So Revealing (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 3) Read online

  Ty snagged his shirt from the floor and pulled it back on. “Saturday. I’ll pick you up at four thirty.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and swaggered toward the door.

  Charlotte stood there for a full minute watching him go. Then she moved in a daze, closing up the room for the night, still not quite believing what had just happened.

  By the time she got home, she’d sobered considerably. She reminded herself not to get too caught up in his charm. This would just be one fun date. He lived in LA; she lived here. There was no real possibility of a relationship.

  Besides, if he knew what was really going on with her, he’d be running for the hills.

  Chapter Three

  Ty pulled up to Charlotte’s ranch home in a 1966 cherry-red Mustang convertible he’d borrowed from his best friend and honorary brother Park. Ty had to go all out with Charlotte to reverse the terrible first impression he’d made. He snagged the bouquet of yellow flowers that reminded him of the awesome dress she’d worn the first time he’d clapped eyes on her. He’d first noticed her long legs in the dress, but the rest of her was amazing too—glossy long hair, glowing skin, big breasts, narrow waist, curvy hips, shapely ass. And that was just her looks. Her fierceness and strength excited him, but he’d also noticed a softness, maybe a bit of longing, when she’d finally granted him the honor of a date. She was smart, loyal to her friends, and probably more great stuff. That was as much as he could get out of Mad about Charlotte before Mad hollered at him to just spend time with Charlotte and shut up with the questions.

  He headed to the front door, an unusual surge of adrenaline amping him up. He didn’t usually get worked up over first dates. He blew out a breath and rang the bell. The door opened a moment later to Charlotte with her long hair up in a high ponytail, looking cute and young. She wore a billowy peach shirt with an elastic waist over white pants that ended mid-calf. And the best part—high-heeled tan sandals with skinny ties that wrapped around her ankles. Sexy as sin. His gaze lingered on peach toenails, and then, remembering his manners, he met her deep brown eyes. “You look beautiful. These are for you.” He handed her the flowers.

  “Thanks,” she said softly, staring at the flowers for a long moment. She stepped back. “Come in for a minute while I put these in a vase.”

  He stepped inside to a living room with a black leather sofa, round glass coffee table, and bright red area rug. The walls were sky blue; the windows had sheer white drapes. He liked it, not too girly, bold like the woman. He rocked on his heels. They were going to have a blast on the yacht. He’d borrowed it from an actor friend, Will, who Ty had met on a movie set years ago. The forty-two-foot yacht was worth a cool half mil with a wet bar, galley kitchen, air-conditioned salon with TV and cushy sofas, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. The master bedroom featured a wall of mirrors and he’d love to put them to use. Naked.

  He blew out a breath, trying to think of anything but his lust for Charlotte. The last thing he wanted was to start the date with a woody. He mentally reviewed the lesson he’d had last weekend in captaining the boat. Will had supervised while Ty steered them down the Hudson River during the party. The calm open waters were no challenge at all. Ty had driven speedboats tons of times for movie stunts. He’d sworn on his life to have it back in one piece. No problemo. He only planned a short trip up and down the Harlem River, close to where it was now docked in Manhattan. Then he’d set anchor, make dinner, and hopefully a little slow dancing and some loving below deck. It was the natural course of events for all of his dates. After the smoldering looks Charlotte shot him after his Magic Mike-style dance, he was pretty sure she’d be into it too.

  Charlotte appeared in the living room. “All set.”

  “Great.” He followed her out the door. She locked up, turned, and gasped.

  “Is this yours?” she asked, heading over to the car.

  “I borrowed it from Park,” he said, opening the passenger door for her. “You like classic cars?”

  “I love Mustangs!” She slid inside and he shut the door.

  When he got in the driver’s side, he turned to her. “You want the top down?” It was the first weekend of April and on the warm side for this time of year in Connecticut, a comfortable seventy degrees.

  “Absolutely,” she said.

  He turned on the car and brought the top down. Charlotte stretched her arms straight up out of the top of the car, lifting her face to the sun with a blissful smile. She dropped her arms and turned to him, still smiling. He couldn’t breathe for a moment. She was a looker, but when she smiled at him like that, stunningly beautiful. He had the sudden urge to kiss her, but she shifted, facing front.

  “Let’s roll,” she said cheerfully.

  “You got it.” He backed out of the driveway and headed to the city. He asked her about her day and then dove right into the getting-to-know-you questions. He always asked a lot of questions because women loved sharing. “So tell me about you. Did you grow up around here?”

  “I grew up in Jersey.”

  “A Jersey girl, huh? Heard they’re the wild ones.”

  “Where’d you hear that?”

  “From another Jersey girl. I had no choice but to believe her when she danced topless on the bar.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  He sensed a considerable cooling in her. “Kidding.” Actually that had happened, but he shouldn’t have brought up another woman. “Back to you. How’d you get into personal training?”

  “I worked with a great trainer. She inspired me. What made you get into it?”

  “I was a gym rat and they offered to hire me. That was back when they let men into the place. I liked it, but I was too restless to stay in the routine. One of the guys I trained was a retired stuntman and hooked me up in LA. I haven’t looked back since. I love it.”

  “Is it really dangerous?” She actually sounded worried.

  He stopped at a traffic light and met her eyes. “There’s some danger, yes. But the outfit I work with is a small group of well-trained stuntmen and women. Plus, I’m like a cat. Nine lives.”

  “How many have you spent?”

  “Probably eight.” He laughed. He’d had a few close calls, a couple of broken bones, but he always came out on top.

  “What kind of stunts do you do?”

  “All different stuff. That’s what I like about it. Never a dull day. I do motorcycle stuff like jumps, spinouts, riding down stairs.”

  “That must be bumpy.”

  “Yeah, it’s rough. And then, you know, the usual car chases, jumping out windows, rappelling down buildings, an occasional fight sequence if they don’t want to chance the actor getting hurt. I’m a blackbelt. Actually I love fight scenes best. Pure fun.”

  “You sound like your sister. Mad loves sparring.”

  He glanced up to see the light was green and hit the accelerator. “I’m the one that got her into my dojo. I’ve sparred with her before. She’s good for her size.”

  “Yeah, she taught us some self-defense moves.”

  “Good, everyone should know that stuff.”

  She was quiet, and he glanced over to find her staring at him, a small smile playing over her lips.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I still can’t believe that dance you did! That was incredible.”

  He grinned. “You want a repeat performance?”

  “Hell yeah! I wouldn’t mind seeing that again.”

  “No problem. Back to you, what do you do in your free time? Any hobbies?” He was working up to what he really wanted to know—her boyfriend history. Some women were bitter, closed off, and he didn’t even attempt a relationship. He wasn’t exactly sure where she landed on that spectrum. She seemed at times quick to slam on the brakes, keeping him at a safe distance, and then, other times, like now, warm and open.

  He glanced over at her, speaking animatedly about nutrition and fitness, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. She sure had a lot of energy.

  But once they moved
off that topic, she was surprisingly close-lipped, frequently turning the question back to him or changing the subject. He had the uneasy feeling she was hiding something. Or maybe she was just a very private person.

  Either way, he was itching to know more about the mysterious Charlotte Vega.

  ~ ~ ~

  Charlotte was surprised at how relaxed she felt chatting with Ty on the drive over to the dock. When he wasn’t playing games, he was warm and affable. She couldn’t even hold his occasionally arrogant remark against him because the twinkle in his eye told her he was joking around. Unlike most men, he kept the focus on her, asking her a bunch of questions, which she answered as truthfully as she could without revealing too much. No reason to scare him off before the date had even begun. Anyway, she wasn’t a big sharer with men or women, used to keeping her problems to herself. Ty seemed fine with her cagey responses, never pushing for more.

  “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden,” Ty said. “Too many questions?”

  “No, it’s nice that you care.”

  “Anything you want to ask about me?”

  “I was wondering one thing.” It had been bugging her for a while now. Earlier this year, when Ty’s younger sister, Mad, and Park finally got together, Ty had butted in and told Park to back off. Mad was a close friend of Charlotte’s from book club and Charlotte had been outraged on her friend’s behalf.

  “Shoot,” he said.

  “Why’d you get between Mad and Park? Anyone could see how in love with him she is.”

  “It was my duty as a big brother.”

  “It’s your duty to deny your sister her true love?”

  “I was protecting her,” he said simply. “Park wasn’t serious and she was.”

  “It really hurt her when he backed off.”

  He pulled off the exit into the city. “Yeah, but it would’ve hurt her more if he messed around with her and bailed. I nipped it in the bud and then Park had to step up if Mad was really what he wanted. He stepped up, asked her to marry him, she’s happy, so I’m happy.”

  “And if he didn’t?”

  “Then I saved her a lot of heartbreak.”

  “Or you might’ve destroyed any chance of happiness.” Love was a fragile, delicate thing, Charlotte always thought. You had to be so careful or bam! The whole thing would blow up in your face.

  He glanced over at her. “Look, I love Park like a brother, we go way back, but that doesn’t mean I’d let him or anyone hurt Mad. You don’t know the bad place she was in when he left for the Air Force. She was so upset she got herself in all kinds of trouble at school and at home. The Mad you know today is in a much better place. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch her spiral out of control again.”

  She was quiet, considering that. She hadn’t known Mad back then, only the last two years from book club. Mad was tough, smart, and fearless, but Charlotte could see how the woman might get herself in deep. Mad was one of those secretly sensitive souls.

  Ty went on. “Something you have to understand about Mad, and me too, I guess. Upset feelings quickly translate to anger. That’s why I got her into my dojo. If you control that energy, it can be a force for good. She helped a lot of people up their game with her aggressive sparring.”

  “Aren’t you philosophical?”

  He chuckled.

  “It all sounds more reasonable when you explain it like that. From the outside it just looked like you were being a buttinski.”

  “Charlotte, you wound me.” He grinned, the smile lighting up his face. “I always have good intentions. Whether or not that comes out the right way is another story.”

  “Good to know.”

  When they arrived at the dock, Charlotte stared in awe at a gorgeous white yacht with an open area on the top level for driving it, an enclosed cabin on the main level with adjoining decks on the front and back, and then on the lower level a series of portholes, probably for sleeping quarters. What a fantastic party boat!

  “This is yours?” she exclaimed. “Stunt work must pay more than I thought.”

  His chest puffed out as he admired the boat. “It pays well, but I borrowed it from my friend Will. Come on, let’s go.”

  Borrowed? She followed hot on his heels. “Wait, do you know how to drive it?”

  He laughed and unlocked the gate to the plank thingy. “You don’t drive a boat. You captain it. And, yes, I can captain it. Don’t worry, I operate tons of vehicles at work, including speedboats.”

  He boarded the boat and she followed behind, staring at the small insulated cooler he carried. Her stomach growled. She’d worked today and hadn’t had a chance to grocery shop, so she’d saved her appetite for their sunset dinner cruise.

  “What’re we having for dinner?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise.” He gestured toward the front of the boat, where two fully reclined loungers waited. “Go relax on the deck while I put the food away.” He headed inside the cabin, where she guessed the kitchen was. She peeked in the windows on her way to the deck, checking out a living room with a long sofa on one side and a love seat on the other adjoining a galley kitchen. Cool!

  She adjusted one of the loungers to an upright position and took a seat, already enjoying the view of the river with the bridges and buildings in the distance. This would be awesome. She shivered. It was already cooling down. She should’ve brought a light jacket. Ty wasn’t wearing one either. Like her, he was dressed for spring in a T-shirt and jeans. Hopefully they’d spend most of their time hanging out in the enclosed living room.

  She glanced around. Ty was untying the boat from the dock. She waited to see where he went and saw him emerge a few minutes later on the top level, the central control area of the boat. She quickly followed, eager to see how all the controls worked.

  “Hey, Captain,” she said.

  He turned with a smile, and she gave him a jaunty salute. “Hey, gorgeous. At ease.”

  She laughed and joined him by the dashboard or control panel, whatever it was called. She wasn’t too nautical. She’d only been on a boat once, the ferry that went from New Jersey to the Statue of Liberty crowded with tourists. This was much cooler.

  Ty hit a few buttons, consulted a map, and then slowly pulled away from the dock. She checked her cell. Six o’clock. Sunset would probably be around seven thirty; then she figured they’d turn back around. He’d promised a sunset cruise. It wouldn’t be too fun to be out on the river at night. Cold and dark.

  She crossed her arms, rubbing them for warmth. “Getting chilly already.”

  Ty laughed, looking comfortable at the wheel. “It’s not chilly. It’s refreshing.” He gave her ponytail a tug. “Woman up.”

  “You have more body mass to keep you warm,” she returned.

  He snagged her around the waist and pulled her in front of him while he steered, his arms around her on the wheel. This was definitely warmer, maybe a little too warm. Heat at her back, strong warm arms around her, woodsy outdoor sex scent surrounding her.

  She tried for an unaffected tone. “So where are we headed on this sunset cruise, Captain?”

  He dipped his head near her ear, his voice a low rumble that gave her a delicious shiver. “Figured we’d head down the river a bit and then stop somewhere to cook dinner.”

  “You want any help?”

  He straightened. “Nope. I got it all under control.”

  She believed him and actually relaxed, happy to let someone else do all the work. “Awesome.”

  She enjoyed the view as they motored along, passing a few smaller boats on their way down the river. Her stomach growled loudly.

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  She put a hand to her stomach with a laugh. “Yes. I normally have a protein snack in the afternoon, but I ran out and didn’t have time to grocery shop. I have hypoglycemia, so I get low blood sugar. As long as I eat in the next hour or so, I’ll be fine.”

  “What happens if you don’t?”

  “Sometimes I get a little sha
ky, but usually I just get really irritable.”

  “Ooh, boy, don’t want a hangry woman on board.” He stepped away to consult a map, his brows scrunching together in concentration.

  She grabbed the wheel. “Should I steer while you look at the map?”

  “Sure,” he said absently.

  Oh, this was cool. Driving down the middle of the river. Or cruising. Whatever it was called.

  Ty studied the map for a really long time before turning back to her. “I think there’s a cove just up ahead where we can anchor while I cook.”

  “Cool.”

  He took his place back at the wheel, keeping her warm in the circle of his arms. They cruised for a good half hour before they reached the cove. Not exactly “just up ahead,” as Ty had said. He shifted her to the side, telling her he needed to focus on steering.

  Ty directed the yacht into the cove and then turned the wheel, shifting their position so they’d face out of the cove. They didn’t quite make it in a complete turn before the boat made a weird grinding noise.

  “Shit,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He kept trying to maneuver the boat, gunning the engine, and the sound got worse and really loud, and then they came to a dead stop. “Fuck.”

  “What?”

  “We’re stuck. It’s not responding.” He crossed to the side of the boat and looked down. “I’d better get below.”

  She followed him down the stairs and they both peered over the railing. The “cove” looked more like a swamp and they appeared to be mired in mud. And the stench, omigod. Some combination of garbage, sewer, and rotting plant life. She switched to breathing through her mouth.

  Ty covered his nose and mouth with his arm, breathing through the fabric of his shirt sleeve.

  “Just hit the gas hard and get us out of here,” she said.

  He nodded once and headed back up to the boat’s control center. She followed, not wanting to stay close to the stench. Ty worked every angle, but it was a no go. Just lots of horrible grinding noises.

  He looked at her with a horrified expression. “I can’t screw up the engine. This yacht is worth more than I can repay. Like a half mil.”