The Billionaire Princess (12 page)

As the firework display approached its finale, the sounds of the cheering crowd gradually penetrated the desire engulfing his mind. He needed to stop while he still could. One didn't make out with a woman like Sara
Sherbrooke in the middle of a very public beach surrounded by onlookers. There was no way to know who was watching. So even though it took almost all his determination, Christopher pulled his mouth away and let his hands drop to her shoulders. For a moment Sara's eyes remained closed and her lips slightly apart. When she did open her eyes, he saw the total confusion and he knew the exact moment she realized where they were and what they'd been doing.

"I've been thinking a lot since yesterday," Sara said, her eyes not meeting his.

"And?" He wanted her to look at him, but still she looked off down the beach. Lifting his hands off her shoulders, he moved so they were face-to-face.

"I'd like to see where things go." She reached out and put her hand on his neck. The slight touch had his body craving more but he held back. "But I don't want to rush out and tell everyone, okay?" she added as her forehead furrowed with concern.

For once having four younger sisters was coming in handy. He'd seen his sisters confused enough about their emotions to know a lot of uncertainty and fear lurked behind Sara's decision.

"No one needs to know." His body hummed with excitement. Before he could stop himself he leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers again. Nowhere near as intense as the kiss they'd just shared, it still warmed his insides.

The crowd walked around them, exiting the beach when the fireworks ended. He let his lips linger against hers for a few seconds but then pulled away while the kiss still remained light. "Do you have to leave at the end of the week?" He knew theirs would have to be a long distance relationship, but since she was already in California maybe they could extend their time together on this visit.

Sara tilted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes a little. He could almost see her running through her calendar in her mind. "I think David will survive for a little longer without me," she said with a tiny smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

Christopher gripped her free hand in her lap. "Good, then when we're finished with the commercial why don't you stay out here for a few days?" He couldn't think of a better way to further develop their relationship.  When she didn't answer right away though, he wondered if he'd spooked her by trying to rush things.

"We can stay here in LA or go up to my place in Alicante or head down to San Diego, whatever you want," he added.  In the long run it didn't really matter where they were as long as they had the time together.

Sara's smile grew wider. "I'll let David know I'm staying for a few extra days when we finish and we can play it by ear.”

She leaned closer again and kissed him.  Although not a high intensity kiss, it managed to call up the hunger he barely had contained.  Without a second thought he lifted her up and settled her on his lap.  If people saw them and recognized them, they could deal with it tomorrow.

Sara pulled her mouth away from his, but her fingers continued to trace the skin on the back of his neck. “Why don't we go back to your apartment? Maybe you can play those original songs for me.”

Did she have more than his music collection in mind or was he misreading her?  “Are you sure?  It's late.”

Sara briefly broke eye contact.  “Perhaps I can spend the night.  On the way to the studio in the morning we can stop at my hotel so I can change.”  Pausing she dropped a kiss on his check.  “But if you're tired and not up for company tonight, I understand.”

Not up for company?  Evidently she had no clue as to how a guy's brain worked.  “I'm not even close to tired.  Do you want to grab anything to eat on the way?”

By Saturday night the commercial was complete. It had taken several attempts but Sara believed it was exactly what the senator wanted. Thanks to the talented scriptwriters and the minor adjustments she and Christopher made it truly seemed to explain the importance of the new education initiative and at the same time it managed to urge citizens, regardless of their backgrounds or political views, to contact their own senators and tell them how much they wanted it to pass without sounding as if they were begging the American public. Sara felt confident that this new education plan spearheaded by the senator would pass and solidify his run for a second term.

As she packed, Sara thought about her last few days. While this was not the first ad campaign she had recorded, it had been the most enjoyable. Not because of the work itself but because of the company involved. Every morning they had breakfast together before heading to the studio. Once they completed work for the day, they spent the rest of their free time together. Once they took a drive along the coast. Then another day they spent a few hours on the beach. Each evening they either went back to her hotel room or his apartment for the night.  While they spent their nights together, Christopher still focused his attention on learning more about her and sharing information about himself.  With him it wasn't just about the physical part of their new relationship.  While she enjoyed that aspect, she loved that he genuinely wanted to learn more about her.

And she had a few more days of that to look forward to. This afternoon they were flying up to his place in Alicante, a small town located about an hour from Sacramento. The thought of spending more time with Christopher sent nervous excitement through her body. She wanted to see where things went between them, but even her excitement couldn't wipe out the apprehension she felt. Nothing she learned so far told her she couldn't trust him. Still she continued to hold back a part of herself. She never suspected anything with Phillip either, not until the very end. If she missed the deceit of one man before, it stood to reason she might miss it again.

The best solution as she saw it was not to fall in love too quickly. With Phillip it had been the textbook whirlwind romance. If she fell in love again, she planned to take her time and really get to know the man. So far she figured she was accomplishing that goal nicely.

***

Outside the plane window, the world passed by as the jet taxied down the runway. Sara gripped the armrests and squeezed her eyes shut. In no time they'd be in the air. Planes took off amazingly quickly, though it felt like forever to her. She felt a slight push into the seat as the plane picked up speed.

"I talked to Jake, did I tell you?"

Her eyes flew open at Christopher's question, all thoughts of the takeoff gone. "Um, no." She knew the two would talk eventually, she just hadn't expected it to happen this week.

"He told me you don't have enough fun."

She felt the plane tilt as the wheels left the ground and kept her gaze averted from the window, staring straight at Christopher. "I'm not sure I like you two talking about me."

He shrugged one shoulder his face expressionless.
"Nothing for you to worry about. I told him how we slept together after his wedding and that I'm whisking you away to my private bachelor pad."

Sara's mouth dropped down toward her knees. They agreed not to tell anyone about that night. Her brain searched for the right words to express her outrage. "How could you...” Was he smiling at her? The dimple she noticed before in his cheek now teased her. "You're joking?"

"The takeoff is over."

He remembered how much she hated flying, especially the takeoffs and landings. Her heart swelled. Even her own family forgot how much she hated it. "Thank you." Her face burned with embarrassment. “I think.” She didn't like people to see her weakness.

"I did talk to him though. He suggested I make sure you have fun while you're out here."

The way he looked at her when he said fun sent a shiver down her spine and she knew the type of fun Christopher had in mind was not what her brother meant.

"He also apologized for bailing on us after the wedding.” Christopher's voice took on a more serious tone. "I don't know about you, but I'm not sorry he did."

They hadn't spoken much about that night since it happened, and Sara rather liked it that way. She didn't think she could put her feelings about that night into a single sentence.
"No, of course not." The answer flew from her mouth. "But he doesn't need to know about it." O
r about them now.
It felt wrong to keep it a secret from Jake, but at the same time she didn't want to mess up their relationship for something that may end in a few weeks.

"He thinks you're flying back to Washington after we finish the commercial." Once again he seemed able to read her mind.

“You scared me for a minute.  I don't want him to ever know what happened in Hawaii,” Sara said.  At some point in the future Jake may need to know about their relationship but he would never need to know she'd slept with Christopher after his wedding. That ranked  too high on the embarrassment scale for her comfort.

“He won't find out from me.”  Christopher leaned forward.  “I'd rather he not find out about that either.”

Relief spread through her. She should have realized that.  Her only excuse for getting so upset by his earlier statement was overworked emotions.  Flying always took a toll on her emotionally.  “Next time you try to distract me during a takeoff can you do it without giving me a heart attack, please?”

Christopher graced her with a grin.  “It worked though didn't it?”

She tried not to let her smile show, but it slipped out anyway.  “Let’s talk about something else. What should we do this weekend?”

For the remainder of the flight they discussed possible options for Sara's time in California, and not once did she think of her brother or how he might react when he learned about her new relationship.

***

Why had he asked her if she regretted the night together in Hawaii? What difference did it make now anyway? She was staying with him for the next few days.

Each day it seemed like he learned something new about her. And the more he learned, the deeper his feelings for her grew. His feelings for her weren't the only things that were deepening. So was his guilt. Bracing both his arms on the railing, he looked over the elaborate sprawling garden. It was an unusual feature considering how modern the rest of his estate was, yet when his mom toured the Hampton Court Palace gardens, she had photographed a similar one  and he had to have something like it.

Where he came from, a guy avoided dating a friend's sister. And if you did you'd better be man enough to tell the other guy. So far he'd managed to break both those rules. His lack of guts disgusted him. He never considered himself a wimp, maybe in high school he been a bit wimpy physically, but he'd never thought himself the type to shy away from difficult things. This current situation proved him wrong, and the longer he waited the worse it would be.

Maybe he should discuss it with Sara. She'd more or less agreed to keep things quiet about them for now, but she might not fully understand the complications their dating caused him. Perhaps if they discussed it, they could decide how to drop the news on Jake. The way he saw it, the sooner they told him the better.

"Wow. The garden is gorgeous," Sara said alerting him to her presence.  "My mom would be so envious."

Christopher turned and stared for half a second. The sun bathed her in light, making her loose blonde hair glow as it framed her face. For a moment he wondered if he was dreaming.

"Everything okay back in DC?" he
asked, his mind and mouth once again working together.

"I had a few fires to put out. Everything is okay now." She crossed toward the railing. "Can we take a walk down there later?"

Now seemed like as good a time as any. It would give them a chance to talk too. "How about now?" He took her hand and led her toward the stairs to the garden. They passed through the stone archway in silence. He'd watched the landscapers construct every part of the garden and he could navigate it with his eyes closed. He easily led them to the circle of benches nestled among the manicured shrubs.

Sitting on the bench he pulled her down next to him, one arm draped across her shoulders. For several minutes, they sat like that in silence.

"You're quiet this afternoon. Something wrong?" Sara asked, breaking the comfortable atmosphere.

Christopher raked his free hand through his hair. "We need to talk," he began before realizing how she might interpret his words. Beneath his arm he felt her body tense. "I know we said we would keep our relationship secret for now." This time he tried to pick his words more carefully. "We need to tell your brother. Where I come from you shouldn’t date your best friend's sister but if you do, he better know it."

Sara's shoulders moved under his arms as she took a deep breath and then exhaled. "You don't think it could wait a little longer?" He heard the uneasiness in her voice.

“No."

Turning her body, she looked at him. "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

No, he didn't
want
to tell him, but he didn't see he had any other options. It was either tell Jake or end things with her before it went any further. "No, it's got to be me, Sara."

Sara didn't argue, not that he expected her to. It was obvious she had no desire to tell Jake herself.