“It’s not, but, well, there’s been some bad publicity lately, so the studio’s been contemplating sending me. As kind of a goodwill thing. It’s, ah, the week after next, I think.”
She laughed. “You sound like you’d rather be tarred and feathered.”
“I just might.” Since I’d gone this far, I took it one step further. “If I go, they’ll send along someone to assist with flights, the fans, and all that. If I have to go, will you go with me?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “There’s no way in hell I’d miss seeing that.”
“Great.” Amazingly, something good had come out of this extremely mortifying conversation.
When we got back to the set, I hopped out to unlock the door to the garage, and Ronnie smoothly pulled the Camaro into its space. Then I locked up and we walked in silence over to my pickup truck. I opened the passenger door and waited until she hopped in. Then I looked up at her—it was weird that her face was an inch or two higher than mine. She shifted sideways so that her legs hung off the seat.
I didn’t really want this morning to end. It was the first time we’d really hung out. The first time we’d truly talked.
When I couldn’t think of anything to say, Ronnie smiled at me, her tone light. “So, first we tour Utah, then next—possibly—Iowa. You know how to take a girl to all the hotspots.”
I didn’t smile. I didn’t respond. I just stared into her eyes, unable to look away. “Ronnie, I…” My voice trailed off but my hand rose into the air of its own accord. I cupped her cheek, reveling in how smooth and soft her skin felt. “Ronnie, I… ”
She reached out and snagged a finger around the neckline of my shirt. She gave a tug and that was all the invitation I needed. I leaned in and my blood pounded when she closed her eyes—and closed the distance between us. My lips met hers and her arm looped around my neck, pulling me closer.
Her skin, her warmth, her scent—it was all intoxicating as I took her mouth. Without conscious thought, I moved forward, her legs spreading to either side until I was between them. Now I could feel the heat from her body and could plunge my hand into that thick, glossy hair.
She moaned, a sound from deep in her throat that made my balls ache. She tasted sweet, like the bite of syrupy pancakes she’d stolen from my plate, and I couldn’t get enough of her. I teased my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.
Eventually, she pulled back. She had to—otherwise I would never have stopped. I’d been dreaming about her all week, ever since I first saw her on that dusty road. My first thought had been extreme gratitude that Ford had pushed her out of the way. My second thought was, good God, she was beautiful. And everything I’d learned about her since then had made her more attractive to me.
I eased back, releasing her hair and letting my hand fall to her thigh, stroking softly as I pulled away. My voice was low and rumbly when I spoke. “Ronnie, I—”
“I know,” she said softly. “I had a good time, too.”
13
Ronnie
Given all the strife during the week, the rest of the weekend was fairly relaxing and trauma free. I went running with Ford Sunday morning. Sunday evening, I watched a movie in the living room with him and Tanner. At first, I sat in the exact middle of the long sofa between them, but as I relaxed, stretched, and got comfortable, I ended up more on Tanner’s side, so I rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me, but otherwise focused on the movie.
I was glad to see that he hadn’t read too much into our kiss. It had been amazing, but to me, at least, it was a beautiful way to wrap a lovely morning. The fact that I’d even wanted to kiss one of my stepbrothers still astounded me, and I needed time to deal with the feelings that brought up before I considered trying for more.
Ford glanced at us from time to time but didn’t comment on our proximity. However, halfway through the movie, he patted his lap and I put my bare feet across his legs. His talented hands went to work, and after that, I didn’t care about the movie anymore.
Toward the end, Aiden appeared. I didn’t know where he’d been—in his room, maybe? He took a long look at the three of us but didn’t comment on the fact that I was draped over them. I didn’t really care if it bothered him—I was too damn comfortable to consider moving.
When the movie was over, I figured I’d go upstairs and send some email, but the men suddenly turned into movie critiques. Aiden complained about some poor acting choices, Tanner mentioned how a stunt double looked nothing like the actor he was supposed to portray, and Ford pointed out various ways that the fight scenes had been unrealistic.