Star didn’t know how to answer. She watched as Luke opened the gate of the stall and then closed it and spoke to her without turning around.
“Don’t ever put me in such a position again,” he warned her, and left the barn.
Chapter 11
An unexpected storm rolled in from nowhere and the shoot was canceled for the rest of the day. Most of the crew had taken off to town or on errands of their own. Luke finished wiping down Isobelle and gave her a loving swat on the rear.
A cackle caught his attention as he passed by an empty stall and saw Baby pecking around in the straw.
“I should have fried you up the first time I saw you,” he mumbled, thinking of all the trouble that bird had been. If it weren’t for that stupid chicken, Star would be safe on the ground and not entering into a life-threatening job against his better judgment.
The bird squawked as if it understood Luke’s comment and fluttered up to a bale of hay. The barn was filled with horses and animals but, still, it seemed oddly quiet. He leaned on the open door and watched the rain falling in a steady stream. The fresh air filled his lungs, bringing back memories of his home. Circle T was his ranch and he’d see to it that he got it back. If it wasn’t for his stepbrother, T.J., he’d be living the life he was intended to have.
Instead, his stepmother’s son weaseled his way into his father’s will. He must have done it just before Luke’s father and stepmother left for their belated honeymoon to Paris. That was a trip that ended horribly, with a plane crash taking both their lives. He’d lost his real mother to illness when he was a child and now he lost his father by the hand of God.
For some unknown reason, the ranch was left to both him and T.J.. It had to have been the evil work of a woman, Luke decided. Never would his father decide to stiff his own flesh and blood. His father knew Luke disliked T.J. and would never consent to live in the same house with the man. That was why Luke left the ranch after the funeral and moved in with Brent instead. Thankfully, Luke’s lawyer found a loophole in the will. It was an error that allowed Luke one last chance to get back his ranch. All he had to do was come up with enough money before the end of two years and he could buy out T.J. and the ranch would be his and his alone.
That’s the way it should be. Luke was sure his father had meant it to be all along. He pulled his tally sheet out of his back pocket and flipped it open. He was so close to being able to buy out the other half of his ranch from his deceitful stepbrother. With the money Luke would have, once Brent paid him at the end of this film, he would even have a little extra. Hopefully, it would be enough to buy an old Jeep or something to get around in. Riding Isobelle worked most of the time, but not if he needed to go somewhere far.
The screen door slammed and Luke saw Brent escorting Velvet to the limousine. He held an open umbrella over her head. Brent opened the door and Velvet shimmied inside. All the while, Brent’s eyes never left the woman’s legs.
Luke had heard it was Louise’s day off in the kitchen. He figured Brent must be taking Velvet out to eat at a greasy spoon in town, promising her it was the best place she’d ever been.
The man grabbed something out of the back seat that looked like a script. He then turned and headed straight toward Luke, still holding onto the umbrella. “Tyler, I need you to do something for me.”
Somehow, Luke half-expected another lecture like the one Brent gave him this afternoon after he decided to let Star do the stunt work. Instead, he was asking a favor. Still, it couldn’t be good.
“Sure, Boss, what is it? You need me to drive the limo to a greasy spoon?”
“No, thanks. Buck said he’d drive us.”
Well, it looked like he’d been replaced as driver, probably at Velvet’s request. If he didn’t go with them, he’d most likely be out of another meal.
“What is it then?”
Brent slammed the script into Luke’s stomach, causing him to double over. “Go over your lines. We’re going to try the love scene again in a day or two.”
This was the last thing Luke wanted to hear. “I thought we came out here to work on the outdoor scenes and stunts.”
“We will, but we’re going to have to double up. Because of your little redhead, we’re way behind schedule.”
“I never heard you refer to Velvet as my little redhead before.” Luke knew Brent meant Star but he was toying with the man.
“I’m not in a joking mood, Tyler. Tomorrow, we shoot the stampede scene again. You’d better have Star ready and willing at the crack of dawn or I’ll take it out of your hide.”
With that, Brent headed back toward the limo. The screen door to the house opened and Buck escorted Daisy to the limo next. Buck had Velvet’s cat tucked under his arm. Brent opened the door for Daisy and then climbed in after her. Buck gently placed the cat in Velvet’s waiting arms and jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.
Luke shook his head. So, it seemed even Daisy was invited, but not him. The woman was at it again, no doubt. And Brent was trying his best to outdo her.
He thought about what Brent had said. Have Star ready and willing. That’s exactly how he wanted her. Ready and willing, but not for work. After that kiss they’d shared in the barn, he would have to keep his distance. Now, she was a fellow employee, and he never screwed around with co-workers. Luke prided himself on never letting his concentration slip while doing his stunts. This is how it had always been, and it wasn’t going to change now.
The sound of hoofbeats startled him and he turned to see Star racing across the field atop Licorice. The rain poured down, soaking her to the skin. Maxi barked continuously, running along, helping Star herd the cattle into the pen. Garvey ran up and opened the gate just as Star guided the cattle through the gates.
Luke marveled at the woman’s ability to handle the herd by herself, even if it wasn’t very large. She seemed at ease atop her mare, barely hanging on at all. Totally in command of a bunch of huge, mad, wet animals, Star didn’t take bunk from the cattle. Luke knew she could handle the stunts but, still, he had a feeling she was going to be a problem at tomorrow’s shoot.
The last of the steers entered the pen and Zeke ran out of the house and grabbed the reins of Licorice as Star slipped off to the ground.
“You get on in the house and get dry, Ms. Star,” ordered Zeke. “I’ll take care of Maxi and Lic.”
“Thanks, Zeke.” Star ran toward the house, her long strands of wet, loose hair clinging to her neck. Luke noticed the white T-shirt that clung to her like a second skin. When had she changed out of her usual checkered, long sleeve shirt? And why had she worn her hair down for the rest of the day when she always wore it in a bun?
Without thinking, he stepped out into the rain and followed her into the house. When he stepped foot in the kitchen, he stopped abruptly. Star was bending over, wrapping a kitchen towel around her hair. His gaze automatically focused on her little pear-shaped rear. Her tight, wet jeans clung to her hips. Excitement coursed through him and a million thoughts flooded his head.
Then the screen door slammed behind him and Star turned around so fast she slipped on the wet floor.
Luke reached out and caught her by the arm to keep her from falling. “Whoa, Twinkles, whoa!”
“I’m not a horse,” she exclaimed. “So, don’t talk to me like I am.” Geez, if he wasn’t mistaken, the girl sounded angry with him again. He wondered what he had done wrong now.
His eyes swept down her body. The white T-shirt melded to her breasts, and he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples seemed to go erect at his mere gaze, causing him to go erect as well. She folded her arms across her chest and lowered her head. Luke casually held the script in front of him to hide his groin.
“No, you’re not a horse,” he said for lack of coming up with a quick comeback at that awkward moment.
“And you’re no stud, so quit looking at me like I’m a mare in mating season.”
Luke strode over to the table and sat down to hide his low
er half. “Believe me, horsing around with you is the last thing on my mind.”
Surprise, as well as the disappointment, darkened her face. She uncrossed her arms as if to tempt him with another glimpse of her breasts through her wet shirt.
“Then what, may I ask, is on your mind at this moment?”
Luke couldn’t help himself. He glanced once again at her nipples. He felt the tightening in his loins and wished she hadn’t asked that question. He didn’t want to lie to Star, but he had no intention of letting her know she was making him crazy, either. He diverted his glance to the table and opened up the script. “I need to go over some lines. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Star move to the stove and quickly touch the pot of coffee. “Well, don’t mind me. Go ahead and practice and just pretend I’m not here.” She poured herself a cup of the hot brew and the aroma drifted toward Luke, reminding him he was tired and hungry. A cup of coffee right about now was just what he needed, but hell if he’d ask for one. If he did, he might end up with a fist to the eye again.
He looked up and noticed Star leaning her cute little rear against the warm stove, cradling her cup of coffee in her hands, nursing it, and staring at him.
“What?” he snapped. She was making him nervous, and nervous wasn’t something he was used to.
“I didn’t say a word,” she protested and grabbed something out of the refrigerator, coming to sit down directly across from him.
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” He stared down at his lines but didn’t see a one. Instead, he was totally aware that Star unwrapped the towel from her head and was running her fingers through her wet hair. It was something he’d like to be doing to her right now and the thought was eating him up.
“Maybe you can play with yourself later,” he commented. “I’ve got work to do and it’s distracting.” He could have slapped himself, realizing just how that sounded.
“Pardon me?” Her eyebrows arched as she waited for his reply.
“Playing with your hair, I meant. On your head,” he blurted out, feeling like he was digging his own grave. Things were going from bad to worse, and it was all because he couldn’t think straight when he was around the little vixen.
“For your information, I don’t play with either,” she retorted.
He decided not to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. And right about now, that was how big his erection felt. He squirmed in his chair, hoping Star wouldn’t notice him trying to shift parts of himself to a more comfortable position.
He heard her blowing air from her mouth and glanced up to see her running her finger around the edge of the mug as she blew on the hot coffee.
“Want some?” she said in a sultry voice, dipping the tip of her finger in the coffee and then sticking it into her mouth and sucking on it.
God, what was she doing to him? “That depends,” he said, clearing his throat. “What exactly is it you’re offering?”
She pulled the wet tip of her finger out of her mouth, making a popping noise. “Coffee. What did you think, stud?”
He wished she wouldn’t have called him that. It only made matters under the table worse. “No, I’m not thirsty.” What a lie. He only said it to, hopefully, expedite her departure but it didn’t work. She didn’t move from the chair.
He tried, once again, to concentrate on the script but the noise of her crunching away at something distracted him yet again. He looked up to see her popping the end of a big dill pickle into her mouth.
“Pickles and coffee?” he asked, making a face. “Are you pregnant or something?”
She sucked the juice from her fingers before answering. “Even though it’s none of your business, no, I’m not. I just have a fetish for pickles. Want one?” She leaned forward, her breasts straining to break free from the wet shirt. The pickle was just inches from his mouth and it was all he could do to stop himself from eating it . . . and her along with it.
He slammed the script shut and jumped to his feet. “You’re playing with me again, and I don’t like it.”
Her eyes were now level with his zipper. He cursed himself for revealing his bulge.
“Oh, I think you do like it, Mr. Tyler. More than you are letting on.” She smiled and got out of the chair. After shoving the jar of pickles back into the fridge, she turned around to face him. “Only you’ve got something wrong, here.”
“What’s that?” he asked, not understanding what she meant.
“I’m not the one who will be playing with you tonight. And I think you’ll be running your fingers through your own hair.” She started for the hallway, her hips swinging as if on purpose.
“Don’t tempt me, Twinkles,” he warned her in a low voice. “After all, don’t forget, I’ll only be a door away.”
She stopped in her tracks. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means your mother insisted I sleep in the guest room for the rest of my stay.”
Her face whitened and, once again, she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Did she?”
“She did.”
Their gazes interlocked and his spine stiffened as her tongue shot out to wet her lips.
“Where shall I meet you in the morning for the shoot?” she asked.
“I’ll give you a wake-up call and escort you there personally.”
“How nice of you.”
“I knew you’d like it.”
Star slowly turned around and headed out into the hall.
“Sweet dreams, Twinkles,” he called after her. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard her curse as she marched up the stairs.
Star couldn’t sleep at all that night. She tossed and turned in her bed thinking about the man sleeping in the room next to her. He was so close. He was in a room connected to hers and only a bathroom between them. It was the same bathroom he’d seen her naked in just days before.
She got out of bed and paced the floor, wondering if she did the right thing by teasing a horny man. Sure, she wanted him in a way she’d never wanted any man before. But to him, she was nothing more than another notch in his gun handle. Just another starstruck girl to add to his list of how many he’d taken to his bed.
Star glanced out the window and saw Velvet getting out of the limo with Foo Foo in her arms. Brent followed along with her mother as Buck went to park the car. She heard their footsteps enter the kitchen and Velvet’s seductive way of purring goodnight.
Everything that woman did dripped with sensuality, from the way she swayed her hips to the way she stuck her ample breasts up toward the sky. Her voice was husky even when she was bitching about the smell of the barn or that she didn’t like eggs over easy. Star wondered if Velvet was over easy. After all, Luke had referred to the woman as a floozy the first day she met him. Had Luke taken Velvet to his bed?
She walked over to the bathroom, slid open the door and helped herself to a glass of cold water to cool her down. She didn’t like that woman staying in her house any more than she liked the idea of Luke sleeping in the next room. Her eyes wandered over to the closed door on the other side of the bathroom. Luke was still awake. She could tell by the crack of light under the door.
She thought she heard voices in his room and hated herself for listening, but did it anyway. She tiptoed over to Luke’s door and pressed her ear up against the wood.
First, she heard a giggle, and then a slight moan. Not quite able to make out words, she couldn’t tell who was talking but it was definitely a woman. Next, she heard Luke. He was telling some girl that he wanted her. Pressing her ear harder against the door, she was sure he said his body was aching for the pleasures she had to offer. His voice was muffled but she thought he told someone he loved them.
Star pushed away from the door, not wanting to hear anything more. No longer could she listen to Luke, the womanizer, as he took some woman for all she was worth. His words of love sounded forced and insincere. Whoever was in the room with him would be in for a big surpri
se when they found out Luke wasn’t being genuine. Somehow, Star felt as if she were to blame.
Had her little game gone too far? Maybe she’d pushed Luke past his limits. Rather than spend the night in agony, he found some poor girl to fill the void she’d left him with in the kitchen.
Star turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face. Anger welled inside her at Luke and she was even angrier at herself. Taking the small, green hand towel from the rack, she buried her face in it and bit back the emotions that were ready to spill forth. She wouldn’t cry. It’s the last thing she’d do in a situation like this. Men weren’t worth the tears.
She’d told herself this every time she thought about being left at the altar. She said it again every time she thought of how Teddy had used her and then left her in the pasture as he went on to taste the honey of another flower. It made her hurt and also furious.
No, she wouldn’t let the same thing happen with Luke. She’d nip it in the bud before any relationship had a chance to take root.
Throwing down the towel, she stormed off to bed. She would show this man he meant absolutely nothing to her. Star would do her stunts and not give a second thought about Luke Tyler and his kisses that could melt the ice off the North Pole.
Collapsing atop her bed, she pulled her pillow closer. The light went on in the bathroom. She could see it through the crack under the closed door. Burying her head under the pillow, she tried not to think of Luke or what he was doing with whom.
The water started up and the slam of the shower door sounded as Luke stepped in.
“I don’t give a hen’s neck,” she said to herself. It was none of her business what Luke did behind closed doors. She would never let him affect her again. She rolled over, trying to get comfortable, but heard Luke singing in the shower. It was a song she’d rather not have heard at that moment and one she wished she’d never hear again as long as she lived.
Luke’s voice floated through her door loud and clear, as if he meant for her to hear it. The tune lulled her to sleep with his words echoing in her brain as she drifted off to another world. In her dreams she could still hear Luke singing, “Twinkle, twinkle, little Star. How I wonder who you are.”
Starstruck Cowboy (Working Man Series Book 1) Page 9