“Thanks for bringing the food. I didn’t think about that.”
“You’re welcome. I figured you wouldn’t. You probably have people who normally take care of that kind of stuff for you.”
He smirked. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Without the breeze, the sun beat down on us. Beau took his tee shirt off and wiped his brow, revealing that gorgeous, tan chest of his. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The view around us was beautiful, but I could see it any day. Beau’s naked chest was something special. I wanted to take my own shirt off to cool off, but I couldn’t compete with his beauty.
“What’s it like, being insanely wealthy? I suppose you have days like this all the time.”
Mom and I never had money for frivolous things, and she couldn’t afford to take much time off, either. Besides wanting the attention that came from fame, I longed for the freedom not to worry about money.
“You know, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I mean, sure, it’s nice to have the money to do whatever you want, but it takes more and more to excite you. Luxury becomes commonplace when you have it all the time. Life seems kind of meaningless when all you do is look for pleasure. I went into acting for something to do, but what’s the point? I don’t care about the fame; I don’t need the money.”
“So why don’t you do something different? Use your time and money to do some good instead of wasting it?” I felt guilty as soon as I said it. I was one to talk. I was taking advantage of him for my own gain. But our situations were totally different. I couldn’t relate to his situation at all.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Look around. I’m sure there’s all kinds of things you could do to help others. Write a big check for something.”
“My parents gave to charity, but it was always at some big social event, like they were buying status instead of helping the needy.”
His admission perked my interest. Maybe there were skeletons in his closet I could get him to reveal. I turned my body towards him and put on a sympathetic face. “It sounds like you didn’t think too highly of your parents.”
Beau scowled. “All they cared about was their image. It wasn’t enough to be rich, they had to impress everyone. They never did anything unless they thought someone was watching.”
“They must’ve been proud of you for becoming a movie star.”
He shook his head and stared out at the shoreline. “Nothing I did was ever good enough for them. I gave up trying to impress them a long time ago.”
Was that the reason he acted so wild, trying to get attention any way he could? It made me feel sorry for him. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized he wasn’t the person I thought he was.
After a few moments, he turned back towards me with a softer look on his face. “Tell me about your family. They’re probably nicer than mine.”
I stiffened, hesitant to reveal anything about myself that might give away the truth. He noticed.
“Come on, Cara. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
I let out a slow breath. At least he didn’t suspect I was lying to him. I supposed I could tell him a little bit.
“It’s just my mom and me. My dad ran off when I was a baby. Mom works as a waitress at the diner in town. She’s never been very proud of me, either.” I didn’t know why I said that last part. I’m not sure I’d ever admitted it out loud before.
“So we do have something in common.” He reached out and took my hand, making my heart stop.
I stared, wide-eyed, at our joined fingers till he let go of me and my pulse restarted. What was happening? It was a comforting, friendly touch, nothing more. I was supposed to be digging up dirt on Beau, not falling for him! I had to find out something terrible about Beau Bennett before I lost my heart to him.
Chapter 7
Beau
I knew as soon as I touched her that I’d blown it. We were having such a great time, but when I took her hand, she stiffened up like I had attacked her. Her mood changed after that. She seemed colder, more distant. I knew she meant to push me away, but it only made me more curious about her.
Not to sound conceited, but most women were thrilled when I showed them attention. But Cara always held back. It made me more determined to win her over.
I hadn’t had that much fun in who knows how long. All we did was take a simple boat ride, not even on a yacht, but Cara’s enjoyment was contagious. There was something about her that beguiled me, even though she was just a small-town maid. I could talk to her in a way I couldn’t talk to anyone else in my life. She challenged me, but I liked it.
I didn’t want the fun to end, so after a few moments of strained silence, I stood up, gave her a sly smile, then dived off the boat into the water. Cara shrieked and jumped up then leaned over the edge of the boat to look for me.
I bobbed to the surface, slicked my wet hair back, and grinned at her. “Come on in, the water’s fine!”
She flicked her eyes back and forth between me and the water a few times, biting her lip. Finally, she said, “Turn around.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it!”
I had no idea what was going through her head, but I really wanted to lighten the tension between us, so I did what she asked, turning my back to her and treading water as I waited for whatever she was planning to do. A moment later, she splashed into the water behind me.
“Can I turn around now?” I asked as soon as I heard her pop up.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
I twisted back around to face her. “What was that about?”
Her cheeks reddened, and she shook her head. I glanced down, trying to see her body through the water, but I couldn’t make it out. On impulse, I dived down to look at her.
She wore a two-piece, aqua blue, halter top bathing suit that flattered her figure and didn’t reveal any obvious defects. She wasn’t model thin like most of the celebrities I knew, but she had a nice, feminine shape. I stayed down there for a few seconds longer than necessary, admiring it, wishing I could touch her, till my lungs protested.
“What were you doing?” She gasped as soon as my head broke the surface.
“Checking you out.” I smirked unapologetically.
She slashed water towards me. “What? Why?!”
I shrugged. “I wanted to see what you were hiding. You look fine to me. I didn’t notice any deformities. Why didn’t you want me to see you jump in?”
“No deformities. Thanks.” She rolled her eyes and tried to wrap her arms around her body, but it was too hard for her to hold them like that and keep her balance.
I moved closer and dared to touch her shoulder. “I didn’t mean it like that. I think you look great. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She gave a small smile and dropped her eyes. I wanted more than anything to reach out and take her by the waist, pull her close to me, but I was afraid that would scare her off. Instead, I laid back and let myself float for a minute, giving her a chance to relax.
Eventually, she did the same. We floated side by side for several minutes, looking up at the puffy clouds and the birds flying in formation overhead. “This is so peaceful. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.”
She sighed. “Yeah, me neither.”
After a while, our bodies started to float apart. I reached out a hand towards hers, just barely brushing her fingertips, then turned to look at her. I knew I might ruin the mood again, but I couldn’t resist.
“You know, otters sleep on their backs like this, and they hold hands so they don’t drift away from each other. Maybe we should do that.”
She looked back at me and smirked, but then her fingers curled, the tips gripping mine. I stretched closer and laced my fingers through hers. Our bodies still wanted to spread apart, though, so eventually I lifted our clasped hands towards my body and rested them on my abdomen. The move put her shoulder and hip right next to mine. She gave me a curious look but didn’t pull her hand away.
Her head was so close to mine, her face so sweet and beautiful, I desperately wanted to kiss her. I didn’t dare, though. I wasn’t sure what she felt for me, but I knew she wasn’t ready for that. Was it because she wasn’t attracted to me? That was hard to believe; everyone else was. Maybe she didn’t trust me because of my playboy reputation.
It was true; I jumped from one woman to the next, always looking for something better and never finding it. Maybe the problem was that I kept dating the same kind of woman. Maybe I needed to try someone completely different. Someone like Cara. But could I convince her to give me a chance?
I wanted to tell her everything I was thinking and feeling, but I didn’t want to scare her off. I’d have to go a lot slower with her than I did with most women. She wasn’t like them, and I didn’t want her to be.
When I couldn’t stand the temptation any longer, I pulled myself upright and said, “We should go waterskiing. What do you think?”
She jerked and righted herself. “I have no idea how to waterski. And we don’t have any skis.”
“We could probably rent some.”
She sucked in her cheek and looked at me for a minute. “We could go tubing, instead. That doesn’t take any coordination, and there’s an inner tube on the boat.”
“Tubing it is, then.” I grinned and swam towards the boat ladder. Cara followed me.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get on the boat first so I could have a front view of her climbing aboard, or if I’d rather have a back view. But then I worried she might make me turn away again. I jumped up the ladder and quickly pivoted to face her. She must’ve gotten over her body-image worries, because she didn’t say anything as she climbed up the ladder, even though I was obviously staring at her.
Once she was up, I grabbed the inner tube and said, “You should’ve stayed in the water. You can go first.”
“Okay.” She turned to climb back down, and I grinned as I watched her. I got both views, after all.
I tied a line to the tube and tossed it into the water then watched, chuckling, as she awkwardly hefted herself onto it. Once she was settled, I called out to her, “Wave your hand if you want me to stop.”
She gave me a thumbs up, so I moved to the wheel and started the engine. I took it easy at first, going slow to make sure she was okay. Eventually, I heard her yell out, “Faster!”
I grinned and throttled up a notch, keeping my body turned sideways so I could glance back and forth between her and the water in front of me. It would’ve been better to do it with a spotter on board, but no other boats were in sight, so I figured we’d be okay.
Once I got up to speed, I could see Cara smiling and laughing as she held on tight. I steered the boat left and right, making her tube bounce over the wake. She shrieked and hollered, having a blast.
Eventually, she stuck her arm in the air and gave a weak wave. I slowed down, turned off the engine, then let the boat coast to a near stop. I moved to the back of the boat and grabbed the line, pulling her closer since I doubted she had the energy to swim very far.
She rolled off the tube, into the water, then paddled over to the ladder and climbed up. Her whole body sagged like she was exhausted, but her face was stretched open with a huge smile. “That was the best thing ever! You have to try that.”
“Okay, but be easy on me. I’m delicate!” I grinned and jumped into the water. I couldn’t imagine anything better than watching her have fun like that, but she needed a break, and I wanted to share the experience with her.
She leaned over and smirked at me. “No way, buster. I’m giving you everything you gave me!”
She wasn’t kidding. She drove that boat like a speed racer. She didn’t have the experience to know how to control it like I did, so my ride was wild and crazy, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I took two turns, even though my body protested, because I loved how proud she was for piloting the boat by herself.
When we were both worn out, we flopped down on the bench seat at the back of the boat and leaned into each other till our heads touched, our bodies sprawled out limply in front of us.
“Thank you for spending the day with me, Cara. I had a great time with you.”
“Me, too.” I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear her smile.
I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. I turned my head a little so I could look at her, first at her lips, light pink like the inside of a seashell, then at her eyes, as bright as fresh, green apples. I put a hand to her neck to keep her from pulling away. She stared back at me, wide-eyed, her pulse pounding so hard I could feel it against my palm.
When she didn’t move, I leaned down and placed the gentlest kiss on her lips. She sucked in a deep breath, pulling the air from my mouth, but didn’t resist me. I worried if I pushed any harder she’d pull away from me, so I teased her lips with mine, barely touching her. I stopped long before I wanted to, before my body made its desires obvious.
She looked at me, a thousand questions running through her mind, I could tell. Finally, she asked, “Why did you do that?”
How to answer that? I knew what she really wanted to know was where I intended this to go. Was I looking for a relationship, or just some casual fun? But it wasn’t that simple.
I knew she wasn’t interested in the kinds of relationships I usually had. They burned like matches — fast and hot, but they sizzled out as quickly as they started. Cara was the kind of girl who wanted a relationship like a campfire — one that started with a small spark, grew slowly, and lasted as long as you kept tending it. I didn’t know if I was ready for that.
I wussed out and gave her a simple explanation that explained nothing. “Because I wanted to. Didn’t you?”
She swallowed hard and nodded slowly, trying to find a deeper meaning in my words. I needed to distract her before she asked more questions. “I’m starving. How about you? Got any more of that trail mix?”
She forced a smile and stood up then dug in her bag till she found it. I made a production out of eating it, keeping my mouth full so I wouldn’t have to say anything. She took a few bites, too, and slowly the tension dissipated.
After that, we made our way back to shore. I wanted to ask Cara to come up to my room, but I didn’t know how she’d respond to that, and I didn’t want to risk upsetting her. Instead, I just said, “See you tomorrow?”
She gave me a long, thoughtful look before eventually nodding. Hopefully that meant I hadn’t screwed things up completely.
Chapter 8
Beau
A knocked sounded on my door, a little earlier than Cara usually came, but I was ready and waiting for her, eager to see her again. I yanked the door open, smiling widely, but flinched when I saw Calvin Montgomery instead. He wore a bespoke suit and his normal, serious expression.
I quickly adjusted my smile to a more natural level. “Hey, Calvin. Good to see you. How are you?”
I almost asked about his brother, but then I remembered I only knew about that because Cara had told me. I didn’t want her to get reprimanded for gossiping.
“I’m doing great, actually. Sorry I haven’t been by to see you. My brother had surgery, but he’s doing better now.” He gave a relieved smile.
“That’s great. Glad to hear it.” Cara would be, too. I looked forward to telling her.
Calvin looked over my shoulder, glancing around my suite for a moment, which thankfully wasn’t a disaster. I tried to pick up after myself so Cara could spend her time with me instead of cleaning. “Is everything to your satisfaction?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Love the room. The food is good. Can’t beat the view. Great place you have here.”
Calvin smiled. “Good. Thanks. Glad you like it. Is the staff taking good care of you?”
“Absolutely. They’re very accommodating.” I forced myself not to grin. If only he knew.
Calvin was quiet for a moment, and we weren’t close enough to have much else to talk about, so I figured he’d leave after that. But instead, he tugge
d on his tie like he wanted to say something else but didn’t know how to. He’d always been a bit shy and reclusive. Eventually, the silence got awkward.
I preferred Cara’s company, but she wasn’t there yet and I didn’t mind chatting with him. Maybe he needed me to make the first move. “Did you want to come in and have some coffee or something? I don’t have any ready, but I could make a pot.”
He waved it off. “Oh, no, thanks. I’ve got a million things to do today. Although we should get together sometime. But I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you.”
I definitely owed him one, so I said, “Sure, anything. What is it?”
“Well, there’s a little girl in the hospital room next to my brother’s. My girlfriend’s cousin. She’s a big fan of yours. I was hoping you might be willing to go visit her.”
My smile fell, and I cringed. I didn’t like interacting with fans. Their adoration always felt so uncomfortable. Why would total strangers obsess about me when the people closest to me didn’t really like me?
“I don’t know. Not that I mind visiting her, but I need to stay out of the public. The press thinks I’m in rehab. If they find out it was a lie, it’ll screw up my reputation even worse.”
“I understand. The thing is, she has cancer, and I’m not sure how long she has left. Could you put on a disguise or something and make the family promise not to post anything online? I’m sure they’d be happy to keep your secret.”
Cara’s voice played in my mind, urging me to do something for someone else once in a while, instead of always focusing on myself. This was exactly the kind of thing she was talking about. I wanted to do it, if only to please her.
“Ok, sure. If you think they’ll stay quiet about it, at least for a few weeks.”
Stalking the Billionaire Celebrity (Sweet Bay Billionaires Book 2) Page 6