Chapter Four
Claire was having a fabulous time paddling down the river. Jenny was initially a role, but as she relaxed with Josh, who was supremely sweet and considerate, she became more and more herself. And holy crap, he was hot. The man did not need to be doing blind dates at all. She met plenty of gorgeous men, and, while Josh wasn’t chiseled perfection, he was extremely appealing. His thick dark brown hair curled a bit at the nape of his neck, making her itch to run her fingers through it. Add in sexy stubble along a square jaw and an athletic muscular build, and all she wanted to do was rub shamelessly against him. And she was not the kind to rush into anything physical. Not with her past experiences with men eager to kiss and tell. But it was so much more than his looks. Something that pulled at her in a magnetic attraction. Confidence? The sparkle of good humor in those deep brown eyes? Pheromones? He smelled fantastic when she’d gotten up close to him back on shore, like warm woodsy spice and man. The attraction was real, even if Jenny wasn’t, like a living breathing thing between them.
He hadn’t recognized her, which was a little shocking, honestly. Even with the red-haired wig and green contacts, she thought he would. She’d been planning to swear him to secrecy or sic Mad on him, but…nothing. Maybe he was one of those rare people who didn’t see her movies. Her biggest hits were chick flicks. Maybe he was a car chase movie kind of guy. But did he never see her splashed on magazine covers, the Internet, or supermarket tabloids? How could he not recognize her? It was a little disconcerting. She would certainly recognize a famous face even with different coloring. Did she look that un-glam without makeup? She almost wanted to ask him if she looked familiar, but that would just be her ego needing a pat. She kept paddling, sneaking looks at his muscular arms flexing as he paddled. With the jumbo shades she wore, he couldn’t tell she was checking him out.
He must be doing this blind-date thing for some ulterior motive because there was no way he wasn’t meeting plenty of willing women at the bar where he worked. He probably went on these casual dates to tweak Hailey’s nose, but at the moment, Claire didn’t care. This worked perfectly for her. Just one date. One glorious day to drop all the trappings of her life and just relax.
They were paddling back to shore now. She’d picked up paddleboarding quickly. It was a core workout, something she regularly worked on with her personal trainer. Thank goodness. The last thing she needed was to take a dive in the water and have her wig come off. She had all sorts of disguises for those times when she needed to get in and out of a place without a big crush of people. She preferred not to hide, but sometimes she had to.
So far, they’d hardly run into anyone on the river. Just a couple of fellow paddleboarders. She actually relaxed. No one wanted a piece of Jenny. She could move about freely. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that simple joy.
Josh got to shore first. He waded back into the water and helped her off her paddleboard as promised, unstrapping her ankle from the board leash and then lifting her by the waist and setting her on shore. His hands didn’t linger, merely assisted her in a gallant gesture. Total gentleman, as Hailey had promised.
“Thank you,” she said.
He flashed a smile that made her pulse thrum. “No problem. I’ll return these, grab our shoes, and then we’ll get the picnic dinner Hailey packed for us.”
“Hailey packed it? Oh, that is so sweet. Where is it?” She’d thought it would just be takeout from a deli or something.
“It’s in a cooler in my car. I’ll grab it and then we’ll hit the hiking trails. Just over that way.” He gestured across the road to the woods.
Here I go into the woods with a strange man. Alone. Vulnerable. Free.
“Can I get my cell?” she asked. She wanted to thank Hailey for the picnic.
He set one board down, pulled a remote key fob from his pocket, and aimed it at his white BMW, unlocking it. She headed for the car. There was something about him, something innately good that made her trust him. She’d spent a lifetime studying people, observing their mannerisms, gestures, expressions and how that either worked with or contradicted what they said. It was part of what made her a good actress. Josh just seemed authentic. A salt-of-the-earth bartender who looked out for his little sister. And book-club approved. You really couldn’t get any better than that.
She snagged her cell from the glove compartment and powered it on, watching Josh’s wide shoulders and back as he hauled the paddleboards to the stand. She glanced at her cell, punched in the code, and saw a text from Hailey. How’s it going?
Great! Thanks for the picnic.
Did you like the cake?
There was cake? She did a quick battle with herself over the calories and quickly decided the workout today warranted it. We didn’t eat yet. Just finished paddleboarding.
You paddleboarded? Cool! Do you like him?
She smiled. He’s awesome.
Yay! I gotta run. A big opportunity came up.
Big wedding?
No. More later. Have fun!
She tucked the phone away just as Josh was heading toward her, carrying her flip-flops. He set them near her feet.
“How you feel?” he asked. “Sore?”
She slipped her shoes on. “Nope. I feel great.”
“Awesome.” He retrieved his wallet and cell from the glove compartment and tucked them into his pockets. Then he hit another button to pop the trunk.
She followed him to the trunk, where he hauled out the cooler.
“Grab the blanket,” he said.
There was a green and white striped blanket rolled up with a strap. A picnic blanket. How cute! She grabbed it, tucking the strap over her shoulder, when it occurred to her a bartender probably couldn’t afford a BMW. He shut the trunk and locked the car remotely.
“Nice car,” she said.
He stared at the car for a moment and then turned to her with a sheepish grin. “Rental.”
“I thought you were from here.”
“My car’s in the shop.”
“So you rented a really expensive car?”
He lifted one shoulder up and down. “I wanted to see how the other half lived.”
An uneasy feeling went through her. Something wasn’t adding up. “Why?”
He grinned. “Why not? Come on.” He led the way through the gravel parking lot and across the road to the woods.
She kept up, wondering if she’d misjudged him. Had the pheromones distracted her? Was he not what he seemed? Something felt off. They stopped at a small wooden sign pointing the way to beginner, intermediate, and advanced hiking routes.
“What do you think?” Josh asked.
“Beginner,” she said, figuring she could find her way back quickly if she needed a fast escape.
He blew out a breath and wiped his brow in an exaggerated gesture of relief. “I was hoping you’d pick that one. I’m not much of a hiker and I’d hate for us to get lost on our first date.”
She studied him. “Do you think there will be a second date?” Some part of her wanted more than one date with Josh even though she knew it was impossible. She could only play at a normal life. And she needed to be sure he understood so no one got hurt.
He flashed a charming smile, his brown eyes sparkling with humor. “I guess you’ll let me know after the first date.”
“I thought you weren’t looking for serious.”
He stopped smiling. “I’m getting the feeling you don’t want a second date.”
“It’s just that I’m really busy at work and not looking for a relationship.”
“Ah.” He looked away.
Shit. She hadn’t meant to…did she hurt his feelings? “I’m sorry—”
“Hey, I know the deal.” He met her eyes again, all traces of humor gone. “One date.”
Now why did she have that awful ache of loneliness again? Like they were already saying goodbye. She forced herself to stay in the moment. “Yes. One fun date. I’m having a really good time.”
“Good,” he said. “Me too.”
She reached over and snagged his free hand. He gave her a slow, sexy smile that sent warmth all the way through her, down to her toes.
They started down the beginner’s path together. The dirt-packed trail was wide enough to fit three people across. She had to admit it was relaxing to be with a gentleman. Most guys were aggressive with her, wanting something, either a favor for their career or something physical. She hadn’t felt this comfortable with a man since she’d catapulted into the spotlight.
“So tell me what keeps you so busy at work?” he asked.
She had her story ready. “I just went out on my own and I’m working to build my client base. Half my time is working with clients, half marketing.” She knew a lot about personal trainers given her close friendship with her own personal trainer, Marsha. Of course, Marsha was paid big bucks to talk to her while she pushed Claire to stay in top condition. Most people she talked to were in her employment.
“Sounds ambitious,” he said.
“I can be. But then I realized I needed to get off the hamster wheel and just let loose.”
He grinned. “I’m with you on that. It seems we met at a perfect time for both of us to let loose.”
“What do you do for fun?”
“Hang with the boys. Flirt with the pretty girls.”
She caught his playful leering grin and shook her head with a smile. “Who are the boys?”
“My brothers and the blood brothers I grew up with.”
“Blood brothers as in you did one of these?” She let go of his hand and mimed slicing her finger and pressing her two fingers together.
“More like we beat the crap out of each other until we knew who stood where in the pack. Lot of bloody noses.”
“Like dogs.”
“Pups. We were pups.” He snagged her hand again. “My dad’s a cop and he put us in the Police Athletic League, where his friend coached, because the five of us Campbell boys were acting out. We went a little nuts because…well, for a good reason. Anyway, we were quickly toe-to-toe with some kids who were acting out on a whole ’nother level. I mean really bad. They called themselves the Lost Boys, but after much fighting, the Campbells joined forces with them.” He shook his head, smiling in memory. “Our coach, Chief Bailey, made us change the name to the Found Boys because we found each other and that meant we’d never be lost again.”
Her heart squeezed. “That’s really nice. And you’re all still close?”
“Yeah.”
“How old were you when you first became friends?”
“Nine.”
“And you’re what now?”
“Thirty-two.”
“That’s unusual to have a close group of friends from that far back. How many are there?”
“Me, four brothers, plus Mad—she’s one of the guys—and five blood brothers, so that’s eleven. There used to be a sixth blood brother, so we all matched up, six Campbells, six Found Boys, but we lost one.”
“You mean—”
“He died.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks,” he said solemnly.
She stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb his moment of remembrance.
He went on. “He wasn’t a Campbell, but damn, we wanted him in with us. Nick was reckless, a tough fighter, but also loyal. He died not long after he dropped out of high school, getting tangled up with some local drug kingpins. It drew the rest of us tighter together.” He cleared his throat. “So, you know, a bunch of us stayed local. Still get together for Saturday basketball, regular cookouts. Some of them coach in the Police Athletic League to mentor the younger kids.”
His words of a tight brotherhood weren’t matching the feeling radiating off him, which was longing and sadness.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He flashed a smile that didn’t fool her for a minute, but she didn’t know him well enough to pry.
“Hailey says there’s cake,” she informed him brightly.
“Nice. I didn’t even look in the cooler. What kind?”
“No idea.”
“Hey, any kind is good. She sure knows how to make a good blind date.”
She couldn’t disagree. They turned deeper into the woods. Josh asked her questions about her family, and she didn’t have to lie. Her background was humble enough, moving from army base to army base every two to three years around the world. Turned out his family had a history of army service too. His dad got out while Josh was still young, so he didn’t move around a lot like she did. She and her older brother by four years, Rich, had to work hard to find their way in each new place. Her brother had sports. She had acting, though she left that part out. Her time spent trying to fit in as a kid was in many ways the key to her acting. Her mom had encouraged her, signing her up for acting classes whenever possible. She shared the part of her she could share, telling him of her love for books.
He smiled and nodded. “Figured you were into books since you’re in a book club.”
They reached the end of the trail a short while later and stood in a grassy clearing overlooking a bubbling brook. A couple of dark green metal picnic tables and a well-used grill caked with black charcoal stood to one side. The grill was kind of gross; hopefully they didn’t need to cook anything. They had the place all to themselves. It seemed a Monday date was great for avoiding being seen. She’d have to remember that.
Josh headed for the picnic table with the most shade and set the cooler on top. She set the blanket on the bench, figuring they didn’t need it with the table. She peeked in the cooler as Josh started unpacking it. Hailey had outdone herself. Two bottles of white wine, three kinds of cheese, grapes, a baguette, and a huge slice of chocolate cake. No cooking, thank goodness. There were also plates, plastic wineglasses, napkins, plastic forks and knives, a corkscrew, and some bottled waters. The woman had gone above and beyond and Claire couldn’t thank her enough. What a thoughtful gesture.
She took out a couple of bottled waters and then the wine. “I didn’t want to come at first, but I’m glad I did.”
He smiled, making crinkles form at the corners of his eyes. She liked that, like he probably laughed a lot. “Me too,” he said warmly.
Her heart thumped a little harder. She dipped her head shyly the way Jenny would, but mostly because she wanted to hide the flush she could feel on her cheeks. She felt almost buzzed, though they hadn’t opened the wine, every nerve ending alert and tingling. Was it the freedom of moving around without the crush of people? Or was it the magic of a date with Josh?
She took a sip of water. Then she uncorked the chilled white wine and poured them both a glass. She sat at the table as Josh set all the food out and tucked the cooler away. He sat across from her and lifted his wineglass to hers.
“To Hailey,” he said.
She clinked his glass and accidentally knocked it too hard, making it slosh over his hand. “Oops!”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a laugh. He sucked wine off his hand and she suddenly wished she was the one lapping it up.
“To Hailey,” she said.
They drank.
She was starving after their workout and snagged a hunk of havarti cheese, taking a bite.
He held up his glass again.
Her mouth was full of cheese. She chewed quickly. “Another toast?”
“Yeah.”
She grabbed her glass and held it up.
“To you, Jenny. Just the sweetness I needed today.”
“Aww,” she said around the cheese. She couldn’t afford to be sweet most days or people would take advantage. It was nice to play sweet Jenny. She chewed some more and swallowed. “Thank you. You’re sweet too. I’ve never had the gentleman treatment before.”
“Well, you should.”
They clinked glasses and drank again. They were both hungry and made short work of the food, talking easily about their favorite TV shows. They both loved to binge watch Lost. She didn’t ask about movies, not wanting him to suddenly put her face to her real name. Finally they made it to the slice of cake in a plastic cake container that preserved the icing perfectly. Josh took off the lid and she stared at it, her mouth watering. Five layers with decadent chocolate ganache on top, chocolate icing between each layer.
Josh caught her eying the cake. “You can have it.”
“Oh no. We can share. There’s plenty for both of us.”
“You look like you want to inhale it.”
She grinned. “Personal trainers don’t eat much sugar.” Or actresses.
“We’ll do the intermediate trail after this to work it off.” He speared a forkful and offered it to her. She took it and closed her eyes, savoring the melt of chocolate, the bliss of pure pleasure.
Josh swore under his breath. Her eyes flew open. His expression was hungry. For her.
He reached across the table and slid off her sunglasses. “I want to see your eyes.”
And that was all he wanted. He didn’t lean across the table to her. Didn’t pull her in. A perfect gentleman, as promised.
She was suddenly annoyed at the gentleman act. Even though it was the main reason she felt comfortable being on the date in the first place.
“Go ahead and have some,” she said, pushing the cake toward him.
“I’d rather watch you enjoy it.” He pushed the plate back toward her.
“No, I’m good.”
“You want me to feed it to you?”
“Don’t be silly.” She refilled her wineglass and took a sip. He did the same and then he dug into the cake. He regularly offered her forkfuls, which she greedily took, closing her eyes in chocolate ecstasy each time.
As they drank, they got chattier, laughing about Mad and her crazy antics as a kid and what Claire knew of her from book club.
She leaned across the table and spoke in a confidential whisper. “She brought this crap tequila with a worm in it and then Hailey tried to make me eat it!” She felt pleasantly buzzed, good wine with good food and excellent company.
He grinned. “Mezcal. It’s a novelty and that worm was there solely for Mad’s amusement, trust me. She’s a bartender, she knows the good stuff.”
“Damn, you’re right. Sneaky chick.” She went to pour more wine and realized it was empty. She held up the bottle. “We finished it.”
“There’s another bottle,” he said, reaching down to the cooler. He stopped. “Maybe we shouldn’t have it since we have to drive home after this.”
“It’s no problem,” she said breezily. “I’ll call my driver.”
“You mean Uber?”
She quickly realized her mistake. “Yes. So handy, that service. Let’s drink. You can come back for your car tomorrow. I mean, if you don’t mind spending a little more time with me.”
“Not at all,” he said, his voice gravelly. Sparks of lust shot through her. She hadn’t been with a man in a year, by choice, but now…Josh was really doing it for her.
She looked around the empty clearing and had a brilliant idea. “We could have the wine and then camp here to sleep it off.” And sleep with each other.
Naked camping. She bit back a giggle.
His eyes widened. “Do they let you do that?”
She lifted her hands to the sky. “Let’s find out.”
“What about a tent?”
“We’ll rough it.” She never wanted to go back to civilization. She wanted to stay in this happy bubble until it inevitably popped. She grabbed the blanket from the bench next to her and held it up. “Shelter!”
She went to the grassy clearing and spread the blanket out. It was big enough for two people to sit on, but not big enough for them to sleep on, really. She lay down and her feet hung over the side, the grass tickling her ankles. She propped up on her elbows. “Bring the wine.”
He uncorked the wine and joined her, sitting cross-legged next to her. He filled both their glasses. She followed his gaze out to the horizon. The sun was dipping in the sky, streaks of orange and pink against blue. She sipped her wine and found herself studying his profile, the sharp lines of his cheekbones, his angular jaw with the hint of five o’clock shadow. His lips looked extremely kissable.
She set her wineglass in the grass, relaxed and uninhibited enough to make the first move. She stroked his jaw with her fingertips, feeling the rough stubble. “Anyone ever tell you how gorgeous you are?”
He put his hand on top of hers, clasping it warmly, and turned to gaze into her eyes. “Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?”
“All the time,” she answered honestly. Oops!
“Me too,” he said with a laugh. “That never gets old.”
She took his wineglass, set it down next to hers on the ground, and tucked her knees under her, drawing close to him. “I’m thinking about kissing you,” she whispered, her fingers sliding into the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
His warm hand cupped her cheek, a ghost of a smile playing over his lips. “I’m thinking that’s a good idea.”
She closed the distance, her lips brushing against his, bringing a jolt of heat. She pulled back for a moment, a little surprised at the jolt. His deep brown eyes matched her surprise, then morphed into raw desire. She launched herself at him, toppling them both over. The kiss was hot, hungry, out of control as they rolled on the blanket, limbs tangling together. Her hands were all over him, stroking across wide shoulders, down the hard planes of his back, their pelvises pressed together, filling her with an aching desperate need. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her on top of him, and kissed her some more. Deep, hot, wet kisses that sent her into a frenzy of want. Frustratingly, his hands had yet to roam on her. The gentleman thing suddenly got old.
She tore her mouth away, remembering he wanted clear consent. “Touch me.”
He didn’t need any more encouragement than that. He rolled on top of her, holding himself up on his forearms, and then his mouth claimed hers. He slid the strap of her tank to the side and smoothed a caress over her shoulder. She pushed the other strap down and felt her breasts spring free in the warm air. His hand cupped her breast, stroking lightly across the hard tip. She couldn’t get enough of him, his mouth, his hard body, his heat. She needed more. A lot more. She’d never ramped up with need like this. She wanted to strip down and have her way with him right now.
But before she could do more than grab his ass, he lifted his head and smacked the back of his neck. “As much as I’d love to keep kissing you, I’m getting feasted on by mosquitoes. I don’t think this camping idea is going to work.”
He got off her, stood, and smacked away mosquitoes in a bunch of places on his neck, arms, and legs. He’d protected her from them, covering her with his body. Whether it was intentional or not, it made her like him even more. Her makeup assistant, Kyra, would have a fit trying to cover a bunch of bug bites before filming. She spent half the movie naked or near-naked.
She slid the tank back in place and adjusted her bra, still turned on and not wanting the date to end. He held a hand out to help her up.
She grabbed his hand and stood. His gaze was hot and hungry, roaming from her eyes to her lips to her neck and breasts. Then back to her mouth. They slammed together again, his mouth hard and devouring, his hands firm on her hips. Her fingers dug into the soft cotton of the back of his shirt, his heat radiating through her. She wanted more, she wanted raw, she wanted real. Jenny Coleman could have that.
She broke the kiss and met his eyes. “I’m offering my consent.” She flushed. She’d never actually said anything like that out loud before. It felt like she was proclaiming her lust for him. But Hailey said that was what he wanted—an affirmation of desire and consent. And her lust was much stronger than any embarrassment over the necessary conversation.
His grip on her hips tightened. “Your consent?”
“You know,” she whispered, cheeks flaming. Dammit. Did Hailey just say that as a joke? Augh. The good news was his hand was now on her ass, pressing her firmly against his massive erection. She bit back a moan.
“For what exactly?” he asked.
Her eyes snapped to his. Wow. She didn’t think it would be this difficult. She wanted to be Jenny a little longer, and, more importantly, she wanted him. Like an inferno of gotta have it right now need. Clearly he wanted her too, but he seemed to really want all the gentleman words before they took this any further. She stifled a sigh. Did she really have to spell it out? She was squirming with embarrassment and lust, being held right up against his hard hot male body. He loosened his hold, his hands moving to her hips and then sliding up, spanning her ribs just shy of her aching, tingling breasts.
She sighed.
He tipped her chin up, his eyes warm and soft. “I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
Fine. He needed it spelled out in bold letters, then that was what she’d do. “Hailey says you need an affirmation of desire and consent.”
He cocked his head like he was listening, but maybe wasn’t following. He’d seemed so sharp before, his speech so intelligent and articulate. Did he really not understand?
A tickling of mortification went through her, shoving bold proclamations of lust out the window. Maybe this was—
He grabbed her unexpectedly around the waist, lifting her so they were chest to chest, eye to eye. “What’s all this about desire and consent?” he asked in a very serious tone.
“For sex,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Can’t get more clear than that.” He gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “Magic to my ears.”
She beamed. She’d got him. “Music.”
His dark brown eyes sparkled with good humor. “That too.”
“Can we go to your place? I have a roommate.”
“Let’s walk to town. There’s a few B&Bs there. Then we don’t have to worry about driving after all that wine.” A bed and breakfast! How quaint!
“Brilliant!” She floated in a haze back through the woods, Josh’s fingers entwined with hers. They kept bumping into each other, trying to walk so closely, or maybe that was her because she was a little tipsy. He stopped a bunch of times to kiss her again while she rubbed shamelessly against him.
He stowed the cooler in his car, and a short walk later, they crossed the pedestrian bridge over the river and onto the sidewalks of downtown Greenport. Josh assured her the B&B he had in mind was just a couple of blocks away. She waited outside a drugstore while he thoughtfully bought condoms, not wanting to be seen on any security cameras even in disguise.
He stepped out, bag in hand, gave her a quick kiss, and they continued on their journey to raw primal lust. A horrible thought occurred, one she couldn’t let slide. “Are you going to be a gentleman in the bedroom?”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Do you want me to be?”
“No!”
He chuckled. “I love how honest you are. You’re the real deal, Jenny.”
She swallowed. She wasn’t at all. He was the one who was the real deal—honest, down to earth, the kind of guy she would’ve been with back before she made it big.
But she could still be herself in the bedroom, she reasoned. As long as he didn’t know her real name. As long as it was dark. As long as he wasn’t a hair grabber. She couldn’t worry about that right now. This had to happen. It had been so long since she’d wanted anyone at all. She went up on tiptoe and whispered what she wanted to do to him. He grabbed her hand, practically running down the sidewalk, making her laugh.
He stopped, kissed her breathless, and then pulled her along to an adorable bed and breakfast. She wasn’t going to think about tomorrow or the next day. All she wanted was one raw passionate night.