Taming Casanova (7 page)

Chapter 12

Kevin reached over and grabbed at cold sheets. 
Panic rose from his chest and he dressed quickly.  The Moretti guest room was pitch black and cold and he shivered as he slipped on his shoes.  A sliver of light came from under the bathroom door.  Taking a chance, he pushed it open.

Andi sat on the edge of the tub with her face in her hands.  Her shoulders shook and she softly cried.  Fear shot through his body as he watched her.  Had he hurt her?  Had he pushed her away?

“Andi?”  Kevin knelt in front of her.  “What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t make eye contact.  Her tears came faster and a sob left her throat.
  He felt it in his soul.  He pulled her into an embrace and held her until she quieted.  Everything about the moment was strained.  His heart echoed through his ears.  The faucet dripped one slow drip reminding him that time did not stand still for anyone. 

“Did I hurt you?  Did I hurt us?”  Kevin pulled her hands from her face.  “Please talk to me.”

She nodded her head no and bit her lip.  She was more beautiful in that moment than any woman he had ever seen.  Her tanned face was flawless, even with dried tears.  Her big, brown eyes sparkled, even when red from crying.  She blew a strand of hair from her forehead and Kevin couldn’t help but smile.  He pulled her in for a hug convinced wishing he could freeze this moment.  “You are the most beautiful woman in the entire world.”

“Kevin.”  Andi pushed against his chest.  “This can’t change anything.  Promise me.  Promise me I won’t lose you.  You’re one of my best friends.”

“I don’t want to be your friend.”  Kevin’s heart broke.

“What?”  Tears filled her eyes once more.

“Andi, I don’t want to be your friend.  I want to be more than that.  A lot more.  Baby, tell me you know that.”

She backed away from him.  “I don’t understand.”

He sighed.  This beautiful, smart woman was driving him insane.  He took her hands and stared into her eyes.  “I want us.  I want more of what we just did in there.  I want to fight with you.  Only you.”

The phrase a deer caught in the headlights had never been more appropriate.  Kevin replayed the night in his mind.  How had she not known this wasn’t a casual thing for him?  How was it possible she couldn’t feel what he felt?  For months he had imagined a night like this.  She had tiptoed into his dreams and crashed into his heart.  Every waking thought was of her.  The chemistry was undeniable.  Yet here she stood, wide eyed and tortured, staring at him like she hadn’t a clue he felt that way.

“Andi?”

“I need to think.”  She pushed past him. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”  He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh.  But as the bedroom door slammed behind her, the answer was loud and clear.

“I’m sorry about earlier.  It wasn’t your fault.”  Steve sat on the couch next to Mark staring at his hands. 

Mark cringed.  It was one night so long ago. He had been back in town for less than twelve hours when he had run into Amber at a nightclub.  Horny and stupid.  Those had been his excuses.  The next day, when he learned she was engaged to one of his closest friends, he vowed to lock the secret away and never tell a soul.  Amber had other plans and their tryst had spread like wildfire.  Somehow Steve had remained clueless.  Two years later, he sat in the hot seat regretting every second of one of the biggest mistakes of his life.  “You understand that I didn’t know you were together, don’t you?” 

Steve leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.  His hands clenched together and he sighed.  “I’
ve spent years of my life with this woman.  I had heard rumors but I didn’t believe it.  I’m not sure I even do now.”

Mark put his hand on his shoulder.  “
I want to make sure you know that we will all support you.  If you decide to stay with her and get married, we will stand by your side.  If you decide she’s not worth the heartache, we’ll help you pack.  Layla’s room is still available if you need somewhere to go.”

“We’ve got extra space too.  Whatever you need, brother.”  Ryan gave him a half smile.

Steve ran his hands through his hair.  “I don’t know what to do.  I want to hate her.  I want to pack my shit and move on.  It just doesn’t feel real.  We had some good times, man.  I’ve invested a lot in us.”  Tears pooled in his eyes as he looked back and forth between Mark and Ryan.  “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I didn’t know how.  And then I met Sophie and I didn’t want anything to ruin that.  I was selfish.  We honestly didn’t want to hurt you, man.  I thought maybe it was just a
one time thing.  I promise you that I didn’t know you were with her.”  Mark tried his best to reassure him.

“Did anyone else sleep with her?  Tell me the truth.  You owe me that much.”

Ryan’s stomach dropped.  Seeing one of his best friends in pain was almost more than he could handle.  Since his leukemia diagnosis, he had learned how precious every moment with friends was.  And hurting one of them was hard to bear.  “I know that she came on to Merck a few times.  I don’t think he thought much of it.  Probably figured that’s just how she is.  Everyone flirts with his dumb ass.  He wouldn’t know any differently.  He didn’t sleep with her.  I would bet my life on it.”

Kevin stepped into the room looking for Andi.  When he didn’t see her, he took a seat across from the men and pulled out his phone.  He would give
her a day.  That is all his heart could handle.  After that, she was his. 

“Merck?”  Steve cleared his throat.

Kevin looked up and shrugged.  “Yo.”

“I asked if you ever slept with Amber.”  Steve was to the point.  No use beating around the bush anymore.

“Your Amber?”  Kevin shook his head.  “No, man.  She’s yours.  I wouldn’t do that.”

“You just tell us what we can do for you.  We’ll do whatever.”  Ryan shook his hand.

“Anyone know where Andi went?”  Steve glared at Kevin.  “Have you seen her?”

Kevin stared back.  “Last time I saw her, she was slamming a door in my face.”

“Way to go.”  Mark laughed but Kevin didn’t even crack a smile.  “Come on Wainwright, I’ll help you find her.”

Chapter 13

Kevin paced the living room.  His bags were packed for San Francisco and his car would arrive in less than five minutes.  He would only be gone two nights for this photo shoot but something told him not to leave.  It had been a full week since he had seen Andi.  As tempted as he had been to show up at her front door or send her a million and one text messages, he had stepped back and given her the time she said she needed.  Caleb had been in the gym almost every day but he hadn’t mentioned her and Kevin refused to ask.  He had made up his mind.  When he returned from San Francisco, he was going straight to her house from the airport.  She would be his and this waiting game would be over.   No more are we or aren’t we.  No more games at all. 

His mind wandered to the first day he had seen her.  It w
as the day after Caleb’s thirtieth birthday party and after a quickie in the laundry room with two girls from Caleb’s publishing firm, Kevin had left his wallet sitting on the washing machine.  In a rush to get to work the next morning, he had forgotten all about it.  But after bumming lunch money from Ryan that afternoon, he knew he needed to make a quick stop on the way home.  When Caleb had opened the front door, Kevin’s heart had jack hammered around his rib cage.  Andi was in the kitchen, hair wild and uncombed, sweatpants on her perfect ass and no makeup.  How he had missed her the night before, he would never know.  But he had seen her then and she had made his stomach clench and his palms sweat.  She had called him just another one of Moretti’s minions and rolled her eyes.  She was sassy and sexy and she didn’t give him the time of day.  He knew in that instant that she would be different.

That crippling pain he had felt everywhere in his body was back.  It started the ni
ght she walked out of that guest room and had been a constant reminder that she was gone.  For now.  And that damn Steve Wainwright had been on the prowl before the sheets were even cold.  It had been torture ignoring the fact he was looking for her.  He had no idea why or what had transpired since that night.  He only prayed Steve had decided to give Amber her hundredth chance.  Sure, he felt like an asshole.  But as the old saying goes, All’s fair in love and war.

The car the agency had sent over pulled into his driveway.  He locked his front door and sighed.  The next time he came home, he planned on doing it with Andi by his side.

Steve’s hands shook.  Amber had been gone for three nights with no contact.  He was convinced her absence was due, in part, to his game of twenty questions the other night.  Same ole Amber.  Run when things got hard.  Lie when things get serious.  Not anymore.  He had dedicated five years of his life to her. He had sailed through their relationship with blinders on, blissfully happy with the success of both his personal and professional life.  Stupid and Naïve.  Five years. 

She admitted to bedding Mark his first night back in Los Angeles.  She admitted to a few random kisses at the night clubs.  She adamantly denied anything else.  She had called Mark her moment of weakness and had fallen to her knees with tear filled eyes begging him to forgive her. 
His heart and mind had gone to war that night. He loved her and wanted more than anything to believe that she was being truthful.  He had no proof to the contrary and talk was cheap. 

Thank God for Andrea Allen.  During their trip to Hawaii for Mark and Sophie’s wedding, Andi had kept him company during all the required couple
activities.  He had known Andi her whole life but she had just been Caleb’s little sister.  The Hawaii trip changed things.  She was just like her brother, honest to a fault and generous beyond reason.  He had been drawn to that right away.  It didn’t hurt that her Puerto Rican roots made her one of the most beautiful women on earth.  She had listened to him when he confessed the rumors he had heard about his own fiancé. She had been there when he made his sixth attempt to call her with no answer.  And she had been the voice of reason when he first shook hands with the amazingly beautiful Lily and felt like his whole body had been hit by lightening.

Lily Ann Lee.  She was a goddess
with golden hair and a southern accent.  If it hadn’t been for Andi’s voice of reason, he was sure he would have been tempted to commit the very thing he was convicting Amber of.  He had been a gentleman.  He would continue to be one.  It was simple when he knew Lily was going back to Georgia.  Now that asshole Kevin Merck had gotten her a job in the city and she was staying. The guilt wrapped around him and he pushed Lily from his thoughts.  Regardless of what was happening with Amber, she was still his fiancé and his heart was still tangled in her web.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t heard Andi approach.  “Hey Stevie.  What’s up?”  She hugged him and smiled.

“A site for sore eyes.”  Steve laughed when she smacked him.  “You ready to do this?”

“As I will ever be.”  Andi
nodded her head.  “It’s like a band aide.  Just rip it off.  If she’s here, you get some stuff and go.  If she isn’t, then you don’t have to worry about what to say.”

Steve looked at the two story house he had purchased for them a year ago.  He had been promoted to the morning show on one of the most popular radio stations in LA.  The pro
motion came with a fat pay increase and Steve had invested wisely.  His one potential error?  The house in Malibu that he bought so they could get married and start a family.  It had been a hard decision, but he was going to stay in Caleb’s guestroom for the week.  He wasn’t sure what he was trying to accomplish.  Part of him hoped Amber would miss him so much that she would come running back. 

The house was dark when they entered.  Dread immediately filled Steve’s body.  Muffled voices sounded from
upstairs and he took the steps two at a time.  He eased the door open.  His bed.  His fiancé.  His radio co-host.  His heart shattered. He swore he could hear it break and the agony he felt brought him to his knees.  Caught up in the heat of the moment, they didn’t realize he was even there.  

“Get out.”  He didn’t even recognize his own voice.

Amber jumped off Justin and covered herself with the sheet.  Her face paled and tears filled her eyes.  “Steve.”

Andi stared at the bed.  She had no idea what to do and for the first time in her life, she felt completely helpless.
  Rage coursed through her veins.  Her first instinct was to attack Amber for hurting someone she cared for but the look of dread on Steve’s face stopped her in her tracks.  She was frozen.

Amber scrambled from the bed
.  She yelled at Andi for being in the bedroom and at Justin for still being in the house.  She was frantic as she grabbed at Steve, who knelt nearly lifeless on the ground. He didn’t try to push her off.  There was no fight left in him.  Reality crashed down on him and it was a truth he was not ready to face.  Tears flooded his face as he stared wordlessly at his now empty bed.  In one second, his life had been changed forever. 

“Get out.” His voice was stronger now.  “Get out of my fucking house.  You have ten minutes to pack a bag.”

“Baby.  Please don’t do this.  I’m so sorry.”  Amber’s eyes filled with tears.  “I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what happened.  Please.”

“You’re down
to eight minutes.  Get your shit.”  Steve stood and walked out of the room. 

Amber glared at Andi.  She didn’t even try to hide her hatred.  “If you think it’s over and you can have him, think again.  I’ve been here for five years and I’m not going anywhere.  Keep your trashy hands off him.”
  She shoved her finger in Andi’s chest.

Andi laughed and
it only made her angrier.  “I am going to warn you once. Get your hands off me.”

Amber didn’t move.  Her jaw tensed and she pushed a little harder.  “Don’t threaten me.”

“Do you even realize what you threw away?  What an amazing person you had? For what?  A cheap night and a quickie orgasm? I should thank you.  Now he’s free to be with a real woman.”  Andi swatted her hand away.

Amber grabbed for her
.  “This is my house.  That is my bed.  Don’t forget that when you’re getting my sloppy seconds.”

Andi looked her right in the eyes and smiled.  “
There’s not enough time in the world to get all your seconds.”

She lunged but Andi was quicker.  Grabbing Amber’s hair, Andi pushed her to the ground.  “I warned you not to touch me.  I mean it.  Don’t be stupid.  I will not hesitate to kick your ass for the fun of it.”

Amber kicked her leg out and Andi stumbled backwards.  Taking advantage of the misstep, Amber landed a punch.  That was all it took.  Andi punched back, landing the blow right under the jaw.  Amber dropped to the floor.

“I told you not to touch me.  When you wake up, you can thank your precious Mark Moretti for teaching me that move when he came home from the marines.  Sleep tight you crazy bitch.”  Andi closed the bed
room door behind her and set out to find Steve.