09
brothers and a father and family, and they’re all around her.
10
They’re not going to let some pretty boy come in and hurt her.
11
You’ll have to introduce them to the real Damien Hurley.”
12
He slumped. “This sucks.”
13
Ezra shrugged. “Not really. You just have to work hard. And
14
you hate working hard. You’re used to getting by on how good
15
you look and your fame. Oh sure, you know what it is to work
16
in the fi elds all day, and to play one shitty little club after the 17
next until you fi nally made it. But with women? Well, you’re a
18
lazy fuck because you’re handsome. You gotta work now. If she’s
19
worth it, you will. If not, well, you already know the road is full 20
of chicks who don’t give a fuck who you are other than the pretty-
21
boy rock star with more money and booze than sense.”
22
23
24
Mary looked up from loading things into the back of her car to
25
see Damien’s car pulling up her drive.
26
Unexpected.
27
She didn’t bother to hide the fl ush of delight at the sight of
S28
him. She really did have a lot of work to do when he invited her
N29
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Lauren Dane
01
down to his family’s ranch. And she was sorry to have had to
02
say no.
03
No matter how hard she tried to maintain her distance, she
04
couldn’t deny she liked him. Liked being around him too. Didn’t
05
so much like that she’d received a call from a
reporter
—though 06
she was doubtful of such a claim— after a picture of her at the
07
Gorge with Damien had hit the Internet. She said, “No, thanks,”
08
and hung up. But it made her wary.
09
He got out and she took him in and the wariness faded. Damn,
10
he was pretty.
11
“So glad I caught you.”
12
He approached and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him
13
right back, tipping her face up to receive a kiss. He settled in
14
until her knees were rubbery.
15
“You’re here.”
16
“I am. Harvest is done so I decided to get away for a few
17
days to come see you. What are you up to?”
18
“I’m on my way to Tart. I have a job. A dinner party. You’re
19
welcome to hang out here until I get back. Should be ten or so.
20
Or Adrian is around. I know because I just spoke to Gillian
21
about twenty minutes ago.”
22
“I can see Adrian any time. Can I hang out with you for a
23
while? I promise not to get in your way. Obviously not at the
24
party, I get that. But at Tart while you prep?”
25
She eyed him carefully and shrugged. “Sure. Come on then.”
26
She drove the quick two miles to Tart and led him through
27
the back doors, locking up behind them.
28S
“Don’t you keep supplies here? Must be a pain to haul stuff
29N
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here and back home.” He placed the boxes of supplies on the
01
worktable.
02
“Thanks. Yes, I do keep supplies here.” Her hair was already
03
tied back, but she put on an apron to keep her clothes clean. “But
04
a girl has to grocery shop.” She washed her hands and indicated
05
he do the same. If he was there, she may as well put him to work.
06
“I went to the farmer’s market today and found a few things. I
07
snuck off to Seattle and did a little supply shopping over there too.”
08
“You’re going to let me help? I’m coming up in the world.”
09
She handed him a colander, a bundle of carrots and a peeler.
10
“Baby steps, Damien.” She grinned and he kissed her hard and
11
fast. “I’m glad to see you.”
12
He started peeling carrots as she laid out all the components
13
to the salad. Sometimes she prepared things in the kitchen of
14
the house where the dinner party was hosted. But that night’s
15
party she’d only be taking the completed food and helping
16
arrange it.
17
“You are? Glad to see me, I mean.”
18
She cocked her head as she julienned jicama for the shrimp
19
salad. “I rarely say things I don’t mean. It’s unnecessary.”
20
“Sometimes you get sort of like a schoolteacher. I feel sort
21
of pervy admitting it, but it’s hot.”
22
She laughed.
23
“So . . .” He trailed off and she kept chopping. Working in
24
the kitchen always helped her gather her thoughts, so she gave
25
him time to do the same.
26
“What’s been up with you since I saw you last?”
27
“Lots of work. So much now that I have to actually say no.
S28
N29
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01
Imagine that. Someone asked me last week if I’d consider being
02
a personal chef. It’s not something I’d considered before. I said
03
no. But Daisy brought up that I could prepackage enough meals
04
for a week and have them delivered to certain clients. There’d
05
be instructions on how to combine to make the food. Heating
06
in some cases. That sort of thing.”
07
“Daisy’s pretty smart.” He held up his hands. “Done with
08
carrots.”
09
She examined them and must have found his work to be
10
acceptable. Though she took them to her work area. He clearly
11
wasn’t up to snuff yet enough to slice them.
12
“I’ll let my mom know you found my carrot peeling skills
13
acceptable. She made us help in the kitchen from a pretty early
14
age. She’s teaching my nieces now. Why don’t you want to spend
15
more time with me?”
16
She tipped the jicama into a nearby bowl before turning to
17
him again. “Say what?”
18
“God, this isn’t coming out right. Probably because I suck at
19
this stuff. You’re a hard woman, Mary Whaley.”
20
“I’m what?”
21
He took a deep breath. “I like being around you. A lot. I
22
want to, you know, investigate to see if this thing could be more
23
than a few days here and there until we get bored. But you’re
24
resistant. Is it the tabloids? Is it me?”
25
“Get started on that celery. It works better if you leave it
26
together to cut off the bottoms and the tops. Don’t get wild with
27
the peeling, I just don’t need the threads in the salad.”
28S
She pulled out the shrimp and moved to the sink to clean
29N
them before she put them in the marinade.
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“I like being around you too. I’m not being resistant. I have
01
a job and a life that is here. I can’t just up and go down to Ore-
02
gon whenever I get invited. And, to be totally honest, this is a
03
fun thing, but I’m not looking for anything permanent.”
04
“Bullshit. You’re not a one- night- stand woman.”
05
She burst out laughing. “Hello, I fucked you the second time
06
I ever saw you. How is that not me being a one- night- stand
07
woman? I don’t normally do that. The having sex the second
08
time I clap eyes on a person.” She frowned.
09
“If you did, I probably wouldn’t have been so excited to see
10
you again.” He paused. “Look, I dig you. I texted you all those
11
times because I wanted to know you. I still want to know you.
12
You can expect more from me. I wanted you to know that.”
13
She blew out a breath as she worked. He was so unexpected.
14
She wasn’t sure what the hell to do with this man. The sex part
15
was easy. They had that connection in such a major way it wasn’t
16
anything she worried about. It just worked.
17
But the rest?
18
“Last week I got a call from a guy claiming to be a reporter
19
at XYZ. He wanted details about me. A picture of us at the
20
Gorge had made your fan site, I guess, and people were clamor-
21
ing to know who I was.”
22
“Ah. I’m sorry. Did you say?”
23
“No. I mean he knows who I am enough to have my number
24
and call me for a quote. So. Anyway, I told him to fuck off and
25
hung up. I’m not interested in that life, Damien. I like you. A lot.
26
But I don’t like reporters in trees across the street from my house 27
like Gillian had to deal with. They have a fence and a gate
S28
around their home because of fans. People come to Tart now
N29
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01
looking for him. I’ve watched her try to deal with it for the last
02
year and it’s been crazy. I don’t want it. I don’t want hateful let-03
ters from women who tell me in detail how many times they’ve
04
fucked you, or what you’re like with two girls at once.” The
05
thought of it actually made her sick to her stomach.
06
“That happened to Gillian?”
07
“Yes. It’s very hard. I have enough to deal with. You’re a great
08
guy. You make me laugh. We have some pretty stellar sexual
09
chemistry. But I don’t even really follow the celebrity news and
10
I’ve seen you in it. I just don’t want that. So we keep things chill 11
and casual and I’m no target in the media, and when you move
12
on, no one gets hurt.”
13
“Are you so convinced I’ll move on? I’m . . . This is different.
14
What we have. I want to see what it can be. I’ve never wanted
15
that before.”
16
“Maybe you only think you want it because unlike all those
17
other women, I’m not begging for you to marry me and buy me
18
diamonds.”
19
He snorted.
20
She created a quick marinade, and after drying the shrimp,
21
she put them in it and closed the lid.
22
“Okay, so the deal is, I think you not begging for me to marry
23
you is different and it does catch my attention. But not because it’s 24
a challenge or whatever. Because it’s part of you. Because you don’t 25
want me because I’m a millionaire. You don’t want to toss aside
26
your life and be in mine. You’re your own person. It makes you
27
more beautiful. Interesting. I think you should give me a chance.”
28S
“I’m letting you peel my celery, aren’t I?”
29N
She was scared. She liked him. A lot. It could be more if she
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let herself envision it. But what she could envision a lot easier
01
were those pictures she’d seen, and those letters to Gillian that
02
Adrian’s people dealt with now.
03
She wasn’t tough like that. A man like this could break her
04
heart and it would be monumentally stupid to let him get close
05
enough to have that power. What they had right then was nice.
06
It made her happy but she didn’t depend on it. If he stopped call-
07
ing, it would be sad for a bit. A week or two. But she’d get over
08
it and keep on with her life.
09
“How about this? Just give me a chance to prove to you that
10
I am more than Damien Hurley, pretty- boy drummer with a
11
bottle of Jack in his hand. That’s all I’m asking.”
12
She turned. “I already know that. Dumbass.” She went back
13
to work, but didn’t say more and he didn’t press.
14
He insisted on driving her to the home where the dinner was