Again, I apologize for not being straight with you.

  Thank you for making my first love affair so very special. I will treasure the memories always.

  Del

  Every little sliver of radiance that had begun to shine in his heart dimmed and went out. She’d thought he wasn’t coming back. Because in her world, when people ended a relationship, it was over forever. They moved on.

  And now she’d moved on, too.

  God, please don’t let it be too late. Their relationship was barely beginning. It couldn’t end like this.

  He reread the note, disregarding Robert’s chilly stare. Love affair. He clung to that small phrase as if it were golden. She hadn’t called it a “sexual encounter” or even simply an affair. She’d called it a love affair.

  “No,” he said. He ripped both sheets of paper in half and let them flutter to the floor, focusing on Robert again. “She’s not leaving the business and she’s not leaving me. Where is she?”

  Robert shook his head. “Don’t ask me that.”

  “I am asking, dammit!” he roared. “I want her back.”

  “Why?” Robert was watching him closely.

  “Because…” He floundered, reluctant to expose his newly discovered feelings. This was between him and Del. “Because I do.”

  Robert shook his head. “Not good enough. You can find another reliable employee.”

  “I don’t care about the work,” he said harshly. “I want Del.”

  “Again,” Robert said, “why?”

  The hell with his stupid concerns. If he had to shout his feelings from the rooftop in order to get her back, that’s what he’d do. Sam cast Robert a furious glance. “I love her. That’s what you want to hear, right? Well, there you go. I love Del.”

  Robert’s frozen expression relaxed and he almost smiled. “It’s not me you need to convince.”

  “Then tell me where she is and I’ll tell her, too.” He didn’t care if he begged. “Please, Robert. I have to find her. I hurt her feelings and I wasn’t fair to her. I need to apologize.” He swallowed, and for the first time he truly realized that there might not be a future for him with Del. “Even if she doesn’t want to come back, I still need to apologize.”

  Robert hesitated. Finally he said, “She went to Aurelia’s hotel. They’re planning on flying out in the morning.”

  “Flying out where?”

  “Back to California.”

  Shock rippled through him; he had trouble taking a deep breath. “She doesn’t belong on the West Coast. And she hated living with her mother. Why would she go back?” Panic was making it hard to get the words out.

  The older man shrugged. “What is there to keep her here?”

  Sam winced.

  “Apparently she and her mother had an honest talk. Aurelia’s a forceful personality: I don’t think she realized just how she intimidated Del as a young child. This was the first time she ever really understood just how much Del hated having men thrown in her path all the time. Aurelia wanted Del to be happier than she’s been. It might sound misguided to you and me, but she honestly thought she could help Del meet the right man.”

  “And instead it pushed her away. Clear to the other side of the country.” He felt even worse. It had taken Del years to come out of her shell and take a chance on him. He looked at Robert. “What hotel?”

  Thirty-five minutes later he was at the exclusive hotel in the heart of the capitol where Aurelia had commandeered the most luxurious suite they had to offer.

  Robert had given him directions to the hotel as well as the suite number, and he strode to the elevators and rode up to her floor without incident. His heart was pounding as if he’d run the miles from Fairfax.

  He’d considered calling to let her know he was coming, but he was afraid she’d leave again. When he knocked on the door, he stayed well out of range of the small peephole through which she might look.

  “Who is it? Aurelia isn’t here at the moment.”

  He supposed he was glad she was cautious, and smart enough not to simply open the door to anyone, but now the moment of truth had arrived. What if she refused to talk to him?

  He cleared his throat. “It’s Sam,” he said. “I’d, ah, I’d like to talk to you, Del. Please,” he added belatedly.

  Silence. Not a single sound issued from her side of the door.

  “Del?”

  “Go away.” Her voice was tight. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “Then you don’t have to talk.” He attempted to keep his voice low and reasonable.

  No answer.

  “I’ll talk. All you have to do is listen.”

  Again, silence.

  “Let me in,” he said forcefully, “or I’ll stand out here and yell until you do.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when the locks clicked and the door swung inward. “Be quiet!” she hissed. “There are probably journalists camped in every room around here waiting to report something about my mother.”

  “If you’d let me in when I asked nicely, I wouldn’t have had to shout,” he pointed out as he moved forward.

  Del skittered backward and he caught the door with the flat of his hand before it could hit him. Gently closing it behind him, he followed her down a wide hallway toward a sitting room.

  She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt but they weren’t the baggy kind she wore at work. These were clothes she’d bought in the weeks since their first night together, clothes that showcased her slim figure, the jeans hugging the curve of her bottom. Her hair was down, gently swaying as she moved, and he closed his eyes briefly, undone by the mere thought of never having the right to run his hands through those marvelous, silky tresses again.

  He forced himself to concentrate on his surroundings when he realized his hands were actually shaking. On the right were bedrooms, on the left, a dining room and a powder room. Holy cow, this was an entire apartment. All it appeared to lack was a kitchen and he wouldn’t be surprised if there was one of those, as well.

  For one swift, surprising moment, the differences between his own barely middle-class ranch upbringing and her far more luxurious one loomed large between them and he almost faltered. It shocked him a little. He’d never thought himself particularly class-conscious, but Aurelia Parker’s wealth was pretty damn intimidating.

  Then he remembered that Del had left all this behind. She lived in a modest apartment—by these standards, anyway—worked at an average job and did her own errands and chores. She lived like him. No one ever would have guessed at her silver-spoon beginnings. She didn’t want, didn’t need wealth to make her happy. He hoped to God he was right in thinking he knew what would.

  Del had taken a seat in an armchair near an enormous black-marble fireplace. He took another and pulled it forward so that he was sitting mere inches from her. She didn’t actually move away, but her averted eyes and the way she seemed to curl herself into the smallest shrinking ball imaginable spoke loudly enough.

  He didn’t know how to begin, so he said the simplest thing. “I’m sorry.”

  Her forehead wrinkled and for the first time since she’d met him at the door, she met his gaze squarely. “You’re sorry? But I lied—”

  “I lied, too. By omission if not literally.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t think about how you felt. I didn’t understand.”

  Del linked her fingers together. She looked away again and he saw her chin quiver before she pressed her lips into a tight line.

  “Will you tell me about it?” he asked quietly. “Your childhood?”

  Again, she didn’t speak, and he realized she was trying not to cry.

  Pain cleaved a hot wound through his heart. He’d caused this.

  “From the things you said about your mother,” he prompted, “I thought she might be a hooker.”

  He got a reaction: The Eyebrow quirked in response. “A hooker?” She almost smiled, but it faded fast. “No. She was just a lot more preoccupied with her career and her image and her love life than she was with her child. You know she’s been married four times, right?”

  He shook his head. He wasn’t much for keeping track of celebrities’ lives. He had enough trouble with his own. “Wow.”

  “And there were a lot of wannabe Mr. Parkers in between them. My father, Pietro Caminito, was her first husband. After he was killed, she married and divorced three more times.” She went on without waiting for his response. “She wasn’t a bad mother, not abusive or anything like that.”

  He remembered what she’d said about the parties. “What about the man who almost attacked you?”

  She shrugged. “Mom was having a cast party after one of her films wrapped. Everyone was supposed to be outside, but this guy was wandering around inside the house. I had come out of my room to see if I could watch the party from the upstairs gallery windows.” She took a deep breath. “I was looking out the window when he grabbed me from behind.”

  Sam couldn’t prevent the deep, primitive sound that rose from his throat as he thought of a young Del, defenseless against an adult male.

  “Robert stopped him,” she said quickly. “He was my stepfather at the time. I think it’s the first and only time I’ve ever seen him really, really furious. He knocked him down and called the cops. My mother had the guy arrested and she swore he’d never work in the film industry again. And she never had another house party without hiring bodyguards to keep people in the party areas.”

  Sam snorted. “But she didn’t stop having parties.”

  Del smiled faintly. “No. Are you kidding?”

  There was a short silence between them.

  “You changed your last name,” he said abruptly. “Why Smith?”

  “It was my grandmother Parker’s maiden name, except she had an e on the end,” she said. “I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently because of who my mother was so I had it changed legally.” She shook her head. “Mom thought I couldn’t possibly be happy without a husband. You can’t imagine how many potential spouses she tried to tempt me with.” She made a doubtful face. “Like I was supposed to want to get married after watching her all my life.”

  He supposed, between watching her mother bounce from husband to husband and growing up in the false environment of Hollywood, that Del had good reason not to believe in marriage.

  “It’s not that I don’t love her,” Del said. “She’s not a witch. She just didn’t get it for a long time. That’s…that’s why I made up a husband.” Her brown eyes were wide and earnest. “Sam, I never would have involved you on purpose. I had no idea she was coming to town. If I had known about the San Diego shooting…”

  “We both had our secrets,” he said, “and good reasons for keeping them.”

  She nodded, but her gaze had slid away again and her face was a lovely, remote oval. Her shoulders moved slightly in a helpless gesture. “At any rate, I’m sorry, as well.” She seemed to think the subject was closed.

  “So you’ll come back?”

  Her eyes flew to his, and he thought there was a flicker of hope amid the pain and sadness there. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, because she shook her head. “No.”

  Well, okay, Sam, stop dancing. She’s gone for sure if you don’t say something. At least this way you’ll know you tried. He took a deep breath. “You don’t have to come back to work if you don’t want to, but I want you to stay.”

  She started to shake her head but he leaned over and put his hand over hers, and she froze.

  “Marry me,” he said. “I need you. I’ve needed you for years and I was too dumb to figure it out. Since the night of your birthday, my life has been perfect. Well, almost. If you marry me for real, it really will be perfect.”

  Del’s eyes were huge, riveted to his now.

  “Say something,” he blurted. “If you can’t stand the thought of marriage, we can just live together.”

  He read the refusal in her eyes before she spoke. “I can’t, Sam.” She rushed ahead when he tried to break in. “I appreciate the offer, but I couldn’t do that to you. Do you know how your life would change if people found out…?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said urgently. “If I’m married I won’t be exciting anymore. Besides, being a hero is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Del shook her head, smiling pityingly. “Maybe not, but together, the hero of San Diego and Aurelia Parker’s daughter would generate some headlines. Don’t kid yourself about that.”

  “It won’t last long. We’ll let your mother take us out to dinner and get it over with. We’ll be old news the second the next Hollywood starlet gets engaged.”

  But she didn’t smile, didn’t say anything. Her expression was both sad and skeptical.

  Desperation rose. She was so close, and yet she might as well have been on the moon. “Del, I want the world to know we’re married. We can live in a glass bubble as long as we’re together.” And then he realized what he’d forgotten. “I love you.”

  She actually pulled away from him. “You don’t have to say that.” The tears were back, trembling on the brink of her lower lashes.

  “I’m not just saying it.” He leaned forward, took her hands again, noticing with distant disinterest that his own were still shaking. “I love you, Del. If you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me back, I’ll walk out of here now.” He took a deep breath, tried to smile although it felt crooked and pathetic. “It might kill me but I promise I’ll leave you alone.”

  One single tear spilled over and trickled down her cheek. “Oh, Sam, are you sure?” she whispered.

  That surprised a laugh out of him. “Sure it would kill me? Yeah,” he said. “I’m sure. I’ve seen the way Walker and Karen still eye each other when they think the other isn’t looking. I don’t want to mope around like that for the rest of my life, wishing I hadn’t ruined my chance at a life with you. I want my ring on your finger. I want a house, a dog, even some kids if you think you could deal with that.”

  “Children…”

  “But I’m flex on that,” he said hastily. “I want you. I love you,” he added again, “and that’s all that matters to me.”

  She took a deep breath and suddenly launched herself forward into his lap. “I love you, too,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck in a stranglehold. “Oh, Sam, I love you, too.”

  Relief rushed through him, so strong he would have dropped to his knees if he’d been standing. He pulled her close, burying his nose in her hair, running his hands up and down her slender back. “I thought I’d lost you,” he confessed, knowing his voice was shaky and not caring.

  “I thought you didn’t want to be with me anymore after you found out who my mother was and how it might affect your life.” She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled back to smile at him. “I’m so glad I was wrong.”

  “Is that a yes?” He still wasn’t sure enough of her to assume anything.

  “Yes.” Perched on his lap, she gazed into his eyes. “To marriage, to kids, to all of it.”

  “Thank God.” He almost sagged with relief.

  “I could never imagine being married except to you. I dreamed of it for so long and told myself it would never happen, I guess I was afraid to let myself hope.”

  “Now you don’t have to hope anymore.”

  She smiled, nodded, dashed away a tear. “I promise we’ll do our best to stay out of the spotlight.”

  He shrugged. “We’ll deal with it. And it won’t last. We’re not exciting enough.”

  She tilted her face up to his. “You’re plenty exciting enough for me,” she told him, her voice going low and husky as she pressed herself against him.

  Sam lifted her into his arms and started back down the hallway. “Is one of these bedrooms free? You haven’t seen exciting yet, babe.”

  Del laughed, pointing to a doorway. “That one.” She put her hand against his face, the look in her eyes so loving and tender that he actually felt his heart stutter. “I love you, Sam. Why don’t you show me how exciting we can be together?”

  Epilogue

  The flight to Las Vegas with Del’s mother hadn’t gone as badly as he’d feared. Aurelia Parker Caminito Haller Lyon Bahnsen could carry a conversation with minimal help from another person just fine.

  She had told them all about the movie she’d just made, and the recent parties she’d attended. She’d talked about who was rumored to be doing illegal substances and who was currently in rehab. She’d talked about Del’s father, the Italian race-car driver who’d died in a frightful, fiery accident on a track in Europe in front of thousands of horrified onlookers, and about husbands two and four. Husband Number Three, Robert, sat across the cabin from them with a laptop open in front of him, oblivious to his former wife’s chatter. He’d called his wife, Evvie, before they’d left and she was catching a flight, planning to meet them at their hotel before the service.

  A Vegas wedding had been Del’s mother’s idea, largely because the lack of preplanning wouldn’t alert the media. That held some appeal. But it had appealed to Sam because he didn’t want to wait one day longer than necessary to marry Del.

  He couldn’t imagine his life without her now. Not waking with her in his arms in the morning, not watching TV at night with her nestled in his lap, not bumping into each other in her small kitchen as they made a meal. Not ever feeling her smooth, silky skin again, never parting her legs and finding her warm and ready for him, never sinking into her so deeply he felt as if they were one.

  Thanks to the vows they’d just exchanged, he never would.

  Holding Del’s newly ringed hand in the small, amazingly tasteful chapel Aurelia had found, he glanced down at his bride yet again, feeling the familiar shock of love, attraction and tenderness welling up within him.

  She was radiant in a simple white-satin gown that caressed her curvy body and swept to the floor to trail behind her. A circlet of pearls and shining beads crowned her loose, flowing hair and a sheer white veil floated down from it to kiss the hem of the gown. Her mother had worn the ensemble when she married Del’s father—the only white gown she’d ever worn, she pointed out—and when they’d announced their plans and the idea of the Vegas wedding had taken shape, Aurelia had had the dress overnighted to the hotel. It was there when they arrived, along with a seamstress who did some minor alterations so that it fit Del like a second skin. He still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the advantages that truly amazing amounts of money could provide. Thank God, Del didn’t seem to care about it.