Red Lines (4 page)

Damn, if he wasn’t thinking the same thing. He deposited her on one of the shower’s benches and pried the clothes off her skin, just as the water began to soak through the fabric. She sighed as the last bit of cotton covering her ended up in the corner of the white marble spa, sopping up water as if it was left out in a puddle of rain.

There was something both exotic and innocent about seeing Haven in his shower. She was his fresh start. His chance to break old habits. His chance to make amends for the lies he told. His chance to be the man he really wanted to be. Right now, all he wanted was to be a part of her.

“God, I want you,” he growled as he pulled her against him, water gliding between their bodies.

He hoisted her leg around his torso, gripping the smoothness of her skin. His eyes closed as he felt her warmth wrap around him. His knees almost buckled under the intensity, but the need to be a part of her, to feel all of her, drove him. Lightly, her hips rocked until she coaxed him against her.

“Say it. Say what you told me on the ferry,” she pleaded with him, her hands gripping hard against his shoulders.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The way her skin glistened under the water, the way her eyes bore into his soul. She was everything to him.

He had said it once this morning, and he would say it every time she wanted to hear it.

“I love you, Haven.”

She exhaled into his ear, and he had to brace himself with one hand on the glass shower wall. His fingers cleared long lines through the steam, giving him a striped view of their reflection in the mirror.

His lips descended on hers, swirling his tongue against her mouth, eager to taste her. With his hands clenching her bottom, he shifted her hips higher, and then drove deep inside. Filling her, claiming her, taking her as if she had always been his.

T
HE SUNLIGHT
smacked Evan in the face. He had forgotten to close the blinds last night. Granted, he had a good distraction. Haven nuzzled under his arm, strands of her auburn hair wisping over her shoulders.

He wasn’t sure what time her meeting was with Bruce, but he knew he couldn’t miss his appointment with his prospective new agent. Allan had done a number on him, and there was no way he was bringing someone else into the fold without completely vetting him first.

The new guy had high recommendations, but so did Allan and look where that got him.

It was the first morning in months he didn’t awaken to the sounds of crashing waves on the beach. Charlotte wouldn’t be outside parading in her leopard bikini, and Harry wouldn’t be setting up for a day of fishing on the shore. There was no doubt he would miss Silver Belle, but he had brought the perfect medicine home with him to ease back into ranch life.

Evan maneuvered out of the bed, careful not to disturb Haven. Yesterday had been a long day of travel, from the ferry ride, the drive to the airport, the flight, and then of course the extended shower tour. He smiled, watching her sleep. It was hard to believe she was here in Texas. Yet, at the same time, it felt right. She was supposed to be here in his bed.

He quietly closed the door behind him and jogged down the stairs. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt this happy at the ranch before. Corny as it sounded, every step felt lighter.

The kitchen was bright and smelled like coffee. God, he had missed being home.

“Good morning, Mr. Carlson. I have coffee and was planning on making fresh omelets for you and Miss Haven.” Lenny stood behind the kitchen island, a clean white apron starched against his chest.

“Good morning. Coffee sounds good.” Evan straddled a bar stool, watching the cook work. The paper was lined up near an empty coffee mug. “I’ll wait for Haven to have breakfast.”

He shook the paper open and flipped to the entertainment section. There he and Haven were. Front page of the
Austin Pop
page.

Carlson home with new love interest

He scanned the article. He had only given a few quotes, and Haven had remained silent through the maze of reporters. It wasn’t the Texas greeting he wanted for her. He shook the page, urging the paper to stand tall so he could finish reading.

Evan Carlson, Hollywood heartthrob and star of America’s favorite movies, is starring in his own real-life drama. Spotted at the airport last night with a new leading lady on his arm, the well-known bachelor returned home for the first time since April. Speculation continues to grow whether he will star in
Red Lines
with Emmy Harper, his ex and the film’s most popular choice for the role.

“Dammit.” He folded the paper in half.

“Everything all right, sir?” Lenny filled the mug with dark coffee, so dark Evan wondered if he had added something to it.

“Yes, just press. You know how it is.” He pulled the sports page from the center. There had to be something better to read than this shit.

“Yeah, we’ve had a few reporters at the gate over the summer, but nothing we couldn’t handle.” Lenny paused. “I think there’s a crew out this morning. You might want to call up at the gate.”

“What do you mean ‘a crew’?” The coffee was hot, but he liked whatever brew it was.

“Looks like they camped out last night. I haven’t talked to Bud, but it’s the press for sure.”

“Dammit.” Evan pulled his phone from his pocket. It had been awhile since paparazzi had followed him to the ranch. There was a reason the house was in the center of two hundred acres. “Hey, Bud, what’s the situation at the gate?”

The man he had hired to run the ranch security two years ago cleared his throat before giving him the rundown. “I’d say there are about seven camera crews—not too big—and they are staying on the other side of the road so not much I can do about it.”

“Good. Good.” Evan chewed over the information. “No one tried to cross the fence?”

“Nope. They’d get a pretty good shock if they tried.” Bud laughed a deep, hearty laugh. Evan had always liked Bud. He was more like a character you might see on the
Dukes of Hazard
than a top Jason Bourne agent, but he was from this part of Texas and Evan liked that about his head of security. Bud knew the land, he knew the people in town, and he knew how to set up obstacles that had managed to keep prying eyes off the property. That’s all that mattered.

“Keep me posted if anything changes.”

“Will do, sir. And by the way, good to have you home.”

“Thanks, Bud.” Evan shoved the phone in his pocket and resumed his seat on the stool.

Haven shuffled into the kitchen, her hair piled high on her head, Evan’s T-shirt draping off her shoulder.

“Hey, darlin’.” He smiled, hoping she hadn’t heard any of the briefing he had exchanged with Bud.

“Hey.”

“Good morning. Can I get you some coffee?” Lenny seemed eager to make Haven comfortable, a gesture Evan appreciated considering all they had dealt with in the past twenty-four hours.

“Yes, coffee. Thank you.” She nodded then wrapped her arms around Evan’s shoulders.

He wished Lenny wasn’t here, and that the kitchen was quiet and vacant so they could be alone and talk about last night. Or pick things up where they started on the counter. However, he couldn’t dismiss the cook in front of Haven; that would only make things more awkward.

He squeezed her palm instead and pulled out the stool next to him. “How’d you sleep?”

He noticed the crimson on her cheeks and the blue flare in her eyes. “Good.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I like your bed,” she whispered.

“I like you in it.” He leaned toward her ear, his lips brushing against the bottom lobe.

“How does a bacon and cheese omelet sound?” Lenny hovered near them on the other side of the sprawling island.

“Sure, man. Two omelets.” Evan spun on the stool, his knee pinning the outside of Haven’s leg next to his. It was hard to be this close to her and not touch her how he wanted.

She reached for the paper. “Any news?”

His instinct was to grab it from her and toss it in the recycling bin, but what would that do? If they were going to survive the hounds, they would need to do it together and that meant sharing more with her than he ever had before.

“Actually, we made the
Pop
page.” He unfolded the section and laid the paper flat so she could read the headline. He searched her face for a reaction.

“
Red Lines
? So that’s really a thing? You might be in
Red Lines
?”

What the hell? That’s what she took away from their picture?

“No, I’m not planning on it.”

“But did you finish reading it?” She looked serious. “How far did you get in the book on the flight?”

He scratched his head. “I’ve got a few chapters left, not much.”

“And you seriously don’t want to be in it? It’s huge. Huger than huge.” She smiled at Lenny as he placed a hot cup of coffee in front of her.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of taking a break.” He mumbled the last part. He wasn’t comfortable discussing his hiatus from acting in front of one of the staff. Nondisclosure agreement or not, he didn’t like taking a chance.

“Hmm.” Haven twisted her lips. “But it’s hot. It’s
Red Lines
.”

“Yeah, it is.” He had tried to focus on the plot when he read it and figure out the cult fascination with the story, but it was hard to ignore the pure sexuality of the book. He knew why women were insane over it. A millionaire playboy with a kinky sex fetish that drove women to toe-curling screams. Yeah, he got it.

“Here you go.” Lenny delivered two piping hot omelets with sides of fruit and two glasses of orange juice. “Let me know if you need anything else.” He hung his apron on a hook and walked toward his apartment.

“Thanks, Lenny,” Haven called after him. She took a bite of the omelet, cheese oozing off her fork, bits of bacon crumbling on the plate. “I can’t believe you have someone who cooks for you. You know this is unreal.”

“I guess maybe it is.” He popped a grape in his mouth and thought about the breakfasts he had in Silver Belle. For the first few weeks, beer was his breakfast staple, but eventually he moved into more of the basic food groups.

It was nice to have to take care of himself, cook his own meals, even do his own laundry, but he wasn’t about to downsize the ranch staff. He was reminded during the summer of who he really was. The simple things in life helped clear his head, but he was back in reality. This was part of Hollywood ranch life. And he enjoyed it.

“So back to the movie. What’s holding you back?” Haven asked.

“The break, remember? I’m trying to ease out of the spotlight, not jump back in it.”

“Right. You’re going to disappear again? Find another island?” she teased.

He chuckled. “No, that kind of break is over. I have too many responsibilities to keep that charade up, but I don’t know if getting involved with another film is such a good idea. Thought I could focus on my foundation, maybe hang at the ranch, maybe help a pretty girl write some music.” He winked.

“I don’t know anything about your foundation.” Her forehead crinkled. “It’s one of those things you never mentioned.”

He felt a sharp stab in his chest. There were so many things he had kept from her as Jay Grady, the fictitious writer. The secrets were over. He wouldn’t keep things from her again.

“Well, the foundation is a pretty big deal to me. I wish I could take all the credit, but it was my sister’s idea. She runs it, but I’m still the ultimate decision-maker, and I have to make appearances from time to time.”

“But what is it? What does it do?”

He smiled. The foundation was one of his proudest accomplishments. Although, few people knew it existed. If only it got the same amount of attention as what he ate for lunch.

“It helps kids from underprivileged families get involved in sports. We pair them up with mentors and coaches. Help them buy gear that they need, practice, work on homework. All that stuff. It’s unbelievable. Really, the best thing I’ve ever done.” He paused, remembering the last time he threw passes with a group of sixth graders. “When I get a chance to spend time with the kids, it makes all this work seem worthwhile.”

She turned toward him with a smile. “It sounds amazing. I can’t believe you have that on top of everything else. You have a lot going on, Mr. Movie Star. And all this time I thought your biggest problem was screwing up the kayak rentals.”

“Hey, that only happened once. And I think it was only my second day. You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

“No, never.”

His phone rang and Evan looked down to see Bud’s number pop up. “Hey, Bud, something wrong?”

“Just thought you would want to know the crew numbers have almost tripled. We went from seven to twenty.”

“What the hell? Why?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

It was the first time since Evan had fired Allan that he missed the guy. He might have been a snake, but he could scour news reports and had more sources than Evan could fathom. Too bad he still hadn’t interviewed the new guy.