CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

Boone’s large hand stretches toward me across the table. I gaze down at the lines of his palm, the skin calloused from years of playing rugby, and wonder just what he has in mind.

“What do you think, darlin’?” he asks in his velvety smooth southern drawl.

“I think I’m always down for a show,” I say with a smile, placing my hand firmly over his.

He chuckles and tosses a few bucks down onto the table for the mozzarella sticks even though Franco gave them to us for free, then puts his sunglasses back on and leaps up, leading me out of the restaurant and toward the beach.

The ocean breeze billows in from the coast, whipping my cardigan around my thighs. When I squirm out of the oversized sweater and scrunch it underneath one of my arms, Boone takes it from me and flings it over his shoulder. The cardigan flaps in the balmy air as Boone leads me down the beach. We walk side-by-side and hand-in-hand.

“What are we doing out here?” I call over the gusting, salty wind, grabbing my red headband to keep it from flying off my head.

Before Boone can answer, a rogue wave suddenly rushes up the beach, sending seagulls flying and crabs scuttling across the sand. The water washes over our feet, soaking both of our shoes before we even have a chance to make a run for it. I leap over the next rolling wave, trying to escape with at least some part of my clothes dry, but the water is faster than I am. Laughing, Boone sweeps me up into his arms and carries me further inland until we’ve escaped the fast tide.

He gently sets me back on my feet, but keeps his arm around my waist as we continue to stroll along the beach.

“Where are we going?” I ask curiously, slightly breathless from running away from the waves.

I know it isn’t toward our cars because we’d left both of them back at Franco’s.

Smirking faintly, he tugs off his sunglasses and puts them on his head again. Our disguises are vanishing piece by piece.

“Just for a romantic stroll,” he explains, tightening his arm around my waist and drawing me against him as we continue to meander across the sand. “I think today is the perfect day to make our debut. Don’t you?”

I grin happily. Boone might be charming and chivalrous—not to mention more good looking than any man has a right to be—but he has a flair for theatrics that speaks right to my heart. We’re starting to get closer to the throngs of people enjoying the beach on this sunny afternoon, and I can tell exactly what Boone is plotting. One of these people is bound to either be a Glammer or a Coyotes fan. At some point, someone is going to notice us together. We’re too sexy not to draw attention, after all.

But just in case, I decide to take things up a notch.

Lightly grabbing the headband that Liv helped me fashion to conceal my hair, I tug it off in one effortless move. My long, dark hair flows free of its restraint, the dark tresses rippling in the wind and tumbling over my shoulders. Boone’s molten gaze momentarily caresses me as he admires the view. I can’t blame him for that. I know how gorgeous I am—just as I know how gorgeous he is. That’s how I know my fans are going to go wild when they see us together.

“We should act like we’re having an intense conversation or something,” I suggest. “Not, like, intense bad, but intense good.” I grin. “Like we’re really into each other.”

Boone lets out another chuckle. “Why act like we’re having a conversation when you can really have one? Not everything needs to be faked, darlin’, you know?”

Darlin’.

The adorable way that word fits his lips makes my heart skip a beat. I’d listen to him read a dictionary simply so I could hear how every word sings from his sweet southern tongue.

“Tell me about Glossed & Glammed,” he prods gently, giving me a sidelong glance. “I did a little Google searching on it, so I know the gist, but what does it mean to you?”

“Glossed & Glammed isn’t merely a brand. It’s a lifestyle,” I immediately recite. “We stand for positively enhancing our communities, our viewers’ confidence, and beauty in all peoples’ hearts and homes.”

I beam up at him proudly, waiting for him to praise my eloquence.

Instead of bowing down to me, however, Boone frowns and clears his throat. “That’s…um…a mighty fine answer, Sutton,” he concedes eventually.

I lift a brow, incredulous. “Why does that not sound like a compliment?”

“Well…” He hesitates, gaze shifting to me, then the sand. “You know what, I’m just going to be honest here. In fact, let’s make that one of the commandments. We have to be frank with each other if we’re going to make this whole thing work.”

“O-kay,” I say.

“Darlin’, I could’ve read that line on your website. In fact, I think I did read that line on your website.”

I purse my lips hard, a little hurt. But Boone isn’t wrong. That answer is the textbook one I always end up relaying when people ask about G&G. Sometimes, I change the reply up a little for some extra sizzle, but the message is always the same at its core.

His blue eyes soften as he gazes at me. “I just want to know what Glossed & Glammed means to you, you know? For real.”

Silence drifts between us. I’m caught off guard by his request, so I have to think about it for a moment. People have begun noticing Boone and me now, and cameras are starting to flash. That’s exactly what we were hoping for. It won’t be long before someone posts online about spotting us together.

Still pondering his question, I stop walking. He halts as well. His arm remains loosely draped around my waist. We might not be getting stalked by a drunken sleazeball, but I still feel that same sense of shelter and security in his embrace that I did on that first night at the party.

Boone waits patiently for my answer. When my long hair blows in my face, he gently brushes it away and I tip my head up to meet his inquisitive gaze. He’s not merely asking about me because he wants us to look like we’re getting to know one another. He’s asking because he actually does want to get to know me. It’s like I’m being seen and heard for the first time.

“Okay, if you want honest, I’ll be honest,” I begin haltingly. “I’m not even sure how to put into words how much G&G means to me, or how much I care about Kali and Liv. My whole life, I wanted to belong. I wanted to be loved—no, I wanted to be adored. That might sound self-centered, but I had to fight really hard for attention and affection growing up, and I didn’t ever really get it. I don’t know if you’ll believe this, but I thrive off being the center of attention,” I add with feeble light-heartedness.

He chuckles and tugs me a little closer. “Oh, I can believe it, darlin.’”

“G&G is the close-knit family I never had,” I explain. “I might have four biological sisters, but Kali and Liv are more than that to me. Lately, I’ve been feeling like the Glammers are drifting away from me, like I have to do something to prove to them that I deserve their attention. That’s what this relationship is going to help me do. It’s going to make me feel close to my fans again.”

A wave of emotion crosses Boone’s face. His mouth twists one way and then the other as he contemplates my words. I wait for him to respond, heart beating hard against my ribs. This was the first time I honestly put those feelings into words. It felt good. But scary, too.

Boone brushes my hair from my face again, but this time his fingertips linger on the side of my cheek. A wave of goosebumps races along my back.

“If you want to do something, then how about we do it big?” he whispers, eyes pouring into mine.

He’s so close to me that the tip of his nose almost brushes mine. When he speaks, his breath is warm against my lips. My knees start quivering and my nostrils flare. I suck in a shallow breath, but I can’t speak. My heart throbs so wildly now that it must sound like a jackhammer.

Finally, I manage to nod.

I know exactly what he’s thinking—and I know that I want it more than anything.

He swoops down toward me, wrapping his arms tightly around my body. One hand glides through my long hair, knotting gently at the nape of my neck, while the other hand supports my back. His fingers are firm on my hip as he leans me backward.

Then, his mouth descends on mine.

The rest of the beach melts into nothingness.

Right now, at this very moment, we are the only people in the world who exist.

Fireworks explode inside of me when his lips meet mine. The backs of my eyelids burn crimson and every hair on my body feels electrified. I’m lucky he’s holding me so tightly, because otherwise, I would’ve swooned.

Who knew swooning was even a real thing?

Slowly, only when my lungs are screaming from lack of air, does he pull back. He grins at me as he helps me straighten up. It’s the kind of smile meant only for me, and the joy consuming me slowly melts into dread.

I am in way over my head.

Our new relationship just might break the internet, but how exactly is my heart going to fare?