“Is there a place we can go for breakfast and coffee? I missed out on both, and you know how I feel about airplane food.”
Hugo a born and bred Chicagoan. His auburn hair was always styled perfectly, and he went to the gym four times a week. He liked clothes, and they sat well on him. People loved Hugo, and he could talk anyone into anything.
They’d met in college. Hugo had been an outstanding hurdler, but he’d not had the competitive instinct Luna had, so he’d quit. But when Luna had her career-ending injury, he’d been the first one to visit her. It had been he who’d convinced her to pursue modeling.
“I was just about to get food and coffee. Come on, I’ll show you the town.”
“Do I want to see the town?”
“Don’t be a snob, Hugo. This place is awesome.”
“All right, and I want a full accounting of what happened and why you were rubbing oil on a man’s ass when to my knowledge, you barely date.”
They collected his room key and handed over his luggage. She saw the camera and the man behind it as she stepped out of the lodge. Simon Nicks.
“Is that vermin behind those photos?” Hugo asked out the side of his mouth.
“Of course he is, but I’ll tell you more later,” Luna whispered.
Hugo put a wide smile on his face. Simon ignored him and zeroed in on Luna.
“Luna, I hear you’ve been eating chocolate.”
“Hi, Simon. You here on vacation too?”
“I could be convinced. You got room in your bed?”
And therein lay the root of their relationship, or lack thereof. The man was a gorgeous, no getting around that. Although, his face looked pale today, and he had dark smudges beneath his eyes. But his blond hair was styled perfectly, and he was dressed to highlight what he had, but he wasn’t her type. He thought every woman should worship him, and most nights he was found at some high-end party high on something. He’d cornered Luna at a Gala and told her they’d be good together. He’d then tried to force himself on her. She’d kneed him in the groin. Since that night, he’d stalked her, waiting for a photo opportunity that would make him money and shatter her reputation.
Hugo laughed. “Luna is really picky about who she chooses to sleep with.”
“Not what I’ve heard,” Simon said.
“Well, we all know you don’t ever base anything on fact, now don’t we, Simon,” Luna said. She was confident he didn’t know about Nash and that he was likely just fishing, but she would make sure things stayed that way.
“Nice town,” he said, letting the insult pass him by. “The locals are friendly and really accommodating.”
“Not your usual place. You short on cash again, Simon?” Hugo said.
“I enjoy this kind of work, especially if I get what I came for.”
“And what would that be?” Hugo asked.
“Funny how you had to leave Chicago to get mugged,” Simon said.
Luna felt Hugo tense, but he kept it together. She’d not told him about the attack.
“Hilarious. Taken any more photos of people at their most vulnerable so you can make a living?” Luna said in a conversational tone. “That seems to be your thing after all, Simon.”
He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“My editor thought a nice photo of you in nature would be good for the magazine.”
“What’s it been? Five, maybe six years, and you haven’t got any dirt on Luna yet. A few photos at a bachelorette party don’t really add up to that now, do they, Simon? In fact, they just make Luna seem real. Maybe you should move on. But then we both know this is more about you than her, don’t we,” Hugo said.
His handsome face didn’t twitch.
Luna had played nice with this guy long enough; she was done. “We both know you don’t like that I turned you down with that knee to your groin all those years ago, Simon.”