Howdy.” A heavily muscled man clad in a black, silver, and orange costume that’s tailored to showcase his … assets, lands before Maxie. A long black cape floats down around him, giving him an air of mystery. Behind his mask, a pair of intense, Caribbean blue eyes reflect the sunlight, which might explain why a hot flush envelopes Maxie.

She swallows and wraps her hands around the back of the park bench, silently praying that he’ll assume her sudden weakness is the result of her near disaster, and not his proximity. “I’m Maxie Ramos,” she says, her voice sounding as breathless as she feels.

“I’m Heat Flare.” Instead of looking into Maxie’s eyes, his attention is riveted to her parted lips.

Maxie presses her thighs together and tries not to notice the rush of liquid heat. She loves Dillion Parker, the superhero who’s been saving this town forever, often leaving her wanting and alone while he goes off to battle yet another deadly foe who threatens humanity. She’s been in love with Dillion for as long as she can remember. So why is her body reacting to the very presence of another flying, spandex and leather clad man? It doesn’t make any sense.

“Um.” A flicker of uncertainty passes through those amazing blue eyes. “I hope you don’t mind. I’ve never done anything like this before … but …” The stranger’s voice trails off and he takes a half step closer to Maxie. Behind his mask, his eyelids become heavy as the blue seems to glow even more intensely.

Without meaning to, Maxie releases her grip on the park bench and sways closer and closer to him, until her breasts brush against his chest. She lifts her arms, winding them around his neck as his own arms lock around her waist. A split second later, he covers her mouth in a kiss that she feels all the way to the soles of her feet.

Oh shit, Maxie thinks even as she loses herself in the kiss. I’m in deep trouble now.

The scene plays through my mind as I’m shuffled out of the coffee shop. It’s a plot twist I never saw coming, but I really, really like it. Every iota of my being demands that I grab my computer and sit down right now and type it out before it fades from my memory, but the man who currently has one hand locked around my own and his other wrapped firmly around my computer doesn’t seem like he has any intention of letting me stop to write.

The tiny bell above the coffee shop door rings out a cheerful good-bye as we pass under it.

I study the face of the man currently holding my hand captive.

I’ve heard of Ryan Jakes. How could I not have… He’s a legend in this town. The local boy who mysteriously ran away from home when he was a teenager, only to resurface a few years later when he played a tiny role in a rom-com movie that became a hit. That alone would have been enough to make him a local legacy, but that particular job led to more and bigger roles. Before anyone had a chance to blink, he became a star.

While I’ve yet to see him in a leading role, since that first movie which consisted of maybe a half dozen speaking lines, Ryan Jakes has consistently landed supporting roles in some of the biggest movies for the past decade. He also frequently guest stars on several television shows.

The media called him level headed and a sweetheart. They hadn’t mentioned that he’s nuts.

As soon as we get out of the coffee shop, I pull away and stare at him. “What was all that about?”

He casts a nervous glance at the shop’s windows. “Look, can we not have this conversation out here? Suzie’s watching and if she thinks that something’s wrong with my story, God only knows what she’ll do.”

The timbre of his dark, rich, velvety voice sends tingles of awareness throughout my body. I press my thighs together and struggle to keep my expression neutral. I’ve always been a sucker for a deep voice.

He reaches down and threads his fingers through mine before walking me away from the coffee shop, leading me toward the parking lot.

My heart pounds in my chest as I follow. I can’t stop thinking that in the movies, it’s the girl who generally trusts the strange, good looking guy who becomes a pile of dismembered limbs in a dumpster…

Ryan halts beside a cherry red BMW. He pulls a key fob from his windbreaker pocket and the locks click open. He releases my hand and opens the passenger door. I hesitate. I swear I’ve been told that the worst thing a woman can do is get into a car with a strange man, that it’s better to stay out in the open. And well known, well liked celebrity or not, so far Ryan Jakes is the strangest, least predictable person I’ve ever met.

“Here.” He takes my hand again, but this time it’s to press his car keys into my palm. “Hold onto these if it makes you feel better. If Suzie sees us talking in the car, she won’t think anything’s strange. But if she spots us standing outside of it, she’ll assume we’re in the middle of some sort of lover’s tiff. How do you think she’ll react to that?”

I wince. She’ll storm over here and interfere. Clutching the keys so tightly that they bite into my skin, I slide into the car.

Ryan closes the passenger door with the softest of clicks before jogging around the front of the elegant little car and sliding behind the wheel. He hands me the laptop he scooped up just as we were leaving the shop. Having it back in my possession allows me to relax just a little bit. God only knows how he’d react if he found out I was writing an erotic superhero romance. And that I’m now thinking about turning him into a main character!

Still holding the keys, I settle my computer on my lap and rest my hands on the cover while I wait for him to start talking.

“First off, I want to apologize,” he says. “I never should have touched you, much less kissed you without your permission. That was incredibly stupid and I know better.”

He’s right. Given society’s current frame of mind, if I cried assault, it would destroy his reputation and his career. And I’d be well within my rights to do so. But … I liked kissing Ryan Jakes.

Horrified, my hand flies to my cheek, covering the starburst-shaped scar.

I was wrong. Confused. The last man I kissed was Lance Brooks, my high school and college sweetheart. After losing him, I swore I’d never kiss another man, and I’ve kept that promise.

Until today.

Tears prick the back of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. What’s done is done. Later, I’ll figure out a way to atone for that kiss.

I study Ryan’s face. “Why’d you do it?”

He drags a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I don’t know. I certainly didn’t plan on it. I hated hearing Suzie yell at you, but my plan was still to walk out the door and just ignore it. But something made me turn to you, and everything else … I guess you could say that kissing you was instinctive.”

“And the story you told?”

He laughs. It’s a good sound, one that fills the car’s interior and sends a strange warm sensation rolling through me.

“Also, not planned. Which is kind of weird. I’m usually so good about thinking about what I say, planning every single word and even gauging my tone whenever I answer a question. It’s what’s prevented me from having any embarrassing soundbites during interviews, but back there, it was like my mouth and my brain were disconnected. You ever have anything like that happen to you?”

“Not that I can recall,” I tell him.

He shakes his head and stares down at the steering wheel. “It’s a weird sensation, but you know, sometimes things happen for a reason.”

I don’t have a response.

My cell phone rings. I drag it out of my pocket and stare at the name and number on the screen.

“Let me guess. It’s Suzie.”

“Yeah.”

Ryan starts to reach for the phone but hesitates and draws his hand back. “May I make a suggestion?”

“What?”

“Is there anyone that needs to get in touch with you? Someone who will freak out if they have to leave a message rather than talk to you right away?”

“Just Suzie.”

“Then how about you just shut it off? She’s just going to keep calling you, and the constant ringing will drive you bonkers.”

The idea has some appeal. “I don’t know.” Since getting my first cell phone, I don’t think I’ve ever turned it off and been completely unreachable.

“Then at least set it to vibrate mode and put it somewhere that you won’t feel it. Then you won’t be tempted to answer Suzie’s calls and can enjoy the rest of your day off.”

Deciding to go dark, I power the entire thing off, cutting Suzie off in mid-ring. It’s a liberating experience, and I smile as I tuck the now silent phone into my pocket. Maybe I should have done something like this a lot sooner.

Ryan’s Caribbean blue eyes find mine. “I have a sort of crazy idea.”

“Based on your other ideas, I’m afraid to ask.”

“Since it’s your day off, and now that you’re hiding from Suzie, and now that she thinks you’re my girlfriend, how about we keep up the pretense?”

I stare at him. “’And what, start dating for real?”

Ryan bites his lip, almost anxiously. It’s as though he’s only thinking about the words he speaks a second before they fly out of his mouth. This is the craziest thing in the world – the craziest thing that has ever happened to me. And yet I don’t want it to stop.

“No, but my agent was just moaning about the fact that I’m not dating anyone. Apparently it makes me seem a little … I think the word she used was unsettled, which in turn makes directors and studio execs nervous about hiring me for leading roles. If you agree to be my pretend girlfriend for a few weeks, it might do wonders for my reputation, or at the very least, get my agent off my back for a little while.”

I should tell him no. I have to tell him no. The idea is ridiculous. Besides, I already have more responsibilities on my plate right now than I can handle. The last thing I should agree to is a farce that would undoubtedly take up even more time – and probably leave me feeling both humiliated and ashamed.

Still, it might be fun… Ryan might be a bit looney, but my Spidey-senses aren’t telling me he’s a menace – and he’s certainly not boring. And surely serving as the pseudo girlfriend of a celebrity would be a one of a kind research experience for a budding romance author. Especially a budding romance author with my particular drawback…

Right?

I might even gain enough knowledge to write a whole new novel. And maybe it would become a runaway bestseller, and I could quit my job and never deal with the likes of Suzie Collins again.

Looking at it that way, I really can’t afford to flat-out reject Ryan’s offer.

I turn to him. “What would I have to do?”