The Sidekick Celebrity: A Sweet Celebrity Romance (Crystal Springs Celebrities Book 2)

by Olivia Burke

Jill nodded, plucking the drink from his hand and swiftly setting their glasses on the ground beside their feet. She straightened to face him, and he couldn’t resist brushing a strand of hair away from her jaw. A lazy smile crossed her face as she spoke.

  “And then we pretend it never happened and go back to being Jack’s best friend and sister. We probably won’t see each other after this for a while, anyway, if ever again, right?”

  “Right.” Colt shrugged, his hand still near her cheek. “I mean, it’s not like it’d mean anything.”

  “Nope. You’re fulfilling one bridesmaid’s request to spice up her weekend.”

  “A story to take back to Kansas, huh?” Colt said, leaning closer. He ignored the way his heartbeat’s pace picked up, unable to look away from her blue eyes. It’s just a kiss. No one will ever know. Then he could get Jill out of his head and move on.

  “Exactly,” she murmured. “Extremely innocent. What could go wrong?”

  “One kiss,” he heard himself say as he closed the space between them. His palm caressed her cheek before he gently placed his whole hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in.

  “One kiss,” she breathed back.

  Colt pressed against her, wrapping his left arm around her waist. He walked her backwards until her back was against the ivy-covered wall, their eyes never leaving each other. He wanted to drown in the depths of her blue eyes, couldn’t wait to lose himself completely.

  Jill teased him at first, staying close enough to tantalize him. Finally, he could take no more, and crushed his lips against hers, desperate to taste her. She tasted like grapefruit and lemon, somehow reminding him of bubbles and sunshine. It was unlike any other kiss he’d ever had, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

  The kiss deepened, and he wrapped his arms around her athletic frame completely, so there wasn’t even a millimeter of air between their bodies. Her arms were around his neck, in his hair, bringing every nerve ending in his body to life.

  Colt never wanted to come to his senses, but, in what seemed a lifetime later, they finally broke apart, gasping for breath. She was mere inches away, and he only wanted more of her, to kiss her until he forgot his own name.

  Colt’s head spun. Even with actresses on-screen, even with the women he’d cared about - even Gwen, a tiny voice added – he’d never felt that kissing them. What was that? All he knew was that he ached to do it more, already missing the feel of her lips on his.

  At least she appeared as stunned as he felt, his hand still wrapped around the back of her neck. After a couple more heartbeats, she blinked, snapping out of it, but offered him a wicked grin.

  “We better go,” Jill said as she scooped their drinks back up. He accepted his as she fixed her locks behind her shoulders. “They’ll be wondering where we are.”

  He was glad she sounded disappointed about it. I sure am. She reluctantly pulled away, smoothing back a strand of hair from his cheek. The intimate touch nearly made him throw caution to the wind to kiss her again.

  That mischievous grin flitted across her face again. “By the way, if anyone asks, I was totally making out with a cute catering guy.”

  “Catering guy,” Colt mumbled, hardly acknowledging the lie. “Got it.”

  Jill smoothed down her dress again, giving him a little wink as she slipped out of their secret garden. He watched her saunter away, dress swishing around her ankles.

  “What just happened?” He stared around in bewilderment, wondering if he’d somehow dreamt the whole thing.

  Colt ran a hand over his hair, trying to forget Jill’s hands in it. He straightened his jacket and tie before making his way back to the venue, hoping it was enough time after Jill to not look obvious. Quickly making his way to the bar, he got a fresh drink and tried to reset.

  No one paid him any mind, and he managed to join back into the crowd and conversation. Scarlett and Sam managed to distract him for a while with industry chatter, but all the while, Colt’s eyes instead wandered to find her.

  Jill, to her credit, kept a straight face, never once offering him any sort of reaction for the rest of the evening. He followed her lead and they played their parts, never flinching around Jack, Rosie, or the rest of their friends. They’d never suspect Jill and Colt had kissed.

  Now if only I could forget about it. Somehow, Colt didn’t think that was going to happen.

  * * *

  Colt took his time the next day, sleeping in and making sure everything back home was arranged for his little getaway. Last night with Jill had been all he could think about; he was worried he’d begun to obsess over it. He craved her like a drug; now that he’d had one kiss, he wanted more of her.

  “You have to forget it ever happened,” he told his reflection sternly as he brushed his teeth. “You probably won’t ever see her again. Let it go.”

  He headed over to Jack’s house a little after lunchtime, excitement building in his chest at the prospect of a hideaway vacation. Their new home was beautiful. Jack had really thought of everything, from heated bathroom floors for chilly mornings to enormous walk-in closets that most clotheshorses would kill for. The full kitchen upstairs was state-of-the-art with stainless steel appliances, large pantry, and plenty of space for entertaining. Even Colt’s little kitchen downstairs - make that Poppy’s kitchen rather, he amended - had everything he needed for a temporary stay.

  Colt made a mental note to pick up groceries. On that note, I should figure out where everything is. He went for a quick run around the neighborhood, acquainting himself with the route. While the house was removed enough to maintain privacy, it was still relatively close to everything, including several restaurants, a grocery store, and a few retail shops. The elementary and middle schools were only a few blocks away, too, as Colt passed several parents walking their kids home from bus stops.

  The best part was no one recognized him. Several people waved in general greeting, which threw him off at first, but he quickly realized that they were simply being friendly as they passed each other. Here he was anonymous, and that gave him more satisfaction than he’d expected.

  Stepping back into his part of the house, Colt was now really happy he’d taken up Jack’s offer. This might be just the reset I need. I haven’t thought about that kiss with Jill in at least an hour - that’s progress, right? He even sang in the shower, hopping out and tucking a towel around his waist. He ran a comb through his long hair, cursing at the few tangles.

  “What should we do tonight?” His reflection didn’t answer.

  A soft thump outside made him pause, followed by light footsteps. Maybe a maid?

  Colt stepped out of the bathroom to face whoever waited outside. He almost dropped his towel in surprise at the sight of his best friend’s sister standing in the middle of the hallway, appearing as shocked as he felt.

  “Jill?”

  Jill spent most of the morning with her family before they headed to the airport, back to Kansas without her. She saw them off, getting more and more excited at having a few days to do whatever she wanted. She’d been mentally making a list - so far, it wasn’t terribly exciting with only Read a book and Have a movie marathon. All the same, she couldn’t wait to spend time all by herself.

  Which is why the last thing Jill expected to bump into when touring Rosie’s house was a very nearly-naked Colton James.

  “Uh, hi,” he said, waving comically at her.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” Jill managed to choke out.

  In all actuality, his muscled body had her practically speechless. She’d seen him shirtless in his movies, of course, but it turned out his body was even more impressive in person. Five feet away. Dripping wet and wearing only a towel.

  Colt smirked as if he knew what she was thinking, a move she normally would’ve found aggravating, but in this case could overlook, given her current view.

  “Well, I’m not mowing the lawn,” he drawled. His muscular shoulders moved once in a slow shrug, seemingly amused at her reaction. “Are
you stalking me?”

  “Of course not.” She huffed, forcing herself to gain control of her senses. “I mean, what are you doing here, at Rosie’s house?”

  “Uh, it’s also Jack’s house,” he reminded her, shifting against the doorway. “And he invited me to stay here for a couple of weeks.”

  This is not happening. “No, he couldn’t have, because Rosie told me to housesit while they honeymooned.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Huh. Well, it appears the newlyweds got their wires crossed.”

  Jill whipped out her phone, immediately calling Rosie. She didn’t want to call her big brother, sure he’d only howl with laughter at the miscommunication and her bad luck.

  “Hey, sister!” Rosie answered brightly. “We’re about to get on a boat tour, what’s up?”

  “Hey,” Jill replied, letting her heart momentarily warm at the term before jumping right in. She’d barely finished before she heard Rosie snickering. “Are … are you laughing?”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s funny!” Rosie exclaimed. She got her giggles under control. “I’m sorry, really I am. I guess Jack and I got so caught up with everything else that we totally forgot to tell each other.”

  Jill caught Colt trying to hide a smile, and whirled around so her back was to him. “What do you want us to do?”

  “What do we want to do?” Rosie repeated. “We’re on our honeymoon, so it’s not high on my priority list. What do you want to do?”

  Jill hesitated. She’d talked herself into being excited about this little vacation, and sort of hated to give it up now. Rosie seemed to catch on to the small hint.

  “Why don’t you guys both stick around? You have your own floors and bathrooms, for heaven’s sake.” She laughed again on the other end. “It’s so big, you’ll probably never see each other.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Hey, I gotta go, we’re boarding now - I’ll text you when we dock and you can let me know what you decided!” Rosie’s voice went in and out as she shouted goodbye and hung up.

  “Great,” Jill muttered, stuffing her phone into her back pocket. “Just great.”

  “What’s so wrong with being roomies?” Colt asked.

  A bark of laughter escaped her. “Roomies,” she scoffed. “This is not exactly what I pictured when I decided to take the first vacation I’ve had since nursing school.”

  “If it really bothers you that much, I’ll go stay at a hotel.” He shrugged, though the look on his face made her hesitate to jump at his offer.

  “Wait a second,” she said, holding up a finger, “why are you even staying in Crystal Springs to begin with? You don’t live here.”

  “Neither do you,” he shot back.

  “Vacation,” she repeated, enunciating the syllables. “Which usually involves somewhere that isn’t Nowhere, Kansas.”

  Colt softened. He ran a hand through his wet hair, and Jill had to very, very purposefully look anywhere but at his abs. She’d almost forgotten he was wearing nothing but a towel. Oh, who am I kidding? I deserve some kind of award for not outright ogling.

  “I’m trying to keep a low profile,” he finally said. “Everyone thinks I headed back to L.A., but … I had some time to take and wanted to escape the grind for a little while.”

  “And your crazy ex-girlfriend,” Jill couldn’t help but add. She perused the entertainment sites enough to know about the broken-hearted barista he’d recently dumped.

  Colt snorted. “Something like that.”

  “Which is why you aren’t staying at a hotel…” Jill trailed off as she put the pieces together. Even if people realized he’d stayed here, the nicest hotel in town wasn’t hard to figure out. At least here, Colt was off the map.

  “You should stay,” she said, trying not to sound disappointed. “I can head back home, maybe take a staycation–”

  “What, no way,” he protested. “I could technically afford to go anywhere right now–”

  “Okay, you don’t have to rub that part in,” she grumbled, but he continued talking over her.

  “I don’t want to ruin your time off, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

  With one more silent reminder not to stare at his bare muscles, Jill blurted out her first thought. “Why don’t we just both stay?”

  He paused and tilted his head at her, a few strands of damp, dark hair falling across his forehead. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I mean, Rosie’s right – this place is certainly big enough for the two of us,” she said, chuckling.

  “I mean, I don’t mind, it’s only for a couple weeks.” He shrugged, a few water drops coursing down his muscles at the movement. “Besides, you’re probably good company.”

  The compliment warmed her all over, and she had to remind herself he probably said that to most women. She cleared her throat and forced a laugh. “Sure, if we even bump into each other. This place is even bigger than described.”

  He grinned. “Jack wasn’t kidding when he said he got the works. As you can see, I’ve already made camp down here in the guest suite.”

  “I guess that puts me upstairs,” she said, jerking a thumb back towards the staircase.

  “Any ground rules?” he asked.

  She tried to ignore how her stomach flipped when he raised an eyebrow, that little smirk of his returning. “Ground rules?”

  “Well, sure.”

  He ran a hand through his hair again, abs rippling with the motion, and Jill ground her teeth. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

  “I mean, if we’re both going to stay here, we should have ground rules,” he continued, “seeing as how what happened last night at the reception can’t happen again.”

  The reception. Jill’s heart sank as she realized he was talking about their kiss, the one that she’d hardly been able to get out of her head in the last twelve hours. And he wants to pretend it never happened, so yeah, this is going to be awkward.

  She cleared her throat and forced a laugh. “Right, I mean, obviously. I never thought we’d see each other again, remember? Okay, rule one is easy enough: no kissing.”

  “No kissing,” he agreed.

  “Rule two, you wear shirts,” she said, giving him a pointed look that made him snort.

  “Rule three, no walking in on each other unannounced,” he shot back.

  She felt the blush on her cheeks but huffed. “Right. Anything else?”

  “I’m sure we’ll think of a few more.” He smirked again, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “We can make it up as we go.”

  “Okay then. Well … I’m going to check out the rest of the house and get settled in.” She turned on her heel before he could answer, needing to put space between them before she lost her mind and ripped the towel from his waist.

  Jill took the steps two at a time, chewing her bottom lip anxiously as she wondered how on earth she’d coexist, however temporarily, with her brother’s best friend - and the man she couldn’t get off her mind.

  Knowing that Jill was now living practically right above his head did not give Colt high hopes for getting her out of his head. But when she’d offered for them both to stay, he couldn’t totally ignore the streak of excitement that went through him.

  “It doesn’t matter, Jack’s sister should be like your sister.” It was like a lightbulb went off over his head, and Colt paused. “Why not treat her like my sister?”

  They had to get rid of the awkwardness between them somehow, and he didn’t want to outright avoid her for the next two weeks. They were grown adults, after all; he couldn’t let a kiss shake him up this badly, could he? Jack would expect Colt to keep an eye on Jill and make sure she was okay. He couldn’t very well do that if he hid in the suite all vacation.

  “From here on out, you treat Jack’s sister like she’s your own,” he told his reflection. “Look out for her, have fun, but by no means get attached in a romantic way.”

  He slipped on jeans and a white tee, and kicked back to read a book. When his stomach growled
sometime later, he was surprised to glance at the clock and see it was around dinnertime. Colt wondered if his new roommate had eaten; without thinking twice, he grabbed his worn black leather jacket. Once he’d slicked his hair back and tucked it beneath a hat, he bounded upstairs.

  “Jill?”

  “Yeah?” Her voice floated out from somewhere near the kitchen.

  He headed in that direction, finally finding her in the enormous pantry. Though large, the shelves were nearly empty, with only a few staples that would last while the newlyweds were out of town. Jill’s mouth twisted as she stared hard at a canned good, her blue eyes coming up to look at him.

  “What’s up?”

  “You hungry?”

  “Well, I was definitely thinking about it, until I realized we were low on some necessary items.” She grinned, showing him the can of beans in her hand.

  “That settles that, then,” he said, ticking his head. “C’mon, let’s get some dinner.”

  “I can figure out something to cook,” she argued, but he just waved a hand at her to follow him.

  “Not on our first night in town,” he said. “I’ll even go with you to the grocery store tomorrow if it makes you feel better.”

  Jill snorted even as she followed him out into the hallway. “When’s the last time you were in a grocery store? Don’t you have an assistant or something?”

  He pretended to be offended. “I go every couple of days back at home. Maybe I need a personal shopper, though, because I’m terrible at it. I can never plan ahead long enough to get through a week.”

  “Okay, okay,” she relented with a laugh, grabbing her jacket from its hook and slipping it on. “Rosie left a list of places, she says there’s a great burger place just down the street. Let’s walk.”

  “I’m game.”

  Colt admired the little neighborhood, with a small, healthy grocery store, historic theater, a few boutiques, and diverse restaurants. He took note of LUSH, remembering how much Jack liked it; he and Rosie came in practically every time they were in town.