love me,” she whispered, with a glowing smile that made his heart
falter. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
The champagne was
forgotten as he slowly lowered her to the blankets. His pulse was
thundering so loudly in his ears, he barely even heard her soft sigh of
contentment. Then she reached for him, and his entire world tilted
and slid into sweet ecstasy.
There was no fear
this time. It felt right, as if they’d been here a thousand
times before, as if she was returning home after an age-long journey.
She knew how his hands would feel as they tenderly glided over her bare
skin, how his mouth would taste as it covered hers. How his thick,
springy hair would feel under her searching fingers as she arched to
mold her tingling body to his.
Alex groaned, a
low sound deep in his chest, and she softly laughed. “You want me,
too,” she marveled. “In all the times I’ve dreamed about you, I
never dared to dream this before.”
A soft purr of
pleasure echoed in her throat as he bent to kiss her again, and found
her mouth warm and willing beneath his. She stretched, meeting his
hardened body at every erotic point, and a million fiery sparks ignited
in her racing blood. It had been so, so long since a man had
wanted her, since she’d felt an answering hunger!
Sweet familiarity
dissolved her inhibitions. Her questing hands began to skim up and
down his taut back, stroking muscles she knew in the deepest
recesses of her mind. Somehow this had all happened before, in
some idyllic other life...
Alex wanted to go
slow, to make things perfect for her. This first time should be
perfect! But reeling passion was starting to numb his brain.
He wasn’t sure how long he could hold back. Every new touch fueled
the fire in his blood, until he was a single mass of quivering flame.
Never before had he wanted any woman so desperately!
And yet...
There was a
strange sense of rightness, of intimate recognition, that helped
to balance him. Their eager writhing bodies had merged, had fused
with indescribable pleasure, sometime before.
It was
impossible. He didn’t believe in reincarnation. But there
was no denying this innate knowledge. How else could he possibly
know every sweet curve and tremor even before his fingers skimmed over
her quivering flesh?
“Kayla dîless,
cariad āluinn...” Words unspoken for millennia came easily
to his lips as they moved together, dancing in slow motion. Piece
by piece, they nimbly undressed each other, reveling in each
long-forgotten discovery.
It was a
homecoming, a celebration of passion long denied. Kayla could
almost see the half-familiar pillars and towers of a bygone land soaring
over her head as he whispered to her in an ancient language neither of
them knew, but both recognized in that drugging moment of passion.
And the pleasure, when his body finally plunged deep into hers, and took
her beyond reality, was exquisite beyond belief.
• • • • • •
Reality flowed
back gradually. And with it came a peaceful contentment that Alex
had never experienced before. It wasn’t just the sex, he decided,
tightening his arms around Kayla’s slender shoulders. That had
been explosive, an arousing blend of fierce and gentle, desperate and
sweet...and every moment sheer bliss.
He’d had
mind-blowing sex before. This had clearly topped the charts.
What he felt now went far beyond merely physical.
He was totally
and completely in love with Kayla. If he hadn’t known it before,
now he was absolutely certain, in every fiber of his being. He’d
been waiting his entire life for this woman, without even realizing who
or what he’d been searching for.
She stirred in
her sleep, turning into his embrace with a soft sigh of contentment.
Alex held her close, silently willing her to wake.
• • • • • •
Soft green light
gradually penetrated Kayla’s dreams. She smiled, and settled into
a more comfortable position. Nothing could harm her here, in this
magical place. Time itself flowed differently in the mystical
fairy hills. Heady passion flowed like warm water through its high
columns, filling the air with unending delight. A lover’s caress
was never more than a dream away...
Clever fingers
made her softly moan, and writhe with pleasure. “Love me, Alex,”
she panted, rising to meet the hardened body hovering over hers.
His deep blue
eyes glowed like twin sapphires. She ran eager hands through his
thick black hair, then down his long back. His weight pushed her
deeper into the soft blankets, and she welcomed every hungry thrust with
a fierce passion she hadn’t even known she possessed.
Tomorrow
everything would change. But tonight was forever. Here in
this exquisite paradise, they had all the time in the world.
• • • • • •
It’s almost
dawn.
The soft whisper roused Alex from a misty half-dream. Drowsily he
listened to the bubbling waterfall murmuring secrets that no mere mortal
could comprehend. There was a subtle rhythm in the gurgling
cadence, like a heart beating fast, then slow, then fast again. He
could just barely hear, on the very edges of his awareness, a teasing
breath of wind humming through the tall grass; the soft trill of sweet
music playing on a distant harp.
You’re running
out of time.
The shimmering
green crystals over his head were mesmerizing, pulsing with light and
energy. Faint ghostly shapes flitted against his closed eyelids,
beckoning, enticing. It would be so easy to sink into the hypnotic
magic, to let it fill his restless soul and turn his back on the pain...
Damn it, wake
up!
Suddenly alert,
Alex blinked in confusion. The cave was small again, quiet but for
the soft murmur of falling water, fragrant with the scent of melted wax
candles. Gone were the lofty emerald pillars and enchanting
melodies of his wistful reverie.
But he could
still hear the echo of that urgent voice thrumming in his veins.
Down on the
beach, the boisterous cast party was probably still in full swing.
Especially since there would be no extended between-seasons vacationing
this year, everyone would be taking full advantage of the festivities.
He wondered, with an ironic grin, how many of them would suffer from
splitting hangovers on the long flight back home.
Then full
awareness crashed down on him, and his whimsical amusement vanished.
In just a few short hours, the helicopters would arrive, and the mass
exodus would begin. He could hold off leaving until the last
possible flight...but that wouldn’t change anything. He’d run
out of time. The filming was over--and so was the magic, almost
before it had even begun.
What would Mac
do?
There it was
again--that soft, haunting whisper in his ear! Was he starting to
lose his mind?
Mac always has
a clever solution for every dilemma. He can talk his way out of
any disaster. What would Mac do?
Mac, he thought
with a hot surge of resentment, had excellent scriptwriters who could
rescue him from any catastrophe. Surviving doomsday with a witty
retort was quite literally ‘in the script.’ Which left him
woefully unequipped to think on his own feet, especially when it really
mattered. It’s not quite so easy for those of us in the real
world! he fumed with a bitter scowl.
But what did he
really know of the real world, anyway? His entire life revolved
around the all-powerful video camera. Every week his character
cheated death in some new and inexplicable way, just to push the series
up another notch in the Nielsen ratings.
What would
MacAllister say if Conners was quitting the team? How would he
talk her into staying?
If only it were
that easy. Kayla Farrell was night-and-day different from Mariah
Conners’ fictional character. And even if he could find the right
words to say, there was no director hovering nearby to shout “Cut!”
if he blew his lines!
Do you want
her to stay, or not?
Of course he did.
He was desperately in love with her. Only a fool would let her
walk away without even trying to change the inevitable.
You’re running
out of time.
Like he wasn’t
painfully aware of that loathsome fact!
Okay, think it
through. What do you have in common?
The series, of
course. And stunning sex. Absolutely breathtaking, explosive
sex! The kind that could start his blood boiling just by
remembering . . .
And if he let
those exquisite memories distract him now, he’d never be able to focus
on what really mattered. With a monumental effort, he forced his
racing pulse back under control, and tried very hard to ignore how
delightfully enticing Kayla felt, snuggled intimately against his
hardened body.
They were
friends, weren’t they? Of course they were. Maybe they
hadn’t started out that way, but over time they’d come to understand
each other. They worked well together. And Kayla trusted
him; she must, or she never would have spent their last night together
making love with him.
Friendship and
trust were the two most important ingredients in a healthy loving
relationship. If he’d known that seven years ago, he’d never have
married Cheryl Anne. Maybe, he realized with a sudden pang, he’d
needed to endure that agonizing experience so that he’d know how to do
it right this time.
Would Kayla even
want to marry him? After losing her husband and son in that
horrible car accident, he couldn’t blame her for preferring to stay
single. Maybe he should just ask her to live with him a while, and
slowly ease her into the idea. That would give her time to adapt
to his unusual lifestyle, and prove to her that his love was real and
enduring.
What if she
absolutely refused to move to California? Could he give up his
meteoric career, and meekly settle down in some tiny no-name suburb?
How would he cope, what would he do? Acting was the only real
skill he had.
Don’t borrow
trouble.
If he had to
retire, he would. Anything was better than losing the one woman
who made his entire life complete. Maybe he could get involved in
the local community theater or something. It wouldn’t pay the
bills--but he had enough saved to pay for three Hollywood lifetimes.
Or in real-world terms, enough for his grandchildren’s grandchildren to
live luxuriously. Assuming he was ever lucky enough to have
grandchildren.
That only left
finding the right way to ask her. He’d have to be smooth,
persuasive. Ease her into the idea. Start by commenting on
the long flight, asking if she planned to return home immediately.
Maybe she’d like to stay in California for a few weeks, do some
sightseeing, watch the season premiere being filmed.
And his brain
froze in sheer numb panic when Kayla stirred, then sleepily smiled up at
him.
“Come back with me.”
So much for
being subtle! Mac would have found a clever way to make the
prospect absolutely irresistible. Alex could only wince at his
clumsy bungling.
“Hmmm?
Where?”
Kayla’s languid
murmur made his heart pound with sudden hope. Maybe he hadn’t
blown his lines after all! “California. I keep a condo
there. It’s not very big,” he admitted with a rueful smile, “but
then I’m not there often enough to bother with it much. We could
make it nice, together, if we...”
“What?”
Startled, she rose up on one elbow and stared at him. “Alex, what are
you talking about?"
“California.
I never liked Bel Air very much, so I bought a condo on the outskirts.
It’s in a nice neighborhood...” Hope died an abrupt and painful
death as she gaped at him in silent confusion. “It’s... Crap.
Cut!” Groaning, he buried his face in both hands, and
rolled away, cursing his ineptitude with words. “Never mind.
I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Why couldn’t he
be more like Tommy, with his glib silver tongue? Everything he
said sounded brilliant! Alex just sounded like a fool.
Bewildered, Kayla
rose to her knees. Just when she’d finally broken through, he was
shutting her out, hiding behind that hateful protective barrier again.
Sudden fury surged through her in a hot, bitter wave. “Don’t you
even start that with me!” she snapped, jamming both fists on her slender
hips.
Her fierce tone
shocked him into rolling back over. “Start what?”
“Blocking me out.
I hate that! I’ve always hated it! You can be Mac all you
want, out there, with them.” Angrily she waved one hand
toward the shadowed entrance. “But don’t you ever use him
to push me away again!”
She was livid!
And magnificent, with her eyes flashing blue fire and her rich auburn
hair tousled from passion. Despite his stunned surprise, Alex
couldn’t help staring at her in fascination.
Then her caustic
words registered, and a cold shock ran down his long spine. He’d
tried so hard to make her believe that Mac’s alter-ego was his real
personality. But she knew! She knew!
Had he really
thought he could fool her? Oh, she must hate him now, for trying
to deceive her!
And yet...was
it possible? Did she actually want him to be himself?
Could she truly prefer fumbling, inept Alex Matthews over suave,
debonair Troy MacAllister?
“I don’t want to
push you away.” His heartfelt admission was low and cautious.
This Kayla Farrell wasn’t the gentle, soft-spoken woman he knew so well.
She was a firecracker about to explode!
Her heart was
pounding so loudly, it felt ready to explode! Maybe she was
still dreaming, because she couldn’t possibly have heard him right.
Even after the indescribable passion they’d just shared, he couldn’t
really be suggesting that she move in with him!
She wanted to
believe so much that her stomach was knotted. And it was oh, so
tempting to hide behind her own hard-won protective shield, to avoid
confrontation by passing this whole thing off as a casual, empty bedroom
promise. But if she didn’t find out for sure, it would drive her
crazy. She had to know!
“Then finish what
you started to say.” And please, God, don’t let me throw up or
burst into tears if I was wrong!
Icy panic tasted
sour in Alex’s throat. He never knew the right words to say.
And these were the most important words of his life! If he botched
it now... Think, man, think! How would Mac broach the
subject?
No help there.
Mac was gone. God help him, he was on his own.
“In a few hours,
we head back to the States.” His voice sounded strange in his own
ears. And so appallingly lame! Gruffly he cleared his
throat, and tried again. “We’ll be flying into L.A. first, and I
thought...”
Dammit, he was
doing worse with every passing moment! Somehow he had to salvage
the situation, before he ruined everything!
“I have a little
place on the outskirts of Bel Air. It’s small, but it’s
comfortable. And the view is lovely. I think you’d like
watching the sunsets from there.”
She hadn’t turned
away in disgust yet. Maybe he could still fumble his way through
this! “I’d like you to see it.”
Kayla’s chest was
so tight, it was hard to catch her breath. Carefully she sorted
through every possible meaning to his words, and prudently settled on
the safest one. “So...you want me to visit a while before I
head back home.”
“Yes. No!”
Frustrated, he rose on his knees to face her. “I want you to
stay.”
“That could be
dangerous.” She tried to sound flippant, but her throat ached with
treacherous longing. “If tonight was any indication, I might get
to like it too much!” And that was certainly an
understatement, because she was already addicted to the seductive touch
of his long, lean body!
“I might not let
you go.” That was purely Mac speaking through, brash and
arrogantly confident, and Alex fought to hide another wince.
Hadn’t she just said she didn’t want to see or hear Mac again?
Unpredictably,
she chuckled. “Promises, promises.”
Say it now!
The ghostly voice was in his ears again, silently prodding.
Suddenly he felt
totally calm. He finally knew the right words. It was so
amazingly simple, why hadn’t he seen it before?
“What promises do
you want?” he murmured, daring to stroke her tangled hair with gentle
fingers.
How could she
help loving him, and aching for everything they couldn’t have, when he
was so sweetly romantic? Kayla’s throat closed with unshed tears.
“Alex, you shouldn’t ask a question like that unless you want an honest
answer,” she whispered.
“I want an honest
answer.” His fingers cupped her averted face in a gentle caress.
“I want you! Tonight, and tomorrow, and for the entire rest
of my life. You mean everything to me, Kayla--more than I ever
dreamed was possible.”
Was she
dreaming again? Surely he couldn’t really be saying these precious
words! Cautiously she cleared her throat, and clenched her fingers
together. Her palms were damp with mingled fear and hope.
“You want me to live with you?”
“No.” His
firm rejection sent her heart plunging into despair. Then he
smiled. “I want you to marry me.”
“You...want...” Stuttering, she gaped at him. It was crazy!
Impossible! She must be dreaming! He couldn’t
possibly have asked her...
He did! Now
say yes! Do it, Kayla, quickly!
“I love you.”
The words escaped her without conscious thought. Then it sank in,
and her heart soared. “Oh, Alex, I love you! I fought it for
so long, because I was so scared...”
Her slender body
felt warm and oh, so alive in his arms! “I fought it, too,” he
murmured, burying his face in her soft hair. “But I can’t fight
any longer. Not if it means losing you.
“I know it’s
asking a lot. And I don’t know what kind of life we’ll have
together,” he warned, pressing gentle kisses against the curve of her
throat. “You know what the filming is like, always hectic and
crazy and stressful. There will be times you’ll love it, and times
you’ll hate it with a passion.
“But I can
promise that we’ll always be together. And if that will be enough,
then we’ll make it work.”
“It’s enough!
Oh, Alex, it’s more than enough!” she whispered, smiling through the
ecstatic tears that blurred her vision. “And it’s more than I ever
dreamed possible.”
“I couldn’t live
if I lost you.” He held her close, then released a deep sigh of
relief. “I was all set to give up my home, my career, anything you
asked, if you wouldn’t stay with me. I know it’ll be a huge
adjustment for you. But we’ll work through it, together.
“And I’ll make
you one other promise, here and now,” he smiled, easing her back down on
the rumpled sleeping bags. “To the rest of the world, I may be
Troy MacAllister. But with you, even when I’m Mac, I will
always be Alex Matthews.”
The End
Coming soon...(untitled)...Allie’s story.
