Only for You Page 26

  “Gia,” he said sharply, piercing her haze of lust. She gasped wildly for air.

  “What?” she asked weakly. He was filling her completely, his cock throbbing deep inside her. She was going to burst into flame any second.

  “You’re screaming nonstop, baby. Are you okay?”

  “I am?” she moaned feverishly. “Oh, God, Seth, help me.”

  He cursed and reached beneath her, rubbing her clit firmly. She exploded like a cache of dynamite. The next few moments were a haze of pounding pleasure and pressure and unchecked carnality. She opened her eyes to see Seth standing over her, one of his feet on the mattress next to her hip, his knee bent, the other foot on the floor. He was fucking her with long, firm strokes, his ridged torso tight and gleaming with perspiration, a snarl on his handsome mouth.

  He had said he was holding back with her before. This was the real Seth, savage and unbridled, fearsome and beautiful. Gia watched him in that mirror and knew she was witnessing a claiming in some sense. She didn’t want to be claimed by a man or any person.

  But she did want to be by Seth.

  He was the exception to the rule.

  “You’re mine. Say it, Gia,” he grated out as he thrust, and she wondered if their minds were fused in that volatile moment as intimately as their bodies.

  “I’m yours,” she affirmed shakily. Because in that moment, she was.

  Her face convulsed with some mixture of awe, longing and amazement when she felt him swell inside her and saw the wild expression on his face. Then he was holding her to him, every muscle straining in his long, powerful body, desperate in his need. The sound he made as he came was fierce and plaintive, as if he gloried in that brutal, slashing pleasure and hated it at once, because it signaled the end.

  His head fell forward as he gasped for air. Slowly, the hard tension in his body started to dissipate. The sounds of their rough, uneven breathing filled the room. Something had altered deep inside her, and it both frightened and awed her.

  Gia glanced at her own face in the reflection for the first time in minutes, not at all startled to see that her cheeks were damp with tears.

  Eighteen

  Seth never said so in specific words, but she sensed he’d been as moved by their raw, powerful lovemaking as she was. He couldn’t keep his hands off her for the rest of the night. Gia would remember the sound of his hoarse, quiet voice in her ear, murmuring sweet, unexpected praise as well as tense, erotic tributes for the rest of her life. After that heated, raw joining, they’d showered and then returned to bed, too involved with each other to worry about everyday matters like their discarded meal or cleaning up the kitchen.

  Or unpleasant ones like the clock slowly ticking away their time together.

  The next morning she rose at nine, strangely bright-eyed and energized, even though she and Seth had slept little. He was already gone from bed. She pulled on her robe and wandered out to the kitchen in search of him.

  “Coffee is ready for you,” he said when she rounded the corner. He sat at the kitchen table, shirtless. One of the pumpkins from the porch sat in front of him, and he was utterly focused on carving it.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, grinning as she approached him.

  “It’s for Daisy,” he said. He looked up and saw her confused expression. “Daisy Pierce. Rill and Katie’s little girl,” he explained. He hitched his head slightly in a “come here” gesture and she leaned down to kiss him. He smelled and felt wonderful. She lingered, plucking at his lips. He became the aggressor, and their kiss deepened.

  “Morning,” she breathed out next to his mouth a moment later.

  “Morning,” he replied gruffly. He shifted his face, burying his nose in her neck and nuzzling her with his lips and mouth. “You smell like sex.”

  She laughed softly and ran her fingers through his soft hair. “You got that straight. Lots of it. You certainly are energetic after sleeping only a few hours.” She glanced at what he was doing to the pumpkin and gasped. She straightened, staring in amazement. “Oh my God, that is the coolest thing. I can’t believe you can do that. Is that Daisy?”

  She was referring to what he was subtly carving on the pumpkin. It was clearly the face of a little girl with twin curly pigtails on either side of her head. Most of his marks didn’t fully penetrate the pumpkin. Instead, he’d artfully cut just past the skin, revealing the paler inner surface. The contrast between the bright orange skin and the paler flesh-colored interior of the pumpkin was what created the surprisingly detailed image.

  “Yeah. Daisy loves to wear pigtails. I thought she’d like a pumpkin,” he said, resuming his carving.

  “She’ll love it. I forgot that you’re a sculptor too,” she mused, watching in fascination as he deftly moved the small carving knife according to some master plan in his head. She’d not yet worked on a play or film that required Seth’s level of expertise with special effects makeup. What he’d explained while they watched movies about the basics of special effects required a shocking level of artistry and minute detail.

  Seeing him creating something spur of the moment for the thrill of a child was no less eye-opening.

  “Sculpting and carving were my first mediums,” he said, working intently.

  “Your mom taught you?”

  He grunted an assent.

  “And you sculpt all your facial and body prosthetics first in clay for work, isn’t that right?” she asked, remembering his explanations about makeup as they had watched sci-fi and horror flicks together.

  “Yep,” he said, again fully immersed in his task. Gia didn’t mind his preoccupation. She liked to watch him work. He was always sexy, but she found him exponentially so when he was focused on creating something. It only added to the appeal that he worked shirtless. She sat down across from him, comfortable in the silence. He finished while she was on her second cup of coffee. Gia started to stand to admire the finished product, but he directed her to sit back down.

  “You can see it when I get it ready for Daisy tonight,” he said as he retrieved a large bag from the pantry. He noticed her disappointed look. “It’s a surprise for you too. I would have done you on the other pumpkin Sherona brought, but your face is top secret at the moment.”

  Appeased by his explanation, she watched him carefully place the jack-o’-lantern in the bag.

  They worked out and showered, and then Seth began the process of doing her Jessie makeup. It felt strange to don the disguise of the boy again. They’d only been in the Shawnee National Forest for eight days, but it felt longer . . . certainly more significant to her than that. She hadn’t experienced any of the feelings of claustrophobia she’d thought she would. Seth was an antidote against it.

  He explained that he’d be using contacts this time, as it would have been rude for her to wear her sunglasses the entire time she was a guest in Rill and Katie’s home. Gia told him truthfully that she had no problems with contacts. He proceeded to turn her light green eyes into an unremarkable hazel. She was startled at how different the small detail made her look.

  “But surely Rill and Katie will suspect something, despite how good the makeup is,” Gia said as she watched Seth begin to apply the subtle hair prosthetic that gave the impression of whiskers. “It’s not like while we were on the road, when strangers got brief glimpses of me as we crossed paths at a gas station.” She noticed Seth’s small smile as he worked.

  “Are you looking forward to trying to fool Rill?” she asked, grinning.

  He shrugged. “It’s a professional challenge. Actually, I think Rill will eventually figure it out. He’s got a great eye. I’m measuring success by how long it’ll take him to figure it out, not whether he does or not. I’m putting a lot of faith in your acting skills.”

  “Thanks,” she said, amused to know he was plotting to trick a friend. She liked the revelation of that playful side of his char
acter. “And you’re comfortable with the idea of Katie and Rill realizing I’m Gia Harris?”

  “I’m not going to give it away. But if they do figure it out, I’ll give a brief explanation. If they don’t realize this evening, I’ll eventually tell them the truth, once you’re back in the public eye again.” He met her stare in the mirror. “I trust Rill and Katie completely, or I wouldn’t be allowing them to see you for any protracted period of time.”

  Gia nodded in understanding, giving him a small smile, and he resumed his meticulous application.

  She watched him closely in the mirror as he transformed her into Jessie. Once again, his singular focus and consummate skill seduced her. But it was more than just sexual, what she was feeling. Unable to get up or distract herself, Gia was forced to acknowledge that she’d fallen in love for the first time in her life. Part of what she felt for Seth had been present from their first meeting and their impulsive, uninhibited lovemaking. But the seeds of her feelings had burst into flower, the roots burrowing deep.

  The thought of not seeing him, of him not being a regular part of her life, made her lungs lock uncomfortably. It was like her brain would freeze at the possibility . . . the probability?

  And that frightened her on some deep level that she desperately tried to ignore.

  Seth was so large. Not just his physical appearance, his uncompromisingly quiet, yet forceful character. He would never fit into her world. He didn’t want to.

  What were they going to do?

  Not sure how to answer in the present moment, she forced the uncomfortable question out of her mind.

  “What if we go to Sherona’s diner and then do a little grocery shopping in Prairie Lakes. We’ll get the stuff into the refrigerator back here, and then head back out again. We can wander around Prairie Lakes a bit before we go to Rill and Katie’s? Do you think that’d inoculate you against cabin fever?” Seth asked her once she was in full Jessie regalia, and they met up in the living room.

  “Sounds good to me,” she said, her gaze dropping over him appreciatively. He exuded masculinity and vitality, looking very handsome in a pair of jeans, a white fitted T-shirt and a denim overshirt. Just beneath his partially untucked T-shirt, she spied the sexy, silver belt buckle. She reached out and touched it.

  “Did I ever tell you that this thing drove me a little crazy with lust while we traveled across the country together?” she asked quietly.

  “No,” he said, reaching out to rub her hip. He drew her closer and spoke hoarsely near her ear. She resented the wig she wore at that moment, wishing she could feel his lips brush against her skin. “But I’m glad to hear it now. It only seems fair I was driving you a little nuts because you were making me stark-raving mad.” She smiled, warmed by his words, and traced her finger along the top of the sexy buckle and his warm, taut belly. He squeezed her hip and rubbed her.

  “That’s a very non-Jessie look, Gia. Do you want to go out, or not?”

  She looked into his face bemusedly. It was a good question. She suddenly wasn’t so sure she did at all.

  “Well, I do have on the disguise, and you put so much hard work into it. And we really need some fresh food,” she sighed resignedly.

  * * *

  “Wow. This town is amazing,” Gia said several minutes later, staring out the window as Seth drove into Vulture’s Canyon. To call it a town was being liberal. She stared at the ancient, weathered storefronts that looked as if they might have been built in the 1800s. It brought to mind Western ghost towns—or it would have, if there hadn’t been several long-haired, free-spirited types standing next to paintings that were leaned against the graying storefront of the Dyer Creek Trading Company. Apparently they were the artists who had done the paintings. Since Main Street was otherwise completely desolate, Gia wondered if the artists weren’t one another’s best customers.

  Seth parked in front of the Legion Diner, and they both got out. Some bells tinkled as they walked inside the neat, nearly empty restaurant. An older couple sitting at a booth to the right of them looked around.

  “Monty. Olive,” Seth said cordially. The grizzly-looking man named Monty nodded his head while the gray-haired woman called out a pleasant greeting. “Hey, Errol,” Seth said quietly as he passed the next booth, where a dark-haired man wearing a grimy hat sat studying something in his hand. Errol didn’t respond, but Seth didn’t really seem to expect him to.

  “Well, if it isn’t the world traveler,” Seth said as they approached the long Formica-topped bar that ran the length of the diner. He put out his hand to a good-looking, tanned man with tousled ashy blond hair who looked like he could have modeled for a rugged-outdoor-clothing company.

  “Seth. Good to see you,” the man greeted Seth in an Australian accent as he shook his hand. “Yeah, we just got back from a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It was only partially business. I took Sherona home to meet my dad for the first time,” the man said, a twinkle in his eye.

  “How’d that go?” Seth asked dryly.

  “Brilliant, considering the old man was on low boil ever since he heard Sherona and I eloped. Sherona had him purring in the palm of her hand in no time though. Who’s your friend?” he asked, glancing at Gia.

  “Chance Hathoway, meet my nephew, Jessie Bauer.”

  “Nephew? Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a big paw across the counter. Gia practiced her man shake for the first time. “I didn’t know Seth had a nephew.”

  “I’m sort of newly discovered,” Gia said in her boy voice, glancing aside with Jessie-awkwardness and shifting her feet. She noticed Chance’s slightly bemused expression. “It’s a long story,” Gia added under her breath.

  “Those are the best kinds. You’ll have to settle in and tell it sometime,” he said, giving Seth an amused glance. “You a surfer, then?”

  “Yeah. How’d you know that?”

  Chance just nodded at the T-shirt she was wearing beneath her plaid overshirt. She’d forgotten that the small logo on it was of a popular surfwear company.

  “Oh. Yeah,” she grinned sheepishly, hunching her shoulders with her hands in her pocket.

  “Where do you surf?”

  She noticed Seth giving her a wry glance. She resisted frowning at his subdued amusement while she was put through the paces of her role.

  “Mostly near home in La Jolla. Scripps Pier, Oceanside, Swami’s, Trestles, when I’m feeling ambitious,” she grinned.

  “Did you do Lower Trestles?” Chance asked.

  “Yeah, it rips.”

  “I was there once when the water was like glass. It was pure magic. What kind of a board do you—hey, babe,” he broke off, glancing over his shoulder when a pretty auburn-haired woman stepped out of a swinging door.

  “We wanted to stop by and thank you for dropping off the food. It was a lifesaver,” Seth said. “Sherona Hathoway, this is my nephew, Jessie Bauer.”

  “Hi. Yeah, the food was great. Thanks,” Gia said.

  “No problem,” Sherona assured them warmly, coming to stand next to Chance. “I know how isolated things can get up there in the forest.” Chance put his arm around her familiarly, rubbing the curve of her hip. Clearly these two were crazy about each other. Sherona glanced up fondly into Chance’s face. Gia saw the warm amusement in her eyes.

  “And how did that conversation end up getting them a front-row seat to the Great Surfing Moments of Chance Hathoway?”

  “I wasn’t spouting off. Jessie’s a surfer too,” Chance said, shrugging insouciantly.

  They talked with the nice couple for several minutes, Gia becoming more relaxed when they seemed to accept her Jessie character.

  “I should turn you over my knee for that,” Seth muttered when they returned to the truck and started down the deserted Main Street. She could tell by the slight quirk of his lips he was kidding.

  “Twice in twenty-four ho
urs? Is that going to be customary?”

  “I had no idea you really surfed. I just happened to have some outfits in my costume collection for a surfer boy that I thought would work for your size. I was wondering how you were going to work your way around Chance’s questions.”

  She chuckled, enjoying putting one over on him. “I learned to surf when I lived with my mom and stepdad.”

  “That’s what I get for underestimating you.”

  “Exactly. So . . . what’s the story with Chance and Sherona? They seem crazy about each other. He’s a nature photographer and has to travel a lot for his job, but I got the impression that Sherona’s roots run deep in Vulture’s Canyon.”

  “They do. Chance is a wanderer by nature and feels comfortable in every corner of the globe. Sherona is the heart of this community. For a while, it looked like their differences were going to keep them apart, no matter how crazy they were about each other.”

  Her skin prickled with awareness. “What happened?” she asked intently.

  “They figured it out. Sherona travels with Chance for half the year, while that other woman in the diner—Olive Fanatoon—looks after the diner for her. Chance takes a few necessary solo trips, but otherwise, he’s here with Sherona the rest of the time. They decided what they had together was worth some compromises and sacrifices.”

  Gia cleared her throat in the uncomfortable silence that followed. Maybe it only seemed charged to her. She couldn’t be sure if Seth had noticed the potential parallels between Chance and Sherona’s vital differences and theirs.

  “Why do you have that look on your face?” Seth asked her twenty minutes later when he parked at a grocery store in the small town of Prairie Lakes.

  “I was just thinking that at first, being Jessie made me feel freer. No one recognized me. I blended into the woodwork, and it was nice,” Gia reflected as she took off her seat belt. She glanced at Seth and gave him a small, wistful smile. “Now . . . well, I can’t even touch you while other people are around.”