Page 38 of The Oscar Escape
“We haven’t nailed down the scope of the project yet. We better keep moving. I see the sign for the Nineteen Sisters Loop ahead,” he replied and picked up his pace.
What was going on with this man? He was never guarded about his work.
They continued, leaving the open air, and entered a more wooded part of the island. Another sign denoted it as a nature preserve. And what a preserve it was. The fall foliage was breathtaking. She could see why someone would hire Oscar to capture its splendor.
“It’s hauntingly beautiful. I feel like I’m a world away from my real life.” She felt his eyes on her and met his gaze. And there he was. He looked at her the way he had before that birthday kiss. The sweetness had returned to his expression. He regarded her with such devotion, it caused the breath to catch in her throat. She swallowed hard. “Am I in big trouble?” She’d uttered five words. It sounded like a simple question. But it wasn’t. She couldn’t discern if she was asking about what had occurred when she was in an alcohol and medication-induced frenzy or if the trouble that she’d inquired about went beyond her early morning antics on the island.
A carousel of images flashed. She pictured Justin’s smarmy smirk and a sparkling rack of ridiculous costumes next to a dressing table piled high with glitter makeup and fake eyelashes, long enough to make a giraffe jealous. A blur of stages alongside the haze of screaming fans and paparazzi out for blood rounded out her brief walk down memory lane.
The warmth drained from his face, and his stony countenance returned. “I’m not sure how much trouble you’re in, but I’ll handle it.”
Why was the man acting so cagey?
“I don’t need you to take care of me.”
He raised an eyebrow.
Dammit, after last night, he had her there.
“All right, here’s a question you should be able to answer. Why does Mrs. Alden think I’m your wife?”
“Because that’s what I told her.” He didn’t even look at her when he answered.
“Why, Oscar?”
“Dom made it clear on the call. You need to be out of the spotlight. We don’t want anyone to know you’re here. We have to keep your identity hidden—especially after what happened on the island last night.”
She hated to admit it, but he was right. Still, she sure as hell wasn’t ready to concede the point.
She zeroed in on his left hand. “You aren’t wearing a wedding ring. What if people ask about it?”
“I’ll just say I lost it in the harbor while I was saving you from drowning.”
The man appeared to have a slick answer for everything.
She focused on the crunch of their footsteps against the rocky path. The fall-kissed foliage thinned and made way for a cloudy sky. They came around a bend, and she could barely believe her eyes. She took in an outdoor amphitheater built into a dark gray rocky outcropping that overlooked the ocean. This place was full of surprises, but there was a familiarity about it. And then she understood why. This nature-encased, downsized coastal amphitheater venue reminded her of an amphitheater back home in Denver. A place she knew like the back of her hand. An amphitheater where she’d watched her aunt and uncle perform. An amphitheater where she’d seen videos of her parents taking the stage as members of Heartthrob Warfare. An amphitheater wrapped in majestic red rocks that would be her final tour stop in Denver. In less than two weeks, she would either celebrate her success or confirm her failure as an artist. Anxiety twisted in her belly. No matter how lovely this island was or how far away she felt from the glaring spotlight, she couldn’t lose sight of her double-platinum goal.
“What if someone recognizes me on the island?” she asked, noticing that there didn’t appear to be many people here to recognize her. Besides the Aldens and the women in the chocolate shop, they hadn’t seen a soul.
Oscar stopped. He rested his hand against the exposed rock, then turned his attention to her. “Nobody will recognize you. Aria, the rock star, doesn’t look like you. The celebrity is primped and painted. The real you, the woman I’m staring at is—”
“Plain?” she tossed out, hating that she could detect a shake in her voice.
He brushed his knuckles down her jawline. “No, not plain. You could never be plain. When I see you like this, only one word comes to mind.”
“What word is that?” she whispered, spellbound. She couldn’t have looked away and broken their connection, even if the island was on fire.
He drank her in like he was framing a photograph. “Magical perfection.”
God help her! What an answer.
He studied her as if he were revisiting every freckle, every eyelash, and every blemish usually hidden beneath a slathering of foundation and a dusting of bronzer. Despite millions of people watching her on videos posted online and the throngs of fans who’d stared at her while she performed on stage, she’d never felt seen like this. Oscar’s appraising eye left her raw and exposed. She trembled beneath his touch. The contact and his words had sparked an electric charge. The crackling pulse of energy traveled from her cheek, down her spine, then settled between her thighs. Her treacherous body ached for more, ached to feel him—all of him—pressed against her. She could barely maintain an ounce of control between her secret desire for this man and her drive to be the best. Was he going to kiss her? He looked like he wanted to devour every inch of her body. But before she could take another breath, Oscar pulled back as if his hand had gotten too close to a flame.
“I shouldn’t have touched you like that,” he rasped, his voice thick with emotion as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“It was probably a reaction to the island air,” she blathered, playing it off with a flippant flick of her wrist.
And hello, Awkwardsville. Population two.
