Beneath the Covers (Kimani Romance) (6 page)

She nodded, unable to speak.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Claudia shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes, longing for the protectiveness of his arms.

His hand gently caressed her cheek. “I’d never hurt you,” he said, his voice deepening with emotion. “And I’ll never let anyone hurt you.” He brushed a tear away. “You’ll always be safe with me.”

She believed him. Not because of his words, but because at that instant she unlocked the mystery of his dark eyes and saw the soul of a man she could trust. She buried her fears and doubts and arched into him, letting him know what she could not express in words.

He groaned in response. “Did you know what you were doing to me with that napkin?”

“Napkin?”

“Yes, when we first met at the nightclub and you dried yourself with it. You made that simple act so sexy, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up for the next hour.”

Claudia laughed, pleased by her effect on him. “I thought you might think I was crass.”

His hand inched up her leg. “Far from it. I wanted to do this then.”

“If you liked that, you should see what I can do with a loofah sponge.”

“I plan to.”

She kissed him again, and this time his lips tasted sweeter than the ripest berry. His hands were softer than silk, and when his bare flesh met hers, his body felt hotter than an inferno and together they burned. He made her senses spin and her body sweat, and soon she felt whole again and treasured. The pain of Levar’s attack and her loss of Tamara’s friendship became a distant memory.

Peter burned their brunch, but neither cared. All that mattered was being with each other. They didn’t eat anything until dinnertime, which Peter ordered in. The next morning they snuggled on the sofa while Peter watched TV.

“Oh, wait!” Claudia said as Peter flipped through the channels. “I love this movie.”

Peter frowned at the black-and-white image. “What is it?”

“
Love Affair.
A classic. They remade it as
An Affair to Remember
with Cary Grant, but I’ve always loved the original. It’s about two people who meet on a cruise and agree to meet in six months at the Empire State Building. Tragedy and misunderstandings get between them, but their love never wavers. Can we watch it?”

Because he would have done anything for her, Peter said yes. Claudia cried at the same places she always did and sighed in others. When the movie was over, she rested her head on Peter’s shoulders. “Thank you.”

“She should have told him,” Peter said.

“She loved him too much to be a burden to him.”

He frowned. “If he loved her, she wouldn’t be. I don’t think love needs to be tested.”

“Love is always tested.”

He kissed her forehead. “Nothing could keep me away from you,” he said then switched the channel to a crime drama and Claudia read the daily newspaper she’d picked up at the convenience store because Peter didn’t have a subscription.

She gasped when she read the lead story.

“What?”

She sat up. “Early yesterday morning a man was found tied to a pole by his belt with his pants pulled down.”

“Amazing the things that happen,” Peter said without interest.

“They won’t release his name, but he had to be taken to the hospital. He’d been badly beaten.” She paused. “Peter, you didn’t.”

He raised his eyebrows in innocence. “I didn’t what?”

“I wish I could have seen him.”

“Me, too.” They never talked about the incident again.

“You don’t seem surprised about us,” Claudia said weeks later when Darius came to visit.

“That night he told me he wanted you, but you turned him down. He tried to make things work with Tamara, but after meeting you, she didn’t have a chance. You accept him as he is. You make him feel proud. He’s still a little sensitive about his disability.”

“Disability?”

“Yeah, dyslexia. He doesn’t talk about it, but you won’t catch him reading unless it’s for work, and don’t even try to read his handwriting. In a family of academics, he’s the black sheep. He got held back twice in elementary school, and even after his diagnosis his parents expected better. His older brother, Thomas, was considered the smart one.”

“Was?”

“Yes, but that’s another subject. You’ll have to wait to hear that story from him.”

However, Peter never talked about his family. He preferred action to talking and took her boating, bowling, rowing, running and swimming. He treated Claudia to fine-dining restaurants she’d never been to where she tasted an array of culinary delights. They had weekend trips to New York, where they went to museums and the theater. He showered her with gifts—flowers, candy—especially her favorite, caramel chocolate—trinkets and expensive jewelry.

For Claudia it felt almost too wonderful to last, and it didn’t after she got a call from her mother. Her sister’s bulimia had landed her in the hospital and her mother needed Claudia’s help to take care of her sister over the next couple of months.

“I wish I didn’t have to go,” Claudia said as she packed her things. “I love my family, but it’s difficult being with them.” She looked at Peter as he sat on the other side of the bed. “With you I don’t feel so alone.”

“You can have me forever if you want.”

“What do you mean?”

“Marry me.” He took her hand in his and drew her down next to him.

It was an impulsive declaration, but Claudia didn’t hesitate when she replied. “Yes,” she said without apprehension. She knew that he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, even though they’d known each other only a few months. “When?”

He gently cupped the side of her face. “I would marry you now, but I want to be my own man and not depend on my family’s money. I want to be the man you deserve.”

She smiled. “You already are.”

His expression remained serious. “No, not yet. I still have a lot to prove, but in three months I’ll have finished my degree. And I have a job lined up so I’ll be able to support you while you finish your studies. You won’t have to work such long hours.” He bit his lip. “But I could work at my dad’s place for a couple of months so that we could get a house and—”

Claudia shook her head. “No, I want you to follow your heart. I can wait.”

Peter took both her hands in his, his eyes brimming with tenderness and love. “Okay, then. Three months from now, let’s meet in Las Vegas at The Love Chapel at five o’clock and get married. I’ll buy our tickets right now so that everything will be set.”

Claudia held his hands against her chest. “Just like in
Love Affair?
”

Peter scowled. “No, not like that. You’d better show up.”

“Oh, I will.” Claudia threw her arms around him. “Nothing could keep me away.”

He drew her close and kissed her. “Good. Otherwise I’ll hunt you down.”

“You won’t have to. Three months from now everything will be perfect. You’ll be working, my sister won’t need me and I can finish my studies.”

They’d laughed, basking in the glow of their love and a future filled with possibilities, not knowing that fate had other plans.

Claudia thought about that moment, aware of the irony of her life. She’d gotten Tamara back but had lost the man she’d loved. He was happy. He liked his freedom as much as she did hers. She wasn’t the woman she used to be. Her life was perfect.

Yet when she closed her eyes, she felt the loss of what might have been, something beautiful and magical. She thought of her favorite movie,
Love Affair;
her life had mirrored it but without the happy ending, and tears seeped from under her closed eyelids.

“L
et’s try that again. This time with a kiss,” Frank said after he’d stopped the filming. They were in a perfect location for the day’s shoot, with the azure ocean in the background and a pebbly cove off in the distance inviting one to swim, scuba dive or go snorkeling.

“What?” Peter and Claudia said in unison.

“It will add a nice spice to the scene.”

Claudia sent Peter a nervous glance. “But I don’t—”

“It’s just for the camera,” Frank said. “Trust me. It will work. Start with your closing remark.” He gave the cue, and Peter looked at the camera and said, “A word of warning, fellas. This is a special place. Choose your lady with care.”

Claudia opened her mouth to say her closing remark, but before she could Peter surprised her with a kiss that completely shattered her calm. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, a shiver of ecstasy swept through her, and soon his soft, wet lips were impossible to resist and she wound her arm around him, drawing him closer.

“And…cut!” Frank said. “That was fabulous. You two are on fire!”

Peter abruptly released Claudia, but not before sending her a smoldering look that caused her heart to race.

Claudia slunk into her chair, both exhausted and aroused. She knew that Peter was still her weakness and she’d have to work hard to stay away from him. She had to remind herself that she was here to work—nothing more. It had been several grueling days of shooting, and they still had one more.

She’d quickly learned how much work traveling with a film crew was. She’d been up since 5:00 a.m. and it was now nearly evening. Thankfully, they’d quickly become a tight group. Their five-person crew, shooting entirely using small cameras and photography equipment, had already gotten into rhythm.

Frank kept everyone on schedule by managing to include in their contracts that he would deduct from their pay if they were late getting to the set by more than fifteen minutes.

Ashley helped keep everyone sane. As the go-to person, she assisted the film crew making sure whenever they were going out on a shoot that they had the necessary items. Getting to a site with all their gear was an event in itself. For most of the locations, they rented either four-wheel-drive SUVs or minivans. They had to travel light and make sure that in addition to their camera equipment, they had their backup generators for lighting and sound equipment.

In her role as wardrobe mistress, Ashley was also responsible for selecting the clothes for the cohosts and props needed for each shoot. Every evening she would meet with Frank to discuss and work out everything that would be needed for the next day of filming.

At times there was a lot of tension among the crew. There was the “pain in the butt” part of the photo shoots. This included taking apart the equipment and putting it together again, setting up the lights in different settings and times of day and worrying about how the light reflected on the scene and the hosts. The soundman, Eugene Knotts, a quiet man with shaggy white hair, had to make sure the audio was captured, whatever the weather provided.

The two cameramen, Roy and Lance, were seasoned professionals and excellent at capturing scenes needed as fillers, and they were usually gone before dawn—only to return for the days scheduled shooting around 9:00 a.m. A compendium of footage was filmed at various locations, shot over time and on several different days to augment and supplement the final edited version. The primary philosophy behind the show was to provide a mix of escapism and excited curiosity—allowing viewers to escape from the humdrum regularities of their mundane lives. With this in mind, Frank, an award-winning director, knew he needed ample material to work with.

After recovering from the shock of learning that she would be shooting scenes with Peter, Claudia steeled herself to endure days of filming in exotic romantic locations and not being distracted by how good Peter looked in each of them. Everywhere they taped on the island, Peter’s recognizable status came into play and a crowd of women would gather and watch him in awe, simpering when he smiled at them. Claudia tried to ignore the disruption by studying the local venues whenever she could, chatting with those fans who recognized her and planning her next book.

Claudia looked at the orange glow of the setting sun. The crew had just completed filming the two of them eating dinner on the lovely Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s north shore. Behind the beach was a breathtaking backdrop of waterfalls and emerald mountain peaks wrapped in mist, soaring thousands of feet toward the heavens with large coral reefs at the end of the bay.

The clear waters, clean white beach and swaying coconut palms were a photographer’s dream. The melodious sounds of tropical birds provided the perfect background noise for the scene. Samson, who had prepared and served up to three meals a day back at the villa, had difficulty relaxing in front of the camera. It was finally decided to let him prepare and cook the meals off-camera and only film him serving the dishes.

Claudia wished she’d had the opportunity to actually eat the food, instead of pretending she was, because Ashley kept touching up her lipstick between takes for the sake of continuity.

Yesterday they’d taped an episode on a secluded beach, which was accessible only by helicopter or landing watercraft. There they’d found a stunning panoramic oceanfront view. The sound of the waves lapping gently along the shoreline, which could be heard day or night, provided a soft rhythm. Following a sumptuous picnic, Claudia and Peter went for a walk along the beach. The powdered-sugar sand and sparkling turquoise water were sheltered by a wide, protective offshore reef providing ideal swimming conditions. But Claudia wasn’t allowed to swim, because she couldn’t get her hair wet since she had to quickly change for the next three scenes.

Peter didn’t have that problem so he took off his shirt and trousers, revealing a perfect physique. He winked at her. “Like what you see?”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he dived into the water and disappeared underneath.

To get him back for that teasing remark, Claudia had Ashley dress her in a sexy see-through sarong for their next scene. When she caught him looking, she whispered, “Try not to drool.”

But he nearly had the final laugh when she learned about their last major shoot before flying home.

“A lava field?”

“Yes,” Frank said. “It’s a great place for star gazing.”

“What’s wrong with the beach?”

“We’ve shot enough beaches here. Trust me, it will be great.”

“She’s afraid of the dark,” Peter said.

“I’m not afraid.”

But she was. Later that evening, Claudia’s anxiety grew as they drove to the location. For their adventure on the lava field, they had to wear proper shoes for walking on the lava and had to use flashlights so that they could find a flat area to sit down and do the shoot. Claudia pushed down any fear and went through the scene like a pro, but once the cameras stopped rolling her imagination took over. Viewing the stars from the stark darkness of the lava field gave her an eerie feeling.

She paused when she heard a sound behind her. Then someone grabbed her from behind. She screamed and began throwing punches.

“Whoa! Calm down,” Roy said, backing away from her. “I was just playing with you.”

Claudia hugged herself to keep from trembling, unable to speak.

“What are you afraid of?” He put his flashlight under his chin, the light distorting his features. “The bogeyman?”

“Leave her alone, Roy,” Peter said, coming up to them.

“I was just having a little fun. You can take a joke.” He tweaked Claudia’s chin. “Can’t you?”

“I said leave her alone.”

Roy’s playful tone change. “Plan to do something about it?”

“Only if I have to.”

Frank spoke up. “Roy, help Lance pack the SUV.”

Roy scowled then left.

Peter walked up to Claudia. “Are you okay?”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I feel like an idiot.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Claudia covered her face. “I’ve done hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and I can’t seem to fight this.”

Peter removed her hands and forced her to look at him. “It’s okay.”

Claudia looked up at him, surprised by his tenderness. She’d expected him to be mocking or smug, but he was neither and she felt her embarrassment slip away. She looked down at the hands that held hers, her heart picking up pace.

“You know you never have to be afraid with me.”

His voice sounded extra deep and magnetic in the dark stillness. “I know.”

His lips brushed against her forehead, his breath warm against her skin. “The dark can’t hurt you.”

She gripped the front of his shirt, taking strength from his solid presence. Her embarrassment was gone, but somehow her fear wasn’t. “But things in the dark could.”

“I’d never let anything or
anyone
hurt you.”

Even you?
She wanted to ask him, but she licked her trembling lips instead. “Thank you.”

Peter released a fierce sigh. “Claudia, I don’t want your thanks. When I kissed you on camera I meant it.”

“I know.”

“So then you also know that I—”

“Come on!” Frank called. “We’re ready to roll. Peter, I’ve got to talk to you.”

Peter sighed then let her go.