“You’re in love with her.” Her eyes started watering. “Aren’t you?”
“What? Why are you crying?” Evan asked, bewildered.
“Because I’ve been so worried about you after Noelle and Dr. York, and then I found out she was pregnant,” She wiped the tears that were now starting to fall down her cheek. “And you’re still getting over your injury and you couldn’t work and I know what your work means to you and I was just so scared that you were going to get depressed and I don’t know—”
He reached out and pulled his mom into his arms. “I’m okay, Mom. You don’t have to worry about me.”
But she had in the past and he knew that’s what this was about.
She sniffed and nodded against his chest. “You just hold everything inside and I never know if you’re really okay or if you’re just saying it.”
Evan hated that he’d made his mom feel like this. She’d always said that he was an island unto himself and he had been. When things were rough or he was having a hard time, he pulled away from everyone. But seeing how his retreat hurt someone he loved so much made him determined not to do that again. The people that loved him, that cared about him, deserved better than that.
He squeezed her tight before stepping back and looking down at her. “I’m really okay. I promise. And I also promise that if I’m ever not okay, I’ll tell you. You don’t have to worry about me.”
She reached up and patted his cheek. Growing up it had always been the gesture that indicated to him and his brothers that whatever they’d done was forgiven and she was no longer upset. This time, it told him that she believed him.
“Okay,” She patted his cheek once more and nodded before turning back to open the door. She looked over her shoulder before she did. “And, I’m sorry that I told everyone about the movie. I just wanted Shayne to know that there’s a heart behind the death stare.”
“Mom,” He didn’t want her to get ahead of herself. He and Shayne might have some chemistry and maybe more on his end, but that was all. “It’s not what you thi—”
“It is.” She smiled sweetly up at him.
He shook his head. “She doesn’t—”
“She does.” His mom nodded.
“I’m not—”
“You are.” She said with confidence. “I know the look and you have the look.”
The look.
The look that he’d seen on every man in his family.
He had the look.
He was in love with Shayne.
“I can see that comes as a shock. Why don’t you stay here and take a minute? I’m going to get out there before your father scares the poor girl away. He means well, but he can be a little intense and I think he’s worried that acting isn’t a stable profession. I tried to tell him that she makes more in a year than he did in all his years on the job, but you know how he gets. He worries.”
His mom left and he remained staring at the spot where she’d just stood.
I’m in love with Shayne Fox.
And it was a life sentence. The walls started to feel like they were closing in on him. When had this happened? He knew that he cared about her, that he was attracted to her, but when, how, had he fallen in love with her?
This was not good. There was no way that this could end well. He had no idea what she felt for him, but even if his wildest dreams came true and she did feel the same way, then what? She lived in LA. She traveled all the time for her career.
He’d just signed a three-year contract to be in Hope Falls.
She was a movie star. He was a hotshot.
She was young and had the world at her fingertips. He was on his second career and was a recovering addict.
He started to feel claustrophobic so he rushed out of the den and ran straight into Shayne. She bounced back on her heels to avoid a collision and she smiled brightly up at him. And just like that, his world was balanced again.
“Hi. I was coming to say goodbye.”
“You’re leaving?” Had his dad run her off?
“Yeah.” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “Deanna and Kenzie invited me to a book club…I think.”
“You think?”
“Well, when I asked what book they were reading they both just looked at each other and laughed.”
“From what I’ve heard there’s more wine drinking and talking than literary discussion.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Shayne!” Deanna called from the front room. “If we don’t leave now, Amanda’s double fudge brownies will be gone by the time we get there.”
“Coming!” Shayne answered before lifting her baby blues back up to him. The energy between them was so electric it was tangible. Evan was sure if he lifted his hand he’d get shocked by it.
“Didn’t she just eat pie?”
Shayne lifted her shoulder in an adorable shrug. “I guess the brownies are really good.”
He grinned down at her. The desire to lean down and press his lips to hers was so strong that he could hear the strain in his voice as he said, “Thanks for coming tonight. In case you didn’t notice, my mom was really excited to meet you.”
“I was excited to meet her. I mean…I was happy I got to meet her…” she stumbled over her words before taking a deep breath. “It was great meeting her. She’s everything I ever imagined a mom being.”
The vulnerability that shined through Shayne’s eyes reached into Evan’s chest and tore out his heart. It shredded him.
“Shayne! Brownies!” Deanna yelled.
“I better go,” she smiled sweetly and started to walk away. Evan reached his hand out, halting her.
Her big blue eyes stared up at him with a mixture of arousal and uncertainty.
“Just so we’re clear,” He rested his hand on her hip as he lowered and whispered in her ear. “You’re not out of my system.”
She sucked in an audible breath and he felt a tremor run down her body as the words left his mouth. He released his hand and stepped back.
“There you are,” Deanna came around the corner. “Let’s go.”
Shayne glanced up at Evan once more before joining Deanna and heading out.
For the first time in his life, he had no idea what his future held. But no matter what happened from this point on, he knew it was all worth it.
She was worth it.
Chapter 18
‡
If Shayne’s life were a movie, she couldn’t have written a more romantic line.
You’re not out of my system.
As she sat sandwiched between Deanna and Vivien in a room filled with interesting women and conversation, those words kept playing over and over again in her head. That was more than flirting. That was game on.
“Okay, so what’s the deal with your cuz?” Vivien shifted toward Deanna.
“Which one?” Deanna asked coyly.
“Well, not the married one.” Vivien said sarcastically.
“I have two married cousins and two single cousins, so you’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Wait, there’s two single Bishop Brothers?”
Deanna nodded. “Yep. Easton and Evan.”
Shayne got a little thrill that she’d known that. Evan had told her that his brother Everett and Eli were married and he and Easton were single.
“Easton?” Vivien said in disbelief. “Does he look like Eli and Evan?”
“Growing up, the girls called him ‘The Hot One.’”
No way. Shayne couldn’t believe that anyone could think someone, even his brother, was hotter than Evan. Eli was good-looking but Evan was…sexier than any person walking this earth. To Shayne that was an indisputable fact.
“Wow,” Vivien’s jaw dropped. “Well, we’ll definitely be circling back to that. But I meant what’s the deal with Evan? He said he wasn’t seeing anyone but that’s all I could get out of him. That man is about as open as a superglued clam.”
Both Deanna and Shayne laughed at the comparison.
“I’m serious. Getting him to talk is like pulling teeth.”
Vivien was not exaggerating. From what she’d witnessed, Evan didn’t open up to people easily and he wasn’t what anyone would consider talkative.
You’re not out of my system, his words played in Shayne’s head again.
But when he did have something to say, it was good.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen much of him these days.” Deanna said. “He’s been on set every day.”
You’re not out of my system. As much as Shayne was trying to be present and listen to the conversation, she just couldn’t get Evan out of her head. She could feel the pressure of his fingertips as he gripped her hip. The sensation of his lips brushing her ear. She felt herself flush at the memory.
She lifted her glass of spiked lemonade to her lips to try and cool down.
“Shayne, you’re around him every day.” Deanna patted her knee. “You’d know better than me if he were seeing anyone.”
At Deanna’s statement the sip of lemonade that she’d just taken went rogue and she choked. Through her fit of coughing, she set down the glass. Deanna instructed her to inhale slowly through her nose. After a few moments, she was able to swallow and breathe normally again.
“You okay?” Vivien and Deanna both asked.
“Yeah. Just went down the wrong pipe,” she assured them.
“So,” Vivien prompted.
“I don’t know.” she shrugged.
“Well, if you hear anything, report back. He intrigues me. He’s so intense. I mean can you imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that intensity. I bet he’d be just the right amount of dominant in bed. He’d probably take charge an—”
“Whoa,” Deanna covered her ears. “Cousin, remember. I’m related.”
“Sorry.” Vivien smiled and looked anything but sorry.
The conversation moved onto non-Evan-related topics but Shayne’s head didn’t. It was still obsessing about him. At this point, she couldn’t even count how many different X-rated scenarios had played out in her day and night dreams, but there were a few that were her favorites.
When she was in New York, she’d imagined that when she got back to her hotel he was there waiting for her. He didn’t say a word, just walked over to her and took her up against the wall. He was demanding and rough and she loved it.
Once, while waiting in her trailer, she’d envisioned him coming through the door, picking her up, setting her on the small table, and then pushing her legs apart and dropping to his knees. Evan told her how he was going to make her come with his mouth first and then his hand and then, maybe, his cock. He teased her mercilessly with his tongue before bringing her to climax with all three.
But then there was the one that she had last night. She’d just finished a script where the lead was lost in the Montana wilderness and she put on Fifty Shades. She’d been up for the role that had gone to Dakota Fanning. Shayne never watched her own movies but she always watched ones she didn’t book.
She drifted off to sleep thinking that as much as she wished she’d booked the role, she had to admit that Dakota did an amazing job.
The vivid dream that she had reflected both the script she’d read and the movie she’d watched. Shayne was in the Montana wilderness, in a cabin, stranded. Evan shows up and saves her but not before tying her to the bed and doing things to her body that she wasn’t even sure were possible. It had been the hottest, most erotic wet dream that she’d ever had.
Just thinking about it now had her inner muscles clenching rapidly. It was like they were using Morse code to say, I need Evan’s penis.
Shayne’s fantasies always included Evan being dominant and in charge. Her psyche could go there because she trusted him implicitly with her body. There were only a handful of people that she knew would never intentionally do any harm to her, and Evan made that cut.
After another hour of drinking, talking, and laughing and the gathering started to wind down. She said goodbye to Nikki and Amy, who were sisters and then their sisters-in-law Tessa and Lily. The women seemed like a close-knit, supportive group and it was nice to see.
“Did you know them?” Vivien questioned after they’d said goodbye to a third round of women, Deanna’s in-laws, Jane, Shelby, and Emma.
“I met them tonight.” Shayne’s brow creased.
“What about the Maguires? Or Kelly, or Adriana?”
“I met them tonight, too. Why?”
“How do you do that?” Vivien’s voice was filled with awe.
“Do what?” Shayne had no idea what she was asking her about.
“You’ve said goodbye to everyone by name. Most people that come to these book clubs are so lost, Nikki keeps saying that we need nametags for new people. You must have a really good memory. That must come in handy for memorizing scripts.”
“Actually, I’m dyslexic. So, I have an audio program I use to memorize them.” Shayne was shocked at how easily she’d shared that information.
“Oh, my sister’s dyslexic. Not Audrey, my sister Grace. She wasn’t diagnosed until seventh grade. She hated school before that but after working with a tutor she started taking advanced honors classes. Now she’s just finishing up her MBA.”
“That’s amazing.” Shayne felt like a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She’d been carrying around a secret that to anyone else might seem like no big deal, but had been a source of ridicule and embarrassment in her most formative years. To discuss it so matter-of-factly was oddly healing.
The rest of the night sped by, and after Deanna and Kenzie left she’d been on her way out to her car when she’d stopped to thank their host, Amanda, and ask her about Mountain Ridge, the resort that she owned and operated with her husband. Their house sat on the outskirts of the resort that could easily be a Hollywood set. This entire town could be a movie set.
“This place is beautiful. Do you offer horseback riding lessons?” Shayne asked.
If she took the Montana wilderness role, she’d be required to ride a horse. Which she’d never done. Unless you counted the mechanical bull at the Saddle Ranch.
“We do. We have group and private lessons.” Amanda beamed as she talked about the resort. “Were you interested in learning to ride?”
“Yes. I may be up for a project that would require me to and I’ve never even touched a horse.”
“We can change that now, if you want. Do you want to go down to the stables?”
“Oh, no,” Shayne motioned to the living room where there were a handful of women still milling around. “You’re busy. I didn’t mean to—”
“Psh.” Amanda waved her off. “I’m not busy.”
Shayne hated putting her out but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“Hey, Kar. I’m going to take Shayne down to the stables.”
Karina Black lifted her hand and gave Amanda a thumbs up from across the room.
As the two women started down the path to the stables Shayne asked, “Karina grew up here, right?”
Karina Black was one of the biggest popstars in music today, but you’d never guess it from being around her. She was so real. So grounded. So funny.
Shayne had met her once at a Grammy’s after-party and she’d always hoped that if she were ever lucky enough to be as successful as Karina, she would handle it with as much grace and class as Karina had.
“Yep. We’ve been friends since before grade school. There were four of us and we were inseparable. It was me, Sam—”
“The snowboarder.” Shayne had met her earlier. They’d only got a chance to say hello, but Deanna had told her she was a retired Olympic Gold medalist.
“Yes and Lauren—”
“She’s in real estate, right, and she does a reality show?”
“Uh huh, and Karina. We called ourselves the Fabulous Four. Those girls are my sisters. We might not be blood-related, but we’re family.”
“That’s amazing.” Shayne wished tha
t she’d grown up with Ruby and Nolan.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Shayne opted for a partial truth. “I grew up in foster care.” Usually people didn’t press on after that.
“Oh.” Amanda nodded with understanding as she opened the door to the stables. “We’re actually working on a summer program, a camp for kids in the system from Sacramento and the Bay Area. We’re hoping to get it up and running by next summer. I’d love to pick your brain.”
“Absolutely! I’d love to.” Shayne answered. She’d love to be involved in something that could benefit kids like her. And anyone who wanted to reach out and do something for them like Amanda did, earned a special place in Shayne’s heart.
Amanda gave Shayne a quick tour of the stables and introduced her to each horse by name. She fell madly in love with Buttercup, Westley, Priscilla, Elvis, Mac, Cheese, Cher, Sonny, Bonnie, and Clyde.
When they left, she saw a man exiting a cabin that sat secluded behind the stables.
He was tall and had warm, brown eyes and thick, brown hair. His face lit up when he saw them and Shayne figured this must be the Justin that she’d heard so much about. Every time Amanda spoke her husband’s name her lips curled slightly at the corners. She doubted she was even aware of the subconscious tick.
“Justin, this is Shayne Fox. Shayne, this is my husband, Justin.”
“Nice to meet you,” Shayne smiled.
“You too.” Justin’s smile was just as warm as his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her against him. “Is it safe to come out?”
“I think so.” Amanda patted his hand that held her tight to him. “There may be a few stragglers left but everyone was clearing out when I left.”
“Good. I got the fireplace working.”
“You did?!” Amanda spun and looked up at him.
“Yep.” Justin said proudly. “Want to see?”
Amanda turned back to Shayne, her excitement was palpable. “We just finished renovating an old cabin. We doubled the square footage and added on a luxury bathroom. It has a waterfall shower head, a jumbo size whirlpool tub, and LED lighting to set the mood. And now a working fireplace. Do you want to see it?”
Fire and Temptation Page 17