Page 16 of A Star is Scorned

“Well, given that I’m the type of character you find round these parts, maybe he had the right idea.

” He chuckled. “But it’s a shame he never taught you.

Nothing calms the spirit like a day on the water.

Let me show you.” He offered his hand once more and helped her clamber over several coils of rope and the assemblage of pulleys and weights around the mast, before setting her in a small chair screwed into the boat.

“This is how you control the boom, which you now know is what we call the pole that runs along the bottom of the mainsail.” He wrapped his hands around a smaller piece of wood conveniently located in front of the chair.

“This here is the tiller for the boom. It moves it from left to right.” He demonstrated for her.

“You’ll be in charge of it during the race. ”

“What? I have no idea what I’m doing. We’ll lose. And I told the press you were going to take first place easily.”

He chuckled. “From your lips to God’s ears.”

“Look, if you want a prayer of winning this race, you should do it. Or make Rex.”

“No, you’ll be a natural, I can already tell.

Besides, I’ll be at the helm.” He gestured at the captain’s wheel that looked remarkably similar to the ones she’d seen him man in the pictures.

She stifled a giggle and he gave her a queer look, as if assessing what exactly was so funny.

“Rex is in charge of the jib. I promise, the boom tiller is the easiest job we’ve got. Try it.”

She looked back and forth, from the small piece of wood to his face, but he only smiled at her encouragingly.

“What have I got myself into?” she muttered, taking hold of the wood and feeling it move easily with the weight of her hand.

“See? Told you.” It was a lot simpler than she’d expected. The boom shifted with the lightest touch. “Just be sure that you duck if you bring it back in your direction.”

She followed the line of the sail, noting that if she swung the boom back around to the left, it would careen directly into her unless she bent over. She gave Flynn a shaky thumbs-up, which made him smile.

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “The only other rule is to make sure you don’t get overzealous, as that could make us capsize.”

Capsize? She gave him a panicked look. That was not a possibility she had contemplated.

What if she drowned? What would Judy do without her?

Could her sister survive another loss? Their parents might have been gone four years, but there were days where the grief still felt like a fresh wound.

She stood from the chair, terrified of the implication, but Flynn simply thrust a cream-colored life jacket in her direction.

“You’ll be fine. I’ve been sailing since I was a boy, and I’ve never capsized. ”

She raised her eyebrow at him. But he simply grabbed her hands, took the life jacket back, and pulled it gingerly over her head. “There. Now, even if we have an emergency, this will keep you safe.”

Then, standing behind her, he took the ends of the cloth ties and tugged them until the life jacket cinched around her waist. His arms were around her.

Purely for perfunctory reasons. But she was shocked at the care with which he held her, the featherlight touches he used as he checked each gap and tie to make sure the life jacket was secure.

He came around to the front and tied off the strings in a little bow.

Livvy looked up into his eyes, and his gaze met hers.

There was a moment of stillness where that mischievous twinkle in his eyes, so often his defining feature, was replaced with something more soulful.

She studied his face and noticed a tiny scar in the corner of his eyebrow.

She desperately wanted to reach out and touch it, feel the roughness of the hewn skin beneath the soft hair of his brows.

She leaned toward him, as if pulled by some invisible force.

She was certain she looked ridiculous doing so, trussed up in this floatation device.

But Flynn didn’t seem to care. He appeared to be wrestling with something as he took a step toward her. She bit her lip, waiting, suspended in silent attraction. Would he kiss her? Even though no one was watching? Should she let him?

She lifted her head, turning her lips toward his face, offering herself up to him. Maybe if they did kiss, it would get this raging lust out of her system. She would fulfill her teenage fantasy and be done with it. Once and for all.

But as she waited for his mouth to meet hers, his hands dropped from her sides.

He stepped back and reached down to fiddle with a pulley, readjusting his trousers as he stood.

He gestured at the tiller again. “Just use a gentle touch and don’t thrust it too quickly in one direction.

Good life advice in general.” He waggled his eyebrows and winked at her.

As quickly as it had come, the moment was gone. Flynn Banks, louche rogue, was back in full force.

Livvy refused to be embarrassed. Not by their near kiss, nor his double entendre. She might be an inexperienced slip of a girl, but he didn’t need to know that. Instead, she stared him down and replied, “I’m surprised at you.”

He smirked. “Am I too rough for your delicate sensibilities?”

“No, it’s just that your reputation as a lothario precedes you, which would lead me to believe that you know ladies rather enjoy it when you thrust quickly in one direction.”

He gaped at her and a sense of pride bloomed in her chest. She relished being able to surprise him.

Hell, she’d even surprised herself. But Flynn Banks and his stupid devilish smile, his ridiculous sparkling blue eyes, and his adorable little eyebrow scar were not going to get the best of her.

This relationship was for show, for the benefit of the press and the gullible public.

She’d do best to remember that if she wanted to keep her job and help Judy achieve her dreams.

Livvy didn’t break his gaze as she deposited herself back in her chair and seized the tiller with her hand, relishing the way Flynn’s eyes widened as she purposefully and languidly wrapped her long fingers around the wooden handle.

He looked away, and she thought she heard him mutter, “Bloody woman is trying to kill me.”

But Livvy ignored him and simply looked ahead at the harbor, admiring the fleet of sailboats taking their place in a line.

She inhaled and relished the scent of the sea air.

She had come to Hollywood for a fresh start.

One filled with adventure and excitement and a bright future for Judy.

So then, what was stopping her? Here she was, about to participate in a regatta with one of Hollywood’s dreamiest stars, doing something she never would have imagined.

She should seize the opportunity. She exhaled, giving herself permission to have a good time.

To enjoy the day, rather than being on constant high alert for what could go wrong.

Judy had told her to have fun. Okay, she would—Flynn Banks and his dirty mind be damned. She craned her head at Flynn and nodded in the direction of the ships at the starting line. “What next, Captain Banks?”