look miles away, Vince,’ India smiled, gently touching his arm and he swung round to face her, smiling back. She was the kind of person who made you want to smile, especially tonight. She didn’t only look beautiful, but the fact she was so obviously happy was also quite infectious. Even if he wasn’t totally sure he felt all that happy himself.
‘Just thinking. You know how it is.’
She looked at him. ‘Well, maybe I should have done a bit more thinking myself recently, huh?’
He couldn’t help smiling again, because he knew exactly what she was referring to. ‘We all do things we regret, India.’
‘Yeah, but your mistakes aren’t going to be up there on a movie screen for millions to see. Anyway…’ She quickly looked over towards Dominic who was talking to one of their female co-stars, a young, dark-haired actress who was shooting her first major supporting role, ‘… enough of that. How are things with you and Charley?’
Vince turned away for a second, catching sight of his wife talking to Kenny over by the bar, huddled together, deep in conversation. ‘Strange, India.’ He looked at her, throwing his head back and sighing heavily. ‘Things are strange.’
India glanced over towards where Vince had been looking, narrowing her eyes as she watched Charley and Kenny talking.
‘You haven’t really spoken to her much since she arrived in Vegas, have you?’ Vince asked, causing India to break her gaze and turn back to face him, shaking her head.
‘No. I haven’t. We’re supposed to be having lunch some time, but I’m so busy and…’
‘So is she, yeah, I know. Tell me about it,’ Vince sighed, pushing a hand through his now slightly greying dark hair.
India slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. ‘She loves you, Vince. She loves you so much, and I know what you’re thinking, but she wouldn’t go there. Not Charley. Not after everything that happened in the past. She wouldn’t risk losing you; she wouldn’t risk losing what you two have. I can promise you that.’
He smiled at her, wishing he could feel as confident as she did. ‘She’s told me everything’s fine…’
‘Then what are you worrying about?’
‘I know her, India. I know her better than she thinks I do, and I know something’s not right. Something’s just not right… and I’ll find out what that is, believe me. Because I am crazy about that woman, and whatever it is we’ll get through it. Whatever it is.’
India took one more look over at both her best friends – still holding onto the hand of the man who’d taken Charley from the depths of despair and a past she’d needed to leave behind, and given her the chance to start again – and India just hoped with all her heart that, whatever was going on, it wasn’t what she thought it was.
***
Dominic sat back and looked at his watch. It was still early. A whole chunk of the night still lay ahead of them and yet all he wanted to do was take India back up to his suite and make love to her until their bodies couldn’t take any more. He wanted to fall asleep holding her in his arms, wishing he wasn’t who he was, and that this crap with Michael Walsh didn’t exist. Because, if she ever found out…
‘You thinking, MacDonald?’ He looked up and smiled as India sat down next to him, stroking his hair, leaning over to kiss him quickly. ‘Because, if you are, then you’re probably using up energy that you might just need later.’
He smiled too, laughing that low, sexy-as-hell laugh, pulling her over to sit astride him, circling her waist with his arms. ‘Oh, baby, there’s plenty of energy left for whatever you need me to do, I can promise you that.’
‘The perks of having a younger man.’
‘You bet your beautiful ass, honey.’
She threw her head back and laughed as he kissed her neck, his mouth gently brushing the base of her throat, so lightly it made her physically shiver, and she moaned quietly as his fingers slipped underneath her top, stroking the small of her back.
‘Not a good idea, baby,’ she groaned, gently pushing him away, all too aware of how much trouble getting carried away could get them into. And the last thing they needed was more ammunition for the press and media, some of which were there at the party, although they were the invited ones, people India had grown close to over the years. People