The Secret (Single in Seattle 1)

He licks his lips, takes a deep breath, and nods. “Okay, yeah. Okay. Give me your phone.”

Wordlessly, I unlock my cell and pass it over. Vaughn taps the screen, then passes it back to me.

“I just texted myself with my address. Be there in an hour.”

He kisses me once more, just as hot and needy, and then…he’s gone.

I stare down at the address. It’s not downtown. He’s not staying at a hotel? Most actors are based out of Los Angeles and just come up here for appointments.

I’m not going to have sex with Vaughn Barrymore. No way.

Absolutely not.

Chapter 2

~Olivia~

“Absolutely not,” I repeat, out loud this time, and turn where the GPS tells me. “I’ll just show up and politely decline. I mean, sure, it’s flattering that Vaughn Barrymore is attracted to me, but that doesn’t mean I’m at his beck and call for sex. That’s just silly. Surely, he’ll understand that and be reasonable.”

I nod, satisfied with the idea. Of course, I could just text him or call since I now have his private number, but for reasons I can’t explain, even to myself, I think it’s more polite to do this in person.

Which is dumb because I left work early, and I’m just following orders as if he’s some kind of dominant and is the boss of me.

Which he, absolutely, is not.

But my lips still tingle from that kiss, and I can’t stop thinking about how good he smelled or how he knew exactly how to grip my hair. Not too hard to pull, but firmly enough to let me know that he meant business.

“Shit,” I whisper and turn into a neighborhood I’ve never seen before. I drive up a hill and then onto a driveway that leads even farther to a ridiculously big house.

After I park and get out of my little Lexus, I turn and take in a long, deep breath.

Vaughn has a view of the city and Puget Sound. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I bet the sunsets are stunning up here.

I tear myself away from the view and walk up to the tall, double front door. It’s arched, like something you’d expect to see in a castle.

Before I can knock, Vaughn opens the door and lifts his lips in a half smile.

God, he’s cocky.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hello.” I clear my throat and push my hair over my shoulder. “I came to let you know that, while I’m flattered, I’m not here to have sex with you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You came all this way just to tell me that?”

“Yes.” I cross my arms over my chest and feel more than self-conscious. I really should have just texted him. “Are you renting this house?”

“No.”

I tip my head to the side and want to ask so many questions, but then I decide it’s none of my business. I turn to leave.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you around.”

“Where are you going?”

I frown back at him, and my vagina clenches at the sight of his arm muscles in that tight, black T-shirt. Damn him. “Back to work. I have a job.”

“It’s past lunchtime. Why go back? You’re here, aren’t you? Come inside. I’ll show you around.” He tucks his hands behind his back. “And I won’t touch you. I’d pinky promise, but I’m keeping my hands to myself.”

Well, that’s too bad.

I press my lips together, then shrug a shoulder and return to the doorway. “Okay. But if I stay, I get to ask some questions.”

“Ask away,” he says easily. He doesn’t move out of my way as I brush past him to go inside, and he smells as delicious as he did just an hour ago.

This is a bad, bad idea. I should go. But, damn it, I don’t want to.

I don’t particularly like Vaughn, yet I can’t seem to talk myself into leaving, either. It’s like he’s a magnet—a sexy, cocky, irritating magnet.

I might need some professional help.

“How long have you lived here?” I ask, trying to fill the silence.

“My family has owned the house for a long time. Since before I was born.”

I frown over at him. “I assumed that your family was based out of LA since they’re so entrenched in show business.”

He shrugs and pads barefoot through a huge foyer to an open living space. “We spent most of our time in California, but they have property in a lot of places. They always liked Seattle, so we spent quite a bit of time here. I have a lot of meetings to prepare for the film, so I’m living here for the time being.”

I nod and walk to the wall of windows to take in the view. “How convenient.”

I suspect that if my father had raised us mostly in LA, Vaughn and I would have had a similar childhood. We both come from famous parents, but Vaughn’s went much deeper than that. His grandparents, and even their parents, were Hollywood royalty. My dad’s family was just regular people from Seattle.