Smitten

by Brooks, Gemma

  “Yeah, I think I drove past that last night,” he said. “You guys don’t have a lot of restaurants in this town. We were looking for a place to eat, but everything was closed.”

  “Sorry,” I said as I bit my lip. “Everything closes around here by nine. That’s a small town for you.”

  “Well, I’ll just have to make sure I eat dinner earlier,” he said. “Not a big deal.”

  I wasn’t sure how much longer I could make small talk with him. I didn’t want to bore him or intrude any longer than necessary.

  “Okay, well, it was really nice meeting you,” I said with a smile.

  He sat up, as if he didn’t want me to leave, and his face fell a little.

  “You have somewhere to be?” he asked as his eyes scanned around the room. I watched as his gaze fell upon Luke and Piper, and he realized they’d been watching us the entire time. “Those your friends?”

  I turned around, embarrassed, and hung my head.

  “Sadly, yes,” I said.

  “Is that guy your boyfriend?” he asked, drawing out his words. “How long have you been with him? Wait, let me guess, you’re high school sweethearts.”

  “Nope,” I said. “Just a friend.”

  He smiled a Cheshire grin and tossed back the rest of his drink. “I see.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know they’ve been staring the whole time. They didn’t think I’d come and talk to you.”

  “If I buy you another drink, will you talk to me a bit longer?” he asked. “I don’t know if I want to send you back there quite yet.”

  It took everything I had not to let my jaw drop to the floor.

  “Um, sure,” I said as I tried my hardest to play it cool.

  “Another Jack and Coke?” he asked.

  I nodded as I bit my lip.

  “Hank, move your ass,” he said as he nudged the big guy next to him. “Let the lady have a seat.”

  “Oh, yeah, yeah, here you go,” Hank said as he stood up and offered his bar stool.

  “Thank you, Hank,” I said with my sweet little Iowan smile.

  While Hudson turned away to order my drink, I flipped back quickly to look at Luke and Piper. Piper’s eyes were as round as saucers and Luke’s flippant, overly ambivalent attitude was clearly beginning to fade. He turned his back towards me, and I would’ve killed to see his face in that moment. Was he jealous?

  “So,” Hudson said as he reached over and placed his hand on my knee and leaned in towards me. “What do you do for fun around here?”

  I laughed. “It depends on your definition of fun.”

  “Try me,” he said. “I like to think I have an open mind.”

  The music pumped loudly in our ears, and I was beginning to grow annoyed by it. I wanted to have a real conversation with him. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was being destroyed by some bad eighties hairband music, the clinking of beer mugs and the obnoxious laughter of drunks.

  “It’s really loud in here,” he said as if he had just read my mind. “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?”

  “Um, sure,” I said with a nervous grin.

  “I’m staying at the Wild River Lodge up the street,” he said.

  “Yep, I know exactly where that is.” I stood up and grabbed my purse, clutching it under my arm. He downed the rest of his drink and sat the glass down gently on the bar. He raised his hand in the air as if to thank the bartender for his good service and then headed towards the door.

  I spun around, waved at Luke and Piper, and walked out behind him. I couldn’t believe that was actually happening. It was all so surreal.

  “I hope you don’t mind if we walk,” he said.

  “Not at all. It’s just a couple of blocks.” I trailed behind him for several steps before he abruptly stopped and waited for me to catch up with him. Part of the walk was alongside a seldom-busy highway, but tonight there happened to be more traffic than usual.

  “Walk on this side of me.” He grabbed the crook of my elbow and pulled me to his opposite side, away from oncoming traffic.

  We walked mostly in silence, the gravel kicking beneath our every step, and within a few short minutes we’d arrived at the lobby of the Wild River Lodge. The look on the night clerk’s face when he saw me walk in with Hudson Smith was completely priceless. I expected rumors to be swirling around Rock River by noon the next day.

  I followed him to the elevator where we kept a safe distance between us, and I couldn’t help but notice the height he had on me. In person, he looked much taller than he did in the movies. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Luke, but he was still a good six feet tall. Then again, everyone was tall compared to my 5’4’’ stature.

  “Just to your right,” he said as the elevator dinged and the doors parted. “Room 478.”

  I headed towards his room, my heart thumping hard in my ears.

  Hudson swiped his card and held the heavy door open for me. The smell of a freshly cleaned and sanitized hotel room filled my lungs. The chilled air sent a shiver down my spine as he reached over and flipped on the lights. One king-sized bed rested smack-dab in the middle of the room along with a sofa, nightstand and dresser. Floor to ceiling curtains covered the far wall and hid the sliding glass door that led out to a private balcony.

  “Nice suite,” I said.

  He smiled and said nothing.

  I stood with my arms crossed awkwardly down at my hips, almost paralyzed with anxiety.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” he said as he pointed to sofa.

  I walked over and took a seat, crossing my legs and trying to appear relaxed and comfortable. I was pretty sure I looked like a complete, nervous moron.

  He pulled his keys and wallet from his pockets and splayed them out on the dresser before walking over to the sofa and sitting down next to me. He widened his hips and leaned back as he placed his hands behind his head, fingers interlocked. Every move that man made was so smooth, so fluid.

  “This is much better,” he said. “Now I can actually hear myself think.”

  “Totally,” I said. I was tongue-tied and couldn’t think of a better response.

  “So,” he said as he took a deep breath. “You have a boyfriend or anything?”

  “No,” I said. “Not at the moment.”

  “And you’re how old now?” he asked as he raised one eyebrow.

  “Twenty-three,” I replied. “How old are you?”

  I pretended not to know.

  “Thirty,” he said with an exasperated sigh. “Getting old.”

  I laughed. “That’s not old at all.”

  “It is in Hollywood,” he replied. “It’s ancient. All these young guys keep coming in with their jacked bodies and chiseled faces. It’s hard to keep up.”

  “I doubt that,” I argued. “You’re, like, Hollywood royalty. You’ve been around a while. People know you. You’re a household name. You have staying power.”

  “You’re beginning to sound like my manager,” he laughed. “Anyway, we don’t have to talk about me. I get tired of talking about myself. Tell me about you.”

  He lowered his arms down to his lap where they rested confidently. He turned his entire body and shifted towards me.

  “What do you want to know?” I asked with a half-smile.

  “Anything,” he said. He seemed captivated by me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was all an act. He was a famous actor after all.

  My face turned ten shades of crimson as the spotlight fell upon me. I didn’t usually like talking about myself or my boring little Iowa life.

  “Don’t be shy,” he said with a laugh. Again, it was like he could read my mind. “So I know that your name is Brynn, you’re twenty-three, you waitress, you have a couple friends, and you’ve lived in Rock River your entire life. What else can you tell me?”

  “God, when you say it like that, it makes me sound pathetic,” I huffed. I placed my hands on my cheeks, which were burning red by then.

  “I doubt you’re bo
ring, and I don’t think you’re pathetic at all,” he reassured me as he reached over and pulled my hands away from my face. He inadvertently pulled me closer to him in the process.

  “Do you get a lot of random women approaching you when you’re on location?” I asked, changing the subject.

  A smile spread across his full lips, and he tossed his head back and nodded while I tasted the irony in my question.

  “I didn’t want to be that girl,” I said.

  He shrugged as he if he understood.

  “I have something really silly to tell you,” I said. I looked up at him to gauge his receptiveness. His eyes honed in on mine with an intensity that burned even brighter than before. “It’s really embarrassing actually.”

  “What?” he said. “Now you have to tell me.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. It’s really silly.”

  He reached over and grabbed my hand, playfully swinging it and inadvertently pulling me closer to him. “You have to tell me now. You brought it up.”

  I bit my lip and opened my mouth, waiting for the words to slip out. He was leaning towards me, waiting to hear my silly secret.

  “I had the biggest crush on you when I was younger,” I said. I closed my eyes, scrunched my face and inwardly cringed. I couldn’t believe I’d just admitted that to him. I figured any second now he was going to look at me like I was some silly fan girl and tell me to get the hell out of his hotel room.

  “You did?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah, like I had a poster of you on the back of my door that I’d kiss goodnight every night,” I said with a wince. I crossed my fingers that maybe he’d think it was more endearing than creepy.

  “That’s sweet,” he said, the corners of his mouth curled up. “I’m really flattered. Let me guess? The poster was me with a leather jacket and gelled hair. I’m leaning against a tree with my leg kicked up behind me.”

  “That’s the one!” I exclaimed. “How did you know?”

  “That was the biggest seller,” he said.

  “I ordered it from the back of a Tiger Beat,” I admitted. “Ten bucks plus shipping.”

  He laughed and locked his hazel eyes into mine for a moment. He hadn’t asked me to leave, so I had that going for me.

  “I never thought I’d actually meet you,” I said. “And I don’t want you to think I expect anything to happen. You know, since we’re in your hotel room.”

  Now the word vomit was happening. I couldn’t stop.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m throwing myself at you,” I continued. “I’m not like that. I just wanted to meet you.”

  He studied my face intently while I rambled on, making excuses for my brazen behavior that evening.

  “I don’t have any expectations,” I blathered on.

  “Brynn,” he interrupted me. “Stop.”

  I zipped my lips, not knowing where he was going with that.

  He reached his hand up and cupped the side of my face as if I were some sweet, naïve girl that he felt sorry for. He cocked his head to the side and suddenly I found his lips mere inches from mine. A second later, he leaned in even closer and pressed his mouth onto mine.

  My heart skipped a beat and lightheadedness fell over me. For the past seven years, Luke was the only guy I’d ever fantasized about kissing. But in that moment, Luke was the farthest thing from my mind.

  Hudson’s breath tasted like cinnamon, and I could smell some sort of musky cologne permeating off his warm skin. I’d never smelled anything like it before, and it was a big departure from the laughably outdated Cool Water Luke insisted on wearing every single day.

  I attempted to relax my body as our mouths moved in tandem. At first I was afraid to touch him, as if he was some high prized, top shelf merchandise that I wasn’t allowed to touch, but soon I threw caution to the wind. I slipped my arms underneath his and leaned my body into his.

  His mouth began working its way lower, to my neck, and his five o’clock shadow tickled against my soft skin, driving small prickles and goose bumps from my flesh.

  I tossed my head back, my long, dark hair spilling down my back, and he slipped his hands underneath my top. His soft hands worked their way underneath my bra and within seconds he was working it off. He pulled my top off me and leaned down to place one pert nipple in his hot mouth, gently sucking and caressing it until I could barely feel anything anymore.

  As he toyed and teased, a rush of warmth came over me and the room began to spin. Was this really happening? Was I really about to give myself to this famous person like some groupie? I was sure he’d been with a million women. I’d only ever loved one man before. And I was still technically in love with that man.

  I tried to shut off my thoughts, but they kept coming, one after another. Soon the moment was becoming more and more ruined, at least for me. Hudson was in the throes of passion while I was trying to convince myself I could continue to go through with this.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he stopped and sat up. “I feel like you’re not into this anymore.”

  He had to have been some sort of mind reader.

  “I don’t know,” I sighed as I sat up. I reached over and grabbed my shirt to cover my heaving, naked breasts.

  “I won’t do anything unless you want me to,” he said as he placed both palms in the air in front of me. “Trust me.”

  The look on his face was sheer panic. I could only imagine the sexual assault headlines that flashed through his mind.

  “No, no,” I said. “It’s not that.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, perplexed.

  “I want to be with you,” I insisted. “But, I want it to mean something. It would mean something to me, but I know it wouldn’t mean anything to you.”

  Hudson let out the biggest exasperated sigh I’d ever heard and sunk back into the sofa cushions. He turned his head back towards me, his dark eyes were still intense and still wanting. I wanted to sleep with him so badly, but my head and my heart just weren’t in agreement.

  “I’ve never just randomly hooked up with someone. I’m not that kind of girl,” I said as I clutched my knees into my chest, suddenly feeling extra vulnerable. “And you’ve probably been with millions of women.”

  “Hey, now,” he said, pursing his lips. I’d realized I’d offended him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “That came out wrong.”

  “The number of women I’ve been with, I can count on both hands,” he said matter-of-factly. “Honest.”

  I twisted my brows as I peered back at him. “I don’t believe you. You don’t even know me and you were ready to jump my bones. How can I believe that you haven’t done that with a bunch other women?”

  “I can give you a few different reasons,” he said. “But if you’ve already got your mind made up and you already think you know me so well, I won’t waste your time with them.”

  I wanted to hear his reasons, but he had a point. I probably wouldn’t believe any of them.

  “Here you go,” he said as he handed me my bra from the floor.

  “Oh,” I said as I slowly grabbed it. It didn’t take long for me to realize he was telling me to leave.

  I turned my back towards him as I redressed. Mortified, I just wanted to click my heels and be back home in the comforts of my apartment. I wanted to pretend like none of that ever happened. I’d taken my one shot with Hudson Smith and ruined it.

  I pulled my top over my head and spun back around to face him.

  “It was really nice meeting you,” I said. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes, so I stared at his full, pouty lips instead. “I’m sorry about this.”

  My feet couldn’t carry me out of there fast enough. I didn’t wait for him to reply, I just left. I grabbed my bag off the bed and ran out of the room. I hit the elevator button and rode down, running out of the lobby like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight.

  CHAPTER 2

  As soon as the fresh, night air hit my fac
e, relief came swiftly. I checked the time on my phone. It was only eleven. Luke and Piper were probably still at the bar, so I walked the two blocks down the highway back towards The Manhattan. Every time a car whirred past me, I remembered how just earlier that night, Hudson had shielded me from the oncoming traffic. He didn’t even know me, yet he protected me.

  Once I returned to the Manhattan, I saw that the movie crew was gone. I glanced around the room searching for Luke and Piper and felt a wave of relief when I saw they were still there.

  “Hey,” I said as I walked up to the table.

  Luke turned around and looked me up and down, as if I’d done something despicable. He was pissed. Jealous perhaps. Something. I’d never seen that look on his face before. I was secretly pleased and a little scared at the same time.

  “Oh, my God,” Piper said as she ran to my side and clutched my arm. “Tell me everything.”

  I looked over at Luke who glanced away.

  “Nothing happened,” I said. “For the record.”

  Luke turned back towards me, his face softening a bit.

  “You weren’t gone very long,” Piper said.

  “He just wanted to talk,” I said. “He said it was too loud here.”

  Luke rolled his eyes. “He was totally trying to get into your pants, Brynn.”

  “I didn’t let him,” I snipped. “He said he had to get up early tomorrow for his call time or something so I didn’t stay long.”

  I didn’t like lying to them, but I wanted to give Luke a little bit of peace of mind about the whole thing. I felt like I’d done the right thing by stopping, and I didn’t deserve to get punished for it. Luke didn’t need to know the details.

  “I have to get up early tomorrow too,” Luke said. “Should probably head out.”

  “You’re still taking me home, right?” I asked Luke. He was still in a mood, and sometimes his behavior was a little erratic, but this was a side of him I’d never seen before.

  “Yep,” he replied. He was definitely pissed.

  “Are you okay to drive?” I asked him.

  “Yep,” he replied.

  I looked over at Piper. “Is he okay to drive?”

  She nodded.

  I followed Luke out to his beat up, red, rusty pickup truck as he kicked the gravel under his boots. Sometimes being around him was like walking on eggshells, but I was used to it. I was sure there were quirks of mine that drove him up the wall, but we spent a lot of time together. It came with the territory, and we were used to it.