“Who?” he bit out the question.
“Does that really matter?” Her tone sounded beleaguered.
“It matters.” How was he going to hunt down the bastard and kill him if he didn’t have a name? “Who was it?”
She studied his expression, her gaze narrowed and assessing. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“I’ll let it go when you tell me who it was.”
“Ridley Sinclair.”
Ward immediately swore. Christ, he’d been talking to the guy just a few hours ago. Ridley Sinclair, who was supposedly happily married to the love of his life. And now he was finding out the guy was a cheating bastard. Who’d made Ana’s life difficult.
“I’m going to kill him,” Ward muttered.
Ana flashed an exasperated smile. “Please don’t.”
“He’s why you left Hollywood,” he surmised, piecing together another complicated swath of the puzzle.
“Not the only reason.” Indignation laced her voice.
“So there were other men who harassed you?”
“It’s not important!” she insisted. Again. “What’s important is that I now have a job I love. A job I care about and where I can make a difference. I’m just desperate to make it work. That’s what matters.”
But despite all her protests, he could tell she still felt the sting of Sinclair’s behavior. And as a result, she still didn’t trust Ward entirely. Maybe she never would. But he understood her better now. Christ, no wonder Ana had freaked out last night and left the party. She must have overheard Sinclair’s slurs.
He crossed to where she stood and pulled her gently to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
She pulled away just enough to rest her palm against his cheek. “It’s not your fault.”
“Maybe not. But I was the one who dragged you to that party.”
“Hey.” Her tone was a little defensive, a little accusatory. “I could have said no.”
“I made it pretty hard for you to say no,” he countered.
“And I still make my own decisions.”
Boy, that was the truth. He’d never met a more bullheaded woman. Still, he sensed there was something she wasn’t saying. Something she didn’t want him to know.
“If I really didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t have gone.” Her voice wavered. “I just didn’t expect it to be so hard.”
He tipped her chin up forcing her to meet his gaze. “Well, next time something is hard for you, talk to me about it instead of just leaving. You’re not alone in this relationship.”
“Is that was this is? A relationship?” Her voice caught. For once, Ana seemed…timid almost. Unsure of herself.
He didn’t know which and didn’t want to push the matter. Neither emotion was the giddy, joyful, postcoital rush of love he wished she was experiencing.
“Yes,” he said firmly. Whatever doubts she’d been having, he wanted to banish them.
After a moment, she nodded. “Okay.”
Then she pressed her body closer to his. Pushing up onto her toes, she pulled his head down to hers for a kiss that seared his very soul. Instantly, he felt himself harden again, which shocked the hell out of him. He’d just had her. It was inconceivable that he would want her again so soon. Not to mention impractical. His knowledge of virgins was fairly limited, but he didn’t think she’d be up for a second round any time tonight.
After giving himself a moment to relish the feel of her against him, he extracted himself from her and set her firmly aside. He let his hand trail down her arm. “We’ll pick this up in another day or two.”
“But—”
“No arguing about this,” he interrupted her. “You don’t get to have everything your way.”
She frowned, but gave a reluctant nod.
“I want to see you later today. After we’ve both gotten some sleep. No more keeping our relationship a secret.”
“I can’t—”
“I mean it. I’m done sneaking around.”
“I mean, I can’t do it today. I’m having Sunday dinner with my parents.” She frowned, considering. “We eat around two. Maybe we can meet up later?”
He hesitated only a moment. “Can I come?”
“You can’t seriously want to have dinner with my parents.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause they’re my parents. Why would you possibly want to meet a middle-aged, Mexican couple?”
“Because they’re your parents,” he said slowly. “Unless they don’t want to meet me, I want to meet them.”
“I—” she began, but then broke off. “Okay. You can meet my parents. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He left quickly after that, but as he made his way back to his condo, he wasn’t able to shake the uneasy feeling he had about Ana losing her virginity. As calm and blasé as she seemed, he still wished he’d known ahead of time. Then he could have…what?
All the same questions she’d badgered him with flitted through his mind. In the end, he reached the same conclusion she had.
He wouldn’t have done anything differently. Except, maybe she was right. Maybe he would have choked. But maybe not. In the end, the only conclusion he could come to was that he simply wanted it to matter to her. Because it mattered to him.
So much for her plan to quietly lose her virginity without him even noticing. That plan had gone about as well as her plan to quietly introduce him to her family.
“We could go see a movie instead,” she offered Ward. It was her fifth attempt to distract him since he’d shown up on her doorstep ten minutes earlier.
“No.” He grimaced as he helped her into the passenger side of his Lexus. “You’re jaded about Hollywood, remember? I don’t think moviegoing would be particularly relaxing. Besides, they’re expecting you.”
“They’d get over it.” She’d never hear the end of it if she canceled now. But she was still trying to talk him out of it. “It’s not like I have dinner with them every Sunday.” Of course, she did, actually eat with them every Sunday, but that just sounded lame.
Ward shook his head anyway. “I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.”
“Great.” She smothered a groan. A moment later, as he started the car, she directed him to head west on Claremont.
He flicked on his blinker, but sent her a puzzled look. “I thought your parents still lived on the Worths’ estate, over by the coast.”
“They do.” She had to unclench her jaw to explain. “We’re not having dinner there.” She paused, hoping he’d let it go, but he didn’t. Finally, she explained, “When my parents found out I was bringing a date, they decided a mere meal in their apartment wasn’t enough. So we’re going to my uncle Julio’s house.”
Ward flashed her a charming smile. “Oh, are they fans?”
“Of you? No, they’ve probably never heard of you. But I’ve never brought a date anywhere. The mere idea of me in the company of a man was enough to excite their anticipation.”
He must have picked up on the dread in her voice. “What exactly can I expect?”
She blew out a harsh breath, decided honesty was the best policy and delivered the blow. “A full-blown party. Thirty, maybe forty people.”
He gave a bark of laughter that sounded incredulous. Maybe even a little nervous. If he was wise, it would be nerves.
“I thought you said you were from a small family.”
“Small immediate family,” she corrected. “Just me and my parents. But I have ten aunts and uncles here in the States, all within driving distance. I have nearly thirty cousins. Plus spouses.”
He blew out an impressed whistle. “And kids?”
“So many you’ll be nervous you’re going to step on one when you’re crossing the room.” For the first time since they got in the car she dared to look at him. He looked neither shocked nor horrified. Which she took as a good sign. “We can still call and cancel,” she offered.
“No.” He flashed her a cocky smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”
She gave him a few directions as he steered the car toward her uncle’s neighborhood. It was much like hers, but a little older, a little shabbier, a little more working-class. The houses were small, but built early enough in the California property boom that the yards were spacious and well shaded with fruit trees.
It wouldn’t compare to his condo on the beach—let alone the house in Harleston Village, but somehow she had the feeling he wouldn’t mind. Ward was remarkably unfussy and unpretentious. Wealth didn’t seem to impress him much. And she knew from the dive he’d taken her to in Charleston that he valued good food over ambiance. And if there was one thing her big, extended family did well, it was good food.
He turned the Lexus onto her uncle’s street and she offered once more, “Last chance to ditch?”
His grin broadened. “No way. Anything that has you this nervous, I’ve got to see.”
Her grumble of indignation was cut short, because a moment later he pulled the car to the curb—nearly half a block away because of the cars lining the street. Even from the safety of Ward’s car, she could feel the energy and excitement buzzing around her uncle’s house. Some of the kids had started a game of soccer on the front lawn. A couple of the older teenagers were slouching grumpily on the front steps, all defiant bravado. Music could be heard blaring from the backyard. Someone had already fired up the grill and the air was laden with the pungent sent of charred oak.
On any other day, the sights, sounds and smells of a family cookout would fill her heart with pure joy. Today it only rattled her nerves. She didn’t expect Ward to turn up his nose at her relatives. He just wasn’t that kind of guy. She was less confident about all of her relatives being completely welcoming to him. She didn’t get along with everyone in her extended family and there was a chance some people would see toting a celebrity along to a family dinner as a way of showing off. But even deeper was her fear that this afternoon was going to shift their relationship in some subtle way. And that the change might be even more important than the one that had taken place last night.