One More Chance, page 18
As if reading her mind, he said, “Take it off.”
And she did.
The man was very good at everything he did, but he was exceptionally talented in the seduction department. While his lips and tongue teased her breasts, his hands kept massaging her feet. Sienna squirmed in her spot on the bed, eager to get undressed, but Mick kept her there for several minutes until she was begging for more.
“Should I order room service now?” he asked, slowly coming to his feet and tugging her up with him. Then he began kissing his way down her body, sliding her jeans off as he went. “Or should we...wait?”
Her hands anchored in his glorious head of hair. “You can think about food right now?” she panted.
“Sweetheart, I have my sweet treat right here.” And to prove it, he placed a kiss right over her panties.
“Later,” she moaned. “Room service. Much later. Need you. Now...”
She expected it to be wild and frantic, hard and fast. Instead, Mick got to his feet again and gently guided her back onto the bed and made love to her with more tenderness than she ever imagined.
And it was everything.
They were on the road by eleven the next morning after having a leisurely breakfast in bed. Neither had wanted to get up—well, Sienna hadn’t—but personally, Mick couldn’t wait to get home. The trip had been amazing and he really enjoyed himself, but he was ready to be back in his own place and know he wasn’t leaving for a while.
At least...he didn’t think he was.
Getting Sienna back to his place in Malibu was crucial at this point. They had been avoiding having the deep conversation that they both knew they needed to have, and it wasn’t going to happen while they were traveling. For all he knew, they were going to give this long-distance thing a try, and he was going to be packing up and heading to Durham with her for a few weeks. He didn’t want to lose her and he didn’t want to see her leave, but he knew she had a life to get back to.
In his head he knew that, but his heart was another matter.
Just thinking about watching her walk away gave him an ache so deep that it felt like a part of him was dying. He hated the thought of everything they had built in these last weeks just ending.
Beside him, Sienna was tapping out something on her phone.
“Talking to Eleanor?”
Nodding, she said, “I sent her a bunch of pictures and I’m glad I got her the sequined Minnie Mouse ears because she said they looked like something she would wear.” Looking up at him, she smiled. “I’m planning on wearing mine when I go to visit her and then giving her the ones I bought for her and getting some pictures of the two of us being silly. No one at work will believe it.”
“You’re going to have to send me a copy too. I kind of feel like I know Eleanor already, but I’ve never even seen a picture of her.” He considered asking to fly home with her and using the excuse of meeting her friend—and he still might—but he wanted to wait until they had a chance to talk.
“We never took any pictures,” she said. “I mean me and Eleanor. We’ve traveled to conferences together and worked together for years and there isn’t one single picture of the two of us. I plan on rectifying that when I get home. I just hate that it’s taken so long...and something so sad to make us do it.”
Reaching for her hand, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “I’m glad we took so many pictures these last two weeks. I can’t wait to go through them all. I want to get one of those digital picture frames and upload all of them on it so I’ll always have a running slideshow of our trip.”
“Oh, my goodness! What a great idea! I want one too!”
Again, he wanted to point out how she wouldn’t need one of her own if she just stayed with him, but he held his tongue. Instead, he said, “Then I’ll be sure to make one for you.”
“Thank you,” she said sweetly, before yawning loudly. “Oh, sorry! I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
Part of him smiled with pure male pride. Sure, they could blame her exhaustion on their whirlwind trip, but Mick preferred to believe his seductive skills in the bedroom were really to blame.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it...
“We’ll be home in about forty-five minutes,” he told her. “So why don’t you put your phone away, close your eyes, and rest?”
“As appealing as that sounds, I’d feel too guilty.”
Her words said one thing, but she put her phone away and seemed to twist a bit in her seat to get more comfortable.
“Tell me about what we’re seeing here on this drive. Any touristy spots I should notice?”
Laughing softly, he shook his head. “Not really. We’re going to go through L.A. and you saw a lot of that earlier in the trip. You’ve already seen the good stuff.”
“Mmm...” she hummed softly and yawned again. “And it was awesome.”
“Sleep, princess. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
“No,” she protested sleepily. “Talk to me. Please. I love the sound of your voice.”
He had a feeling all the talking would do was really put her to sleep, but he figured he’d do as she asked.
“Did I ever tell you about the time we were going to get sued because Shaughnessy pulled out of a benefit concert?”
She shook her head.
“It’s a funny story. Well, now it’s funny, but basically it was Paige’s father threatening to sue us. Dylan was all banged up from a car accident...”
“The one he went into rehab for?”
“Sadly, no. This accident was someone else’s fault and it put both him and Paige in the hospital. Anyway...her family owns a big PR firm here in L.A. and Dylan was doing some community service stuff that included a literacy campaign and...”
When he looked over, she was asleep.
And snoring softly.
Just looking at her made his heart ache. She was so beautiful and even though he knew she was only three years younger than him, looking at her now, he’d swear she was much younger. What this beautiful and vivacious woman saw in a graying old guy like him still boggled his mind.
But he wasn’t about to argue it either.
He loved her.
So much it hurt.
A dozen different scenarios played through his mind about what was going to happen once they got back to his place. Obviously he wasn’t going to pounce and start demanding that she tell him how she felt about him, them, and where all this was going, but he also knew that he was done waiting. He had to know where he stood; had to know if she was going to break his heart or make him the happiest man in the world.
Please don’t break my heart...
Music was softly playing and the traffic was its usual nightmare, but he actually found it all soothing. He loved his life here in California—it was familiar and comfortable—but he’d give it up in a minute for her.
Way to sound needy...
Yeah, he was going to have to choose his words carefully. No doubt if he just let his mouth get away from him, he’d beg and grovel to get her to stay with him. And he didn’t care where they lived, just as long as they were together.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts, and he saw Lynn’s name on the screen. Tapping the dashboard screen, he answered.
“Hey, Lynn. What’s up?”
“Hey, Mick. I’m so sorry to bother you, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here.”
Great.
“I know you’re technically still on vacation and believe me, we’ve tried to handle it without bothering you...”
“It’s fine. Really. What’s going on?”
“Word got out about you meeting with Simon Bennett and we’ve been getting bombarded with requests for an interview from all the entertainment shows and TMZ,” she explained. “We never talked about keeping this quiet, but we also never talked about whether this is something that’s actually going to happen. So...how do you want us to handle it?”
He looked at the clock and knew he could have them home in around thirty minutes. Working was definitely not on his agenda today, but he knew he needed to put out some fires and that he could do it swiftly.
“Okay, I’m about thirty minutes from my house, and I don’t want to talk to anyone while I’m driving. Set up a call with our team for in forty-five minutes so I have time to get inside and to my office, and we’ll send out a statement to get people off our backs for a bit. Did Simon talk to you and set up an appointment?”
“He did. He’s coming in on Friday. Do you think we need to put out a statement, or can we just wait?”
“No, let’s put something out and calm everyone down. Forward me any inquiries you’ve gotten and draft up a statement we might use. I know I didn’t give you much to work with concerning what I’m thinking about Simon and his future, so that’s on me. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.”
“Mick, please. This is just another day at the office. I’m the one who’s sorry for bugging you so close to the end of your trip. How did everything go? Did you enjoy Disneyland?” There was amusement in her voice, and he knew she thought he was crazy for spending time there.
“Actually, I enjoyed it. Way too much walking around and I found out that I can’t ride roller coasters like I did when I was younger, but Sienna loved it. I’ll have to show you all the pictures when I’m back in the office.”
“Oh? There are pictures?”
“More than you can even imagine,” he said with a laugh.
“Please tell me you’re wearing mouse ears in at least one of them!”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” He took a moment to let that sink in. “Okay, set everything up and I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks, Lynn.” Touching the screen, he hung up. Glancing next to him, he saw that Sienna was still asleep.
One thing he learned about her was she could sleep anywhere and slept hard. Not to say that he didn’t have fun ways of waking her up, but she was someone who took her sleep time very seriously. Mick knew he was going to have to get on this call as soon as they got back to the house and was going to suggest that Sienna just go and lie down in the bedroom and get a real nap in. Hopefully he could wrap things up with Lynn and his team quickly. He hated when the media started speculating about things, but he supposed this was a good way to start generating a little buzz for Simon. If people were reaching out, that meant they were interested and would follow any news of his career.
I love this part of the job...
He loved his job. Period. It had been his dream since he was a teen and while there were times it was challenging and frustrating and mentally exhausting, he still loved it.
Even though it cost him...well...this.
He picked up Sienna’s hand and held it again just because he loved to touch her—to have that connection. They had to make this work. He was used to a lifestyle where he was only home for short periods of time, so he knew he could move to North Carolina and travel for business. Ideally, he wished there was a way for her to have the time to travel with him because he found he enjoyed traveling so much more when she was beside him.
Soon.
The conversation was going to happen today come hell or high water.
Once he finished talking to his team, he and Sienna were going to talk.
And they weren’t going to stop until everything between them was settled.
****
This view is everything...
They were back at Mick’s house and she was standing out on the deck, lost in her own thoughts. Yeah, Sienna knew she could stand out here and stare at the ocean all day and not get tired of it. It was so peaceful and tranquil, and she knew she would have nothing like it when she was home. And now she wasn’t so sure she could settle for not having it.
They had survived the rest of their Disneyland trip—and truly had a great time—and had made the drive back to his house after breakfast that morning. The plan for the rest of the day was to simply relax and have some quiet time together. Tomorrow, she was supposed to fly home and had opted to take the red-eye so they’d have one last full day together.
Great, like those few extra hours were going to make that much of a difference, she thought miserably.
She’d never been away from her job or her home for this long and she imagined there would be at least a little bit of excitement about returning to it. But there wasn’t.
And she was dreading it more than she ever thought possible.
Mick had argued that he could charter a plane to take her home, but she had turned him down. He had a life to get back to just like she did, and her flying back to the East Coast alone just made more sense. In the car, she had gotten the sense that he was trying to find ways to come home with her—using the excuse of wanting to meet Eleanor—but...they were going to have to learn to be apart for at least a little while. If things went the way she hoped they would, it wasn’t like she was going to move in with him today.
They had kept their word and not talked about what came next, but she knew it was never far from her mind and greatly doubted it was far from his. Mick was a natural planner, and she knew what kind of self-control he was exercising in order to appease her. It was amazing the way he just...he understood her. She never felt any pressure, or like he was actively frustrated with her need to take things at a different pace. Of course, if they hadn’t had such an active and fully scheduled trip, it might have been a different story.
That they were at an amusement park meant there were plenty of distractions and it wasn’t hard to find other things to talk about. Even on the drive home, Mick had talked about the sights they were passing and shared stories about some of the towns they drove through. It was another look into his life, and she soaked up every word of it.
Now it was quiet. He’d gotten a call as they walked into the house and was currently in his office. She was outside, alone.
And really, it was a good thing.
Today was the day they were going to have to talk.
Really talk.
And she still wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
Logistically, there was a challenge. That much was obvious. Technically, Mick could work from just about anywhere, but... she was tied to her job at Duke. There was no way to work from home in her profession.
So don’t work from home. Take a sabbatical.
Okay, there was that, but eventually she’d have to go back to work. She’d come too far to simply give up everything just so she and Mick could be together. Why should he get his career and she had to give up hers? How was that fair?
I am so getting ahead of myself here...
“Breathe,” she murmured as she closed her eyes and forced herself to focus on the sun on her face and the sound of the waves. Once she did that, some of the tension left her body and she could turn her brain off for a little while.
“Hey,” Mick said sometime later. “Sorry that took so long.” Coming up beside her, he kissed her cheek. “I’m thinking Thai for lunch and having it delivered. What do you think?”
“Ooo... that sounds good.”
Mick pulled out his phone, and they scrolled through the menu of a local place he loved and placed the order. “Thirty minutes,” he said before going and sitting on a chaise. Reaching out his hand to her, she joined him.
The feel of his arms around her always helped her relax, and right now she needed it again because she couldn’t put the conversation off any longer. “So...” she said quietly.
“So.”
“What should we do for dinner tonight?”
He laughed softly. “How about we get through lunch before we think about that?”
“Oh. Right.” She sighed and figured it would be best to rip the bandage off. “What’s on your agenda after I go? Any big meetings coming up?”
Nice ripping, genius.
“Nothing earth shattering. With the holidays coming up, most tours are temporarily winding down. I’ll work on some pre-production stuff for Shaughnessy and start mapping things out for next year.” He shrugged. “There are some acts I’m interested in seeing and potentially signing, but that’s all routine for me.”
She nodded. “Local acts?”
“Yeah. It’s rare that I travel to see anyone. If I happen to be in the city where they’re performing, I set something up. Otherwise, they can send me links to videos and then I decide if I want to see them in person.”
“Gotta love the digital world, right? Everything’s right at our fingertips.”
“Mmm. I guess.
They sat in companionable silence, and Sienna thought she’d go mad. “You want to know something funny?”
“Sure.”
“We’ve spent the better part of the last thirteen days talking non-stop, and now when we really need to talk, we’re both quiet. Why do you think that is?”
She thought he’d say something vague or trivial, but she was wrong.
“It’s like I told you our first night in Anaheim, I didn’t want to bog down what was supposed to be a fun time with a deep topic. I’ve spent a good portion of my life not shying away from things most people don’t want to talk about. I’ve had to confront friends about their drug addictions, affairs, lack of talent... and I’ve never shied away from it. Sometimes I even enjoyed the confrontation because I knew it was for the best.” Pausing, he rested his head against hers. “But with you... I’m afraid to say the wrong thing and send you packing.”
“I’d hardly call myself a flight risk,” she countered, slightly miffed that he was basically admitting to handling her with kid gloves.
“Not that you’re a flight risk,” he repeated. “Just... I didn’t want to scare you with how I was feeling.”
Twisting slightly so she could face him, she frowned. “Which was...?”
“I told you, Sienna. I told you how I felt back then, and those feelings are still there now. Seeing you in New York was like divine intervention or something. Sitting next to you at dinner that night made it feel like no time had passed. It wasn’t awkward, it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was like we picked up where we left off.” Pausing, he gently moved her forward so he could stand.
