It's Only You

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“I’m not stalking you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, coming toward her with that charming smile.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, that’s a good thing because—”

He cut her off before she could finish her sentence and her thought. “I just wanted to make sure you got home safely, and...”

“And what?” she asked as he trailed off.

He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “And I wanted to kiss you good-night.”

Simona’s pulse spiked. Without waiting for a response, he bent and covered her lips with his. The moment their mouths met, heat flared out in every part of her body. He tangled his tongue with hers unhurriedly, as if he had all night. Her body trembled, and she moaned softly. At length, he lifted his head.

He pressed his lips to hers once more and then whispered, “Good night, Simona.” Releasing her, he turned and sauntered back down the driveway.

Simona slumped against her car, heart pounding and legs shaking. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. When she opened them, he was leaning against his car. “Donovan?”

“I’m just waiting for you to go inside.”

Such a gentleman. This man was breaking down her resolve. She walked to her front door and stuck the key into the lock. Before she could open the door, her cell rang. Frowning, she pulled it out and answered it quickly.

“I didn’t want you to worry whether I would call or not.”

She whirled around to see Donovan standing there with his phone against his ear. “Donovan?”

“Yep. I also realized you need my number so you can let me know whether you’ll attend the concert. Will it work in my favor if I throw in dinner before the show?”

Simona laughed. “Good night, Donovan. I’ll let you know.”

His deep chuckle rumbled through the line. “Talk to you soon.”

She disconnected, waved and went inside. Still smiling, she met Eve coming down the hall holding Yasmine. “Hey, Eve. Hi, Yasmine,” she said, reaching for the eager baby. She kissed her niece on the cheek. “Were you waiting for me, little one?”

Simona tried to make sure she kept Yasmine to her scheduled eight-thirty bedtime. It was only twenty minutes past that time, and she figured her niece was waiting for their usual bedtime ritual of reading, singing, back rub and kissing the two small stuffed animals that slept in the corner of the crib.

“Let me put her to bed, and I’ll be right back,” she said to Eve.

“Take your time. I’ll be waiting to hear all about that dinner date.”

Simona shook her head and continued down the hall to Yasmine’s bedroom. She placed her purse on the dresser and sat in the rocking chair. Yasmine immediately lifted her arms. “Okay. I know you want to sing ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider.’” She sang a jazzed-up version of the tune, plus “Jesus Loves Me” before rising to place the baby in her crib.

They played the kissing game. Yasmine giggled and babbled, “Mamamama,” warming Simona’s heart. The little girl was asleep within minutes of the back rub.

Simona made sure the monitor was turned on and left silently. Eve was sitting at the dining room table with a book open, scribbling furiously. She sat across from her. “How’re classes going?”

Eve put the pen down and removed her glasses. “Girl, somebody should have warned me that brain cells die after thirty. I was always a good student, but this thirty-four-year-old brain ain’t what it used to be. This master’s program in psychology is no joke. If I ever get the notion to go back for a doctorate, please smack me upside the head.” They both laughed. “Enough of that.” She leaned forward with her head propped in her elbows. “I want to hear about your dinner with Donovan.”

“There’s not much to tell. We just went to a bar and grill.”

“What kind of car does he drive, and what does he do?”

“He drives a BMW and works in music management. He says he works in the office, but knows some musicians.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s a really nice guy, but I don’t want a repeat of what happened before.”

“You can’t compare Donovan to Travis.”

Simona cringed at the mention of her ex. She had met the up-and-coming actor at a local theater in San Francisco where a friend was also performing. Her friend had invited Simona to hang out with the cast after the show. Travis Jacobs had been pleasant and likeable, and before she knew it, they were a couple. Initially, things had been great. But as the months rolled by it became less about them and more about him, and his true egotistical nature was on display for the world to see. Every date became a photo op, and after six months she called it quits.

Rather than let it go, Travis spun it to insinuate that he’d initiated their breakup and used it as an opportunity to further his career, making it sound as if he was devastated by the breakup—he had the nerve to shed a tear during an interview—and accused her of being jealous of his fame.

After several months of dodging the cameras, she’d quit the job she loved and relocated to LA. It didn’t help that Simona was dealing with her sister’s death and concerned about her niece.

“Simona?” Eve gently prodded.

“I know. But I can’t do that again. Travis made my life a living hell. I couldn’t go anywhere without a camera in my face. And now I have Yasmine.”

“Did you tell Donovan about her?”

“No. We barely know each other, and I don’t want to start bringing all kinds of men around. Besides, most men don’t want to be saddled with a woman who has a child.”

“I can see your point about not wanting to bring lots of men around her, but what if Donovan wants to continue seeing you? How long are you going to hide her from him?”

“I don’t know what I’ll do. He asked me to go to a concert next weekend.”

Eve stood. “Well, if you decide to go to the concert, I’ll be happy to babysit. But don’t wait too long to tell him.” She gathered up her book and papers and put them into a tote. “Oh, your grandmother called.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’ll call her tomorrow.”

She saw Eve to the door, then came back and collapsed on the sofa. “And this is why I don’t date,” she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Leaning back, Simona replayed every detail of the evening in her head. She laughed, remembering Donovan’s phone call outside. Her smile faded and she groaned. He hadn’t said a lot about his job, just that he worked in an office. But what did he really do?

As much as she had enjoyed her time with Donovan tonight, she needed to put the brakes on whatever was going on between them. She wasn’t ready to put herself out there again, especially with someone who possibly lived in the public eye.

Chapter 5 (#ulink_c95d3271-9fb5-5931-88ea-47b49458bcdb)

Donovan’s thumb hovered over the telephone number on his screen for several seconds before he pressed the home button and tossed the phone on his desk. It had been three days since he had seen or spoken to Simona and exactly one week since they met. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her or the kiss. He’d known instinctively he would enjoy kissing her but never expected the onslaught of emotions that accompanied the act. They were the same feelings he’d had at the hospital last week. And, for the first time in over two years, he felt the stirrings of something more than a passing fling. She made him laugh and he chuckled, recalling some of the stories she’d told him.

Simona still hadn’t called to let him know if she would accompany him to Sheila’s concert. He was anxious to call her, but didn’t want to come on too strong. From the questions she asked about his job, he sensed some hesitancy on her part and wondered why. Donovan glanced over at the wall clock—four thirty. He still had work to do, and he wanted to leave at a reasonable time so he could stop by Terrence and Janae’s to see his little goddaughter. He reined in his thoughts and refocused on the papers in front of him. By the time he looked up again, over an hour had passed. He stood, stretched and went to the outer office where his secretary sat clicking away on the computer.

“You about ready to wrap it up, Monique?”

She paused. “Yes. I just want to print this last contract for Brad. He said he’d be by to pick it up in a few minutes.”

On the heels of her statement, Brad, who headed up the label’s legal department, entered with his wife, Audrey, director of Human Resources. Both were friends from college.

“Your ears must have been burning,” Donovan said.

“What? You’re talking about me again?” Brad asked with a laugh. He turned to his wife. “See, babe, I told you I’m the man.”

Audrey rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just get what you came for so we can go. You have two hours to finish that stuff. We are not taking any work this weekend.”

Donovan laughed. “Finally getting that trip to San Francisco in, huh? Brad, make sure you take her on the sunset cruise,” he added with a wink.

“We’re doing that and more,” she said with a sly smile.

Brad leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

Donovan held up his hands. “TMI, T-M-I! Monique, hurry up and give Brad those papers before they burn my office down.” He was glad to see that they were still so much in love after being together for more than a decade. He felt a pang of jealousy.

“Are you going to be here much longer, Donovan?” Brad asked as he collected the papers from Monique.

“No. I’m going to see my beautiful goddaughter.”

“We went by for a few minutes last night,” Audrey said excitedly. “And you’re right, she’s a cutie. But we’d better get going.”

“Have fun.”

“We will.” Brad and Audrey said their goodbyes, with Monique close behind.

Donovan left a few minutes later, and it took him almost an hour to get to Terrence’s with rush-hour traffic.

“What’s up, D? Come on in,” Terrence said, bringing Donovan in for their customary hug.

“Hey.” He followed Terrence to the family room and stretched out on the sofa.

“You look exhausted. Is everything going okay?”

“Yeah, fine. I was thinking we might need to hire someone else to help out, especially since I figure you’ll be spending less time at the office. And you’ll be touring again soon.”

Terrence sighed. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. But I don’t want to bring in someone at the executive level who starts trying to tell me my business.”

“I know. I have an idea I want to run by you.” He sat up. “Monique has been doing a great job fielding calls, making sure things run smoothly with the clients and generally helping me out with the departments. She just graduated in May with her degree in business, and I think she’d make a helluva manager.”

“I like it, but what about the secretarial stuff? That leaves only one person to handle that.”

“We can either move someone from another department or hire from outside. I can talk to Audrey about it next week if you’re cool with it.”

Terrence sat quietly, mulling over the proposition, then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Now that we’re done with work, where’s Janae and Nadia?”

“Janae was feeding her when I came down. Let me see if she’s done.” He got to his feet and went upstairs.

While he was gone, Donovan leaned back and closed his eyes. Thoughts of Simona drifted through his mind. It was after seven, so he assumed she was off work, unless she was working overtime as she had last Friday. How did she spend her weekends? What kinds of things did she like to do? He thought about how her beautiful smile and soft laughter made his heart beat a little faster. It had been a long while since a woman affected him in this way, and it surprised him just how much he wanted to see her again.

Donovan blew out a long breath. Maybe it was time for him to let his guard down some. For two long years he had resisted allowing a woman into his heart—he didn’t want to feel the pain of betrayal again. Back when Terrence was fighting his attraction to Janae, Donovan had accused his friend of punishing all women for the actions of one. But he was no better. He talked a good game, but this time his heart was on the line.

“Hi, Donovan.”

He opened his eyes and stood at the sound of Janae’s voice. “Hey, Janae. How’re you feeling?” he asked, kissing her cheek.

“Tired, of course,” she said with a laugh, “but I’m enjoying it. You look exhausted.”

“It’s been a hectic couple of weeks.”

“I can imagine. Well, I know you’re anxious to hold Nadia. I’m going to head back upstairs. I know you and Terrence have a lot to catch up on.” She carefully transferred the baby.

“I’ll walk you up, sweetheart,” Terrence said, placing his arm around her shoulders. “Will you be okay alone for a minute, Donovan?”

Donovan shot him a look. “Of course. Nadia and I need time to get acquainted, so don’t hurry back.”

Janae laughed as she and Terrence left the room.

Donovan cradled Nadia close to his heart and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Just like the first time he held her, a rush of emotions flooded him, along with a flashback of what should have been. Had his little one survived, he or she would be a year and a half now. He pushed down the painful memories and stared at the baby who had her eyes fixed on him.

“Hey, Nadia. I think you’ve gotten more beautiful since the last time I saw you. How are you liking this world so far?” She stretched and yawned. “That well, huh?” he said with a chuckle. “I know you’ve got great parents, but if you ever need anything, you can call me and Uncle Donovan will be right there, okay?” He sang quietly and rocked her slowly. After a moment, she closed her eyes. Donovan kept up the rocking motion while singing.

“I see you still got it,” Terrence said, coming up behind him. “I could use another session singer for the new project I’m working on.”

Donovan turned and snorted. “I don’t think so. I only did those background lyrics for the first two CDs because you were just starting out, and we were trying to save money. But since you’re all rich and famous now, you can hire somebody. I like my job just fine.” He cocked his head to the side. “You know, I don’t think I was ever paid for my services.”

Terrence laughed softly. “Whatever. Boy, you’ve been paid that and more.” He gestured to Donovan’s arm. “What happened?”

Donovan glanced down at his arm. He had an appointment to remove the stitches on Monday, and he couldn’t wait. The itching was driving him crazy. The burn was healing nicely and barely noticeable. “I got it caught on a coffee cart at the hospital while trying to keep it from falling last Friday night after I left you.” He gave Terrence the details about what happened.