Falling for the Ghost of You (29 page)

"And miss that look on your face when I showed up?"  Zane smirks.

"That's just great," I mutter.  I slip my robe back on and tie the sash up uncomfortably tight.

"Come on, Violet, don't be mad."  He grabs my arm and pulls me against his bare chest, so I'm half lying on him.

I snuggled up against him, resting my h
ead on his shoulder.  "I'm not.  J
ust horribly embarrassed.  Again."

Zane chuckles, moving his hand over my hair.  "You know," he begins after a short silence.  "I told myself to stay away from you."

I tilt my head back to look at him.  "Why?"

"When I first saw your picture, I wanted you," he admits.  "Then that day I found you crying and stuck in a door...you were so sweet and vulnerable.  And then you showed up on my doorstep.  I didn't want to hurt you, so I tried to keep my distance."

He's smiling wryly down at me.  I poke him in the chest.  "And that night in the pool?  Was that keeping your distance?"

His smile gets bigger.  "Oh, that."

"Yeah,
that
."

"That was...an experiment."

"An experiment?" I repeat incredulously.  "Are you kidding me?"

“Hey, it’s all good now, right?”  I can feel the vibrations of his quiet laughter, and it tickles.

“More than okay,” I admit.  A yawn escapes me, and I stretch languidly against him.  “What time is it?”

Zane reaches for his phone on the table a few inches from our heads.  He snags it and squints at the screen.  “Three-fifteen.”

I sit up, suddenly full of energy.  “Do you want to check out Fairytale Castle now?”

“Sure you’re up to it?” he asks lazily.

“Yeah, I feel great!  Let’s go.”

Shaking his head at my enthusiasm, Zane gets up.  We clean up our little picnic mess, then get dressed.  I watch in giddy fascination as my boy
friend(!) puts on a gray
shirt and changes into jeans.  It’s such a shame to watch that drool-worthy body of his disappear behind clothes, but the long-sleeved fitted shirt does cling to his muscled torso in a tantalizing way, and his butt in those jeans…
mmm
…

Zane catches me staring and throws a shirt at me.  Then, to return the favor, he crosses his arms and watches while I get dressed in a soft pink sweater and black pants.  His attention makes me nervous, and the sweater ends up in a tangle, with my arms stuck over my head.  Then he has to help me fix it, which is just my luck.  What if I ever tried to be sexy—like do a striptease for him?  I would trip and end up in the hospital with my bra wrapped around my neck.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

******

Chapter 29

I love Fairytale Castle!  It’s like an elaborate Renaissance fair, with rides and balloons and cotton candy
,
and wandering minstrels, and…oh, everything!  Of course since it's December, Ye
Olde
Towne Square is adorned with Christmas decorations galore:  Christmas trees, color
ful wreaths, twinkling lights—e
verything
to make a little fairy princess at heart happy
!  Patrons are encouraged to dress the part, and we pass by countless sparkling princesses, seductive wenches, dashing little pirates, and…vampires?  Really?

Okay, I know this is going to sound really dorky, but I’ve always wanted to come here with a boyfriend.  Matt never wanted to go—h
e never wanted to go anywhere.  N
ot even when I told him about coming here in my pre-teens and dreaming that I was here with a gorgeous guy who I could hang on to during the scary parts of the rides, or lean against while standing in line.  I’d seen other couples do it before, and it just seemed so romantic to me.

Well, I’m glad Matt always turned me down, because now I’m here with Zane, and it couldn’t be more perfect.  We are standing in line for the Pirates’ Cove ride—my favorite roller coaster—and he has me encircled in the warmth of his strong arms.  While I’m eating cotton candy!  Could life get any better?

I notice a girl with braces watching us with a wistful expression on her face.
  She’s a couple of people behind
us, and appears to be with her rowdy family.  A freckled little boy keeps whacking her rear end with a toy sword, and she’s trying desperately to ignore him.

Her eyes meet mine.  I try to silently convey my sympathy to her with a smile.  She’s too busy staring at Zane to notice me.  Figures.

“I love cotton candy!” I turn around in Zane’s arms to smile up at him.  “The only thing I hate is the sticky fingers.”

I hold my fingers up, and he takes my hand and gently sucks on each one.  My eyes go blurry at the tingling sensations he evokes.

“Mm,” he says, grinning.  “I love your sticky fingers.”

"Gross," I laugh, tossing the rest of my cotton candy into a nearby trash bin.

The line inches forward.  I have to tug Zane to get him to move.  When I look at him, I find him staring up at the giant structure that houses one of the scariest roller coasters ever, a tense look on his handsome face.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Fine."

His curt answer has me frowning.  "No, you're not.  That little muscle in your jaw is jumping.  That means you're upset about something."

Zane glances down at me.  "No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"Nope."

I study his face closely, while he avoids my meeting my eyes.  Is he pale beneath his golden tan?  I think so.

"Wait, are you scared of roller coasters?"

"No," he answers quickly.  Then he frowns, staring off into the distance.  "I wouldn't say 'scared'.  I just don't like the part before the big drop.  That slow build up, the anticipation...it's annoying."

Big strong Zane O' Connor afraid of roller coasters?  Cute!

"Don't worry," I reassure him, taking his hand.  "I'll protect you."

"Thanks, Violet," he replies dryly. 

"We don't have to go on it if you don't want to."

"Oh, don't you worry about me."  Zane smirks.  "It's not that serious."

I can't the giggle that escapes me.  I turn away to hide it, and that's when I notice the girl with the braces.

"Ugh," I mutter, facing Zane again.  "That girl over there is taking pictures of you with her phone.  She's been staring at you this whole time."

Zane doesn't bother looking, he just angles his face away.  "Don't tell me you're jealous." 

I scowl at the girl.  "Of course not, but it's rude!  She's probably texting all her little friends, 'oh, look at the super hot guy standing next to the dumpy girl.'  Ugh!"

He squints down at me.  "Did you just call yourself dumpy?"

"She's probably thinking that, the little bitch.  Do you want me to go over and say something to her?"

"Easy, tiger."  Zane grins and rubs my shoulders.  The line is moving."

Grumbling, I move forward.  I catch the girl's eye and glare at her.  Frightened, she quickly turns around. 

Great, now I feel bad.  And completely immature.  What's wrong with me?  Remembering Helize's words, I inwardly groan.

Guard my heart.  Yeah, right.

I am having so much fun right now.  Zane goes on every ride with me, not complaining once.  Not even
when I make him go
on the Princesses' Carousel.  I buy him a dorky canary yellow shirt that reads
‘
Fairytale Castle V.I.P
’
. and dare him to wear it.  He just shrugs and puts it on right over his long-sleeved shirt, not self-conscious at all.  And he looks hot in it!  Of course, when I put on the same shirt, I look like a big-breasted circus clown.

We eat dinner at Pirate Dan's, a restaurant on this big wooden boat sailing in a man-made lake.  I have clam linguini and Zane has a salad of some
kind.  The ambience is perfect—t
he dark dining room lit by the soft glow of big Chinese lanterns, and the music is whimsical and romantic.  Pirates and wenches roam around, making sure our drinks are always filled.

After dinner, we go up to the deck and kiss and kiss under the stars.  Then Zane takes my hand, towing me back to the hotel with breathless urgency.

Afterwards, we stand at the balcony, watching a special fireworks show.  As I watch bursts of color light up the night sky, warm and secure in Zane's arms, I finally let go of my fears and doubts, and allow myself to be really truly happy.

No regrets.

******

Chapter 30

We don't get m
uch sleep that night, so when I
finally get up, it's already ten in the morning.  I stretch my whole body feeling wonderfully achy and content.

Zane leans over and kisses my bare stomach.  "Wanna grab a shower together?"

I laugh and pull the sheet back up.  "No,
Yeah, separate ones.  I'm kind of...achy
from last
night."

"Sorry," he says, grinning unrepentantly.  "Separate showers, it is.  Then we'll get breakfast.  Sound good?"

I smile back at him.  "Sounds great."

As I'm getting clothes from my bag, Zane's phone rings.  Scowling down at the screen, he mutters, "It's work.  I need to answer."

He walks out of the room, mumbling a curt greeting to whoever called him.

I can't stop smiling right now.  Last night was amazing.  If I could wake up next to Zane for the rest of my life, I wouldn't need anything else.

If we got married...

Shut up, Violet.  No silly day dreams.  Just live in the moment.

Shaking my head at myself, I shuffle into the bathroom.  I soak in the tub for a little while until my growling stomach convinces me to get out and get dressed. 

Ugh, I forgot a bra.  I wrap a towel around myself, grab my clean clothes, and head back to the bedroom.  After making sure Zane is still in the shower, I drop my towel and rummage in my bag for a clean bra.

Did I not bring one?  Why did I bring fifteen pairs of panties?

Oh, great, I just knocked Zane's bag off the bed.  And it's open, so all his things tumble onto the floor.

I pick his bag up and carefully replace the neatly folded clothes.  There's something half-under the bed.  It looks like a thick manuscript.  Curious, I pick it up, and turn it over to the front. 

Hm.  The title reads, "Falling for the Ghost of You" and there are two neon green sticky notes attached under it.  Frowning, I scan over the elegant scrawl on the first note:

Aiden,

The part of Logan was made for you!  He's a rock star who wants to lead a normal life, and enrolls in high school, incognito.  He ends up falling for a sweet and brainy girl.  The writer is Jennifer Kingsley, and it's being backed by Noah
Dickensen
!  Also,
Chazz
says Alaina is in if you are.  Read it and tell me what you think!

Ai
den?  What the hell?
I read the second note.

You were right about the ending and that scene in the cafeteria.  Talked to Drew and she said it was negotiable.
  We could discuss the change—
if you ever answer your damn phone!  Or are you too deep in your role as "Zane O' Connor" in
Nowheresville
?  Drew needs an answer a.s.a.p.   Please keep your phone on!!

P.S., you were right, I totally didn't
recognize you!  The dark hair and eyes are
hot!

My hands shake so badly, the script falls from my hands and lands on the carpet with a soft thump.

It can't be what I'm thinking.  There must be a reasonable explanation.  There is no way Zane is...
no way
.

Zane's wallet is right there on the dr
esser.  I've never touched it—n
ever
actually
went through any of his things.  I float to it as if in a dream.  It takes me a couple of tries to simply get it open.

A bunch of black credit cards—a
ll with
the name
"Crosswinds Corporation" on them.  I find his driver's license
—
Zane O' Connor.  But the picture is of scruffily gorgeous superstar Aiden Cross.

I stare disbelievingly at the picture.
  I’ve never seen his license before—why would I have?
The longish dark b
londe hair, those extraordinary sky blue eyes…I’ve seen his face countless times on television, magazine covers…all over Kim’s locker.

He looks like Bill this way, I realize
faintly
.  The
hair
dye, the contacts...all for what?  To research a role for a movie?