by Dee J. Adams
Quinn raised his hand.
“Yes?” She smiled, revealing the dimple he craved to see. It stopped him cold until he realized she was waiting for him to say something.
“Isn’t there a stuntman’s union or something? I mean, I wouldn’t think that just anybody could say ‘hey, I can do that’ and be allowed to.”
She nodded. “Yes, there’s a union, but I was already in the Screen Actors Guild.”
“Really? At eighteen? Were you some kind of child star?”
She laughed and the sound settled around him like a favorite tune. “Hardly. My mom dragged me to a few commercial auditions when I was tiny and I booked a couple of spots. I really hated the whole audition process. It was boring and most of those people are so bad with kids. I told her I didn’t want to do it anymore. She pushed for a little while, but…” Ellie pressed her lips together and shook her head. “But things changed and she quit pushing. Anyway…” She met his gaze and continued, “…I told the stuntman that if they were willing to give me a try, I was willing to help them out. He turned out to be the stunt coordinator’s son and he went straight to his dad and the director and pointed me out. Obviously, they caught the resemblance to their lead actress and I’d mentioned to Brett—the son—that I was already in S.A.G. My mom had kept up my dues every year in case I wanted to get back into it and long story over, they gave me a chance.”
“Oh, no,” Quinn said, with a finger in the air. “You can’t just give me ‘story over.’ I want to know about the stunt and the night and—”
The waiter came back and rattled off four different specials. Ellie couldn’t decide between the lobster and the sea bass, and Quinn didn’t care as long as she stayed happy.
“How about you get one, I get the other and we split?” he suggested.
Those dark green eyes sparkled right at him. “That’s sounds extremely tempting.”
Oh, baby. “I like to tempt.”
She surprised him by holding his gaze. “I’ll bet you do.” Her quiet voice barely reached his ears. The sound was so seductive he got an unfamiliar tingle down his spine. Had a woman ever made him tingle? If so, he had no recollection of it. Her green eyes got darker, the color of moss in deep forest shade. He wasn’t imagining the heat he saw there.
The waiter cleared his throat. God, how long had he been staring at her?
“Sorry,” Quinn said, glancing up. He closed his menu and handed it to the man. “We’ll have the lobster and the sea bass specials.” The waiter took Ellie’s menu and disappeared.
Quinn got back on track. “So the stunt coordinator decided to give you a chance. What happened? What did he say?”
Ellie rested her hands on the table and sighed. “First he wanted to make sure I could skate so I did a couple of laps around the rink. I figured if I really wanted the job I should do something big to land it, so at the end of the last lap, I launched myself in the air and dove.” She laughed. “I was, literally, Supergirl on acid. I have no idea what I was thinking. I landed really hard and slid up to his feet.” Ellie shook her head and chuckled. “He looked down at me and said, ‘Are you okay?’ I said, ‘Sure. Great.’ But I could tell I’d bruised the whole side of my body. God, that hurt.” She laughed again.
“Then he says to me, ‘I make my stunt crew wear pads when they’re doing falls like this.’ He pointed to a corner of the rink and said, ‘I’ll send Brett with some gear. Get fitted in wardrobe, and be back here in fifteen.’”
Quinn sat there, grinning like an idiot. “That’s very cool.”
She snorted. “Yeah, very cool is right. Turns out I was right about where I’d be spending my night. I was sprawled out on that ice for hours. I was miserable and cold and—”
“They paid you, didn’t they?”
“Oh, yeah. You better believe they paid me. They gave me a bump in pay too.”
Nodding, Quinn had his own idea about bumping Ellie. He took a sip of his tea. God, what was his problem? He had a one-track mind when it came to this woman. Everything had a double meaning. Aside from the last six months, when had he ever been out with a woman when sex was “not—repeat not” going to happen at the end of the night? She’d made that crystal clear this morning when he got her number and address. Maybe that explained the innuendo stomping around in his head.
He set his glass down and got back to the topic. “Did you do any other stunts?”
She grinned shyly. “I did three other falls. The one I did first was the last sequence. Usually they shoot the end first in case something goes wrong.”
“Ah, that’s the reason you’re doing all the tough stunts now at the beginning of the movie,” Quinn said.
She tapped her nose. “Bingo.”
“Okay. You did all these falls and you were brilliant. What happened next?”
Shaking her head, she blushed again. He loved watching the color rise in her cheeks. “At the end of the night, Al, the stunt coordinator, gave me his card and told me to call him the next day. He said he liked my style and he’d take me in. Teach me the ropes. I still had to prove myself and I had a lot to learn, but I had a good look as far as Hollywood went. I could double for just about any blonde in town.”
“Not to mention the brunettes,” Quinn reminded her. After all, Julie Fraser was as brunette as it got.
Ellie grinned. “Julie and I had met a few years ago on her show and we got along, so anytime she needs a stunt double, I get the call.” She sipped her iced tea.
Quinn had seen every episode of Julie’s show The Only Way and he never remembered any stunts. “What episode did you do?”
“Well, I did a total of three. The first time was when Julie’s character flips the karate instructor. Actually, I was the one doing the flipping.”
“No kidding?” Quinn couldn’t help but be impressed. He’d seen that promo a hundred times during the week before it aired. The woman had been a knockout even wearing a white, shapeless gi. Hell, now he really wanted everything. “What else did you do?”
“The episode where she jumped in the pool at her boss’s party, that was me, and when she fell out of the tree spying on her sister.”
“Those were the best episodes!” Quinn sputtered. “And it wasn’t even Julie? It was you?”
She nodded. “Me.” Her green eyes sparkled and pride shown bright. Not conceit, but pride. She liked that she’d surprised him. Almost as if it were something she didn’t get a chance to do often.
Quinn shook his head. “You’ve totally screwed with my whole image of Julie Fraser, but it’s okay. That’s probably a good thing really.”
“How so?”
He leveled her with serious eyes. “Now I see who should really be getting the credit.”
A reluctant smile curved her lips and an unexplained sense of warmth crept into Quinn’s chest. He liked her reaction to him. Hell, he damn well liked everything about her.
“Julie deserves a ton of credit. She’s very talented. People have no idea how hard it is to be funny. She’s got great timing and she’s a nice lady. I hope this movie does well for both her and Trace’s sakes.” Her sincerity came through in her voice, but their gazes locked and turned into something electric.
Ellie cut the connection and continued to play with the water drops on the table. Her shyness fascinated him. She worked in a town full of narcissistic people yet she seemed to be anything but one of them.
“What was the next stunt you did?”
“Oh, no. We’re not talking about my stunt work all night,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll tell you that Al was very nice and taught me so much. I’ve learned a ton and I’ve made a living, but there’s a point in your life when things have to change.”
The food arrived and that seemed to end the conversation as Ellie concentrated on her dinner. She shelled her lobster like a pro. After slicing it, she eased half onto his plate. Quinn reciprocated and gave her half his dinner too. He couldn’t take his eyes off her hands as she cut off a bite of lobster, dip
ped it in the cup of butter and wrapped her lips around the fork. A tiny drop of butter slid down her chin and Quinn felt the instant throb of lust between his thighs.
Shit. He’d been doing so well.
He’d followed the limo. Seen the restaurant. It was just like Reynolds to flash his money. The guy only knew one way to impress a lady. He’d been keeping tabs on him since the accident six months ago and this was Reynolds’s first foray back into the dating scene. Maybe his last.
That thought brought a smile to his lips. Reynolds had no idea what was coming his way.
So, did he hit him tonight, or did he wait? He could still get the company without killing Reynolds. He’d already made one man disappear, so two might be suspicious. And, obviously, he didn’t want witnesses. It wasn’t fair for the blonde to die, but she’d put herself in the danger zone so she’d suffer the consequences if need be.
He had a gun. He could take them both out in a heartbeat. If he made it look like a robbery then there’d be less suspicion in the long run. Los Angeles was a big city. Bad things happened. They were on a secluded beach, so it might work… And the blonde was a knockout. Maybe, if he had time, he could enjoy the experience while he was at it. Scared women were most often willing women. He knew that for a fact.
He warmed to the idea. Waiting for Mac Reynolds to rein in his little brother held very little appeal. He could follow them home tonight. Do the deed and be done.
This would be Quinn Reynolds’s last vacation. Maybe, if the mood suited, he’d let Reynolds die a quick death. Just knowing he held the man’s life in his hands gave him a sense of power. He pulled the strings and Reynolds would realize that by the time he died. It was just a matter of when.
Chapter Seven
Ellie reached for her napkin and quickly dabbed at the butter on her face. “Oops. Sorry,” she mumbled. How embarrassing. The heat of Quinn’s gaze sent her heart thumping harder. Had the restaurant suddenly gotten warmer or was his undivided attention making her sweat?
She broke their stare and sipped her tea. “Your turn,” she said. “I don’t even know what you do. Are you helping with the movie in some way?”
Shaking his head, he swallowed a bite of food. “No. I’m here on business. I need to talk to Mac, but he’s been preoccupied.” Quinn took a sip of his drink. “I run our company.”
The man took charge of every aspect of his life. He certainly had a presence about him.
“What company?” she asked.
“Formula Racing Design. FRD. We design and build Formula Ones and have our own race team out of London.”
“Sounds…interesting.” And expensive. But she’d been working around people with money for ten years and it wasn’t what impressed her about a person.
“It’s not that interesting. Not to me at least,” he said.
“Why do you do it if you don’t like it?”
“My sentiments exactly,” he said, pointing his fork at her. “You want to talk to my brother and tell him that for me. He’s apparently gone deaf when it comes to my voice.”
“He must have a reason.”
Quinn took another bite of his dinner and made a snort/growl sound. “Oh, yeah…” His voice got louder and dripped sarcasm. “He’s got a lot of reasons,” he said around his food. “But they’re all based on—” He looked up, his light gray eyes filled with frustration. “Sorry.” Swallowing his bite, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “This isn’t an easy subject for me. Mac and I…” He shook his head, couldn’t seem to elaborate, but it didn’t sound good. “I gave myself two weeks to convince Mac that it’s time to sell the company. He told me not to come. Said he’d be consulting and had to work to do, but I’ve been letting him stall me for months and I’m done waiting. Just when I think I might get some time, he starts talking to the stunt coordinator or the director, or Trace needs him for something. I can’t believe I’ve been here six days already and I’ve hardly had ten minutes alone with the guy.”
Obviously Mac was a sore subject, but maybe Quinn needed someone to talk to. Seemed like the least she could do since he was picking up the dinner tab. “Sounds like you knew it was going to be tough.”
“What I know is that I need the break. I’ve been working nonstop for two years to get the company to this point and if I want things to change, now’s the time to strike.”
“How do you want things to change?”
Quinn shook his head and closed his eyes. “There are too many ways and not enough time to answer that question.” When his fascinating light gray eyes opened and focused on her it was as if the noise of the restaurant disappeared. “It comes down to this. I want to lead my own life. My way.”
“You and Frank Sinatra.”
He smiled at her, not the grin that melted her bones, but one that spoke to her heart. “I’ll do anything, talk about almost anything, but do you think we could change the subject?”
Wow. How could she refuse a request so sincere? Not for the first time, she realized there was more to Quinn than he let show. No reason to make the man miserable. Their one date didn’t have to be a washout. They’d be better off sticking to trivial matters anyway.
“Okay. Didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.”
“Not a problem. Tell me more about you.” He sat forward and took another bite of his dinner.
She played with the potatoes on her plate. “You already know about my job and living arrangements. And my age,” she added. “Don’t think that got by me.”
He laughed and wiped his lips with a napkin. “C’mon, you’re gorgeous. Don’t tell me you’ve already fallen into the age trap. I swear it’s this state. The women in Europe aren’t at all as paranoid about age.”
“The women in Europe don’t work in a town where age discrimination is so prevalent either.”
He nodded. “Gotcha. Point made. And if it helps at all, we’re the same age.”
Dinner continued with a steady stream of conversation. Movies, music, food. Whatever came to mind. Quinn laughed at her jokes and one-liners and she enjoyed his just the same.
The waiter came by offering dessert menus.
Ellie pushed back a twinge of anxiety and twirled the ring on her pinkie finger. Great. Another menu. Usually, playing this game of pretend-to-read didn’t bother her, especially since she did it so often, but tonight she felt strangely nervous.
“What looks good to you?” she asked Quinn. The letters all jumped out at her and very few made sense. She caught the words apple and chocolate, but it simply took too long to figure out most of the choices.
Quinn settled on chocolate mousse and Ellie ordered the same. Nice and simple.
After the most mouthwatering dessert known to man, Quinn paid the bill and they left. They stood off to the side of the building watching the water. “How about a walk on the beach?” he asked. “I haven’t gotten a chance to do that yet.”
The sound of waves crashing in the distance and a cool breeze had her senses alive and alert. The majesty of the ocean had always amazed her, awed her. Ellie checked her watch. “I’ve got another twenty minutes before we have to start back. Why not?”
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “You seriously have to be back home by eleven? You know, you’re an adult now. No curfew.”
She nodded. He was too cute for her own good. “Self-imposed curfew. I told you I have a big stunt tomorrow. I don’t want to stay out all night and be useless. I need to concentrate.”
Quinn raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Twenty minutes. C’mon.”
They walked around the building toward the water. The moonlight shone bright and mirrored off the Pacific Ocean. The rush of the surf and salty smell of the ocean filled her senses while the cool breeze blew through her long hair.
A funny prickling itched her neck and Ellie looked around. Nothing seemed out of place and she attributed the sudden shiver that ran down her spine to the light wind.
Ellie slipped off her sandals and Quinn followed her lead, t
aking off his shoes and socks. He rolled up his Armani pants and Ellie got a good look at muscular calves and… Holy Huge Feet, Batman. If foot size had anything to do with—
“You ready?” he asked.
She straightened with her shoes dangling in one hand. The killer smile on his face lit up the beach almost as much as the moon. “Yep.”
Ellie gathered her skirt and lifted it thigh-high as Quinn and she walked along the water’s edge. The cool tide washed around her ankles in a sensual caress. The peaceful sound of the surf relaxed her.
Her original assessment of Quinn hadn’t been too fair. She had to acknowledge that now. All through dinner, he’d been fun, engaging and downright likeable. Still, the cautionary phrase, Don’t feed the ego, rang in her head.
“How long have you and Ashley been roommates?” he asked.
“Since the end of high school. Once I started stunt work I was able to move out of my parent’s house and afford my own apartment. I didn’t have as much work then and I needed to be sure I could cover the rent. Ashley was working and going to school so it was smarter for us to room together.” The tide came in fast and cool around her calves.
“How come you haven’t gotten your own place? From the sound of it, you’re working steadily enough. Why keep a roommate?”
She couldn’t tell him the real reason they still roomed together, that without Ashley, she’d be unable to survive. Although she had more than enough money for a down payment on a house, she couldn’t imagine the paperwork involved. It was way beyond her grasp.
“Why not?” she answered. She stopped to brush off a tiny pebble stuck to her foot and Quinn stopped with her. “We’re saving money, we get along better than most sisters. Hell, we could be sisters. There are a lot of reasons.”
“Watch it!” Quinn shouted. Fear bolted through her at his warning. “Surf’s up!” In the next instant he swept her high in his arms and turned away from the water. The motion caught her off guard and Ellie held on to his broad shoulders when he swung her around. The rush of the tide splashed against her ankles even as Quinn held her high against his chest. With her palms braced on his shoulders, the water swirled around him almost thigh-high. The water rushed out as quickly as it had come in.