Vengeful Love: A Summer Love Story (contemporary romance) (Sizzling Summer Romance) (2 page)

And it didn’t stop there. From the moment of the call to “Action!”, the scene from the day before took on a whole new course. Ryan looked at me differently, his gaze more intent and passionate. When saying his lines, he even managed to find a tenderness in his voice. To top it off, he tried to touch me gently at every opportunity, even if it was uncalled for in the script.
 

The jerk! Did he really think that a bit of flirting was all it took for me to fall for him like one of his screaming fans? It was going to be funny watching him pull out all the stops to wow me with his cheap romantic tricks.
 

“Cut! That was wonderful. You two have never done a better scene. You’ve made me a very happy director today.” Becky was positively beaming, lifting the script up as a gesture of gratitude to the heavens.

Ryan reached out to touch her on the arm. “I gotta admit, it’s all due to Kate. When she really puts her heart into it, there’s no stopping her. You were fantastic, Kate.”
 

Whoa, wasn’t he going a bit over the top, calling me fantastic? The cruel words I overheard him say the day before were still etched in my mind. But I had to admit, the guy was a fast mover.
 

“Thanks, Ryan, you weren’t so bad yourself.”

Flexing his chest muscles, he stepped closer to me, until I felt the heat radiating from his body. “Listen, I think I owe you an apology. I was kind of a jerk yesterday, saying some of the stuff I did. I was just angry with those girls distracting me. I didn’t really mean what I said.”

“I came up with some pretty insulting things myself, so let’s call it even.”

“To make it up to you, will you have dinner with me tonight? I promise you, I’ll try to be nice.” Dinner sounded like the perfect opportunity to take things a step further, but I tried not to sound too eager.
 

“I don’t know. You and nice don’t really seem to go together.”

“Please?”
 

Tired from putting on the sweet act all day, I couldn’t resist a little jab under the belt. “I should give it a try, I guess. I’m looking forward to seeing you bending over backwards to be friendly without the help of scripted lines.”
 

“Fantastic. I’ll pick you up at five-thirty.”

As soon as Ryan was out of sight, I rubbed my hands together.
 

It was going to be Game On tonight.
 

Our date was off to a great start. Ryan had picked me up at five-thirty on the dot, cleanly shaven and looking gorgeous in his khaki slacks and blue-striped button-up shirt, top buttons undone. Acting as a true gentleman, he had opened the door and helped me into his Mercedes. I couldn’t even remember the last time a man had done that for me; the guy was really on the ball.

It wasn’t long before we were admiring the deep yellows and oranges of the breathtaking sunset from our coveted window table at the
Wharf
seafood restaurant. The warm hues cast a soft glow on the angles of Ryan’s face, which looked even more handsome than usual. A devoted actor, he put on all his charm and I gladly played along, batting my eyelashes, laughing at his lame jokes, hanging on every word he said.

The evening had all the signs of a perfect date, until the first sign of trouble appeared: a teenage girl wearing a strapless pink top over an impossibly short leather skirt, with a row of colorful bracelets around her wrists and a big lilac bow in her long hair.

“You’re Ryan McFarlane, right? I absolutely adored you in
Remorse
. Could you sign this for me?”

Ryan immediately directed all his attention to his gushing admirer and dutifully autographed the back of a receipt. From that moment onwards, the fans were unstoppable. He posed for pictures. He accepted free drinks, until not an inch of free space was left on the table. He signed more autographs, on coasters, t-shirts, even hands and arms. All the while, he had a wide smile on his face, clearly reveling in all the attention.
 

Meanwhile, I was tapping my foot on the floor, feeling angry and dejected. Ryan hadn’t paid any attention to me since his swarm of groupies had descended. This wasn’t part of the plan. If it went on like this, I couldn’t execute my scheme and I would have wasted my time. Maybe it was time for an early exit. I grabbed my clutch, ready to leave, when Ryan turned to me.
 

“Do you wanna get out of here? I do.”

I nodded once. I was still seething with anger, and my voice seemed stuck in my throat.

With a hand gesture, Ryan signaled a waiter and said something in his ear. He then leant over the table until he was so close that I could feel his warm breath on my face. “I’m going to pretend to go to the bathroom. Stay here, but in exactly five minutes, walk towards the bathroom. Don’t go in, but turn left into the kitchen and go out through the back exit. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

The next moment, I felt the light brush of his lips on my cheek, and before I knew it, my pulse kicked up a notch. Where did that come from? I blamed it on the remnants of my feelings of anger towards him.
 

When Ryan stood up and disappeared to the back of the restaurant, I pretended to check messages on my phone. Involuntarily, I touched my cheek, where the burning of Ryan’s lips continued to linger.

When the five minutes was up, I followed his instructions. As he had promised, he was waiting in his convertible, and as soon as I got in, he raced off. We were silent for some time until we reached a quiet road outside the town, and Ryan stopped looking in his rearview mirror.
 

“Hey, I’m really sorry about that. I had no idea they were going to follow me to the restaurant.”
 

I detected a hint of regret in his voice, but wasn’t sure if it was genuine. “Don’t worry, I understand. After all, you are their idol. They have you on their bedroom wall, and I can imagine what seeing you in person would do to them.”

“I’m just sick of those crazies. Once, one of them got into my hotel room. I have no idea how she got there. But there she was, on the bed, without any clothes on. She wouldn’t leave, and I had to call hotel security to get her out.”

Had he made that story up on the spot? I couldn’t tell. “Not many men would let that opportunity slip.”

“I would, gladly. You know, my agent gives me no choice. I have to interact with my fans, that’s part of my contract.”

“Even more reason to get it on with them.”

“I’ll admit, some of them are pretty, but they’re not exactly my type.”

“So what
is
your type?” I berated myself for falling into his trap. But for no reason I could explain, I was dying to know the answer.

Ryan stopped the car and gazed at me with his deep-blue eyes. “Beautiful. Blond. Smart. Actress.”

Oh, he was good. He was very good. Because I felt a queer little flip in my stomach. But of course it wasn’t going to affect me. It would take a whole lot more for me to stray from my plan. By the time we had sat down and ordered our meals in the small village eatery, I was back on track.

“Thanks for taking me here. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. At least I’ll have you all to myself now.” I gave him a wink, but strangely, it didn’t bring on one of his usual flirty responses.
 

Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope you don’t mind this place. It’s a lot more low key than
Wharf
, but I think no one will disturb us.”
 

I looked around the cosy eatery, with its red-and-white checkered tablecloths, and framed photos of picturesque villages on its brick walls.

“I love this place. You should have taken me here to begin with. Why didn’t you?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t like to go to a place like this. You look like the high-class kind, who only eats at Michelin-starred restaurants. I thought this is probably too simple for your tastes.”

Was that what he thought? That I’d only fall for men who could afford my high-maintenance lifestyle? I wondered if other men also thought of me this way. “Hey, you’ve got me all wrong. I grew up in a small country town in Indiana. I don’t think we even had star restaurants. I think it’s nice to eat some honest food now and then. At least it fills you up, unlike those tiny scraps on huge plates in those fancy restaurants.”

Ryan’s deep rumbling laugh warmed me inside and out. “I know what you mean. I never expected to do this whole Hollywood thing. Everything happened so quickly, sometimes I wonder if it was too quickly. I mean, I’m grateful for it, but I don’t have time to really enjoy it. People only see the glamorous side, but haven’t a clue about how much hard work we put into it.”
 

“Yeah, and they don’t take it seriously. Like my Mom. She knew that making it in Hollywood had always been my biggest dream, but she was dead set against it. She’d wanted me to be sensible and responsible like my sister, and get a steady job with steady income. But I just couldn’t do it. I felt like she was choking me every single minute I stayed there. Even now, I hardly call her because she never seems happy for me, even if I’ve had some successes. I’m just never good enough for her.”

I had never told anyone this before; not even my sister knew about it. Why, I wondered, did it feel so natural to open up to him so much?

Ryan leaned forward. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He squeezed my hand and instead of pulling it away, he held it firmly. He felt warm, strong. “You may not believe this, Kate, but I’ve wanted to have an evening like this with you from the first time I saw you.”

“Seriously? So why didn’t you ask me out?”

“I guess I was afraid you’d say no. You’re pretty intimidating, you know.”

“I am? Well, you don’t exactly look like the shy type to me.”

“I
am
shy when I’m truly interested in someone.”
 

His eyes darkened as he gazed at me. I drew in a sharp breath, and tried to stop my heart from pounding. But it was too late. A tiny flame had lit inside me, deep inside, sending rays of warmth throughout my body.
 

All I could think of was those sensuous lips on mine, that hard chest pressing against my breasts, those strong hands skimming the length of my back. How I would explore each and every part of that glorious body, all night long. Ryan was harboring similar thoughts, judging from the hungry expression in his eyes.

He breathed, “Let’s get the check.”

When we stood up to leave, my eyes fell on a $50 note on the check tray. Instantly, it all came back to me: his despicable bet and my big plan to thwart him. What the hell was I thinking? He was an actor, for Chrissakes. This is what he did for a living - putting on an act. If I had any hope to prevent him from winning the bet, I had to keep a cool head.

We drove back to the hotel resort that we were staying at, just across from the beach where the filming had taken place. Chatting about our film careers and our struggle to get to the top managed to clear my head somewhat.
 

It was a warm summer’s night. Ryan suggested to have a stroll and I consented, the beach looking inviting by the light of the moon. After taking off our shoes, we walked towards the water’s edge and stopped to admire the view of the ocean, the gentle waves lapping at our feet. Thousands of stars twinkling in the night sky formed a luminous blanket for the shimmering waters beneath.

“Look, a shooting star!” Ryan pointed at a bright white line streaking across the starry sky. “We should make a wish. I used to do that when I was a kid, and my wishes always came true.”

He closed his eyes. “I’ve made my wish. How about you, Kate?”

There, on the beach, with the moonlight highlighting the perfect features of his face, his eyes burning fiercely, there was no way I was going to escape the inevitable. So I would have to take control, do it on my terms.
 

“I think my wish is going to come true right now.”

I leaned into him and slid my hand around his neck, feeling his pulse strong beneath my wrist. I pulled his mouth down and pressed my lips on his, which were surprisingly soft and warm. While my tongue probed the seam of his lips, asking for them to part, my hand found the tensed muscles of his chest.

Wonderful. I would treat this like a screen kiss, making sure I went through all the motions to make him believe I’d fallen for him. I had done it so many times before, I was sure I could act it out without losing my head.

My mouth continued exploring his lips skillfully, expertly, and my tongue started to probe the corners of his mouth. Just as I was about to explore its depths, I felt Ryan’s strong hands around my shoulders. He gently pushed me away, breaking our kiss.
 

What the—? I looked up and drew in a sharp breath when my gaze met his. His darkened eyes burned with such a fierce intensity that I could feel it on my skin. They traced their path downwards, down to my lips. He lifted his hand to stroke my hair and cradle my neck with his palm, slowly moving his mouth downward, hovering over mine for a tantalizing, long second. I felt the moist heat of his breath, tasted his need.
 

Then, a whisper of a brush, his bottom lip against mine. Then, another brush, a slide, a taste. His sweet, slow kisses sent rapid swirls to my stomach, a wild pounding to my heart. His tongue found my parted lips, slowly stroking, caressing, and when it lingered inside my sensitive lower lip, I couldn’t stop a little moan escaping from my throat.

He pressed me close to his hard body, his hands sliding into my hair, my sides, my hips. His tongue found mine, and began a teasing dance of passion. We deepened the kiss, tongues ravishing each other’s mouths.
 

I felt the ounce of control that I thought I had, slip away, my body responding to his every touch. I edged closer against him, wanting to bury myself inside of him. My whole body screamed for more of him, desperate to remove the layers of clothing, and feel him, flesh on flesh.
 

A slight shift of his body to hold me in a better position pulled me back to reality. I had to stop this, now. This wasn’t right.