The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series)

by Heather Thurmeier

  “I guess a finance guy isn’t that interested in the human form. Probably too busy dealing with numbers, right? At least, I think you said he was a finance guy.”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m sure that’s exciting and important work.”

  “It is. Are you ready to paddle now?” she asked, moving a little further out on the lake.

  He followed closely, seeming to have gotten the hang of the board. “I think you said he works at some office on the Upper East Side, right?”

  Did I say that? Or was it the financial district? Or Wall Street specifically?

  “Yah-huh.” Agreeable enough yet still non-committal.

  “I think I’m getting it,” he said, floating up next to her, then drifting past. “This is pretty easy once you’ve got the stance right.”

  Her body relaxed since he wasn’t talking about her pretend boyfriend anymore. She’d wanted to come out on the lake to relax, not talk. Gripping her paddle, she worked to catch up. For a guy who’d only just learned to stand on the board a few minutes ago, he was surprisingly fast already. Well, she wouldn’t let him be better at this than she was.

  She paddled hard and caught up to him, then sailed past him. Glancing over her shoulder, she called, “What were you saying about me not being athletic? Looks like this non-athletic girl left you in the dust. Take that, Mr. Muscles, and your shitty balance.”

  “You noticed.” He smirked and paddled after her, his chest and arms flexing as he did.

  How could she not? “Considering you’ve been shirtless for most of the time I’ve known you, it’s sort of impossible to miss your bulging ego, I mean muscles.”

  “Noticing bulges too? Interesting.”

  She whipped around on her board. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” How dare he change this around to mean something dirty when all she did was defend her athleticism?

  Her foot slipped on the board, and she grabbed for her paddle, hoping it would steady her. Instead, it shifted her balance further, making her foot slide on the slick surface. In one quick swoop, she was in the water sputtering and coughing as she came to the surface, grabbing blindly for her board. When she felt it under her fingertips, she pulled herself up and tried to blink away the water in her eyes.

  “Hey!” Logan shouted.

  Another splash sounded on the other side of her board. When she wiped her eyes clear of wet hair and water, she found Logan a foot away and soaking wet. “What happened to you?”

  “You tipped my board and flipped me. That’s what happened.” He pushed his wet hair off his forehead, making it stand up in spikes.

  “I didn’t. I grabbed my board.”

  “No, you grabbed mine.”

  She tilted her head, annoyed. “Then where is my board?”

  He pointed over her shoulder to where her board was currently floating at least fifty feet away and drifting farther at an alarming rate. Her paddle was headed a completely different direction.

  “Shit. I guess I’m going for a swim.” She tried to push away from the board but he grabbed her forearm, stopping her. Despite the cold water, his hand was warm.

  “Hop on my board and we’ll go collect your stuff together.”

  “I don’t need your help. I’m a good swimmer.”

  “I didn’t say you weren’t, but why not save your energy for the paddle boarding and hop a ride with me?”

  He made a good point. Swimming in the lake was hard and it would tire her out fast. “You’re right,” she said, meeting his gaze, which was the closest they been to each other since the spider incident.

  He chuckled. “Did it hurt a lot to say that?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Shut it. So, how are we doing this? Cling to the side and kick our way to my stuff?”

  “I thought more along the lines of we could both sit on it and I could paddle us over. You hop up first.”

  She followed his command and used her arm strength, or what there was of it, to pull her top half out of the water and onto the board. In turn, she also ended up with her breasts pressed against the surface, making them almost overflow the tiny triangles of her bikini top.

  Why didn’t I wear the one-piece? Because I wanted the tan.

  Quickly, she propped herself up on her elbows. “Should I go the rest of the way or do you want to come part way up first?”

  His knuckles looked almost white as he gripped the sides of the board. “You should go all the way.”

  Did he mean that to sound like a suggestion for something else? Surely not.

  Water splashed behind her as she kicked her legs and pulled herself the rest of the way onto the board, straddling it. She’d sat like this hundreds of times before but today this position made her feel vulnerable, almost as if she was on display. She didn’t miss his gaze traveling her body once again.

  A second later he was up on his knees behind her, wobbling around unsteadily.

  “I think you need to sit like me. Otherwise it’s way too rocky. If you sit this way, our legs will help keep us level.”

  “Okay,” he said. She felt him settle behind her. “I think you need to come back toward the middle a bit since the front is dipping into the water.”

  Tessa planted her hands in front of her, then lifted her hips and shifted back a few spots. She stopped, frozen the second she felt his inner thighs on her hips. Now she’d gone too far.

  Logan attempted to use the long oar to paddle them toward her gear still floating farther away, but it was bulky and kept hitting their knees.

  “Ouch. I’m going to be bruised if we keep this up. Hand me the paddle.” Laying it across the front of the board, it easily missed the surface of the water. “Let’s use our hands. It’s not far.”

  Leaning forward, she dipped her hands into the water on either side of her legs and scooped it back toward Logan. They glided forward slightly. “This’ll work.”

  Logan joined her and together they coasted forward on the surface of the calm lake, the only sound the lapping of their hands in the water. With every stroke, she felt Logan’s chest brush against her back and every time she found herself leaning into him more and more.

  His touch was much more comforting than she wanted it to be, more enjoyable than she cared to admit. Every press of his body against hers made her long for another. When they finally reached her paddle, she dragged air into her lungs as if she’d been underwater holding it. True, she was working up a sweat moving this way, but more than that, she was having a hard time resisting the allure of Logan behind her. The thought of him breathing on the back of her neck and rocking his hips into hers stole her breath.

  The urge to turn and wrap her legs around his waist almost overwhelmed her. Maybe if she made conversation she’d stop wanting to sit on his lap and get dirty out here on the lake.

  “So, where did you teach when you lived in New York?” Not that she’d have any clue where the school was, but she figured it was a safe subject.

  “I was a teacher a few years ago. Most recently I had my own personal training studio.”

  A business owner? Now that she thought about it, she could kind of see it—take charge attitude, confident, not afraid to tell it how he sees it. And if he was a personal trainer then he was also willing to inflict pain and torture all in the name of health. That’s why he liked those green smoothies so much. Kale was probably the secret ingredient that made people suddenly want to do handstand pushups. She would never be one of those people.

  “What made you leave your business and everything the city has to offer to come here?” No reason was good enough in her mind.

  “A fresh start.” He sighed and leaned on her a little more, almost as if he sought comfort from her. “My studio struggled with the big brand name gyms to begin with, but when the building manager raised the rent, I couldn’t make it anymore. So here I am.”

  The defeat in his voice was strange since she’d only ever heard him be cheerful and upbeat. This new tone was one she didn’t car
e for. She wasn’t into the whole fitness lifestyle herself but that didn’t mean she wanted to see him fail at it.

  “You think Cutter’s Creek will be a better place for you?”

  “I’m hopeful it will be. It’s the kind of place I want to live and it definitely doesn’t hurt that there’s not a brand name gym to be seen for fifty miles. I might actually have a shot here.”

  “If you can get people to workout. People here aren’t quite as health-minded as you are.”

  “We’ll see. I can be pretty charming and persuasive when I want to be.”

  She didn’t doubt that. Earlier she’d almost considered joining him on his jog. That was a first. And a last. Jogging did not sound like fun, even with a sweaty beefcake like Logan next to her.

  A few more strokes and she’d be back at her own board. The realization that her ride between Logan’s legs was almost over made her long for her board to float farther away. It felt so good to be this close to him. She sagged back against him, her chest heaving with exertion and desire. His chest was hot against her back, a stark contrast to the cold water surrounding them, and she wanted to rest there forever—lay her head back on his shoulders, close her eyes, and soak up some rays.

  Logan half sighed, half moaned. The rumble in his chest vibrated against her skin sending little shockwaves through her body. What was she doing and why couldn’t she make herself stop? Damn it. She knew better than to get caught up in this moment and yet she leaned into him more. It wasn’t good for her health, or her sanity. Or her overactive and underused sex drive.

  “If you need to rest and catch your breath here for a few minutes, I don’t mind.” His words came out as a warm caress on her earlobe and she wanted more than anything to do exactly as he suggested. But she couldn’t.

  A girl with a boyfriend wouldn’t have even leaned against him for a second. There was no way she could linger. “I’m good, thanks. I think I was winded for a second. I’m fine now.”

  Without waiting for a response, she reluctantly peeled herself away from him and dove into the water. The cold instantly cleared the hazy desire that had clouded her intentions and crumbled her inhibitions, and by the time she popped up onto her board again, she was back to feeling like herself as if cuddling with Logan had never happened.

  The fact that her back still tingled from where his pecs pressed against her was nothing more than a figment of her imagination and one she was about to delete from memory.

  “Everything okay?” he asked standing up and looking ready to go again as if nothing had transpired between them.

  “Yep. I’m ready to head home. I think the sun is stronger than usual. I’m not really feeling like myself right now.”

  “I’ll come with you. Are you able to paddle back?”

  “Totally. No worries. Let’s go, okay?”

  “Lead the way. I couldn’t even guess which way the cabin is now. I’m not even sure which way we came from. Nothing on shore looks familiar.”

  As Tessa headed toward shore, she gave herself an internal pep talk with every stroke of the paddle.

  You will not look at Logan’s deliciously muscular chest again or think of him in deliciously sexy ways.

  You will not be alone with him again except in your cabin.

  You will wear clothing around him at all times.

  You will stop imagining what the rest of him looks like naked.

  Chapter Seven

  Logan took another slug of his beer then propped his feet up on the edge of the dock railing. This was the life. Peace, quiet, nature, and nothing to do but drink a beer and relax in the setting sun. Today had been a great day, the best he could remember having in years actually.

  Usually his days consisted of running around from his apartment to the studio, then stopping to eat somewhere or hauling groceries home. It was a life filled with going all the time but rarely ever taking a moment to enjoy it. But here it was completely different. Of course, he knew everyone was in vacation mode and it wasn’t what real life was like, but people being on vacation was a change all on its own. People in the city didn’t take vacations often, and if they did, it was to somewhere flashy or noisy. They’d go somewhere there was always something going on, something to do, somewhere to be, needing to be constantly entertained. No one ever went somewhere to simply relax.

  This was certainly a relaxing kind of vacation. He loved every second of it. Already today he’d worked out, gone on a firewood run, paddle boarded, played a few rounds of poker and was now waiting to eat a home-cooked dinner and start a bonfire later. Did life get any better than this? The fact that by the end of the year it could be over hit him in the gut with ferocity. He’d just gotten here, hadn’t even started his job in the school yet, and already he was dreading the thought of having to leave if things didn’t work out teaching or with his gym.

  He’d never thought of himself in terms of where he lived making a difference to who he was. After living in a city forever and now seeing what it was like to live in a rural setting, there was no question he was happier here. If his term wasn’t extended at the school or if he couldn’t figure out a way to open a new training studio in town, he’d have no choice but to go back.

  Or was there another choice?

  He wasn’t qualified to do any other kind of work besides teaching or personal training, but surely he could get a job doing landscaping work or something else that would keep him moving. Something that would keep him in town even if he wasn’t doing his dream job. Would any job be fulfilling enough if it meant he could stay here and look at amazing sunsets like this all the time?

  Oranges, pinks, and deep purples filled the sky from the surface of the lake to edge of the stars. Never had he seen a sunset like this before. With so much open sky in front of him, he didn’t know which section to look at first.

  His gaze landed on a figure sitting in a folding lawn chair near the fire pit. Even in the darkening light, he knew it was Tessa, sketchbook on her lap and a charcoal pencil in her hand. She had been there since shortly after returning from the lake. Well, not that one specific spot exactly. She’d moved around. First on the dock where he now sat, then off in the woods on a fallen log that hadn’t looked comfortable, and finally siting by the fire that would soon be lit.

  What was in that sketchbook of hers? Pictures, obviously, but of what? When she looked around this space that she seemed to simultaneously love and hate, what did she see that was worth immortalizing on paper? He wanted to commit every moment of his time here to memory, but this was all so new and unfamiliar to him. Did she feel the same way, wanting to commit the scenes to paper permanently even though she claimed she couldn’t wait to get away from here again? It didn’t seem to add up. Curiosity sent him into motion and he wandered over to her, sipping his beer along the way. Did she look at the sunset and think it was as amazing as he did? Or was it another boring end to a day in a small town to her?

  He wasn’t exactly being sneaky, but he wasn’t loud or obvious either. When he neared her chair, almost close enough to see her current page, her head snapped up and her book flipped shut. The look she shot him said he was busted and guilty of spying.

  Strangely, seeing how protective she was of her work actually made him feel guilty.

  “What are you working on so hard over here?” he asked, taking a seat across from her and setting down his beer.

  “Nothing.”

  “Well, you’ve been working on nothing for hours.”

  “Sketches.” She folded her hands on top of the book protectively.

  “Oh good. That puts to rest the idea that you were doing origami.” Grabbing a few logs and some kindling, he started building up the fire pit.

  “Why do you care so much what I was sketching?”

  “I don’t. It’s called making polite conversation. That’s all.”

  The kindling caught and he blew on the small flame, making it dance and grow. In a few minutes the larger logs smoldered and he could feel heat radiat
ing out of the pit. Soon it would be warm and cozy and he was ready for another drink to enjoy fireside.

  “I’m going in to grab another beer. You want anything?” he asked as he picked up his empty bottle. “Unless of course it’s none of my business what you’re drinking tonight and therefore couldn’t possibly consider getting it for you.”

  “I’d love a glass of wine. Thank you.”

  “Watch the fire while I’m gone, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said standing and grabbing a long, skinny stick then gently poking at the fire.

  When he returned a few minutes later, he handed her the glass of red wine. Waiting for him in his chair was her sketchbook, opened. He sat with it in his lap, taking in all the little details. This was more than a sketch. As he expected, it was a landscape of the cabin and the surrounding woods. She’d done an outstanding job of capturing the atmosphere of the area. The way the light twinkled off the lake and seeped through the branches of the trees, the small animals hiding in the ground cover and leaves, even the hint of fog rising off the surface of the water like it had this morning when he’d gone for his jog. The more he looked, the more details he noticed, including what looked to be the shape of a man, mid-stride, jogging in the woods.

  “You did this whole thing when I went for my jog, didn’t you?” He didn’t wait for her to reply. “It’s amazing.”

  “Thank you,” she said, crouching at his side, looking at the sketch with him. “I’m sorry I was bitchy when you asked about my book. I don’t like to share my work, especially not until it’s finished, but I shouldn’t have expected you to know that. I could have told you that instead of being so rude.”

  She looked so vulnerable and unsure of herself, but she had no reason to be. He wished he had that kind of talent to be protective of. “What made you decide to show me this one?”

  She shrugged. “This one seemed finished. I’m sure there are things I could fix, but for a sketch, it’s not bad. Good enough to show you anyway. My best stuff is always in paint, not charcoal.”