Literary Love (Lazy Love Book 2) (4 page)

“Are you done texting now?”

“Yup.”

“Bout time. Did you write her a book?”

She shrugged. “Nope.” She sighed. “She bought me tickets to see you on
The Night Show
while we were in town.”

“You were there?” He looked over at her in surprise as he was stopped in bumper-to-bumper Friday night traffic.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a cool gift for someone who really likes an actor. Someone who wants to marry him, especially.”

She sighed. “Stop that nonsense. I’m not marrying a man I met just a few hours ago.”

“But you’re on Team Bob. Doesn’t that mean that you live to please me?”

“Following that reasoning, shouldn’t you be trying to get me into bed instead of trying to talk me into marrying you?”

“Does that mean you want to go to bed with me?”

Her stomach fluttered at the mere idea. Yes, she wanted to go to bed with him. But she wouldn’t. She believed very strongly in waiting until you were married for sex. “I can’t. I’m holding out for marriage.”

“I asked you to marry me!”

“You didn’t mean it.”

“You can read my mind now?”

She shrugged. “Why not? I’m a romance writer after all.”

“What does that have to do with you reading my mind?”

“Nothing and everything.”

“You’re making my head hurt.” Bob sighed heavily. “You’re really going to make me wait to marry you, aren’t you?”

She shook her head, not believing his attitude. “You’re a bigger mess than I am, Bob Bodefeld.”

“Because I go after what I want? I can’t just sit back and let every other man in Texas run away with you!”

“I really don’t think there’s any reason to worry about that.” May paused for a moment. “I can only run away with one at a time, after all.”

He groaned. “When can I see you again?”

“See me again? Why?”

“So I can convince you to marry me, of course.”

“I’m not marrying a man I don’t know.”

“You’ve read my bio!”

She sighed. “I know a lot more about you than you know about me. At least the stuff you admit to publicly.”

“So spend tomorrow with me and get to know me better. We can wait on the wedding until next weekend if we need to.”

“Why don’t we just get to know each other?”

“If you want to be boring about it, I guess we could do that.”

“Who’s the most influential person in your life?”

Bob thought about the question for a moment, turning serious as he did. “My mom.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “My dad left when I was twelve. She was both mom and dad after that, and she was amazing. I was everything to her, and she made it very clear.”

“That’s great. She sounds like an amazing woman. What were three of her personality traits?” May wanted to keep him talking, knowing it was the only way to keep him from continuously proposing.

“Three personality traits? That’s hard. Tenacity. Strength of character. Intelligence.” He glanced at her and quickly looked back at the road, satisfied to see she was watching him. “Who was the most influential person in your life?”

May thought about it for a moment, not having expected the question to come back at her. “That’s a hard one. Before I was ten, it was my mother. After, it was my aunt.”

He made a mental note to do some research to find out what had happened to her father. She’d made it clear she wasn’t ready to talk about it, but he could tell there was something going on there. “You have to give me three character traits for both of them then.”

She made a face. “Fine. For my mom, I’d say strength, both physically and emotionally. Love. No one knew how to love like my mom. And…umm…supportiveness. That’s probably not the best word. She was my cheerleader. Everything I wanted, she supported. Everything I did, she supported. Up until the day she died, she told me that I was special.”

“You
are
special.” How could she even doubt that? He’d never seen anyone serve a total stranger as she had in the airport that day.

May ignored his comment. “My aunt’s three characteristics. Let me think.” She rested her cheek against the head rest, watching him as she thought. “Loving. Giving. Headstrong.”

“Headstrong? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

May shrugged. “When you’re working hard to support a teenager you never intended to raise, it’s a very good thing.”

He wanted to ask why her dad didn’t help out financially at least, but he didn’t. She was entitled to one or two secrets. For now.

Chapter Four

The closer they got to Wiggieville, the more panicky May felt. She really didn’t want this to be the only time she ever saw Bob. Yes, he’d invited her to visit him on set, but would he even remember later? He was a big actor, and she, well she wasn’t. How could a celebrity like him be expected to remember her?

When Bob pulled into her driveway, he reached for her hand. “Are we still going to take a selfie?”

She nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“It’s my half of the bargain, right?” he asked, his eyes twinkling as they looked into hers. “Let me get your bag. You run in and change, and I’ll bring it in for you.”

May felt funny letting him do it, but she didn’t want to take up any more of his time than necessary, and she really did want the selfie. She knew her Team Bob friends would love it.

She hurried into her bedroom and locked the door, not wanting to risk him coming in while she was undressed. She didn’t think he’d wander around her house, but you never could tell.

Her aunt had left Fudge in her crate in the bedroom, and she ignored the dog’s crying as she peeled off her shirt and threw her Team Bob shirt on. She pulled her long red hair back into a ponytail and hurried into the living room where Bob was standing looking around.

“I’m ready.” She fished her phone out of her pocket, and hit the camera button and then put it into selfie-mode. “Ready?”

He took the camera from her. “My arms are longer. Okay, one smiling at the camera.” He clicked. “One making faces at the camera.” She stuck her tongue out and he clicked the button again. “And one kissing.”

She jumped back. “No, not one kissing.”

“Oh, come on. Your Team Bob friends would really freak out if you were kissing me in a picture.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to have my first kiss ever recorded for the amusement of my Team Bob cronies.”

“I can understand that.” He walked to the kitchen counter, and set the phone down before turning back to her. “I’m sorry I suggested putting your first kiss on camera. That would be very weird.” He reached out and caught her by the hips, pulling her to him.

“What are you doing?”

“Kissing you without the camera. I told you I was going to kiss you today.” Bob’s eyes were steady on hers.

May put her hands flat on his chest, not believing she was touching Bob that way. In all the fantasies she’d had about him, he’d never felt quite so warm. Or overpowering. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” In fact, she knew it wasn’t. They’d had a good day together, bantering back and forth in the car. She’d thought she was in love with him before, but now she knew she was. Kissing him—well, it would just make her long for something she could never have—him.

“I do.” He pulled her slowly closer, until she was pressed against him. “Please, May. I want to kiss you.”

She sighed heavily. “It’s not a good idea. After I’ve kissed you, how will I ever be content with my boring world where I write books about other people falling in love? And living here with my dog as my only companion?”

“I hope you won’t be. Then you’ll marry me, and we’ll live happily ever after. Just like in one of your books.”

“You’ve never even read one of my books!”

“Please.” His brown eyes were steady on her green ones, and she sighed and nodded. “Put your hands on my shoulders.”

May couldn’t resist. Instead of doing what her brain told her to do and picking up her hands and putting them on his shoulders, she ran her hands up his chest, before bringing them to his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his muscles along the way.

He slowly lowered his head to hers, maintaining eye contact until her eyes drifted closed. His lips brushed hers, softly at first, and then with firm pressure. He slowly traced her bottom lip with his tongue.

May jerked as she felt his tongue touching her. Surely she was dreaming. She was going to wake up and realize she was in the hotel in New York City, and she hadn’t started her day yet. If it was a dream, though, she was going to make the most of it. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and clung to him, opening her mouth for his kiss.

His hands roamed over her back, and he felt a need for her like he’d never felt for a woman. Yes, he’d wanted women. Many of them, but he’d never
needed
one. Needed her to agree to be in his life forever. He’d never dreamed he’d one day want someone to become a part of his life, an eternal part of everything that he was and would be. But that’s what he wanted with the little romance writer in his arms.

Finally, he raised his head, a bit, resting his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling. “May,” he whispered. Nothing else, just her name.

“Bob.” She’d always thought it was a funny name, spelled the same forward as it was backward. It even sounded funny when she said it. Now, it felt like a benediction. Bob. He was hers, if only for this short moment.

“Do you want to take that kissing selfie now?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

She shook her head. “You know I think I’ll keep this part of the day’s activities to myself. The other Team Bob members can deal with not knowing everything that happened.”

“When can I see you again?”

She froze at his words. “What? I don’t think it works that way. You kissed me, and I didn’t turn into a gorgeous supermodel or a stunning actress. I’m still just me. Time for you to go back to your world, and I’ll stay here in mine.” She felt tears pricking her eyes, so she pulled away from him, turning to look out the window. He couldn’t see her cry. It would be the ultimate indignity.

“I’m not taking that for an answer. How about dinner tomorrow night? I’ll take you to the little steak house in Wiggieville.”

She shook her head. “I have to start a book tonight. I’m not fit to be around while I’m working on a book.”

“What does that mean?”

May took another deep breath, realizing she’d calmed her emotions enough she could look at him again. “It means that I obsess. I will think of nothing or no one except my book for the next week or so.”

He blinked a couple of times. “You’re going to write a whole book in a week?”

She shrugged. “Probably. It’s kind of what I do.”

“I—I’m going to call you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She walked to him and hugged him. “Thank you for the ride home and for the day. I’ll dream about it forever.”

“I want your phone number.” He wasn’t going to let her shut him out. He couldn’t. She was going to be part of his life if it killed him, and from the way she was acting, he was worried it might.

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Okay.”

She was startled at his easy acquisition. “Okay?”

“Sure. I was going to give you warning when I was on my way over by calling, but if you just want me to stop by, that’s fine with me.”

She sighed. “Please, Bob. It’s been a lovely day. Let’s not ruin it by pretending there can ever be more between us than just a few shared hours.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Last warning. Give me your number, or I show up when I want to show up.”

She sighed and rattled off her number. She could easily ignore his calls.

He stopped in front of her. “I’m not forgetting you. This was not just a few hours out of time, May.” Now that he’d met her, he wasn’t going to let her go. He’d pull out all the stops.

She started to turn away, but he caught her by the shoulders. “Don’t shut me out.”

May looked up at him, her smile forced. “I had a good time. Thank you.”

He leaned down and kissed her again, his lips more insistent this time. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She sighed as she watched him leave, knowing he was taking her heart with him. She’d finally spent an entire day with Bob Bodefeld, the man of her dreams, and she’d never be the same again.

*****

After Bob had left, May threw herself down on her bed and had a good cry. It was one thing to spend her life daydreaming about a man she could never hope to meet. It was another entirely to know that a man who had kissed her, a man who had claimed an interest in her, was so totally out of her league there was no way she could pursue the feelings she had for him.

Once she was done crying, she walked into her kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing Sara’s number. “Did you get my text?”

“Yes! What on earth? Did you really spend the day with him?”

“I did. He drove me home. He kissed me.”

“Wait—he kissed you? Did you throw him down on your bed and do dirty things to him that felt wrong but oh so good?”

May laughed, thankful she’d called her friend. “Actually, no. I told him not to call me.”

“What were you
thinking
? Have you lost your mind?” Sara practically shouted. “You’ve been mooning around about that man for four years. How could you possibly turn him down?”

“Face it, Sara. I’m not the kind of woman a big name actor falls for. He needs to go find someone just as gorgeous as he is. Not some dumpy little romance writer who spends all her time in her pajamas, dreaming about other people’s lives.”

“That’s just my point! You spend all your time creating romances for others. You spend your time making up stories that always end in happily ever after. Why can’t you see your way to your own HEA? What is your problem?”

May sighed. “Life isn’t a fairy tale, Sara. When I wake up tomorrow, I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to be obsessing about people I make up in my head, and he’s still going to be one of the sexiest men alive. No, I need to be done.” She pulled out her laptop and opened it, booting it up after almost a week away felt good. “I’m glad you made it home okay.”

“You too. You’re being stupid, but you too.”

“You’re not supposed to tell me I’m stupid. You’re supposed to tell me I’m brilliant and your superhero.”

“You lost that. When you turned your dream man down, you lost the right to ask me to call you brilliant. If he kisses you again, hang on for dear life. I love you, May, but you’re being stupid.”

May sighed. “G’night. Enjoy your family.”

“I will.”

May set the phone down beside her, staring at it for a moment. Was Sara right? Was she being stupid? She couldn’t see a world where a man like Bob was in love with a woman like her. It just didn’t exist. No, she needed to write her book and forget all about him.

She picked up her phone and quickly put the two pictures she’d taken with Bob on Twitter, tagging her friends.
Look who I met today. I’m more in love than ever. #TeamBob #LL

She pulled up a word document and started typing. “Chapter One.”

*****

May woke to the sound of her phone quacking in her ear. She groaned, fighting her way out of a deep sleep. Sliding her finger on the screen, she pulled it to her ear. “Hello?” She put her hand in the middle of Fudge’s chest pushing her away. The dog wanted attention now that she was awake.

“Good afternoon, sweetheart. You weren’t asleep, were you?”

May groaned, looking at the clock on her nightstand. It was only one. “Yeah, I rarely go to sleep before six.”

“Six in the morning?” Bob’s voice sounded surprised.

“My brain works better at night.” She sat up, yawning. “What’s up?”

“I want to take you to dinner tonight.”

She sighed. “I really need a couple of quiet days at home. New York is too peopley for me. I need some time away from humans.”

“Let me bring dinner to your house then.”

May frowned. He really wasn’t going to give up. She’d planned to sleep until she woke up, and then get right back to work. “I don’t know. I need to work today.”

“You have to eat. Don’t tell me you work while you eat.”

She actually did work while she ate a lot, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him. “Fine. What time?”

“Six?”

“Yeah, that works. I’ll see you then.” She hung up the phone and headed for the bathroom, standing under the shower for a few minutes until she felt human.

Why had she agreed? She didn’t want to see him again! He was going to break her heart, and that was the last thing she needed.

She put on her favorite pajamas which proclaimed her Queen of Everything, and wandered out to the living room. She picked up her computer, and checked Twitter. Her Team Bob friends had gone as nuts as she’d expected. She had two direct messages from the women who had started Team Bob with her.

After typing in a quick explanation, she read over what she’d written the night before. It was poignant and heartfelt. Her heroine was in love with a man who was out of her reach. May felt for her. At least she could ensure one of them had a happily ever after.

She set her alarm on her phone for five and got to work. She could finish five thousand words before Bob brought dinner.

When her timer went off, she glared at it, but she knew she needed to put on real clothes. She didn’t need to hear what Bob had to say about her cute jammies.

Hurrying into her bedroom, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She made her bed, cleaned her bathroom, and did all the other annoying things she should do more often.