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  She combed her fingers through his thick dark hair as she studied him. “You do make me happy.”

  He stood and tugged her up off the log. “Come see the cabin.”

  “Is that a line?” she asked with a weak grin, hoping to salvage their day after her mini-meltdown.

  With his arm around her shoulders he smiled and escorted her up the path to the house.

  Liana took in the rustic furnishings, the huge fireplace, and the knotty pine walls and floors. “Oh, what a great place!”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He went into the kitchen to unload the rest of the groceries. “I thought it would be a good place to hide out for a couple of days.”

  She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s perfect. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  He squeezed her hands. “I just want you to relax and enjoy yourself, all right?”

  “Mmm.” She rested her face against his back. “I can do that.”

  He pulled a box of cereal from the bag, and the tabloid newspaper dropped to the floor.

  Liana bent to retrieve it. “Oh,” she exhaled when she saw the photo of them in formal attire kissing.

  Travis turned to her and reached for the paper. “Give me that, Liana. You don’t need to be looking at that. I don’t know why I bought it.”

  She waved him off and took the paper into the living room where she sat down to read the article that accompanied the photo. “Listen to this: ‘Travis and Liana celebrated their recent engagement with a formal dinner at Travis’s exclusive North Point Country Club. They plan a New Year’s Eve wedding at North Point, where they met just a week ago. The whirlwind romance has taken one of the world’s most beautiful women off the market and has broken the hearts of men everywhere.”

  “They just make shit up,” Travis said, incredulous. “Except for the world’s most beautiful woman part, of course. I’d sue them if I thought it would make any difference.”

  “It’s not worth the bother.”

  “Let’s put that where it belongs.” He joined her on the sofa, eased the paper out of her hands, and tossed it into the fireplace to be burned later. Turning to her, he brought her closer to him and tipped his head to kiss her softly. “What do you feel like doing this afternoon? We could swim, take the canoe out on the lake, go fishing. What sounds good to you?”

  “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

  He hooked an arm around her neck and kissed her with more passion this time. “Or, we could spend the afternoon in bed . . .”

  “That’s an option?” she asked with a teasing smile.

  “Sweetheart, that’s always an option.”

  Kissing his neck, his jaw, his face, and then his lips, she said, “Why don’t we take a little ‘nap’ and then go fishing?”

  He pretended to think it over. “Is sleeping required during this nap of yours?”

  “Strictly prohibited.”

  “How about pajamas?”

  “Also prohibited.”

  He moved so fast she had no time to react when he scooped her off the sofa, tossed her over his shoulder, and carried her to the larger of the cabin’s two bedrooms.

  She laughed as he deposited her on the bed.

  He made slow love to her and told her over and over again that he loved her while telling himself it didn’t matter that she didn’t say it back.

  Travis built a bonfire on the beach to cook the rainbow trout they had caught on their fishing expedition in the canoe. After dinner Liana took a flashlight and walked back to the cabin to get the marshmallows they had forgotten to bring to the beach.

  On her way through the living room, she bent to retrieve the tabloid from the fireplace grate, tore off the front cover, and returned the rest of the paper to the fireplace. She studied the picture for a long moment, remembering how annoyed she’d been by Travis’s audacity in front of the press. Now it was hard to take issue with the beautiful picture they made with the sun and the bay behind them as they shared an intimate moment with the world. She folded the page and went to tuck it into her suitcase, knowing that soon pictures and memories would be all that remained of their blissful idyll.

  She rejoined Travis at the beach and handed him the marshmallows.

  “You were gone a long time. Did you have trouble finding them?”

  “No, they were right where you said they’d be.”

  “Everything okay?”

  She crouched down next to him, rested her arms on his shoulders, and kissed his cheek. “Everything’s perfect—the lake, the trout, the cabin, you.”

  “In that order?” He lifted an eyebrow in amusement. In the firelight he was even more handsome than usual.

  “No, not in that order.”

  He put his arm around her and brought her down next to him on the blanket they had spread on the sand. The fire provided some welcome warmth against the cool breeze blowing in off the lake.

  Travis gave Dash the first two marshmallows.

  Liana laughed as the dog attacked the sticky gob. “She is so spoiled.”

  He shrugged but didn’t deny it as he presented Liana with a golden marshmallow.

  She slid it off the skewer and popped it into her mouth. “Oh, that’s good.”

  Travis reached for her hand and used his lips to clean up her sticky fingers before he reloaded the skewer.

  “It’s so peaceful here.”

  “It really is, but of course anywhere is peaceful when a hundred reporters aren’t chasing you.”

  “That’s true. I’m sorry it’s turned into such a circus at home.”

  “I told you before you don’t have to be sorry.” He pulled the skewer out of the fire and Liana fed one of the marshmallows to him. Tossing the skewer into the sand he pulled her to him and kissed her with a mouthful of warm marshmallow.

  “Mmm,” she said. “That’s yummy.”

  “Yes, you are.” He urged her down to the sand beside the bonfire and kissed her again.

  “Guess what else I’ve never done?” she whispered when they finally resurfaced.

  He trailed his tongue over her bottom lip. “What’s that?”

  She trembled with desire from what he was doing to her lip and from the warm skin she had discovered under his Ohio State sweatshirt. “Sex on the beach—and not the drink.”

  He chuckled. “It’s kind of chilly for that tonight, sweetheart.”

  Liana reached for the blanket and rolled them over so she was on top of him and the blanket wrapped around them.

  “Well, when you put it like that. . .”

  She laughed and bent to kiss him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Beck lay awake next to Jessie, listening to the soft cadence of her breathing. After spending just a few nights with her, he couldn’t imagine ever sleeping alone again. His mind raced, and he didn’t realize he was grinding his teeth until they began to ache. He sat up, took a deep breath, and released it.

  Moving to the window, he surveyed the North Point property, wondering if Spector was out there somewhere watching them. Had he figured out where Jessie was staying? Beck stared into the darkness until his eyes began to water from the effort. Turning back to the bed, he reached for his shorts and pulled them on. He was tugging on his T-shirt when Jessie turned over looking for him.

  “Peter?”

  “I’m here, baby.”

  She pushed unruly curls off her face. “What’re you doing?”

  “I need to go downstairs for a few minutes.” He flipped on a nightlight for her. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t go.”

  He sat on the bed and rested his hand on her satiny smooth shoulder. “I’ll only be gone a minute.”

  “You’re looking for him. Spector.”

  “No, I just—”

  “Don’t lie to me, Peter. Please don’t.”

  He replaced the hand on her shoulder with his lips. “I want to take a quick look around. I promise I’ll be right back.”

&n
bsp; “I’ve been thinking…”

  “About?”

  “Well, I wondered if maybe we could bait him somehow. Let him see me and then maybe—”

  “No. Not happening.”

  “Why?” she cried. “I can’t stand waiting for him to make his next move. It’s making me crazy. At least this way I’d know when it was going to happen. I could plan for it and control it. With your help, that is.”

  “It’s out of the question, Jessie.

  “It’s my life.”

  “And your life means everything to me, so don’t ask me to dangle you in front of a psychopath. Do you know what this guy has done to other women? Do you have any idea?”

  “No,” she said in a small voice that tugged at his heart. “I told the cops I didn’t want to know.”

  “Well, if you did, you wouldn’t be so willing to be used as bait. Believe me.”

  Crossing her arms over her breasts, she sat up in bed. “If you’re going, hurry up so you can come back.”

  “I don’t have to go. I was just feeling edgy and needed to do something.”

  “I hate that feeling. That’s why I want to put an end to it. Can you understand that?”

  “Of course I can, but endangering yourself isn’t the way to do it. Let’s give the cops a chance to hunt him down. Every police department on the island is looking for him, and New York is sending a couple of guys, too. We’ll find him, honey.” He dropped his shorts, removed the shirt, and crawled into bed with her.

  She cradled his head against her chest and ran her fingers through his hair. “What are we going to do about everything else?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know—you, me, us.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “Yes,” she said with a chuckle. “That.”

  “Well, I sort of hoped you might marry me.”

  Jessie gasped.

  “What?” He tilted his face up so he could see her. “You don’t want to?”

  “I want to. I really, really want to.”

  Beck slipped an arm around her neck and brought her down for a passionate kiss. “That doesn’t count as my official proposal. I can do better.”

  “I don’t want better. That was perfect.”

  “No wine? No roses? No bended knee and diamond ring? What will people say?”

  “They’ll say Jessica Stone landed herself one hot husband.”

  He hooted with laughter. “Sure they will.” Linking his fingers with hers, he brought her hand to his lips. “I love you, Jessica Stone. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, Peter Beck. I’ll marry you.”

  “What about your modeling career?”

  Her saucy smile stopped his heart. “If you knock me up, no one will want me.”

  “I will.” In a swift move, he turned them and spread her out under him. “I’ll always want you.”

  She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of surprise and desire.

  “One knock up, coming right up.”

  Laughing, she hooked her legs around his hips to urge him on.

  Liana awoke in a panic on Wednesday morning when she realized they had just four days left before she had to go back to work.

  She turned onto her side to watch Travis sleep. He hadn’t shaved since they arrived at the lake and had the start of a beard after three days. Liana wanted to bottle him up and bring him with her so she would never have to be without him again. But he had his business and his life in Portsmouth, and she would have to think about her own work again before much longer.

  Resting her head on his chest, she put her arm around him, wanting to be as close to him as possible, to savor every minute she had left with him.

  “Travis,” she whispered, dropping soft kisses on his chest. “Time to wake up. We have to go home.”

  He tightened his arms around her but didn’t open his eyes. “Don’t wanna.”

  “We have a wedding to get ready for,” she reminded him.

  “Don’t care.”

  She propped herself up on an elbow. “Yes, you do.”

  “Can’t we stay here forever?”

  “I wish we could.”

  His eyes finally opened. “Do you, Liana? Do you really wish we could?”

  “Yes.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair. “Are you ever going to say it again, or was it a one-time thing?”

  Her heart racing, she studied him. “It wasn’t a one-time thing.” She caressed his face, giving special attention to the stubble on his jaw. “We need to get going. We have to meet with Ben and Lucy at noon.”

  “Yeah.” He turned away from her, got out of bed, and shut the door behind him when he went into the bathroom.

  Sighing, Liana fell back against the pillow. She wanted to give him what he needed but was afraid she wasn’t ready yet to give him everything. Until she was it didn’t seem fair to be talking about love all the time. He knew how she felt, and for now that would have to be good enough.

  After more than two days of waiting for a glimpse of Triana, the press corps went wild when they spotted them returning to North Point just before noon.

  “Jesus Christ,” Travis muttered. “There’re three times as many as when we left.”

  His security detail was no match for the crush of reporters and photographers who surrounded the SUV, blocking their way onto the property.

  Liana reached for the door handle.

  Travis lunged across her to grab her arm. “What are you doing?”

  “I was just going to ask them to move so we can get by. They’re usually very polite to me.”

  “Liana, look at them. They’ve been broiling in the hot sun for two days thinking we were somewhere on the property. Do they look happy to be finding out we weren’t even here?”

  “What are we going to do? We can’t sit here all day.”

  “I’m sure Beck has called the police by now.”

  Liana bit her thumbnail. “This is awful for your business.”

  “On the contrary. The club’s receipts were through the roof last week, most likely because the members were hoping to catch a glimpse of you.” He began to inch the car forward, forcing the photographers to get out of the way.

  She worked on her bottom lip as they approached the North Point gate where several of Travis’s security staff attempted to clear a path for them.

  Dash barked at the reporters through the window.

  A few minutes later they cleared the gate and were able to enter the property.

  “Wow.” Travis shook his head as he pulled into his parking space at the club and looked over at her. “This is a whole new ballgame, Liana. I hope you realize that. They’re like a pack of rabid dogs. Until you leave on Sunday, you have to stay on the property. That’s the only way we can keep you safe. And I want you to get serious about security when you go back to work. They’re not going to drop this story just because you’re not here anymore. It’s going to be like this from now on.”

  “I’m afraid you’re right.”

  “You can’t be without security. Not even for one day.”

  “I know.” She got out of the car and went into the club to prepare for their meeting.

  Travis watched her go, filled with frustration and fear and love. He punched the steering wheel before he got out to follow her.

  The next two days passed in a blur as Liana saw to what seemed like a thousand details in preparation for Ben and Lucy’s wedding. She spent a great deal of time on the phone reassuring the jittery bride that everything was going to be perfect.

  Beck did them a favor and drove Travis’s brother Evan to North Point for a visit on Thursday evening, and Liana fell instantly in love with the sweet young man. Seeing Travis interact with his brother only made her love him more. On Friday morning, her Aunt Edith called to invite Liana to a welcome home dinner for Brady and Enid that night.

  “I’d love to come, Aunt Edith. What time are they due in?”

  “Uncle Charlie’s already le
ft for Boston to meet their noon flight,” Edith said. “I know she’d love to see you once more before you have to go back to work.”

  “I’d like that, too.”

  “So you’ve made quite the stir around here since you’ve been home,” Edith said. “The entertainment shows and the tabloids are all about you and that adorable Travis North. And did you see the cover of People magazine this week?”

  “It’s been quite a nuisance actually.”

  “I’m sure it has,” Edith said with a laugh. “Do bring him with you tonight, honey.”

  “I’ll ask him. So how about Mom getting engaged? Were you shocked?”

  “Floored! Just absolutely floored—and so relieved to find out she wasn’t losing it.”

  “I know! Have you met David yet?”

  “We will tonight. I can’t wait.”

  “You’ll love him,” Liana assured her aunt. “He’s perfect for her. Did she tell you I’ve been helping out with a couple of weddings here at North Point?”

  “She did. That sounds like fun.”

  “It has been, but I have a meeting with the staff in fifteen minutes, so I have to run. I’ll see you tonight?”

  “We’re looking forward to it.”

  As Liana ended the call, Travis walked into the office carrying his golf clubs, which he propped in the corner. He had spent the morning entertaining representatives from the Newport County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

  “How was it?” she asked, noticing with disapproval that he was sunburned.

  “Pretty good. I let them win hoping they might be persuaded to beef up their out-of-state promotion of North Point.”

  “Sounds like a good strategy. No sunscreen again, huh?”

  “Didn’t need it,” he said with a grin at the face she made at him as he leaned across his desk for a kiss. “Who was on the phone?”

  Liana relayed her aunt’s invitation to dinner.

  Travis ran a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “Why don’t we just have them all here?”