GRACE WOKE TO AN OMINOUS SKY. She was in her own bed, at least, despite having fallen asleep at Cole’s place during the movie. She’d snuck out at two, when she’d woken up dying of thirst and still a little drunk.
She wasn’t sure exactly how many beers she’d had. She’d been nervous and stressed and angry. Four, maybe. Or six, counting the ones at Cole’s.
Whatever the number, it had been too many, because she’d blabbed about her life as if she’d been on a therapist’s couch. God. And all that after she’d begged him to fuck her.
As good as the sex had been, her face flamed at the memory. God, he must have loved that. Did he like her just because he wanted to see if he could break her down like that? Because it was a challenge to make the tough girl whimper and moan?
Grace stared at the lead-gray sky she could see from her air mattress. There were curtains in the bedroom, but they weren’t long enough, so whoever had hung them—Rayleen, probably—had just positioned the little spring-loaded curtain rod six inches beneath the top of the window frame. She had privacy, but not a lot of protection from the morning light. Grace couldn’t decide if it was ingenious or the tackiest thing she’d ever seen. After a few minutes, she decided on ingenious. After all, rich people paid a lot of money for those top-down blinds and got the exact same results. This was practically like living in Beverly Hills.
Despite her bad mood, Grace laughed at that as she crawled to the edge of the air mattress and dismounted. She was low to the ground, but the thing was as wobbly as a water bed, and she wasn’t quite at full strength yet. At least she’d had the brains to drink a huge glass of water when she’d returned to her apartment, or she’d be nursing a serious headache, instead of just a case of embarrassment.
“This time,” she whispered to herself, “you’re really not doing that again. Even if he is the best sex you’ve ever had.” And he was, damn it. He really was. And if she didn’t like him at all, she’d probably go ahead and indulge for the next few weeks. Scratch that itch until she left. But she did like him. He was sweet and strong and likable. The kind of guy she’d think about really dating if she were going to be around for a while. If he weren’t a cowboy. And if they had anything in common besides the sex. But she wasn’t going to be around for long, and they were nothing alike. And frankly, she wasn’t even sure he liked her. Oh, he liked the sex. He was a man, after all. But men didn’t fuck nice girls that way.
He took her the way she deserved to be taken. It was rough and brutal and intense. It was good. But it wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t gentle. Thank God. It was just what she wanted. But it wasn’t the way you made love to someone you liked.
By the time she showered and dressed and left for the bus stop, the sky seemed to have fallen lower. She ducked her head against a few raindrops and wondered if she was about to get the day off. The clouds looked really nasty. A sick gray-green she’d never seen in the sky in L.A., like something straight out of the Weather Channel. Maybe she was going to see her first tornado. The idea both thrilled her and scared her half to death, but she kept her head down and waited for the bus. Still, by the time it dropped her off near the studio, the air was so charged Grace found herself jogging down the wooden walkway, the hair on her arms standing on end.
“Hey!” she said too loudly when she burst through the door. “Are we going to the site today?”
“Sure,” Eve said, frowning at her laptop. “Why not?”
“There’s a big storm.” She gestured toward the windows.
“Oh, that’ll blow over any minute.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep, look how fast the clouds are moving.”
She edged back to the window and cast a doubtful eye toward the sky above the restaurant across the street. The clouds were scuttling pretty quickly past the roofline. “I don’t know,” she murmured.
“Come on. By the time we get out there, it’ll be blue skies. First the river location, then the ranch. I’m doing final framing shots. Normally preproduction would take care of all of it, but with this much CGI, they want backup. It’s half science, half art, and lots and lots of panoramic shots. You up for being my assistant?”
“Sure.”
Eve’s usual habit was to put on music when she drove, and today was no exception. She was quiet. Quieter than most women, but she sometimes forgot Grace was there and sang softly along with the music. She had a beautiful voice, husky and soothing. It matched her eyes, somehow.
“You don’t have to come on Sunday,” Grace said. “If you’re uncomfortable with the idea.”
“Uncomfortable?” She turned down the music. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”
“After what happened. I’m sure you didn’t want to say anything to Jenny.”
“Grace, I don’t know that production girl from Adam.”
“You don’t know me either.”
“No, but you’ve never given me a reason not to trust you.”
Grace suddenly felt guilty. Or maybe she just wanted to start cutting her ties. “I’m not planning on staying in Jackson. Not for more than a few weeks. Maybe less.”
“Ah. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. But a lot of people say that when they move here. Even I did.”
“You’re not from here?” Grace asked.
“No. I moved here from Oklahoma when I was twenty-eight. I thought I’d be here for a ski season, then I’d move on to a real life somewhere. Settle down.”
“But you never settled down? I mean, you don’t have kids, right? You’re not married?”