“You’re wearing a wedding ring,” one of the female journalists piped up during a brief lull, her nosy gaze fixated on Ryan’s wedding band.
“That’s because I’m married,” Ryan said, barely restraining from scratching his cheek. The last thing he needed was smeared makeup.
“When did you get married?”
“Who is she?”
“Does your wife see you without makeup?”
Ryan had told Julia the press would ask questions. “I’ve been married for almost a year. No, you don’t get to know her name, and yes.” He winked at the female reporter. “My wife gets to see me without my stage makeup.”
“What will your wife say about your love child?” the initial reporter shouted.
Ryan didn’t want to consider her reaction because it scared him. While they’d worked things out, their relationship was still fragile. He tapped his index finger against his thigh, weighing his response before deciding it was best to stick to the tried and true. “I have no comment.”
A few minutes later, Ryan signaled Seymour and indicated he intended to leave. In the dressing-room he showered, rid himself of his makeup and changed to jeans and a scruffy T-shirt. Black boots and a cap advertising his favorite rugby team completed his dress. With well-practiced sneakiness, he exited the dressing room and left via a rear door. Meeting no one’s gaze, he merged with the crowd still loitering outside the stadium. He’d have trouble getting a cab, but the rail station wasn’t far from the arena. He’d be back in Darling Harbor in no time.
When he entered their hotel suite, Julia was doing stretches and working on a new routine for the club.
“Hi.” She unfurled her body until she stood at full height and threw herself at him. “How did the concert go?”
“Brilliant,” he said, then scowled, the remnants of the tension headache nipping at him.A son.Nah, it was a bullshit story aimed to cause chaos with his marriage. “The press conference afterward not so good.”
“Oh?”
“Later. It’s not important, just the normal crap. How’s the new routine going?”
“Not too bad,” Julia said. “I figured I might as well do something useful since there was nothing on the telly.”
“Do you still want room service?”
“All sorted,” she assured him, glancing at the clock in the small kitchen area of the suite. “Our meal will arrive in half an hour. I’d better shower before it arrives.”
“Don’t get dressed,” he said, his gaze skimming along the lines of her body and lingering on the tight tank top and leggings. “I’m only going to rip your clothes.”
Julia snorted. “You owe me some lingerie.”
“I’ll take you shopping tomorrow morning. It will be my pleasure.” Ryan enjoyed watching her as she sashayed away to the bathroom, happiness pushing away the anxiety about the reporter’s revelations. Super sexy and all his. He couldn’t lose her.
Yeah, the kid was another one of those nuisance pieces, full of rumors and pretense rather than fact. Some woman who wanted her minute of fame in the press, and he’d provided the vehicle for her to propel herself into the spotlight. Still, he’d better tell Julia about the latest over their dinner. Plus the fact Seymour had booked them one more concert—a small intimate thing to celebrate someone’s birthday. The girl’s parents were paying megabucks, and he and the rest of the band were donating the proceeds to charity. As much as he wanted to beg off this concert, he couldn’t.
The shower went on and Ryan stalked to the phone. He had no idea what Julia had ordered for dinner, but a bottle of champagne wouldn’t go astray.
A tap on the door announced the arrival of their meal. Ryan opened the door and let the room service waiter wheel in their dinner.
The waiter set a table for them, complete with candles and a pink rose in a vase. Ice clinked as he arranged the champagne in an ice bucket. “Would you like me to open it for you, sir?”
“Please,” Ryan said.
With the champagne taken care of, Ryan tipped the man.
“Thanks. Will there be anything else?”
“Not tonight,” Ryan said.
With a final nod, the waiter left, closing the door behind him.
Julia wandered from the steamy bathroom, dressed in a fluffy white robe. He walked to her and pulled her against his chest, breathing deeply at the warm skin of her neck. She smelled of flowers.
