Seeing Stars (The Celebrity 1)

When I got out of the car, Walker’s hands were instantly all over me, one hand tangling in my hair while the other pressed against the small of my back, pulling me into a warm hug. His body closed the space between us and everything in me shot to life. I was hyperaware of every touch of his skin on mine and grateful for the break from my past fears.

“I’m so sorry about your job,” he said. “I want to hear everything.” He leaned his mouth next to my ear, kissing and nibbling at it between words. “I’ll fucking kill your boss if you want me to. I know people,” he joked with a flirtatious smile.

At least, I hoped he was joking.

He dipped his chin and looked deeply into my eyes while caressing the nape of my neck. “So, what happened?”

I shook my head, so many issues bombarding me at once. “I don’t even know. One second I’m blissfully happy, and the next I’m telling my boss what a raging asshole he is and how much I hate the way he runs his business. Then I quit.”

He smiled and gently squeezed the back of my neck. “You were blissfully happy?”

“Really? That’s the part you heard?” I pressed my lips together and raised my eyebrows.

Walker let out a big laugh. “No. I heard the rest. I just liked the blissfully happy part the best. Although I gotta admit, you’re sort of a badass, babe.”

Babe? Sigh.

“Thanks.”

I glanced up at the weathered blue-and-white sign in the nearly empty parking lot, and then back toward the old wood entrance where a surfboard hung above it. In all the years that had passed, the café hadn’t changed one bit. My stomach lurched at the memories shaking their way loose, and I gripped on to Walker a bit too tight.

“Are you sure you’re okay being here? We can leave.” His voice softened but I could tell he didn’t want to.

Too late, buddy. I’m already here. You’ve already sent me spiraling back in time.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember.” The light flecks in his eyes sparkled as he looked at me.

“Remember what?”

“You don’t remember being here with me before? I wanted to wait until we got inside, but I’m afraid you won’t let me get you in there.” He smiled wickedly at me, his hand sliding down to stroke my back.

My heart pounded, raced actually, as the memories I’d pushed back since that summer over ten years ago flooded through me. Thoughts of me and my summer crush sitting in the sand, arms wrapped around each other as the sun set. Watching Scotty surf at dawn, and then staying all afternoon when he could, which wasn’t often enough since his mom got sick. Saying good-bye here, in the parking lot of what had become “our” café.

And my overly dramatic teenage heart feeling like it broke in two as I had to leave him when the summer ended.

• • •

I flipped over, reminding myself that it was time to tan my back, and undid the strap of my bikini top. No one wanted tan lines and I agreed. Propping my head up on top of my fists, I watched Scotty out in the ocean, his arms paddling hard as he moved to catch the oncoming wave. He pushed himself from his knees to his feet in one swift motion, and I envied the smooth, efficient way the surfboard tilted and cut through the water in response to a slight shift in his hips.

Surfing came so easily to him, but when he had tried to teach me yesterday morning, all I accomplished was perfecting my tumbling skills. When I finally did stand on the board in the water, it lasted all of two seconds before my balance slipped away and I landed in the freezing ocean again.

Scotty could have teased me mercilessly, but he didn’t. He reminded me that it took most people years to learn how to surf well. Still, I was pissed I hadn’t learned in a single day. Ever the perfectionist, I nodded my head at him, but secretly wished I was more athletic.

Ice-cold water droplets rained down my back, pulling me away from yesterday and back to today with a shock. I moved to jump from my towel, but thankfully remembered that my top was untied. Instead I quickly turned my head to the right, seeing Scotty standing above me, ringing out his wet clothes.

“Stop it,” I whined as I retied my top.

He placed his cold fingers on my back. “Leave it untied.”

My eyes met his. Recognizing the lust-filled hormones raging behind them, I pulled the bow on my top tight and pushed up onto my knees, facing him. “I’m not letting this entire beach see my goodies.”

Scotty glanced around from side to side. “Lucky for you, no one’s looking. Just me.” He folded his arms across his bare chest.

“Nice try,” I teased.

With hi

s towel next to mine, Scotty lay down on his side and ran his fingers along my hip. “Need me to rub some suntan lotion on you?”