Star-Struck, Book 1 (11 page)

“You better.”

“We need more details. Stop holding out on us!”

Sunny didn’t care who said what, she just kept walking.
They were her friends, but not like Alyssa. They had big mouths and even bigger judgmental attitudes, with a higher probability of talking smack behind anyone’s back.
Tomorrow can’t come quick enough.

Chapter 9

Finally Saturday had come and Sunny woke up feeling like it was Christmas morning. The rest of her day at work had been sheer torture; dodging her friends, finding work to keep busy in order to avoid everyone’s questions and just in general, being anxious about the coming weekend. Now that it was finally here, she was so excited she danced a little jig into her bathroom to start getting ready.

The only thing that slightly tainted her feeling of joy was the plan that they had to devise last night in order to avoid the paparazzi and their intrusive cameras. Sunny and Gabe had come up with the plan and she had relayed it to Alyssa, who would help them pull it off.

After taking her shower, where she had meticulously shaved every part of her body, she then buffed and lotioned her skin within an inch of its life. Now she was as soft and smooth as a baby’s bottom. Her hair freshly washed, she threw in some product and blow-dried her hair into a soft mass of wild corkscrew curls that fell around her shoulders. She bypassed makeup and just opted for some
Burt’s Bees
lip balm instead. She figured she’d get all dolled up later. Then she packed her overnight bag, checking it nervously three times before she was satisfied that she wasn’t forgetting anything. Then her phone rang with Alyssa’s assigned ringtone.

“Hey!” Sunny answered.

“Hello Agent Stone. Are you ready to begin your mission?” Alyssa said in some ridiculous imitation of a masculine voice.

“Ha! Yeah I know all of this is stupid. But to avoid the paparazzi following us, pictures and more stories, we have to do this. But thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome. You know I’d do anything for you girl.”

“I know. So I’ll meet you in the parking garage in five minutes.” Sunny said switching into super-secret agent mode.

“Okay. See you in a few.”

Sunny was meeting Gabe at the boat docks at ten a.m., which was in ten minutes. She was giddy with anticipation as she walked out the backdoor with her bag and purse. She met Alyssa in the parking garage, got into the back seat
of Alyssa’s car and laid down out of sight. They knew as long as no one spotted her leaving the garage, they’d have no idea where she ended up.

The drive to the docks only took a few minutes, her and Alyssa cracking jokes and giggling over the absurdity of what she had to do to spend time with a guy. But he wasn’t just any man. The acting part aside, he was the sweetest, sexiest and most considerate man she’d ever known. The car pulled to a stop and Sunny peeked to look around.

“Are you sure no one was following you?” Sunny asked Alyssa.

“I’m positive.”

With the coast clear, Sunny sat up and saw Gabe walking towards them. It was a cool morning, so he had on worn jeans and a cream fisherman’s cable knit sweater, that made his shoulders look even more enormous. And he was sporting his sexy as hell gray newsboy hat pulled low over his eyes, just like he had the night they’d met.

Once he got to the car, he walked around to Sunny’s door, opened it and helped her out, kissed her on the lips and then grabbed her bag to carry for her.

“Oh, you two make me sick! Have a great weekend!” Alyssa’s voice switched from mock disgust to jovial, making them laugh.

“Thanks Alyssa for bringing her.” Gabe said sincerely.

“No prob.” Alyssa waved as she pulled off.

Now alone again for the first time since his trailer on Monday, Sunny felt the sexual tension pouring off of them. Her skin instantly flushed and she wondered if she really needed her sweatshirt because it was getting a little warm already.

Gabe squeezed her hand. “Are you ready, Sweet Girl?”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n!” She said with a cheeky grin.

He walked her over to a beautiful sleek medium sized boat. She knew almost nothing about boats, but she knew they came bigger or smaller than this one. That was Gabe, never trying to get the best of the best. He wanted just enough to satisfy his needs and nothing more.

And luckily it wasn’t a sailboat because she knew that she wouldn’t be much help in that department. It was more like a modest yacht.

“So are you renting this for the weekend or is she yours?” Sunny asked looking up at him.

“She’s mine. I drove her down from Malibu.”

“Well, she’s a beautiful boat. But you named her ‘Sea Wench’?!” Sunny looked at the name painted on the back and laughed.

“Actually, I’ve already decided to change it when we get back.”

“Really? To what?”

“
Sweet Girl.”

Sunny’s mouth gaped for a moment, then she firmly shut it before she swallowed a bug.

“You’re naming her after me? Isn’t naming your boat after someone a big commitment?”

“I’m ready if you are.” Again her mouth just flopped around with no sound coming out. So he just laughed and pulled her towards the boat. “Let’s get going Gilligan, times a-wasting.”

With the agility and grace of a lion, Gabe jumped onto the boat. Then as Sunny climbed up, he raised his hands, gripped her under her arms and lowered her to the deck. If they were together a million years, she’d never get tired of him picking her up like she weighed nothing. No guys
ever
tried to pick her up. 

After showing her around his boat, Gabe pulled her over to the captain’s chair. He started the engine and pulled her between his legs as he sat down. He put her hands on the steering wheel and covered them with his, as he helped her guide the boat out of the dock into open water.

“This is so cool! I love boats! I don’t know anything about them, but I love ‘em.” Sunny couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.

“Good. I was praying you weren’t the kind of person that gets seasick.”

“Nope. I love the water. So can I finally know where we’re headed?” She craned her head back to look at him.

He tipped his chin forward, making her look at the island ahead.

“Ah, Catalina?! Sweet, I haven’t gotten a chance to go there yet! You make good choices.” She smiled back at him radiantly.

“Well, I figured it was close enough that we didn’t have to spend half of our weekend traveling, but far enough to feel like a different world.” He leaned down and kissed the sensitive skin right below her ear.

“It’s perfect.” She shuttered.

“Would you like to go straight into Avalon Bay or would you like to sail around the whole island first?”

“I’d like to sail around first.”

“Alright. If you’d like you can sit on the couch and take in the sights.” Gabe offered.

“Nope. I like it just fine where I’m at.” She snuggled her back closer into his wide chest.

“Good.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer still.

~~~

As they made their way around the island, Gabe watched as Sunny looked around in awe. He loved the way she held such joy in the things that many
people took for granted on a daily basis, including him. Being with her made him see and feel things, as if it was the first time. He wondered if that was the way he’d feel when they finally made love.

Enjoying the sail around the island, Sunny seemed relaxed enough for Gabe to broach a subject she had been avoiding.

“So I was wondering; did you go to college?” Gabe tried to ease into the conversation.

“Yes,
Columbia College
in Chicago.” Sunny answered right away, not knowing exactly where he was going with the question.

“What did you major in?”

“Creative Writing.” She answered hesitantly, finally understanding.

“So you are a writer. I remember Alyssa mentioning it the first night we met.”

“Yes and no, I guess.”

“Why do you say that? Do you write?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, you’re a writer.”

“I write, but none of it has been recognized. Then again I haven’t really put my stuff out there either.” Sunny tried shrugging it off. But Gabe wasn’t giving up that easily.

“And why not?”

“I don’t know. Fear I guess.”

“What do you write exactly? Novels?”

“No. It doesn’t really matter.”

“Come on, tell me.” Gabe pried.

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea.” Sunny tried to step away from him.

He quickly grabbed her and held her against him. “I’m not letting go until you tell me. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“I write screenplays, okay?!” She blurted out quickly.

“Really?! Why wouldn’t you want to tell me that?” Gabe asked perplexed.

“Because I didn’t want you to think that was the reason why I’m interested in you.” She snapped in frustration.

“Oh Sweet Girl, trust me if that was the only reason you were interested, you would’ve mentioned it within the first couple of hours of knowing me. Trust me, I know. I’ve been dealing with that for years.”

“Plus, I guess I was worried that you would want to see my work and then not like it.” She said this softly and self-consciously.

“Aw baby! I doubt anything you’ve created would be bad. And don’t you understand that I’ve been reading screenplays for several years, so I know what’s good or not? So if your stuff needed some work, I’d be the exact person to help you perfect it?”

“Hmm…I never really thought of it that way.”

“Exactly! I bet we’d make a great team. When we get back Sunday evening, I want you to give me all your work. I’ll read it and then we can go over what needs work. And what doesn’t need work, I’ll see if I can get it into the right hands as soon as possible.” Gabe felt the excitement build up inside of him at the thought of being able to help her realize her dream.

“You’d really do that for me?” Sunny turned to look in his eyes, her honey-brown eyes melting his heart.

“Haven’t you realized yet, that I’d do anything for you?” Her eyes got all
glassy with unshed tears. And she turned in his arms, slipped her hands around his neck and buried her face in the crook between his neck and shoulder. He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and held her close with the other.

“Thank you.” Her words were muffled against his neck.

They made it back around the island an hour later. Gabe steered the boat into a spot at the dock. He jumped down and tied the boat off, then came back to help Sunny down. He couldn’t wait for her to see the cottage that he had rented for the weekend.

“Do you mind walking? We’re not staying far from here.”

“No, it’s a beautiful day, walking would be perfect.”

Sunny took the hand he held out to her and they walked hand in hand towards the cottage. As they walked they watched different boats coming and going. Sunny pointed out to him a boat that looked like a pirate ship that she had seen a couple times docked at
Shoreline Village
. They picked out houses built in the hills that they wouldn’t mind living in, noticing that they had similar tastes.

Making it to the cottage, Gabe was happy with what he chose. It was right off the beach and private. It had bright blue siding with white trim and
the stairs leading up to it were also painted white. He led Sunny up the stairs and into the spacious entryway and living room. Everything was decorated with an elegant beachy feel to it. It was very bright and airy with different tones of blue, tan and white.

“Come on, let’s check out the rest.” He started to pull her towards the rest of the house.

They looked in at the large open kitchen that overlooked the living room. Then they walked down the hall and Gabe switched on the light in the bathroom. It had a big shower with glass doors and an enormous tub for two, with double sinks. And finally they made it to the bedroom, which was dominated by a huge Cal-king bed, with a brown leather headboard. The covers and pillows in tan, brown and blue.

Sunny walked over to the sliding glass door that led out to the deck that wrapped around the whole cottage. She stared out at the view of the ocean. She had been quiet since they’d entered the house. He hoped it was nerves versus not liking the rental.

He came up behind her, close enough to feel her heat. She must have felt his too, because she tensed.
Nerves, then.

“Do you like it?” He said quietly.

“Oh, Gabe it’s fantastic!” She turned to look up at him.

“Then why are you so quiet?”

“I’m just nervous I guess.” She looked down at the floor, avoiding his eyes.

“Sunny, look at me.” He waited till she raised her eyes to his. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, remember that.”

“But I want to…badly.” She took a deep fortifying breath, “I guess it’s more anxious anticipation, than anything.”

He stroked the back of his hand down her face. “Maybe later. Are you hungry?” He wanted to take the focus off of sex and put it back on just enjoying each other.