Hope Falls_Seeing Stars

by Jennifer Bernard

  Her entire body was shaking by the end of that passionate declaration. He started to speak, but she wasn’t done yet.

  “And I know you’re probably going to hate me now that you know the truth. But at least I’ll be able to live with myself, so...thank you.”

  He stared at her, dumbfounded. “I don’t understand. Why are you thanking me?”

  “Every single member of my security team has either sold pictures of me or given bits of gossip to the media. We kept having to fire them. I couldn’t trust any of them. I don’t even trust my manager, really, and definitely not my label. For sure, not my parents. They’ve sold me out in every way they can. But you—you’ve never sold me out. And you never would. Coyle actually tried once, did you know that? That time a photog offered you half a million dollars for a peek into my suite?”

  Hunter remembered all too well. He’d knocked the guy on his ass. “That was Coyle’s doing?”

  “It was a test. You definitely passed. The truth is, I didn’t know what integrity even meant until you came into my life.”

  That simple declaration gutted him. He’d researched Starly’s life. He knew her parents had pushed her into show business early on, and profited to the tune of millions. Then they’d gotten divorced. Her father had published a tell-all book about her. Her mother had done a no-holds-barred spread for Playboy. Her childhood sounded miserable to him, but then, he was just a small-town guy from Jupiter Point.

  “Except for Karina,” Starly whispered. “She always had integrity, but I didn’t understand it. That’s why I hated her. She was so strong and sure of who she was.”

  Kneeling next to the suitcase, looking so forlorn, Starly called out to every protective cell in his body. But this wasn’t something he could rescue her from. She needed to do this herself.

  He cleared his throat and went for a businesslike tone. “First of all, you’re completely wrong. I don’t hate you. I admire the hell out of you.”

  Her head snapped up. “For what?”

  “Not too many people are willing to admit they did something wrong. Most people make excuses. You want to apologize and make amends. That’s admirable.” It was the kind of thing his father had drilled into him. But Starly hadn’t had parents to school her on decent behavior.

  She shook her head and zipped the suitcase back up. “I screwed it up completely.”

  “So when you saw Karina downstairs, it didn’t work out the way you wanted?”

  “No. We just started fighting like we always used to.”

  “Well, there’s only one thing to do about that.”

  “What?”

  “Try again.”

  A wary sort of hope entered her tear-misted violet eyes. “But...how? Where? She just happened to show up at the café this morning. I can’t go to her house. She’d never let me in.”

  He leaned over the suitcase and did what he’d been longing to do since she’d first collided with him at the door. He lifted her chin with one finger, so her tear-streaked face was raised to his. Her eyes widened in panic.

  “Oh my God, I must look like such a mess,” she began, but he stopped her words by sealing her mouth with his. He kissed her long and thoroughly, with deep, aching tenderness, pouring out all his pent-up desire.

  It started slow, but in a second, he was on fire for her just like always. And she was kissing him back with just as much passion. She crawled across the suitcase to get closer to him. He lifted her against him, wedging her soft body between his spread knees. Everything he wanted was so close. He could just shove that little pink t-shirt up and lick those perky nipples...slide his hand between her legs...feel her slippery folds...plunge his cock deep inside her delicious body.

  He groaned out loud and physically lifted her off him. Now was not the time. “You’re on a mission,” he rasped. “Missions come first.”

  Flushed, panting, her lips swollen from his kiss, she stared back at him in a daze. “They do?”

  “You came here for a purpose, and I’m here to help you. I did reconnaissance in the Army. I’m sure I can find a location for Karina Black.” He bounded to his feet.

  “Um …” Starly moistened her lips, a sensual gesture that made him see stars. “Are you going somewhere like that?”

  He followed her gaze to the gigantic tent that had formed in his sweatpants. “If you keep looking at me like that, it’s just going to get worse,” he warned.

  “I can live with that.” Her eyes lit up with a mischievous, wicked gleam. On her knees, she started to shuffle across the floor toward him. He couldn’t move, not with his every sexual fantasy—in full, living Technicolor—right before him.

  She was inches away, her lips so close to his giant hard-on that he felt her warm breath puffing against it, when someone knocked at the door.

  He jumped about a foot in the air. Starly scrambled to her feet as well.

  “Hunter? Are you there? We’re just wondering if Beatrice, well, Starly, is okay.” Sue Ann’s kind voice carried through the door.

  Luckily, the interruption was like a cold shower to Hunter’s erection. He gave his poor cock another moment to get appropriate, then went to the door.

  Sue Ann and Ryan Perkins stood in the hallway. He recognized Ryan from the last tour he’d done with Karina, when Hunter had worked an extra shift as a special favor. Ryan seemed like a down-to-earth, really good guy.

  “She’s fine,” Hunter told them, as he accepted a take-out coffee tray from Sue Ann.

  Starly joined him at the door. “I’m really sorry, Sue Ann. I honestly didn’t mean to cause trouble by coming here. If you want, I’ll leave immediately. There’s a good chance the media will be going crazy right about now.”

  “Don’t you leave until you’re good and ready,” Sue Ann said cheerfully. “The paparazzi can kiss my butt.”

  Ryan grinned and slung his arm over her shoulder. “What my grans is trying to say is that it seemed like you got off on the wrong foot with Karina this morning.”

  “Thank you,” Starly said earnestly. “I really did. Ryan, I want you to know I did not come here to hurt her. I don’t know why things got out of hand like that. It was just like the old days. But that’s not what I meant to happen.”

  Ryan studied her with a serious expression. “I got that impression, but Karina isn’t so sure. Why did you come here?”

  “I came to do something I should have done years ago, and all I want now is a second chance.”

  Ryan glanced at Hunter, as if looking for confirmation. Hunter nodded.

  “In that case,” Ryan said. “There’s this thing called Book Club happening tonight.”

  “Oh.” Starly looked around, as if hoping a book would appear out of thin air. “I haven’t—”

  “Don’t worry about the book.” Ryan smiled. “No one else does.”

  Chapter Five

  If Hunter hadn’t been waiting in his Jeep the entire time, Starly wasn’t sure she could have survived Faceoff Number Two with Karina. This encounter was even stranger than the first one.

  Hunter drove her to the house across from Karina’s, which belonged to the redhead named Sam.

  Karina came to the door and listened to Starly’s speech. Starly had known Karina for years, obviously. She’d seen the pop star be charismatic and charming. She’d also witnessed her dry wit and sarcastic nature. She’d never seen her show absolutely zero reaction. But that’s how it went down.

  Starly explained that she’d convinced the songwriter to sell Stars in My Eyes to her instead of to Karina. She didn’t spare a single detail when it came to her motivations. Yes, she’d fallen in love with the song. But she’d known what a huge hit it would be. She couldn't resist the pressure to get that big breakthrough.

  When Karina didn’t say anything, Starly kept going. She talked about how guilty she’d felt ever since then. How jealous she’d been of Karina’s talent and success, but most of all her inner strength. Her envy had fueled the “feud,” and she was ashamed of how she’
d behaved. Now, she told the still-silent Karina, she wanted to change her life and be a better person. She added an extra apology for the twerking marionette quote. And she admitted that she hadn’t exactly stopped Karina from falling into that pool.

  Finally, she handed her the suitcase full of awards. “I plan to make a statement to the press as soon as I get back to LA,” she finished, out of breath from her long recitation.

  Karina seemed almost too stunned to respond. Somewhere behind her, Starly knew, was an entire houseful of women sipping wine. They were probably listening to every word of Starly’s confession. Maybe even taping it for YouTube.

  But she didn’t care. It felt so good to get it all off her chest. It felt even better to hand over the suitcase she’d been lugging around. Starly felt much lighter as she ran down the steps and jumped into the passenger seat next to Hunter.

  He welcomed her with a big grin that lit up his green eyes. “Mission accomplished?”

  She thought about it, then nodded. “Mostly. I did what I needed to do. She didn’t say anything, but that’s okay. I probably caught her by surprise. She was probably waiting for a camera crew to jump out of the bushes. If I were her, I’d assume it was all some publicity ploy. It might take her some time to process everything I said.”

  “Congratulations.” Hunter reached over and shook her hand. It was such a warm gesture, so respectful and sympathetic. The way the touch of his palm sent an electric current to her core was really just a bonus. “So what now?”

  “Well, I have a whole list of people to make amends to.” She felt so inspired and energized, she was ready to tackle Number Two on the list right this minute.

  After all, Number Two was the gorgeous hunk of man behind the steering wheel.

  The afterglow from her apology to Karina faded. Once Hunter knew what she’d done back at PopZilla, the selfish way she’d interfered with his career, he might take her right back to Book Club and leave her.

  No, he wouldn’t. Because she could make it right. She’d make sure of it, even though it meant she wouldn’t see him any more.

  “Hunter, the second apology I have to make—”

  But Hunter threw up a hand in a “not yet” gesture. “No more apologies tonight. We should celebrate first. We need a real meal, and we should toast the start of your new life. Deal?”

  “Deal.” If that’s what Hunter wanted, that’s what they’d do. Step two of her mission could wait. “Sounds perfect.”

  Of course, anything would sound perfect to her if it included Hunter McGraw. Hunter now knew her most pathetic secret and he didn’t hate her. Far from it! They’d been so close to...Intense heat flashed over her at the memory of that moment next to the suitcase. She’d never forget the raw craving written all over Hunter’s handsome face. The desire in his eyes.

  They found a bar at the edge of town called JT’s Roadhouse. A local hangout, based on the muddy trucks and motorcycles filling the parking lot. As a disguise, Starly wore Hunter’s U.S. Army sweatshirt, which was huge and baggy on her. She bundled her hair into a deer-hunter cap. After they’d moved out of Sue Ann’s apartment that afternoon, the kindhearted woman had promised to spread the word that Starly had left. Hopefully no one at JT’s would be expecting to spot her.

  No one looked their way. Everyone was busy playing pool, or dancing by the little jukebox in the corner, or chatting with their friends. Hunter steered Starly to a small table in the far corner, then went to the bar to order.

  She watched him as he wound his way through the crowd. Even though he wasn’t the only attractive man at JT’s—in fact, there were quite a few real lookers here—to her, he was far and away the hottest thing on two feet, anywhere he went. He just exuded a certain something. Sexiness, of course. That went without saying. She’d been a wreck thanks to his animal appeal for a year now. But it was more than that. Hunter possessed a core of pure strength. He had character. He had heart. He was everything she could ever want packed into one muscular ice cream cone of a man. Damn.

  When he slid into the opposite side of the booth with a tankard of beer for each of them, she smiled at him so radiantly that he startled.

  “It’s just beer. Not liquid gold.”

  “I know.” She blew on the foamy head of the beer. His gaze dropped to her lips and his pupils dilated.

  Oh yes, this was definitely going to happen. No doubt about it.

  “Hunter, do you mind if I ask you something?”

  He dragged his gaze away from her lips. “Uh, sure. What’s up?”

  “Well, part of my new approach to life is that I don’t want to be so self-centered anymore. When you’re a performer, everything’s about you all the time. I realized I don’t know very much about you. How did you end up working for PopZilla?”

  “Well, after I left the Army, I became a firefighter back in Jupiter Point. That’s where I’m from. One of the PopZilla execs has a vacation home in the area. I saved his dog during a wildfire a couple summers ago. He was very grateful, and the next time one of their security guys quit, he called me up. I was ready for a change, so I hopped a plane to LA.”

  “Jupiter Point...I’ve heard of that town. It’s up the coast, right?”

  “Yes. It’s tiny and fairly remote. Off the beaten track. It has one claim to fame, and that’s it. It’s known for its stargazing.”

  “Stargazing? You mean, celebrities?”

  “Nope. Real stars. There’s a high point of land with a 360-degree view. It’s called Jupiter Point, and the town’s named after it. There’s something about the air currents around the point that keeps the visibility good. And the town milks it for all its worth to bring in tourists. We have Stargazer Beach at the foot of Jupiter Point. The businesses in town have names like the Venus and Mars Café. The Rings of Saturn Jewelers. That sort of thing. It’s a popular honeymoon and anniversary destination.”

  Hunter really lit up when he was talking about his hometown.

  “It sounds lovely.”

  “It is. It was a great place to grow up. I got restless in high school and joined the military. I had my adventures, but always knew I’d go back home someday. I wouldn’t want to raise a family anywhere else.”

  His mention of a family gave her butterflies in her stomach. “Is that where you’re going next? Since you quit the job with PopZilla?”

  “Yes. There’s a new wildfire hotshot crew moving into the old Army base outside of town. I’m hoping to win a spot on it. My mom has Parkinson’s, and my sister shouldn’t have to bear the entire burden. I would have left earlier, but …”

  “But what?”

  His gaze flashed to meet hers. “I didn’t want to.”

  Chills shivered up and down her spine. “And now you do want to?”

  “I decided it was best. For my sanity.”

  She sucked in a breath at the smoldering look in those gray-green panty-melters. “Your sanity?”

  “My sanity,” he said firmly. He pushed his beer aside and picked up one of her hands. “I couldn’t take it anymore. So close, but so fucking far. Being paid to watch you, but never being able to touch you.” He brought her hand to his lips. A sweet shock traveled through her from the firm pressure of his mouth and his amazing words. “This has been the worst year of my life. I call it the Year of Torture. But the best, too, because I was close to you.”

  Her heart was literally trying to jump out of her chest. She couldn’t believe Hunter was saying these things. That all this time...he’d wanted to touch her? Be close to her? “But I thought …” She swallowed hard. “I thought you despised me. I heard you on the phone.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “What did you hear?”

  “You were telling someone that you’d quit PopZilla and couldn’t wait to be free from that whiny, spoiled brat.”

  His jaw fell open. “And you thought I was talking about you?”

  “Well …” She trailed off. Yes, she’d jumped to that conclusion. He was part of her security detail, who els
e would he mean?

  “I was referring to a college kid who was renting a room in my house. Obnoxious as hell.” He kept shaking his head back and forth. “How in the name of all that is sexy and glorious could you ever think I was talking about you? You’re a...an angel. A goddess. A beautiful, sexy, talented, amazing, magical woman. When you walk onstage and sing, the entire place fills up with joy. You make people happy. When you walk into a room, I forget my own name sometimes. Starly—”

  He wrapped his hands around her forearms. His thumbs brushed the skin above her inner elbow. She nearly moaned at the incredible, feathery sensation. “How can you not know how spectacular you are?”

  “Because …” Her heart was fluttering like a moth seeking the light. “It’s not real. It’s all an illusion. It’s skintight clothes and sexy choreography and a bass groove and sequins and fishnet stockings and lights and makeup and hair extensions and...” She stopped for a breath, and because he was shaking his head firmly.

  “It’s not any of those things. You want me to prove it to you? I’ll prove it to you. Stay here for a second.”

  In a flash, he left the booth and strode to the bar. Starly gripped the edge of the table. She felt a little dizzy, to be honest. She pinched the skin of her forearm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. The way Hunter spoke, with that deep, sexy rumble, and the incredible words he was saying...it was like every fantasy she’d never allowed herself to have. Compliments, she was used to. Heartfelt, honest words of emotion...that was something new.

  Hunter appeared at the booth and held out a hand to her. “Come on, princess.”

  “What? Where are we going?”

  “I’m going to show you just how spectacular you are. I’m going to prove it to every inch of your body. And you’re going to shut up and let me.”

  There he went again, ordering her around and being his irresistible sexy-bastard self in the process. With her knees so weak they wobbled, she stood up. He grabbed her elbow to steady her. The instant surge of heat felt like a flash grenade. She was actually surprised that smoke wasn’t pouring off the two of them. He guided her out the door to a path that led behind JT’s Roadhouse.