Page 35 of California Dreaming

Erin turned to Tessa. “I loved having you join us today. And I can’t wait to go thrift store shopping with you on a day when you can take a little more time off from working with Arch.”

Tessa felt herself glow at their comments. “Thank you so much for inviting me. I often get so caught up in my work that I forget about socializing.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Mila replied. “Let’s make this a regular thing. Please come along next Tuesday too.”

As they left the coffee shop, Tessa felt like she’d made two friends in town.

If only her relationship with their brother was as uncomplicated.

Chapter Fifteen

Tessa and Arch soon found a routine that worked for both of them, and as the days passed, it started to feel as though she and Arch had always lived and worked together. It was strange to think it had been only a week since she’d first arrived, full of nervous energy about working with a movie star.

Rising in the morning at the same time, Tessa made them both a healthy breakfast, showered, and then helped Arch through his exercises. He performed them diligently, working his muscles to the point that she sometimes wanted to tell him to slow down, but she knew how important it was to him to stay in top physical condition. She admired his dedication and tried to stay cool and professional every day while secretly admiring his incredible physique.

He spent mid-mornings reading over his script while she prepared lunch, using her skill and imagination to add flavor and interest to his extremely healthy diet. Whatever she made, he complimented her. After she’d been married to a man who’d had only complaints, it felt strange to receive so much praise, but she loved the way he appreciated her cooking. It made her work even harder to do a great job for him.

After lunch, she completed a short workout of her own in the home gym or took advantage of the pool. She loved the cool feeling of the water on her body as she breast-stroked through thirty laps, letting her mind wander.

Which of course led to thoughts about Arch. Since the night he’d come on to her and sworn that from then on he’d be a perfect gentleman, he hadn’t broken his word. Why then, in the moments they were apart, did she so often find herself daydreaming about him pulling her in for a kiss?

What’s more, when she woke in the night, she always imagined going downstairs to him. While he’d kept his promise not to try to get her into his bed, he’d also made it very clear that she’d be welcome anytime she chose to come to him.

She could so easily—too easily!—imagine the way he’d brush her hair out of her eyes and gently caress her cheek. She could almost feel the sensation of his lips on hers, tender and yet firm. His fingers traveling down her spine, making her shiver.

And every time she went down this road, her sexy thoughts felt like a betrayal. Because she knew better. Not only was falling for a client verboten, but they could never work as a couple in real life—and Tessa wasn’t the kind who could be satisfied with a fling.

In the afternoons, Arch’s friends dropped by, and one—or several—members of his family usually made an appearance. She’d finally stopped jumping out of her skin when she discovered another Davenport in the house. It became clear they all knew the key code and rarely bothered to knock. It took some getting used to, but she found that she loved how comfortable and casual the family were around one another. She’d never experienced that kind of family closeness before.

Between visitors, Arch was constantly on his phone or laptop, catching up with people and keeping on top of business. She’d never realized how much work went into being a movie star.

He had people helping with his social media, people coordinating his public appearances—and she also discovered that he spent a lot of time and money on charity. She tried to coax the devices away from him when she could, reminding him that rest was an important part of his recovery. Sometimes she was successful, other times not so much. But it seemed Arch was aware of his stubborn side and tried not to let it completely control him. In those small moments of victory, she felt real pleasure.

And then her mind would linger on the word pleasure, and she’d succumb to yet another forbidden fantasy…

* * *

With every day that passed, Arch found himself more intrigued by Tessa. She had created a simple but very effective routine for him that he’d never have guessed he’d enjoy so much.

Normally, he liked to work hard and play hard. And yet, the last week, which mainly involved eating well, working out, and focusing on his recovery, felt like one of the happiest he could remember. He woke every morning looking forward to the day ahead.

Something deep inside told him that his anticipation to greet each day was less about the day’s activities and more about the company. Tessa made everything seem great. She never pushed him too hard, but he found himself working harder than he’d believed he could, simply because she was there to support him.

His dad treated his mom like she was everything in the world to him, and that was how he wanted to treat Tessa. She lit up a room from the moment she walked into it. It was just a shame there was one room where she never ventured…

Thankfully, by now he believed he had earned her trust. Because he’d kept his promise. Since the night he’d pushed things between them too far, Arch hadn’t made a single move on Tessa. It wasn’t for lack of wanting her. He still stared up at the ceiling every night, hoping she’d come down. In fact, he’d spent hours imagining how her body would feel beneath his, beside his, over him…

But if anything ever did happen between them, the next move had to be hers.

However, while it was extremely unlikely that she’d ever make a move on him—he could practically see the walls she’d put up around her heart and body, at least where he was concerned—this didn’t stop her from constantly occupying his thoughts. Especially when she was out of the house, as she was now, and he could flash back to the feel of her hands on his body as she’d helped him stretch earlier in the day. Or the sweet scent of her light perfume as she sat down to eat a meal with him. Or how incredibly gorgeous and sexy she looked coming out of the pool after her daily swim.

Tessa often went out in the afternoons, when he was resting or working on his script, leaving with a backpack and returning a couple of hours later, flushed and happy. He was deeply curious about what she was up to during her off time, but a voice inside his head told him not to ask. Tessa was a private person. She had already opened up about her love of art and the bad way things had ended with her husband. He didn’t want to push her for more too soon. If she wanted him to know where she went each afternoon, she would tell him. And it would be all the sweeter if she opened up to him of her own volition versus his dragging the information out of her.

As he gazed out the window, wondering when she would return, it suddenly hit him. He was falling for Tessa. Hard.

He’d always been career-driven and had dated women who worked in the same industry, since he was so busy there wasn’t time to meet a woman outside of work. But something about breaking his leg, and meeting Tessa, had literally stopped him in his tracks and made him reevaluate his life. The truth was that he was enjoying his forced vacation more than he could have imagined.

But more than that, he was enjoying Tessa in his life in a way that was different from anything he’d ever felt.

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