Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) (12 page)

The best Ty could tell, he was absolutely hooked on McKenzie Stanton. The mere fact he stood in front of the mirror trimming his beard to eventually altogether remove it spoke volumes to the infatuation he’d developed toward that woman. He was captivated, totally consumed, and found he wanted to look his best for her.

Reaching for the shaving cream, Ty lathered his face while thinking about yesterday, much like he’d done about a million times over the last eighteen hours. They’d shared a really good day together. A date like any new couple might have, and on a scale of one to ten, as far as he was concerned, the day had turned out to be a twenty, because he’d fallen harder than he’d ever thought possible.

Through the whole date, Kenzie never turned him away. She held his hand every time he reached for her. She gave him soft kisses anytime he wanted one. She was gentle, kind, fun to be around, and sexy as hell, making her different than any other female he’d ever met before.

Although there was no coy pretense with her, Reed was right, he could see that she kept a purposeful distance. He loved the first part of that thought. It was such a turn-on to be able to read a woman and not have to guess what she was thinking or trying to tell him. The second was probably what drove him to clean up his appearance. He wanted her to want him and be comfortable enough to tell him about the parts of her life she kept hidden.

They were less than a week into meeting one another, but he already knew he wanted to continue this relationship, and he wasn’t entirely certain she was in the same emotional place.

Ty ran the razor across his face, thinking about what he should wear. Under normal circumstances, he’d have a closet full of handmade designer clothes. However, those were currently being relocated from New York City to Los Angeles. All he had were the clothes he’d had sent to lounge around in or go out and be rustic in. He’d have to decide if he needed to have anything nice to wear shipped here for the next few weeks. Kenzie was a down-to-earth woman, surely jeans and T-shirts were good with her.

Once clean-shaven, he bent over to splash water on his face. Ty’s thoughts, no matter how he tried to avoid it, automatically went to the way Kenzie looked having that orgasm by just riding his hand. Damn if that wasn’t a turn-on to end all turn-ons. She’d been one of the most alluring sights he’d ever seen. Her sweet body shook and that magnificent face transformed into something sensual and erotic, but she’d stayed so silent. He’d wondered all night if she’d held back a more vocal response because they were in the truck in front of her parents’ house or if that was just the way she came. He needed to find out that answer like he needed to breathe his next breath.

Ty reached for a towel, running the soft terrycloth over his face and ignoring the latest hard-on from that round of thoughts. Apparently he couldn’t jack himself enough with McKenzie Stanton in his life. He leaned forward, close to the mirror, to check the job he’d done. Deciding he’d gotten it all, he added aftershave and went for the closet. He had about thirty minutes before she’d arrived, and he still wanted to do his hair, style it like he regularly wore it in New York.

Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and waiting out on the front porch. He tried for casual and wished he’d not taken no for an answer and insisted on picking her up when they’d spoken earlier. All this nervous energy had him as excited as a high school kid on prom night.

~~~

“You look so different with your face shaved,” Kenzie commented, sitting with her legs tucked underneath her on the bench surrounding the back deck. Ty sat right beside her with her back resting against the side of his chest and his arms draped around her. She was sipping wine next to the warmth of the fire he’d built in the pit. There were only a few remnants left of the dinner she’d prepared, which was honestly a little surprising. Ty would have thought he’d have felt cheated by not having meat, even going so far as suggesting he start the grill, but she’d insisted he give this a try, and apparently, when her blue eyes met his, he’d give in and do anything she asked. For that, he was glad to say she was a very good cook and he didn’t feel deprived at all.

“It’ll grow back pretty quick, by tomorrow I’ll already have a good covering, but it was getting scraggly,” Ty said, reaching for the bottle of wine on the table, adding more to her glass before topping off his own. This was the first time she’d let her guard down enough to drink in front of him. One of his hard and fast rules would now come into play. There was no way he’d let her drive after drinking. On the plus side of that decision, maybe he’d get a little more of her time while she waited there to sober up.

“It’s beautiful out here. I’ve lived in this area for most of my life, but I’ve never seen it quite like this.” Her voice held a relaxed tone that Ty enjoyed hearing.

Ty had sat them side by side, scooting the patio table close to the ledge facing out over the mountain. Since the house was so far up, the moonlight made the view incredible, even a little romantic in his opinion.

“This was the scene in the picture online that made me bid on the house without seeing it,” he said, trailing his fingertips up the soft skin of her neck. She was dressed much like him, a T-shirt and jeans with a jacket draped over her shoulders. He’d methodically worked the collar down in order to reach her uncovered skin. “Your dinner was incredible. You’re a good cook.”

“I took a few classes in college. My mom always had a schedule for dinner and that still hasn’t changed. Monday, pork chops. Tuesday, spaghetti. When I got to college and found the cafeteria and all that selection, I think my world had finally righted itself. I was in heaven.”

“So you said you were homeschooled. Did you go straight into a university from here?” he asked, lifting a piece of her long hair, threading it through his fingers. He watched as the silky strands slipped free and fell back down around her shoulders.

“I did. I scored high on the entrance exams and got some scholarships. The rest I got loans for. I moved to the dorms my freshman year, and I loved being around all those people. It took me a little while to adjust to the socialization. I was pretty sheltered, but I loved the environment so much. Did you go to college?” she asked, turning her head to face him.

“No. I went straight from West Texas into modeling. I got a contract when I was seventeen, before my senior year started. It wasn’t really my thing, but I did well enough that it gave me the itch to try to act professionally.”

“I never read you were model,” she said, looking surprised.

“I told you I wasn’t very good. I got some commercial work. Flew across the world and spent the last half of my senior year in Milan and Paris. They thought I looked good in underwear. My first commercial was for Fruit of the Loom inside a football locker room. I remember I was so excited because I got to stand in the locker next to the speaking actor. You’d have thought I won an Oscar for all the effort I put into acting like a freshly showered jock,” he said, laughing a little. That sweet smile he loved so much broke across Kenzie face, and he lifted a finger, running it down her cheek.

“When did you get your first big break?” she asked, seeming truly interested.

“I was like twentyish. It was just me and my mom back then. The modeling wasn’t paying the bills. My mom was working two jobs, and I was trying hard to break into the industry. I waited tables and went on every casting call I could find. No one would hire me, but one day Clint Eastwood was having lunch in my section, and he thought I looked like a young him. I didn’t see it, still don’t—actually no one really agreed—but he’s no-nonsense, and when he gets something in his head, it’s just gonna be that way. So he decided it and that night I was put in front of a camera to see how I did. It’s been trail blazin’ ever since. I owe him everything.”

“I don’t see how you look like him either. What was your favorite movie?”

“Wait a second. It’s my turn to ask a few questions,” he said, and she lost her smile, a frown taking its place. “Wait! Get that look on off your face. You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. What made you decide on the University of Texas? It’s so far from here,” he asked, hoping that was a vanilla enough kind of question to help get some answers.

“They gave the best scholarship offer, and Austin has good public transportation. I wasn’t driving yet, I was barely seventeen and wanted to desperately see the world,” she explained.

“I spent some time in Austin. It’s a good city. I bet a pretty girl like you had some good times there,” he said, thinking of her being young and down on 6th Street. The guys wouldn’t have known what hit them when she walked past.

“Answer my question. What’s your favorite movie that you starred in?” Kenzie deflected questions better than anyone he’d ever seen before. He stared at her for several long seconds before he gave in to her standard diversion tactic. All he seemed to want in the world was to know more about this woman who didn’t want him to know anything about her.

“Truthfully? They’re really all the same. I like to do my own stunts. It helps break up the monotony. Insurance is getting stricter on that kind of thing, so I had to give up a chunk of my salary in order to be more hands on in the next Bond movie.”

“You’re playing James Bond? I didn’t read that,” she said and her face lit up again.

“No, I’m playing the bad guy in the next two movies. Just a few cameos in the first one, but I like the part, so I took it.” He shrugged, and her face changed into a couple of different expressions before he finally asked, “What?”

“I haven’t ever seen a James Bond movie,” she confessed while biting her lip, and he gave an exaggerated playful wince at her words while running his fingertip up the long line of her neck. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her.

“You need to pay closer attention to some of my roles so maybe you’ll be more impressed and I won’t have to work so hard to get to spend time with you,” he scolded.

“Oh, whatever! I bet there’s no shortage of women throwing themselves at you,” she said and turned away from him to snuggle back into his side.

“Okay, well, I guess it’s usually not a problem to find some company.” He chuckled, tightening his arms around her as she laughed out loud at his response.

“I bet not.”

“The problem comes from me being an introvert and a little bit shy, remember?” he asked, moving the hair off her shoulder so he could lean in and give her a soft kiss on the neck.

“I’ve thought about that a lot. I just don’t see it at all,” she said, turning her body where she could look him in the eye. The doubt was clear in her tone, but all he could focus on was her lips being so close to his that he couldn’t help when he leaned down and kissed them. “You were bold with me.”

“That’s because you appeared on my doorstep in those short shorts and this pretty hair down and those big blue eyes staring at me so uncertain. I figured, for some reason, God did that just for me and I better man up,” he answered, his grin growing, proud of coming up with those words.

“Oh, whatever!” she said again, pushing against his chest. He didn’t budge.

“It’s true,” he said, and she just rolled her eyes, turning back in his arms, snuggling in a little closer than before.

“So if none of the rumors are true on your love life, how long’s it been since you had a relationship?” she asked.

“I’m not really sure I’ve ever had one,” Ty answered, honestly. He couldn’t think of one person he’d given that particular commitment too.

“That’s not true. I don’t believe you at all.” As if he’d been lying about it all, she moved, lifted off the seat to reach for their dirty plates. He placed both his hands on her hips, drawing her back down beside him.

“It is true and come back here. Don’t leave. I like you here. The deal is that my mom got breast cancer when I was in eighth grade. She beat it, but we were all we had for each other. Between school, sports, and her, I was too busy for dating. Then when I got discovered and got my first modeling contract, she was solidly in remission, so it kind of seemed like a good time to take off, but money was so damn tight between us that I couldn’t in my right mind waste any taking a girl out. Her cancer came back. She was gonna tell me the night Clint Eastwood found me. Then she didn’t tell me at all until it was too late. She died shortly after that. I had some head issues over not being there for her for a real long time. I was just never in the relationship mindset.”

“I’m sorry, Ty,” she said. The dishes forgotten as sadness had her looking up at him with genuine concern. She’d moved, still close, but now facing him.

“Thank you. Me too. It took me some to get over it. What I haven’t ever told anyone is that I think it’s the real reason why I work so much. I needed time to get over it and something to occupy me, if that makes any sense.” He’d told her the honest truth of his life, hoping she’d see he was on the up-and-up. That she could trust him. “So what about you? You were married, right?”

“I was, but not anymore,” she said, and right when he thought she was finally going to continue, he watched her face change to that super-passive thing she did, except she could never hide the sadness lurking in the depths of those extraordinary eyes. “It’s part of what I don’t like to talk about.”

“You get sad when you talk about that,” he said, not taking no for an answer, but trying to keep her from shutting down altogether. There was another lengthy pause, and she stared at him for so long he thought she wasn’t going to answer.