Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) (19 page)

The two of us stood
there and I looked down at her. She looked beautiful. But Dani was always
beautiful to me, even when her hair was undone and she was wearing messy
clothes. Martin stepped behind the camera and told us that he was going to take
some test shots and then we’d be set.

Since we had a moment to
ourselves, I placed my hand on Dani’s hip and looked into her eyes. She looked
uncomfortable with the attention being given her, but I loved that she was with
me.

“You look beautiful,” I
said, smiling down at her.

She tilted her chin up
and smiled shyly, shaking her head. “I look like myself…only a little too
fake.”

“It’s all for the
camera,” I said. “I think they should’ve left you as you were, but you’re
always sexy to me.”

Dani playfully hit my
chest and dropped her forehead against her hand with a forced laugh. I cleared
my throat and she looked up at me again. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her
tongue and I huffed a laugh.

“See? Still sexy,” I
said. “It sucks that I have to leave this weekend, for camp.”

“Are you gonna miss me?”
she fished and I laughed.

“Question is, are you
going to miss me?”

When her mouth opened to
speak, she was cut off by Martin walking up again.

“Okay, let’s get you two
into another outfit,” he said.

“But we didn’t pose
yet,” Dani said.

“I got what I needed
while you two were waiting. Very natural,” he said. “You two have great
chemistry.”

“Thanks,” I said.

***

D A N I

“One second while I pin
the dress back here,” Gertie said as she pulled and tugged.

We were standing inside
of a pop-up tent so I could dress and undress easily. Gertie commented that she
liked working with real women, and hated stick figures. She flinched when the
words came out, but I thanked her because I considered it a compliment.

“Okay, we’re all set.
Let’s get you out there to that gorgeous partner of yours.” She smiled.

We walked out and I saw
Tabor sitting on a blanket next to the shoreline. Martin and his assistant were
in the middle of posing him when he spotted us.

“You look stunning,”
Damian said as I walked past. But I ignored him because my eyes were glued to
my boyfriend, who was watching me with hungry eyes.

“Danielle, I want you to
sit down as close as you can to JT and put your legs over his lap. It’s going
to feel awkward to be so close, but this is the shot I need,” Martin instructed
and I complied as I took my place.

Tabor reached down and
fixed my skirt that crept up as I got into position, intentionally grazing my
thigh. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes playfully and he shrugged,
challenging me with a raised brow.

“Okay you two. JT, I
want you to run your hand through her hair and Danielle, I want you to grab
ahold of that hand like you want it to stop but are torn.

“That’s easy,” I
muttered so Tabor would hear.

He lifted his hand and
slowly touched my jaw as he moved his hand to my hair. I tried not to laugh,
because acting wasn’t something I was accustomed to.

“This is so weird,” I
laughed.

“Shh,” Tabor said.
“Close your eyes and pretend it’s just the two of us at my place.”

I took a deep breath and
did as he said, allowing his touch to ignite every one of my nerves. My
breathing became heavy while Tabor’s voice lulled me.

“I love you so much,
Dani,” he whispered.

I opened my eyes and
stared into his, falling for him even more than I thought possible. Leaving all
my apprehension and fears in the sand below, I leaned forward and kissed him,
ignoring the camera, the people, and the concerns of others finding out. I
loved this man, and he was putting it out there for me.

When we separated, he
rested his forehead to mine and I closed my eyes, reveling in our shared
moment, but forced them open when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked
over to see Damian moving his phone from his ear while Martin stood next to him
smiling so wide that I was certain I had seen his molars.

“So, that was
interesting,” Martin offered with a chuckle. “Is there something we should
know?”

I looked at Tabor, who
smiled and shrugged, leaving it to me to decide.

“We’re dating?” I
answered as if it were a question.

“Looks like more to me,”
Martin teased as Damian crossed his arms over his chest.

“Observant man,” Tabor
said.

“All right, you two, now
let’s try it the way I said,” Martin instructed with a wink.

“We’ve got a job to do,
babe. Try to control yourself,” Tabor mocked.

“I promise nothing.”

D A N I

“So I guess you decided
to make it official,” Grace said when I answered my phone.

“What are you talking
about?”

“That site Fangurl
Sports Gossip just showed leaked images from Tabor’s shoot yesterday. Since
when do you moonlight as a model?” she teased. “You looked amazing, by the
way.”

“I stepped in to help,
that’s all. One-time gig, I assure you,” I said as I opened up a search on my
computer.

I typed in Tabor’s name
and under
recent news
were several
images from the shoot. Someone had captured a shot of him mid-change and
shirtless—he looked hot. These weren’t the images that Martin took; they
were too far away and pixelated. Another caught my eye, and it was me sitting
on the beach in his arms. I smiled, remembering the moment I had given in and
decided I didn’t care who knew about us.

“So?” Grace asked.

“I didn’t see anyone
else out there,” I admitted. “But yeah, I guess it’s publicly official.”

“Good for you,” she said
proudly. “’Bout time.”

I muttered a thank you,
distracted when I opened the link that Grace had told me about.

Hunter’s Latest Prey

Bad news, ladies of San Diego: looks like JT Hunter may be
off the market, at least for a little while. It’s been rumored for some time
that he’s been seeing someone, though we’ve been unable to confirm the story.
Until now. From the images below, looks like things are hot and heavy. She’s
one lucky lady.

But don’t worry, he probably won’t be taken for long. If you
recall, he was involved with starlet Natasha Dion several months back, but that
ended amid rumors of cheating. So don’t count Mr. Hunter out just yet, because
you never know.

As for his current leading lady, sources confirm that he’s
been quietly dating a schoolteacher named Danielle. We can’t help but wonder
what she’s teaching him. And why they’re so determined to keep it secret. Stay
tuned as the story develops.

“Gracie,” I mumbled.
“This article makes me look pathetic, and Tabor like he’s a jerk.”

“Fangurl is in the
business of generating gossip, Dan. You need to let it go,” she warned.

“This is what I was
nervous about all along. I hate the idea of people making up shit about me.
They don’t know me.”

“That’s right, but Tabor
does. So who gives a crap what they say?”

“Easy for you to
say—it’s not your name they’re putting out there.”

“At least they didn’t
put your last name,” she consoled. “And what’s with the Danielle thing?”

“Fucking Damian,” I said
flatly. “That bastard is the one who sold the story.”

“Who’s Damian?”

“The owner of the company
we were modeling for. He was hitting on me and asked me out, but I told him I
was seeing someone—I just didn’t say who. But he was right there when I
kissed Tabor.”

“Someone sounds
jealous,” she teased.

“Are those stories about
Tabor and the ex true?” I asked. Grace had been his fan long before I ever met
him.

“I have no idea. I
remember seeing some things about them dating, but other sites claimed they
were just friends. You should ask him.”

“Yeah, I will. I need to
go. We’re going out to dinner tonight—first time since our date.”

“Where to this time?”

“I’m not sure, but I
guess I should be prepared for anything.”

***

“Are you ready for
this?” Tabor asked as we climbed out of his SUV.

“As I’ll ever be,” I
admitted, nervousness flooding my core.

We walked into
Moonbeams, a small restaurant that I’d wanted to take Tabor to for a while.
Since everything was out in the open, I figured it was as good a time as any.

Kayla, the owner, was at
the hostess stand when we walked in, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of
Tabor. She was unable to tear her eyes away until I cleared my throat.

“Kayla?”

“Hm?”

“Kayla,” I snapped,
laughing as she finally turned to me.

“It
was
you in that picture,” she said excitedly. “I knew it!”

“Guilty,” I admitted.
“Ta—JT, this is Kayla. Kayla this…”

“JT Hunter. Holy crap.
JT Hunter is in
my
restaurant?”

“I’ve been bragging
about this place for a while, and well, since the cat’s out of the bag, figured
this is the best place for our inaugural public date.”

“Come on, I’ll get you
my best table,” she gushed, hurrying over to a corner table.

“She says every table is
her best,” I said jokingly.

Kayla looked over her
shoulder and smirked, wagging a finger at me. “Don’t give my secrets away.”

Tabor chuckled and
thanked her as we sat down with menus in hand. He looked around and took in the
eclectic decor and odd table/chair combinations. There was no method to her
madness. Kayla had opened the place with her husband because it was her dream,
and she’d managed to be successful. I became friends with her when, during my
third visit, I’d talked her ear off about my kids at school.

“What’s good here?” he
asked.

“Everything,” I said
honestly. “I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t like. But my favorite is the pot
roast.”

“In the summer?” he
asked, seemingly shocked.

“It’s that good.” I
nodded, my mouth watering at the suggestion, and I knew what I was getting.

Kayla came back with two
glasses of water and looked from me to Tabor and back. She didn’t walk away,
and looked like she wanted to say something.

“How’s everything
going?” I asked. “Sorry I haven’t been in lately.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ve
been busy,” she laughed sweetly. “Things are great.”

“This is a cool place
you have,” Tabor said, and I watched as her eyes glazed over and a sappy smile
appeared.

“Thanks, Mr. Hunter,”
she said with a giggle.

“JT,” he said. “Dani
tells me the pot roast is her favorite, so I’m gonna give it a try.”

“Two, please,” I said.

“Coming right up,” she
said before disappearing.

When she was gone, Tabor
reached over, took my hand in his, and rubbed his thumb over the back of mine.

“Gracie called me today.
Told me about that gossip site outing us,” I admitted.

Tabor exhaled loudly and
leaned back in his chair, still holding onto my hand. He looked disappointed
with my words, but I also had to ask. I needed to know the answers that were
plaguing my mind.

“So is any of it true?”
I asked him.

“I’m dating you,” he
said, dodging the question.

“What about the part
about you dating Natasha?”

He sucked in a breath
and shook his head. “Long story.”

“I’m not going
anywhere.”

He huffed and looked
uncomfortable, as if my question was too intrusive. But we were together, and
if we wanted a chance to make this work, in private or public, we needed to
communicate.

Tabor finally looked me
in the eyes and nodded. “Yeah, we were dating. It wasn’t serious—mostly
going out when she was in town between shoots.”

“What happened?”

“You read the article,”
he answered defensively. “Apparently I cheated.”

“Did you?” I asked, but
hated myself for it.

“When I’m with someone,
I am exclusive, Dani. So no, I didn’t cheat.”

“Did she?”

“Among other things,” he
said sadly.

“I’m sorry, I’m not
trying to make you feel uncomfortable,” I said, embarrassed with my need to
know right then and there.

He leaned forward in his
seat and dropped his head to look into my eyes, a small smile playing on his
lips. My pulse increased as he gave me so much in that look.

“Dani, I love you, and
I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I know that this is what I wanted, to
tell the world that you’re mine, but now that the bubble’s been burst, a lot of
things are going to come out.”

“Like what?” I asked
nervously.

“Women, stories, rumors.
Lies. Some have truth mixed in, but I hate that when you hear them, you might
look at me differently.”

I squeezed his hand and
forced a smile. “I trust you. I’m just trying to keep myself from any surprises
that may pop up.”

“I understand, and like
I said, I’ll tell you anything.”

“So why did it end with
you and Natasha?”

“She invited a bunch of
her co-stars to my place while I was away for a game. She threw one hell of a
party that was caught on my surveillance.”

“Did she not clean up or
something?”

“No, she cleaned up just
fine. But I have a bit of a problem with someone I’m dating shacking up with
some dude in
my
bed and bringing
drugs into my place.”

“Damn,” I muttered.

“When we broke up, she
begged me to keep quiet about everything and I had no intention of making a big
public announcement about anything. I like to keep my private life…private. But
the next thing I knew, my name was splashed all over that site claiming that
Natasha was brokenhearted because she’d caught
me
with someone else.”

“Did you confront her
about it?”

“I did. Told her I had
the video that showed her with some guy. But she said it could ruin her career
and I just gave up and told her I never wanted to hear from her again.”

I was quiet for a moment
as I considered his story and couldn’t help but laugh before explaining.

“I thought sex tapes are
all the rage out there in Tinseltown. Wouldn’t that have just skyrocketed her
career?”

“I said the same thing,”
he laughed. “I think it had more to do with her parents finding out.”

Kayla brought out our
food and stood by quietly with something in her hand. Tabor glanced at me and I
nodded my head toward Kayla, and he gave her his attention.

“Could I get your
autograph?” she asked timidly.

“Yeah, no problem.” He
smiled, taking the pen and paper from her.

She walked away, smiling
and bouncing off toward the kitchen, leaving us to eat in silence.

I was about to take a
bite of food when I noticed several pairs of eyes watching us. I tried to
ignore them, but it was so weird and uncomfortable.

“Just keep talking to
me,” Tabor said, acknowledging what I was seeing.

“I don’t know how you do
it,” I muttered. “It’s so rude.”

“You get used to it
after a while,” he admitted, a hint of sadness in his voice.

***

“Dinner was fantastic,
Kayla,” Tabor gushed as he paid our bill. She flushed at his compliment and
thanked us for coming in.

“See you soon, Dani?”
she asked, and I knew she wanted details.

“Will do,” I said giving
her a quick hug before walking to the door.

Outside there was a
crowd of people and I knew this was a repeat of our first date. Tabor would be
signing things and chatting with people, but it was something I needed to get
used to. It was part of his life.

“Ready?” he asked.

I slipped my hand into
his and squeezed before we stepped out to a throng of people calling out his
name.

“Just stay next to me,”
he instructed, and I willingly complied.

“JT! JT! Can you sign my
ball?” a little kid asked. He was tiny and being pushed by a grown man behind
him with a massive camera.

“Hey buddy,” Tabor said
to the cameraman, “can you watch out for this little guy?”

He took the ball and
marker from the kid and began asking him about school and if he was ready for
it to start.

“I hate school,” the kid
said defensively.

“Don’t say that too
loud.” Tabor glanced over his shoulder at me. “My girlfriend is a teacher and
that might hurt her feelings.”

The kid looked around
Tabor and saw me, so I waved and smiled.

“She’s pretty,” he said
sweetly.

Tabor was still talking
when someone shouted, “Danielle! Where do you teach?”

I shook my head,
unwilling to provide that information.

“Aw, c’mon, you know
we’ll find out anyway. Might as well tell us.”

“JT, can I take a
picture with you?” a stocky woman asked.

“Yeah.” He smiled,
wrapping his arm around her and smiling as she took a selfie. She handed him a
magazine that sported his image and he took the marker she offered. “What’s your
name, sweetie?”

“Mercedes,” she said
excitedly. “Thank you, JT!”