The Mighty Quinns: Ryan (8 page)

Stunned, Ryan took her hand. “Are you certain you want to do this?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Now we have to pack.”

“No,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “There’s something else we need to do first.” He pulled her into his arms, his lips coming down on hers in a desperate kiss. He’d waited so long to kiss her, and it was everything that he’d imagined it would be.

Ryan’s arms circled her waist, and her body melted against his, all soft flesh and sweet curves. His hands grasped the silky fabric of her skirt, tugging it up until he could run his palms over her hips, not caring that they were in full view of the waiting driver.

Serena moaned softly and he deepened the kiss, his hands smoothing over her bare backside. When he finally drew away, she was limp in his arms, her fingers clutching at the front of his T-shirt. Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him.

“We have to pack,” she said in a shaky voice.

“You chartered a plane? How much did that cost?”

“Enough to put a big dent in my bank card limit. We don’t have to go to Auckland. I just figured you’d know somewhere I could hide there. I need to stay off the radar until this all blows over.”

“It’s all right. We can go to Auckland.”

She held out her hand and he laced his fingers through hers. “Are you sure you want to come with me? You’re going to get caught up in this mess, and I don’t know what they’re going to say about you. And this will probably harm your reputation as much as it ruins mine.”

“I don’t care. This is a much more interesting adventure than I could have ever planned. I’m in new territory here. And I’m not sure I could say goodbye to you.”

“All right. But I’m warning you, it’ll get really horrid before it gets better. Thom Perry will not be happy.”

“I can handle it,” Ryan said.

She pushed up on her toes and kissed him softly. “All right, then. We have ten minutes. Be very quiet. I don’t want to wake Arthur and Juni. They work for Thom, and I don’t want to ask them to lie for us. But I’ll leave a note for them, telling them that we’ve gone so they don’t worry.”

They hurried up to their rooms. In a matter of a few minutes, Ryan had stuffed his belongings into his duffel and tossed his empty day pack over his shoulder. He knocked softly on Serena’s door and she opened it.

He could tell reality had sunk in and she was scared. Her eyes were wide and her color was high and she chewed nervously on her lower lip as she finished packing. She’d brought three bags but was leaving with just one.

“Do you have your passport?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Your phone? Your wallet?”

She cursed softly, then raced around the room, searching for her purse. It was buried in the bed linens, and when she found it, she pulled it over her shoulder. “All right. That’s it. I’m ready.” She grabbed a folded paper from her pocket. “Where should I leave this?”

He opened the door, then took her bag. “On the bed.”

She placed the note on her pillow, then turned to him.

“Go down the front steps,” Ryan said. “I’ll go out the rear and meet you at the car.”

Serena nodded, then gave him a quick kiss. “This is it. You can still back out.”

“Not a chance,” Ryan said. “Now go. And don’t knock over anything in the dark.”

Ryan tiptoed down the rear stairs and came out in the kitchen. He stopped and grabbed a few things from the refrigerator, then turned to find Arthur watching him from the shadows.

“Jaysus, you scared me, Arthur. How long have you been standing there?”

“I heard you come in,” Arthur said. “I thought you might want something to eat, but I can see that you have other plans.”

“You might as well know. We left a note for you upstairs. Serena and I are leaving. She’s called off the wedding.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “This is good news. She has chosen you?”

“I think so. I hope so. We’re going to Auckland.” He paused. “Keep our secret for as long as you can?”

“I’ll keep your secret for as long as I can. Now you must leave. I heard Miss Serena go out. She will be waiting.”

Ryan nodded. “Thank you, Arthur.”

“You are welcome,” Arthur said. “Best of luck to you.”

Ryan slipped out the back door and circled the house. Serena was waiting in the backseat of the limo, the door open for him.

He threw his luggage in the boot and crawled in beside her. She was staring down at her phone. “It’s done,” she said as he shut the door. “I told Thom and then hung up. He’ll probably ring me back in a second.”

As the limo pulled away from the house, Ryan reached out for the switch next to the privacy screen. It slowly rose, cutting them off from the driver’s sight.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He took the phone from her fingers, switched it off and tossed it on the seat of the car. “I thought I might want to kiss you again,” Ryan said.

“I can’t believe I did this. For the first time in my life, I made an important decision. I never make decisions. My agent, my managers, my directors—everyone else makes my decisions for me.” She laughed softly. “I’m proud of myself.”

“How do you think Ben will take it?”

“The breakup? Or my running off with you? This isn’t going to make him look good in the media. Especially after all those cheating rumors. They’re going to say that’s why I canceled the wedding.”

“Cheating rumors?”

She nodded. “He cheated on me twice last year. Actually, there might have been more, but I only found out about the professional cheats. He doesn’t consider it cheating when you sleep with a costar. He calls it part of his process.”

“Bloody hell, Serena, why didn’t you say something to me about this? I would have told you to dump the guy in a heartbeat. Any bloke who’d cheat on you is a feckin’ wanker.”

“He
is
a wanker,” she said. “I should have realized that sooner.”

“I’d say so.”

“And what about you, Ryan Quinn? Are you a wanker, too?”

He caught her chin with his thumb and shook his head. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a wanker. I promise.”

“All right, then. I guess we’re in this together for now.”

“We’ve got a half hour to the airport. I think a bit of snogging might be in order.”

“I just called off my wedding, dumped my fiancé, trashed my career and all you want to do is snog?”

Now that she put it in those words, he realized he’d been a bit insensitive to her feelings. “Sorry,” he said, sliding across the seat to put some distance between them.

“Can we wait?” she said. “Just a bit?”

“Absolutely. That’s completely understandable. I’m sorry.”

They sat quietly, the silence growing more awkward with every second that passed. He glanced over at her and saw a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. “Okay, that was long enough.”

“What are you doing to me?” he growled, pulling her on top of him.

“How long would you have waited?” she asked, smoothing her fingers over his cheek.

“As long as you needed.”

“What I need is for you to kiss me again,” Serena said. “Can you do that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

* * *

T
HE
DRIVER
DROPPED
them off at a small corporate hangar on the outskirts of the Nadi airport. Serena pulled a wad of cash out of her purse and handed it to him, extracting a promise that he would not tell the girls where she’d gone. No doubt Arthur would explain everything to her bridesmaids once he found her note. The driver smiled and nodded his assent.

The spot was deserted when they got out and Ryan piled their bags near the locked door. They sat down on a nearby bench and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “You all right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Just a bit numb. And worried that this is going to be a lot worse than I’ve been expecting.”

“How is that?”

“We were due to start the publicity tour for the film the day after our wedding. First L.A., then New York, then London.” She glanced over at him. “I’m still going to have to do the tour. It’s part of my contract. Unless they split us up, I’m going to have to do it with him.”

He stared at her for a long moment, stunned by her admission. “I don’t understand. Why would he—? He’s in the movie, too?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not afraid that he’d—”

“No! Ben can get really angry, but he’s never been violent.” She sighed. “To be honest, I’m really not sure he wanted to get married, either. I think he might be perfectly happy that I called it off.”

“Perhaps he will.”

Serena drew a deep breath and sighed softly. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. But the last few years, I’ve begun to put things in order. I thought getting married was part of that.”

He turned up her face to meet his gaze. “If it wasn’t right, you were better off walking away. Don’t you want to be certain?”

“How can anyone be certain? Do you think all those couples who ended up divorced weren’t certain on their wedding day? Feelings change. People change. My parents have seven marriages between them. They can’t seem to get it right, though they sure keep trying.” She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his. “Someday, maybe I’ll get it right.”

“You will,” he assured her.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and he pulled her closer. Though she’d known him only a few days, she felt as though they’d been best friends forever.

She didn’t need to be frightened; she’d made the right choice. Ryan had told her as much and he was solid and sensible.

How long had it been since she could truly trust someone? Everyone she knew had an agenda. Even Ben, the man who was supposed to love her, had managed to profit from their alliance. Photographers had been much more interested in him when he was with her. He’d often been sent projects with the hope of getting them both involved. And while his career had faded slightly over the past few years, hers had only grown.

So what did Ryan want? He wasn’t the type who seemed impressed with celebrity. In truth, she was afraid he might find it tedious after a very short time. He didn’t understand her career. He’d never seen her movies and would probably be uncomfortable at a Hollywood event. “A bird could love a fish, but where would they live?” she said softly.

He kissed the top of her head. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just a quote from a movie. I can’t remember which one.” She couldn’t hope for a future with Ryan. In fact she would probably pass in and out of his life without much notice. But she would never forget what he’d done for her, how he’d made her face a decision she’d avoided for so long.

It would be easy to fall in love with him. He was everything she wanted in a man. But it was time to put herself first and stop looking for security in a relationship. She needed to make her own decisions.

“How long do you think it will be before they realize we’re missing?” she asked.

“Arthur already knows. He caught me in the kitchen, but he promised not to say anything until we’re well away. As for the girls, they could probably go a day or two before they realize you’re gone.”

“In my note, I asked Arthur to explain everything to them, just so they’re reassured I wasn’t kidnapped by pirates.”

“Good idea,” Ryan said. “Are you hungry?”

“I am. But where are we going to get anything to eat?”

He picked up his day pack and unzipped it, then pulled out a bottle of champagne. “It’s still cold. I figured we had something to celebrate.”

“Do you have anything to eat in there?”

“I do. Some fruit and some of Juni’s prawn curry. I didn’t grab utensils, though, or glasses. We’ll have to eat with our fingers and drink out of the bottle.”

Serena had never met a man quite like Ryan. Most of the men she’d been with had been self-centered and egotistical. They’d treated her more like an accessory than an equal partner in the relationship. But Ryan was always looking out for her, making sure she was comfortable and safe.

It’s the little things,
she thought to herself as she watched him open the bottle of champagne. He’d helped her up the cliff, holding her hand when the footing grew steep or slippery. He’d shown her how to surf and helped her escape. And now he’d been smart enough to bring food.

“You’re going to make some woman a wonderful husband,” she said as he handed her the champagne.

“I don’t know about that. I’m not cut out for that kind of life.”

“But look at how good you are to me.”

“That’s easy. You’re my client.”

Serena frowned. “You wouldn’t be good to me if I wasn’t your client?”

“No, of course I would be. It’s just, when I’m with you, I’m in guide mode. I want to make sure you enjoy yourself.”

“Well, you’re officially no longer my guide,” she said. “You’re fired. Now you can treat me the way you treat all the other women in your life.”

“You make it sound as if there are a lot of them.”

Serena took a sip of the champagne, then coughed as the bubbles went up her nose. “There aren’t?”

“No. I have a small group of friends who are girls. But I’m not in a relationship with any of them.”

“Oh, so you’re friends with benefits?” she asked.

“Yes. I guess that’s what you’d call it. The women are kind of spread out all over the world, mostly in the places where I guide trips. I don’t have much time to devote to a real relationship, so whenever I’m in town, we just...you know.”

“Hook up,” she said.

“Yes,” Ryan replied.

“So you’re a man-slut,” she said.

“No. I don’t take advantage. It’s a mutual thing.” He grabbed the champagne bottle and took a drink. “No one wants a guy who’s never around.”

“Same thing with actresses. We’re almost as bad as musicians. But it’s harder for us to do the friends-with-benefits thing since there’s always the worry of a sex tape or the tabloid tell-all. We have to be much more cautious.”

“I’m not the kind of guy to kiss and tell,” he said.

“I realize that. I know I can trust you.”

Ryan’s mobile rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Thom Perry’s name came up on the screen and he turned and showed it to Serena.

“Do you think he’s figured out I’m with you?” she asked.