Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Her.
I fought my growing erection just thinking about her. About us.
I startled as a cool cloth was pressed against my head. My eyes flew open, and I met Kassie’s gaze. “That will help finish off your headache. The cool plus the heat works wonders for me.”
I grasped her hand before she could pull back. I kissed her knuckles, then turned her hand over and pressed my mouth to her palm. “Thank you,” I breathed. I ran my mouth up to her wrist, inhaling the fragrance on her skin. “You still smell like honey and flowers,” I murmured. “You always did. I never forgot that.”
I felt her shiver. I was sure she whimpered a little low in her throat. I looked up at her, her eyes now wide with a new emotion. Passion. Need. Her breathing was faster, her chest moving in rapid pumps. The flush on her skin wasn’t only from the heat coming from the tub. I tugged on her hand, and she bent lower. “Kassie,” I whispered, wanting, needing her closer. “Please.”
The heat that bubbled between us had nothing to do with the temperature of the water I was sitting in. Or the steam that swirled around us. It was a living, breathing thing. We both felt it. She bent closer, our lips almost touching. I wrapped my hand around the nape of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of honey that clung to her skin. I breathed her name, about to claim her mouth, when my phone rang from the table. Loud, insistent.
She jumped, and I shook my head. “Ignore it.”
I let it go to voice mail, internally cursing whoever was calling. But it was too late. She moved back, and I dropped my hand. “Kassie,” I pleaded.
“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I just can’t.”
Then she was gone, leaving me alone.
Friday was the day Davis had a special lunch brought in. All the talent and crew sat around, eating together, the lines separating us no longer in place. He firmly believed that the entire project was a fine-tuned collaboration. The actors needed the services of the crew to do their job. The crew needed the actors in order to have a job.
“One doesn’t work without the other,” he told me one day.
I liked his attitude. I liked how he ran his sets. No-nonsense but fair. He never yelled. Not once had I seen him lose his cool. If he had something negative to say, he said it to your face privately, refusing to embarrass his actors. Having worked with some hotheaded directors and producers, I found it a refreshing change.
It was something to strive for in the future. I was learning with Davis. Soaking up the knowledge he imparted daily. He was always ready to explain something, answer a question.
I stepped out of my trailer, my gaze immediately going to where the people from Kind of a Big Dill were set up. I found Kassie easily, her bright hair shining in the sun. She was laughing as she worked, standing next to Quinn. The air was heavy with the aroma of the food—rich and pungent. I knew Davis had ordered ranch-style food in keeping with the theme of the movie. Roasted meats, potatoes. Hearty chili and cornbread. Vegetarian options for those who preferred to go meatless. Salads and side dishes that made my mouth water, like baked beans, coleslaw, and the best mac and cheese I would ever eat, according to Kassie. And there were pies, cookies, and all sorts of decadent treats. Gluten-free choices. Davis had thought of everything, although he insisted it was Quinn who suggested most of it, once she went through his list. He wanted everyone to eat, and from the tables of food I could see, he had accomplished his goal. He was talking to Quinn and Kassie, and I headed in that direction. I hadn’t spoken to Kassie since that night at her place. Her door remained shut when I got home later in the evenings. There were no other offers to use the hot tub, although I knew if I asked her, she would say yes but not come outside to join me.
If she answered the door.
I didn’t risk it.
But she was on my mind constantly. Her voice, her scent, the way she looked when she laughed. I loved how she teased me. The way she listened. Seemed to understand and had forgiven me.
At least, I thought she had. I liked how she treated me like Oliver. Just Oliver. Not the actor. And I loved how she looked when she stared at me in desire.
I didn’t want her looking at Davis that way. Or any other man.
Kassie looked up as I walked over to the table. Our gazes locked, her cheeks flooding with color as I stared at her.
“Oliver,” Quinn greeted me. John waved from the huge barbecue where he was basting one of the many roasts they would be serving. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, waved at John, then spoke to Kassie.