Their bodies fit together, as though they were made for each other.
He leaned down and started singing in her ear.
She’d never really listened to the words, but they resonated through her now. Her life was unsteady at the moment, and she’d love someone to hang on to.
Was Aaron offering himself as someone she could hang on to?
No.
No matter how tempting it was to believe the words he was singing in her ear, her life was now in Mimosa Key. His was in Los Angeles.
Once he got back to his job, and his real life, he’d forget all about her. He may not be a player on the Hollywood scene, but he was an attractive man. The fact he’d stayed single for so long had always surprised the heck out of her.
Why hadn’t someone snapped him up? What was wrong with him? Did he drink from the milk carton? Leave the toilet seat up.
The song ended and the tempo of the music returned to the faster beat.
“Up for a walk along the beach?” he asked.
A walk along a moonlit beach with a good-looking guy on the heels of attending a romantic wedding was a recipe for disaster. “Yes.”
Well, she did like cooking up disaster. Why not continue with her usual M.O. when it came to Aaron Madison?
“Let me go to tell Tom I’m taking off.”
She grabbed his arm before he could go. “Wait, shouldn’t you stay until they leave? Don’t you have more best man duties you need to attend to?”
“Did you sleep through my speech? I worked hard on it. Should I be insulted?” Aaron teased.
Sienna smiled and shook her head. Everyone had laughed, and a few women had cried when he’d talked about the love Tom and Caryn shared. She’d sniffed a few times. “Well,” she dragged the word out. “If you’re fishing for a compliment—yes, it was a beautiful speech.” She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “I cried. That’s how good it was.”
His fingers threaded through her hair and cupped the back of her skull, moving it so that they faced each other. “Thank you.” Then he dipped down, covering her mouth in a brief kiss.
It was over before it started and she restrained herself from pulling him back close when he moved away from her.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
She couldn’t help think a minute apart was too long.
Chapter Nine
The sand was cool beneath Aaron’s feet, but it was doing nothing to cool the desire raging through him with Sienna walking beside him, her hand clasped loosely in his.
The memory of the kiss they’d shared had kept him company the whole time he’d been sitting at the main table, watching Sienna to ensure she was having a good time.
It was ridiculous to be feeling this way about her. He’d known her for years. Had been her manager. Had been on movie sets when she’d been wearing next to nothing and hadn’t felt this need to own and possess her.
Sure he’d admired her, but he wasn’t a caveman. He was a gentleman and he’d do the gentlemanly thing; keep his zipper shut.
“Thanks for inviting me. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad you came too. But tell me,” he stopped and faced her, placing his hands on her hips. “How many times did you check your phone to see if you got a text from Frankie?”
She averted her gaze before meeting his eyes again, a sheepish look on her face. “Busted.”
Aaron laughed. “Go on, tell me how many times?”
“Too many to remember,” Sienna said on a groan. “And I may have called a couple times.”
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’d be worried if you hadn’t done any of those things. I’m pretty sure Frankie didn’t mind either.”
“Well, she doesn’t know how many times I checked my phone. But she was good about the calls. The second time, she put Caleb on he told me that Elijah was visiting and they were having a good time.”
“Elijah?”
“He’s Lacey Walker’s son. She and her husband, Clay, designed this whole resort. They both love the movie Casablanca. That’s why it has a Moroccan theme.”
“How do you know?”
“Clearly you didn’t read the welcome folder in your villa. It explains the whole history of the resort. How a hurricane decimated the house Lacey lived in and how Clay turned her vision of a B&B into this world class resort.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with Sienna Fairley?” Was this the reason he found her so attractive now? The way she’d taken time to read about the history of the resort. The woman he’d known wouldn’t have cared about the place. All she’d care about was how much attention she could draw upon herself.
If she’d been more like this, would he have represented her or would he have directed her to another agent so he could’ve pursued her.
So many scenarios and, at the end of the day, it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was the two of them.
On this beach.
The moon shining on the bay.
Her ruby red lips tempting him.
A temptation he couldn’t deny any longer. Aaron pulled her close and did what he’d told himself he wouldn’t do again. He kissed her.
Her mouth immediately opened beneath his, allowing him to deepen things.
She slipped her hands under his jacket, clutching his shirt at his waist, and lifted the material. When her fingers brushed his skin, he hardened immediately.
How easy would it be to lower her to the sand? Take her under the stars?
No.
He couldn’t do that to her. If—and that was a big if—they were together, it would be on a bed, soft sheets beneath them.
Sienna deserved so much better than a roll in the sand.
With regret burning through him, he pulled away.
“I think I should walk you back to your villa?” he whispered against her cheek.
She thrust her hips against him, her intention clear. “What if I don’t want to go back there?”
Aaron bit back a groan as his body jumped at her sinuous movements. “You’re a temptress, you know that? No matter how much I’d like to take this further. I don’t think it would be wise for us to do this.”
Sienna cuddled into him, her fingers pressing into his back. “Just hold me a little longer please?”
The longing in her voice was unmistakable and he couldn’t deny her, her wish. If he was truthful with himself, he didn’t want to let her go so soon. “I can do that, but give me a minute.”
He unwound her arms from around his neck and placed them at her side. Aaron slipped off his jacket and laid it on the sand. Then he reached for her hand and pulled her down so she sat on his jacket, and not the fine white sand.
He sat behind her so her back rested against his chest and his arm looped beneath her breasts.
“Thanks for putting your jacket down.”
“You’re welcome, wouldn’t want you to get sand on your dress.”
She laughed, the movement causing her breasts to rise and fall above his arms. If he moved his hand half an inch, he could caress the underside her luscious curves. “I’ve lived here for nearly four months. Trust me when I say a little sand on a dress is nothing when living with a four-year-old.”
Aaron wanted to find out more about this woman Sienna had become. “Tell me about Caleb. It’s hard to imagine you as a mom.”
“What? You don’t think I’m mom material?”
Her back stiffened and he silently cursed himself for his careless words.
He tightened his hold so she couldn’t escape, not now that he had in his arms. “I’m going to be honest here, I’m having trouble reconciling the woman in front of me with the woman I knew you to be.”
Silence stretched between them, broken up only by the occasional swish of the waves crawling up the shore.
“I don’t know who I really am now. Motherhood was thrust upon me. I didn’t have nine months to get used to the idea. I mean, I love Caleb. I’d die for him. I don’t
want to lose him.”
“You won’t,” Aaron breathed the words against her ear.
“I want to believe that. I’m trying so hard to be the mom David and Shannon would want me to be. Before I do anything the thought, what would they do? runs through my mind. I don’t want to let them down. Especially not with Shannon’s parents waiting for me to mess up. I’m surprised I don’t have neck pain with all the looking over my shoulder to see if I’m being watched.”
Would Caleb’s grandparents really spy on them?
Although it seemed unlikely, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. In the world of Hollywood, people being followed and spied on was the stuff movies were made of.
“Has it occurred before?”
“Yeah.” The word sighed out of her. “It was before I moved down here. I spent the first six weeks living in my brother’s place, until I knew what I was going to do.”
“How did you know you were being watched?”
Sienna chuckled. “Well, it was like watching a B-movie. They weren’t inconspicuous. In fact, they were so obvious it was ridiculous.”
During her career, the paparazzi had camped outside her house on many occasions, always after one of her outbursts.
“How come no photos of you and Caleb haven’t appeared online while they watched you?”
“Because I didn’t leave the house much and, as I said, they were so obvious it was pretty easy to avoid them. But I couldn’t spend the rest of my life living in hiding.”
“Meaning, you moved down here so the distance between you and them wasn’t so big.”
“It’s worked well, but there’s still the unspoken threat whenever I take Caleb for a visit. The way they look at him when we arrive, as if they’re checking out to see I’m feeding him well. Or hurting him. It’s tiring, and I don’t know what to do to convince them I’d never harm a hair on his head.”
Not being a parent, Aaron had no idea of the insecurities a new parent would have. That was exactly what Sienna was. A new parent.
Her body lifted and fell as she sighed. As much as he enjoyed holding her, her fatigue was obvious.
“Come on, I’ll walk you home.” He stood, pulled her up and enfolded her in another hug. “Everything will be okay. I believe in you. Always have.”
Chapter Ten
Sienna knocked on Frankie’s door, anxiety curled through her at seeing Caleb again. God, she hoped he was okay. It was ridiculous to worry, the petting zoo owner would’ve called if there’d been any issues. But it was his first night away from her.
She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him. The villa appeared to have an unnatural stillness when she woke up. It seemed silly now, thinking back that the little boy’s absence created a void, but it had.
The door swung open and loud car sounds greeted her. “What the heck?” she asked.
Frankie laughed and stepped aside to let her in. “Come in, the boys are pretending to be Nascar drivers. They watched Cars last night and both insisted on being Lightning McQueen.”
Confusion rained over Sienna. As far as she’d known, Frankie and Elliot didn’t have any children. “Boys?”
“Yeah, as you know Lacey brought Elijah over to play. The boys became fast friends and both begged to have a ‘dude’ slumber party.”
Sienna had made the right decision to move down to Mimosa Key. The sound of Caleb’s giggles as he and the other little boy played warmed her heart. He’d made a friend. “I can’t thank you enough for looking after him last night.”
“It was my pleasure. Let’s go have a drink, and we can talk. I think it’s going to be a while before you can pry those two apart.”
Sienna followed her friend into the house and admired the glossy hardwood floors. The sixteen foot ceiling gave the entry a spacious open feeling. When Frankie led her through to the kitchen, her breath caught at view of the water, the sunlight glistened off the cerulean water. “Your house is beautiful.”
“Thanks. Elliott and I spent a lot of time going over plans to make sure we were happy with everything. What can I get you to drink? I’ve got coffee, tea, iced tea, soda and juice.”
“I’ll have an iced tea, thanks.”
A second later, two boys came tearing through the kitchen.
“Mama!” Caleb screeched and flung himself at her, his little arms hugging her legs tightly.
She crouched down and collected him into a fierce hug. “Hey Caleb-bug. Did you have a good time? I missed you.”
“The best time!” Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I missed you more.”
Tears pooled and she willed them back, not wanting her son to see. How could his attitude change toward her in just a few short days?
Even after leaving him for a couple of hours with his grandparents, he hadn’t shown this much enthusiasm toward her. Sure, it’d been a sleep over and they hadn’t seen each other for a day. Whatever it was, she wasn’t complaining and she was going to embrace it.
She stood and ruffled his blond hair, gently pulling away from the hug. “I hear you made a new friend.”
He nodded so fast she was surprised he didn’t hurt his neck. “Uh huh. Elijah.” He pointed to where the other boy was talking to Frankie. “We watched Cars. Vroom. Vroom. I’m Lightning McQueen.”
Sienna laughed. “Well don’t drive too fast that you knock over some of Ms. Frankie’s things.”
“I won’t, I promise.” With that he and Elijah zoomed off out of the kitchen and down the hallway.
She didn’t need to see a mirror to know she had a huge smile on her face. The stretching of unused muscles was a welcome feeling. Maybe she was doing a good job after all. Caleb’s happiness was catching.
“He’s a good boy, Sienna.”
She faced the other woman. “Thanks. Although, I can’t take all the credit.”
A little sadness crept in, trying to chase her happiness away. She pushed it aside. David would be angry at her for her continued sadness. He’d want her to grasp her life with two hands and continue living it the way she had been before his death.
Only the way she’d been living, it had been destructive. She’d been on a downward spiral. One step away from doing something so stupid she would never recover.
“I know I don’t know you very well, but if you want to talk, I’m here.”
Sienna squeezed the other woman’s hand. In Hollywood, friends weren’t really friends. Most friendships were a means to an end, a way to improve their chances of hitting it big. It was refreshing to know, this time, the offer of friendship was genuine. “Thanks. In my former life, sincere offers to talk were hard to come by.”
“I’m sure it was. But there’s no pressure here. I don’t expect your life story today. Maybe tomorrow though,” Frankie teased.
Laughing, she shook her head. “Good to know.”
“Shall we look for a pretty shell for you to give to Grandma the next time you see her?” Sienna asked as they made their way along the beach after a quick swim in the bay.
They’d ended up having lunch with Frankie, and the boys had had to be pried apart with promises of another play date when Lacey had arrived to collect her son.
“Okay, but I don’t think she likes them,” Caleb said.
Her senses went on alert at the hint of hurt in his tone. “Why do you say that? I’m sure she loves them.”
He shrugged and didn’t say more.
“Well, let’s see if we can find a special one anyway.”
“Okay.” The little boy looked down at the ground intently as they walked slowly along the sand.
Anger bubbled inside of her and Sienna took a couple of deep breaths so it didn’t explode. No way would Shannon’s mom not appreciate the gesture of the grandson she so desperately wanted.
Sienna loved when Caleb presented her with a shell. She’d saved them all in a box on the top shelf of her wardrobe.
The next time they visited she was going to watch Glenda’s reaction to the gift of a shell.
“Sienna!” She turned at the sound of her name and spied Aaron striding down the sand toward them. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt so he hadn’t come to the beach for a swim.
Had he been looking for her?
A different type of warmth flooded through her. This warmth could cause her as much trouble as the anger she’d been feeling moments before.
Her attraction toward Aaron had grown immensely from the little bubble it had been when she’d been living in LA.
“Hey there,” she said when he neared. The wind had mussed up his hair, giving it a just out of bed look.
It was a look she’d like to see in person.
“Hi, Caleb, you look busy. What ya doing?”
Her son’s sandy hand slipped into hers and she gently squeezed it, assuring the boy everything was fine.
“We’re looking for a pretty shell to give to Grandma, aren’t we?” she responded.
He nodded. “Yeah, but I can’t find one.”
“Can I help?”
Her head shot up at Aaron’s offer.
“What you don’t think I can do this?” he asked, laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. “How about a challenge, Caleb?”
“Huh?” the little boy asked, clearly not understanding what the word challenge meant.
“What Mr. Madison is suggesting is like a race.”
“A race? I can run really fast I’d win.” Caleb enthused, his apprehension at Aaron’s presence disappearing.
“No not a running race, although I’m pretty sure you could beat me.” Aaron smiled as he stooped so he could face the child, the action bringing him close to her. “How about you find a nice shell for your grandma, and I’ll find one for Sienna. If you find it first, we’ll get an ice cream. If I find it first, we’ll still get an ice cream.”
The tendrils of desire that had begun to weave through her at Aaron’s appearance, expanded until they consumed her at his sweet gesture.
She fought against the urge to lean into his strong body, the way she had the previous evening. It had been so easy to forget her troubles when it’d been just the two of them on the beach. “Well that sounds good, doesn’t it Caleb-bug?”
Barefoot Bay: Wrong Time for Mr. Right (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5