“I don’t see how you look like him either. What was your favorite movie?”
“Wait a second. It’s my turn to ask a few questions,” he said, and she lost her smile, a frown taking its place. “Wait! Get that look on off your face. You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. What made you decide on the University of Texas? It’s so far from here,” he asked, hoping that was a vanilla enough kind of question to help get some answers.
“They gave the best scholarship offer, and Austin has good public transportation. I wasn’t driving yet, I was barely seventeen and wanted to desperately see the world,” she explained.
“I spent some time in Austin. It’s a good city. I bet a pretty girl like you had some good times there,” he said, thinking of her being young and down on 6th Street. The guys wouldn’t have known what hit them when she walked past.
“Answer my question. What’s your favorite movie that you starred in?” Kenzie deflected questions better than anyone he’d ever seen before. He stared at her for several long seconds before he gave in to her standard diversion tactic. All he seemed to want in the world was to know more about this woman who didn’t want him to know anything about her.
“Truthfully? They’re really all the same. I like to do my own stunts. It helps break up the monotony. Insurance is getting stricter on that kind of thing, so I had to give up a chunk of my salary in order to be more hands on in the next Bond movie.”
“You’re playing James Bond? I didn’t read that,” she said and her face lit up again.
“No, I’m playing the bad guy in the next two movies. Just a few cameos in the first one, but I like the part, so I took it.” He shrugged, and her face changed into a couple of different expressions before he finally asked, “What?”
“I haven’t ever seen a James Bond movie,” she confessed while biting her lip, and he gave an exaggerated playful wince at her words while running his fingertip up the long line of her neck. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her.
“You need to pay closer attention to some of my roles so maybe you’ll be more impressed and I won’t have to work so hard to get to spend time with you,” he scolded.
“Oh, whatever! I bet there’s no shortage of women throwing themselves at you,” she said and turned away from him to snuggle back into his side.
“Okay, well, I guess it’s usually not a problem to find some company.” He chuckled, tightening his arms around her as she laughed out loud at his response.
“I bet not.”
“The problem comes from me being an introvert and a little bit shy, remember?” he asked, moving the hair off her shoulder so he could lean in and give her a soft kiss on the neck.
“I’ve thought about that a lot. I just don’t see it at all,” she said, turning her body where she could look him in the eye. The doubt was clear in her tone, but all he could focus on was her lips being so close to his that he couldn’t help when he leaned down and kissed them. “You were bold with me.”
“That’s because you appeared on my doorstep in those short shorts and this pretty hair down and those big blue eyes staring at me so uncertain. I figured, for some reason, God did that just for me and I better man up,” he answered, his grin growing, proud of coming up with those words.
“Oh, whatever!” she said again, pushing against his chest. He didn’t budge.
“It’s true,” he said, and she just rolled her eyes, turning back in his arms, snuggling in a little closer than before.
“So if none of the rumors are true on your love life, how long’s it been since you had a relationship?” she asked.
“I’m not really sure I’ve ever had one,” Ty answered, honestly. He couldn’t think of one person he’d given that particular commitment too.
“That’s not true. I don’t believe you at all.” As if he’d been lying about it all, she moved, lifted off the seat to reach for their dirty plates. He placed both his hands on her hips, drawing her back down beside him.
“It is true and come back here. Don’t leave. I like you here. The deal is that my mom got breast cancer when I was in eighth grade. She beat it, but we were all we had for each other. Between school, sports, and her, I was too busy for dating. Then when I got discovered and got my first modeling contract, she was solidly in remission, so it kind of seemed like a good time to take off, but money was so damn tight between us that I couldn’t in my right mind waste any taking a girl out. Her cancer came back. She was gonna tell me the night Clint Eastwood found me. Then she didn’t tell me at all until it was too late. She died shortly after that. I had some head issues over not being there for her for a real long time. I was just never in the relationship mindset.”
“I’m sorry, Ty,” she said. The dishes forgotten as sadness had her looking up at him with genuine concern. She’d moved, still close, but now facing him.
“Thank you. Me too. It took me some to get over it. What I haven’t ever told anyone is that I think it’s the real reason why I work so much. I needed time to get over it and something to occupy me, if that makes any sense.” He’d told her the honest truth of his life, hoping she’d see he was on the up-and-up. That she could trust him. “So what about you? You were married, right?”
“I was, but not anymore,” she said, and right when he thought she was finally going to continue, he watched her face change to that super-passive thing she did, except she could never hide the sadness lurking in the depths of those extraordinary eyes. “It’s part of what I don’t like to talk about.”
“You get sad when you talk about that,” he said, not taking no for an answer, but trying to keep her from shutting down altogether. There was another lengthy pause, and she stared at him for so long he thought she wasn’t going to answer.
“No one but you sees that.”
“I can tell when someone puts up a mask. You do it a lot. So do I. I know you don’t want to talk about it, and I’m not pressing. I’m just here if you need me,” he said honestly, not entirely sure why he gave her a break.
“Thank you. That means a lot—more than you know—but it was bad. I was too naïve. My only defense for my stupid decisions was that I truly didn’t understand the world. I believed that everyone on this planet was fundamentally good and supportive. It’s why I chose social work. I thought if I could just be in a position to give people a chance, they would eagerly change their lives for the better.”
“And the guy you married took advantage of that?” he asked, moving back an inch or two to gauge her expression.
“Yeah, I guess. I met him my first year of college. We were floating the river in San Marcus. He was older and so good-looking… My God. That blinded me,” she said. She was staring at him, but he could tell she was lost in thought.
“Where is he now?” That brought the focus back to her face. He saw panic in her eyes.
“Ty, I really don’t want to talk about it,” she said cautiously, not defensive this time.
“I know, and I don’t want to push you, but I got the feeling you were one of those battered women you donate to.” After a few seconds pause, she nodded, still staring at him. His heart broke a little. It was one thing to think something like that happened and another to know for sure. He’d been very young, but he remembered that exact same fear in his mom’s eyes. Ty wrapped his arms tighter around Kenzie and tried to give her a comforting hug.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up, but dammit, if that doesn’t just piss me the hell off. It’s the one thing I can’t ever get past. I hate abuse.”
“I saw you did some public services announcement for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It’s who I donate too.”
“My father abused my mom pretty badly. My mom finally got the authorities involved. I think it scared him enough that he took off and I haven’t seen him since. I hated that shit as a kid,” Ty said, moving a piece of hair behind one ear. “So y’all didn’t have kids?”
He watched as she swallowed a lump before biting her l
ip, and he his heart ached a little more for her. Not waiting for an answer, he brought her closer, tucking her tighter in his arms. He had no idea what that lip biting meant, but the sadness on her face meant it couldn’t be good. “Let’s talk about something else. Do you plan to always stick around here or get back out in the world?”
“This is just a pit stop. I’m not happy here. I like being around people my own age.”
“Will you go back to Texas?”
“A lot needs to happen first, but maybe. One day at a time right now. What about you? What’re your plans?” she asked.
“I’m burned out. I get how Garth Brooks just left the industry. My attitude’s shit on set. I’m angry all the time. Before I came here, I backed out of an appearance at the last minute. I’m refusing interviews. They have to think I’m an absolute diva. I hate that, but I’m not really in a good place mentally about my job.”
“So if you leave the show, you’re planning on taking an extended break?” she asked, leaning back now.
“It’s hard to say. In theory, yes. The complication comes in the fact that I hired a staff full of extremely ambitious people. They won’t understand the concepts of downtime and semi-retired,” Ty explained.
“But you’re the boss,” she said, turning in his arms until her back rested against his chest again.
“Yep, you’re right. It just took an act of God to get this time off, and even then, they still wanted to schedule interviews from here. I had to throw a huge fit, threaten to fire them all. I can be a complete bastard,” Ty said with a chuckle, remembering what an ass he’d become the last few weeks.
“I read that you’re not very nice, but I don’t see that at all.”
“That world’s different. You learn to protect yourself, because everyone’s in it just for themselves. Eastwood taught me that years ago and he was right,” Ty said.
Kenzie stayed quiet, just looking out in the night. The arm she had wrapped around his loosened some until she began to untangle from his hold. He didn’t let her go easily. “We should clean up.”
“I can do it tomorrow,” he said, not letting her rise like she wanted to do.
“You aren’t doing my dishes,” she said, working at moving his arms until she just had to break free and stand. “When was the last time you cleaned a kitchen?”
“I had to do all that stuff when I was kid,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her down in his lap.
“Oh!” She hadn’t been prepared for that move and landed hard in his lap as she lost her balance. The misplaced elbow in the gut had him giving a sharp exhale as it lost some of the fun of keeping a hold of her. Kenzie pushed against his chest, rising again as she reached for one plate, placing it on top of the other before reaching for the wineglasses. He watched as she started to walk away. No women he knew would fight to do the dishes. “Bring the silverware when you come.”
Chapter 12
Against Ty’s constant grumbling, Kenzie finished off the dinner dishes. As much as Ty had tried to participate in preparing the meal, she didn’t really see him as a budding vegetarian since his entire freezer was full of every kind of meat known to man. Her meat knowledge had grown pretty extensively due to the butcher at the store. And Ty had it all just waiting for him, and him alone, to eat.
“I can’t get over how different you look without any facial hair,” she said, wiping off the last of the counter space with the dishrag.
“I wasn’t gonna shave while I was here, but I hoped it might give me an advantage tonight.” About five minutes ago, he had finally given up any pretense of cleaning. Now, he rested back against the counter with his arms and legs crossed, watching her every move.
Kenzie rinsed out the dishrag while looking back over her shoulder. “Advantage to what?”
“You’re harder to get to know than any woman I’ve ever met,” he said.
Kenzie looked back at the sink and turned off the faucet. While reaching for the hand towel to dry her hands, she contemplated those words. Perhaps disagreeing a little bit. They had just spent the last two hours outside talking after spending all day together yesterday. She’d opened up more to him than she had to anyone in many years.
“What’d you mean? Because I might disagree with that,” she finally replied, facing him while running the dish towel over her hands. She started to lean back against the counter opposite of him, but she was close enough that he widened his stance and drew her between his now parted thighs.
“You’re different than anyone I’ve known.” At this angle, she was too close to avoid eye contact. When she tried, he lifted her face by the chin until their gazes met. All the kindness she’d seen over and over again was still there. When combined with all those extraordinary good looks all focused on just her, he was a heady mix. He made it hard to think straight as he lifted her arms, draping them around his neck. “I think about you all the time. I couldn’t wait for you to get here tonight, but I’m not entirely sure you’re in this with me.”
The expectant look in those amber eyes made it clear he was waiting for an answer. “I’m here,” she answered quietly. Today, she had reasoned that it seemed Ty wanted a girlfriend for the length of the time he was in town. She just didn’t know if she could turn it on and off like that.
“You know I mean more than that,” he said, not giving her any breaks this time, and he was right. Her feelings were growing deeper by the second. Of course that would make her nervous, before she even factored in everything going wrong in her life. He was a major motion picture star for God’s sake, down there slumming it with a hillbilly. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the absurdity of the situation and try to step away, but he held to her tight against his chest. “I didn’t expect to find you here, Kenzie.”
The frozen parts of her heart leapt at those sweetly muttered words. Only self-preservation of her fragile heart had her saying, “We agreed no commitments.”
“I’m not asking for one right now. I’d just like you to maybe not keep me at a distance. I like spending time with you. I liked sitting out on that deck, talking with you, learning about your life,” Ty said, lifting a finger to tap her under her chin to keep her face turned up toward his.
“You have to admit this is weird,” she said honestly, and it was weird. She couldn’t quite let that very clear fact go.
“Not from where I’m standing.” His palm stroked up her back, using pressure to hold her snugly against his chest. She dropped her arms, letting her hands splay across his chest. She knew that look in his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. For whatever reason, this man wanted her, and she couldn’t find it in her heart to turn him away. Words didn’t need to be spoken as Ty stared down at her with that insanely patient gaze.
“You’re too nice-looking; you make it hard to think,” she confessed in a whisper.
“I’m glad you think so. You’re really nice-looking too. One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met,” he said, lowering until he was able to capture her lips with his own. He didn’t linger too long. He broke free and kissed the tip of her nose. “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s go to the living room. I haven’t ever sat on that sofa. We can break it in with a little make-out session.” Ty didn’t wait for her answer. He just kept her in the circle of his arm and walked with her to the living room.
~~~
Slow your roll! Ty mentally lectured himself as he moved toward the sofa with Kenzie in his arms. No matter how hard he’d tried to make her comfortable, that last bit of conversation proved she still had many doubts about the sincerity of his actions. In theory, he got it. It had to be hard to reconcile all the different factors at play in his life, but actions always spoke louder than words, and his very hard, rigidly solid, irritatingly demanding dick needed to… Slow. It’s. Roll.
“You’ve truly never sat in here?” Kenzie asked, leaving his arm to walk around the sofa, taking a seat in the center.
“Nope. Something about the landscape of the place alwa
ys draws me outside. I spend most of my time on that back deck.” Ty followed her and sat down beside her, reaching an arm behind her shoulders.
“It is pretty here. When I was young, the quiet would get to me,” she said, crossing one leg over the other, tucking her hands between her thighs. “I’d turn my music up as far as it would go just to drown out the quiet. I was a little rebellious, I think.”
Ty only laughed at that. Anyone who became a social worker in order to be in a position to help people wasn’t all that unruly of a person. “I can’t really see you being defiant,” he said, turning more to the side to better face her profile.
“I kept it more in my head. I was terrible inside here,” she said, tapping a finger right above her temple. Ty reached out, grabbing that hand, laughing at the idea of her being anything but as sweet as he found her to be. He lifted her palm, placing a simple kiss in the middle.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, and I don’t want you to be mad, but I’m not really buying it. I see you as someone who has integrity and honor. I see you as more the wholesome, all-American girl type. Consistently, you get your point across in actions of kindness. You might not have wanted to live your life tucked away in the mountains, but you aren’t a burn-your-bra, go-against-the-man rebel either,” he said, letting go of her hand to run his palm across her thigh, tucking his hand between her crossed legs. The hand behind her back began picking up the strands of her hair, running his fingers through them as he stared down at her lovely face.
She turned her face toward him, lifting her gaze to his, and she remained quiet. He held that gaze several long seconds. When she didn’t answer, he suspected their talking might be done. Probably the only invitation he was likely to get to move things along.
Ty leaned forward and kissed her lips. She participated, kissing him lightly back and continued to just stare up at him. A comfortable silence remained. They were never awkward together. He moved the hand between her legs to her hip and used the hand behind her head to gently nudge her forward. Meeting Ty halfway, she opened before he ever got his mouth to hers. Much like last night, magic filled the kiss, removing any doubt where this was headed. She caressed his cheek with her fingers as she tilted into him, and he trailed his hand from her hip up the thin, cotton of her shirt, cupping her breast. That was all it took.
Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Page 13