Minutes later, as they both worked to catch their breath, and Valentina stroked Smith’s slightly damp hair from where he’d laid his head across her br**sts, she felt wonderfully drained of nerves.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling her up off the bed, stripping off her stockings and heels, and dragging her into the bathroom for the world’s quickest shower. He held her hair up out of the way of the spray as she soaped both of them up, his body responding again as if he hadn’t just finished taking her.
But even though she could see that he would have also been happy to do just that, she turned off the water and reached for a towel, handing him one before taking another for herself.
Smith had never used his fame as an excuse to hide, and she wouldn’t make him hide for her.
“Come on, slowpoke,” she teased as she purposely dropped the towel to the tiled floor and left the bathroom to put her dress back on. “Race you to the limo.”
She’d almost reached her dress when his strong arms came around her.
“I love you.”
His breath whispered against her neck as he once again said the three words that never ceased to fill her with awe. Not because she hadn’t believed it was possible for a movie star to love her, but because she hadn’t thought it was possible for love to find her at all.
She turned in his arms, the press of their nakedness forgotten as she put her hands on either side of his face. “I love you, too.”
A few minutes later, he’d zipped her back into her dress and she’d straightened the bow tie on his tux. Her hair was a lost cause and she’d had to settle for a quick lash of mascara and a swipe of lipstick, but when she and Smith finally went down to meet her sister who had been patiently waiting for them in the living room, Tatiana’s eyes widened as she looked at the two of them.
“You looked amazing before, Val, but now you’re simply perfect.” Tatiana grinned at Smith, one good friend to another after their long weeks of working together. “Nice work, Mr. Sullivan.”
He grinned back and as the three of them headed out to the limo outside, and Valentina slid in between the two movie stars who meant everything to her, instead of being terrified by the night they were about to have, Valentina felt happy.
Content.
And utterly, completely loved.
Chapter Thirty-one
New Year’s Eve
Gabe and Megan’s wedding
Snow was falling outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the large wood-framed building. The pine trees outside were covered in soft, cold flakes, while the forest floor was blanketed in thick white fluff, turning all of Lake Tahoe into a winter wonderland.
Gabe Sullivan and Megan Harris had fallen in love in Lake Tahoe last winter, with some help from Megan’s daughter, Summer, who had a brilliant knack for matchmaking. Today, the warmth of love surrounded Gabe, Megan, and Summer as two hundred family members and friends gathered to celebrate their wedding.
Smith held Valentina’s hand tightly as he watched another one of his brothers say “I do” to the love of his life. As Gabe slipped the ring onto Megan’s finger, Summer standing close to both of them with an enormous smile on her face, Smith played with the white-gold band on Valentina’s left hand.
His Christmas gift to her this year had been the easiest one in the world to pick out. Still, his heart had beat like mad as she’d opened the large box, then each one inside as they grew smaller and smaller. Until, finally, all that remained was one small velvet box.
She’d stared at it for a long moment, so long that his heartbeat had reversed from racing too fast to barely beating. He’d known how much he was asking from her, that being his wife would never be easy, simply because what he did for a living meant the world thought he was theirs.
“I’m yours,” he’d told her in a voice made raw with emotion. “Be mine, Valentina.”
And then, she’d smiled at him and the joy and love on her beautiful face had told him everything he needed to know, even before she said, “I’ve always been yours.”
He’d made love to her beneath the twinkling lights of their Christmas tree and they’d been lying naked in each other’s arms when she’d put her gift for him on his stomach. Feeling like a kid again, he shook the package and her laughter at his antics wrapped around him like a blanket. Finally, he’d ripped open the wrapping paper and saw that she’d given him a photo album from the Gravity set. Inside were dozens of pictures in black and white, and color too, of Smith and the cast and crew he’d just spent the best seven weeks of his life with. Laughing, working, eating, goofing around—everything was there. Including one final picture that he’d cherish forever.
Valentina had her arms around his neck, and his were around her waist. The two of them weren’t kissing, or even smiling. They were simply holding each other. There was no caption for this picture, but it didn’t need one. Not when anyone could see how close the man and woman in the picture were...so close that nothing could ever break them apart.
Carefully setting the album aside, he’d lifted her back on top of him, and loved her again.
They’d joined the rest of his siblings at their mother’s house later that day to open presents, and the margaritas had been flowing again as this time their engagement was the one being celebrated. Christmas with his family had always been special and full of love. With Valentina at his side, love ran deeper than he’d ever known it could.
Now, on New Year’s Eve in Lake Tahoe, everyone stood to applaud the bride and groom as they first shared a kiss with each other, and then with Summer, one smooch to each of the little girl’s cheeks, followed by one from her for each of them. Summer jumped up into Gabe’s arms and he held tight to her as the three of them began to walk back down the aisle hand in hand.
Valentina’s eyes were soft and dreamy with love as she looked up into Smith’s, her curves warm and sensual as he held her in his arms. “What a beautiful wedding.”
She was holding her free hand over her heart, and he covered it with his as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.
They’d already discussed the fact that their wedding would be small and private, but after seeing her reaction to his brother’s, he had to ask, “Do you want a wedding like this one? We can make it work, Valentina, if it’s what you want.” It wouldn’t be easy to pull off a large wedding given his level of celebrity, but he would move mountains for Valentina.