~~~
She’d dressed up for him. Something about seeing Kenzie in the pretty floral dress with her hair left long and the soft curls lying over her shoulder while she hugged this older man did something to Ty’s heart. Kenzie was fast becoming his lifeline. She had somehow managed to find his missing heart and touch his tarnished soul, both organs having lain dormant for more years than he could count.
Ty came through the store, keeping his eyes focused on her, never really paying attention to the man she was talking too. When he got around the last aisle, he could see her skirt was short and those long legs were left bare. She had some pretty sandals on her feet. Kenzie held his gaze, a sweet smile spreading across her full lips. He leaned in to place a simple kiss on her cheek. Instead of lingering there, he turned and extended a hand to the man.
“Ty Bateman,” he said, not hiding his real name. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t go with the fake persona he’d planned while here, but if this man was important to Kenzie, he wanted to make a good first impression.
“This is William. He works here with us at the store. He helps my parents out,” she explained as William shook his hand.
“Where’re you two headed off to today?” he asked.
“Gatlinburg. Lunch and then a trip to the health food store,” she answered, waggling her eyebrows.
“Good. You’re gettin’ too skinny. I was wonderin’ if you were gonna cave and finally eat your mama’s good home cookin’,” he said, that toothless grin spreading again.
As Ty watched, he saw William had a way of easing Kenzie. They were comfortable together. He hadn’t seen her around too many people, and this confirmed what he suspected. If he could just get her to relax, he bet they were probably very well-suited for one another.
“And eat those defenseless animals? As if.”
“You two get goin’. I gotta finish stockin’.”
“It was nice to meet you, sir,” Ty said, stepping to the side and extending a hand to the small of Kenzie’s back. He watched those goose bumps spring up as she moved in front of him.
“Good to meet you, too. Kenzie, wear that sweater if you’re cold,” William called out. Ty followed her through the store and barely got to the door in time to push it open for her.
“Are you cold? I put the top on, but we can turn on the heat.” He continued to follow behind her to the passenger side where he anticipated her move. She was terrible at letting him do these polite gentlemanly things. He reached around her for the door handle. When he brushed against her body, she stiffened, then paused a heartbeat before relaxing. She didn’t move away this time, and Ty bent forward, moving her hair to get a better look at her face. She turned slightly toward him, those big blue eyes searching his. The blush was there, but it was the eyes that held him transfixed.
“I’m glad we’re past the point of whether I can touch you. I like having my hands on you.” The grin she gave encouraged him even as she pulled the barely open door wide. She was forced to take a step backward, and he didn’t move right way. They were chest to back now with her caged in front of him. “You know I got lots of shit for coming to see you yesterday.”
“I bet,”’ she said teasingly, looking back at him with a big grin.
“It was worth it.” They stayed like that a minute more until he moved his hands, one resting on her stomach, the other shifting her long hair off her shoulder so he could place a kiss on her neck. It was bold on his part, but then she ducked, denying him as she stepped away from his hold and stepped up on the side rail.
“You wouldn’t guess how many people are watching us right now. It seems secluded, but by tonight this whole community’s gonna wonder who took me out today. We should go.”
She sat and reached for the door handle, but he stopped her from shutting the door. Ty positioned his body between the door and the seat. “Just a little kiss. I like kissing you,” he said, leaning in, and her hand came to his chest. She was stronger than she looked as she pushed him back.
“Not here. Down there, at least five miles down the road. And trust me, if people start asking questions, this is a small town, they won’t stop until they know everything, and that includes who you are.”
Okay, well that did change things a little bit. After a minute of judging the sincerity of the words, he shut her door and rounded to his side of the vehicle. As he got inside, she was putting sunglasses on.
“Are you cold?” he asked, starting the Jeep and backing out of the parking spot.
“No, why? It’s nice out today.”
“William just thought you were. Me, personally, I judged the goose bumps to mean you were happy to see me.” Ty grinned.
When Kenzie stayed quiet and looked out the passenger side window, he guessed he might be right.
“You’re too sure of yourself,” she finally said, still not looking over at him.
“Now, that’s one thing I’m not. I’ve always been a little reserved and a lot shy,” he said, putting the Jeep in gear and pulling out on the main road.
The whip of her head in his direction along with the incredulous stare he got made him laugh out loud. He hadn’t confessed that to too many people, but out of the ones he’d told, none ever looked at him quite like that before.
“What?” she asked unbelievingly.
“It’s the reason I got into acting in the first place. My mom did that for me at about eight years old. My dad took off on us, and I was already real closed up. The acting gave me a way to cope. I could be someone different when I needed to speak in class or even step out in the world.”
“So are you someone different than yourself right now?” she asked after a minute’s pause. She was a smart thing. Not dwelling on the obvious hilarity of the situation, but quickly moving on, asking the most important question to this moment.
“No, surprisingly not. You’re real comfortable to be around. Besides the guys that you met, I don’t really have anyone that makes me feel comfortable. I’ve never met anyone, especially not a female, that I’ve felt so normal around,” Ty said honestly, his gaze going between the road and her, trying to judge her reaction. She still just had that shocked “I’m not sure if I should believe him” look on her face.
“It’s true. You’re a genuine person. It’s hard to find people like that,” he said, and when she still just stared at him, he reached over and took her hand. “Say something. You’re making me insecure. I just told you something no one really knows about me.”
“Hmm.” Her tone couldn’t have been more skeptical.
He laughed at that one and began scanning the road for a place to turn off. That came about two miles farther down. Ty turned on what he thought might be a driveway, but couldn’t see anything more than trees ahead.
“Why are we stopping?”
“For this,” Ty said, putting the Jeep in neutral and awkwardly lifting the parking brake while still holding her hand. “Did I confess too much right then?”
“No. It’s just a little hard to take in that one of the most successful actors of our time has a problem with confidence.”
“It’s more putting myself out there…” He stopped speaking. That conversation was getting way too personal in showing his faults. She could learn those on her own. Instead of dwelling, he released her hand, draping his arm behind her back, gently nudging her farthest shoulder forward in his direction. It was clearly a surprise move by the look on her face. He turned in his seat as far as the steering wheel would allow and reached for her, sliding his fingers around her forearm, drawing her closer to him. “I’ve wanted to do this since last night.”
He extended his upper body, moving his head closer to hers as he lifted the hand to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair, pulling her toward him. He watched her closely as an array of emotions crossed her lovely face until seconds before their lips met, the smallest of breaths escaped. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her hands reached out, one grasping his sweater, the other wrapped around his bi
cep. Ty framed her pretty face with one hand and captured her lips with his. Much like last night, the minute their mouths touched everything turned a little more intense.
There was no gentle persuasion to open. Ty’s tongue slid forward and Kenzie sweetly met him halfway. Her grip tightened on his sweater, pulling him closer. Ty responded by tilting his head to the side and delving deeper inside her mouth. He couldn’t seem to get enough of this woman. He nibbled and probed, moving her head to try a different angle. He was a drowning man and couldn’t find it in him to care. The need to touch her nearly overpowered him. He skimmed his fingers upward across her cheek, tangling them in her hair. The soft moan she gave undid him.
Ty increased the tempo of the kiss, making it urgent and demanding. His fingers glided lower, moving down her neck to her collarbone, lightly caressing the soft skin. If it were possible she opened farther, leaned closer, and gripped his sweater a little tighter. The hand on his arm moved up to cup his neck, and he kind of lost his mind. Tugging her closer, Ty leaned as far over as he could, wrapping his arm around her body. He didn’t care that she had to hang on to him or fall in the space separating them. He tightened his grip, ate at her mouth, and moved his palm down to boldly cup the tender swell of her breast. As he suspected, she was his perfect handful. No padding in this bra, and he squeezed tightly before lifting his hand to the top of her sundress, trying to get his fingers inside that squared bodice.
Kenzie suddenly broke from the kiss. Through a hooded gaze, he watched her enticingly extend her neck as she rolled her head back between her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, her breath panting, and her hair tangled in his hand behind her back. Shit. He’d been the one to give a little tug, pull her head backward. By the look on her face, she didn’t seem to mind.
Not one to miss an opportunity given, Ty lowered to her neck, mouthing his way along her jaw as he pushed at the strap of her sundress, shoving it down her shoulder. There was only a little give, but enough that when he palmed her breast, he could feel the top of the lace of her bra. His fingers managed to slide underneath the fabric, caressing the soft skin as he continued to massage and knead that perfect mound through her clothes. He loved everything about this moment. Kenzie was responsive and erotic, such a complete turn on, and his dick strained against his jeans trying in vain to slip free.
Licking the shell of her ear, Ty leaned in and whispered, “I think you were made to kiss me.”
She felt too damn good in his arms and that was a small attempt to either get ahold of himself or decide if he could possibly persuade her to straddle his lap right here in the Jeep, which was technically what his dick wanted most. Their panting breaths filled the area as her head rolled forward, landing on his shoulder.
“Man, you know how to kiss a girl,” she finally said, her forehead moving to the crook of his shoulder. Her quick breaths coated his skin, sending little tingles shooting all along his body. With the arm still behind her back, he hugged her tight, keeping her right there with him while he did everything in his power to calm the racing of his heart.
Only then did he feel her hand on his. He had continued the massage, trying hard to get his hand inside that bra cup. She broke the last little bit of intimacy they shared as she guided his palm away. He didn’t like that at all and linked their fingers together.
“You’re unbelievable,” he whispered into her hair. Her hand came to his beard and she caressed the side of his cheek. “The guys told me to clean that up some, but I don’t want to be recognized.”
Kenzie pulled back, but kept her face all in his personal space which was exactly where he wanted her. “It’s a good disguise. We should go.”
“I like holding you,” Ty said and searched her face, probably doing about the same as she was to him. The intensity and passion conveyed on both their parts started from the very first press of the lips. Those unexpectedly intimate kisses were hard to recover from when all he wanted in the world was to stay inside this woman’s arms.
“Help me up,” she said and moved her hand from his chest and repositioned it to the side of his seat. He had pulled her awkwardly off her seat as far as the parking brake would allow. With both hands wrapped around her waist, they managed to adjust her right in her seat. She adjusted the strap to her dress as she used her fingers to brush at her hair. He reached up, lowering the visor to show a mirror.
“Thank you,” she said and finger-combed her hair. He’d been the one to mess it all up, but he loved his hands tangled in her long hair.
Ty released the brake and pushed in the clutch, but didn’t immediately back out. His whole focus remained on her. “You look pretty today. I like your hair down and the dress fits your body perfectly.”
All she did was look over at him, give him a roll of the eyes and turn back to the mirror, moving a fingertip under each eye.
“What? You do look pretty today. You look pretty every day, but the dress is pretty.”
“You’re silly, but thank you. I don’t have a lot of clothes here to choose from.” She lifted the visor and reached down for her sunglasses. They were lying on the floor. She put them back on her face, and he reached for his on the visor above him.
“I’ll take silly,” he said, pulling out of the driveway and back out on the main road.
Chapter 8
The casual way Ty carried himself directly contrasted to the nervousness she’d had all morning long. It also didn’t fit the major motion picture persona she’d Googled for the last several nights. Did she believe he was really a shy introvert? Maybe… On the thought, Kenzie turned her head and look over at him. The contrasting images of all the different sides of this man didn’t seem to connect in her mind and all she could do was mentally shake her head.
“What?” he asked, catching her staring.
“I was just thinking,” she said, turning her head back toward the road.
“About me?” he asked with a hint of excitement which made her fight the smile.
“Honestly, I was thinking about you being shy. It doesn’t fit with the things I’ve read about you.”
“You were reading about me?” he asked in that same excited tone.
Oh no, she’d just admitted that she’d spent her free time digging for information about him. After a long pause of finding nothing but the truth to say, she finally gathered her words.
“I might’ve looked you up after I figured out who you were,” she said and could feel the heat grow in her cheeks. The small squeeze he gave her hand showed how much he liked that answer. When he used his thumb to caress across the top, those dang little goose bumps sprang up across her arms. She dropped her head back on the headrest, rolling it until she was looking out the passenger side window.
“Don’t turn away. Keep going. What’d you find about me?”
“Lots of stuff. You’re seriously dating like three different women, depending on which site I looked at, and have wedding plans with another.” She swiveled her head back toward him to gauge his reaction. “Is any of that true?”
“Of course not. I already told you that. If I were dating anyone seriously, would I be here with you?” he asked.
“Don’t act like that wasn’t a legitimate question. Guys can be snakes,” she said, still watching his face closely. They were on a treacherous part of the street. The single-lane bridges took some concentration to navigate the tight fit, but Ty managed it all well, never taking his eyes from the road. He was also a considerate driver. If a car approached a bridge from the other side, Ty would pause and pull to the side of the road to let other vehicles pass first. He never sped up to beat the other drivers across the narrow expanse. Jason always did things like that, which made any travel they did together an angry, dangerous experience.
“I’m not that guy, and from where I’m standing in life, there are just as many women who cheat.”
“The one everyone pairs you with is Julia Holly, but it seems like it’s because of the last movie you made. She’s very pretty and seems
really nice. Did you date her?” she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
“No, not at all. I’m completely honest when I tell you I don’t date. There isn’t much dating going on in my industry. It’s different than what people think. At least different than what I thought. It’s a harder, colder world. Lots of hook-ups, no real bonding. Relationships are incredibly rare. The long-lasting ones usually have one in the business and one not. Like Meryl Streep and her husband, Don.”
He made it sound all so calculating. “So you aren’t dating Emma Stone either?”
“What? No! She’s a little girl!” That had him shooting her a horrified look.
“What? Drive!” Kenzie pointed to the road. “She’s not that little. She’s only two years younger than I am.” Now, confusion colored his gaze as he scanned her then shifted his focus back to the road, only to come back to her again for another quick glance.
“How old are you?” he finally asked.
“I’m twenty-eight.”
“So she’s twenty-sixish? Huh. I always think of her as a little girl. So how old is Jennifer Lawrence?” he asked, like she had some insider information.
“I think about the same age, but I’m not sure. Watch the road.” She pointed for him to look back forward again. He did, but didn’t lose that incredulous look on his face.
“Okay, wow. I thought she was a teenager too.”
“So now they’re both possibly available?” she teased, but before he answered, she continued. “I watched an interview on YouTube that Kristen Stewart has a crush on you.”
“I’m too old for any of them,” he said, chuckling a little. He must have heard that one before.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirty.” He blurted out the number like that proved his much-older-man status, and this time she laughed at him.
“That’s not too old at all. I see men all the time going for much younger women.” Silence hovered between them for several long seconds before he squeezed her hand, drawing her knuckles up for a light peck. The most consistent piece of information written about Ty was that he was a savvy businessman with his finger in more investments than anyone she’d ever heard of before. He ran in circles she couldn’t comprehend. The image of that particular man made her uncomfortable. So instead, she focused on this one. The one who insisted he was an introvert and never spent too much time with any one woman. The one who liked to hold her hand, give sweet little kisses, and was more considerate than any person she’d ever known.
Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Page 10
