Page 371 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

ASPEN

“Isn’t yoga supposed to help people be chill?” Luke asked.

I looked over my shoulder at him as we hiked the trail into the wooded hillside out of town. Sierra, Johnny, and Jackson had run ahead, only after slathering them in sunscreen and making sure they each had their water bottles.

It was the perfect summer day and it felt good to be outside. Except for the fact that I had a fifty thousand dollar ring to find. Or else.

“We do practice mindfulness through controlled and deliberate breathing,” I replied, wondering what he was getting at.

“Well, for a yoga person, you’re pretty ragey.”

WHAT? I stopped and spun around and set my hands on my hips. “Ragey?”

He reached across and rubbed his opposite arm. “You’re dangerous with shin guards,” he replied with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. “If you must know, I don’t like liars. Or someone pretending to be what they’re not.”

I’d grown up with that. Dated that.

“Tiger, my job is to pretend,” he countered.

I was well aware of that. Now.

“I also don’t like being left… unfulfilled,” I added grumpily. He’d had his hand on my clit teasing me and I’d been close. So close. I’d never had a guy get me off before, but it seemed my body knew Luke could satisfy it and I’d been right there on the edge when he stopped.

Sexy jerk.

“Unfulfilled. I understand that, especially since you left in the middle of the night,” he murmured, his voice tipped lower.

Deeper. He glanced over my shoulder to see who was around, just in case.

The kids were noisy, and we’d know they were coming well in advance.

“I have a list, Aspen.” His eyes met mine.

Held. “A long one. If you stayed in bed with me this morning, we could have crossed a few things off. You feel like I do.”

Horny? Was he feeling horny, too?

His cell chimed. With a look of annoyance, he pulled it from his pocket, read it, typed something, then put it away. I didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched before I glanced down, taking in the front of his jeans. They were well worn and cupped him in all the right places.

My pussy clenched remembering how big and hard he was, and I tried really, really hard not to whimper. I wanted more.

After Sierra returned from Johnny and Jackson’s house–and I had been orgasm-teased–I did a quick search for Shep Barnes on my cell while she grilled him on his job.

So much popped up. I skimmed about the hit show and Luke’s role, proving what he said was true, but didn’t delve deeper.

There hadn’t been time, but I also didn’t want to learn about Luke from the Internet.

He looked good in scrubs and a white doctor’s coat, but him in the flesh… and by flesh I meant completely naked, was soooo much better.

“I wasn’t expecting anything, Luke,” I replied. “Not more than a night. I’m not looking for anything. It’s not like this is real. Let’s just hike, okay?” I turned and started off again, kicking a small pebble with my shoe.

“I want more than a night,” he said.

I froze.

“Luke,” I almost begged because it was my pussy talking.

“Got burned by a guy, did you?” he asked.

I looked around, trying to recognize something as a way to put off his question. This was the trail I’d taken when I’d buried the ring. I didn’t remember when I turned off the path and veered into the woods. Looking back, it may not have been the smartest move.

Okay, the entire outing had been stupid because here I was, two years later, with three kids and a famous actor looking for a bulldog rock that may not actually exist.

But it was all proof that I had, indeed, been burned by a man.

Instead of answering, I called to the kids. “Let’s turn into the woods here!”

Sierra and the boys were way ahead, but they turned back, saw which way I pointed and changed directions, whooping and hollering and scaring away any nearby wildlife.

Luke looked around, took in the dappled sunlight through the pines. “It’s pretty up here.”

“Can’t hike much with all the time you spend in the ER?” I asked, smirking.

He tipped his chin and eyed me in a way that made goosebumps rise on my arms. “Remember what I said about being naughty?”

Yes, I definitely did. My pussy ached because he’d left me close to coming back at the house, completely unfulfilled.

Stepping close, he cupped the back of my neck.

His hold was firm. Commanding. I tilted my head into his possessive touch.

He had on the same ball cap as the night before–then to hide his face from the bar and now to shield it from the sun–and sunglasses.

I couldn’t see his eyes with the reflective lenses, but was still drawn in.

He was insanely attractive and for a mega-star, down to earth. “You’re mad you didn’t recognize me.”

I glanced away. “I feel foolish.”

He shook his head and made me look at him again with a little squeeze to my nape. Then he kissed me. Soft. Gentle. At first. Then he tipped my head to the side, as if putting me into exactly the right position for him to kiss me deeper. As quickly as this started, he pulled away.

“Don’t,” he said, eyeing my lips and breathing hard. “I love that you didn’t know. Moral of the story? Get a TV.”

He grinned and I shook my head but didn’t move because I liked the feel of his touch. Too much. I hoped he’d kiss me again. Maybe put his fingers back in my panties. What were we talking about? Oh yeah. “TV? No way. It’s corrupting. It steals time. Studies show that kids–”

He shifted his thumb to cover my lips.

“Did you miss where I said I love that you didn’t recognize me?” He dropped his hand. “Except for the part where you hit me with shin guards. Tiger, you have no idea how many people really think I’m a doctor or are interested in me because they want to sleep with a celebrity.”

I studied him, considered the situation he was in, where random people recognized him as, and associated him with, a character on TV. They didn’t even know his real name. I could understand how he didn’t want to be known solely through perception.

“Based on Sierra’s reaction, I have a pretty good idea,” I said. “Must be tough.”

“Speaking of Sierra, she gets plenty of TV time even though you don’t have one.”

He wasn’t wrong. Her friends all had TVs and whenever she visited, she saw plenty.

“I don’t want one at home, but I can’t tell her she can’t watch it other places.

I’m not that unrealistic of a mom. Besides, Granny Waddle has one downstairs, and they watch shows together.

Just like eating meat. I don’t make it, but she’ll eat it if she wants at friends’ houses or restaurants.

Her favorite snack is beef jerky. Her entire hockey team loves it. ”

“Not kale chips?” he teased, obviously remembering what Sierra had shouted earlier.

I couldn’t help but smile. “I think my days of getting her to eat them are long gone.”

Realizing the kids were getting ahead, I started walking again. Now that we were off trail, it was harder going, having to keep my eyes down so I didn’t trip over a rock or a tree root, which of course, I did right then.

Instead of falling, Luke grabbed me, wrapping an arm about my waist.

“Careful, tiger.”

I took a breath, let it out, absorbed the feeling of his arm around me. Of his hard body pressed into mine from behind. I nodded, thankful I didn’t get hurt. He released me and I started walking again. I had no idea a walk in the woods could be foreplay.

We were quiet for a few minutes, and I got used to walking with wet panties as I stewed on Luke’s not-so-secret secret. He was a famous TV star. To me, he was just the hot guy who fucked really, really well.

“At the bar last night, were you in the corner so people didn’t recognize you?” I wondered.

“Yeah,” he replied, keeping pace behind me. “I wanted a burger, a beer, and the ballgame."

“You said you’re on vacation?” It was a ridiculous question since I knew he didn’t live here, and he had a room at the resort.

“Yeah. Filming is done and I have time off. I needed to get out of LA. That’s why I’m in Hunter Valley. A break.”

“Except for me, I’m sure people recognize you. If people react like Sierra did, it’s not much of a break.”

“Yeah, but here in Montana, they’re cool about it. Most of the time. The only way I could be left alone entirely would be off the grid, which doesn’t sound fun at all. Or I could head home to my parents’ place in Nebraska, but then I’d be up at dawn and herding cows. What about you?”

“Me? I’m far from famous.” My mother was, though.

I avoided her spotlight because she didn’t want me in it now that I wasn’t perfect.

I went from being a perfect ballerina to an unmarried single mother, which was bad for senatorial campaign slogans and photo ops, especially when my ballet career had been so promising.

She didn’t even acknowledge she had a granddaughter.

“I know how you feel when you come all over my dick, but not much else. You’ve got secrets, too. How come you snuck out?” he asked, his dirty talk making me stumble over a stick. His hand cupped my elbow to steady me.

“I told you, I had to teach this morning.” It was the truth, but it was evasive.

“That might be the case, but you could’ve said goodbye. Would’ve made it easier to find you.”

I frowned. “Why would you want to find me?”

He reached out, ran a finger over my cheek in a simple gesture that indicated a certain level of intimacy. I liked it.

“I’d have missed out on hiking with a pretty girl and three short, noisy chaperones.” His slow smile pushed one from me. God, he didn’t need deep breathing exercises to be calm and easy going.

After the lawyer’s letter this morning, I was far from either.

“I went into last night looking for a one-night stand,” I explained. “Nothing more.” I might have sounded like a slut, but a woman had needs as much as any guy. There was nothing wrong with having them fulfilled without any kind of commitment.

“You don’t want a relationship?”