Modern Fairy Tale: Twelve Books of Breathtaking Romance Read online

  He shakes his head in frustration and braces his hands on his hips.

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “I’m not blind.”

  “No. You don’t understand.” He looks as if he wants to lose his temper, but he rubs his hand over his lips and takes a deep breath. “Serena and I have to make it look like we’re a couple for the media.”

  “That does not seriously happen.”

  “Oh, yeah, it does.” He laughs without humor. “We’re about to be promoting a movie that we co-star in, and the studio, along with all of the media, has coupled us up. But we’re not seeing each other like that. I don’t even really like her all that much.”

  “You’re kidding.” I cross my arms over my chest and stare at him in awe. “How can they do that?”

  “It’s not in our contract or anything, but we are expected to work the press junket. To walk the red carpets together. To look very much like a couple.”

  “Huh.” I frown. “So, it’s literally all an act.”

  He nods, his eyes sober again, and if I’m not mistaken, turn a little sad.

  “The media lies about a lot of stuff. It sells magazines. It’s not interesting to report the boring stuff. I work, I work out, I go home. That’s not exciting.”

  “But your life is none of their business.”

  He looks as if he’s going to laugh, but then he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters.”

  I walk to him, and he watches me warily. I slip my arms under his and wrap them around him, pressing my cheek to his chest as I hug him tightly.

  “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me,” he says, not hugging me back.

  “Oh, please. You’re a rich celebrity. I don’t feel bad for you, I want to hug you.”

  He pauses a heartbeat and then wraps his arms around me to hold on fiercely. He presses his lips to the top of my head, and then I pull away.

  I have to. Whether he’s single or not, he won’t be here for long, and he’s not someone I should become attached to.

  “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.” I walk away but don’t hear him following me. I pause and look back at him. “Are you coming?”

  “Right behind you.”

  * * *

  “You never told me what you thought of the movie,” I say later when we’re settled back up at the Ponderosa with our salmon and salad. We finished our tour of my house, then drove up here, and he went to his unit for a bit while I got dinner ready. He just arrived a few minutes ago.

  So far, there’s been no post-kiss awkwardness.

  “It was pretty amazing,” he says and takes a bite of his food. “Ron Howard directed this one, and there are usually specific things he does in his films that I wasn’t sure if he’d do with this one, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that he did.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, he always casts his brother in a small part, and has since his first film, if I’m not mistaken. He also added a few other actors from previous movies that he’s directed.”

  “So, like Easter eggs for diehard fans.”

  “Exactly. It was well done.”

  “Christian Wolfe approves.” I take a sip of my wine. “I liked it, too. I didn’t love the aliens. They’re not attractive.”

  “I won’t tell them you said that.”

  I stick out my tongue at him and keep talking. “I’ve enjoyed the prequel movies that Disney has done, but with this one, I’m not sure how they’ll tie the story in with the rest of the series. I don’t like that they’re making the animated series relevant with the movie storyline.”

  He’s stopped eating now, watching me with complete confusion all over his handsome face.

  “You love Star Wars?”

  “I have two brothers, Christian. Of course, I do. It’s brilliant. And Han Solo has always been my favorite. I didn’t know if they’d win me over with anyone other than Harrison Ford playing him.”

  “He’s too old to play a twenty-something,” he reminds me.

  “He’s Harrison Ford, Christian. He can do anything.”

  He laughs and holds up his hands in surrender. “True. Don’t beat me up.”

  “I’m not violent.” I sip my wine again. “It’ll be interesting to see where Disney takes this.”

  He watches me thoughtfully and chews his dinner. When we’re finished, he gathers our plates and sets them in the sink, then opens his phone. Before I know it, Open Arms by Journey is playing through the speaker. He sets the cell on the kitchen counter, turns to me, and crooks his finger.

  “Christian, I can’t dance.”

  “Just come here,” he says and tilts his head in that adorable way he does when he’s trying to charm me into something. He did the same thing when he suggested going to the movies today. “Please.”

  I stand and cross to him, and he takes my hand, kisses my knuckles, and assumes the proper slow dance position.

  “No means no,” I remind him with a grin. His posture is ridiculously stellar. He’s tall, and his arms are firm. His grip is confident, one hand on the middle of my back, and the other holding my hand.

  “Just look into my eyes.”

  “I will break your feet.”

  His lips twitch with humor. “I hope not, I’m learning how to ski, remember?”

  “I’ve warned you.”

  As Steve Perry’s smooth voice fills the air, Christian moves us around the room. His body moves effortlessly, swaying with the music, and I just feel ridiculous.

  Stiff.

  “Outside my comfort zone.” I bite my lip and look down.

  “Up here,” he says softly. “Just look at me. What fun is life if we always live it in our comfort zones?”

  “I’m dancing with a famous guy in my living room,” I remind him. “It’s a little intimidating.”

  “I’m just a guy,” he says and moves just a bit closer to me, tightening his grip. My nipples pucker in anticipation of being pressed against his chest. “And no one is here but you and me, dancing to a pretty song.”

  “It is pretty,” I concede. I can feel my body loosening now, moving with the music and drifting closer to him, lost in his eyes. “I haven’t bloodied your feet yet.”

  “See? You’re doing great.” He kisses my forehead, and I feel myself softening more. My whole body is on high alert. My panties most likely soaked.

  I like him. A lot.

  “Not so bad, right?” he whispers against my forehead. He hasn’t lost his posture, he’s confident and steady.

  “No, I can’t say that this sucks.” I feel his breath as he silently chuckles. “You’re good at leading.”

  “You feel amazing,” he mutters, and I clench my eyes closed. God, I’m so attracted to him. I don’t think I’ve wanted anyone like this…ever. At least, not that I can remember.

  Not that I can remember much of anything right now, as I stand here dancing in Christian’s arms.

  It feels like we’re in a floaty bubble of lust and affection, and I don’t want the bubble to burst. Even though I know it will, I just want to enjoy it for what it is.

  I want to be in the moment with this sexy, likeable man and worry about the rest later.

  The song has changed twice, and now P!nk is crooning through the speakers.

  “Did you put on only slow songs?” I ask him.

  “Of course,” he says. “It’s not as much fun to dance like this to Metallica.”

  I snort out a laugh and brace my forehead on his chest, then look up at him and glide my hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, enjoying the way his hair feels between my fingers.

  He closes his eyes as though he’s starved for touch, so I keep lightly scratching with my nails and let him silently sweep me around the room for three more songs.

  Finally, I step into him and hug him close, the way I did at my house earlier.

  “Thanks for the lesson.”

  His hands are firm against my back. “You’
re welcome. Maybe we should continue these lessons while I’m here.”

  I grin. “I mean, it would be silly to not take advantage of a professional dancer living so close to me.”

  “Exactly.” He pulls back and smiles down at me, then stares at my lips again, but he doesn’t kiss me.

  He walks to the front door, slips on his shoes, and shoves his hands into his pockets.

  “If I don’t leave now, I won’t leave.”

  Don’t leave!

  But it’s too soon. So, I nod as if it’s no big deal. “You probably have to get up early.”

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “I’m so great.” And it’s completely true. “Sleep well, Christian.”

  “See you tomorrow, Jenna.”

  He winks and leaves, and I blow out a breath and fall onto the couch.

  Holy shit, he’s potent.

  Chapter Four

  Jenna

  “Man, I brought a lot of crap up here over the past couple of weeks,” I mutter to myself as I stuff the last bag of my things into the back of my Toyota 4-Runner and pray that the door shuts.

  “What are you up to, beautiful lady?”

  I turn to find Christian approaching, his skis resting on his shoulder. He’s in his gear, his hair messy and sweaty, and his chin stubbly.

  I swear, he gets better looking every day, which is most likely impossible, but here we are.

  “I’m packing up my car,” I reply and internally high-five myself when the door closes without an issue. “I have a bunch of people coming over today for an open house-type party. My friend Penny is closing out a small business, and we always love an excuse to get together to chat and drink wine.”

  “That sounds fun,” he says and rests his skis on the ground. “I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

  It’s true, it’s been a couple of days since our dance lesson.

  “I’ve been busy,” I reply with a cringe. “I had an issue with a rental unit in town, and it required a lot of my time. It’s fixed now, but I’m moving out of the Ponderosa for today’s party and so I can start renting it out next week. I make too much income from these to keep them all to myself.”

  “How can I help?”

  “You absolutely do not need to help. You’re a guest.”

  I walk past him to the staircase that leads up to the front door, and I can hear him walking behind me.

  “I’m here, and I’m available,” he replies. “I’m happy to help. But I won’t stay for the party.”

  I laugh as I turn the handle and turn to him. “No? You don’t want to gossip, drink wine, and try on leggings?”

  He swallows and frowns as if he’s wondering how on earth I think that’s fun, which only makes me laugh harder.

  “It sounds like a girl thing.”

  “Totally a girl thing,” I agree. “But I will take you up on a little prep work.”

  “Good.” He drags his knuckles down my cheek, and there’s that buzzing in my skin again. “I’ve missed you.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  “I’ll go drop this stuff off and come back over to help.”

  “Thank you.”

  He winks, which seems to be his signature thing that makes me swoon more than I’m proud of.

  I’ve just finished unloading the dishwasher and wiping down the clean countertop when he returns.

  “How was your lesson today?”

  “Great, actually,” he replies with a nod. “I can see why so many people are addicted to skiing. It’s an adrenaline rush for sure, especially when you catch air off one of the little cliffs and such.”

  “So I’ve been told,” I reply and reach for a broom to sweep the floor. “I was never good at it. And then I had a friend lose her husband in a skiing accident a few years ago, and it just hasn’t appealed to me since then.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” He takes the broom from me and begins sweeping up the kitchen.

  “I feel weird about you cleaning when you’re a guest.”

  “I don’t get to do this often,” he says with a smile. “It’s kind of fun.”

  “Well, you can stop anytime you want.”

  “Hey, Jenna! I’m a little early so I can set stuff up before they get here.” Penny comes hurrying in, carrying a big tote, not even looking our way. “I’m going to set this down and go get the other one. Be right back.”

  She marches right out again without sparing us a glance, and Christian and I share a smile. In less than thirty seconds, she’s back, and then she sees Christian and comes to an abrupt halt.

  “What the fuck? Did I take too many sleeping pills last night? I’m not sleeping, am I?”

  “No,” I reply with a laugh. “Penny, this is Christian. He’s a guest here and has become a friend. Christian, this is Penny.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she says and holds out her hand for his. She smiles, showing off a dimple, and then steps back and rubs her hands down her thighs. “Sorry for my language. I wasn’t expecting, well, you.”

  “No worries.” He waves her off and then turns to me. “If you guys have this, I’ll head out.”

  “We have it,” I assure him and walk him to the door. “Thanks for offering to help.”

  “I’ll be about thirty feet away if you need anything.” He kisses my cheek, and then he’s gone, and I’m left with a very curious Penny.

  “Christian Wolfe just kissed your cheek.”

  “Yep.” I open her tote and begin pulling out clothes. “Where do you want these? Did you bring your rack thingies?”

  “I don’t give a shit about that,” she says and props her hands on her hips. “Christian Wolfe had his hands on you. And if the way he looks at you is any indication, he wants to put more than that on you.”

  “Whatever.” I snort and shake my head. “He’s a guest. He’s learning how to ski for a movie role. That’s it.”

  “Uh-huh. Sure.” She narrows her eyes. “Why did it have to be you? You never gossip.”

  I laugh louder and pull her in for a hug. “Let’s sell all of these pretty clothes today, shall we?”

  “See? You don’t talk about the good stuff.” She sighs and opens the other tote. “Everything is on hangers, so we’ll just put them on the racks. They’re down in my car, I’ll go get them.”

  It only takes us about thirty minutes to get everything set up. I have plenty of appetizers and beverages to last into the evening, and it isn’t long before our friends begin to show up.

  Cunningham Falls is a small town, and many of us have been friends for a lot of years. Or, we’re friends of friends. It’s almost impossible not to be, and I admit that’s one of the things that I love about living here.

  Our community.

  My brother Brad’s fiancée, Hannah, arrives with our good friend Grace. They’re both redheaded and beautiful, and Grace’s pregnancy is just starting to show.

  “I need all of the leggings,” she says as she hugs Penny. Grace and Penny work together as teachers at the school. “My body is out of control, and literally nothing fits.”

  “I can hook you up, girl,” Penny says as she leads Grace to a stack of colorful leggings.

  “How are you?” Hannah asks me and takes a bite of a pita chip.

  “Good. It’s been a busy week. How are you?”

  “Great.” She smiles smugly. “Planning a wedding is both fun and infuriating.”

  “I can imagine. Just pass over a bunch of stuff to me. I’m happy to help.”

  “Oh, I will,” she says with a nod. “And I have a question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking. I asked my cousin, Abby, to be my maid of honor. Of course, Grace will be a bridesmaid because she’s my oldest friend here.” She reaches for my hand. “And I love you, Jenna. You’re a great friend, and you’re about to be my sister-in-law, and that just makes me so happy.”

  “Me, too. You’re so good for my brother, and I love you, too.”

 
; “Will you be a bridesmaid?”

  “Of course.” I hug her tightly and then do a happy shimmy. “I’m so excited. We’ll have to have a party with Grace, and maybe we can FaceTime Abby to go over plans.”

  “Actually, Abby should be in town before too long,” she says, her blue eyes shining with excitement. “It sounds like she’s going to be here for a while as a traveling nurse, so we can all get together in person.”

  “That would be so fun. Thanks for asking me.”

  “Thanks for saying yes.”

  At that moment, more friends file into the tree house, and I’m awash in happiness. I have wonderful people in my life.

  Cara and Jillian King, best friends who married brothers, arrive carrying more wine.

  “You are my people,” I say as I hug them both and accept the wine.

  “There’s never enough wine,” Cara says with a laugh. She’s a pretty, petite blonde with the most gorgeous curves. I’ve always been jealous of her boobs.

  I’m sorely lacking in that area.

  “I can’t have wine,” Jillian says with a pout. “Zack knocked me up again.”

  “Congratulations!”

  “All the pregnant girls are over here,” Grace says, waving Jillian over. “Penny swears these leggings will fit us forever.”

  “Right on.”

  There’s a knock at the door, and Lauren Sullivan pokes her head in. “Is this where the party is?”

  “You found us,” I reply and run over to hug her close. “And I’ve missed you.”

  “I know, I’ve missed you, too,” she says and then pulls a book out of her bag. “I’ve been under some crazy deadlines. But I brought you a book so you can’t be that mad at me.”

  “Thank you so much. You’re forgiven.”

  Lauren writes amazing erotic romance novels, some of which have been made into movies. She’s also sweet and quiet, and I adore her.

  “Oh, good, you’re here,” Cara says, hugging Lauren.

  I seriously love being part of a group of women who lift each other up rather than tear each other down.

  “If anybody goes into labor, Hannah can handle it,” Penny says with a laugh. Hannah is an OB/GYN in Cunningham Falls.

  “We have months to go before that’s an issue,” Hannah assures us all and takes a sip of her Coke while admiring a pretty blue top. “How much is this, Penny?”