Love Elimination (32 page)

Authors: Sarah Gates

‘Thanks.’

He suddenly stepped forward and took her chin between his fingers, tilting her head to meet his gaze. ‘Anna, I love you and I want you in my life. The show is over. The cameras are gone. And I still love you. Please, give me a chance.’

‘Long distance?’ she asked. It was never something Anna thought she’d try. She had always thought people with long-distance relationships were kidding themselves. It couldn’t work forever. But now she knew what it was like to let Luke go. The pain was enormous. Insufferable. She wouldn’t be able to come back from it a second time.

‘No. I was thinking maybe I could move here.’ He caressed her cheek. ‘I want to see your face every single day.’

Anna blinked, sure she’d misunderstood. ‘What are you going to do in Sydney?’

‘I’m not sure. I was thinking I might do a degree in business?’

‘No more snowboarding?’ Anna’s mind spun, producing fantasies of what it could be like for them. Dating like normal people. Seeing each other after a hard day. Moving in together. Waking up with Luke’s arm around her waist, with his naked skin against hers, his lips against her neck.

‘Only on holidays—and I’m sure there will be plenty of those. But no. I’m starting fresh.’

‘But you love snowboarding.’ She wanted to accept it, but she couldn’t imagine Luke working behind a desk. Not happily. She didn’t want to be the one to destroy everything he’d worked for and all that had defined him for so many years.

‘Yeah, I do. But I’m too old and too injured. It’s time to find my second career.’ The hand that had been caressing her cheek moved down to her neck, then her arm. ‘It was always going to happen and I’m ready.’

Her heart felt like it might burst out of her chest. She gripped his waist to hold herself steady. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes. You know, by the end of filming, I barely even missed it. I got used to summer and not snowboarding every day. Besides, coaching was never really what I wanted to do—competing was, and I haven’t done that in years.’

‘So you’re going to study business instead?’

‘And date you, away from the cameras. If that’s okay with you?’

Anna grinned, flinging her arms around him. ‘It is. It most certainly is,’ she said, completely forgetting about checking on the kitchen, the party outside the storeroom and everything else as she crashed her lips into his. She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her fingers along his abs. Her breath came in short spurts as he kissed her over and over again. The only time she broke away was to whisper, ‘I love you,’ in his ear with no one listening except him.

EPILOGUE

Three years later

The hotel launch party was just as big as any Luke had attended. Guests were escorted through the luxurious lobby and up the state-of-the-art elevators to reach the top floor. They’d called it The Rooftop and it was just that: the top level of the hotel, enclosed by glass and kept warm by invisible, but powerful, heaters. The hotel sat in the hub of Perisher, Luke’s favourite Australian snow destination.

Luke scanned the crowd. Every few moments someone would stop and offer their congratulations, and Luke would give his thanks and move quickly away. Speeches were about to begin. Where was she? His chest constricted as the minutes ticked on.

Finally he saw her, hidden in a corner near the stage and conversing with his father and Becca.

‘There you are!’ he called, joining their huddle.

His father glanced at his watch. ‘What are you doing talking to us? Get up there.’

Luke grinned, but otherwise ignored his father. Instead he grabbed Anna by the waist and kissed her on the lips. ‘For luck,’ he said, resting his mouth close to her ear. A shiver ran through her and Luke had to force himself to step back, rather than hoist her over his shoulder and carry her caveman-style back to their suite on the level below.

‘You have lipstick on your face.’ Anna laughed, wiping the smudge off his face.

Luke couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked tonight. The long red dress plunged to her navel. Her hair was swept up on top of her head, leaving her neck exposed. He had to tear himself away. He gave her hand one last squeeze, mounted the platform and grabbed the microphone.

The crowd took a full minute to quieten. Luke’s heart swelled with pride—already he’d had several corporate groups requesting more information on the hotel’s packages and facilities.

‘Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to The Westwood.’ He paused as a cheer erupted. Anna’s voice rose above the crowd and Luke grinned, looking for her face.

‘I’ll keep it short and sweet tonight,’ he announced. ‘Thank you all for coming and thank you to all those who played a part in its creation.’ He retrieved a list from his pocket and read, then listed the names of the VIP guests and thanked them individually. It was a custom he’d always hated, but he was taking no risks of offending anyone tonight.

‘Most of all, I’d like to thank Anna Hobbs for her constant inspiration and support—and also for the most delicious dessert café in the world. You will find Desserts For My Love, the second in the Desserts For franchise after the success of Desserts For My Father in Sydney, on the ground level.’

He met Anna’s eyes and let himself be caught up in them. That blush in her cheeks made him want to reach out for her once again. He gave the rest of the speech, raised his glass for a toast and climbed down from the podium. With the official part of the evening complete, Luke could finally grab a drink and join Anna for the part he’d been planning for a year. If only he could get past the constant attention. Every third person grabbed his arm to give their compliments or ask a question.

By the time he made it back to the corner, Anna was gone and Becca was whispering in his father’s ear. Luke pulled a face of disgust, making sure he was in his father’s eye line when he did so. He’d actually grown to adore his father’s fiancée, but mocking them both was too much fun to give up. Becca would always be the child bride of the family.

Luke steered away and went looking for Anna once again.

An arm grabbed him as he heard his name called out. It was Anna’s idol, Donat Monque, that had stopped him. ‘Tell your wonderful girlfriend that her food is impeccable tonight.’

Luke grinned. ‘I’ll tell her you said so.’

He kept moving through the crowd. It didn’t take long to find her. Despite strict instructions to leave the carefully selected kitchen staff alone, he found her rearranging webs of sugar over caramel and banana domes.

‘I thought you were banned from the kitchen.’

She jumped at the sound of his voice, spinning like she’d been caught committing a crime. Luke’s chest seized as the dress twisted around her body. She was always going to take his breath away.

‘I couldn’t resist,’ she said. ‘Besides, I saw you sneaking away with that sheikh for a private tour of the conference room.’

‘He practically owns a country.’

‘
And
you were rearranging the flowers before the guests got here,’ Anna teased. So what if he might’ve fixed one stray petal? Anna couldn’t resist fiddling with every single dessert before it was plated. If she hadn’t touched it, it wasn’t perfect.

‘I’ve been thinking about the name of the café …’ he started, letting his voice trail off. He grinned at Anna’s response, the furrowing of her brow. ‘It’s too vague. It could mean anyone that you love.’

‘So you’re suggesting we change it to Desserts For Luke? We’re all over the media. I think people know we’re together.’ She gave him a cheeky smile and moved towards him, running her fingers along his arm. She didn’t see what was coming. Although they’d spent the past few years together, learning each other’s expressions, they were still constantly surprising each other.

‘Not everyone follows reality television “news”. In fact, these days it’s considered good taste not to know the name or fate of the past reality cast members,’ he said, drawing out the fun.

‘Please tell me you’re kidding. That you don’t actually want to change it.’

‘I’m not joking.’ Luke kept his tone ambiguous, stringing her along that little bit further. ‘I even have an idea for the new name. I was thinking, Desserts For My Husband.’ Then he pulled the ring out of his pocket and bent down on one knee.

‘Anna, will you be my wife?’

Her beautiful blue eyes widened. For a moment she just opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish. Luke’s hands shook as they held the ring up to her.

When she spoke, it was so unexpected, the grin on Luke’s face widened even further.

‘You know, sometimes I wonder how this handsome, successful, charming man ever became a suitor on a reality television show. But deep down, you’re completely cheesy. You live for the over-the-top romantic gestures, don’t you?’

‘And you fell in love with the guy from the reality television show, just like all the other contestants,’ he countered. ‘But any one of them would be squealing and smiling and crying right now.’

Anna looked up from the ring. Her eyes were damp, her lips turned up, creating dimples in her cheeks.

‘There you go,’ Luke said softly, not wanting to break the vulnerability and emotion on her face. ‘You got two out of three. Now, will you marry me?’

She was perfect. Everything he’d ever wanted but had never known he needed. His life with her was more than snowboarding had ever meant to him. All that was missing was the ring on her finger and adorable carbon copies of the woman he loved. He couldn’t wait to see her swollen with his child.

‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’

He swept her into his arms and her body moulded itself around him. He kissed every inch of her face, then moved his kisses to her neck as she whispered her answer over and over again.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to all the wonderful people who helped this book become a reality. I hear writing can be a lonely business, but I was constantly surrounded with encouraging words, beta readers and firm reprimands when I procrastinated. Firstly, a massive thank you to Victoria Purman whose mentorship taught me to always ask ‘what if?’ and kept the words ‘emotion, emotion, EMOTION’ running through my head. Her generous feedback made me a better writer in every way and her company made writing this book more fun than I could have imagined. If you haven’t, you should totally read her books—they’re amazing! Special thanks to Preesan, who brings the romance to my life and was by my side every step of the way. Thanks also to my family. To my mum who sat me down and told me I was being stupid to give up the things I loved—writing and theatre—after Year 12. She’s the reason I enrolled in an arts degree and found my way into writing and the romance community, where I’ve found so much happiness. To my dad who asked me how many chapters I’d written every time I saw him, and who helped me shape Luke Westwood’s snowboarding career.

Without the support of Carclew and SA Writers Centre, this book wouldn’t have come into being. Thank you Carclew for the resources to dedicate 2015 to writing
Love Elimination
. A big shout out to SA Writers Centre where I found my home. To Vanessa Jones, who first invited me to volunteer at the Centre; to Sarah Tooth, who always gives such great advice; and to all the presenters from whom I learned how to write. Thanks also to South Australian Romance Authors and Romance Writers of Australia, who make up the romance writing community that I love so much. Finally, thank you to the wonderful team at Harlequin—particularly those I had a chance to e-meet: Sue Brockhoff for taking a chance on a new writer, Rachael Donovan, Annabel Blay, Laurie Ormond, Julia Knapman and my fantastic editor, Kylie Mason. You have made publishing this first book an absolute dream come true.

ABOUT SARAH GATES

Sarah Gates is an Adelaide-based writer. She wrote her first book at sixteen—a tragic love story inspired by Nicolas Sparks. Now in her twenties, Sarah has turned to writing contemporary romance novels full of glamour, handsome men and happy endings.
Love Elimination
is her first published novel. Sarah is an undergraduate student of Law and Arts (with a major in Creative Writing) at Flinders University. When people ask if she wants to be a lawyer, she laughs. She’s perfectly happy writing and working in media and marketing. Sarah travels around Australia to teach workshops and attend writing festivals. Sarah spends her time watching theatre, dancing and binging on reality television.