Seth peered out the glass doors, his eyes resting on the TV van. “I can’t let you do that. I said we’d be discreet. We’ll make it happen.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and Heather could tell he was trying to come up with another solution.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Janice leaving the principal’s office. “Let’s ask Janice to help us,” Heather said to Seth as she waved the director over.
Heather explained their situation to Janice, leaving out the bit that she and Seth were on a date. Having worked long enough with celebrities in the Urban Arts program, Janice understood and agreed to help.
The three of them walked out together. As Seth got in the truck and pulled away, Heather stopped to answer a few questions for the cameras, hoping if she gave a little now they’d leave her alone as she and Janice drove away.
“Will they follow us?” Janice asked as they climbed into her Copper Prius.
“Not usually if it’s the local news, like these trucks seem to be. It’s the unmarked paparazzi that get crazy. They’re the ones selling the story to the highest bidder so they try to make the story as good as possible.” Heather looked over her shoulder as she put on her belt, surmising the interest of the media. The TV crew was already loading the camera in the back of the truck and the other photographers were chatting with no sign of rushing off. “I think we’ll be safe.”
Janice drove out of the parking lot and turned the opposite direction Seth had, making a wide circle before turning back to the road Seth had pointed out as the meeting place. They were in luck—no one followed.
It seemed like hours passed before they were parked and Heather was out of the car and stepping into the truck, waving goodbye to the Urban Arts Director.
And then she was exactly where she wanted to be. Alone with Seth.
Thank Christ that his truck had tinted windows, because the Prius wasn’t even out of sight and Seth couldn’t stop himself from pulling Heather across the bench and into his arms. He had to have his hands on her, couldn’t spend another minute without touching her. The morning had been long and good-for-the soul but it had also been hard-on-the-dick, his desire for her a pleasant ache that never eased.
Her mouth opened in a soft gasp as he moved in on her, and he took it as an invitation for his tongue, sliding it into the moist warmth between her lips. His hand twisted in her hair as their tongues tangled around each other, teasing and tasting, stroking and sucking. His other hand palmed her breast, each squeeze eliciting a breathy moan from Heather’s throat that he gladly swallowed with his kiss. Damn she was sexy. So sexy he could barely see straight. So sexy that she overwhelmed him entirely.
With unimaginable determination, he pulled away, and gazed down on her. Her face was flushed and her chest rose and fell in quick short breaths.
“Don’t stop,” she murmured, her eyes still pinned on his lips.
“There is nothing more that I want to do than keep kissing you, princess.” His thumb traced her jawline. “But I will not be able to stop with kisses. And though fucking you in my truck sounds incredible, it’s not on the agenda.”
“Screw agendas.”
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “There is screwing on the agenda.” He let his teeth bite down on her sensitive lobe, his cock twitching at her sexy moan. Then he reached over her, pulled her seatbelt across her, and latched it before scooting to his place behind the wheel. “Just not here. Not yet.”
She groaned. “Oh my God, I’ve already waited a lifetime.”
Seth put the truck in drive and pulled out onto the road, glancing furtively for any stray media. “I would have come to you anytime last week. All you had to—”
“—do is ask,” she finished with him. “I know, I know. I was being stupid.”
He scowled at her self-admonishment.
“I’m not being hard on myself, Seth. I’m being honest. I didn’t think you could handle my baggage.”
“I can.”
“I see that now. I’m sorry you had to go through the things you did, but I’m sort of glad too. Because I know you get it, even though I didn’t give you credit. It wasn’t personal. I don’t ever think anyone can handle my baggage.”
She turned in her seat so she could face him head on. “Which is really what I meant when I said it feels like I’ve waited a lifetime. I didn’t just mean this week or this morning—I meant I’ve literally spent my whole life waiting for someone to call me out and pull me in all at the same time. Does that make any sense?”
“It does.” While he relished the serious timbre of their conversation, Seth wanted their date to be fun. Heather had enough serious in her existence. “And I’m more than happy to pull out and push in whenever you need it.”
She laughed a whole-hearted belly laugh that made him wish the crotch of his pants had more stretch. “That’s not what I said, you perv.”
“Hmm. Guess I wasn’t listening close enough.” He swept a look along the sides of the highway, half intent on finding a place to pull over and put sex earlier on the agenda. But he could be patient. She was worth the wait, every time. “We have a little over an hour before we get to our destination. You can pick a station if you want. Or we can talk.”
“And if I ask where we’re going?”
“I won’t tell you.”
She stuck out her lower lip in a sexy pout that brought naughty images to his mind caused him to adjust himself for the millionth time that day. Think of puppies, he told himself. And nuns. Nuns with puppies.
“And if I insist?”
“I’m pretty sure any method of persuasion you might use would be considered dangerous when I’m driving a moving vehicle.”
“Then I’ll just have to accept that I’m going to be surprised.”
It startled him that she gave in so easily, but more than that, it pleased him that she would, again, give her trust over to him. His chest tightened at all that it implied. Even thoughts of nuns with puppies couldn’t stop the warmth from spreading from his center to his outer limbs. It felt like sitting in the sun, like finishing a good workout. Like falling in love.
At the edges of the warmth, darkness threatened to cloud his spirits with a reality he didn’t want to face. The truth that he had lied to her—was lying to her about what he did for a living. That he’d gone to great lengths to keep the truth hidden from her. It was a darkness that could end them and whatever they had together.
“I need to go over my lines for tomorrow in my head. Do you mind if I zone out over here for a bit?”
She drew him out of his momentary spiral of emotion, distracting him from the guilt of his deceit. But the sweet heated feeling remained. It was in his bones now, becoming a constant. Because of her. He needed to put the brakes on. It was too fast—he was falling too fast.
He swallowed, grateful that she couldn’t read his thoughts. “Zone away.” The quiet might do him good as well, might help him get hold of his feelings.
Zone out turned into softly snores within ten minutes. Seth glanced at her curled up against the door, her face pressed against the passenger window. Even in an entirely unattractive position with a bead of drool resting at the corner of her mouth, she looked beautiful. Stunning, in fact. As it happened every time he looked at her, Seth was surprised at how struck with Heather he was. Completely and entirely struck.
There wasn’t any use trying to slow it down—he’d already fallen.
Which was why he had to come clean. Today. He’d tell her today, on the car ride. After she woke up.
But Heather slept the entire drive, not even waking when Seth pulled the truck into the campground he’d set up earlier that day. He couldn’t tell her now. That would ruin the whole afternoon. Later, then. He’d tell her before the date was over.
Leaning over her, he kissed her forehead. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”
“Another princess reference?” Heather stretched and rubbed at her eyes before looking out the window. Her brows creased. �
�Where are we?”
Seth hadn’t been sure how Heather would react to his chosen date spot, but he suspected she might be less than crazy about it. “Indylwood Camp in the San Gabriel Mountains,” he said, watching her closely. “We’re just below Mount Wilson.”
“I’m sorry, but that means pretty much nothing to me.”
“Not a camper? Why doesn’t this surprise me?” He opened the door and climbed out of the truck, then walked around to Heather’s door to help her down.
“Holy shit, Seth!” she exclaimed as she surveyed the campsite. He hadn’t really done much—he’d pitched a tent, set up a hammock, put out camp furniture, and brought a large grill, which he’d left chained to a tree.
Her smile told him the work was worth it. “And I was complaining about being up early on our day off. What time did you have to get up to do all this?”
Seth shrugged. “Early.”
“I have to say, tool boy, you give good paparazzi-free date.” Her eyes scanned the tent again. “I, uh, can’t sleep here. I have to be on set by seven a.m.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, there was disappointment in her voice. Hell if he didn’t feel that way too. What sort of heaven would that be—spending all night in the outdoors with the woman that he…with Heather? It would be paradise.
But all night wasn’t in the plans, not this time. “The tent isn’t for sleeping.”
Her mouth curled up into a sly grin. “Then what’s it for?”
“What do you think?”
She blushed and he thought he might have to forgo grilling the chicken he’d brought and devour her instead. Her cheeks, her lips, so luscious and pink. She looked delicious.
He tore his eyes from her and unloaded the cooler from the back of the truck. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Good. Come. Sit.” He led her to a reclining camp chair that had a footrest. It was a little cushy for his version of camping, but he’d bought it for her. Hopefully it would have more than a one-time use.
After she was comfortable, the sun to her back and a wine cooler in her hand, he started up the grill. He could feel her eyes on him as he worked. Her eyes were on him when around them Mother Nature displayed awe-inspiring beauty in a mixture of dark and light green foliage and a vibrant blue sky.
Maybe she didn’t appreciate the outdoors like he did, but she wasn’t bitching. And could he really complain if she was more interested in watching him? Wasn’t he more interested in gazing at her?
“You cook?” She sounded impressed.
“I grill.” From the cooler, he pulled out the chicken breast he’d marinated overnight. “That’s about the extent of my cooking skills.”
“Well, nobody’s perfect.”
“Except you.”
Her grin was intoxicating. “Right. Except me.”
They spent the next forty minutes in easy conversation as Seth grilled chicken and vegetables and sliced strawberries. The site didn’t have a picnic table—the weather worn wood seats sucked shit as far as comfort anyway—so they sat at his camp table and enjoyed the meal.
“It’s good to see you eat.”
“I eat,” Heather exclaimed around a mouthful of food.
“Whatever. You’re skin and bones. And breasts.” Beautiful full round breasts that pressed tightly against her low-cut tank top. He was having those for dessert.
“Glad you noticed.” As if anyone couldn’t.
She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and sat back in her chair, her hands on her belly.
Now, he told himself. Tell her now. It was the perfect opportunity—the conversation had lulled, they’d been fed, they were comfortable.
But she broke the silence before he did. “So why here?”
“The mountains? I love the mountains. It’s home away from home.”
“I can see why. It’s peaceful. That’s hard to find these days.” He watched as she took in her surroundings, delighted that he was the cause of her relaxed features. “And why this campground? Indylwood Trail, was it? Is it special?”
He took a swallow of his beer and stretched a leg out to tangle with hers. “That it is. First, it’s not used much for camping. We’ll see some hikers go by, but this camp spot is far enough away that I figured we’d get the privacy we were looking for.” And they had gotten privacy, not seeing anyone since they’d arrived.
“And why else?”
He raised a questioning brow.
“You said ‘first’ which implies there are other reasons.”
“There is. One other reason, anyway.” He reached over and grabbed her hand, then pulled her into his lap. With his face pressed next to hers and his arms wrapped around her, he pointed in the distance. “See that tree line over there? It borders private land—some of the only private land you can find up here since the National Forest owns most of it. I’d love to buy a piece of it someday, build a cabin that overlooks the river.”
“Why don’t you do it?” He felt her wince after she said it, probably realizing that a lead carpenter didn’t make that kind of money.
But I’m not really a carpenter, I’m a Production Designer. He imagined himself saying it, telling her at that moment, the words on the tip of his tongue. He’d tell her that money wasn’t the issue.
Except when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
He chickened out and instead focused on her question—why didn’t he buy the land? He’d dreamed and planned building on Mount Wilson for years. More than once, he’d gathered the money and the papers he needed to make the purchase, but he always stopped before going through with the deal. It wasn’t that he doubted the decision, though owning a cabin in the San Gabriel Mountains was a definite risk. Fires spread easily through the area and finding someone willing to insure any buildings was near impossible.
That wasn’t what made Seth hesitate. If his cabin burned down, he’d just rebuild it. It would be awful, but not devastating. No, the thing that halted him every time was the dream was missing a crucial element—a companion. That was why the closest he’d ever come to buying the land was when he was with Erica. Then, after she left… He didn’t want to build a cabin only to spend time alone in the beautiful mountains. What was the point? He wanted someone who would want to stay there with him, who would have input on his design, where the bathrooms should go and how big the closets needed to be. He wanted to sit on his own back porch with a woman he loved and look out over the grounds while their children played hide and seek in the forest brush. Without the woman, the dream was meaningless.
But right at that moment, his usual reluctance was absent. Perhaps it was because he realized he was getting older. Time was slipping by and if he wanted to have a cabin built while he was still young enough to have kids, he should get working on it.
Or perhaps it was because for the first time since Erica left, he actually thought he might have found the type of woman he wanted to build a cabin with. Not the type of woman, but the woman.
“I will do it,” Seth said. “Someday.” Maybe someday soon.
“I bet you will.” She settled into him, and he breathed in her orange scent mixed with the piney fragrance of the outdoors. “I can imagine it—a haven just outside the city. No fans, no cameras. I don’t know why I never thought of spending time up here.”
“Because there’s also no running hot water.”
She jabbed her elbow playfully into his ribs. “Whatever.”
He grabbed her hands, holding them so she couldn’t jab him again. She struggled, giggling, trying to free herself. But she was no match for his strength. She gave up, relaxing her head back onto his shoulder and sighed.
He kissed along her neck, and she rolled her head to open up for him as if she wanted his mouth on her as much as he did.
“Your cabin will have hot water though. I hope I still know you when you build it. I’d love to visit.”
An unexpected weight dropped into his stomach at the thought of her not being around. It was
that weight, that heaviness that prevented him from telling her his secret. Because he wasn’t ready to lose her and his truth might alienate her completely.
He knew then that he wouldn’t tell her. Not that day, anyway. He needed more time. He needed to be sure she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Then he could tell her.
Brushing his nose against her jaw, he said, “You better still know me when I build that cabin. I’m getting awfully attached.”
She twisted her head to face him. “Are you really?”
“I am. Really.”
She turned more into him and he released her so she could cup his face. “I’ve gotten attached to you too.” It was a whisper, barely a spark of confidence behind it, but it only took a spark to start a fire. He’d take it. If that was all she ever had to offer, he’d take it.
He leaned in to claim her mouth, the plump lips that had teased him all afternoon. Just before his mouth met hers, she said, “Even though you made me rough it today.”
“Oh, princess, you haven’t seen rough yet.”
Then he showed her rough, crushing her to him and burrowing his tongue into her mouth. He loved the feel of her tongue gliding against his. He captured it, sucking before he bit into the tender skin. She mewled and the sexy sound fueled his desire. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her with the intensity he planned to use when he buried his cock inside her later. Soon. Real soon at the rate that he was thickening and hardening below.
Heather twisted in his lap to straddle him and ground her pelvis into his crotch, pressing her tits into his chest. She was not helping the situation. He needed more of her. Now.
Moving his arms to cradle her ass, he stood. Without missing a beat, she wrapped her legs around him. Jesus, she fit him perfectly, lining up with him just so. He could fuck her like this, moving up against a tree or his truck when his legs weakened.
But it was midday and she was a celebrity and even though they’d seen no one so far, that could change at any moment. He carried her instead toward the tent, not breaking their kiss until they reached the opening. With reluctance, he set her down and held open the flap for her.