Love and Rumors: A Summer Sisters Beach Reads Contemporary Romance (The Summer Sisters Book 1) (13 page)

On the flip side, he was hot, intriguing, and his attention was totally flattering. Plus she needed him to want her near so she could photograph him when he finally showed his wild side.

Finian stretched out in the grass and yawned.

She stood above him, watching him tip his head back, eyes closed, content. He was so different from her in almost every way. His life was on autopilot. No cares. No worries. It was a miracle they even spoke the same language.

“What?” He opened his eyes, and she dropped to the ground beside him, feeling unsure. Finian reached over to run a hand down her bare arm, giving her the shivers. “You look bothered.”

She flashed him a bright smile. “Nah, I’m fine.” She scanned the area. “Where’s Tigger?”

“With her mom,” Finian said, without glancing around. Sure enough, Tigger was bouncing along beside Daphne, her fancy dress swaying in time with her movements. In fact, the girl was bouncing more than usual—vibrating, really.

“Ah, crap.”

“What?” Finian mumbled, his eyes drifting closed.

“Someone gave her sugar.”

“Is she diabetic?” He sat up abruptly, his eyes wide as he sought out Tigger in the crowd.

“No, she just gets hyper. She’ll be fine. Once we scrape her out of the clouds.”

“She said it would be okay.”

Hailey laughed and shook her head. She reached over and tapped Finian’s nose. “You were scammed by a five-year-old.”

“I’m losing my edge.”

“Her mother restricts sugar like it’s cocaine, so she’s developed ways to get treats from unsuspecting people in order to get her fix.”

“Interesting analogy.” Finn shot Hailey and enigmatic look.

“Yeah, well.”

They both stretched out on their stomachs.

“Are you an addict?” she asked quietly.

“No, but I know people who are. Or were.” Finian swallowed hard, his eyes filled with pain.

“I’m sorry.” She laid a hand over his and he met her gaze.

“For what?”

“For causing that expression on your face.”

The sounds of the crowd grew in the background. It was getting close to protest time.

“Does your sister do these sorts of things often?”

Hailey nodded. “She views protecting Muskoka’s environment as her duty.”

“I can see why the two of you get along.”

“I recycle, choose products based on their impact on the environment, and drive a car with a small carbon footprint, but I’m not Daphne. I mean, I go to more protests than the average Joe, but it’s not my thing in the way that it’s hers. It’s not a major part of my identity.” Her attention was drawn to her sister, commanding the growing rally with vim. “But I’d do anything for my sisters.”

“I meant that you both step in to take care of others.”

“My houseplants are all dead.”

“Funny.”

“Not really. I feel guilty every time I look at them.”

“But it seems like you feel responsible for a lot.” His face scrunched in a frown. “Never mind. I’m probably projecting.”

Still on her stomach, she locked eyes with him. There was a lot going on in behind those amazing blue eyes of his, and she didn’t have a clue what it was. There was a layer in there she hadn’t managed to unearth yet. She saw glimpses of it right now, but it kept vanishing. Was it an act to up his appeal and intrigue, or was it something real he was trying to hide?

“You need to have more fun,” he said at last.

“And what would you suggest?” she said with a laugh, adding a hint of flirtatiousness to her voice, hoping to see his hidden layer again.

He hunched forward on his elbows, the shade of the tree dappling his torso. “Come here.” His voice was low and full of meaning.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned forward so their faces were closer.

She was playing along only so she could snap pictures of him and his version of “fun.” Nothing else. She wasn’t curious. She wasn’t into him.

Right.

He watched her until she began to feel self-conscious. Was the dappling sun making strange shapes on her face? She shifted to pull away, but Finian pressed his warm lips to hers, gently grabbing a lock of her hair to keep her close.

He was doing it again. Pulling her in, drowning her in feelings she’d only read about in romance novels.

“Hey, lovebirds.”

Hailey snapped away from Finian, feeling guilty for being the stupidest woman on the planet by falling for his moves. Again.

But damn, he was a fine kisser and it felt so real.

She snatched the protest sign from Daphne and, without looking back, hurried off to meet up with the rest of the group.

“And you, hero boy,” she heard Daphne say to Finian, “if you’re good and wave this sign for the next half hour, I’ll let you come to our cottage picnic tomorrow.”

Oh, crap.

Hailey turned to see Finian nodding and smiling. Not tomorrow. And there was no way this man was ever going to see their cottage.

“Been in the family for four generations,” Daphne was saying, as Hailey made her way back to them under the tree. “It’s almost in its original state which is very rare for a cottage of its age,” Daphne added.

“I’d love to see it.”

Hailey thrust the sign back at Daphne. “I forgot I have to be somewhere. And the picnic is off. Trixie Hollow is being fumigated this week.” She turned to glare at Finian. “I think it’s time you stop following me around.”

It was time he learned who was stalking whom.

C
HAPTER
7

Finn held his phone away from his ear and winced. Derek was pretty much ready to sell him out to the first women’s hygiene company to hint at an offer that he do a commercial.

“You’re not Angelina Jolie, you understand that? You can’t pull off this ‘save the world’ crap.”

Finn inhaled, knowing if he shut up and let Derek blow off steam his agent would get over yesterday’s protest a heck of a lot sooner. Although shutting up certainly hadn’t worked with Hailey at the protest. She’d suddenly gone from all kissy under the tree to running away, and Finn couldn’t figure out why. He’d totally kept his hands off the goods this time.

In the end, he’d watched her hoof it across the park, her sister hot on her trail. He’d seen them have words before Hailey had taken off to someplace where girls went to have a hissy fit on their own, and Daphne had reappeared to give him a long and silent ride back to his lonely little cottage. Once there, he’d sat on the deck overlooking the lake, and drunk enough beers to give himself a headache come morning. All night he’d wondered where Hailey was and if she’d seek him out again.

Which was what pathetic losers did.

And apparently, he was as pathetic as they came, because her words about him not following her had hit hard. All night he’d wondered how many of their “bump ins” had been his fault. Did she really think he was following her around? Because his feeling was that it was
her
following
him
.

He half listened as Derek strived to rant and rave Finn down to the size of a gnat.

“You can’t go around waving Save the Whales placards.”

“I think it was for a heritage site and a hydro electric thing,” Finn corrected, rearranging little sunflower candle holders on the mantel of his cottage fireplace.

“You just undid months worth of work with this stupid stunt. I thought you knew better than this, Finn. A lot better. I thought we shared the same goals.”

“We do.”

“I have three kids to feed and an ex-wife to support.”

“I know.” Finn let out an anguished sigh. This was supposed to be the easy life, not him in the middle of a web where if he bounced hard enough everyone else fell off.

“You have charities depending on you.”

“I’m aware of that.” He shut off his mind as he moved to the table to tap through the links and images Derek had sent him. Finn knew damn well how spectacularly he was failing; he didn’t need help feeling just how deep it was.

The photos that had made it online last night were ones of him looking cozy in idyllic Muskoka. Enjoying himself. Content. Kissing Hailey.

His heart squeezed tight and his protective instincts hit the red line. His hands squeezed into fists and he cursed whoever had broken into her private life like that.

“How’d they get that shot of Hailey?” he demanded.

“The girl? Come on, Finn. You know nothing is private.”

But this was a private moment between the two of them, and she wasn’t a superstar kissing him for attention. She was trusting him every time she let him get close, and he’d broken her trust by letting his life invade their world. And he knew better. A whole lot better.

This was no longer about stirring her up so she’d go paparazzo on him, but something else. Something he couldn’t figure out. Maybe the beginning…the beginning of what?

“And for Christ’s sake, Finn,” his agent said, voice tired. “If you’re going to roll in the hay with a local, tell her to brush her hair—she’s going to be in the papers.”

“It’s the humidity, Derek. It gets frizzy.”

“Don’t you dare go falling in love with some nobody, you hear me?”

“I’m not in love.” He stared at the photo, unable to peel his eyes away. It was a beautiful picture and definitely one to keep.

He sighed. Hailey didn’t need the world on her because her hair wasn’t perfect, because
she
was perfect. The world wouldn’t understand. The world wanted fake perfect. You could be anyone as long as you were glossy on the outside.

Finn needed to find Austin. He needed to tell him to back the hell off, because Hailey wasn’t equipped for Finn’s world and he wanted to spend more time with her—out of the limelight.

He flicked to the next shot. It was one of him holding hands with Hailey’s niece. Tigger’s face was so bright and open and trusting. Not knowing he was a man ripping down the tracks of self-destruction and that he’d just ripped away her anonymity, thrusting her into the mean old eyes of the public gossip circles.

What had he done to Hailey and Tigger?

Finn continued to stare at the photo of him with Tigger. He looked like any guy his age out in the world, finding his place, as well as happiness, family, and friends.

Not the image he’d been working toward, but somehow it still felt right. This tightness in his chest left him when he was with Hailey and her family. The tightness he hadn’t even known he’d been carrying.

“Last time we talked, you said you had things under control, Finn.”

“I do.”

“This is not under control.”

“Give me more time.”

He banged through the rest of the photos. What about images of him in the alley looking for a joyride? Him on stage at The Kee? Outshining the band everyone had paid to see? Why weren’t they here?

“How much more time?”

“I’ve got a plan. I just need a little time with the Canadian paparazzi.”

Derek laughed. “There is no Canadian paparazzi. I’ll send someone in.”

“I’ve got this, Derek.” An edge was slipping into his voice. “These pictures are barely anywhere, and this is just a ripple of intrigue. I know the world isn’t ready for this kind of turnaround in my personality and way of living, but this is…this is the setup, okay? Trust me. The world will be waiting for me to mess this up.”

“And you will.”

Finn nodded, head bent low enough that his chin grazed his chest. He would.

But this time it was going to hurt.

* * *

Finn wiped the sweat from his brow, leaping from rock to rock, the reeds slapping at him as he went down his now-familiar path through the marsh. He was already faster than he’d been earlier in the week. More nimble, too. A few more days of this and he’d get the starring role for
Ninja Fighter
. Then he’d make it. Just one more movie. That’s all he needed to set him up where he wanted to be. Then everything would be easy. Everything would fall into place.

Taking a wild leap, he soared through the air, landing on both feet. Forced to bend low to keep his balance, he hovered over the rocks, pumping his arms. He could sense the power in his muscles and knew the exercise would make him feel great for the rest of the day. Well, until he caught up with Hailey and tried to convince her to be his. His personal paparazzo. Not
his
, his.

Because her as his paparazzo—even though she seemed peeved at him—was the only way to go without either pairing up with Austin or leaving Canada. And Finn wanted more downtime.

But what would she do when he showed up again? Accuse him of stalking her? Slap him? Kiss him?

He stumbled and recovered, moving on through the cattails from rock to rock, disturbing birds whose sudden flight no longer fazed him. Great training for his reflexes. He was ready, ready, ready.

Nothing could faze him. Nothing could throw him off. He could have ten ninjas jump out of the reeds and he’d stay strong, not wavering in his straight line to the docks and boardwalk, which were approaching in less than twenty strides.

Fifteen.

Ten.

Finn skipped a rock, moving fast, arms pumping. He glanced up to judge the distance he still had to cover.

And there she was. Hailey.

He missed the third last rock and splashed into the marsh, his momentum throwing him into the water, where he sank to his elbows in the muck.

“Finian?” Hailey’s voice drifted over to him, curious.

Embarrassed, he pulled his hands out of the muddy ooze, surprised they didn’t make a sucking sound.

“Hey,” he said lightly, rolling onto his back in the shallow water, letting its coolness wash away his heat.

“You weren’t disturbing the turtles, were you?” She stood on the edge of the wooden boardwalk that connected to the docks, hands on her hips.

“Just taking a nice morning swim.”

“In your running gear?”

“I was hot.”

Hailey rolled her eyes and turned away. Hot damn, she was a vision today. It was as though she’d received a memo from his agent about her hair. This morning it was smooth, silky—even better than it had been at The Kee. All that fine hair hanging low on her back, a slight wave to it that shimmered in the sun. Her legs looked longer and sexier from his water-level vantage point, too. He was going to have to stay in here for a while to hide his growing erection if he didn’t distract himself.