by Suzie Nelson
“Pinkie swear?” Angie asked, looking up at him seriously.
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Sasha responded, taking the oath as seriously as he had when he was a child.
Angie made a face. “Okay,” she said, “here goes nothing.” She reached up, grabbing hold of the saddle and tried to heave herself up. Not having the upper body of a gymnast, she was soon back on solid ground and slightly out of breath.
Sasha laughed again. “Okay, first of all, you’re on the wrong side. You want to be on the left. Put your left foot in the stirrup, that’s the hanging loop bit, and lift your right leg up and over. I can give you a boost if you want.”
Angie shook her head, slightly embarrassed. “Let me try first and then if I just end up looking like an idiot again, you can give me a boost.”
“Agreed,” said Sasha as he led her around the front of the patient horse. “Try again from this side.”
Angie took hold of the saddle again for support and slid her left foot into the stirrup as he’d told her. Standing up, she flung her right leg over the mare’s broad back and, much to her surprise, found herself astride the horse.
“Oh my gosh!” she said, sounding just like her mother as she clutched the saddle so tightly her knuckles went white. “Oh God, I’m on a horse. This is very high up!”
Sasha laughed. “You’re doing great,” he said. “Now, let go of the saddle and take hold of the reins. And sit up. This’ll be easier with good posture.”
Hesitantly, Angie let go of the leather saddle and took the reins in both hands.
“Perfect,” said Sasha as he brought out his own horse, a large dappled gray animal who looked thoroughly unimpressed by Angie’s theatrics. Effortlessly, Sasha pulled himself up into his saddle, loosely holding the reins in one hand.
“Now you’re just showing off,” said Angie. “Admit it: you just brought me out here to embarrass me.”
Sasha grinned. “Only partially,” he said.
“I knew it,” Angie grumbled jokingly. But the truth was she was excited to learn to ride and explore the beautiful landscape. And she had faith that Sasha really would catch her if she fell.
Slowly but surely they made their way out of the stables, Sasha coaxing Angie along until she felt comfortable. By the time they left the ranch’s property, however, Angie was feeling pretty good about the whole thing and had gotten comfortable with her horse’s mellow gait. And, she soon discovered, the more relaxed she was, the more comfortable the ride was.
Plus, she had to admit that the scenery was incredible. They crested a low hill and paused for a minute to drink some water and take in the view. Angie put her hand up to shade her eyes and sighed. “This is amazing,” she said, looking out across the rust and gold landscape. “I feel like I can see forever.”
Sasha smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I like about this place. Plus it’s such an alien landscape. It’s nothing like California or the rest of the coast.”
“That’s for sure,” Angie agreed. “Hey,” she said, pointing at a large bird flying some ways away. “Is that an eagle?”
Sash squinted. “Looks more like a vulture,” he said.
“Wow,” Angie grinned. “I’ve never seen a vulture before. Man, this is so cool.”
The movie star laughed, “Wanna know the word for vulture in Russian?”
“Obviously,” said Angie, grinning. “That’s, like, a key piece of vocabulary,” she joked.
Sasha laughed, leading her away from the edge of the hill and back onto the trail. “I use it all the time, it’s true,” he replied, playing along.
***
A few hours later they stopped for snacks in the shade of an acacia tree that had sprung up next to a small spring bubbling through the rocky terrain. Sasha pulled a blanket from the backpack and spread it out on the ground while Angie went to investigate the plants growing by the bank. Taking off her socks and boots, she stuck her feet into the cool, clear water, sighing as her hot feet immediately cooled off.
Watching her from the meager shade of the acacia tree’s thorny branches, Sasha smiled. “Feels good?” he asked.
“Like heaven,” Angie grinned. She looked up at the wide blue sky and lifted up her arms, exposing her flat tummy and a tiny diamond chip belly button piercing. “This is amazing!” she shouted to the cloudless sky.
“I didn’t know you’d pierced your belly button,” said Sasha, eyeing the twinkling jewel.
Angie dropped her arms immediately and blushed. “I got it done when I was a teen. I was going to take it out during college, but Josh hated it so much that I kept it in just to annoy him. It was my big rebellion,” she rolled her eyes. “I guess I just kinda forgot about it.” She looked down at her stomach and made a face. “Josh is right though. It’s pretty juvenile, isn’t it?”
Sasha shrugged. “Who cares? If you like it, why the hell shouldn’t you keep it?”
Angie chuckled. “I do like it,” she admitted. “It’s silly, but I like it.”
“Then screw what everyone else thinks,” said Sasha. “Are you hungry? I brought some apples and a really amazing goat’s cheese that this old lady down the road makes. I think it may actually be the tastiest cheese in the world. Plus, she has absolutely no idea who I am. I drive down there and buy a bunch and she says: ‘Oh, what a nice young man you are. So polite.’ And then she asks me to help her fix her fences. It cracks Tansy up every time.”
“And do you?” Angie asked, smiling.
“Do I what?”
“Help her with her fences?”
Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Is that your question of the day?” he replied.
Angie rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Yes, it is.”
“Of course,” Sasha replied. “She’s, like, ninety eight. I’m not a monster.”
Angie laughed. “Why do you like being incognito so much? Don’t most celebrities like the fame?”
Sasha shook his head. “You’ve already had your question. Now, do you want some of this cheese or not? Because if you don’t come get some soon I’m gonna eat it all.”
Giggling, Angie headed for the bank, her bare feet sliding along the flat, gray rocks of the stream bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone barefoot. It wasn’t something you got the chance to do very often in the urban jungle of L.A. – not even on the beaches. It felt good to feel the rough stones on her skin and the cold water run over her toes.
Unfortunately, Angie was so caught up enjoying the sensation, that she didn’t look where she was going and her foot slid on the slippery surface of a half-submerged rock. Her ankle twisted painfully and, with a surprised shout, she tipped forward.
“Hey, woah,” said Sasha, catching her just before she landed and scraped her knees on the rocky ground. “The cheese is good but it’s not worth dying for, Angie,” he joked, helping her stand up.
Angie chuckled, holding onto his arms for balance. “Oh, sure, now you tell me that. Way to change your tune, Pollock,” she joked. Then she hissed in pain as she tried to put weight on her ankle. “I think I did something to my ankle,” she said. Glancing down at her foot, she made a face.
Sasha nodded and bent down to take a look, resting her hand on his shoulder to keep her balanced. Gently, he took her injured ankle in his hands and began to turn it this way and that, making Angie hiss again.
“Yeah,” he said, “I think you’ve twisted it.” Standing up again, he wrapped one arm around her waist and, without warning, lifted her into his arms.
“Woah!” said Angie. “Hey, what—it’s not broken, Sasha! You don’t need to carry me!”
Sasha grinned, but didn’t put her down. “Maybe not,” he said. “But the ground’s rocky. It’d take you half an hour to walk the ten feet back to the food and I don’t want to wait that long to eat the cheese.”
“But isn’t that what you want?” Angie asked, playing along. In truth, she was enjoying the feeling of his strong arms wrapped arou
nd her, carrying her as if she weighed nothing. “To have the cheese all to yourself?”
She rested her head on his shoulder, her face so close to his that she could see each individual eyelash. His dark eyes crinkled in the corners as he laughed at her suggestion and the corners of his long, sensual mouth curled up in a delighted smile. Angie felt her heart squeeze in her chest. At some point in the past two weeks, this face had become dearer to her than almost anything else in the world. She felt the sudden urge to trace her fingers along his tanned skin, following the lines and planes she knew so well. She bit her lip and looked down, moving her head so that it fit into the curve of his neck. Was it her imagination or did he ever so briefly rest his cheek on her hair?
Sasha set her down on the blanket under the acacia tree and propped her foot up on the backpack, still laughing at her suggestion.
“Yes,” he replied, setting to work spreading the creamy goat cheese on bread, “I do want the cheese all to myself, but you’re injured. I can’t in good conscious just sit here eating cheese while you try to hobble back from the stream. Listening to you moan and complain would ruin the beauty of the moment. This cheese should only be eaten when you can give it your full appreciation.”
Angie snorted with laughter. “My hero,” she said, accepting a slice of rye bread generously smeared with the famous goat cheese. Taking a bite, she gave a little moan of pleasure. “Oh my God, it really is good,” she said.
“Right?” Sasha agreed, taking an enormous bite of his own slice.
For a moment they just sat there in silence, chewing their bread and cheese and watching the sun play across the glittering stream. The pain in Angie’s ankle had settled to a dull throb and she soon learned to ignore it and enjoy the beauty of the scenery – and her companion.
However, she soon realized that Sasha was watching her. Taking her eyes off the distant horizon, she turned to meet his gaze. “Yes?” she asked, smiling slightly to cover her embarrassment at being watched so intently. He hadn’t looked away when she turned back to him and his dark eyes were fixed on her, filled with some emotion she couldn’t name.
“Do I have goat cheese on my chin?” she asked, joking, trying to ease the sudden, inexplicable tension.
Sasha shook his head. “How long do you think it’ll take you to get enough material for your article?” he asked suddenly.
Angie blinked. “Uhh,” she said, “I dunno. I guess, really, I could already write a pretty good interview. I…do you want me to go?” her voice grew quiet. She’d been having such a good time that she hadn’t thought about when this adventure would end. She realized suddenly that she really, really didn’t want it to.
“I get it,” she continued, rambling slightly. “You’ve had me tagging along behind you for over a week now. It must be getting pretty annoying for you. Just say the word and I’m…gone,” she said, finishing her sentence slowly and softly.
Sasha shook his head. “It’s not annoying,” he said, “and I don’t want you gone.”
“Oh,” said Angie, confused. “Well, okay. Then I guess I’m…staying?”
“Do you want to stay?” he asked.
“Of course,” said Angie quickly. She desperately wanted to tell him how much she’d loved the past few days and how much she’d grown to care for him, but she was worried she would sound like some crazy fan. “I…these have been some of the best days of my life,” she finally admitted, ducking her head and toying with the woolen threads of the blanket.
Sasha watched her play with the blanket for a moment. “Me too,” he said finally.
He shifted on the blanket, coming closer to Angie. She looked up, meeting his eyes. Very, very gently, he reached out and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
Angie felt warmth bubble up inside her while, simultaneously, her stomach exploded with butterflies. She was caught between the desire to grab Sasha and kiss him and the desire to get up and run away as fast as she could. Instead, she did neither, but sat, frozen, her eyes locked with his.
“Look, Sasha,” she said finally, reaching up to take his hand in his. “You’re great,” she told him, looking down at their hands in her lap, “and I know you’re used to women just falling all over you for a one night stand, but that’s not me. I mean, I like a good one night stand, but…”
Angie could hear herself beginning to ramble again and tried desperately to reign herself in, “But that’s not the point. The point is it’s not about the money or the fame or how beautiful you are. I…” She took a deep breath, “I really like you and if you just want to sleep with me to say that you did, well, that would break my heart and I just…I couldn’t bear it.” Her words came out all in a rush, tumbling into each other as she tried to get them all out before she lost her nerve.
For a moment there was silence and Angie couldn’t bring herself to look up. Then she heard Sasha chuckle. “I love it when you say I’m beautiful after all. You’re the only person who doesn’t say it constantly.”
Rolling her eyes, Angie finally faced him. “Of course I think you’re beautiful, you conceited twit. That doesn’t mean I’m going to just—just—” she waved her free hand around vaguely, searching for the words. “Just lie back and spread my legs!” she finished indignantly.
Sasha raised an eyebrow and Angie felt a blush rise in her cheeks. “Ah, Angie,” he smiled at her. “Said with all the usual eloquence and elegance that I’ve come to expect from you.”
“Shut up, you jerk,” Angie replied, slapping his chest lightly.
Sasha caught her hand and brought it to his lips. Turning it over, he kissed her palm, his lips warm and soft on her skin. “If all I wanted was a one night stand,” he told her, “you’d have been gone ages ago. I mean…yes, at first, I thought it would be fun to seduce you, but I stopped thinking that quite a while ago. I like you, Angie. More than I’ve liked anyone in a very long time. And if answering a question every day is how I get you to stay with me then I will gladly answer as many questions as you want. But it’s not about the interview anymore. I just like having you around.”
Angie swallowed and felt tears prick her eyes. “And I like being around,” she said.
Sasha smiled and brought his hands back up to her face. “I even like your belly button ring,” he said solemnly.
“I don’t care what you think of it,” Angie told him, joking. “Fuck what other people think!”
“That’s the spirit!” Sasha laughed, and, before she had time to realize what was happening, he kissed her. Angie’s eyes opened wide with shock and then, slowly, as his tongue traced her lips, easing itself into her mouth, she let bliss overtake her.
Weaving her fingers into his hair, Angie drew the movie star deeper into the kiss, reveling in the feel of his lips against hers. Gently, Sasha eased her down onto the blanket, brushing her long hair back from her face as he broke away to trail kisses down her throat. Angie giggled breathlessly as he nipped at her earlobe, tickling her. Looking up, she could see the bright blue sky through the twisted branches of the acacia tree and she grinned. She could not imagine a more beautiful way to spend an afternoon.
Sitting up, Sasha took hold of her t-shirt and drew it up over her head and tossed it away. He cocked his head to one side, his eyes running over her body. Angie suddenly felt exposed and bit her lip. He was used to sleeping with movie stars, after all.
Suddenly, he grinned and tipped forward, capturing her mouth with his. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he told her as they parted, and he planted a kiss on her belly button.
Angie giggled. “Liar,” she told him, reaching for his shirt.
“What, you don’t believe me?” he replied, laughing as he let her unbutton his shirt. “How would you know? You don’t know who I’ve seen.”
Stripping him of the plaid cotton shirt, Angie threw it in the same direction he’d thrown hers and raised her eyebrows at him in clear disbelief.
“You are,” he insisted
, burying his fingers in her hair and bringing her into another deep, heart-stopping kiss.
Angie arched towards him, feeling her nipples brush the rock hard muscles of his chest as they kissed. Sasha reached down, encircling her waist with one arm as he lay down on his back, bringing her with him.
Breaking their kiss, Angie sat up. She was straddling Sasha’s waist, his beautiful toned body stretched out in front of her to admire. Grinning, she ran one hand along Sasha’s tanned stomach, feeling the ridges of his muscles rolling beneath her palm. “You’re not bad yourself,” she smiled.
“Gee, thanks,” Sasha replied as he reached up, taking her breasts in his hands.
Angie sighed, watching his strong fingers massage her sensitive skin, and giggling as he traced the lines of her breasts with his tongue, kissing their tender undersides. Their eyes met and he smiled, right before closing his mouth around her nipple, sucking hard and making her moan. Angie closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the shivers of pleasure he sent through her as his lips and tongue teased her hardening nipples. She felt one of his hands descend, smoothing across her ribs and heading down to her jeans. Never taking his mouth off her breasts, Sasha undid her belt and fly, and began to pull off her pants.
