Page 10 of Dirty Mind
“Thanks,” she said, tapping her bottle against mine.
“You had dinner yet?” I asked, peering into the fridge. I couldn’t go into grocery stores without being mobbed, so my housekeeper did the honors when I was in town. “I’ve got steaks. Could throw them on the grill.”
“I thought we were supposed to be talking about our… problem,” she said, looking amused as she stepped up beside me and snuck a peek in my fully stocked fridge.
“Why can’t we talk about it while we eat?” It was late for dinner, but I hadn’t eaten anything since the snack they’d served on the plane and I suddenly realized I was famished.
“Fine,” she said. “Max and I were gonna order a pizza before you texted, so I haven’t eaten either.” She snuck in front of me before bending over to check out the selection of veggies in the bottom crisper.
I could have taken a step back, but the way she fit against me stirred up all kinds of dirty memories from the night before, so I closed my hands around her waist instead. She didn’t seem to mind as she inched back, bumping my arousal with her ass.
“Careful now,” I whispered in her ear when she stood up. “Keep doin’ that and I might—”
“I’m not worried,” she said, patting my face. “You’re too smart to make the same mistake twice, aren’t you?” She’d obviously been referring to a repeat of last night, but blushed when she realized I could have assumed she’d been talking about my failed marriages. “Dade, I—”
“The only reason I said it was a mistake,” I said, closing the fridge door before backing her against it, “is because you’re too good to get caught up in my crazy. I don’t want that for you, Charli. And given what you came home to, with the reporters stalking you, you got a taste of just how bad it can get.”
“I’m not afraid of a bunch of sleazy reporters who have nothing better to do than hang around trying to catch me without makeup.”
I smiled at her innocence. They could make her life a living hell, shadowing her everywhere, and it would be my fault, because I hadn’t had the good sense to keep my pants zipped. “You couldn’t go home today,” I reminded her. “They’re probably still there. Your parents step outside and they’ll be harassing them. You really think they need that, after your dad just went through open heart surgery?”
Her expression faltered before she covered her lips with her fingertips. “God, I never thought about that. The doc said Daddy needs to avoid stress and—”
“And I won’t be responsible for his relapse.” It would kill me knowing he’d landed back in the hospital because of me. It was obvious her old man wasn’t my biggest fan, but I’d be damned if I let harm come to him because of my choices.
“I guess I didn’t think this through,” she said, letting her head rest against my chest. “I was caught up in the moment, having fun. Now what am I going to do?”
I’d been considering a plan ever since I picked her up, but I wasn’t sure she’d go for it.
Chapter 3
Charli
“So, I have a proposition for you,” Dade said, raking a hand through his hair as he leaned back against the center island.
Why did he have to be so sexy? I was trying to treat him like a casual acquaintance, which technically he was, but he was also the mouth-watering object of my teen fantasies. And now that I’d seen him in his inked, naked glory, muscles flexing and gleaming with sweat while he pounded me with enough force to break the bed, I was having a hell of a timenotpicturing him naked.
“I’m listening,” I said, reaching for my beer. I had a feeling I was going to need a few more to process his proposition.
He watched me tip the bottle back and reached for his own. “So, you don’t want reporters hanging out at your parents’ place, right? That’s not fair to them.”
“Uh huh.” I didn’t know where he was going with this, but I was willing to listen, since he seemed genuinely remorseful that he’d dropped this trouble on our doorstep. Not that he’d been alone in the viral liplock. I had to share the blame for that one.
“As long as we’re not seen together again, this’ll die down in a couple of weeks, I’m sure.” He drained half of his bottle, like he needed the liquid courage.
That’s when I realized Dade Jarvis really was just like anyone else. He got nervous, anxious, wrestled with the same insecurities, and tried to mask the same fears as the rest of the world.
“If you say so.” I couldn’t imagine why they’d remain interested that long. Didn’t they have other celebrities to stalk, more salacious stories to chase down?
“So, to get them off your parents’ doorstep, you need to stay elsewhere.”
I considered my options. Since I’d just moved to town, I didn’t have many friends, certainly no one close enough to let me couch surf. “Um, I could ask Cece if I could stay there until they get back from their honeymoon, but—”
“That’s the second place they’d look for you,” Dade said. “Right after your parents’ place.”
“Well, maybe I could ask Max if I could crash with him for a bit, but—”
“Uh no, not secure enough.”
