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  Winded by exertion, Neal smiled at Xalan, taking a few deep breaths. “There. Happy now?”

  Xalan snarled at him, and then he slammed a rock fist square against Neal’s face. Neal stumbled backward, seeing stars. He couldn’t tell if they were the real thing or not. Everything was becoming hazy, and just as he was about to fall over unconscious, Neal saw Xalan swipe a hand across his broad chest. Darkness descended.

  Chapter 19

  Liv awakened with a dull headache after having drank a bit too much wine the night before. Having to pack for her trip to Europe was uppermost on her mind even if the flight wasn’t scheduled until two. She had plenty of time but worried and rushed herself anyway.

  Leaving a guest bedroom, she rubbed her tired eyes and yawned aloud on her way to her own room. Halfway to the closet, she stopped and slowly turned, startled to see Neal asleep in her bed. Thrills, happiness, and longing overwhelmed her to see him again and she dashed to the side of the bed.

  “Neal!” she whispered, dropping to her knees and gazing at him with affection. “You’re so pretty. You look like a little boy when you sleep.”

  Neal smiled, took a deep breath, and set an arm beside his face. “She’s mine,” he mumbled. “No giants.”

  Liv pouted, trailing a finger down the bridge of his nose and then across his luscious lips. “Speaking of giants,” she cooed and slid her other hand beneath the blanket. He was naked, and the feel of his warm, soft skin gave her a delighted chill. When the hand found the giant it sought, Liv moaned to find that it was already stiff.

  Neal grunted in his sleep, forcing Liv to stifle a giggle. “I love it first thing in the morning, Neal.”

  “Mmm,” he moaned. “Me, too.”

  His eyes opened wide, and after blinking twice, he looked Liv in the eye. She squealed as he shot upright and gazed at her in shock. Giggling aloud, Liv rose to her feet and said good morning.

  “What? How? Why? Liv?”

  She folded her arms at her chest and tried to appear upset. “Xalan,” she grumbled. “He’s the biggest busy-body I’ve ever met.”

  Remembering bits and pieces from the previous night, Neal rubbed his face and moaned. “Big is right.”

  Just as he thought to fall back against the pillow, he instead shot from the bed, grabbed the pillow, and covered himself from the waist down.

  “Liv,” he pleaded. “I have no idea how I got here. Honest. It wasn’t my intention to . . . drop in . . . on you.” He made a sour face, like he knew what he said sounded dumb. “This is insane.”

  “No, it’s not,” Liv sang on her way to the walk-in closet. “It’s my fault for telling Anise my problems last night when I should know better. They’re adorable and I love them like family, but her husband isn’t modern-thinking and I need to remember that if I hope to keep you from being pummeled anymore.”

  “Pummeled?” Neal quietly whined. “I won!” he insisted before wincing in pain. He set a finger against his split lip and checked it for blood. “Liv,” he said and started toward her when he realized he was naked and stopped. “I swear to you I was in Chicago just last night. I was wearing clothes, too. I drank a few too many whiskies, I think. Then he appeared, and –.”

  Liv peered at him through the open closet door, and the look she gave him made Neal bow his head as if in shame. She reemerged carrying a large, white duffle bag with red hearts and set it atop the bed.

  “It’s okay, Neal. And, that isn’t the problem right now.”

  “Problem?” Neal asked. “What’s wrong now?”

  Liv sighed, and Neal responded at once to the tears that now shimmered in her pretty eyes. He reached out to her but stopped; again not wanting to get too close without any clothes on. Liv looked at him in a way that made his heart thrum, half in a good way, and half in a bad way.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I found out last night that Sherry is seeing that . . . that man again.”

  Neal’s brows rose and color filled his cheeks, making her want to smile.

  “No way,” he droned.

  Liv nodded and brushed aside an escaped tear. “It took every ounce of strength I had to keep from smacking her, the little twit. How can she do that? After everything he’s put her through.”

  “How did it happen?” Neal asked. “I mean . . . what was the incentive?”

  Liv stood wagging an ankle, unable to look Neal in the eye. It was slowly starting to come back to her; remembering the fight they had and how heartbroken she’d been just a few hours ago because of him. She had a trip to pack for, though, and a confused friend to worry about. The issue with Neal could wait.

  “She said he kept coming around and begging her to forgive him,” Liv offered. “Then he started playing on her sympathy by reminding her that he had lost everything, including her.”

  From a male perspective, Neal pursed his lips, not liking the familiar sound of that particular ploy. “If anyone needs his ass kicked, it’s that guy.”

  “You sound like Xalan.”

  Neal stared at Liv in shock, and then more blush filled his cheeks, making her smile. He shook his head but said nothing.

  “It’s not your problem, Neal, and I’m really sorry you had to deal with Xalan. I’ll talk to him for you, I promise.”

  “I don’t need you to worry about – is there something I can wear, Liv?”

  She paused to stare at the pillow he still held against his waist, and that prompted a more thorough inspection of his entire body. It didn’t take long at all for her knees to quiver, and for her stomach to do a somersault. Just as her skin started to chill and full-on desire took over, Liv turned away and shook herself. After patting her cheeks, she returned to the closet and left Neal on his own for a few minutes.

  Reemerging with a box in her hands, Liv smiled as she started toward Neal. She knew it had to have come from Xalan – Anise, maybe – but that the box of men’s clothing hadn’t been there before. She started to hand it to Neal when she thought otherwise. Setting the box on a nearby chair, Liv snatched the pillow from Neal’s hand and tossed it aside before pushing the confused man onto his back atop the bed.

  “On second thought,” she cooed, crawling on top of him for a quick round of early morning sex. “I still hate you, I’m still too angry to iron things out, and I still don’t think we should see each other. But,” she turned aside and gripped his hard-on, making him grunt with soft laughter. Staring dreamily into his smoldering eyes, she said, “All that can be put on hold for now, can’t it?”

  Neal nodded, exhaling slowly and stunted. He smiled, liking the way it felt to have her touch him so intimately. He liked it even more that she initiated what he longed for yet didn’t feel he deserved.

  She rode him sensually, his hands sliding up the thin top she wore minus a bra, and they both moaned at the way it felt to touch and to be touched.

  “You’re amazing,” they both breathed, and as Liv reached a climax, Neal struggled against his own. He tried to beg her not to move so well, but it was too late. She whined as he began to throb, and the next thing he knew, it was too late to pull out.

  Liv collapsed atop his chest, purring like a kitten. Neal held her close, still grunting and laughing gently since she refused to release him right away, using her inner thigh muscles to squeeze every last ounce of climactic goodness from him.

  “That was nice,” she whispered and gently bit his ear lobe.

  “The best,” he replied, patting her backside and rubbing her hip. “Liv . . .”

  She shot up from the bed and knelt beside his knees, pouting as a way to keep him from saying anything about their relationship. “I warned you,” she reminded. “Not now.”

  “I’ll help you with Sherry if you’ll give me just five minutes.”

  “No.” She left the bed and closed the bathroom door.

  When Neal joined her inside the shower, Liv struggled with his amorous advances for all of thirty seconds. It was too easy to give in to him when he gazed at her wi
th such love and desire in his sensual eyes. The way he touched her, and that kiss of his; they all worked their magic on her in ways she couldn’t believe were even possible.

  He offered to wash her hair and scrub her back. And like his amazing bedside manner, his attention to detail in the care of her quivering body was done with extreme finesse. They ended up making love again. With the warm water cascading around them, they held each other in silence. And then Neal said, “I love you, Liv.”

  Liv held her breath, wanting to break free of the wonderful embrace and run from his adoring remark and him. She didn’t, though, and continued to press her body against his, smiling weakly. Being held by anyone made her happy, but to be held by Neal was a warm-hearted experience and one she longed for even when she continued to try and chase him away.

  “I could probably fall in love with you real easy, too,” she finally admitted and looked up at his gorgeous face and those intense eyes of his. “Neal, why won’t you believe it can’t work? I don’t want to get involved with anyone famous; not even you. I don’t like your lifestyle, the cameras, the internet bull, and all that prying interest in personal issues. I don’t want to be a public figure any more than I want to try and love one. No one in your world is ever truly genuine, and it’s even more rare that relationships last. So for me, it’s the most important thing of all that I continue to ignore or dismiss without a care.”

  “This is forever, Liv. I am genuine, and we’ll make it last forever and beyond. We need to start somewhere, though.”

  “No.” She turned her back on him and frowned, glad for the shower water that rained down to hide her tears. “Don’t try and fill my head with a lot of lies. Even if you believe them right now, it won’t be the same thing later on. There will always be new super-models, pretty actresses, and all those back-up dancers with legs that go on forever. Do they still call them groupies, Neal? The girls who follow rock stars everywhere, buy them their drugs, and have sex at random on tours?”

  When Neal didn’t respond, Liv was slow to turn and look his way. He had turned aside and was resting a fist against the wall, glaring ahead through narrowed eyes.

  “I’m . . . I’m sorry,” she managed, unaware that the things she’d just said hit a little too close to home for him and that she’d actually hurt him more than she realized. “I like you. I really, really like you, Neal.”

  He raised the arm she had touched, startling her, and then he stepped out of the shower.

  “Don’t be angry,” she said, standing behind him while he rubbed a big, fluffy purple towel against his body and kept his back to her. “You know I’m right, though. I can’t take a chance on being that hurt by you. I’d rather die than have you betray me with infidelity, Neal.”

  “Stop,” he warned, holding up a hand at his shoulder before walking out of the room.

  Liv pouted at the open door and waited, hoping he would return with a smile and tell her he was just joking; that he wasn’t upset and still wanted to be friends. When that didn’t occur, she grabbed another purple towel, wrapped it around her body, and hurried from the room.

  The gift box lay open on the floor; its contents gone along with Neal.

  Chapter 20

  IN LOS ANGELES, Neal’s mother seemed surprised to see her son. The tall, thin woman with dark brown hair she wore up in a braided bun smiled as she wrapped her arms around Neal and kissed both of his cheeks. She then held his face in her hands and gazed into his eyes, maternally searching for any signs of internal strife.

  “Sit,” she said and turned to gesture in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll heat up some leftovers and we can talk.”

  While Neal feasted on the spaghetti, tossed salad, and garlic bread, his mother asked about work, his recent award, and then about women. Neal almost choked on a bite of food at that last topic, laughing into a napkin after he swallowed.

  His mother offered him a wary smile, pushing a cork back into a wine bottle and setting it between them on the table.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?” She slid a few fingers through his bangs and set an elbow atop the table, resting that hand under her chin. “Why are you here when it isn’t even close to Christmas?”

  “Mum,” Neal grumbled, pausing to drink some wine, “you make it sound like that’s the only time I ever visit.”

  “No,” she argued with a knowing smile. “It isn’t even October, and Halloween was never cause for celebration with you.”

  Neal rolled his eyes, laughing under his breath. He then shoved more food into his mouth and slowly chewed, resting his forearms against the edge of the table and avoiding eye contact. She was right, of course. He only ever visited during the major holidays, and since there hadn’t been any relationship issues in his past that ever needed serious discussion or some clarification, it wasn’t likely that he would be there just then.

  When he finished the meal and his mother returned from having put the dishes in the sink, Neal turned in his chair and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently in both of his hands.

  “Mum, do you remember that girl I told you about soon after we moved here with John?”

  His mother’s light brown eyes grew bigger as she stared into her son’s serious gaze and she nodded without speaking.

  “I found her, and we’ve . . . we’re . . . well, I’m still interested. A ton.”

  He let go of her hand and rose from the table, setting a hand behind his head as he slowly walked away to think before he said another word.

  His mother turned in her chair and eyed him, keeping silent until he was through with whatever it was he wanted or needed to say.

  Neal turned toward her but didn’t make eye contact. His expression gave away the anguish and confusion he felt. “I know she doesn’t hate me, but . . . she hates my career and lifestyle.”

  Neal glanced at his mother and saw that she was smiling, which made him blush. His stiff shoulders lowered and he slowly exhaled. “I’m not as famous as she claims. I’m not the type who would disrespect her, either. She’s got it all wrong, and I don’t know where to start. No matter what I say or do to try and make her see otherwise, it’s does no good. She’s stubborn, I think.”

  His mother rose from her chair and appeared somewhat anxious as she set a hand on her son’s arm, smiling warily as she spoke. “I told you how I met your father, didn’t I?”

  Neal frowned but nodded, taking a deep breath as he gazed at her still pretty face.

  She smiled and turned aside, the way he tended to do when he thought about the things he would say before he said them. A few paces away, she turned and offered him another sheepish grin.

  “It was entirely unexpected, that night with a guitar legend, and he was actually beyond all that when we came together, and yet he remained famous in people’s opinion. Still, I had this instant attraction that I couldn’t let slip through my fingers, so I did what came natural. When it was over, though, and I realized how silly I’d behaved, I chose to walk away. You have to know it was never my intention to raise you in an unfulfilling or unconventional manner, Neal. I was so thrilled to find out I was carrying you, you wouldn’t believe. But, the girl you adore sounds a bit like me. Every time I thought about who it was I had slept with, it terrified me. Like her, the idea of being in his shadow for the rest of my life just wasn’t appealing enough to want to pursue. I had my idea of a life and it wasn’t at all like his. Turns out he’s not the marrying kind anyway.”

  “I know all that, Mum.” Neal tried not to appear as annoyed as he felt about the topic of his father or his irresponsible ways. “I never said I blame you for anything. I’m grateful you didn’t abort me, and I’m even more appreciative of the fact that you stuck it out and didn’t give me away when things got really bad.”

  She made a face that told Neal his words had surprised her, making him blush again. Turning aside, he rubbed the back of his neck, gritting his teeth. Upsetting his mother was on the same plain as upsetting Liv, and neither case made him feel
good or mature.

  “This is different, Mum. I know it is. We’re neither of us destitute, and I truly love her. I want her to be in my life forever, and I would never dream of shoving her into anything she isn’t comfortable with or doesn’t want to get involved in.”

  “How is that possible when you’re so well-known, though?”

  Neal grumbled an ‘I don’t know’ and frowned at the floor. There had to be a way, and if given the time to think clearly, he might come up with a viable solution. Taking a deep breath, he eyed his curious mother.

  “I can’t live without her. I won’t walk away again, either. She’s more adorable, interesting, and attractive than she was that day back in school. I can’t keep my hands off her. I can’t stop thinking about her, and every second spent away from her feels like an eternity of loneliness.”

  “Why Neal,” she breathed. “That was . . . poetic,” she said and smiled despite the tears that glistened in her eyes. “Proof of your musical talent, I think.” She stood before Neal and slid a hand through the side of his hair. “You’re such an amazing man. I can’t imagine any woman not wanting to spend the rest of their life with someone as sweet and loving as you.”

  Neal blushed, exhaling shy laughter. He set his hands atop her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. “Mum, you’re prejudice. You just said you wouldn’t let my old man into your life for the same reason Liv won’t –.”

  “Liv? Is that her name, dear? She must be very pretty.”

  “She’s gorgeous,” Neal answered. “More beautiful . . . well, just as beautiful as you are.”

  His mother blushed, laughing shyly and gently swatting his arm. “Don’t be ridiculous, and you know how I feel about exaggeration. I’m sure she’s perfectly lovely, dear. So, what do you intend to do in order to make this work?”