I spent the rest of the day staying far away from Jax, trying to figure everything out in my mind. The picnic had been crazy romantic, and I found my resolve crumbling, especially after discovering more about Jax and his life over the past few years. When he had gently removed the cream from my lips and licked it off his own fingers, I almost forgot myself and tackled him into the grass right there.

So maybe it was a good thing that I had seen the photographer when I did. It was the perfect reminder at the perfect time. Even though Jax had looked genuinely surprised that they were there, it was still proof that all of this was an act. A performance. We were a couple in name only.

Which is why I couldn’t figure out why Jax was pushing this whole “make-up” dinner tonight. Did he think that it would end like the night in the pub had? Was he just trying to get into my pants?

Did I care?

Yes. Of course I cared. I reminded myself of my boundaries. I needed to be careful: there was being spontaneous and fun, and then there was being just plain reckless.

Three guesses what I was doing here.

There was a knock at the adjoining door between our rooms. I opened it to find Jax in a tight—very tight—black T-shirt and well-fitted jeans. I was dressed similarly in black jeans and a dark blue sweater. After the incident with the dress in the pub, I had made a point to wear something that I couldn’t unbutton. Who knew if there was going to be tequila where we were headed that night?

“Ready?” Jax asked me, giving me a slow look from head to toe.

Oh boy. It was a good thing I was button-free, because they would have popped open under that smoldering gaze.

“Where are we going?” I wanted to know, letting him lead me out of the hotel room.

“It’s a surprise,” he said with a wink.

“Another one?” I teased. “Aren’t you just full of them lately?”

“You know me.” He held the elevator for me. “I love keeping people on their toes.”

But as we reached the lobby it was clear that I wasn’t the only one who was going to need to be on their toes tonight. Outside the hotel, through the huge glass windows at the front of the building, I could see a crowd of people had gathered. The minute we stepped out of the elevator, everything seemed to happen at once.

The crowd went nuts. There were screaming fans, reporters calling out, and photographers with their flashes going off at a rapid speed. I felt nearly blinded and deafened by the whole thing.

In an instant, Jax was in front of me, shielding me with his body.

“What’s going on?” I asked, overwhelmed.

“Someone must have tipped off the press,” he said. “It always happens at some point during production.” Quickly, he hustled me away from the lobby, towards the back of the hotel. “Come on,” he told me. “I’ve got an idea.”

His idea was sneaking out through the laundry room, snaking around the base of the hotel, and eventually getting to one of the nearby parking lots where a PA was waiting with an inconspicuous van.

Jax handed the PA some cash in exchange for the keys, and then it was just the two of us, on the road, heading to who knew where. I didn’t even bother to ask Jax because I had a feeling he’d give me a cryptic answer before he gave me the truth. So I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, the adrenaline from our escape cooling in my veins.

“You’re good at escaping the press,” I noted.

Jax shrugged, his eyes on the road. “Hazards of the trade, I suppose.”

“Do you ever get used to it?” I wanted to know.

“Not really,” he said with a wry smile. “You just accept it.”

We stopped at the first village we came across, which was weirdly deserted. I was honestly surprised a tumbleweed didn’t blow across our path as we drove through. There were barely any people out, mostly a small crowd of teenagers hanging around what appeared to be a bus stop.

“Let me guess, you’re shooting a horror movie on the side?” I quipped, clutching my purse a little tighter.

“Sorry, I forget not everywhere’s on city time.” Jax made a rueful face. “I’m used to things being open past . . . five p.m.,” he said, checking the sign on a closed storefront.

“It’s nice,” I said, trying to be generous.

He laughed. “At least there’s food.” He pointed to the lone open store, a fish-and-chip shop.

My stomach growled, and even though the sign was flickering and the plastic tables looked like they were from the 1950s, I wasn’t about to turn down some fried food. My mouth watered as Jax ordered for us.

“First class all the way,” he joked, carrying two steaming portions of fish and chips, with grease already soaking through the brown paper bags.

“Where do you want to eat?” I asked. The shop was just a takeaway joint and the only other option was a stained-looking bench outside.

“Follow me.” Jax unlocked the back of the van and grabbed a blanket, tossing it over his shoulder. He headed off past the parking lot, in the direction of a field, and I had no option but to follow.

“We’re going to get lost,” I told him as we walked farther and farther away from the lights of the village. I had to squint not to trip on the uneven, grassy ground, and I was glad I was wearing a jacket against the chilly breeze. “Or murdered. One or the other.”

“Don’t you trust me?” Jax asked. “No, wait, don’t answer that.”

Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for and set the food down. He spread the blanket out in the middle of the field, and gestured for me to sit. I did, still feeling a little confused as to why we were out in the middle of nowhere.

Then Jax pointed upwards. I looked at the sky. Above us were a million beautiful twinkling stars. Not the kind of view you could ever get in New York City. And it was so quiet that I could hear the gentle babble of a river nearby and the soft hooting sounds of an owl from the nearby forest. Everything felt magical and surreal. It was incredible. And deeply romantic.

And I would bet a thousand dollars there were no photographers lurking nearby for this.

I glanced over at Jax, fully expecting him to be taking all of the scenery in as well, but found that he was staring at me.

I glanced away, flushing, but when I sneaked a look back, he was still watching me.

Oh, God.

My stomach flipped 180 degrees; I couldn’t help it. It was that look, the same look from the pub, full of intensity and desire.

Suddenly I was tired of playing it safe.

Here I was, under the stars, with the world’s next Mr. Darcy. And he was looking at me like I was Elizabeth Bennet. Why was I holding back?

So, I turned off my brain, grabbed him by his shirt and pulled his mouth to mine.

If Jax was surprised by my actions, he recovered quickly. His mouth was firm against mine, letting me take the lead, but only for a second. Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me back, his lips hot and insistent as he leaned forward. Even though I was the one who had grabbed him, within a minute, he had me on my back, his long, hard body covering mine.

I slid my hands up his chest, taking his face in my hands and angling his head so I could slip my tongue into his mouth. As I did, he groaned, the sound vibrating through me. I felt it everywhere, and my whole body began to tingle. I wanted more.

Jax did too. He tore his mouth from mine to begin a hot trail of kisses down my throat, his hands gripping my hips. He was pressed tight against me and I could feel the hard length of his cock against my stomach. He wanted me. He wanted me badly.

The knowledge made me even hotter. I thrust my hands into his thick hair as he sucked and nibbled on my neck. I had a feeling he was going to leave a mark, and I didn’t even care. His mouth felt so good. I wanted him to kiss me all over.

Gripping his hair, I pulled his head back up and kissed him deeply, thrusting my tongue into his mouth. It had never been this way before. I had never felt so wanted, so desired. And it made me bold.

Arching against him, I wrapped my legs around his waist. As he settled between my legs, his cock straining against the zipper of his jeans, I moaned as our bodies connected. Even with the thick layers of fabric between us, I could still feel him, hard and urgent against the seam of my jeans.

His tongue tangled with mine as his hand slid upward, slipping underneath my shirt. His palm found my breast, his thumb dragging across my hardened nipple. The sensation was so perfect.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Jax rasped, pulling his mouth from mine.

The sound of his voice, of his obvious desire, made me hotter. I wanted him. I wanted him so badly.

I reached for the hem of his shirt, but before I could pull it upward, I heard a noise coming from out in the dark. Immediately, I went still.

“What’s that?” I asked, Jax’s hand still on my breast.

“It’s nothing,” he said, nuzzling at my neck.

But it wasn’t nothing. The noise came again.

I leapt up. “Someone’s out there!”

My heart was pounding. “Could the photographers have followed us?” I hissed, quickly tugging my clothing back in place. All thoughts of a hot make-out with Jax were forgotten—not when the photos of him getting to second base in a field might make it on every website around.

“I don’t think so . . .” Jax got to his feet, looking cautious. “Hello?” he called. “Is anyone out there?”

I caught my breath. Jax looked too good, even in the dark. His hair was rumpled, his clothing in disarray. Had I done that? What was wrong with me? It had seemed so good and so right in the moment, but now I realized that I had made a huge mistake. I clearly couldn’t keep my wits about when I was with Jax—a few romantic gestures and a sexy look made me forget all of my rules. That was dangerous. He was dangerous.

It was clear that I needed to keep my distance.

“We should go,” I told him, taking another fearful look around.

He looked disappointed, but didn’t argue with me, gathering up the blanket and the untouched food. I was still starving, but I kept my distance.

“Penny,” Jax said from behind me, but I didn’t want to turn around, and just kept walking.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard a noise to my left again. Heart pounding, I spun around, and found myself face to face with a cow.

A big cow.

And sure, you may not think cows are scary, but just try running into one in the middle of the night.

It let out a low bellow of a moo, and I screamed and bolted in the other direction. It didn’t follow, but that didn’t slow me at all. But before I could get very far, I slipped on something soft and landed hard on the ground. Right on a cowpat.

Shit.