Illusions of Love (68 page)

When she closed her eyes and began rubbing the soapy bubbles into her breasts in slow, circular movements he could take no more.
 
His willpower had run out and he ripped off his clothes like a teenage kid about to indulge in his first proper fuck, joining her under the warm jets of water, pushing her up against the shower wall, kissing her hard and fast.
 
She responded with kisses just as deep and rough, clinging onto him as the water continued to cascade over them, making them both slippery and wet.

She felt him hard against her thigh, and she put up no fight when he lifted her up, pushing her back against the wall, her legs wrapping around him as he pushed into her with a force that made her cry out loud, throwing her head back as he thrust into her.

The water raining down on them, coupled with him deep inside her, only heightened every feeling she was experiencing, every inch of her body tingling every time he moved, every touch of his lips on her skin making her moan and scream and she never wanted it to end, never wanted to let him go.

It was the most incredible, mind-blowing sex he’d had in a long while, and Dominic MacDonald had slept with some of
Hollywood
’s most beautiful leading ladies.
 
But none of them even came close to India Walsh.
 
None of them had made him feel as though every inch of him was on fire, none of them had made him want to take a vow to never even think of another woman if he could have this girl for the rest of his life.
 
She fucked with his head, she made him crazy, she had baggage that – under normal circumstances – would have meant he would never have even looked twice but then, so did he, didn’t he?
 
Now.
 
Now
he
had baggage too.
 
Baggage they shared, complications they could identify with.
 
And he never wanted to have to say goodbye to this woman.

She buried her fingers in his hair as he pushed hard and deep into her, so hard she was thrown back against the wall but it was the final thrust, and she cried out loud as he exploded inside her, that rush of warmth as he released himself flooding through her, sending her stomach reeling as she reached her own climax, that beautiful white-hot tingle taking over, until both their bodies had no other option left but to give in to the exhaustion.

Unwrapping her legs from around him she closed her eyes as he left her body, holding her close as their breathing returned to normal, her heart still beating hard as his fingers gently stroked her back.

‘Baby, baby, baby… you kill me.
 
You fucking kill me,’ Dominic breathed, resting his forehead against hers, stroking her cheek with his thumb as the water continued to rain down on them.

‘So, stranger.
 
What do we do now?’ she smiled, reaching out to turn the shower off.
 
But she didn’t want this game to end just yet.
 
The night was young, and she wasn’t ready to re-enter real-life.

He smiled, kissing her slowly, his tongue flicking over the roof of her mouth as it touched hers, bringing her damp skin out in goosebumps as he pulled her close.
 
‘We party.
 
You up for that?’

She smiled too, running her hands up and down his strong, toned arms.
 
‘Yeah.
 
I’m up for that.’

Another kiss, another million flips of her stomach as his mouth moved against hers, warm and hard and beautiful.
 

‘
India
…’

She shook her head, putting her fingers to his lips to silence him.
 
‘Strangers, remember?
 
Tonight we don’t know each other, that’s what you said. Tonight we’re forgetting.
 
Okay?’

He nodded, letting his hand run down her back, resting it in that oh-so-sexy place at the very base of her spine.
 
‘Tonight, we’re forgetting.’

She smiled again, taking him in her hand as she moved her mouth close to his.
 
‘But, before we go anywhere, handsome, I want to give you something that I don’t
want
you to forget.’

And as she slowly sank to her knees, Dominic closed his eyes, stopped worrying about the future, and concentrated very hard on the fact that the most beautiful woman in Hollywood was about to take him to heaven and back.
 
Again.

***

‘Jimmy called me, Kenny.
 
Earlier tonight.
 
He called me.’
 
Charley proceeded to tell Kenny what Jimmy had said, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders just by being able to tell someone, because what he’d told her had all but terrified her.
 
‘What does he mean by that, Kenny?
 
You all take care?’

Kenny downed a large mouthful of beer, an urge to get completely wasted suddenly sounding like a really good idea, because, not only was this news something that he didn’t particularly want to have to deal with, but he knew that – right now – India and Dominic would be fucking each other senseless somewhere.
 
He’d seen them, watched them, even from outside on the terrace.
 
He’d seen them run off, hand-in-hand, laughing like kids on one hot prom date.

‘Kenny?’

‘Sorry, Charley… I was just thinking.’

Charley looked at him.
 
‘About
India
?’

Kenny sat back in his chair, pushing a hand through his black hair as he looked around at the people and the couples and the partying.
 
Yeah, partying seemed like a really good idea right now.

‘It’s always about fucking
India
,’ Kenny sighed, sitting upright again as he caught sight of Dominic and
India
walking over to the bar, arms wrapped around each other.
 
She leant into him as he smiled at the bartender, laughing at something Dominic said, and Kenny felt his stomach do that dip it always did whenever he saw her with somebody new.
 
He’d never stop that from happening now, he knew that.
 
He was just learning to live with it.
 
He turned his attention back to Charley.
 
‘You should go home, Charley.
 
You should go talk to Vince.’

‘What is there to talk about, Kenny?’

‘Jesus, Charley!
 
Will you just go and fight for him?
 
Huh?
 
You’ve got something I would fucking kill for, do you know that?
 
Okay, we made another stupid mistake, but this time it doesn’t have to mean the end of a relationship.
 
Vince still loves you, and you still love him, don’t you?’

She looked at Kenny, a little taken aback by his reaction.
 
‘Yeah.
 
Of course I do.’

‘Then go home and start trying to make it work.
 
Don’t make the same mistake I did all those years ago, Charley.
 
Don’t let the only person you’ve ever really loved slip away, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’

CHAPTER 38

‘So, you and Mr Movie Star.
 
You back together or what?’ Bobby asked, brushing
India
’s long curls as she sat at her dressing table.

‘I suppose we are, yeah.’

‘And what about the proposal?
 
Does he still want you to marry him?’

‘That’s not happening, Bobby.
 
In fact, that’s never happening again.
 
I am never, ever entering into another marriage.
 
Not ever.’

‘Okay, okay, I was only asking.
 
Probably wise, though, Princess.
 
I mean, there are only so many wedding dresses one can wear in a lifetime.’

She turned round and stuck her tongue out at him, grabbing her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail.
 
‘We’re taking everything one day at a time, Bobby.’

‘Does
he
know that, Angel?’

‘It’s
me
issuing the ultimatums now, thank you very much.’

‘Hmm, and no man would dare ignore that, would they?’

‘Not if they know what’s good for them, no,’
India
smiled, getting up and kissing Bobby on the cheek.
 
‘Right.
 
I’m off to see my dad.’

‘Do you want me to go see if they’ve got an appointment for you at
Charley’s
this afternoon?
 
You’ll want to look your absolute best for the wrap party tonight, surely.’

‘Bobby, I’m the owner’s best friend.
 
There’s
always
an appointment for me at
Charley’s
.’

‘Oh.
 
Are you
sure
you don’t want me to go check?
 
Just to be on the safe side?’

India
smiled at him, tucking her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans.
 
‘Bobby, if you want to go check then go check.
 
It’s entirely up to you.
 
And don’t worry, I won’t tell Miguel.’

Bobby looked at her, pursing his lips in a “
trying not to look guilty and failing miserably”
 
kind of way.
 
‘Why would it bother Miguel?
 
I’m only going to
Charley’s
to make sure your appointment is sorted.’

India
smiled at him again.
 
‘Bobby, I know the only reason you want to go to
Charley’s
is to check out
Antony
.’

‘
Antony
?’ Bobby asked innocently, fanning himself with a handkerchief he’d pulled from his shirt pocket.
 
‘Who’s
Antony
?
 
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
 
I don’t know anyone called
Antony
…’

‘Yeah, not much you don’t.
 
Bobby, if Antony was straight I’d be after him myself so quit with the mock-innocent wide eyes and just go make sure he’s ready for my massage this afternoon.’
 
She winked at him.
 
‘And book one for yourself while you’re at it, okay?
 
On me.’

Bobby fanned himself faster, turning away and flouncing out of the room.
 
India
couldn’t help laughing.
 
Despite Bobby and Miguel having a relationship most people would die for, Bobby’s philosophy was very much of the “
just because you’ve chosen the main course doesn’t mean to say you have to stop checking out the menu”
way of looking at things.
 
And look he did – regularly.
 
But he’d never touch.
 
He loved Miguel far too much for that.
 
He just liked a bit of window-shopping now and again.
 
Who didn’t?

Making her way downstairs and out of the villa,
India
made her way quickly along the palm-tree and flower-lined pathways that led to the main hotel, smiling as she walked.
 
Things hadn’t exactly been straightforward here in Vegas, but then, were they ever?
 
Nothing was ever simple in her life, and she should be used to that by now, but some of the things that had happened over the past few weeks – well, nobody could have predicted any of them, could they?

‘Hey, you ignoring me or something?’

India
looked up as someone stopped her in her tracks, and her smile grew wider as her eyes locked onto those incredible ice-blue eyes of Dominic MacDonald, looking handsome and sexy in jeans and a white shirt that showed off his tanned skin to perfection, his hair all tousled and messed-up.
 
She felt the breath catch in her throat as she looked at him.
 
‘How in the world could I ever ignore
you
?’

‘Well, to be honest,
India
, you’ve had a damn good go in the past.’

She put up no fight as he circled her waist with his arm, pulling her against him, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently.
 
‘Yeah, well, it’s been a bit of a crazy time, hasn’t it?’

‘That’s one way of putting it.’
 
Dominic stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, his expression changing slightly.
 
‘
India
… about what I asked you…’

‘Dominic, come on.
 
I’ve told you how I feel about that.’

‘I know.
 
I know you have, and I totally understand…’

‘Good.
 
Because I’m not changing my mind.
 
I want to be with you, okay?
 
But if that’s not enough…’