by Brenna Ash
“How's your day?”
“Busy. Eye-opening. Yours?”
He shrugged. “Pretty relaxing really. Haven't done too much. Went for a run. Thought about you. Took a shower. Really thought about you.” He gave her a wicked grin that made her blush and interlaced his fingers with hers. “So what's got you so busy?”
Now was the time. She had to come clean on this. Baby steps first. “You know, we never really talked about your life in L.A.”
He leaned back in his chair and eyed her questioningly. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
He scowled at her. “Do you think I'd be doing this,” he waved his free hand at her and then passed it between them, “us, if I had a girlfriend back home? You must think I've really changed if that's the case. Thanks for making me feel like a cad.”
She untwined their fingers and covered his hand with both of hers. “That's not it at all. I know you're incredibly loyal. I meant an ex-girlfriend. A lot of them?”
He let out a bitter laugh. “Now you're just reading shit on the web or magazines. Those assholes don't know their heads from a hole in the ground.” He sat up and pierced her with an ice-blue stare. “A few. And we stay far away from each other. The Hollywood crowd isn't exactly my type.” He sat back. “You didn't expect me to stay celibate all these years?”
Sunny shook her head. “I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I have seen stories about you and even though I knew you from before, it's not out of the norm for people to change after big things happen in their lives.”
“Yeah, well, that's not me.” He shifted his gaze over her shoulder, but not before Sunny saw the pain shuttered in his eyes.
“Who's Charyn Bliss?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Never heard of her. Sounds like a porn name.”
It did. Sunny studied his face, searching to see if he was lying to her. He wasn't. Maybe she was just some crazy-obsessed fan. Or maybe Charyn was one of his one-night stands that he was so famous for having. He'd be pissed, but she had to ask. She took a deep breath, wiping her palms on her linen shorts. “A one-night stand, maybe?”
The glare he pinned her with punctured her to her soul. “What the hell, Sunny? What's going on? What's with all the damn questions?”
“I don't mean to piss you off, Hayden. I'm just trying to figure some things out.”
His eyes were hard, the color turning a dark, stormy blue, raging like the waves in an angry ocean. “I don't know where you're going with this. But let's make some things very clear.” He leaned forward, so only she could hear. “I've never had a one-night stand. Those stories that the rags post, all lies. I've never had one. Not. One.” He held her gaze for a long moment, before leaning back in his chair and picking up the menu. “Let's order and then we can continue this conversation later when we're not in a room filled with people.” He raised a brow at her, daring her to defy him.
Sunny picked up her menu and browsed the selections, but she couldn't concentrate on the offerings. She'd really touched a nerve with him. He was pissed. She could see it in his body language. Tension rippled off him and she worried she'd pushed him too far.
The waitress appeared at their table and blatantly flirted with Hayden. Even though Sunny could feel the waves of anger floating off him, the young woman was oblivious and fawned over him. She had to give him credit. He acted normal, his usual politeness scoring points with the server. He didn't encourage her, but he didn't act pissed at her or strike out. He was still a gentleman.
The waitress wrote down his order and eyed Sunny from head to toe, no doubt trying to size up what she saw as her competition. Sunny ordered and watched the waitress saunter away, a sway in her hips that wasn't there before she noticed whose table she was waiting on.
Hayden was avoiding all eye contact with Sunny. She grasped his hand and brought it on top of the table. She played with his strong fingers. Hayden was doing a good job of keeping his anger in check. But she saw the set of his jaw and knew better. She felt guilty knowing she was the cause.
“I'm sorry. It's not my place to pry.”
His gaze swung to hers. “That's just it. It is, actually. You have every right to question it because that's the persona I've put forth. I'm sorry I got defensive. Let's just have lunch and then we can go someplace and talk. Get everything out in the open. Sound like a plan?”
She nodded. He relaxed a bit and lunch wasn't as tension-filled as it could've been. It looked like they'd both be coming clean about things from their past. They still didn't say much as they waited for their food to arrive and even less once it did.
When they finished, Hayden didn't wait for the check to arrive. He slapped a fifty on the table, grabbed Sunny's hand and practically dragged her out of Trinny's. He unlocked his car and opened the passenger side door for her to slip into. She did. The leather was heated from the sun and she could feel it through her linen capris. She watched him walk around the front of the car and slide in beside her.
He remained silent, starting the car and backing out of the spot. Then he mashed his foot on the gas and took off so fast, Sunny hoped there were none of Pebble Harbor's finest around or Hayden would have another problem.
Sunny didn't know where he was driving. It wasn't toward either of their houses. She needed to say something. To apologize. Or explain. Or...she didn't know what. But she hated the awkward silence enveloping them.
She turned in her seat, checking out his profile. His jaw was clenched. “I'm sorry, Hayden. I didn't mean to intrude.”
He remained silent. She fidgeted in her seat. She wanted to reach for his hand, but he didn't seem like he was in the hand-holding mood. Sunny sat on her hands to stop herself from wringing them together or worse, biting her nails that she'd just finally started growing. She'd had the awful habit for so long that it didn't take much stress for her to nibble on them again, and the stress in the car was palpable.
He drove in silence for another fifteen minutes or so and pulled onto a dirt road that appeared out of nowhere. Now this was someplace with which she wasn't even familiar. They bounced along the pot-hole filled road, the car bottoming out more than once. The one-lane road ended in a small dirt parking area. There were no other cars and no signs to give Sunny any clue as to where the hell they were.
***
After parking the car under a tree for some shade, Hayden opened Sunny's door for her.
“Scared?” He held out his hand for Sunny to take.
She looked up at him with trepidation clouding her brown eyes, but shook her head. “Of course not. Unless Hollywood really changed you and now you're a serial killer and this is your playground.”
“Highly unlikely. Besides, if I killed you here, no one would ever find you.”
“Funny. But true. What is this place?”
“Somewhere that we can talk and it'll be just us. Come on.” She took his hand and walked beside him as he led her to the wooded path off to the left. “Good thing you left your heels at home this afternoon.”
She snorted, which he actually thought was kind of cute. “Right? I must've had a vision that lunch would go to shit and we'd go off for a hike on some trail that has been previous unbeknownst to me.”
They strolled along for a few more minutes. Hayden heard the rush of water off in the distance and knew they were getting close. They'd lucked out with being the only ones there. He thought they might run into a hiker or two, but they hadn't seen any. The longleaf pine trees on either side of the path became fewer the closer they got to the falls. He was surprised when Sunny said she'd never been here. He hadn't previously known about the spot, but Drake recently told him about it. They could enjoy its beauty seeing it for the first time together.
Drake said it was quite the sight. And he was right. The scene opened up in front of them. The rush of the water over the falls was swift and quick, spraying their faces with a soft mist.
/> He glanced at Sunny. Astonishment covered her face.
“I had no idea this was here.” She ping-ponged between him and the falls. A wooden rail was set up in a half-moon shape so you could get really close but not fall in.
The water disappeared into the dark abyss of the sinkhole below.
“This is beautiful.” He smiled at her, glad she liked it and that her first time being here was with him.
“I'm glad you like it.” He led her over to a cedar bench weathered by the elements. They both sat and just watched the water for a few minutes.
One of them was going to have to start the conversation. He wasn't eagerly anticipating the discussion, but it would have to come sooner or later. Now was the time. He put his arm around her shoulder and let her lean into him as they sat in silence. It was so beautiful. He didn't want to spoil the moment. And he enjoyed having her in his arms. Probably more than he should. But he couldn't help it. She was the perfect fit. As corny as it sounded, it was like they were made for each other.
Sunny sighed and turned in his arms to gaze into his eyes. “This place is really special, Hayden. Thank you for taking me here.”
He nodded. The emotion welling in her eyes threw him off. He could drown in those brown pools. He had before and he was willing to do so again. But would she be willing to do the same?
“So, not to break the moment or anything, and I'm happy you like it here. But I'm surprised you've never been before.”
She continued to watch the water fall out of sight.
“You mentioned a name earlier, Sally, Sandy...”
“Charyn. Charyn Bliss.”
“Okay, Charyn. Who is she?”
She gazed in his eyes, searching. “You really don't know?” Her brows furrowed in confusion.
He shrugged. “I don't. The name isn't familiar. Am I supposed to know her?”
Sunny threw her hands up. “That's just it. I don't know if you're supposed to or not.”
“You lost me.”
She sighed. Sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and held it with her teeth. He'd be lying if he said that didn't turn him on. He rearranged his position on the bench so she wouldn't know. “And therein lies the problem. I know you've had a lot of girlfriends and one-night stands or whatever they call it by Hollywood standards.”
“Wait. Remember what I told you?” Head down, Sunny refused to meet his eyes. He took her chin in his fingertips and forced her to face him.
She blew her breath out in a huff. “I've seen the articles, read the magazines.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to break in. “I know, don't believe everything you read. Boy, I realize that more than you can ever imagine. And I don't. But there are so many stories out there and pictures with you and all of these different women. They can't possibly all have been photoshopped.”
“Of course not. But it's not what you think.”
She regarded him. “What is it then?”
He ran his hand through his hair. This is where she would find out that he was a fraud. Something she would learn eventually and it might as well be from him. “Back when my series was finishing up and I was becoming more known and being seen around town, women would be everywhere. Not because I wanted them to. I didn't. Believe it or not, you were on my mind so much while I was working on that series. Everything I was doing was for us, at least in the beginning.” He licked his lips and took a deep breath of his own. “Anyway, my publicist thought that it would do wonders for my career if I started taking some of these women home.”
“Whoring yourself out? She recommended that?”
He put his hands up in defense. “Wait. It wasn't like that at all. We talked about it. I told Anna I wanted nothing to do with that. Not the kind of guy I was. You remember my mother? I refused to live the same type of life as her as far as relationships go. As far as anything goes with her, actually. Anyway, Anna thought the partying-hard, bad-boy type image would do me good. I'd get a lot of coverage and attention. It'd put my name out there.
“I refused to do it. I didn't want that. So, we brainstormed and came up with an idea. Which was a ruse, really. Just something to trick the media and get them to generate my name. We decided that I would show up to various bars and clubs around town. Women were always latching on, so I would pick one and I would leave with them. Making them think I'd be taking them home for a good time.”
“You mean for sex?”
“Yes, but I wasn't. We would leave in my car, but the driver would stop way short of reaching my house. Anna would meet the woman there, have her sign a non-disclosure and pay her a small amount of money for her troubles and then the driver would take her to wherever she wanted to go.” He drew in a deep breath. “Some women got pissed. Others told me they knew I was gay and others said they knew I wouldn't be able to get it up. Whatever, you can imagine the things they said. They were pissed. They're just groupies that do this kind of shit all the time and I wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle. I'd just go home after and do whatever. Watch a movie, read a book.” He tried to read the reaction on her face. “So, do you think I'm a scumbag for doing that?”
She trembled and surveyed the falls. “Not at all. I think it's actually sweet that you refused to conform to the expectations of Hollywood. That some of your small-town values remained when you made it big. It doesn't happen very often. A lot of people make it and their morals go right out the window.”
“You're the only person I've ever told about this. I don't want that to stand between us. That's not the kind of person I am. I could never live with myself if I did that.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Hey, I thought you'd be happy.” He brushed away a tear making its way down her cheek.
“It's not that. You're wonderful. I should've known that. But I'm not. I'm not a good person, Hayden.”
He was confused. “Sure you are. Look at you. You're loyal. You stand up for what's right. Look what you did for the family that bought your parents business? Because of you, they now have a legacy to pass down to their own children.” He bent and kissed her forehead. “You don't have a bad bone in your body.”
She sucked in a shuddering breath. “That's where you're wrong. So wrong.” Her wrung her hands together uncontrollably.
“Hey. What's going on?” He cradled her head in his palms, not letting her sweep her gaze away. “You can tell me.”
“I'm not so sure I can. You're going to hate me.”
“I doubt that. It's not possible.” He kissed the tip of her nose, “I told you my deep, dark secret.”
“That's not even fair. Your secret showed that you're an even nicer guy than I already knew.”
“Yeah? Well, I've got my demons, believe me.”
“You've never made a sex tape with an underage girl?”
“Um, no,” he drawled. “Is that what your secret is?”
She punched him in the shoulder. “You're funny.”
He feigned pain and rubbed his shoulder. “What gave you that idea anyway? I'd never do that.”
“Isn't that what all of Hollywood does now to get themselves in the headlines?”
He smirked. “My last name isn't Kardashian.”
“Thank God.”
Chapter 13
Sunny gazed into Hayden's eyes and could see the understanding in them. She wasn't so sure if that would remain when she finished telling him that she was solely responsible for almost taking him down career-wise.
Thank God he left and came home when he did. If he'd stayed and she'd continued to publish bogus stories about him, he'd probably be unemployed at this point.
“Look, whatever it is can wait until you're ready. For now, I feel better that I got my misconceptions out in the open. That's good for one day, don't you think?”
He bent his head and kissed the urge to come clean away. It was time, she knew. But she was the biggest coward that had ever lived. She wrapped her arms aroun
d his neck and drew him in closer.
Sunny felt his phone buzz in his pants pocket and broke the kiss, but he brought her back in, mumbling against her lips, “Whoever it is can wait.”
Who was she to argue?
The vibrations started coming in rapid-fire sequence and there wasn't any way he could ignore them any longer. He jerked away with a curse, digging in his pocket for his phone. For a second she thought he was going to throw it in the falls.
He cursed again when he read the screen, his brows drawing together and his eyes going grim.
“Problems?”
“It's Anna. I've got to get you back so I can get home and give her a call and see what's going on.” He stood and held out his hand. “Sorry for having to cut this short.”
“I understand. Duty calls.”
“Yeah.”
***
Hayden dropped Sunny off at her car at Trinny's and waved to her as she drove off. Activating the car's blue-tooth, he dialed Anna and waited for her to answer.
“Took you long enough to answer,” Anna greeted him.
“I was busy. What's going on?”
“I can see that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you been online lately? Checked out the blog that obsesses over you?”
“Not really. I've been doing real people things like enjoying the outdoors. And the last time I checked that blog wasn't posting bullshit anymore.”
“Oh, I can see that you're enjoying the outdoors...and the people. Especially, one in particular.”
Hayden's heart sank. He didn't want to bring Sunny into the spotlight. Didn't think she could handle it right now. He planned on it in the future. He wanted her by his side in L.A., but he wanted to ease her into the life slowly.
“Damn.”
“Mmhmm. Check it out.”
“I can't right now, I'm driving. I'll give you a call when I get home.” He tapped the button on the steering wheel to end the call and blew out a breath in exasperation. Could nothing go right?
For once, he wanted everything to fall into place and just happen. No drama. Nothing. This wasn't going to be that time.