His tone of voice was playful. He was teasing her. Clearly, her intentions were more than obvious.
“Don’t be a smartass. You know what came over me.” An image of Gina popped back into Elle’s head and she remembered the insinuation about a publicist. “By the way, she said you have to make a decision? Something about her publicist and needing an answer . . .”
“Oh.” Luke ran his fingers through his mussed-up hair, and his nose wrinkled slightly as he licked his lips. “That. I wanted to talk to you about that, but we haven’t seen much of each other lately.”
“What is it?” Elle hoped it was nothing serious, nothing that would jeopardize their budding relationship.
“There was such a great reaction to that Perez Hilton thing that her publicist thinks we should have a showmance.”
Elle’s jaw dropped. She had no idea what to say. Luke sighed. “It’s this thing where we pretend to be a couple—”
“I know what it is, Luke. I’m in the business, remember?”
“So what do you think? It wouldn’t be real. Just like two or three months of being seen in public or whatever to get the tongues wagging.”
“Is this really what you want for yourself? Fake romance to boost your career?”
“Well, when you put it that way—”
“And where is the line drawn? Will you be kissing in public? Making out in restaurant booths, what?” Aggressively, Elle slid her panties up her legs as aggravation threatened to change the tone of their discussion. Gina’s lips on Luke in the studio was difficult enough; the last thing she needed was to see them on gossip rags and websites.
He rose from his seat, stood before her, and ran his hands down her arms still beading with sweat. “I like when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.” Elle slid her bra back on her thin frame. Luke tipped his chin and raised his eyebrows. “I’m not!”
“Okay, okay, whatever you say. But for the record, it’s hot as hell. And I like this side of you.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, widening her stance. “And what side is that?”
Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck with his nose. “The side of you that reacts. Instead of being all stoic and strong, you took what you wanted. And I was more than happy to give it to you.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“That’s because I’m trying to keep you on your toes.”
“And what does that mean?”
“I’m telling her no, Elle. I was always going to tell her no. I just wanted to see how you feel about me . . . how you really feel about me.”
Elle’s lips parted. “Seriously? You have no intention of going along with it?”
“Absolutely none. I want to make a name for myself the right way—with my work. But you have to admit you’ve been pulling away from me. One minute, we’re having a great time, the next you’re somewhere else completely. I had to know how you really feel.”
Elle’s voice came out in a whisper. “I’m crazy about you . . . obviously.”
“It’s good to hear.” He shrugged, his eyes sincere and vulnerable. “I know you’re seeing him, I can feel it.”
“W-what? How did you . . . I mean—” Elle rambled, taking several steps back. How did he read her so well?
“Look, I get it, all right? I know you need to figure this out.” Luke paused and looked up at the ceiling, avoiding Elle’s eyes. His tone had changed. There was a bite to his words, a tick in his jaw. “And I also know you won’t be able to move on until you do. But the thought of you with him . . .”
“What? Tell me.”
Luke clenched his fists and pursed his lips. “Let’s just say I’d rather you didn’t. But this isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
“What do you mean, it’s not about you? Of course it is.”
“Not all of it.”
Elle glanced down at the floor. Right then and there, she knew Luke was falling for her just as much as she was falling for him. Gina wasn’t the issue, she was. A tremendous amount of guilt was going to swallow her whole. Part of her heart still belonged to Troy. Was she a terrible person for seeing them both at the same time? Despite any titles or proclamations of exclusivity, she was fully aware of the negative impact she could have on either or both of the men in her life. The thought of hurting either of them made her chest ache.
Luke walked to her, wrapping his arms back around her waist.
“But as much as it pisses me off, knowing you’re still seeing him, I’m willing to wait. You, Elle Riley, are worth the wait.”
“That may be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
She ran her fingers through his wavy hair, feeling choked up. “Why do you always say the right thing? I mean, seriously, how did you get to be so damn wonderful?”
Luke shrugged, his cheeks scarlet. “I’ve never felt this way before.”
“Never?”
“Nope.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Not ever.”
Elle’s eyes moistened and a lump formed in her throat as she processed what Luke had said. Not ever? She was overwhelmed, but, she was surprised to realize, not scared. Reluctantly, she glanced at her watch. More than anything, she wanted to stay and finish their conversation, but the lunch hour was almost over and she needed to clear things up with Whitney. “You must be starving. You should grab a sandwich back on set.”
“Good idea, that was quite a bit of exertion.” He laughed, kissing her gently on her ear. Her muscles relaxed beneath his lips, until she remembered what she had to do.
“I have to see Whitney, I was pretty rude to her earlier and I want to apologize.”
Elle finished dressing, smoothed down the chaotic curls on her head, and kissed Luke one last time. She was dreading a blowup with her best friend. It was only noon and she was already processing more emotion than she usually did all day.
“Hey,” he murmured with his arms wrapped around her back. “Are we okay? Your muscles are tense all of a sudden.”
“I’m not thrilled with your little trick . . . but yeah, we’re just fine. More than fine. Just promise me you’ll tell Gina.”
“I’ll tell her the minute I see her. I meant what I said, Elle. It’s not something I’m even remotely interested in.”
“I know.”
Elle smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek before walking to Whitney’s office with her tail between her legs. When she knocked on the door, there was no response, which was odd since Whitney typically worked through the lunch hour. From the other side of the door, she heard a moan. And then another, and another. First a man, then a woman.
Elle laughed silently to herself, realizing she wasn’t the only one who used the lunch hour for a quickie. Curious as to who might be on the other side of the door, she mentally gave Whitney a high five before digging through her purse for a notepad. When she found it, she scribbled a short apology and slipped it under the door, hoping she and Whitney would be just fine as soon as Whit read the message. There was no way in hell she would interrupt what was happening on the other side of that door.
In haste, so as not to draw attention to herself, she slipped back down the hallway and returned to the set, bracing herself for several more hours of torture. Only this time, she could watch Luke with satisfaction, knowing she, not Gina, was the one he desired when the director said, “Cut.”
The shrill sound of her house phone woke Elle from a deep sleep. An unexpected deep sleep. It was the morning of the Golden Globe award nominations. In years past she had trouble sleeping longer than a few hours. Perhaps it was the fact the fall season of Follow the Sun was dominating the number-one spot in the Nielsen ratings, or Elle’s confidence in her show’s role within the network, but for whatever reason she had slept in, only to be woken by the excited voice of Whitney.