Destined for the Star (Starstruck) (25 page)

”But if it’s too vintage-looking for you, I’ll buy you another one, of course,” he added, suddenly sounding a little nervous again.

”No way!” she protested. ”I adore this ring - there could never be any ring more beautiful than this one. And that it belonged to your grandmother makes it even more special to me.” She looked into his eyes, mesmerized by the beauty of them once again, the golden specks sprinkled throughout the emerald irises holding her captive. ”Did your grandfather pick it out for your grandmother?”

”Yes, he did. He told me he had to save up for it for a long time first. Luckily Grandma said yes when he proposed.”

”He has excellent taste,” she said approvingly.

”Glad you think so, sweetheart,” he said, still holding her hands in his. ”Next week you can tell him so yourself.”
 

”Are we still spending Thanksgiving with your family?”

”Of course we are. They’re all dying to meet the woman who found the key to my heart. I think they were about to give up hope I would ever find someone to love me,” he grinned at her.
 

”Yes, you really are very difficult to love,” she teased. ”I can see why they would be worried about that.”

”You’re making fun of me again, aren’t you? You little tease,” he murmured and kissed her thoroughly again.

She snuggled closer to his chest and he opened his jacket for her. She would have been the happiest person alive if she could have just stayed like that forever.
 

”I want to get you naked somewhere warm and cosy,” she murmured.

”I’m game,” he said cheerfully.
 

He grabbed her by the hand.

”Let’s go.” He pulled her along to the car.

”Wait, is that Rashid’s car?”

”Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.”

”Why?”

”Well, I ran into a spot of trouble at the café looking for you, and Sasha was kind enough to bail me out.”

”What kind of trouble? And why would Sasha help you? She’s furious with you.”

”Not any more,” he smirked, looking rather pleased with himself. ”And the trouble was a gang of paparazzi outside the café. They somehow managed to find me.”

She felt a little disoriented, as the reality of that part of his life inched closer.
 

”Huh,” was all she managed. And then, ”But why would Sasha help you? When she is that angry with someone it usually takes her forever to get over it, if at all.”

”Well,” he said, looking a little sheepish, ”apparently, she watched the press conference in Berlin this morning, and she must have liked what I said there.”

She stopped and turned to look at him.

”Nate, what did you say at the press conference?”

He looked down at the ring on her left hand and caressed her fingers for a moment. Then he looked at her.

”I basically said I’d messed up the most important thing in my life, and that I had to go get my girl back, if at all possible.”

”You actually said that? On live TV?” She felt stunned.

”Yes,” he grinned. ”I think it made quite an impact. At least it was unexpected. I’ve never commented on my personal life before, but this was an emergency.” He touched her cheek tenderly.

She suddenly realized something.
 

”Nate, you are supposed to be at the première in Berlin tonight, aren’t you?”

”Don’t worry about it, sweetheart, I’m exactly where I need to be right now.”

”How did you get out of it? Isn’t that part of your job?” she asked, feeling dread at the thought of what she must have cost him today.

”I didn’t exactly give them a choice, love,” he said softly after a few seconds and pulled a wayward curl back in place behind her ear.

”Come on, let’s get you into a bed with me,” he said, grabbing her hand again and unlocking the car doors at the same time.

She got in in silence, completely stunned at the price he must have paid today, the risks he was taking with his career for her sake.

”Nate,” she began, as he turned the key in the ignition, ”I can’t let you do this.”

”Do what?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

”I can’t let you risk everything for me like this. I’m guessing the studio is really angry with you for running off like that? You are letting a lot of people down by not being there tonight, aren’t you?”

He stared straight ahead, his hands gripping the wheel.

”I mean, not just the studio and your colleagues, but all the fans. Sasha told me they’ve been camping out for days before each première, to get a glimpse of you there.”

”Yes, that is all true, and I do care, I care very much,” he said, turning to her with agony clearly visible on his face. ”But none of that matters as much as you do, Olivia. I came so close to losing you altogether, and I can’t stand being without you again, baby. I just can’t.”

”But I’m yours, Nate, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you come back after all the premières are done. You should hurry to Berlin and be there tonight. For the fans, most of all,” she said. It was so hard to tell him to go, because it scared her senseless to be without him again. The only thing she really wanted was to tie him securely to her bed and keep him there with her forever. The mere thought of being separated from him again, if only for a few days, was unbearable. But she had to be strong and not show him that. Because if she’d learnt anything about him by now, it was how much he loved his job and how hard he’d worked to get to where he was. She loved him too much to let him throw it all away.

He turned off the ignition and turned to face her, grabbing hold of her hands as he spoke.

”I understand what you’re saying, love, and I really appreciate that you care so much and want to protect my career, but I cannot bear to be away from you again. I just can’t,” he said fiercely. ”I don’t care if I lose it all as long as you’re there by my side, Olivia. I can be happy doing anything for a living as long as you’re mine.”

”I’m not going anywhere, Nate, I promise you.” She grabbed his face in her hands and locked his gaze in hers. ”I will be here waiting for you. I give you my word, Nate. I won’t freak out again. I will never doubt your love for me again. You don’t have to be afraid of losing me. I belong to you, body and soul, forever.”

”I hear you, sweetheart, and I believe you, but I still cannot stand being away from you. I know it’s not completely rational, but it terrifies me to let you out of my sight again,” he admitted, a little embarrassed. ”I don’t know how to explain it, but you are so precious to me in a magical sort of way, that sometimes I get this feeling you will disappear and I’ll wake up and realize you were just a dream. I just can’t face another night without you in my arms. Being this in love with you, it’s still so new to me, I just can’t bear to be separated from you. I just can’t.”

”But I can’t let you give up so much for me. I can’t stand the thought of costing you this much, Nate.”

He took her hand from his cheek and kissed her palm.

”Then I can only think of one solution,” he said.

”What’s that?”

”Come with me to Berlin, and then stay with me for the rest of the tour.”
 

”Come with you?” she asked, feeling utterly confused. ”But I would only be in your way, and what would everyone say?”

”Who cares? You could never be in my way, and the studio will be beside themselves with joy, if I show up tonight after all. They’ll trip over themselves to thank you. Please, baby, say you’ll come,” he pleaded.
 

”Are you sure that’s really okay?”

”Of course it is. I say it is.”

”Okay, then,” she conceded, ”if that’s what it’ll take to get you to that première I’ll go.” She smiled at him. ”What time do we need to be there?” she asked, looking at the clock on the dashboard. It was a little before three o’clock in the afternoon.

”The red carpet starts at seven, and the screening at nine, so somewhere in between there we need to be at the theatre if the fans are going to get to see us.”

”Wait, I’m staying at the hotel, right, while you go do that?” she asked, just to make everything perfectly clear.

”No,” he said, ”I’m not letting you out of my sight. I mean that literally. You’re coming with me everywhere I go.”

”No, Nate, I’m no good at that sort of thing,” she pleaded, panic-stricken. ”I’ll make a fool of myself in front of everyone and embarrass you. Trust me, I’m really a behind the scenes kind of girl.”

”Olivia, please? For me? I really want to show you that part of my life, I want you to know everything about me. Not to mention, I really want to show off my beautiful fiancé, now that you’ve agreed to be mine forever and I don’t have to hide you anymore,” he coaxed, turning the full force of his smoldering gaze on her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

”Nate, that’s not fair,” she groaned.

”Please, say you’ll come to the première with me, love. Please.” He was relentless.
 

”You’re really tenacious when you want something, aren’t you?” she smiled at last. ”All right then, I’ll go to the première with you.”

He smiled triumphantly and turned the key in the ignition again, swiftly spinning the car around and speeding back towards Stockholm.

”And for the record, love, you could never embarrass me, no matter what you do. Not even if you walked down the red carpet in your birthday suit.” He smirked at the thought. ”Although, if you did that,
I
might really embarrass
you
, by having my way with you right then and there, in front of everyone.”

She blushed at the picture he painted.

”No, I’ll definitely be wearing clothes tonight,” she said. ”Well, not for the entire night, I hope,” she amended, at the thought of sharing a hotel room with him. ”How long do we have to stay at the première?” she asked eagerly.

He laughed.

”That’s my girl.” He squeezed her thigh affectionately. ”As soon as the lights go out and people start watching the movie, we can sneak out and go back to the hotel. And then you’re all mine,” he promised, a naughty smile on his lips.

”Oh, shit!” It suddenly hit her, ”I have nothing to wear. And I don’t have time to go home and pack, right?” she asked in horror.

”No, I’m afraid not, sweetheart, I’m driving us straight to the airport. But don’t worry, babe, I’ll take care of it,” he declared.

”How?”

”Just watch and learn, kiddo,” he joked as he pulled out his cell phone and put it on speaker mode.

”Hey, boss! What’s up? You done groveling yet?” she suddenly heard Andy’s cheerful voice.
 

”Ha, ha, you’re hilarious, Andy,” Nate replied drily. ”As a matter of fact, I’m bringing my fiancé,” he winked at Olivia as he emphasized that last word, ”with me back to Berlin right now. She’s going to walk the carpet with me, all right?”

There was a moment of stunned silence at the other end and then:

”Wow! Congratulations, boss! And my deepest condolences to you, Olivia,” she heard Andy say.

Olivia couldn’t help but laugh.

”Very funny, man,” Nate snorted in response.
 

”Seriously, though,” Andy went on, ”I’m so happy for you both. I’ve seen how happy you make him, Olivia, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

”Thank you, Andy,” Olivia said. ”He makes me extremely happy too.” She looked over at Nate. He reached for her left hand and kissed it.
 

”So, you’re bringing her to the première tonight, huh?” Andy’s voice broke in. ”I guess you’ll be needing something to wear then, Olivia?”

”That’s right,” Nate said, ”the whole shebang. We don’t have time to stop at her place - we’re heading straight for the airport as we speak.”

”I don’t know if they’ll have enough time to refuel the jet and get a flight plan approved this late, but one way or another, you’ll be on a plane here within the hour,” Andy vowed.

”Perfect,” Nate said.

”What size are you, Olivia?” Andy asked then.

”Um, usually a 36 or 38, it depends on the clothes.”

”Are those French sizes?”

”I’m not sure,” Olivia said, ”I think French sizes are a size smaller than ours.”

”I’m guessing you should go for 6’s and 8’s. Get Randolph on it.” Nate cut in. ”Tell him she has the most beautiful hour-glass figure ever and is tall and slender. And she has a perfect set of C-cups. Tell him I want her curves shown off,” he winked at Olivia.

She blushed scarlet and groaned.

”Got it,” Andy said. ”Nate, you lucky dawg!” he joked.
 

”Yes, the luckiest ever,” Nate said, his husky voice thick as he looked over at Olivia.

”Okay, can we stop talking about my body now?” Olivia moaned in horror.

Nate chuckled.
 

”Sorry, babe, couldn’t resist the urge to brag a bit.” His grin was unrepentant.

”Before we leave this topic of conversation, what size shoes are you, Olivia?” Andy tried to keep a more appropriate tone but she could hear the mirth in his voice too.

”Oh, God, now I’m even more embarrassed. I have huge feet,” she groaned, ducking her head in her hands.

Both men started chuckling at that.

”You have beautiful feet, sweetheart. They’re in perfect proportion to your height,” Nate stated, trying hard to keep a straight face in light of her obvious mortification.

”You owe me for this, Nate,” she growled under her breath and then she answered Andy. ”I wear size 40 shoes. Have no idea what that is in American sizes, but just ask for the section for shoes for giants and you should be all right,” she forced out between gritted teeth.
 

She could hear Andy snort with laughter.

”Why do I get the feeling I’m going to pay for this later?” Nate smiled and raised an eyebrow at Olivia.

Andy’s voice broke in, still filled with laughter.

”Olivia, I feel for you for having to put up with this brute of a man. I’ll find you a pair of shoes for tonight that will have Nate going crazy when he sees them on you. Remember, he will have to suffer through at least a couple of hours of red carpet stuff before he can get to those shoes you’ll be wearing. So you work those shoes tonight, girl. You torture him, all right?”