Chapter Ten
This was such a mistake! April watched as Lachlan walked away. Her heart clenched. She was afraid if she relented, even a little bit, she’d lose all control and then walking away tomorrow would be so much harder. She had to keep her distance, things could never work out between them. She knew now it had been a mistake to come here tonight and not because of the photographers.
When she’d packed her bags this afternoon, she’d been ready to walk out of Lachlan’s life for good, to leave without saying goodbye and to end this before her heart could break any more than it already had. Why did David have to come and see her? Why had she listened to him? She knew the moment she saw Lachlan coming off the elevator that it was too late. No matter how much she wanted to enjoy this evening, her heart kept cracking into little tiny pieces at the thought that tomorrow it would all be over. Because it would be over. She would go home to Peters Junction, he would go home to Melbourne. It would end. It had to end.
While these thoughts circled her mind, she failed to notice Samantha and her posse walking up. “Well, well. It seems your new boyfriend has abandoned you already.” April felt the hair on the back of her neck rising at the spiteful tone in Samantha’s voice. Turning to face her, she couldn’t help but compare herself to the woman Lachlan had once been so enamoured with. Samantha didn’t quite match her in height—even if she was wearing six-inch stilettos—but she more than made up for it in beauty. But even that, now that April saw her up close, was a façade. There was so much makeup on her face that she couldn’t tell what was natural and what came from a bottle. Somehow, it made her feel better, more confident. From afar this woman seemed perfect, but up close—with one hand wrapped around a Champagne and strawberry cocktail and the other hand gripping her hip as if she was trying to hold it in place—Samantha was a woman who wasn’t worth her envy. Far from it, in fact.
“Hello Samantha.” She kept her own tone polite.
“Oh, please.” Samantha rolled her eyes, and her entourage snickered behind her. “You know he’s only brought you here to try and make me jealous.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Why do you think he’s travelled solo for two years? He’s still not over me. You’re just some random he’s picked up in a bid to make me jealous.” Again, snickers erupted, and April wondered if they were paid to laugh at anything Samantha said.
“And yet,” April drew herself up to her full height, so she was towering over the bitch. “I’ll be spending the night on his arm while you’re here all alone.”
“Are you blind?” She gestured to those around her. “I’m never alone.”
April snorted before she could stop herself and then bit her tongue. If Samantha couldn’t tell the difference between friends and followers, then who was she to point it out? “Look,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to fight with you, not here, not anywhere.” April turned to walk away but Samantha grabbed her arm and pulled her back, her face only inches away from April’s.
“Who do you think you are? You can’t walk away from me.” Her shriek had heads turning from all directions. The stench of stale alcohol wafted off Samantha’s breath, and April struggled not to gag, leaning as far away as she could while shaking off the woman’s hold on her arm.
Lachlan chose that moment to return, rapidly pushing aside the crowd to stand beside her, his arm wrapping protectively around her waist.
“Leave her alone, Samantha,” he growled.
“Hey, I’m just telling her how it is.” Samantha reached out and put her hand to his chest, but he quickly brushed it away. As he opened his mouth to speak, April put her hand on his arm to stop him.
“You know what Samantha?” April glared at her. “Up until this conversation, I was actually a fan of yours. Now, I see you’re a sad, lonely woman and I just feel sorry for you.”
The hand holding Samantha’s Champagne cocktail shot forward, releasing its contents in a shimmering arch that collided with her face. April felt the cold, bubbly liquid glide down her cheeks and fall onto her chest, seeping into her dress. For a moment, she was too stunned to respond, and by the look on his face, so was Lachlan. She kept her grip on his arm firm, willing him to hold his ground. A piece of strawberry had lodged in her cleavage and she reached up slowly to extract it. Very deliberately she took her time, gathering her courage.
“It would appear we now actually have something in common.” She paused and the smirk slowly ebbed off Samantha’s face as she tried to work out what April meant. “Apart from Lachlan, I mean.” Again April paused, struggling to keep her voice calm and maintain control of her anger. “Now we both reek of alcohol! At least my smell will vanish with a simple change of clothes. You, unfortunately, will need the rest of the weekend to sleep off those fumes.”
Stunned silence greeted her words and Samantha’s mouth dropped open. She snapped it shut again, then opened it to say something. But words seemed to have failed her because she snapped it shut for the second time, giving April the image of a fish out of water. She grinned at the thought.
“Come on Lachlan, I would like to go now. We’ll have way more fun on our own anyway.” She plopped the strawberry into his gaping mouth, causing a broad grin to crease his face, then turned and dragged him out of the room.
April didn’t slow down until they had left the building by the same entrance they’d gone in through. She walked straight to where their limo waited and only when she saw Edward hurrying over to them from where he had been talking to another driver, did she allow Lachlan to stop her.
“April, you were amazing.”
“She threw her drink all over me!” April snapped, wiping the grin off his face. “I have never felt so humiliated in all my life!”
“But you handled her so well, you were so classy.”
“Classy? I was fuming and I don’t appreciate being put in that position.” She snatched her hand out of his grip and turned toward Edward, who prudently waited off to the side to be acknowledged. “I’m sorry Edward, but I have alcohol all over me and I really don’t want to get it all into your seats. Do you have a blanket or something I could wrap around me?”
Edward paused for a moment, a look of surprise on his face. “Uh, it’s no problem ma’am, I keep a lap blanket in the boot for when it gets chilly.” He quickly hurried off to retrieve the blanket, then opened the door for her but before she could get in, he brushed her shoulder. “Thank you ma’am. Usually people don’t care about ruining my interior.”
Once they’d settled in and were on their way back to the hotel, Lachlan turned to face her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she’d be like that.”
April sighed her frustration. “Lachlan you’re not responsible for her behaviour, so stop apologising for it.”
“Then why are you angry with me?” April felt herself thaw slightly.
“I’m not angry with you.” He raised his eyebrows and she hurried to explain herself. “I’m not, not really. I just didn’t like having to defend our relationship when I’m not even sure what this is.”
She couldn’t look at him. Instead she focused on her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, her fingers twisting over each other. He reached out and covered both her hands with one of his own and then slowly extracted one and drew it towards him, with his other hand he brushed his fingers across her cheek and gently guided her chin up until she faced him. He waited for her to summon her courage and meet his eyes.
“I don’t want to say goodbye just yet.” His voice was rough as his eyes bored into her until she felt the cracks in her heart widen. “I don’t want this to be over.”
As he leaned in towards her, April felt her chest constrict. She wished she could accept his words, she wished things didn’t have to be over between them. But despite all of that, she still couldn’t see how things could work out between them. Their lives were so far apart and as long as he had cameras and reporters following him everywhere he went, her secret would be at
risk. Marie would be at risk.
When his lips brushed gently against hers, his hand slowly kneading her cheek, it was all she could do not to cry. And then she wanted more. Much, much more. She deepened the kiss, demanding he give it to her. She ran her hands up his chest, gripping the jacket of his dinner suit, pulling him closer. He came willingly, wrapping his arms about her back, drawing her into his embrace.
When they finally broke apart for air, it dawned on April that the car had stopped. Looking around, they were already in front of the hotel and Edward was beside their door, stoically standing guard to prevent the bellboys from assisting them inside.
“Maybe we should continue this inside,” Lachlan declared huskily. He tapped gently on the window and Edward immediately opened the door. Once he’d helped April out, she unwrapped the lap blanket from around her back and handed it to Edward.
“Thank you, Edward. You’ve been very kind.”
“It has been my pleasure, ma’am.” His smile was warm as he tucked the blanket under his arm. Lachlan placed his hand on the small of her back, the shockwaves he generated reignited her blood and she quickened her steps to get inside.
They managed to restrain themselves until they reached April’s room, but as soon as the door shut, she launched herself into his embrace, her lips finding him and clinging on.
“I’m going to miss you,” he rasped out as she trailed kisses down his neck to the small hollow in his throat.
“Shh,” she breathed against his skin. “Let’s just enjoy this now.”
Her mouth found his again and his hands roamed up her back, pulling her hard against him until she could feel every inch of him. He slipped her dress off her shoulders and she sent a silent thanks to David for making the garment so easy to get into and out of. Already stained with Samantha’s drink, she didn’t want to ruin it any more.
Her dress fell from her hips and she stood there in only her bra and panties. Lachlan pushed her away from him and gazed down at her, drinking in his fill.
“God, you’re beautiful.” His deep throaty rasp sent shivers running up her spine, giving her the confidence to slowly turn on the spot, allowing him to take it all in. When she finally returned to face him, the desire in his eyes rippled across her skin, hardening her nipples. She craved his touch and he must have had the same idea because in a heartbeat, he reached out and pulled her close, lifting her off the floor and wrapping her legs around him.
She took his face in her hands while she kissed him, inhaling his clean, natural, full-bodied scent. It reminded her of freshly turned soil or wet grass after it has rained. She wanted to memorise this, and everything else about him, so she’d have something to hold onto on the long, lonely nights ahead.
He walked her to the bed before gently lowering her down and lying beside her. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
Now was the time to stop it. He was offering her that opportunity, and she knew she should take it. But for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why and if this was the last night she would ever get to spend with him, then it would have to be enough.
“Yes,” she said hoarsely as she drew him down to her again, her lips seeking him with renewed urgency.
After another thoroughly arousing battle between their lips and tongues, Lachlan pulled away to quickly strip off his clothes. His eyes remained fixated on her, holding her gaze as if he was afraid she’d disappear if he blinked. By the time he lay down on the bed beside her and drew her into his arms, she was ready for all the promises his eyes had made. Rubbing his fingers along her spine, he unclipped her bra and then slowly ran his hands down the length of her body, catching her underwear on the way down and guiding them off over her feet. Still, his eyes pinned her in place, holding her steady.
Her heart beat wildly in anticipation and her breaths came in short rapid pants. She couldn’t stand waiting anymore. She tried to reach down to him, to draw him back up so she could kiss him, but he placed a hand on her stomach and pressed her back gently into the bed. Then slowly, he moved his lips across her ankle, her calf, her knee, placing light kisses in a sensuous path along the inside of her leg until finally his tongue was inside her and she gasped at the exquisite pleasure erupting within her. His hand joined his mouth, caressing her, teasing her. All thought left her mind as a rush of sensation focused between her legs like a tidal wave of pleasure bearing down on her, until it finally crashed against his mouth and she lost all sense of herself.
For a long, exquisite moment, her mind floated in sensuous bliss. When reality once again emerged from the fog, he was sliding up her body, lying on top of her and resting his elbows beside her head to take his weight. Again his eyes caught hold of hers and she couldn’t look away. Lifting her head, she pressed her mouth to his, threading her fingers into his hair while she wound her legs around him, slowly drawing him into her. She sighed at the feel of him, his slow entrance massaging the ache of her arousal. A deep groan rumbled through his chest, giving voice to the release he’d just given her.
Slowly, he filled her then carefully withdrew only to fill her again and again. He took his time as if savouring the movement, savouring the feeling of being inside her. His eyes were flecked with a midnight hue so that his pupils looked as if they bled into the shining sapphire brightness that rimmed them. No longer able to look at him, she pressed her eyes tightly together and buried her face in his neck. She didn’t want to think about this being her last time with him.
When his movements changed and his pace quickened, April allowed herself to be carried away by the sensations he evoked. She was matching his movements thrust for thrust, climbing higher as the tidal wave of pleasure he generated reformed within her. And then she was cresting the top and cascading over the other side, bringing Lachlan crashing down with her. He collapsed and lay spent beside her in a lustful stupor.