Chapter 2
Everything about him said, Don’t bother me. His seatbelt was fastened, his arms were crossed across his chest and his hood was pulled down over his forehead past his eyes. Davina knew there was no way he was going to acknowledge her. Fine, she thought, with my luck he’s probably an asshole anyway. Gorgeous, but still an asshole.
Watching him, Davina thought of her late husband who could fall asleep anytime and anywhere. She sighed as she thought of him. She missed him. The pain still stabbed at her heart at the thought of losing him. I needed more time. Davina closed her eyes and pushed all thoughts of her husband away. No more grieving for what should have been.
Once the plane was in the air, Davina pulled out her iPod, put in the ear plugs and started listening to her favorite tunes. She opened the dog eared, coffee stained manuscript of her second novel. This was her first draft and the ending just wasn’t coming to her as she had hoped. She was aiming for somewhere between the fairy tale ending of true love and bittersweet love of the real world. She tried to concentrate but she couldn’t. Quinn Thomas was sitting beside her and he was impossible to ignore.
You’re an idiot, Davi. You should be talking to him, having a drink with him and gazing into those baby blues. But what if he’s sleeping? Stare at him and fantasize. There’s no law against that and you’re due for a good fantasy. You know it’s been way too long since you’ve had a really good one. He was in that one. Remember?
She scribbled in the margin as she argued with herself. Davina stopped when she realized she had scribbled the words Quinn Thomas Hot Sex Now in the margin of the funeral scene.
Davina turned her head to look at Quinn. He was awake, possibly had been for a while, and was staring at her. A smile worked its way across his gorgeous face. She turned off her iPod and pulled out the ear plugs.
“You caught me,” he said guiltily. “I hope I didn’t disturb you, but I was enjoying watching you work. You’re very sexy when you’re reading.”
“Excuse me?” Davina felt the heat from her blushing. “I haven’t heard that one before.” She prayed that he hadn’t read what she had just written.
Quinn’s blue eyes gazed into hers and caused her heart to jump. “I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing you. I just think that you are an incredible looking woman and I couldn’t help but watch you while you read.” He smiled at her and extended his right hand, “Hi. I’m Quinn Thomas.”
“Hi. Davina Stuart,” Davina shook his hand firmly. Breathe, Davi, breathe, she told herself. She realized she hadn’t let go of his hand then quickly let go.
“Nice to meet you, Davina,” he said, his voice warm and sexy, his eyes sparkling.
“Same here,” she said, trying to conceal her excitement.
“Is it your first time to Los Angeles?”
“First trip to LA, but I’ve been to California before.”
“I apologize for my entrance into the lounge earlier. I thought I was going to get trampled out there! Stuff like that’s not supposed to happen in Toronto.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The world thinks we’re very civilized and polite, but when a rock star or movie star hits town we go crazy. Very few celebrities like to come up our way because of all the ice and snow.”
Quinn laughed, “It’s September. There is no ice and snow this time of year.”
“Obviously you didn’t notice the dome over the city. It keeps the cold and snow out of Toronto while the Film Festival is on.
Quinn’s smile touched his eyes. “You should be a story teller. I’d believe anything you told me even when I knew it wasn’t true.”
Davina smiled back at him. “Thank you. You know, I don’t think you could go anywhere without being recognized and mobbed. I saw some photos on the Internet from your last location shoot in New York. Those fans were maniacs. I don’t know how you ever got the movie made.”
“You know, I don’t know if we did get it filmed,” Quinn chuckled. “I think the director’s just going to put some scenes together, add a few shots of me and that will be it. I don’t think the fans care about the movie, just as long as I’m in it. It’s really sad.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true,” Davina protested. “Your movies are great. I have to admit I’ve seen them all more than once or twice. My daughter and I get together once a month to watch movies. There’s usually one of yours on the list.”
“Your daughter is old enough to see my movies?” Quinn moved in closer to Davi, keenly interested.
“She has been for a while.” Davina wasn’t sure if he was being polite or if Quinn had no idea how old Davina was. He was very charming and definitely not an asshole, not yet anyway.
“So, is there a lucky man waiting for you in LA or back in Toronto?”
“There’s no man waiting for me in either place.” Davina said softly.
“I can’t believe there’s no one waiting for you. What a waste!” He looked at her left hand. There was no ring on her third finger. “Are you divorced or never married or…”
“Widowed,” she said quickly. “For two years now.”
The silence enveloped them. Davina looked down at her bare finger where her wedding band and diamond engagement ring used to be. Their indentation marks were no longer visible. She rubbed at the empty space.
Quinn took her hand in his and she looked at him. His eyes held her in his power as his warmth flowed through her.
“You have plenty of love left in your heart for one more man. I can see that. It’s in your eyes. And, no, you aren’t too old for me, if that’s what you are thinking.”
“How do you know that?” Davina gasped. “What game are you playing?
Davina had fantasized many times about Quinn, but this was not one of them. She wanted hot sex with lots of hot kisses and an orgasm that would make her scream into next week. She wanted to be taken. She didn’t want words of love or need them. She pulled her hand away.
Quinn’s eyes locked with hers. “You know, the man you see in the movies isn’t the real me. What the press says about me isn’t true.”
“So you’re not a Hollywood heartthrob then?”Davina joked weakly as she felt herself being pulled into him.
“I don’t care about that. It’s not who I am inside.”
The sincerity of his words caught her breath.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“I don’t, but my husband did.” Davina laughed nervously, “He said that was how he fell in love with me. It took him awhile to convince me that his feelings were true.”
“So you know it happens then.”
“Mr. Thomas.” Davi sighed in exasperation.
“Call me Quinn.
“We’ve just met. You don’t know me. I don’t know you.”
“Tell me the truth. When I sat beside you did you fantasize about me?”
He moved closer to her, trapping her. Davina didn’t’ answer.
“I’ll take that as a yes then.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she protested. “Fantasies are normal.”
“So is falling in love.”
“Not like this,” Davina shook her head. “Believe me. Once was enough.”
“Why? Why can one man fall in love with you at first sight but another can’t?”
“Because I don’t want it to happen,” Davina sighed in exasperation. “Hot and heavy sex is all I want now.” She groaned as soon as she heard the words leave her mouth.
Quinn murmured lustfully, “How hot and heavy?”
Davina knew she was caught. There was no way out of this conversation. Play with him, Davi. Give him what he wants.
She leaned toward him and murmured sexily, “Unbelievably hot and heavy, soaked in sweat and totally exhausted.”
“Here on the plane?” his eyebrow arched mischievously.
“I didn’t get that far. I take my time when I fantasize.”
“Care to tell me about it?”
“I don’t kiss and tell, Quinn. Not even with my fantasies.” Davi sat back in her seat as she winked at him.
Their conversation was interrupted as the flight attendant served them drinks.
“I want to get to know you, Davina Stuart. I want to know all about you.” Quinn said then looked at his watch. “We have plenty of time to get to know each other.”
“What if we end up not liking each other?”
“That won’t happen, but on the off chance it does, we arrive in Los Angeles and never see each other once we get off the plane. What have we got to lose? Are you up for it?”
“It sounds like mile high speed dating,” Davina couldn’t resist joking. I must be insane.
Quinn winked at her. “We could join the club, if you’d like.”
“Let’s stick to just the dating part, shall we?”