Page 11 of No Reservations

His stomach looked perfectly flat and tight to me, what I could see behind the dark blue T-shirt. My gaze trailed over his hips and thighs, muscular calves, and tan bare feet resting on the rug before meeting his warm eyes again. “I don’t think you’d have any problem getting clients. What type of model were you?” He was too bulky and tall for runways or fashion magazines.

“I started as a foot model, would you believe.” He picked up one foot and wiggled his long, straight toes. “Then I did a lot of outdoor product stuff. Like, I would wear sport sandals, prop one foot up on a rock, and don a backpack to stand in a stream peering off into the distance. Or set up a tent in front of a green screen to market camping gear.”

“Ruggedly handsome.” He was, and it was affecting me more than I wanted to admit. I could see him in those poses perfectly, shoulders stretching out a t-shirt with an outdoor adventure logo on it, muscular ass on display while he crouched in front of a campfire.

Matthew’s smile widened, and he ran a hand through his hair, which only made it look more appealing instead of messy.“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I thought we needed to get more comfortable with each other and make some plans. For fun stuff.”

“Fun stuff.” He probably didn’t want to know where my mind went when he said that. I shifted on the couch and willed my dick to stay asleep. It would not help to get attracted to the man I had to fake a relationship with for the next few months.

“Yeah, like outings and dates. People in relationships do those types of things.” He creased his eyes at me again. “You have been in a relationship before, right?”

My mind skipped back over all the men I’d gone out with and hooked up with in the past. Were any of them really what I could call a relationship? Eventually, I just shrugged, which made Matthew frown. “I never got to the long-term commitment stage. Have you?” I guessed he was a bit younger than me, late twenties perhaps. Many men didn’t think about settling down until much later.

He shifted to look out the window. “Yes, I have.” For a moment, it seemed like he’d say more, but then he shook his head and smiled again and pulled out his phone. “Let’s figure out something to do. We can’t just sit around chatting all day. I bookmarked a few local attractions. We can pick out something fun we’d both like.”

***

Watching Matthew’s shoulders flex every time he dipped the paddle into the water made it difficult to focus on the scenery. An hour earlier, he had directed me to a local canoe rental place and paid for three hours with his debit card. I tried to insist on paying, but he waved me off with a smile and said, ‘you can get the next one.’ It was such an unaccustomed experience that I hada hard time focusing on getting into the canoe and setting out on our adventure.

Matthew, it seemed, was very big on adventures. On the drive there, he chatted about fun and excursions, events, and outings. Other than the required galas, awards shows, and such, I tended toward staying in my office or my apartment. It was easier to avoid attention that way.

I tore my gaze away from his muscles and took in the view. It really was a beautiful place, and we were very unlikely to run into any paparazzi in the middle of the lake.

Mixed deciduous trees and pines lined the shore as we rounded the far edge of a little island and headed toward the mouth of a small river in the distance. A few other canoes paddled around in the shallows piloted by kids all wearing bright yellow t-shirts.

Matthew turned around to look at me. “Did you ever go to camp as a kid?” He tipped his chin toward the far-off canoes. “My mom sent us to the Y for day camp, but we never did sleepaway. My brother and me,” he added. “Andrew’s two years older. You’re an only child, right? I googled you.”

My paddle lay across my lap forgotten. “You googled me?” Thoughts of all the rumors and gossip that swirled around me came to mind, the image of Thad front and center.

He waved a hand. “Not the bullshit stories. Since we skipped a proper first date, or really months of dating, I guess, I figured I should already know the basics. You’re a single child of divorced parents, have super impressive degrees, live out in California.” He tipped his head to one side. “Where did we meet? I mean, I don’t live too far away from here, and we hardly move in the same social circles.”

The pretty scenery shifted back behind the stress of the whole fake relationship situation. “That’s a good question. Maybe you came to California on vacation, or perhaps we met ata business function. What do you do for a living now that you’re not a model anymore?”

“I work from home. I write technical manuals for a sporting goods manufacturer and do branding work. Social media and stuff.” He tousled his hand through his hair again, and the golden strands mixed into the brown ones caught the afternoon light. “I don’t think I’d go to the same business events as you. It’s pretty far removed from the entertainment industry.”

“Yeah, the Eclipse boys aren’t really the type to go camping or hiking.”

Matthew tipped his head and bit his lip for a moment. “What about you? I mean, you never answered my question about summer camp, but do you do stuff like that now?” He glanced around at the water and trees. “You’re in a canoe. Are you having fun?”

The rapid-fire questions tickled me in ways I wasn’t used to. Instead of being annoying, Matthew was entirely too endearing. The golden retriever comparison came to mind again, but I dismissed it just as quickly. He was way too sexy to remind me of a dog. I tore my gaze away from his warm brown eyes. “I am having fun,” I said at last.

The whole thing still stressed me out in ways I did not need piled onto my already hectic life, but at that moment, there with that man smiling at me from the other end of a rental canoe, I could honestly say I was having fun.

“It’s probably time to go back. I only booked three hours.” He turned and put the paddle in the water again, and I joined him in turning the craft and heading back toward the rental place.

“So, how about this? I was on vacation in San Francisco, and I accidentally ran into you coming out of a bathhouse. I didn’t think I was still horny, but one look at you and I couldn’t help but flirt like crazy. You invited me for lunch and then back toyour place for wild sex. Over pancakes the next morning, we chatted and found out we actually liked each other. The rest is history.”

Halfway through his explanation, I choked on a laugh. By the time he got to ‘wild sex,’ I gave up trying to hold it in. “A bathhouse in San Francisco. How about a coffee shop in LA? That’s closer to my place anyway.”

He shot me a look over his shoulder. “That’s not as interesting, but much more realistic. I’ve never been to a bathhouse. If anyone asked me questions, I wouldn’t be able to answer.”

“Do you really think anyone who cared how we met would start grilling you about your sexual experience?” My cheeks started to ache, which was much different than the usual stress-induced aches and pains I had.

“I hope not. I’m not really all that experienced, I guess.” Another glance as he thrust the paddle into the water. “I was with my first boyfriend for just over four years. I fooled around with a few guys before him, but that’s it.”

I stopped paddling as I stared at the back of his head. “Four years? What happened?”

Before Matthew had a chance to answer, we skimmed up to the dock at the canoe rental place, and an employee trotted over to help tie up and take our paddles. He smiled and nodded at the clerk as he signed the receipt and headed back toward my SUV. We climbed back in without a word, and I turned back toward the inn.

---