Chapter 97

Despite everything, Sara fell deeply asleep again, waking when the alarm began to screech at her. Eyes still closed, she reached to switch it off, then turned to reach for Jon, her eyes flying open when her hand felt only the cool mattress, then she remembered he was gone. Tears began to form, but she blinked them back angrily.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” She snapped at herself. “Get a grip, Sara.”

She threw back the cover and got out of bed, switching on the coffee - this hotel at least had real coffee in the room - as she headed for the shower. After a scalding hot shower, she felt a little better, and the strong coffee helped, though she did have a slight wobble when she unwrapped a chocolate bar, remembering that Jon had bought them down in Cornwall.

As she dressed and then went downstairs for breakfast, she wondered vaguely if Jon was missing her, too.

He wasn’t. At least, not right at that moment, since he was sound asleep, but in his dream, he and Sara were walking along the beach at East Hampton with his dog, Copper, running ahead, barking madly at the gulls.

When he did wake, though, a few hours later, he experienced the same plunging disappointment when he realised Sara wasn’t in his bed, and he did the only thing he could, the one thing that always helped him through. He got out of bed and got ready to go to work. Showered and dressed, he headed into the city, arriving at his office before his assistant was even there. By the time she arrived, he was already deep in paperwork, with a stack of tasks waiting for her action. Keeping busy anaesthetised his heart, since he didn’t have the time to think of Sara, though he did for a moment wonder if she was missing him as much as he was missing her.


Of course, while Sara and Jon were both trying desperately not to think of each other, Richie couldn’t think of anything other than Linda, and her impending arrival. He’d arranged with her that a driver would collect her from the airport and bring her to his home, to protect her from any press attention if he was waiting for her, and she was touched by his thoughtfulness. While she was way beyond excited to see him, Linda wasn’t sure she was ready for the full-on media circus that this could easily turn into, and she was grateful that Richie was being so protective of her. Grateful, yeah, that was it. Grateful. Grateful and seriously turned on by the fact he wanted to protect her.

Quitting work early, she got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, enjoying the unaccustomed luxury of chilling out in the first class lounge, then being notified by a polite member of staff that the flight was boarding, and ushered down a dedicated airbridge, straight into the first class cabin. The flight passed in an indulgent haze as the stewardesses made the whole thing the most pleasant flight she’d ever taken. Not that the guy waiting for her at the other end made her enjoy the trip. Not much. Hell, going to spend the weekend with Richie Sambora, she’d have enjoyed the trip if she was shipped as baggage!

As the flight came in toward LA, Linda went into one of the spacious bathrooms to freshen up and apply a little makeup, desperately trying to tamp down the excitement that was building in her chest as she realised how close he was now. On the ground, she collected her bag and headed out into the arrivals area, immediately spying a uniformed man standing holding a board with her name. When she went across, he greeted her politely then took her bag out of her hand, despite her protests, and led the way out to the car. Well, ‘car’ was something of an understatement, Linda thought, as the driver opened the door of the shining black limousine, then closed her into the opulent interior, tiny lights brightening the interior against the dimming effect of the deeply tinted windows.

She suddenly realised she had no clue where she was going, and just prayed that the limo driver knew their destination. He obviously did, as she just barely felt the bump as he closed the trunk, then he climbed into the front of the car and silently drove away from the terminal. Linda relaxed back into the seat, looking out of the darkened windows at the streets of the city. She quickly realised that you could tell which of the people on the street were tourists, as they looked at the limo as if trying to see who was inside. Locals, however, were inured to the trappings of celebrity, and a limousine was of no interest to them.

The limo stopped briefly at a set of closed gates, and Linda heard the driver speaking into an intercom, then the gates slid apart and they drove on in, soon stopping in front of a beautiful, rambling house. When the driver opened her door, Linda could immediately smell the ocean, and the evening sunlight was still pleasantly warm as she walked hesitantly toward the door. The driver brought her bag across, then said goodbye and headed back to the car, leaving Linda standing alone by the closed door. She raised a hand to knock, just as the door was opened from inside, and she found herself looking up into Richie’s twinkling eyes.

“Hi.” He said softly, looking almost nervous.

“Hi Richie.”

For a moment they just looked at each other, a slight awkwardness between them as neither of them could decide on the most appropriate method of greeting - handshake, hug or kiss. Fortunately, Richie wasn’t known for being reticent about anything, and he grinned suddenly.

“Aw, hell, c’mere!”

He reached out and pulled her toward him, folding her into his embrace as his lips came down onto hers. His intention was just to kiss her briefly in welcome, but at the feel of her soft mouth under his, he couldn’t restrain his tongue from pressing between her lips, opening her mouth so he could taste her. Linda’s hands came up into his hair as Richie backed up, not breaking the kiss, but drawing her into the house and kicking the door closed so he could lean her against the wood panel.

With that talented tongue plundering her mouth, Linda couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel on other parts of her body, and she gave the tiniest moan at the thought. The sound, though, broke through the lustful haze fogging Richie’s mind, and he pulled back from her a little, realising with surprise that his hands were wrapped around her waist, underneath the loose shirt she wore.

“Whoa.” He murmured. “I’m sorry, Linda. I guess I missed you. I think I’ve wanted to do that - and much more - since the first time I saw you. Didn’t quite mean to attack you the second you arrived, though.”

“Did you hear me complaining?” She asked quietly, her hands sliding out of his hair, down over his broad shoulders and coming to rest on his bare chest as she looked up into his eyes.

“I guess not.” He grinned sheepishly. “I just don’t want to spoil anything, Linda, by rushing things. I don’t want to push you so hard that I push you away.”

Looking into his deep brown eyes, Linda decided to - just for once - follow her heart and throw caution to the winds.

“Richie.” God, she thought, it still felt weird to say his name like that. “I’ll be honest, Richie. I think we’re both old enough to know what we want, and I think we’re a pair of grown-ups who should maybe just take a chance and see where things go.” Now she looked away, slightly embarrassed as she continued. “To be even more honest, I, well, I lusted over you for a very long time. Then I actually met you, and the weird thing is, getting to know you even the tiny bit I have, I see you are so much more than just a rock star, but I wouldn’t say I lust over you now.”

Richie looked taken aback, but Linda finished what she was saying before he could interrupt.

“I don’t lust over you. I want you. I want you so badly, and you’re right here, and I’m here, too, so what do we have to lose?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and his silence prompted Linda to raise her eyes to look at him again. Richie was smiling at her, shaking his head a little as the smile broadened into a full grin, showing the deep dimples on his cheeks.

“Jesus,” he said finally, “there’s nothing sexier than a woman who knows what she wants. I do want you, Linda. Hell, I don’t know how I let you out of that hotel room in New York without throwing you on a bed, but I guess I was trying so hard to be a gentleman.”

Pushing her harder against the door, Richie claimed her mouth for another deep, searching kiss, before dragging himself back again, taking one hand off her waist to grab her hand.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

Linda followed willingly as Richie pulled her over to the staircase, and they climbed to the bedroom, with only one brief stop on the landing for another torrid kiss.