No Foolin' (Willowdale Romance Novel) (2 page)

Teague turned back around. “You should’ve let me drive. I could shake this guy in sixty seconds.” He grinned, flashing his dimples. “I do my own stunts.”

“How special,”
she said
.
“So do I.” Gripping the steering wheel, she zoomed around a sharp curve and under the railroad bridge. She eased the car behind the trestle bridge where Chief Larsen liked to hide, looking for speeders—and ex-girlfriends—to harass. The man just refused to give up, even five years and several girlfriends later—her friend, Tonya, included. In fact, this was probably the very spot he was hiding when he pulled her over for speeding when Tonya first moved to town.

After the black SUV tore past them, down the hill and out of sight, Kate turned the car around and headed back toward town. “Before we go searching for a hideout, you’re going to have to duck or blend in with the upholstery because I need to fill up.”

“You look filled out fine to me.” He gave her a big, cheesy smile.

She gave him her nastiest look. “I’m going to charge you extra if you keep coughing up lines like that.” Kate pulled into the gas station right outside of town and reached behind her seat to grab her purse.

Teague crouched down, but his gaze followed her breasts as she hovered over him.

She sighed. “Lord, it’s like I’m seventeen and babysitting the twelve-year-old McClacken twins again. Must’ve been a long time since you’ve seen a pair without silicone. All right, get a good look then keep your eyes to yourself.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Good to know I haven’t been picked up by a delicate flower.”

“Watch out. I’ve got a lot of weed in me.” She pulled her credit card out of her purse and hopped out to fill up. After plugging the nozzle into her gas tank, she looked up at the sky and rolled her eyes. What in the devil’s name was she doing hauling an A-list movie star around town? She had half a mind to drag him around Willowdale and show him off to her friends. But her instincts told her the sooner she got him off her hands, the better.

When she finished up, she climbed back in the car. “Okay. I’ve got a good hiding place in mind but you keep your hands and your comments to yourself.”

“Whoa, what kind of guy do you think I am?”

“T-Rex. Hollywood’s hottest heartbreaker. Said so right on last week’s tabloid I read at the beauty shop.”

Still tucked down in his seat, he looked up and narrowed his eyes at her. “Right next to the article about my alien love child, I bet.”

She stifled a laugh as they cruised through the heart of downtown and turned down an unmarked road that led into the woods.

“Where are we going?” Teague sat up.

She maneuvered the car along the bumpy road, hidden under the thick canopy of trees. “There’s this out-of-the-way spot I thought we’d try.” Her cheeks must’ve been red as an August sunset. “How long do we need to hide, anyway?”

“I’ve got a plane chartered to leave at eight over in Whitesville.”

Kate blew out her breath. “That’s over three hours to kill.”

He grinned at her. “I’ve given you a thousand dollars. Not a bad rate per hour.”

With a glare for him, she pulled into the clearing at the end of the road overlooking the valley. Gravel crunched under her tires as she parked the car, angled so she could focus on the beautiful, rolling scene below instead of the gorgeous view in the seat right next to her. “I guarantee no one’ll find us here.”

The place was deserted, with huge pine trees flanking either side of the overlook, providing plenty of privacy. A few crushed beer cans littered the ground and old tire tracks from generations of long, steamy nights left grooves in the dirt. Not that she’d know. But it must’ve looked much different beneath a moonlit sky instead of the big blazing sun. She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead even though the air conditioning was cranked on high.

A grin split his face. “This looks like a place where kids come to make out.”

Her cheeks burned and she looked away. “It is. But I figure we’re safe here on a Tuesday afternoon.” Unconsciously, she checked to see that her seatbelt was fastened. It was. Of course it was.

He set one hand against the back of her seat and leaned toward her. “Or maybe you’re just trying to take advantage of me, find out if my reputation is true.” He put his hand over his heart. “I’m hurt, really.” Then he pressed the latch on her seatbelt and smiled. “But I’ll get over it.” His breath was hot and inviting on her skin like a warm breeze at the beach.
A nudie beach,
she thought, probably turning five kinds of red
.

She slapped away his hand and clenched her teeth. “I could always drop you off back in town.”

Both his hands shot up. “No, no. I’m kidding. We can sit here and play twenty questions. Rock, paper, scissors. Truth or dare. Whatever you want.”

She refastened her seatbelt and flicked on the radio. “Or we could sit here and ignore each other.” Which was the best thing to do with a guy like Teague Reynolds—the triple fudge brownie sundae of men: hot, irresistible, and gone before you know it. Totally bad for a girl’s heart. She was smart enough to recognize his kind.

He turned the radio off. “So, what kind of job are you looking for?”

She turned the radio back on. Her heart quickened as she glanced at the patch of silky brown hair peeking above the neckline of his shirt. Most actors waxed their chests. She hated that; real men had chest hair. Every inch of Teague Reynolds looked like a real man. And every inch of her wanted to find out for sure.

His lids lowered, watching her eyes take him in. “Well?” One eyebrow perked up, ever so slightly.

She felt her face turn red. “What?”

He smirked. “I asked what kind of job you were looking for.”

She looked past him, out the window. Now that she knew who he was, she was
not
interested. At least that’s what her brain was telling her; other parts were disagreeing. But no. No, no, no. He might have ten million women drooling over him, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being number ten-million-and-one. She’d managed to salvage a little bit of self-respect through all the heartbreak she’d suffered. “I have a job.”

“I thought you said you were going to see about a job back on Main Street?”

Kate drew in a deep breath and got a whiff of warm, sexy male. How could someone so appealing be so annoying? No wonder Kimmie Cameron needed counseling. “Yes. I’m a school nurse, which pays squat, and I need something for the summer this year.”

He rubbed his stubbly chin. “This year? But not usually?”

“I never agreed to twenty questions.” She pointed a finger at him. “You’ve played a few too many cop roles.”

He turned the radio down. “I’ve only asked you three questions.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed for a dose of patience. She did not want to get to know this man; he might turn out to be even more enticing. “No, you asked me four.”

“Fine. Ask
me
four questions.” He shifted in his seat to face her, his arms crossed, mouth smirking, and hair curling around his shirt collar.

Kate exhaled, wishing the tight quarters in her Jeep weren’t forcing her to be so darn close to this guy. “Fine. Question one. What are you doing here in Willowdale?”

He shook his head. “No comment.”

“Hey, that’s not an answer,” Kate protested.

Teague shrugged. “I didn’t say I’d answer, I only said you could ask. Next?”

“Cheater!”

He dropped his smile. “I am not a cheater. Those rumors aren’t true.”

Trying to suppress a dramatic eye roll, she drummed the steering wheel. “Where are you going after here?”

“L.A., then the Sunshine Film Festival.” He held up two fingers. “Two more.”

“Did you really tattoo Simone Peters’ name on your butt?” She held her breath.

He leaned toward her. “I’ll let you check to find out for yourself.”

Kate closed her eyes, trying to convince herself she wouldn’t enjoy that assignment. “Who are you going out with now?”

“No one,” he said, hesitating. “But I should check
People
magazine first to be sure. You never know.”

His intense gaze unsettled her. She gripped the gearshift in the center console, hoping it would steady her wild, girly, hormones, which were screaming like she was in the second row at a Toby Keith concert.

He looked at her hand. “Time for rock, paper, scissors?” He hovered one palm over her fist. “Paper beats rock every time.” His hand covered hers, swallowing it with big strong fingers. “That was easy.”

She stared into his icy blue eyes, noting the amused and satisfied expression. She’d seen that look before; it made acid swoosh in her stomach. “I am not easy.”

He arched one eyebrow. “No doubt about that.”

TEAGUE HELD ONTO her as she tried to pull away. He liked the feel of her small hand in his. He imagined tracing his fingers across her palm, up her smooth, white arm. Or maybe he’d use his tongue. She looked down at her sandals and blushed like she knew his wicked thoughts. What was behind her resistance? Hell, women lined up for that kind of thing with him.

He tried to remember the last time he was with someone who hadn’t been featured on the cover of
Cosmo
. He couldn’t recall, but it didn’t matter. Kate had an easy beauty that intrigued him. He’d twine her long, dirty-blond hair around his finger to see if it was as silky as it looked. No fancy highlights, either—it was her natural color. Kate seemed as simple and pretty as this little town. He frowned. A town that had just seriously complicated his life.

He pulled his hand away. “How often did you come here as a teenager?”

“Sounds like we’re moving on to truth or dare.” When she stared at him, he noticed the flecks of green and amber in her blue eyes, like someone had painted them in as a final, perfect detail.

And that surprised him; he wasn’t used to noticing women’s eyes. Other parts were usually much more interesting. He leaned closer. “What color are your eyes? I thought they were blue, but now they look green.”

She shrugged. “Blue-green, I guess.”

What color are your eyes?
Holy Pickup 101.
Don’t flirt with her!
He tugged a hand down his face and tried to shake off the feeling. Despite what the tabloids liked to say, Teague was more talk than action. Okay. There was action. But he always made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship and never would. That didn’t deter anyone from trying, though. So Kate’s resistance was a surprising turn-on. Teague usually got what—and who—he wanted. But Kate didn’t seem to want him.
Huh?

They stared at each other, as if in a standoff. And they both jumped when someone tapped on the window.

“I guarantee no one will find us here.” He did a bad imitation of Kate.

She sneered at him, glanced out the window, and slumped back. “It’s Chief Tommy Larsen. The very last person I need to see right now.” She turned and gave Teague a look that probably scared the hell out of students faking sick in her nurse’s office. “Thought he wasn’t looking for you.”

Damn, she’s even cuter when she’s mad.
“Didn’t think he was.”

She rolled down her window. “Hello, Chief, what brings you out here today?”

A tall, thick man peered in the window and lowered his shades. “I should ask you two the same thing. Who you got with you there, Katie? It’s awful early to be out here at Lookout Point. Remember?”

She gave him a great big smile. “No, I sure don’t. You must be remembering all your other girls. Confusing me with Ellen, maybe?”

Chief Larsen ran his fingers through his short, dark-blond hair. “We were taking a break, remember? Ellen happened during our break.”

She crossed her arms, showing off her cleavage nicely. “That would’ve been something to mention when I asked if you’d dated anyone during our break. Lie by omission, isn’t that what they call it?”