A Heated Touch of Action (A Scripted for Love Novel)

by MK Meredith

  “I thought I might find you ladies out here.” Jimmy's voice didn’t slide down her spine in a provocative trickle but rather hit her like a maverick wave, and it was all she could do to keep standing.

  Talk about powerful.

  The man practically exuded the word, and she wouldn't be surprised if his picture was next to it in the dictionary.

  Worse, she’d thought he was distracting fully clothed. But there was no way to contain the tingling sensations racing through her at the sight of him in nothing but a pair of swim trunks. He was a huge man with broad shoulders, chest, and abs that looked like they were formed lifting weights rather than a camera.

  He had tattoos along both muscular forearms, and on one side they cascaded over his shoulder and across his chest to his heart. Her mouth watered, wanting to lick and study them from one side to the other.

  What the hell? She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus. “How did you find us?” She glanced at Sam, and in unison they said, “Raquel.”

  The Mother of Malibu knew things in a way that defied logic.

  He moved through the water and slid underneath to fully submerge. Shooting back up, he yelled, “Fuuuuck, it’s cold.”

  Sam sent him a look that was more you're crazy than why are you surprised. “That's why we have on wet suits. With all those smarts, it's no wonder you've risen in your job as high as you have,” she teased.

  “Yeah, well.” He ran his hands through his hair, slicking it back off his forehead. “I didn't quite plan out this meeting very well.”

  “Why are you here?” Bel demanded.

  “What, a guy can't join his friends for a little morning swim?”

  She rolled her eyes. “We are not friends, Jimmy Callahan.”

  He moved closer, holding her gaze with an intense stare. “Well, we should fix that because if we're going to be working together, it will all go along much better if we are.

  She raised an incredulous brow. “But we’re not going to be working together.”

  He slipped through the water a few feet, his shoulders bulging as he propelled himself through the waves. He turned and floated on the current back toward her.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  Bel’s laugh was tinged with nerves, and she pinched herself under the water to snap out of it. The last thing she wanted was to appear nervous in front of this guy. Men like him got off on power plays. Why else would he make his massive form even more intimidating with tattoos? Not to mention how unapproachable he must look straddling his motorcycle.

  Her thoughts scattered in multiple directions, annoying her further. Losing her focus with this guy would never do. Her wet suit suddenly seemed way too wet and became way too tight. Chopping through the water with her hands, she pulled herself to dry land to widen the distance between the two of them.

  “Look, there is no doubt that you are incredibly talented, but like I said, this project is very important to me.”

  He didn't follow her. Simply floated in the water next to Sam, studying her like he would a potential location or object to be photographed.

  “Stop that,” she said.

  He raised a dark brow, a cocky grin pulling his mouth wide. The sun reflected off the water clinging to the short hairs on his chin.

  She wondered if his scruff was rough or soft.

  Snap out of it, damn it. There was nothing soft about this man. And logic be damned if that fact didn't arouse her even more.

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop looking at me like you already know I'm going to agree.”

  He pulled in a rough breath. “Like you said, this project is incredibly important to you, and you need something special. I can give it to you.”

  I bet he could. Heat rose up her cheeks again.

  “Sunday at the Gallaghers,’ it occurred to me how sad it was that you were missing out on life.”

  “I’m not missing out on life,” she gritted out. If one more person said that, she might pop them.

  Jimmy glanced at Sam, but she refused to make eye contact with either of them.

  “I'm not,” Bel reiterated.

  “I only noticed because of how much I missed out on as a kid. Foster care doesn’t often result in picnics and birthday parties…unless you’re really lucky.”

  “You weren’t lucky? I’m sorry to hear that.” And she was, but that didn’t mean he knew her. “But I’m not missing out. I live my life exactly the way I want to.” Almost anyway.

  He put his hands out in surrender. “Okay, but you know your brother and I are good friends. I know you skipped out on the surfing lesson.”

  “Hey, I got on the board. I just didn’t stay there. Just because I don't want to partake in an activity that can kill me does not mean I'm missing out on life.”

  Jimmy's low, masculine chuckle reached her ears even as she backed away while he pulled himself out of the water.

  “I’ll do your photos for free.”

  “What?” She and Sam looked at him. “Why in the world would you do that?”

  “There's a catch.”

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “You have to agree to a little experiment and experience some fun with me. Let me help you lighten up a little, and in exchange, I will give you the pictures you're dreaming of for this project.”

  Sam joined them on shore, placing her hand on Jimmy's arm. “Why would you give your work away for free?”

  “Hey, whose side are you on?”

  “The right side,” Sam said. “You know I love you, Jimmy, but no one should have to work for free.”

  “Don't you worry. I have an agenda of my own. This will open up my chances of a gallery show in downtown Malibu. Besides, I don't know that there’ll be anything more satisfying than seeing Bel Cutler live a little. Not even my photographs on the gallery wall.”

  “Oh, please.” That came out more sarcastic than she intended. “If this is your gauge on satisfaction, then you’re the one who needs to live a little.”

  “You need a great photographer, Bel. That’s me. And I need a platform to prove myself, and your project will do that for me. Making you squirm a little with some fun is just icing on the cake.”

  Bel stared at him as his words made her do just that. Which was the problem all along. Being around him made her feel all sorts of things, distracting and uncomfortable things. Right now, she had a job to do and not a whole lot of time to do it.

  And that was the clincher.

  “What's it going to be, Bel?” Sam asked.

  “Don't tell me you don't think you can handle working with me,” Jimmy challenged.

  Being raised with her brother and by her father made that crap work better than it should have, but she didn't care. “Fine. You've got a deal.”

  She followed the rivulets of water dripping down his chest to his waistband, averting her gaze when she swore she saw something move beneath the fabric. Jesus.

  Looking him over, she decided there was no concern about a broken heart with this man. But depending on what his idea of fun was, a few broken bones might not be unexpected.

  Her studies and her experience had taught her that physical pain was often the lesser of two evils, for sure.

  She shoved out her hand, surprised when his grip engulfed it completely. “You’re on, Mr. Callahan.”

  J immy dug deep to find the control necessary to keep his body from responding to the feel of her silky skin against his palm and the slight tremble that sent tiny vibrations up his arm. His relief to her acceptance of his deal almost floored him, but the shock of excitement was what really caught him off guard.

  He didn't try to deny the surprising effect Bel had on him. But he sure as hell didn't understand it either. He was sure it had more to do with the urgent push inside of him to help those in need. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed his help.

  From what Gage and DC had said, she'd been an all work and no play kind of woman for a long time. Even though Bel
was the youngest, she’d mothered them since she was six.

  He could tell they worried about her.

  And though he was fascinated by the idea of pushing her on a few adventures, something told him that her incredibly willowy frame was deceiving. She had a quiet strength in her direct gaze, and she held herself as if she were ten feet tall.

  More than once now, he’d found himself tongue-tied. The first time had gotten him a pitcher of eggnog dumped over his head, and he feared if he didn't pull it together this time, he'd fare much worse.

  Clearing his throat, he lifted his chin, adopting a cocky attitude that he didn't quite feel. It was hard to feel anything but grateful when the woman in front of him was helping him take care of his niece even if she didn't know it. “I love a woman ready to face the challenge, Miss Cutler.”

  Her eyes darted to Sam and back. He had to smother his chuckle at the panic-stricken look on her face. For all her bravado, he had a feeling she didn't realize how expressive she was.

  She unzipped her wet suit, revealing a conservative black one-piece bathing suit. And damn it, she was smokin’. He grabbed a towel and pretended to dry off so she and Sam didn't see his hard-on.

  Christ’s sake.

  She made a fucking one-piece sexier than a Victoria's Secret model made a thong.

  “So where do we begin?” Bel asked.

  “Well, why don't we start by putting some clothes on.”

  Her eyes lit up in surprise, and the minx stuck her hip out in a sultry pose that was anything but casual. “And here I thought you were a man comfortable in his own skin.”

  He put his arms out in front of him, gazing over the tattoos that told his story of both sorrow and triumph.

  With a wicked grin she would read too much into, he said, “You have no idea, professor.”

  At once, she stood straight and cleared her throat. “Well then, let's quit wasting time.” And just like that, she was back to all business. “I’ll meet you in an hour at my office at Pepperdine.”

  Jimmy studied her for a second. He needed to get her out of her comfort zone and put them on even ground. He may be technically working for her, but it was time to shake his boss lady up a little bit.

  “Nah, that doesn't work for me.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face him.

  Sam laughed outright. “Oh, wish I could be a fly on the wall over the next few weeks.”

  Bel shot her a look. “You’re not helping.”

  “Meet me at Leo Carrillo State Park in an hour. I’ll text you exactly where. And bring your notebook. I want you to tell me about the different aspects of your seminar, and I’ll show you on the spot examples of my interpretation.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I am not getting on a surfboard.”

  He put his hand up in a promise. “I wouldn’t even dream of it, professor.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Bel cussed herself out for the millionth time, trying not to stare at Jimmy as he swung his large frame off his motorcycle. But there was no controlling the thrill that rushed through her at the sight.

  He was the last type of guy she should ever be attracted to. The kind women fell head over heels for just to have their hearts and their trust broken. The odds of happiness with a guy like him were not in her favor. And good odds kept her sane.

  He was huge for one. The kind of huge where his muscles had muscles. He had tanned skin that was tatted up along both forearms, and now thanks to this morning, she knew the ink ran across the left side of his chest as well.

  She swallowed hard.

  He pulled his black helmet off and shook out his wavy, dark hair.

  Her fingers itched to run through the strands and see if they were as soft as they appeared. But then her attention was quickly drawn to his powerful thighs encased in cargo shorts; they looked rock-hard as if carved out of stone. Without any hurry, she followed the strong lines to the bulges of his calves and on down to his work boots.

  Too freaking sexy. That was it. He was the kind of guy mothers warned their daughters about even as they all secretly wished to…

  He cleared his throat.

  Pulling her gaze to his, she cursed her mother. Cecilia Lombardi had never warned her because she was too busy living her own life. The woman had always thought she deserved to be in the spotlight and felt as though her family held her back. She’d hid the fact that she was Gage and Bel’s mother until a very awkward run-in at a public event last year when she and Gage had an unfortunate argument—one that her brother had no hopes of ever winning because he cared too much.

  “You okay?” There was some heat in his voice that warmed her despite the cool breeze of the ocean.

  “Just thinking about my mother.”

  “Really.” His tone said he didn’t believe her.

  She’d ignore that. “Yes, really. She’s one of the reasons I began this journey with my seminar on relationships and love.”

  “But I thought your mother left when you were young.”

  With a firm nod, she met his penetrating gaze, smoky and strong like aged Scotch. “Exactly.” And that’s why she’d protect herself from making the mistake of falling in love in the first place. She was nothing if not practical, and when the woman had left, despite the strength of the bond between a child and mother, then the chances of two strangers making a connection that lasted forever was a losing bet.

  Confusion left her immobile as he bent to retrieve something from a small trailer attached to the bike then closed the gap between them with some sort of surfboard and sail under his arm. Enough to immediately drop her dark thoughts and spike her blood pressure.

  “What the hell? I said no surfboards.” Fear snaked up her spine at the memory of almost losing it on her brother’s board. And she’d only been sitting!

  She retreated a few steps toward his bike. Placing her hands on her hips, she gritted out, “Seriously? Is this how the next few weeks are going to be?”

  The damn sexy son of a bitch had the gall to grin, and her insides melted on impact.

  He raised a finger, his biceps bulging at the action. “First, this isn't a surfboard, and second, you don't get to choose the adventure. I do.”

  The truth of his words rocked her composure, but she refused to let him see her waver. She may not have thought this contract through well enough. What had she expected? A hike or two, maybe a swim had come to mind, but definitely not sailboarding or any other crazy-ass stunt where her feet weren’t firmly planted on the ground.

  “Like Sam said, there is no reason I should work for free.”

  She made a face. “And you're telling me that making me do things I don't want to do is considered payment in your warped brain? We'd need more than one therapy session to even begin unpacking all that baggage.”

  “I don't doubt that for a second,” he allowed. “But it would take a hell of a lot more than even that to unpack yours.”

  She lifted her nose and threw him a little side eye as she held back a small giggle. “Touché.”

  Talking to him was exciting, fun, and left her feeling alive. She liked when he pushed back with a little sarcasm or when his tongue tied and he didn't know exactly what to say like the eggnog debacle at Christmas. She'd never seen a big man so surprised in her life.

  A chuckle slipped out from between her lips.

  “I'm glad you think your own issues are funny. That actually says a lot about you.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I was just remembering what you looked like with eggnog dripping down your face and your mouth falling open and closed like the fish we see at the aquarium.”

  “That's not fair.”

  She put her hands on her bony hips, raising herself to every inch of her five feet and seven inches. “Not fair? If you really want to go down that path and talk about what's not fair, how about the idea that just because I was a woman, I wouldn't want an actual glass of eggnog instead of barely a sip? And to insinuate I needed to watch my
figure? Do you know how offensive that was?”

  The man ran a hand through his hair with a sheepish look that she found adorable, catching her off guard. “I did not insinuate—”

  She raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Well, what the hell do you expect? You sauntered up in that gorgeous red dress that frankly shouldn't be legal at a family gathering. I lost my head for a minute.”

  All sorts of warm feelings rushed through her, and she forced her expression to remain neutral. In a somewhat haughty tone, she said, “I do not saunter.”

  He lifted the sailboard, guiding her toward the water. “You sauntered.”

  Did she? She thought back to that night. Sauntering really wasn't her thing. That was more Addi’s style. Maybe Jimmy Callahan wasn't quite all there. That would explain a lot, actually. She let the silly thought comfort her.

  Watching his easy, masculine stride as he managed the loose sand under his feet, she appreciated the view much more than she should.

  “You remember my dress?”

  Jimmy docked the board upright in the sand, then turned, brushing off his hands. “I always remember a beautiful woman.”

  That's it. He was definitely not all there. She shook her head. “There was nothing inappropriate about that dress. In fact, it was a turtle neck that went down to my knees. And I had on a pair of high boots. Practically every inch of my skin was covered.

  He raised a brow, looking her up and down. Trailing a finger down her arm, he said, “You think simply covering your skin diminishes your sex appeal?” He tsked. “We have more work cut out for us than I first imagined.”

  She playfully swatted him on the shoulder. “I'm not a project to be worked through, certainly not yours.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  Her heart betrayed her mind as a twinge of disappointment shoved past logic and rooted itself into her chest.

  She shook the feeling free.

  “Talk to me about your seminar.” He grabbed the sailboard and stepped into the water.

  They were on a sandy shore surrounded on each side by rocky fingers that jutted into the water with contoured caves formed by a lifetime of waves. It was beautiful, making her question why she didn’t visit the park more often.