When You Were Mine (Adams Sisters) (18 page)

              Ryan squeezed her hand.  Had she blown her cover?

              Laurence nodded with his eyes searing into hers.  “I can’t tell you how stunned I am to see you here.  One would think you followed me.”

              “The only person she was following was me,” Ryan sliced in and brought her diamonded hand to his lips.  “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

              Joey returned her gaze to Ryan as she inched closer to him.  “You know I would follow you anywhere, honey.”

              Ryan winked.  “So how’s that jaw healing up, Dr. Benson?  It looks like the swelling has gone down.”

              “You’re lucky I didn’t sue--”

              “Larry.” No one missed the warning in Carlina’s voice.  “You’re talking to
my
director.”

              An ugly war raged across Laurence’s face before he finally clamped his mouth shut, but when Ryan brushed a butterfly kiss again Joey’s nose he spat out a question.  “How long you two have been together?”

              Ryan answered again.  “Long enough for me to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

              Though she knew his words were lies, Joey’s heart still fluttered, and her face heated with embarrassment at the compliment. 

              “May I?” Carlina reached for Joey’s hand before she had a chance to refuse her inquiry.  “Ah, looks like about six carats.”  She tossed an angry glare at her fiancé.

              “You know your diamonds,” Ryan complimented.

              Their waiter appeared.  “Will you two be joining Mr. Donovan’s party?”

              “Yes,” Carlina answered, and then curved on her million-dollar smile toward Ryan and Joey.  “Dinner is on me.  I want to be the first to congratulate the happy couple.”

              “Well,” Ryan pretended to be a little put off.  “We were sort of hoping to have a
private
celebration.”

              “You’ll have plenty of time for that later,” Laurence joined in on the game and took one of the new chairs the staff added to Ryan’s table.

              Carlina cleared her throat, and Laurence bounced back up to pull out a chair for her.  “Thank you,
dear
.”

              Joey shared a bemused grin with her date and then surprised herself by leaning forward to steal a kiss.

              Ryan met her lips in an eager tenderness that caused both of them to momentarily forget about their guests.

              Laurence cleared his throat.

              Joey shied back and apologized.  “We tend to get carried away,” she offered as an excuse.

              “Apparently.”  Laurence sulked as the waiter poured everyone fresh drinks.  “I guess you pulled the wool over my eyes.”

              She frowned.  “What do you mean?”

              “Come now.” He straightened in his chair.  “I’ve never seen you like this.  The hair, the clothes--you’ve changed.”

              Joey suddenly felt like a fraud.  “I haven’t changed that much.  I’m still a woman who wants to plant roots and watch them grow.”

              “Six roots, if I remember correctly.”

              “Six?” Carlina chuckled in horror.  “Don’t you think that’s a little too...domestic?  Do you know what that many kids could do to a woman’s figure?”

              “Actually,” Ryan butted in, “I was hoping for more.  Seven--maybe eight?”

              “Eight children?” Carlina questioned.  “You?  Come now, Ryan.  You must be pulling my leg.”

              “Why is that so hard to believe?” he challenged.  “How long do you think a man can go through life, filling his house with useless things?  Things that can’t love you back or give measure to a life.  Children are a slice of immortality.  Who wouldn’t want that?”

              Tears glistened in Joey’s eyes, and she quickly lowered them before she embarrassed herself.

              “Well, I never quite thought about it that way,” Laurence admitted, his attention settling back on Joey.

              Ryan took things a step farther as he lifted Joey’s chin so that their eyes met.  “I can hardly wait to have girls with dark, mesmerizing eyes, rich flawless skin and smiles that remind me each time how lucky I am for marrying their mother.”

              “The boys,” Joey whispered, “will grow to be as strong and tall, and no matter how well we teach them, they’ll never quite have hearts as big and tender as their father.”

              A light twinkled in Ryan’s eyes, and this time it was he who leaned forward and captured another kiss.

              Emotions Joey had never experienced, let alone name, crashed through her and uprooted everything she’d ever known.  Suddenly she was confused or caught up in her own web of lies.

              Throughout dinner Ryan and Joey continued to have eyes only for each other, and more than a few times she thought Laurence’s gaze was going to burn a hole through her head.  But before dessert was served, Carlina made announcement.

              “I better visit the little girl’s room.  Jo, would you care to join me?”

             
I rather go skinny dipping in a tank full of white sharks.
  “Sure.”

              Ryan jumped from his seat and quickly helped Joey from her chair.

              “Try not to miss me,” she flirted.

              “You know I will.” He kissed her cheek and watched her walk away.

              During the walk to the ladies’ room, Joey wondered whether she was going to have to throw punches in her beautiful white gown once they reached their destination.  It’s not that she wouldn’t mind; it’s just that she really would hate to get blood all over it.

              Carlina pushed through the door and checked around before she waltzed over to the large, rectangular mirror before the sinks.

              “I have to hand it to you,” Carlina said saucily.  “You’re one smooth operator.  I’ve never seen Ryan so completely whipped--and so quickly.  What’s your secret?”

              Joey folded her arms.  “I don’t follow you.”

              “Oh, we’re going to play that game, are we?” Carlina turned toward her.  Her eyes glinted like the wicked witch of the west.  “You can’t out slick a can of oil, dear.  I know a gold digger when I see one.  And you’re the best one I’ve seen in a long time.  Eight children.  Please!”

              “I’m confused,” Joey admitted.  “You’re engaged but yet you’re acting like your jealous of me and Ryan.”

              “I’m jealous of no woman,” Carlina seethed.  “I can get any man, any time.  I took Laurence, didn’t I?  And right from under your nose.”

              “That’s one way of looking at it.”  Joey stepped toward the woman and met her gaze daringly.  “Or you can say I took Ryan right from under yours.  If you ask me, I got the better deal.”

Chapter 21

              “What a bitch!” Joey seethed as she stormed through the suite door behind her
fiancé.
  “I can’t believe Larry dumped me for her.”

              “Laurence,” Ryan corrected.

              “Bite me,” she snapped, and pulled the pins from her hair.  “Do you know she actually had the gall to call me a gold digger?”

              “Well, to be fair—our engagement is sort of out of the blue.  People may think that.”

              “Do
you
think that?”

              “Of course not.”  He drew her into her arms and smiled when her body surrendered against him.  “I told you before I think you’re perfect.”

              She shook her head and pulled away.  “You can stop that now.  We’re alone.”

              “Stop what?”

              Joey looked at him.  “Stop looking at me as though you’re making love to me.  Stop saying everything I’ve always wanted to hear.  Love. Children. Immortality.  It’s starting to turn out that the best relationship I ever had never happened.”  She glanced down and stared at her hand through a thin sheen of tears.  “Look at this ring.  A week ago I would have killed for a ring like this.  I still might.  Is it really six carats?”

              “Something like that.” Ryan smiled.  “You know, uh, Carlina suggested we go over a few things in her script...around one in the morning—about an hour from now.  Did, uh, Larry make his move?”

              Joey dropped her hands.  “He slipped me a note.”

              “And?”

              She shrugged.  “He wants me to try to get away so we can talk about...returning a few items we still have at each other’s places.”

              “He has clothes hanging in your closet?”

              Another shrug.  “A few.”

              Ryan nodded and slid his hands into his pants pockets.  “Are you going to go?”

              “It’s sort of silly not to.”  She shifted and twisted the ring on her finger.  “What about you?  Are you going to go discuss
scripts
with the dragon lady?”

              “I did promise you I would help--”

              “Yeah, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m sort of pimping you out or anything.”

              “No, I’ll happy to do it,” he protested, but felt like a dunce when her face collapsed.

              “Oh.”  Joey shuffled past him.  “Then I better go get changed.”

              “Yeah.”  He nodded.  “Me, too.”

              It was a little more difficult for Laurence and Carlina to sneak off to their separate, secret rendezvous--but it wasn’t impossible.  They returned to their suite—all smiles, fake sunshine and hidden agendas.

              Laurence decided to fake an emergency medical call from his practice.  Given the time difference, he was fairly certain Carlina would fall for it.  Other than free nips and tucks, she rarely asked questions about his practice.

              Keep your lies short, sweet, and she will never suspect a thing, he assured himself.  At least, he hoped.

              “Well, dinner was highly amusing,” Carlina broke their silence as she sat on the bed and removed her pumps.

              “Oh, how so?” He played dumb.  However, judging by the sharp edge of her stare, it wasn’t such a good idea.  “Oh, you mean Jo-Jo and Donovan?”

              “What else would I mean?” she sulked.  “Seems your ex wasted no time getting over you.”

              “What is that supposed to mean?”  His defenses snapped to attention.

              “Nothing, darling.” Her voice oozed honey, but her smile remained as tight as a patient’s first face lift.  “I just mean I was stunned.”

              So was he.  “Did either of them mention when the happy occasion would be?”

              “They really didn’t talk much, since they were too busy cramming their tongues down each other’s throat.”  She shuddered.  “It was disgusting.”

              The vision of Joey when she first floated into the restaurant with a swirl of bubbly laughter replayed in his mind.  “Yeah...disgusting.”  He turned away from Carlina.

              Laurence had always known that Joey was attractive, but more in a cutesy way.  He had no idea she could transform into such a polished gem.

              “And that nonsense about eight children,” Carlina harped, slithering out of her black dress.  “Did you buy all of that?”

              “Jo-Jo always wanted a big family.  She’s the fourth of six children.  I believe one of her sisters has five children.  It was nothing we saw eye-to-eye on, but...”

              Caution seeped into Carlina’s voice.  “But what?”

              He shrugged.  “That speech Donovan made about immortality--”

              “What about it?”’

              “I don’t know.  It has a certain ring of truth to it, don’t you think?”

              Carlina’s face collapsed while her eyes bulged with horror.

              “Plus, babies are the new fashion accessory in Hollywood,” he quickly added.

              Just as quickly Carlina’s expression turned thoughtful.  “That
is
true.”

              Laurence nodded, but there was something else that Ryan said that really had him thinking. 
“I can hardly wait to have girls with dark, mesmerizing eyes, rich flawless skin and smiles that remind me each time how lucky I am for marrying their mother.”

              If ever there was a woman who could reproduce beautiful babies, it would his Jo-Jo. 
His.
Laurence turned the word over in his mind.  How was it that another man had replaced him in her heart so fast?  Last week she was in love with him.

              Sure, Joey could be a little fickle from time to time, but her feelings for him were real--weren’t they?

              Laurence snatched off his tie and slid out his suit jacket.  Later tonight he would get his answers, and he was more than confident he could prove that Joey Adams was still in love with him.

#

              Joey selected a simple black dress with pink cardigan sweater from her new wardrobe.  A part of her wanted to dress to impress; the other part didn’t want to come off looking like she was trying to hard.  She removed all her jewelry except for the eye-popping engagement ring. 

              When she stepped out of her bedroom, she hadn’t expected to bump into Ryan, still dressed in this evening dinner suit.

              “Ah, nice choice,” he complimented, handing her a flute of champagne.  “I figured you’d need this before you raced out of here.”

              She accepted the drink with trembling hands.  “Thanks.”

              He smiled, but his eyes were hard with disappointment.  “Have you prepared what you’re going to say to him tonight?”

              “Prepared?”

              “When he starts interrogating you about us.”  Ryan walked in a circle around her.  Occasionally he brushed his body against her.  “First thing he’d want to know is if you’re truly in love with me.  Then he’d want to know
when
you fell in love with me, and then lastly--do you still love him?”