Destined for the Star (Starstruck) (7 page)

”All right then,” he said, and let loose his gorgeous smile at her.
 

* * *

When they stepped outside the clouds were gone, and a myriad of stars greeted them. He took her hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and started walking along a path winding through the park. There were lanterns hanging from the trees, spreading a soft light on their path.

”Did you arrange for this as well?” she asked, indicating the lights.

”Yes,” he admitted. ”Just in case you wanted to go for a walk after dinner. I didn’t want you to have to walk around in the dark.”

”That’s very considerate of you,” she said, her heart singing in her chest.
 

They walked in silence for a while. He stopped and turned to her, in front of one of the many sculptures populating the castle grounds.
 

”Olivia,” he began and then he hesitated, struggling for words.

”Yes?” she breathed.

”Would it be very wrong of me to kiss you right now?” he asked, holding her hands in his, caressing them softly with his thumbs.

She looked up at him, longing filling her whole being.

”Please,” she whispered, stepping closer to him.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. His other hand wound itself through her hair and he tilted her head a little as he met her lips with his own. She threw her arms around his neck, letting her fingers run through his hair. She could feel him tremble slightly beneath her hungry hands. His kiss was gentle and very tender at first, but the hard length of his body against her ignited some long buried fire in her. She pressed herself as close to him as she could get, and kissed him back with total abandon. He moaned in response and let all caution go, his tongue mating with hers in an ancient dance.
 

She felt as if she was flying through the starry heavens, her head spinning, her body shivering with pleasure. A raging throb pulsated in the pit of her stomach and spread down between her thighs. They kissed as if there was no tomorrow, and there wasn’t. Not for them at least.

She had no idea how long they had been kissing but finally he reluctantly pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers.
 

”Olivia, my beautiful Olivia. What are we going to do?” he groaned.
 

She shivered, suddenly feeling bereft, now that his lips had left hers.
 

He misinterpreted it as cold, and opened his jacket to pull her inside it, holding her tight to his chest. She took full advantage of his chivalry, and wound her arms around his steely waist, warming her hands on his back. She leaned her head on his chest and inhaled. He smelled so good. She couldn’t resist reaching up and kissing the lightly tanned skin showing through his unbuttoned shirt, at the base of his neck.
 

”Shit, Olivia,” he shivered beneath her tongue. ”You’re driving me insane, woman!” He grabbed her face and tilted it so he could look in her eyes.
 

”I thought I was strong enough to not ask for more than this one evening with you. But I’m not. The thought of never seeing you again is too much for me to bear. I cannot leave you and let you be. I’m not strong enough. God knows I ought to, but I can’t.” His jaw tightened as he seemed to search her eyes for something.
 

”Now that I found her, how can I just turn away and let her go?” he murmured into her hair.

”Then don’t,” she said.

He looked down at her upturned face, a conflict raging across his own.
 

”Olivia,” he finally said, ”my life is so complicated. I don’t want to drag you into all of that. You deserve so much better.”

”You’re not dragging me into anything,” she protested. ”I’ll run willingly into it, if you’ll have me.” She didn’t dare believe he did want her enough to risk all the complications of a long-distance relationship, but hope swelled in her when she saw the longing in his eyes.

”We could try, I guess,” he said at last. ”But if the craziness of my life gets to be too much for you, Olivia, you must promise me you’ll tell me at once.” He looked so serious. She longed to ease whatever it was that had him so worried. ”You are so pure, so alive, I could never forgive myself if something in my world took that away from you. You must promise me that you’ll tell me if it gets to be too much for you, okay?”

”I promise,” she smiled, too delirious with happiness at the thought that perhaps this wasn’t the end after all, to notice the fear in his eyes.

She reached up to kiss him, and with a deep moan he yielded to her raging demand. He murmured her name, his hands caressing her, as if to ascertain that she was real. She grabbed his shirt and molded herself to him, opening both her mouth and her heart to him at the same time. He claimed her mouth with his tongue, searching out her every secret with a fierce hunger. She had never felt such bliss before, but it was a bittersweet bliss - she knew they were quickly running out of time.

After what seemed a painfully short time of kisses and caresses, he pulled away from her and tucked her inside his jacket again. He held her close, his breath touching the crown of her head as he spoke.

”My plane leaves in a few hours. I have to call and arrange for my bags to be taken to the airport, and then I’ll take you home, like I promised your brothers. I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with them,” he joked.
 

”Okay.” It was all she could manage, trying her hardest not to show the numbing pain she felt at the thought of him leaving. He seemed to sense her despair, because he tipped her head up so he could look into her eyes.

”Olivia, I will
be back, as soon as I can. I have made up my mind, come hell or high water, I
will
come back to you. We will make this work, somehow. I just have some important business to attend to, back home. But as soon as I can arrange it, I will clear my schedule and fly over here again.”

”When do you think that will be?” she asked, her voice so quiet she could hardly hear it herself.

He touched her face with his thumbs, as if he was memorizing it, or maybe he was trying to comfort her.

”Worst case scenario, I won’t be able to come back here until three weeks from now,” he finally said.
 

She drew in a sharp breath at that. It felt like an eternity to her.

”But I will try my hardest to make it back sooner, if at all possible.”
 

”Do you know how to Skype, Olivia?” he continued after a moment.

She shook her head.

”Isn’t that something you do on the computer?” she asked. ”I’m not good with computers, at all. I only use them to write and to check my email. I don’t even have Facebook. It makes me uncomfortable, the thought of giving up my privacy like that.”

”I don’t have Facebook either,” he smiled. ”I value my privacy very much also. If my friends want to share something with me they’ll have to pick up the phone and call me, like in the old days. But do you think your brothers know how to Skype?”

She thought about that.

”Probably. It’s just me who’s computer illiterate,” she grimaced, a little embarrassed to let him know.

”I’m very glad you are,” he murmured and kissed her forehead tenderly, ”there are so many nasty things floating around in cyberspace. I’m so glad you don’t look at any of that.”

He looked at her.

”Do you think you could ask Lukas or Markus to show you how to Skype, so I can get to see you when we talk?”

”Sure. They’ll help me,” she smiled up at him, a little comforted at the thought of seeing him again soon, if only on the computer. ”You’re not hoping I’ll strip for you?” she added teasingly.

”One can always hope,” he drawled.

”Ha!” she exclaimed. ”Dream on buddy, you couldn’t afford it.”

He laughed and scooped her up at that, supporting her buttocks in his hands. She locked her legs around his waist as he started kissing her again. She laughed with happiness and kissed him back.
 

Chapter 5

She didn’t sleep at all that night. She was still trying to fathom everything that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours. Her whole being was buzzing with the joy of his touch. Her lips felt ripe and swollen from his kisses. She wasn’t much of an expert, but she couldn’t imagine anyone being a better kisser than Nate. The whole previous day felt so much like a dream that she started worrying again that he somehow was just a figment of her imagination, a daydream gone too far. Even if he was real, why would he come back to her? It was obvious he could have any woman he wanted, so why would he come all the way back here for her? She wasn’t anybody special. In fact, she had always considered herself both boring and plain. As she started to sink into a bog of sadness, her phone suddenly went off. She’d gotten a text from Nate.

Boarding now. Leaving you was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. Call you as soon as I land. Stay safe for me until I’m back. N.

She clutched the phone to her and felt tears fill her eyes. She was such a crybaby! But he really did exist, and he maintained he was coming back. She didn’t dare trust that he would still feel that way in three weeks time. But at least for now she would let herself revel in the sensation of him seemingly as into her, as she was into him.

* * *

She felt restless, and went into work earlier than she had to that morning. Sasha was already there, putting the place in order and stocking the display case on the counter.
 

”Hey girl! What’s up? I’ve been thinking of you ever since you sent that text last night saying that sexy ass guy was taking you out to dinner.” Sasha was as chirpy as ever. She had only two modes it seemed; happy-go-lucky, squeezing every last bit of pleasure out of life, or full-on rage, if you were stupid enough to cross her. In all the years she’d known her, Olivia had only witnessed that rage a handful of times. Sasha’s anger was not easily provoked, but once it was, it wasn’t easily abated either. The girl could carry a grudge for ages, when she felt like it. Olivia liked to tease her that she was like an elephant - if you were good to her she would be your friend forever, but if you treated her badly, she would never forget. Nor would she let you forget.

Sasha was like a sister to her. They had known each other since pre-school. When Olivia’s mother died, Sasha was the one person who never wavered from her side. She moved in with her and held her during the long, bleak nights, when Olivia couldn’t stop crying. She knew she would never be able to repay Sasha even a fraction of all that she had done for her back then, but Sasha didn’t seem to think about it like that at all. She was the very best friend anyone could ever have. Fiercely loving and loyal, and always fun to be around.
 

”I’m great, you?” Olivia grinned.
 

”Hell, yeah, I can see that. What did you do, sweetie? You’re sparkling, it looks like someone lit you up from the inside.” Sasha stared at her, looking perplexed. Then she let out a whoop.
 

”You didn’t?! Did you spend the night with that gorgeous piece of ass? You did, didn’t you? You naughty girl!” Sasha started giggling.

Olivia blushed crimson.

”No, don’t be ridiculous, Sasha.” She shot her a disapproving look. ”I just met him yesterday morning! Of course I didn’t sleep with him.” She didn’t say what she was thinking, which was that, given half the chance, she probably would have last night. Even if he’d never said he’d come back again.

”Don’t be such a prude. People do it all the time, you know. It’s called a one night stand. You really should try it sometime,” Sasha said and cast a stern glance in Olivia’s direction. ”Don’t tell me you passed up the chance to get a piece of that glorious ass, Liv?”

”He’s not just a glorious ass, you know,” Olivia mumbled, piqued and a little defensive.
 

Sasha stared at her again.

”Oh, honey, no! Don’t tell me… No, you didn’t? Haven’t I taught you anything? Did you fall for him, Olivia?” Sasha came over and took hold of her arms, locking her eyes in a steel grip with her own. ”You fell for the guy, didn’t you? No, Liv, no!” she groaned. ”He’s a tourist! He’ll be gone in a few days, back to wherever he came from. You’ll never see him again.”

”You’re wrong.” Olivia wrenched herself free, and made herself busy setting the chairs in order. ”He is coming back. He is. He promised,” she added glumly. She felt the lump in her throat return. She knew that Sasha was probably right; it didn’t make sense that he would come back just for her. She was so ordinary - there was nothing special about her that could hold his interest for long. He would probably have forgotten all about her by the time he set foot on American soil again.
 

Sasha shook her head in disbelief.

”Sometimes you can be so naïve,” she sighed. ”Where is he from anyway?” She leaned against the table opposite Olivia.
 

Sasha’s words stung, but she couldn’t argue with her on that point - she was naïve in so many ways. But he would return, she refused to believe otherwise. She would take his word for it, no matter how illogical it seemed to her, until the three weeks were up. And if he hadn’t come back by that time, she would deal with the heartbreak then. Not now, not while there still was a chance that he really was coming back.

”He’s from the U.S. From Oklahoma. His family owns a cattle ranch there. That’s what he was here for, business.”

Sasha looked at her, perhaps trying to read between the lines.
 

”He will come back, Sasha. I know he will.”

”Okay. If you say so.” Sasha didn’t sound at all convinced, but seemed to decide to let it go for now.
 

”So, what’s his name? How old is he? Did you get any action at all last night? Please, tell me you at least kissed the guy? I want every single detail, right now,” Sasha demanded.

”Okay, okay,” Olivia couldn’t help but laugh. ”I will, if you just shut up long enough to hear me.”

Sasha pretended to zip her mouth shut.

”His name is Nate and I don’t know how old he is. I didn’t ask.”