Maybe it had just been acting. Sure didn’t seem that way to him, though.
He walked with her the short path through the set construction to the back lot where the trailers were housed. He stepped inside, wowed by the luxury of Des’s trailer.
She was toeing off her boots and pulling off her socks when she reached for her tank top.
“I think I’ll wait outside.”
She grinned. “I wasn’t going to get na**d in front of you, Logan,” she said, revealing another tank underneath. She paused, looking at him. “Unless you’d like me to.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Don’t push it too far, Des.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Or you’ll what? Walk away?”
He didn’t say anything.
She laughed. “That’s what I thought. I’ll be right back.”
She closed the door to the bedroom and shortly thereafter he heard the sound of water.
Damn woman. She pushed all his buttons and he knew she did it deliberately. What was she after, anyway?
Maybe she was an exhibitionist and she just liked getting na**d in front of people. Then again, if she was, the appearance of his guys at the lake yesterday wouldn’t have deterred her.
So she obviously just wanted to get a rise out of him.
It was working. He pushed back thoughts of what she was doing in the shower and wandered around her trailer. Her touch was all over the place, from books—she liked thrillers—to scripts, DVDs, and video games.
He picked up a few movies—not her own. She liked action movies, comedies and horror, all of which were movies he’d choose. He was surprised by her choice of video games, mostly those bloody games of war and fantasy.
“Those are for Colt,” she said.
He looked up to find her standing in the doorway in some kind of silk robe, no doubt na**d underneath, though thoughts of her na**d made his dick hard, so he should think of something else. The smell of something sweet—her shampoo or soap or something—wafted toward him, and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Which didn’t help the erection thing he had going on, because now he had thoughts of licking her neck.
“You don’t play the games?” he asked, figuring that was a safe, nonsexual subject.
“Of course I do. And I watch the movies and read the books. On a movie set there’s a lot of down time. It gets very boring. That’s why I’m happy to have a chance to see your hometown today. With nothing on tap for me, I’d have spent the day in here reading or watching movies. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
After she closed the door, he stood and adjusted the crotch of his jeans, deciding to grab a glass of cold water.
This was a bad idea. He was a walking hard-on around Des, and being near her was bad for him—mentally as well as physically.
When there was a knock at the door, he turned to the closed bedroom door. “Des?” he asked.
“It’s probably Colt,” she yelled from the bedroom. “You can open it.”
He did, but it wasn’t Colt. It was some older guy with a salt-and-pepper beard. He remembered seeing him on the set. The guy frowned and stepped into the trailer.
“And who might you be?”
“Logan McCormack. And you are?”
“Theo Winfield. I’m the director.”
“Ah. Des is getting dressed.”
Theo sized Logan up, looking suspicious and maybe a little jealous and protective, like a boyfriend would. Hell, for all Logan knew, maybe he was.
Des came out in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. She wore a pair of tennis shoes and very little makeup.
She looked pretty. And she was frowning. Logan could tell instantly that Des wasn’t happy about Theo being there. But then she covered it with a smile. “Oh, hi, Theo.”
“Desiree. I was unaware you were entertaining.”
“I’m not. Logan is the ranch owner. He came by the other day to watch a scene being filmed.”
“Oh, I see.” Theo’s tone instantly changed and he smiled at Logan. “It’s a great location, perfect for the film.”
“I’m glad it’s working out for you,” Logan said.
Theo turned to Des. “I have some free time while they’re setting up the next scene. I was hoping we could have a chat about some upcoming scenes.”
“I’m afraid not, Theo. Since I don’t have anything filming the rest of the day, Logan has graciously offered to take me into town with him.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Des? What about exposure?”
Des grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. With a shrug, she said, “Hope’s a small town, Theo. I’ll take my chances.”
“I still advise against it. The paparazzi have been stalking the gates of the property, hoping for pictures of you, especially after your breakup with James.”
She stepped out of the trailer. Logan and Theo followed.
“Then I’ll guess they’ll get some. But I’m not going to hide.”
“Des—”
“I’ve already made Logan late today, Theo. We need to run. I’ll catch up to you later, okay?”
“We need to talk, Des,” Theo said, making it sound urgent.
“Oh, I know. I’ll for sure come find you when I get back.”
She grabbed Logan’s arm and dragged him away.
“He’s kind of persistent,” Logan said as they headed to the parking area.
Des rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“And overly protective. Like a father figure?”
She snorted. “Ha. No. More like a pervy, married lech who’d like to get me alone so he can try and get in my pants.”
Logan stopped and turned to face her. “Seriously?”
“Yes. He’s an awful bastard and I hate being alone with him. Colt usually tries to have my back, but it’s not always possible. So I have to do this little dance of avoidance around him.”
They reached the truck and Logan opened the door for her. She slid inside, and he came around and got in, then started it up. “So why do a movie where he’s the director?”
“One, because he’s a great director, despite his proclivities for hitting on his leading ladies. And two, because I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. I know how to say no, and I make sure I’m never alone with him.”
“He sounds like an as**ole who needs to have the shit kicked out of him.”
Des smiled. “I’d like to see that day come. Unfortunately, no one does that to a big-time director. People like Theo get away with bad behavior because they carry a lot of weight in Hollywood.”
What a crock. “I’d be happy to knock him on his ass if you’d like me to.”
Her lips curved. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
What kind of a shithead cheated on his wife and hit on young actresses? Granted, Logan didn’t know anything about these Hollywood types, and maybe that kind of thing happened all the time. Des didn’t seem too upset about it, and she’d handled Theo easily, but it pissed him off. If he’d known about it, he’d have been tempted to take Theo behind the trailer and teach him some goddamned manners.
He gripped the steering wheel hard and tried to concentrate on the road, but his thoughts kept coming back to the way Theo had looked at Des.
“Are all directors like him?”
“Like Theo? No. Some are very nice and work hard to get the best out of their actors. Others are narcissistic, arrogant dickheads, but they’re not trying to sleep with every actress they direct, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m asking. Have you come up against directors like Theo before?”
“There are always people like Theo in our industry, people like casting directors or producers who expect you’ll have sex with them in order to get a part.”
“And?” he asked, glancing her way.
“And I’ve never once had sex with someone to get a role in a movie. I made a vow a long time ago that if I couldn’t get a part based on talent alone, then I obviously wasn’t good enough to be in this business.”
“Good for you. Some people are f**king scumbags.”
She laughed. “Amen to that.”
As they drove through the gates, Logan noticed the throng of people with cameras hanging out at the entrance to the property.
“Your fans?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Paparazzi, hoping to get some advance shots of the moviemaking. It’s great that we’re filming on private property, so they don’t have access. I think that was another of the reasons they found this location so attractive.”
He pulled out and Des turned her head as the paparazzi started shooting. There was a sudden rush as people ran off to jump into their cars.
“Now you’re screwed. They’ll follow you into town, which isn’t at all private.”
“I know, but I really want to see Hope.”
“Not much to see. It’s a typical small town. Surely you’ve seen a lot of them.”
“But I haven’t seen this one. So your brother’s the sheriff?”
“City cop.”
“Oh, that’s right. He’s probably going to hate me for causing a stir.”
“I doubt that. He likes to stay busy.”
Logan kept an eye on his rearview mirror. They had definitely acquired an entourage of cars behind them. Des didn’t look into her mirror once, just kept her gaze firmly planted on the windshield in front of her.
“It’s so remote out here. Your nearest neighbor must be miles and miles away.”
“I guess so.”
“I’m so used to living in a big city with people all around, I have a different perspective. You can’t move or breathe without someone knowing every move you make. You could probably step out on your back porch or on your deck at night in your underwear—or even na**d—without anyone seeing you.”
“I could.”
She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “That would be so great.”
“You could buy a place that’s remote, so you could get away.”
“I could. I plan to, someday.”
He glanced at her. “When is that someday?”
“When I feel like settling down. When I find the right place.”
“And when is that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t felt like settling down before.”
“You’re still young. You probably crave all that travel and adventure.”
“I liked it at first. But now—”
She didn’t say anything more, and he didn’t want to pry.
Des looked out the window, ignoring the convoy of cars she knew were behind them. She’d taken a big risk leaving the safety of the ranch, but she really did want to see the town.
They’d been stationed in small towns before when she’d been a kid, and they’d always been her favorite places. Always tight-knit communities with the best people. Not that she got to hang out with the locals all that much—not until she was a teen and got her driver’s license. She’d always lived on base, in base housing, with all the other army people. Her dad had always insisted on living on base, and had required her to go to school with all the other army kids.
Which had made sneaking out and getting to know the local towns and kids that much more fun.
She liked Logan, and she knew he was from a small town. She’d done a little research on Hope before she came to the location, and it was a beautiful place set in northeast Oklahoma. She’d never been to Oklahoma before. She’d already decided she wasn’t going to spend all her time holed up in her trailer, even if the paparazzi stalked her.
Though what they were looking for, she had no idea. It wasn’t like she was all that interesting. But she was young, and she and James had had a high-profile romance, so they always thought there was dirt to dig up.
It took about fifteen minutes before she saw the sign that they were entering the city limits of Hope.
She saw the high school first. It was one story, but it seemed to go on forever, with two buildings that faced each other and a big football field behind it.
“Oakdale High. Is that where you went to school?”
“Yeah. There are two high schools in Hope. This one serves a lot of the kids who live outside city limits. Hope High School is in town and serves the rest of the city.”
“Interesting. I wouldn’t think a town as small as Hope would support two high schools.”
“There are also all the county residents. The population is larger than you’d think.”
It looked so small. Then again, as they drove farther into town she saw more and more businesses and side streets filled with homes. She supposed she had had this mental image of a one-stoplight town like she often saw in movies, but Hope was nothing like that. While it was a small town, there were miles of it, including a community center, medical and dental facilities, urgent care centers, several restaurants, and what appeared to be a lot of impending expansion.
“Your town is growing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She switched her gaze over to Logan. “Which is why you like living on the ranch?”
“I like Hope just fine, but it’s a lot bigger now than it was when I was a kid.”
“Progress isn’t a bad thing, you know. It’s good for your town to grow.”
“So they tell me.”
He pulled into an auto parts store. Des smiled. She was just sure the paparazzi were going to find this riveting.
He walked with her the short path through the set construction to the back lot where the trailers were housed. He stepped inside, wowed by the luxury of Des’s trailer.
She was toeing off her boots and pulling off her socks when she reached for her tank top.
“I think I’ll wait outside.”
She grinned. “I wasn’t going to get na**d in front of you, Logan,” she said, revealing another tank underneath. She paused, looking at him. “Unless you’d like me to.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Don’t push it too far, Des.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Or you’ll what? Walk away?”
He didn’t say anything.
She laughed. “That’s what I thought. I’ll be right back.”
She closed the door to the bedroom and shortly thereafter he heard the sound of water.
Damn woman. She pushed all his buttons and he knew she did it deliberately. What was she after, anyway?
Maybe she was an exhibitionist and she just liked getting na**d in front of people. Then again, if she was, the appearance of his guys at the lake yesterday wouldn’t have deterred her.
So she obviously just wanted to get a rise out of him.
It was working. He pushed back thoughts of what she was doing in the shower and wandered around her trailer. Her touch was all over the place, from books—she liked thrillers—to scripts, DVDs, and video games.
He picked up a few movies—not her own. She liked action movies, comedies and horror, all of which were movies he’d choose. He was surprised by her choice of video games, mostly those bloody games of war and fantasy.
“Those are for Colt,” she said.
He looked up to find her standing in the doorway in some kind of silk robe, no doubt na**d underneath, though thoughts of her na**d made his dick hard, so he should think of something else. The smell of something sweet—her shampoo or soap or something—wafted toward him, and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Which didn’t help the erection thing he had going on, because now he had thoughts of licking her neck.
“You don’t play the games?” he asked, figuring that was a safe, nonsexual subject.
“Of course I do. And I watch the movies and read the books. On a movie set there’s a lot of down time. It gets very boring. That’s why I’m happy to have a chance to see your hometown today. With nothing on tap for me, I’d have spent the day in here reading or watching movies. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
After she closed the door, he stood and adjusted the crotch of his jeans, deciding to grab a glass of cold water.
This was a bad idea. He was a walking hard-on around Des, and being near her was bad for him—mentally as well as physically.
When there was a knock at the door, he turned to the closed bedroom door. “Des?” he asked.
“It’s probably Colt,” she yelled from the bedroom. “You can open it.”
He did, but it wasn’t Colt. It was some older guy with a salt-and-pepper beard. He remembered seeing him on the set. The guy frowned and stepped into the trailer.
“And who might you be?”
“Logan McCormack. And you are?”
“Theo Winfield. I’m the director.”
“Ah. Des is getting dressed.”
Theo sized Logan up, looking suspicious and maybe a little jealous and protective, like a boyfriend would. Hell, for all Logan knew, maybe he was.
Des came out in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. She wore a pair of tennis shoes and very little makeup.
She looked pretty. And she was frowning. Logan could tell instantly that Des wasn’t happy about Theo being there. But then she covered it with a smile. “Oh, hi, Theo.”
“Desiree. I was unaware you were entertaining.”
“I’m not. Logan is the ranch owner. He came by the other day to watch a scene being filmed.”
“Oh, I see.” Theo’s tone instantly changed and he smiled at Logan. “It’s a great location, perfect for the film.”
“I’m glad it’s working out for you,” Logan said.
Theo turned to Des. “I have some free time while they’re setting up the next scene. I was hoping we could have a chat about some upcoming scenes.”
“I’m afraid not, Theo. Since I don’t have anything filming the rest of the day, Logan has graciously offered to take me into town with him.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Des? What about exposure?”
Des grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. With a shrug, she said, “Hope’s a small town, Theo. I’ll take my chances.”
“I still advise against it. The paparazzi have been stalking the gates of the property, hoping for pictures of you, especially after your breakup with James.”
She stepped out of the trailer. Logan and Theo followed.
“Then I’ll guess they’ll get some. But I’m not going to hide.”
“Des—”
“I’ve already made Logan late today, Theo. We need to run. I’ll catch up to you later, okay?”
“We need to talk, Des,” Theo said, making it sound urgent.
“Oh, I know. I’ll for sure come find you when I get back.”
She grabbed Logan’s arm and dragged him away.
“He’s kind of persistent,” Logan said as they headed to the parking area.
Des rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“And overly protective. Like a father figure?”
She snorted. “Ha. No. More like a pervy, married lech who’d like to get me alone so he can try and get in my pants.”
Logan stopped and turned to face her. “Seriously?”
“Yes. He’s an awful bastard and I hate being alone with him. Colt usually tries to have my back, but it’s not always possible. So I have to do this little dance of avoidance around him.”
They reached the truck and Logan opened the door for her. She slid inside, and he came around and got in, then started it up. “So why do a movie where he’s the director?”
“One, because he’s a great director, despite his proclivities for hitting on his leading ladies. And two, because I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. I know how to say no, and I make sure I’m never alone with him.”
“He sounds like an as**ole who needs to have the shit kicked out of him.”
Des smiled. “I’d like to see that day come. Unfortunately, no one does that to a big-time director. People like Theo get away with bad behavior because they carry a lot of weight in Hollywood.”
What a crock. “I’d be happy to knock him on his ass if you’d like me to.”
Her lips curved. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
What kind of a shithead cheated on his wife and hit on young actresses? Granted, Logan didn’t know anything about these Hollywood types, and maybe that kind of thing happened all the time. Des didn’t seem too upset about it, and she’d handled Theo easily, but it pissed him off. If he’d known about it, he’d have been tempted to take Theo behind the trailer and teach him some goddamned manners.
He gripped the steering wheel hard and tried to concentrate on the road, but his thoughts kept coming back to the way Theo had looked at Des.
“Are all directors like him?”
“Like Theo? No. Some are very nice and work hard to get the best out of their actors. Others are narcissistic, arrogant dickheads, but they’re not trying to sleep with every actress they direct, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m asking. Have you come up against directors like Theo before?”
“There are always people like Theo in our industry, people like casting directors or producers who expect you’ll have sex with them in order to get a part.”
“And?” he asked, glancing her way.
“And I’ve never once had sex with someone to get a role in a movie. I made a vow a long time ago that if I couldn’t get a part based on talent alone, then I obviously wasn’t good enough to be in this business.”
“Good for you. Some people are f**king scumbags.”
She laughed. “Amen to that.”
As they drove through the gates, Logan noticed the throng of people with cameras hanging out at the entrance to the property.
“Your fans?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Paparazzi, hoping to get some advance shots of the moviemaking. It’s great that we’re filming on private property, so they don’t have access. I think that was another of the reasons they found this location so attractive.”
He pulled out and Des turned her head as the paparazzi started shooting. There was a sudden rush as people ran off to jump into their cars.
“Now you’re screwed. They’ll follow you into town, which isn’t at all private.”
“I know, but I really want to see Hope.”
“Not much to see. It’s a typical small town. Surely you’ve seen a lot of them.”
“But I haven’t seen this one. So your brother’s the sheriff?”
“City cop.”
“Oh, that’s right. He’s probably going to hate me for causing a stir.”
“I doubt that. He likes to stay busy.”
Logan kept an eye on his rearview mirror. They had definitely acquired an entourage of cars behind them. Des didn’t look into her mirror once, just kept her gaze firmly planted on the windshield in front of her.
“It’s so remote out here. Your nearest neighbor must be miles and miles away.”
“I guess so.”
“I’m so used to living in a big city with people all around, I have a different perspective. You can’t move or breathe without someone knowing every move you make. You could probably step out on your back porch or on your deck at night in your underwear—or even na**d—without anyone seeing you.”
“I could.”
She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “That would be so great.”
“You could buy a place that’s remote, so you could get away.”
“I could. I plan to, someday.”
He glanced at her. “When is that someday?”
“When I feel like settling down. When I find the right place.”
“And when is that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t felt like settling down before.”
“You’re still young. You probably crave all that travel and adventure.”
“I liked it at first. But now—”
She didn’t say anything more, and he didn’t want to pry.
Des looked out the window, ignoring the convoy of cars she knew were behind them. She’d taken a big risk leaving the safety of the ranch, but she really did want to see the town.
They’d been stationed in small towns before when she’d been a kid, and they’d always been her favorite places. Always tight-knit communities with the best people. Not that she got to hang out with the locals all that much—not until she was a teen and got her driver’s license. She’d always lived on base, in base housing, with all the other army people. Her dad had always insisted on living on base, and had required her to go to school with all the other army kids.
Which had made sneaking out and getting to know the local towns and kids that much more fun.
She liked Logan, and she knew he was from a small town. She’d done a little research on Hope before she came to the location, and it was a beautiful place set in northeast Oklahoma. She’d never been to Oklahoma before. She’d already decided she wasn’t going to spend all her time holed up in her trailer, even if the paparazzi stalked her.
Though what they were looking for, she had no idea. It wasn’t like she was all that interesting. But she was young, and she and James had had a high-profile romance, so they always thought there was dirt to dig up.
It took about fifteen minutes before she saw the sign that they were entering the city limits of Hope.
She saw the high school first. It was one story, but it seemed to go on forever, with two buildings that faced each other and a big football field behind it.
“Oakdale High. Is that where you went to school?”
“Yeah. There are two high schools in Hope. This one serves a lot of the kids who live outside city limits. Hope High School is in town and serves the rest of the city.”
“Interesting. I wouldn’t think a town as small as Hope would support two high schools.”
“There are also all the county residents. The population is larger than you’d think.”
It looked so small. Then again, as they drove farther into town she saw more and more businesses and side streets filled with homes. She supposed she had had this mental image of a one-stoplight town like she often saw in movies, but Hope was nothing like that. While it was a small town, there were miles of it, including a community center, medical and dental facilities, urgent care centers, several restaurants, and what appeared to be a lot of impending expansion.
“Your town is growing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She switched her gaze over to Logan. “Which is why you like living on the ranch?”
“I like Hope just fine, but it’s a lot bigger now than it was when I was a kid.”
“Progress isn’t a bad thing, you know. It’s good for your town to grow.”
“So they tell me.”
He pulled into an auto parts store. Des smiled. She was just sure the paparazzi were going to find this riveting.
