“If you knew that, why were you angry at me all week?”
She looked at the grass springing under her feet. “I wasn’t angry at you. I was just...angry.”
Yellowing trees and the whispering of water followed them. A canoeing boat shot past them and the two young girls rowing waved at them. He waved back at them with a hoot, which made Eve roll her eyes.
“Hey, I was just bein’ friendly.” Grant brought his hand back to his side. “They looked like they needed a little encouragement.”
“I know, I know. You’re not going to sleep with one of them later or anything.” Her vexed tone bothered him.
“You’re right. I’m not.”
He didn’t like Eve doubting him. She might have every reason to, based on his past behavior, but recently, he felt like a different man.
He no longer got any thrill or comfort from sex. If he was honest, he hadn’t been enjoying sex for a long time. He’d just been doing it because he couldn’t justify to himself why he wouldn’t want it.
Lack of desire meant that he was growing old, weak, frail. It meant he was losing himself. After having been a sex symbol for the greater part of his life, his ego was firmly tied to his sexuality. He couldn’t lose the only identity he had.
“Do you know how to get back?” Eve whipped her face around. They’d walked quite a way around the lake. “I can’t see the lodge anymore.”
“Honey, I know my way around this area better than I know my way around the female anatomy. You have nothing to worry about.”
Eve choked on shock. “I...can’t believe you made that comparison. That’s...so...uh. That’s so like you.”
Turning up his chin, he gave her a cocky smirk. “If you want proof, I’ll be happy to show you later.”
Her foot beat on the ground. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“C’mon. Be adventurous. You won’t die if you sleep with your boss.” Grant clicked his tongue.
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“Really, woman.” He wanted to hurl his frustration at her, but he gave up.
She’d have to be led into it gently, because she had so much resistance. And once that resistance crumbled, he wondered what sort of woman she’d be. Not adventurous, definitely. But sensual. And very pleasant.
A sound passed into his ear. A twig snapping.
“What was that?” Eve asked, unknowingly handing him her palm. “I heard something.”
“Could be a bear. There’re a few around here.” Grant kept her palm snuggled in his. “You’ll be alright as long as you’re with me.”
“I’m not...scared.”
She sucked at lying.
A huge overgrowth curved along the path they were treading on and pushed them closer to the edge of the lake. Since their legs were already squishing into each other, Grant took the opportunity to put his arm around her nice, round hips.
Her reproachful gaze pierced through him. “Hands off.”
“It’s good to stay close, in case something attacks you.”
She let her guard down. Probably the mention of bears did the trick. “I guess.”
Rustling leaves marched along with them. None of them dared speak.
“What was that?” Eve’s voice shivered when she spoke.
Grant glanced to the right when the sound of the leaves broke, and an animal grunt took its place. A shadow lunged towards them from between the foliage. Eve’s muscles tightened under him. The hair on the back of her neck stood up like a porcupine’s spikes.
Her arms swiped the air, and before he could make sense of things, she was tripping over him, dragging him with her, until they tumbled into the lake with a splash.
“AAAAAAAH!” Her scream was ear-splitting.
Cold, wet water got into his clothes, his hair, his ears, his mouth, his tongue. It had a disgusting taste—mud mixed with dead fish.
Flailing, Grant popped his head over the surface of water. Ejecting the water that had infiltrated his mouth, he swum around for Eve, looking for a trace of her blonde head in the smooth, glassy surface. He couldn’t spot her.
Panicked, he scanned behind him. A manicured arm shot out amidst a bed of ripples. Paddling with his legs, he propelled himself to her. But by the time he got there, she’d gotten her head up and was floating.
“I was a girl scout,” she announced, triumphantly.
Soaked to the bone, her hair was brown and damp. She was blinking vigorously trying to see through all the water that had gotten into her eyes.
“Looks like we escaped the bear.” She spat out water, her gaze held to the spot where the shadow had been.
The branches of the shrubs shook.
The dark figure hopped out into the light. With its red eyes it blinked at them and flopped its fluffy ears.
A rabbit.
Its nose sniffed the ground. Found nothing. Twitching, it hopped away to scare the next couple.
“It was a rabbit.” Red climbed over Eve’s cheeks. She ducked her head under the water, too humiliated to face him.
Grant couldn’t resist laughing. A grown woman scared of a rabbit? Hilarious.
He continued to laugh until Eve couldn’t hold her breath anymore and had to come up for air.
“It could’ve been a bear.” Annoyed, she struck the surface of the lake and made water splash on his face. “We were just lucky.”
Feeling like a completely different person, Grant ruffled her hair. “Who knew you could be cute?”
Out of the blue, smiled, too and then they were laughing like kids, with seaweed and dirt caught in their hair.
Age just faded away, leaving only two people having fun in the unlikeliest of situations.
His iconic line from Unfinished Business came to mind.
Two people who can laugh together have a special kind of bond.
*
When they finally managed to get themselves out of the lake and trail back to the lodge some two hours later, they were smelly and dripping with sludge. Grant could’ve sworn that the staff at the reception wouldn’t have let him in, if he hadn’t been the owner of the place.
After a lengthy shower, Grant slid into a new pair of dry jeans. Facing the mirror, he spotted a subtle difference in himself.
There was a light in his eyes, a radiance in his skin, and his lips were still in a U. He straightened them out. He didn’t want to look loony when he met Eve to embark on their afternoon sightseeing program.
They ended up leaving their rooms at the same time, and she was dolled up this time around, in a pink dress.
“That’s some dress you’re wearing,” he complimented, with a kiss on her forehead, lingering. She let him linger. Even seemed to enjoy his attention.
Wrapping her arm around him, she asked, “Like it?”
“Not as much as the ass it’s hugging.” His appreciative gaze rolled over the curve of her butt. If he was delusional, he’d believe she was flirting.
“I should’ve known you’d say something like that.” Her hand perched on the curve of his neck. “You look good, too.”
“As always,” Grant added, with a touch of pride. Receiving compliments on his appearance was nothing new for him. He got them all the time.
But this was the first time Eve had given him one.
“You weren’t looking very handsome with pondweed in your hair a few minutes ago.”
She had to bring that up, didn’t she?
A waiter bringing someone a late room service lunch passed Eve, the wheels of his cart creaking behind them.
“We’re going to the Glacier National Park next,” Grant informed.
Without any more bodily contact, they glided across the corridor.
“Tell me there are no bears there,” she pleaded, with a note of humor. Her blush-dusted cheeks stretched against her high cheekbones, shimmering.
“We’re taking a helicopter tour, so you don’t have to worry about bears.”
She breathed a comic sigh of relief. “Tha
nk goodness.”
The day only got shorter and sweeter after that.
The helicopter tour was exciting. Floating over the glaciers, the lakes, forests, they covered the whole expanse of the park in an hour. Sitting in the small space for so long cramped his legs, so Grant forced her to get a deep tissue massage with him at the spa, which left them both relaxed and hungry.
So, deciding on an early dinner, they went to the boat club restaurant at the lodge.
Owing to the early hour, there was nobody except Eve and him, so they had the place all to themselves.
“The glaciers were unbelievable. I never thought we’d see the snow up close like that,” Eve remarked, tearing a piece of bread from the bread basket.
Sunlight hadn’t faded yet and hit her face at the all the right angles, since she was seated right opposite a window.
Objectively speaking, she had a very pretty face, one that must’ve been truly stunning in her twenties and thirties. Age had pressed wrinkles and spots into it, but with makeup, one could hardly spot them.
He’d been condescending about her figure for years, but he’d seen it up close today, and it didn’t look so bad at all.
They ordered food. Surprisingly, she let him pick for both of them. Grant took that as an indication that he was winning her trust.
Folding the cloth napkin over her lap, she regarded him mockingly. “You haven’t mentioned sex in the last hour. Are you sure you’re not sick or something?”
“My health’s better than it’s ever been, thanks for asking.” Grant pointed the sommelier to Eve’s glass to pour wine. “And I haven’t forgotten about sex. My plan is to ply you with wine and then ask.”
She sneezed. “Alcohol doesn’t have much of an effect on me.”
Touching the stem of his glass, he moved it to hers as a gesture. “You might feel differently after a few sips.”
The first bit of liquid went down her throat. “We’ll see. What’re we doing tomorrow?”
She wasn’t closing off the possibility that there might be something later. A good sign.
“Nothing. Staying in and eating room service. If you feel up to it, we’ll go to the Main street and have a look. You might want to get something for the girls.”
“That sounds like a plan.” By now, the charcuterie board was on their table, and Eve was nibbling on blue cheese. “See, it’s not that difficult.”
“What’s not difficult?”
“Dating.”
Grant blinked. Were they dating?
“It isn’t,” he admitted, albeit grudgingly. “So now do the honors. Tell me what’s gonna convince you to sleep with me tonight.”
Lines gathered at Eve’s eyes. “Can I ask you something? Why are you so interested in me? I mean, by Hollywood standards, I don’t look anything special.”
“You’re real.” Not exactly the reason Grant had hoped to give, but it poured out of him. “Sometimes, a man gets tired of the illusions.”
He rolled his finger over the polished silver of the fork. “Women feigning attraction, feigning love, feigning agreeability, so they can get a piece of me. Pretending to love me. Faking orgasms. Faking smiles. Faking entire personalities.”
Now, he had nothing against the fake and shallow, but that stuff got old. Fucking beautiful bodies without souls might be pleasurable, but it made him feel hollow. Maybe that was why he liked Eve. She had something more to give. Something more than an orgasm.
Eve needed nothing from him. Wanted nothing to do with him. She didn’t back down from chastising him when he needed to be chastised. She’d never fake orgasms. Or laugh at something she didn’t find amusing.
In a way, she was refreshing.
“Women who only see Grant Star, the seventies heartthrob, not the man under the mask.”
She boxed his face between her palms. “Why do you think I see the man under the celebrity?”
Smothering a yawn, he said, “Because you’d never have called me a jerk to my face if you didn’t.”
She managed a smile.
Now that he’d nailed the reason for his attraction, he could see it wasn’t going to go away.
They talked about the places they’d traveled for the rest of the meal. She’d been to a lot of countries and by the end of it, they decided to take a trip to Korea together someday.
Time rolled by without him noticing. Soon it was time for the evening to end. For him to go back to his room and for her to go back to hers.
He tried to prolong it, creeping at a snail’s pace as they neared their rooms.
“I loved the ribs. I’m glad I left the choice up to you,” Eve praised, rubbing her tired eyes. The day’s exhaustion was obvious on her.
He glowed. “Since I personally supervised the menu when it was created, I know what’s worth having.”
Her hair was sticking to the sides of her neck. She pushed them aside. “You hired a talented chef.”
“Came recommended.”
His room was ahead of hers, but instead of stopping at his door and turning in for the night, he followed her.
When she turned to say goodnight, he found her hand and tugged it towards him. “No goodnight kiss?”
“How could I forget that?”
Eve met him halfway for a kiss.
It tasted of wine, cheese, and forbidden desire. He licked the inner rim of her lips, but when he tried to venture deeper, the tip of his tongue hit her teeth.
“Open your mouth,” he demanded, savagely.
“We just ate,” came her squeak.
“I don’t care.”
In the heat of the moment, everything vanished. He buried his tongue into her mouth, and this time, she let him in. Her whispers and moans vibrated against his lips as their tongues became lost in a passionate dance. When the kiss came to its natural end, he knew he had to have more.
Tracing the nubs of her nipples, he trailed his fingertips up her neck and ears. “So, wanna do the deed now?”
He could’ve been subtle. But he wasn’t a subtle man.
The color on Eve’s cheeks intensified. “Sorry, the wine didn’t do its job. I’m still clearheaded.”
Grant tried hard to make his impatience invisible, but his voice betrayed him. “Once won’t kill you.”
“At my age, a woman can’t afford to be burned.” Sadness shifted in her eyes, and her legs moved away from his. “I know you’re charming, but I have the wisdom of experience.”
And didn’t she look sagacious.
But when she tried to open the door, she couldn’t. She turned the key again and again, but the door didn’t budge.
Confused, she stumbled back. “It’s not working.”
“Let me try.” Grant pulled it out of the keyhole. “You inserted it upside down.”
Touching her head, she groaned. If she was so muddled, didn’t that mean the wine had taken effect?
“Thanks.” She pushed the door wide. But she didn’t go in. Her eyes pinned him. With her tongue skimmed over her lips, she asked, “Grant, do you read?”
A random question at a random hour, but anything to lengthen her presence in his life. He couldn’t imagine going to sleep with so much unresolved tension. “Sometimes.”
“Can I ask you to read to me?” The door was now invitingly open and so were her eyes.
“Come again?”
“I forgot to pack my reading glasses.” Sailing to the edge of her bed, she caught hold of a book with John Grisham’s name printed in bold typeface. “I’ve been reading this book, and I want to find out how it ends, but I can’t see the words clearly. There are only five chapters left. Will you read them to me?”
She was asking a semi-drunk and horny man to read her a bedtime story? Was she out of her mind?
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have batted an eyelid before turning her down, but his emotions that had lain cold as stone for years were thawing out all of a sudden. It was just a simple request. Why couldn’t he do it? And if he stayed long enough, she might even ch
ange her mind.
“Sure. I’ll get my glasses from my room.” The words didn’t feel as if they’d come from him.
Even when he got back with his glasses and found her on her bed, gripping her forehead, he didn’t think of doing anything inappropriate. He only handed her Tylenol from her luggage. Then he rubbed her head, even though she didn’t ask him to.
Odd.
Maybe there had always been this part of him, that could be caring and loving, but he’d never had a reason to utilize it. Moreover, he’d decided to not use it, after Melanie had sapped away all his emotions with her antics.
“Chapter Thirty-Six,” he enunciated, mindful to follow all the punctuation.
Eve’s eyes were half closed, but she listened. The five chapters took him half an hour to finish.
At the end of it, all she mumbled was, “I should’ve bought the audiobook.”
“Remind me never to read you anything again.”
A soft laugh gurgled in her throat. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said thank you.” Her eyelids were struggling to stay open. “Thank you for everything. I really enjoyed today. I think this is the best vacation I’ve had since I became a mother.”
“My pleasure.” He put the book down.
Seeing Eve so vulnerable, so defenseless, lying on the bed where he could easily seduce her did things to him.
She reached for the book he’d put down and held it to her chest. “You’re a good man, Grant. If only you were faithful...”
Grant couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I can be faithful.” He spat the words, like they were a curse. “I can be faithful to you as long as we’re together.”
He could be that, couldn’t he? He’d been faithful to his first wife. He believed in faithfulness and Holy Matrimony. He could be trustworthy. He could be a good father. He could be all that. Question was, for how long. And the more important question was, why did he want to be all that for a woman who hadn’t even slept with him?
“I’m sure you can.” She wasn’t paying much attention now, very drowsy. Grabbing his hand, she slurred. “Do you want to sleep with me?”
A swift rush hit his gut. Denying how tempted he was would be foolish. She was giving him everything he’d ever wanted. But he was afraid to take it, because he feared it would change him. Change him in a way he didn’t want to change.
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