Lovers and Liars (64 page)

“Not much.” She smiled slightly. “My face aches. So does my butt. I don’t want to take any more pain-killers. They make me too tired.”

“Don’t be a hero.”

She looked at him. “You were a hero last night.”

He didn’t say anything.

She looked at her hands on the lacy quilt. “You were there when I needed you. I’ll always be grateful.” She raised her eyes to his.

“I want more than your gratitude,” he said quietly.

She stared.

“I want your love again, Belinda.”

“You never lost it.”

He took her hands, exhilarated. Then he kissed her, gently. “I wish I’d come sooner.” He touched the shell of her ear. “Belinda, I want to explain about the porn.”

“Oh.”

He looked away.

“Jack? I thought the picture in
Playgirl
was hot.”

He saw that she was smiling slightly. His relief was vast. “Thank you. I was afraid you’d think badly of me.”

“Jack, if you were a paid porn star, I wouldn’t care. That was before me. What really pisses me off—can’t you guess?”

He was afraid. “No. What?”

“My fucking father.”

At his questioning silence she said, “He’s attacking you. I guess I knew what you said in Tahoe was the truth. But I have so damn much pride, and you did use me to get at him, so I wasn’t ready to listen. And not only is he attacking you he’s messing with me—and he couldn’t care less. He makes me so damn mad I could kill him. Jack, you’re my husband. We’re a team. And we have to fight fire with fire. If we win, we win together. And if we go down, well, we go down together too.”

He hugged her hard. “Your support means more than I can tell you. Do you know North-Star is suing me for breach of contract?”

“Yes. You told me. I’m proud of you for being so brave, taking on Abe like that, especially after what he did to you.”

“It’s going to get dirty.” He looked at her. “I’m prepared to go all the way with this. If my entire past comes up, so be it—but I’ll take your father through the muck with me.”

“Fine,” Belinda said. “You have no choice.
We
have no choice.”

“Belinda, I don’t want you involved. He’s your father.”

Belinda touched his face. “Jack, I am involved. One day I’m going to tell you the awful things he’s done to me over the years—to manipulate me, to make me bend to his will. And do you know what the most recent was? Adam Gordon.”

“What?”

“Adam told me that he and my father had planned on his marrying me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Abe has been after me to marry and produce a son for him ever since I was twenty-one. But he wanted to choose the groom. And he chose Adam.”

Jack’s jaw clenched. “Belinda, he doesn’t know you’re pregnant, does he?”

“No.”

Jack’s eyes were blazing. “Now I have a family to fight for. Abe wouldn’t hurt a child, would he?”

“No, he wouldn’t, not physically. He meant what he said, though—our child won’t get a cent from his estate.”

“I couldn’t care less.” Their gazes locked. “When were you going to tell me?”

She took a breath. “I was afraid to, Jack. Before our wedding I was afraid to, afraid you’d think I was trying to manipulate you. And afterward, I was getting ready to tell you when I heard the tape. Then I was so mad I decided I’d never tell you.”

He was staring. “Before the wedding? How could you have known before the wedding?”

“Jack.” She touched his hand. “The first night we spent together, in Aspen—I never used any birth control.”

He blinked.

“Are you angry?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I just forgot. Except, I’m too smart to forget something like that, and we both know it. I did it deliberately. I wanted to get pregnant. With your baby. Because I love you.”

For a moment he didn’t move; then he took her in his arms. “Do you know how good you’ve just made me feel?” He kissed her. “Belinda, no matter what happens—even if my career as an actor is over—what’s important is that we’re together.”

She smiled.

“Besides, my secret dream was always to be a writer.”

She hit him.

129

H
e saw it coming.

And froze.

It was a big green blur that suddenly took on distinct lines. It had been moving slowly, but now it seemed to take on speed. A green sedan. He watched and thought, Jesus Christ, that car’s going to hit me!

From somewhere behind him Abe heard Mary scream.

There was impact.

Agony.

Then nothing.

130

B
elinda was awakened by the phone. Ignoring it, she turned over, imprisoned by Jack’s strong arms and hard warm body. She snuggled against him as the phone stopped ringing, her answering machine picking up the message. Jack moved in his sleep, a nice healthy hard-on pressing against her thigh. She kissed his neck and stroked circles around it, fully awake now, exploding with love and arousal, the most potent combination in the world. He grunted.

She nibbled his earlobe, then traced the shell with her tongue. She felt the moment of his awakening and laughed, looking into his wide green eyes. He smiled then, sleepily, his hands closing around her waist, rolling onto his back and
taking her astride him. “I love you,” he whispered, closing his eyes, sighing.

“Wake up and make love to me,” she demanded, rubbing herself on his belly, already wet.

“Umm,” he said, “you make love to me.”

She was about to grab him and guide him in when the phone rang again. She frowned, wondering if it was the same caller.

“Tease!” Jack said softly, his hands finding her buttocks, rubbing himself against her mons.

“No, Jack, I think it’s important,” she said, reaching for the phone.

“Is the honeymoon already over?” Jack asked, one hand sliding from her buttock to her thigh, then back up and between her legs.

“Yes,” Belinda said. “Hello? Mom!”

Nancy was barely comprehensible. “It’s Abe. There’s been an accident. He’s at Lewis Memorial. Oh, Belinda—he was hit by a car.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Belinda said, hanging up and leaping off the bed. Grabbing jeans and hopping into them.

“What is it?” Jack said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Belinda zipped the fly, grabbing a black turtleneck. “Abe was hit by a car.” She pulled it on. “I have to go to the hospital. Mom’s frantic.”

Jack was standing, pulling on white jeans. “How serious?”

“I don’t know.” She pulled on knee-highs and stuck her feet into cowboy boots. “What are you doing?”

Jack was tucking in a shirt. He looked at her. “I’m coming with you.”

She stood. “You don’t have to.”

“I know,” he said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

“I’m coming.”

131

“H
ow is he?”

“Oh, Belinda,” Nancy cried, pale and red-eyed, “he’s had a concussion and a broken leg and they won’t let me see him.”

Belinda found her mother in her arms and held her awkwardly. “What happened, Mom?”

“It was a hit-and-run.” Nancy trembled. “He’s not a young man anymore, Belinda.”

“But he’s okay,” Belinda said soothingly.

Jack approached with a cup of coffee. Nancy turned and saw him, her eyes widening in fury. “What’s he doing here!”

“Would you like a cup of coffee, Nancy?” Jack asked quietly.

“Get him out of here!”

“No, Nancy.”

Nancy whipped around at her daughter’s firm, low tone. “Belinda, how could you have married him! Don’t you understand? He’ll destroy you and your life—the way he did me and my life!”

“No I won’t, Nancy,” Jack said, putting the container down. “I happen to love your daughter. She’s the most important thing in this world to me. I almost threw it all away for revenge against your husband. But I didn’t—and she forgave me and took me back.”

“You ruined my life!” Nancy hissed. “And now, for some reason, you’re after Belinda!”

Anger darkened Jack’s face. “Untrue, Nancy. It’s time we set the record straight. You’re not the first married woman to have an affair and get caught. But don’t go blaming your megalomaniacal husband’s actions on me—not
when Abe had me worked over with brass knuckles. I almost died. When you were in the hospital, so was I. Only I was there for six months, and at first it was touch and go.”