That evening, Carter felt antsy. He considered going to a bar, maybe finding a willing woman to return to the bed-and-breakfast with him. There had to be bachelorettes on this godforsaken island, right? Ones who were as cynical about life as he was right now.The thought of taking some stranger back didn’t appeal to him, strangely enough. Normally it would have. Feeling out of sorts, Carter decided he’d wander around the island and see what he found.Hazel Island was only about ten square miles, its one town was named Hazel Town, but nobody called it that. Outside of the town’s center, there were houses scattered throughout the island. Some overlooked the cliffs for which the island was famous.Carter wandered down a street that ran parallel to a large park. It was a few hours before sunset, and families and singles walked up and down the sidewalk. Some turned into the entrance for the park, while others were most likely on their way home.Nobody stopped Carter for an autograph or
The moment Carter saw Lucy step out of her room wearing an emerald cocktail dress that hugged her body, he knew he’d made a huge mistake.When he didn’t say anything, Lucy shuffled her feet. “Something wrong?”He was tempted to tell her to go back into her room and find something else to wear. Preferably a burlap sack, because dammit, she was too sexy for her own good, wearing a dress like that. That dress could tempt the pope to forsake his vows. The green fabric left little to the imagination, and the sweetheart neckline put the lovely curves of her breasts and shoulders on display.The dress hit right above the knee, but it certainly showed enough of her legs to tempt a saint. And Carter was no saint to begin with.And neither is Hayden Masterson.Scowling inwardly, he finally said, “Let’s go, before we’re late for our reservation.”When they were seated inside the restaurant—a quaint little Italian place that overlooked the water—Carter felt like he’d gotten a hold of himself
That weekend, Lucy had the afternoon off from filming, as the crew was currently filming scenes that only involved Hayden. Gwen had invited Lucy to go to the beach with her and two other friends, and Lucy had accepted without hesitation.It was a brilliant, cloudless day, and everyone on the island seemed to be on the beach this afternoon. Wearing her favorite dark blue bikini, Lucy lay on a blanket and soaked in the sun. Despite living in Los Angeles, she hadn’t gotten a tan in ages since she was always busy working.“Lucy, I want you to meet someone. Or someones, really,” said Gwen.Lucy opened her eyes to see two women sitting down on Gwen’s blanket, one of whom had brought a beach chair with her. One woman was a curvy brunette with olive skin and wore a vintage red one-piece; the other was a pale, tall blonde, her swimsuit a demure black. When the blonde turned her head to get something out of her bag, Lucy noticed that she had what looked like a birthmark on her face.“Lucy, t
Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Lucy’s days and sometimes nights were kept busy with filming.On her fourth evening working overtime, Lucy was in rehearsals with Hayden once again. They’d gotten into a routine together: warming up in the morning and going over lines, rehearsal if necessary, then onto filming.Hayden, though, proved to be a total perfectionist. He would often demand multiple takes, sometimes for his own performances, but other times for other actors’. One afternoon they did twenty takes for a ten-second scene. Jim, despite his best efforts, didn’t have enough sway to ignore what their star actor wanted.Lucy was glad that Hayden’s wrath didn’t land on her very often, and if it did, it was tempered with a flirtatious smile. Lucy knew that Hayden was into her: he touched her whenever he got a chance, and he flirted with her so blatantly that Erin had commented on it.Now, Lucy was in Hayden’s trailer working on the upcoming scene that was going to be filme
Carter picked up his glass, only to realize that it was already empty. How many drinks had he had? He’d lost count. To his immense irritation, he was only vaguely buzzed. It was just his luck that he couldn’t get drunk off his ass like he wanted to.He was considering whether or not he wanted to go back to his room and sleep or get another beer when a woman sat down next to him at the bar, wearing a skimpy top and even shorter skirt. The woman’s breasts were close to spilling from her top if she moved too quickly. She smiled flirtatiously at Carter, her lips bright pink and pouting.“You’re that ballplayer, aren’t you?” she said, a slight drawl to her words. “Basketball, right?”Carter couldn’t help but stare at her breasts: he was human and male, after all. She certainly had enough of them to get the attention of any straight male in this greasy little dive bar.“Close,” said Carter. “Baseball.”“Oh, even better. The way you guys handle those balls…” She fluttered her eyelashes.
Soft jazz flowed around Lucy as she gazed out onto the sunset over the water. It was gorgeous, the spill of colors fanning across the sky. Sipping her wine, she felt a sense of calm fill her for the first time in three days.“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” said Hayden. He raised his own wineglass in a toast.“I think you said it at least twice, but it’s nice to hear again anyway.”Tonight she wore one of her favorite dresses: a short little black dress with slim straps that set off the milkiness of her skin. She wore pearl earrings, her hair in a loose braid around her head. She felt a bit like Audrey Hepburn; all she needed was a cigarette and a guitar and she’d play a perfect Holly Golightly.Hayden had taken Lucy to one of the nicest restaurants on Hazel Island: situated on the tip of the northern part of the island, it overlooked the water. Since it was summer, most of the restaurant-goers sat outside, tall heaters keeping the patio warm as the sun set and the
The last time Carter had made out with a woman in the backseat of his car, he had been fifteen, a virgin, and had come in his jeans within five minutes. It hadn’t been his greatest shining moment.Now, though, he wanted to savor Lucy. She made the most delicious little sounds in the back of her throat, like she couldn’t get enough of him. He was infinitely glad that he’d sprung for a sports car that had a roomy backseat.A tiny part of his mind whispered he should tell her the truth, but he pushed the thought away. It would only hurt her, and besides, things had changed. It was no longer about getting revenge on Hayden: it was all about Lucy and how she’d taken over his entire world in such a short time.It was dim inside, but there was enough light from the distant streetlamps to let him see what he was doing. A small part of him wished he could see every inch of Lucy in vivid detail, but there would be other times for that. Right now, he needed to be inside her, to feel her shake
Carter helped Lucy up the embankment until they both stood on the cliff that overlooked the sound. It was the highest point in Hazel Island—not Mount Everest, but enough of a hike to get his blood thrumming—and it was one of those perfect summer days that reminded you why you put up with the winter here in Washington State. Lucy inhaled deeply and took his arm.Everything was emerald green, moss growing in pockets down the cliffside. Seagulls cawed and circled in the sky, a few skimming the water to catch unsuspecting fish. Without the clang of the city or the traffic, Carter could imagine this place was far away from everything that wanted to sink its claws into him. He could almost imagine his shoulder didn’t hurt or that this thing with Lucy could last beyond the summer.“I could live here,” breathed Lucy as she entwined her fingers with his.“Really?” He considered. “I think I’d get bored after a while.”“I was raised in Fair Haven, so I’m used to small towns. I like them. Ever