Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) (6 page)

“I said she’s mine,” he growled.

“But she could’ve come to see me,” Cole challenged mockingly, bumping his chest against Ty’s.

“And if she did, you’re gonna talk up the benefits of your buddy Ty, got it?” Ty placed both palms on Cole’s chest and shoved him backward again. This time, he reached for the butcher knife on the center island and held it to Cole’s face. Of course he’d never stab Cole. At least, in theory, he wouldn’t.

“Shouldn’t someone get the door?” Connor asked from somewhere behind Ty.

“Fifty down there’s not a slice,” he heard Reed wager.

“He draws blood. I’m in,” Braden seconded.

“Dude, okay,” Cole teased, lifting both hands. Ty maintained the stance a moment or two longer until his buddy took a voluntary step backward. A cold draft swept across him and Ty looked over his shoulder to see Connor standing in the foyer, door wide open, wiping his hands with a dish towel. Kenzie stood with her mom and who he assumed to be her father. They were staring in at him as he held that knife, their eyes big, and both Reed’s and Braden’s heads were cocked to the side, bent over, looking at the door. Dammit, he didn’t even have to glance back to see Cole was loving this moment.

Probably not the best first impression. Ty tossed the knife on the counter, glared back at Cole to give him the stink eye, and lifted a finger in warning, resisting the urge to punch that huge smile off his friend’s face. Ty turned back as Connor ushered the family inside the front door. All that adrenaline from seconds ago vanished as he got a good look at Kenzie. She was still wearing those cut off blue jean shorts that made her tanned legs look a mile long, but everything else was different.

Her thick blonde hair was down, not quite as long as he’d originally thought. Her hair was parted on the side with long bangs curled in a style with the rest of her hair, all framing her sweet angel’s face. Tonight she wore fresh makeup if the lip gloss was an indicator. The hoodie was from the University of Tennessee and looked well-worn, so maybe her alma mater?

As he walked forward, those stunning, big blue eyes lifted to him. His dick plumped, his gait faltered, and he stumbled over his own feet as he went to greet them.

It was shocking to discover he wanted her like he’d never wanted anything in his life.

“Mr. Bateman, we wanted to bring you the chairs you so generously bought today. I hope we’re not interrupting too much.”

Ty was forced to move his gaze to her mother. He stuck out a hand when his words didn’t come easily. He was too tongue-tied. The words scattered in his head, so he forced the fake smile he’d been told was a crowd favorite and shook the woman’s hand.

“Please, come in,” he said, ignoring Kenzie for a second more while he gathered himself and turned to the man beside her.

“Well, Mama, this is a surprise. We’ve been watchin’
Titan’s Fall
for years. Who knew Poseidon himself bought this house. Nice to meet you.” So much for the beard theory. Ty shook the man’s hand, and before he had a chance to speak, Mama spoke up.

“I’m Emma Stanton. This is Rocket, my husband, and this is our daughter, Kenzie. You met her earlier today,” she explained, introducing everyone.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Once they put him back in acting mode, Ty found himself on more stable ground. He understood how to hide behind those celebrity niceties until he turned back to Kenzie, those captivating eyes larger than before, staring straight at him, again stealing his words. His hand reached out to clasp hers. She was slower to respond, but when she did, he wouldn’t let go.

“You’re beautiful,” he finally said, the only thought dominating his mind. A faint blush tinted her cheeks, and he tilted his head as she bent hers. How long had it been since a woman blushed over a simple, obvious statement? She tried to remove her hand from his, but he held tight.

A dramatic clearing of the throat had Ty turning his head to see all his buddies now in the living room watching him closely. Cole and Braden were grinning annoyingly. Reed and Connor seemed to not understand the moment, and Ty finally let go of her hand as he hooked a thumb toward the couple.

“Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, these are friends of mine from high school. We take a trip every year to help stay in touch. Cole and Connor you met earlier, and Reed and Braden are on the end.”

“It’s a pleasure. Nice to see you again, Kenzie,” Cole said immediately. Ty wanted to punch him for that overly bright smile, especially after Kenzie responded with one with her own.

“We have the chairs in the truck. We don’t want to disturb you more than we have.” Like before, Kenzie’s voice was light and soothing. Those same tingles of goose bumps sprang up across his arms and skated over his skin. The only problem with this moment was that she was looking at Cole and not at him.

“I can get them for you.” Cole started forward, and she turned toward the door as if to go with him, but Ty stuck out an arm, reaching for an elbow, stopping her from going. The look he gave Cole had Braden laughing as he passed by.

“I win,” Bray said over his shoulder to the guys. “That would’ve drawn blood.”

“No. We need physical evidence of actual blood,” Reed countered, following behind.

“Our host is having boundary issues. I’m Braden Bryant. This is my brother Reed. We’ll grab the chairs. Are they out here?”

“Right outside. They’re tied down,” Mr. Stanton said, turning to go outside with the guys.

“It’s getting’ cold out,” Mrs. Stanton said, trailing at a slower pace. When Kenzie followed, Ty turned back to Cole who lifted both his hands in the air.

“Off limits. I’m there— Swear.”

Ty nodded and gave his most menacing scowl one last time before heading out to help.

~~~

Completely out of her element, Kenzie found it hard to even look in Ty Bateman’s direction. How in the heck had she not figured out who he was before her father said his name? He’d played Poseidon in the number one rated television show for the last seven years. Besides that, he was in the blockbuster superhero movie this summer. He had starred in a hugely successful romantic comedy over Valentine’s Day, and at Christmas, played the weeping father in the number one movie that opened on Christmas Day. Ty Bateman was the movie star to end all movie stars. He dated actresses and supermodels. He was photographed with royalty—heck, he’d even attended Kate and William’s wedding with a Julia Holly on his arm. She let out a small groan and looked up at the night sky, thinking about that one. Julia Holly was Miss Universe who was now a major motion picture starlet.

Of course she’d thought about him all day—what a fool she’d been. Every woman on the planet thought about him all day long. He was one of the best-looking men on the planet—tall, dark, and gorgeous, yet somehow, in person he was even better-looking. She said a small thank-you to the stars above that darkness had fallen outside as heat flooded her face with embarrassment. She watched one of the men climb in the truck bed and hand one of the chairs down. To think she actually thought Ty Bateman was interested in her and she’d been so bold as to blow him off. Lord, no wonder he could spend so much money on her chairs, his last movie grossed about a billion dollars worldwide.

She’d even fixed her hair to come over there tonight. Kenzie looked down at her feet, rolling her eyes solidly now. Mascara and lip gloss…really?

“They’re beautiful chairs. Do you really make them yourself?” His voice startled her so badly she jumped, spinning around. Such an overreaction as she lifted her shaky hand to her thumping heart.

“You scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, so close to her that she took another step backward and stumbled, grabbing his forearm to help keep her on her feet. God, she was a silly fool for being so awkward.

“I’m sorry,” she said, ducking her head. Kenzie closed her eyes and lectured herself to calm down. After a second more, she forced the fake smile she used around the house and pasted it on her face.

“Want these on the porch, Bateman?” Connor called out. She lifted her head to see all eyes focused on them. But what caught her attention was the sweet, knowing smile on her mother’s face. Oh God, it was worse than she’d thought. Her mom had planned this encounter. Mortified, Kenzie moved several steps away toward the cab of the truck.

“The porch is fine,” he called back, moving along with her. Kenzie shoved her hair behind her ears and tucked her hands in the front pockets of her hoodie.

“Did you really make these?” Braden asked, carrying the second chair to the porch.

“She does. She’s always been really good with her hands. For as long as I can remember, she’s enjoyed building things,” her father said proudly.

“I bet my mom would like a set of these. Do they ship well?” Braden asked.

“I don’t know. I never have,” she answered honestly. She’d never really sold any of her furniture before. If friends or family didn’t take them, she usually donated her things to the Salvation Army. This whole experience treaded all new ground.

“We need to talk about that before I leave. If I could get two to my mom before Christmas, I might win the best gift this year,” he said, and she watched his delight as he looked over at Reed.

“I’ll give you double whatever he plans to pay to make the card read, ‘with love, Reed and Lara,’” he called out from the front porch.

“This is just wonderful! She donates all the money,” her mother exclaimed proudly, and every eye turned again Kenzie’s way. Why did her mother keep making her the center of attention?

“We should go, Mom. They’re having dinner.”

“Why don’t you guys stick around for dinner? We have more than enough,” Ty asked immediately. The way all the heads kept swiftly moving from one direction to the other made the air seem to move with them. By the looks of astonishment, none of the guys were prepared for Ty to offer that.

“Oh, we can’t. It’s late for us, but, Kenzie, you should stay. You never get out.” Had her father really just offered her up like a lamb to slaughter?

“Dad, I can’t stay,” she responded right away as she walked toward the truck.

“No, stay. I can get you home,” Ty offered, and again all the heads turned his way.

“What? No, I don’t wanna intrude. We’ve already been here too long,” she said, reaching for the truck door handle. If she got inside the cab, surely this line of thinking would have to come to an end.

“You aren’t at all. I think you should stay,” Reed said from the porch, and all the heads except Emma's and Rocket Stanton’s shifted in his direction. They seemed just as determined to leave her there as she was to go home.

“Stay, honey. If you can get her home, she could use a night out,” her dad added, taking the door handle from her and opening the door wide. “Come on, Mama. It’s getting late.”

“I go to bed early. We get up early,” she said lamely, watching her mother climb into the truck before her father.

“Have dinner then I’ll get you home and it’ll still be early,” Ty said from directly behind her. This time she was prepared, having kept track of his proximity because of the weird little butterflies he caused to stir inside her stomach. When her dad hoisted himself behind the wheel and slammed the door shut, she realized her lifelines were fading fast. She was out of options and her heart tripped at the real threat that they were leaving her there.

Ty didn’t miss the astonished then slightly angry look Kenzie gave her parents as they loaded inside the truck or the confusion his buddies were having over what the hell was actually happening in front of their eyes, but that didn’t alter the plan that seemed to be forming by the second. Nor did he take the minute to find out what was driving him to invite this woman into the first night of his vacation with his buddies, breaking well-established rules of no females allowed. Instead, he lifted a hand as her parents began to back out of the driveway and waited about a foot away from her until she turned back to the house, and that wasn’t until the headlights of her parents’ truck disappeared.

“I’m gonna start the grill,” Connor called out. He was the only one who wasn’t still standing on the porch, watching this whole scene play out.

“You know, this is how it starts,” Prescott called out. Ty let that comment go.

She started moving toward the porch, not saying a word, but the worry in her eyes spoke volumes.

“We don’t bite. I promise. Reed has a baby on the way. Connor’s career military. Bray, well…” Ty caught up and leaned in to say quietly, “He probably does bite, but he’s gay.”

“You know I can hear you,” Braden said sarcastically, and that finally had her smiling, even if she still wouldn’t look in his direction.

They took the porch steps up. Cole still wore that good-natured grin—torment clearly his objective—but he did keep his distance.

There was a skirmish going on behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Reed standing next to Cole, his finger in his face. Cole didn’t seem to care. He just kept that really excited looked on his face. Cole’s over-the-top personality loved to find people’s weaknesses and then tease them mercilessly, but surely they weren’t still the maturity level of fourteen-year-olds. Besides, moments like these with women like Kenzie didn’t happen often. He could take whatever Cole dished out.

“Kenzie. That’s an unusual name,” he said.

“It’s short for McKenzie,” she said, not furthering the conversation.

“Want a beer?” he asked, moving around her once they got to the kitchen.

“No. Not really a beer drinker,” she said and cutely crinkled her nose.

“I’m not sure what we have outside of that,” Ty said, going for the refrigerator, making a mental note to get some things she liked just in case he ever got this opportunity again.

“Water’s good. I’m not a big drinker anyway.”

“I have some water bottles. Not much else, but they’re Voss. Is that okay?” Ty asked, grabbing a bottle of water.

“I’m not even sure the difference,” she said, taking what he offered.

“Yeah, me either, except the cost. Come outside. We were just getting ready to start the steaks,” Ty said, pointing toward the back door.

“Can I make a quick bathroom break?” she asked, placing the water bottle on the table. She was skittish as hell, still standing on the other side of the kitchen as far away from him as she could get. He had to do better at making her feel comfortable.

“Sure. Bathroom’s down this way.” As silly as this felt, he tried for no sudden moves. He went around the opposite side of the table toward the hall. When he was certain she followed, he began counting off the doors, trying to remember which one was the guest bathroom. He opened one door and saw it was a bedroom. “Sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I think it’s this one then.”

“It’s a beautiful house. We always wondered about the people who’d bought it.”

“It took me about ten seconds to place an offer when I saw the listing. Here, this one. There should be everything you need. I had someone come out and get it ready for us,” he said, making sure the little things like toilet paper, soap, and hand towels were available.

“Yeah, that was my mom. She does this on the side,” she said, standing in the doorframe.

“I think she mentioned that today at the store. I forgot.” There was a pause when he was farther inside the bathroom than her. Their awkwardness was nothing new, so he just moved around her out to the hall. “We’ll be out on the patio when you’re finished.”

~~~

Kenzie stared at herself in the mirror. There was little question in her mind that she was scared to death. Not even two years ago, she’d sworn off all men for the remainder of her entire life, and the first real test to that declaration had her acting like a star-struck teenage girl.

“God, he’s just too good-looking,” she whispered and bent her head dramatically, dropping to her folded arms on top of the sink counter. The best she could hope was that she didn’t make too big a fool of herself until she could break free of this evening.

A spark of fire steeled her spine, and she bounced her body back up, her eyes blazing. Her mom had set this whole thing in motion on purpose, and she’d fallen hook, line, and sinker for her mother’s latest attempt to find her a good guy to date. She rolled her eyes at how many times over the last few weeks her mother had introduced her to men. How had she not realize this when she walked out to see them loading the truck tonight? Again, she dropped her head back down dramatically, remembering the bait and tackle shop guy from this morning.

She pulled in a deep breath, stood straight, and pointed at herself in the mirror. “Get it together,” she whispered.

An unknown amount of time passed as she warred with the crazy woman in the mirror. Honestly, the panic did make Kenzie consider just staying inside the bathroom until it was time for her to leave, but the embarrassment of that might be worse than how humiliated she was at being here in the first place. With effort, she forced herself to calm down. A second later, she tested the mask she’d used over the last few months—the fake smile plastered firmly on her face. There was comfort in hiding, so she kept the look there and brushed at her hair with her fingers before running the top of her forefinger under her eyes, straightening the little bit of eyeliner she’d applied. On a deep breath, she turned to the door. She could do this. She’d gotten through worse before. If she could do that, she should have no problem with this.

With a hand on the doorknob, she paused and then went quickly to the commode, flushing the handle. She’d been in here too long; she had to cover her tracks. On that thought, she turned on the water at the sink and washed then dried her hands. After a second more, she stiffened her spine, squared her shoulders, and turned the knob.

Walking down the hall, she went around the corner to the kitchen and stopped short. Ty stood at the counter, his head bent, with his feet and arms crossed. He looked over at her, a sweet smile spreading across his handsome face when he saw her.

“We’re on the back porch,” he said, pointing to a door on the other side of the room.

“You said that before. Were you waiting on me?” she asked.
Please say no, please say no. That’s too sweet a gesture to ignore…

“Yeah. The door’s back here,” he said, and her heart tripped in her chest. He was waiting on her to go outside. How sweet.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” she said, not really moving from where she stood.

“It didn’t take long. Here’s your water.” He picked up the water bottle on the table and extended a hand in her direction. She gave only a slight pause before she reached out.

“You aren’t drinking?”

“Nah, I’ve got precious cargo to get home,” he said, and his smile grew as he moved his arm, extending a hand to let her walk in front of him toward the door.

Oh God, he was a gentleman, too. Crap.

~~~

With his whole game plan contingent on being a gentleman, something that oddly felt a little foreign to him, Ty stayed close to her as he walked outside, extending a hand again to push the storm door open. He didn’t anticipate the door handle had shut all the way. When he pushed, at the glass of the door, it didn’t budge, which crowded them together. For him, he didn’t mind at all. She wasn’t overly tall, maybe five six or seven. He reached for the knob about the same time she did. Their hands collided, and she jerked hers away like his touch scalded her. Her body did a little spasm thing, bumping back against his.

There was a slight fear she might have registered the rigid hard-on in his shorts, but she hadn’t stayed against his body for even a second as she pitched forward, bumping her forehead against the door. Her hand went immediately to her head and he couldn’t help the chuckle. This was no coy game playing; this was a true reaction, and she was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

Slower than normal, he turned the handle, opened the door a little, but kept her caged right there, bending to breathe her in as he asked, “You okay?”

“Yes,” she finally said and used her palm to push the door open while she rubbed her forehead with the other. Yep, she was absolutely adorable. “That hurt a little.”

With her hand on her head, she looked back at him. All the weirdness she put off dissipated as she turned to face him and moved her hand from her forehead. A slight red mark marred her clear skin. He laughed again, taking the opportunity to touch her. He lifted her chin to angle her face in the moonlight. He gently lifted the other hand and slid a finger over her pink skin, making sure there wasn’t a bump before looking down at her upturned face.

“I think you’re okay, but head injuries are tricky. I’ll have to keep my eye on you. Make sure you’re acting normal,” he advised, keeping hold of her chin.

She chuckled and moved out from his hold. “Well, if I have to act normal, then we’re all in trouble.”

“Good to know. So if you act normal, I’ll rush you straight to the ER.”

She laughed solidly with that joke, her tense features settling some. He suspected this new side to her might be the normal Kenzie which now began to make her a bit of a puzzle. She turned away again, that genuine smile still in place.

“Whoa,” she whispered as she faced the back deck which had been strategically built to extend out over the mountainside. He thought that the breathtaking view held her spellbound until she angled her head toward him and spoke. “They seem to always be staring. Why is that?” He looked around to see what she was talking about, and all four guys had stopped talking and were looking their way.

Not even two minutes ago, he’d heard their constant chatter outside. They were animated, catching up on their lives. Now… He suspected they were staring at him more than anything else, wondering what the hell happened, because he never acted this way. He’d certainly never waited for anyone like he had in the kitchen.

“I’d like to say it’s because they haven’t ever seen a beautiful woman before, but I think it’s more me. Cole and I had a battle in the kitchen when I first saw you standing outside my front door tonight. I wanted the first shot to get to know you. He, being the pain in the ass he is, decided to torment me,” Ty said, putting a hand to her back guiding her the rest of the way onto the deck. Cole sat on the bench that surrounded the entire ledge, and after hearing Ty’s words, he reached down and patted the seat next to him.

“Kenzie, I saved room for you,” Cole said sweetly, his eyes on Ty the entire time.

“It’s a long drop,” Ty said, hooking a hand around her waist, moving her to the other side where Reed was lounging in a patio chair. “He’s safe. Sit over here.”

“Let me go over this again,” Kenzie said, placing her water bottle on the patio table before pointing to each man as she spoke. “You’re Reed. That’s Connor, Cole, and Bray or Braden? I’ve heard it said both ways.”

“Impressive memory. My friends call me Bray. I would bet you’re probably a teacher if you can recall names like that.”

“I did some early education in my undergrad, but no, I decided to go into social work. My case load required that I remember those little details,” she said and took the seat next to Reed before unscrewing the water bottle and taking a drink. He wouldn’t say she was necessarily comfortable, but maybe getting there. Ty grabbed the back to the free patio chair and moved it closer to her before taking a seat.

“Social work. Wow. I bet you’ve seen everything,” Bray added.

“There’re some heartbreaking situations, but I worked for the county hospital so I saw a lot of good. I like it. What do you guys do?” she asked, looking around.

“Let’s see. Reed over there, he owns the world. Braden’s an attorney in Dallas. Connor’s military, and Cole’s a bum living off his family,” Ty explained, pushing his legs out in front of him. The breeze had turned a little cooler, but someone had gotten the fire pit going to help warm the area while he’d been in the kitchen waiting on Kenzie.

“Hey!” Cole yelled, crunching up his empty beer can and throwing it in Ty’s direction.

“No, I’m just kidding. He’s in the family business. They’re farmers. Like those massive sprawling farms,” Ty explained.

“And you’re an actor?” she asked, looking over at him. She was sitting with her legs together, her hands in her lap, and her long hair fell over her shoulder when she looked over at him.

“Yep.” He nodded, not sure if it would be in his favor or not to add Sexiest Man Alive to his list of credits. If it would help win her over, he might just say it.

“I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out. I knew something about you seemed different, but I don’t watch a lot of television,” she confessed.