Set life was unlike anything Cal had ever imagined. It swung from constant noise to complete silence, depending on the moment. There was always food. He didn’t know why everyone there didn’t weigh four hundred pounds each. Since he’d shown up with Mara, no one had questioned his presence. No one spoke to him either. Even Michael, who always seemed to be by his side, never said a word directly to Cal. It was like he was an invisible wall. In a way, it was nice. After all, he liked to watch people. Occasionally, Mara would glance his way and smile.

“She’s worrying about you,” Michael said, appearing out of nowhere.

Cal glanced over. Michael was playing a game on his phone. “I don’t know how you’d know.”

Michael looked up and smiled. His eyes were green—like the sea and framed by long lashes. He was stunning, especially while smiling. “I’m watching.” He immediately went back to playing his game. “It’s my job to notice everything, and I do.”

A sharp pain sliced through his head, making his stomach churn. Cal dropped his gaze to the floor, hiding his wince. It had been a long time since he’d experienced a headache this bad. He lived his life in quiet solitude. That seemed to help. Being around so much nonstop busyness for the past three weeks fucked with the pain management routine Cal had set for himself.

When the nausea passed, Cal lifted his chin. Mara was headed his way and Michael was gone again. The way Mara’s brow furrowed had Cal searching the room with his gaze, trying to decide who he needed to kill for upsetting her.

“It’ll take them a while to rearrange the set,” Mara said without preamble. That wasn’t news. It always took them a while to work on the set. In fact, out of the seventeen hours a day they spent working, most of it was spent sitting around waiting on set changes. “Let’s go to my trailer. Your head is hurting.”

Cal followed on Mara’s heels, wondering how she’d known. He always did his best to hide his aches and pains from her. When they reached the trailer, she opened the door for him before he could get to it. She waved him in ahead of her. Cal always wanted to laugh when she mentioned her trailer. Of course, that was what it was, but it wasn’t anything like the image the word created. When he thought about trailers, he pictured rundown parks. Mara’s trailer was like a miniature mansion on wheels. Aquarium, flat screen TV taking up one wall, a full kitchen, and a huge bed were only a few of its features. Everything shined like new. Michael let it slip the place cost close to a million. As much as he always tried not to be impressed, he was.

“Sit,” Mara demanded, pointing toward the bench at the kitchen table. Cal dutifully sat. She rummaged through the cabinet and then the fridge before coming back with two pain relievers and a bottle of water. “Take these.”

Cal took the pills without comment because he didn’t understand Mara’s mood. He was the one hurting, but she sounded pissed off. She moved to stand behind him. He startled when she touched his neck. Cal didn’t like to be touched, but he bit back a moan when her fingers dug into his neck at the perfect spot to ease his pain. He closed his eyes. Mara spent a few minutes massaging his neck before moving to his scalp. Her fingers brushed through his hair. There was a real fear he might fall asleep. When Mara finally spoke, she kept her voice pitched low. “If you’re hurting, you need to say something. Don’t stand there and suffer.”

“It’s my job to stand there.”

A low growl came from the back of Mara’s throat. The sound hardened his cock. No one was more surprised than him. Years ago, he’d learned to control his every reaction. He never let himself go for any reason. Control meant sanity. Mara was a wildcard for him. His mind and body never reacted as he commanded when it came to her.

“If you want me to forget you’re human, I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”

Cal didn’t understand why she couldn’t. He wasn’t entirely certain he was still human. “I know you’re not like anyone else.” Cal heard the words fall from his lips, and they stunned even him. Fuck. What was it about her? She made him lose his goddamn mind. He wasn’t star struck. She wasn’t the first celebrity he’d ever met.

Mara’s fingers dug into his neck once more. “Does everyone else forget you’re human?” The humor in her voice said Mara was joking, but she had no idea how close she was to the truth.

Before he could answer, a perfunctory knock sounded on the door, and Michael strolled in. “They ended up only needing to make some minor changes, so they’re ready for you.”

Mara stroked Cal’s hair a final time. “Okay.”

Michael leaned back against the door to wait because Cal had come to realize that was what the man did. He silently ensured Mara followed him to where she should be when she should be there. The man never nagged. He didn’t have to. There was something about his unobtrusive presence that got people moving.

“Are you feeling any better?” Michael asked, still staring at his phone.

Fuck. It seemed he wasn’t hiding anything from anyone. Even the dude who never looked at anyone knew he felt like shit. “I’m fine,” Cal lied, because of pride.

Mara snorted as she moved back to the cabinet. This time, she pulled out a heating pad. He watched in silence as she plugged it in and placed it on his neck. “Put your head down,” she ordered. “If I need anything, Michael will come get you.”

“I’m supposed to be watching you.”

“Hush,” Mara argued, hearing none of it. She grabbed him a throw pillow from her bed for his head.

“I’ll never sleep like this,” Cal argued, incapable of giving it up, even as he let her shove the pillow beneath his head and readjust the heating pad.

“I told you to hush,” Mara said, heading for the door. “Come find me when you’re better and not a second earlier.”

Cal gave in and closed his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” Even as he agreed, Cal knew it was a lie. He fully intended to wait five minutes and then go find her. She was his job.

* * *

“Are you ready to go?”

Cal lifted his head and blinked. “What?”

Mara smiled. She’d already pulled her hair into a ponytail and washed the makeup from her face before waking him. Cal was obviously exhausted. “We’re done for the night. Are you ready to head home?” For a moment, Cal stared at her as if she’d lost her mind before looking at his watch. Mara crossed the room and unplugged the heating pad. “It’s a good thing these things turn off automatically. You might have ended up burning to death in the past seven hours otherwise. Are you feeling any better?”

Cal stretched and winced. “Define better?” Cal asked as he came to his feet. He stumbled, as if his knee gave out before recovering. His gaze didn’t move her way. Still, Mara looked away, hoping to save his pride. The man was the strongest person she’d ever met. She couldn’t imagine him ever wanting anyone to see him weak. “Um, just let me hit the bathroom real quick and I’ll drive you home.”

“Sure thing,” Mara said, kicking off her heels and exchanging them for running shoes.

Cal closed himself inside the small bathroom. Mara sat at the table, patiently waiting. She could hear water splashing on the other side. Sometimes, Cal seemed… damaged. Mara couldn’t think of another way to describe the way he closed himself away. She had questions she didn’t know how to ask. The bathroom door opened, and Cal stepped out, looking a hair better than he had going in. He’d obviously smoothed his dark hair back with water, and his light-blue eyes didn’t flash with pain as they’d done earlier. She’d honestly believed he’d drop before they made it back to the trailer earlier. Mara was relieved.

“Do you think you’ll live?”

Cal flashed Mara a smile at her question. “Nothing has killed me yet.”

His statement did nothing to kill her curiosity. “Do you have a lot of experience with things trying to kill you?”

“You’d be surprised,” Cal said before quickly changing the topic. “How was the rest of the shoot?” he asked as he pulled her to her feet.

“Productive.”

Cal held on to Mara. She couldn’t pull away. Oddly, she didn’t want to. “I’m sorry about today. I promise I’ll try harder not to fail you in the future.”

“Do you ever stop being hard on yourself? You didn’t let me down in any way. You’ve been amazing.”

The fact that he still held her hands seemed to penetrate his focus. Cal quickly dropped them and stepped away. “Still, if anything had happened to you, I would’ve had to live with that. I have too many things to keep me up at night as it is. It won’t happen again.”

Mara shook her head. “I was working. You weren’t really needed. Stop beating yourself up before I start.”

Cal’s mouth lifted in one corner. “Did you just threaten me?”

As she opened the door, Mara shrugged. “Maybe. I may be small, but I’m fierce.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”

Mara turned, ready to tease Cal some more. A flash of blonde hair caught her eye. The woman was gone, and the moment was over as quickly as it happened, but Mara’s heart was still in her throat. Obviously, it wasn’t Early. Early was gone. But the memory overcame her without permission.

A flash of blonde curls moving in the opposite direction caught Mara’s attention. Why would Early be skulking about? Mara pushed away from her desk, leaving the script she’d been reading behind. She found Early pouring herself a shot of vodka in the game room.

“Is everything okay?”

Early tipped back the glass, draining its contents before responding. “Of course. I’m off work tonight, and you’re busy. So, I thought I might get plastered by myself.”

A chuckle escaped Mara. “I’m not working on anything I can’t set aside for the night.”

Sexy blue eyes remained locked on Mara as Early poured herself another shot and killed it. Mara’s blood heated. She wanted everything Early’s gaze promised. “Landon isn’t here.”

“Does he need to be?” Mara asked, taking a step closer, slowly closing the distance between them.

“No. I’m just pointing out the obvious, I guess,” Early said before tossing back a third shot. Early swiped her mouth and gave up on the glass. Instead, she turned the bottle up and chugged. Mara might’ve thought something was wrong, if not for the way Early kept looking at her—like she was about to get fucked on a bar. Early set the bottle aside. Before Mara saw the move coming, Early snagged her waist and spun, pushing Mara’s back against the wooden surface and boxing her in. Damn, she always forgot how strong Early was. Early’s fingers found the hem of Mara’s shirt and dove beneath. She massaged the bare skin at Mara’s sides. The way she stared at Mara’s mouth had Mara near to panting with desire. “When you were in France last week, everything felt wrong without you.”

White hot rage pulled Mara from the memory. She just fucking bet everything felt wrong without her while they were getting married and Mara was fucking clueless. She was so sick of lies. Everyone lied. Everything Mara thought she knew about Landon, Early, and herself—all bullshit. She wanted honesty in her life, even if it hurt. Even if it was someone telling her to mind her goddamn business or to go fuck herself. At least it would come from a place of truth.

She glanced Cal’s way.

He tried rubbing his knee on the sly.

Mara broke. “If I asked you a question, would you tell me the truth?”

Cal shrugged but didn’t look her way as he unlocked the passenger side door to the SUV and let her in. “I suppose.”

She gave him a sharp nod but didn’t spring until he was behind the wheel. The moment he was seated, she turned in her seat. “What’s wrong with you?”

To her surprise, when Cal turned his head, he wore a huge grin. “That’s a long list.”

Mara swallowed, refusing to let herself get distracted by the sexy way his ice-blue eyes flashed with silent laughter. She waved off his claim. “Hit me with the highlights. Why are you in so much pain all the time but trying to hide it?” Cal sat back, looking thoughtful. She wondered if he was trying to think of a lie. “Never mind,” she grumbled, turning away and focusing on the windshield while seeing nothing. “If you’re just going to make some shit up, I’d rather not hear it.”

Cal brushed the tip of his finger across the top of her hand, startling her and pulling her attention back his way. His heart was in her eyes. “I’m not one for making up stories, but I’m also not one for soul baring. The short version is, I was in the military and got caught up in some stuff. I saw some horrible shit. Came home a fucked-up mess. Sometimes, my eyesight falters. I have debilitating migraines. This leg is fake,” he said, knocking on his left leg below the knee. “It’s not a big deal to anyone other than me, so I keep it to myself. Plus,” he said with a self-deprecating smile, “no one really wants what’s inside this head.”

Mara didn’t know if that was true. Every day, she found she craved his thoughts more and more.

“Do you need to go to the cemetery before I take you home?”

Without warning, at Cal’s question, Mara’s eyes filled with tears. “How did you know?”

“I saw it in your face a few minutes ago.”

Mara swallowed past the lump growing in her throat. “Sorry. Sometimes, I see things that aren’t there.”

Cal turned the keys in the ignition. “Just sometimes? That’s every day for me.” Despite the laughter in Cal’s voice, Mara got the impression he wasn’t joking.

“Aren’t we a pair?”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Cal said, pulling from the lot. Silence fell between them, and Mara tried clearing her mind. Cal had given her a glimpse into his mind. He hadn’t shown her anything she couldn’t handle. Still, Mara mulled over his confessions for a full ten minutes. She wished she could help. After all, there was nothing she could do for herself. The cemetery came into view, and the familiar weight of her loss landed on her chest. It never got lighter. Nor did she get stronger. Wasn’t one of those things supposed to happen?

Cal opened her door and followed on Mara’s heels. When she reached her family’s vault, he gave her space, but she could still feel his silent strength at her back. Mara traced the letters carved into cold stone. There wasn’t enough self-torment to soothe her. Once she’d touched the only thing she had left of Landon and Early, Mara retreated to a nearby bench where she could see their names.

Cal sat down beside her. “Early and Landon Kincaid. I’m guessing, since you said your mother was your only family, that they’re friends of yours.”

Mara nodded, trying hard not to cry. She was so damn tired of tears. “They were my security team before you.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Cal nod. “I could see you hiring a husband and wife team.”

A smile tugged at Mara’s lips. “They weren’t married when I hired them. Have you ever loved anyone?” Mara asked without thought.

“I thought I did once,” Cal said, sounding as cold as ever.

Mara couldn’t tear her gaze away from their names. The stone etchings were the only thing that made their deaths real. “What happened?” she asked absently.

Cal didn’t respond.

His silence made her want to fill it with confessions. Landon and Early were gone. It no longer mattered what anyone knew. Maybe if someone knew, they’d be real to her again. “I hired Early first. She was this tiny thing with blonde curls and big blue eyes. Her looks were deceptive. She also had a black belt and was fearless. I’d had a woman try to take pictures of me in a public restroom. The incident highlighted a huge gap in my security. So I hired a woman who could go everywhere with me.”

“Sounds like you made a good move.”

Mara nodded, still staring at the tomb. “You’d think. The studio I worked with back then required I have two full-time guards at all times. Early said she knew an out-of-work stuntman who would be perfect as my second guard. I hired him sight unseen. That’s how much I trusted her.” Mara took a deep breath. There wasn’t a clear starting point in her mind. Maybe she’d been in love from the beginning. When she looked back on her life, she couldn’t remember who’d started things. Only who’d ended them. “There were so many heated glances and accidental brushing of skin.”

“With Landon or Early?”

Cal’s question startled her a bit. She’d nearly forgotten he was there. Cal was strong and steady, but—in her moment of weakness—Mara might’ve confessed her sins to anyone. “Both,” she admitted without an ounce of shame. She’d kissed her pride goodbye long ago. “By six months in, I didn’t know who I was any longer. Two years in, I thought I knew exactly what we were. I thought we were these three pieces of the same soul, fitting together and sharing a life.” In fact, those were the words she used to describe them to anyone who knew of their relationship. The joke had always been on her, it seemed. “Landon never really liked being just a guard after having spent some time in the limelight. Acting is an addiction. One I understand, so I pulled some strings and got him a small gig on a limited series shot in New Orleans. Immediately, it felt a lot like we were headed in different directions and I hated it.” She’d hated herself too, but that was still true.

“He didn’t move out. I took it as a sign that he wanted to be there, and I let that nagging feeling go. But there was another thing tickling at the back of my mind, and I couldn’t ignore that. I didn’t want to hide.” Mara finally glanced over and met Cal’s gaze. “I stopped caring what the world thinks. That isn’t something I thought I’d ever achieve, but I did—for them.”

Cal motioned toward the stone wall. “How did they end up here?”

“Because of me,” Mara answered. The first tear fell. She turned her face away. “They didn’t want to go public about our relationship, and I did, so they left. I was devastated. It was so easy for them to go—like I’d never meant anything.” Mara swallowed. More tears came. “A month later, Early showed up at the clothing store we were at a while ago. We hid in the dressing room and talked. She confessed she’d married Landon over a year before they left. It was one blow too many. I was cold. She wanted to speak her piece. I only wanted to speak mine.” Mara froze inside. She fought the urge to run at the tomb and bang her fists against it at the unfairness of life. Most of all, she wanted to go inside and lie down beside them where she belonged. The tears wouldn’t stop. It made no sense for one person to hurt so much and live.

“Early looked shattered when she walked away from me. I’m ashamed to admit, I got a small sense of satisfaction in that moment. I wanted her to hurt the way she’d hurt me. She went home, shot Landon in the head, set their house on fire, and sat down to die. I’m stuck here, still on the outside.”

* * *

Cal couldn’t stop staring at Mara. Everything about this day felt out of his control and wrong. He never stared without permission. Cal definitely never asked questions of anyone. He’d always thought hell would freeze before he offered his opinion without being asked for it. Mara had him stepping over every boundary he’d set for himself. The ones he used to keep himself sane.

“So, that’s who I am,” Mara said with a shrug. “Are you sure you want to keep working for me? I can fall apart without a moment’s notice.”

To Cal’s horror, his thoughts on the matter took life without his permission. It pissed him off Mara cried. “With all due respect, I’ve met a hundred people like the ones you just described. I don’t think they were ever who you remember them being. That’s no reflection on you. I love working for you, and I’m not scared of tears or mental breakdowns.”

“Who were they?” Mara asked, ignoring the rest of his statement. “I think you’re right about me never knowing.” Mara’s words came out in a whisper. She held Cal’s gaze with her heart in her eyes. Cal knew she waited for someone to confirm the truth she already suspected. Cal gave her the honesty she deserved.

“Early sounds like a woman with no self-esteem who fell in love with a man she felt was out of her league. He had aspirations but no way of making his dreams come true. She would’ve done anything to keep him happy.” Cal couldn’t stop. It was like his brain had been hijacked. The cold truth wouldn’t stop rolling off his tongue. “Then you came along. Landon saw you running around the house in cute little pjs all moist from the shower.”

“Don’t say moist.”

Cal blew out a breath. “Would you prefer dewy?”

“Not really, no,” Mara said, sounding pragmatic.

Cal didn’t let it slow him. “Whatever. You looked sexy and lonely. He thought about you more than he should, and he remembered that story Early told him about the time she ate out that girl in college.”

“I doubt she ate anyone out in college.”

Cal ignored her interruption. “The next thing you know, she thinks it’s her idea they lure you to bed. All the while he’s hoping that he’ll whet your appetite for being with them as well as your pussy once you’re all starry-eyed from the dick surprise.”

A burst of laughter escaped Mara. The sound didn’t soften him. Cal had to say his piece because no one should be as broken as him, especially not someone as beautiful as Mara. People needed lovely things to be lovely for no reason at all other than they just were. “Then, he had what he wanted—a meal ticket, you in his bed, and a step up into the career of his dreams. His wife had you, being more of a partner to her than the man she married. That’s who they were. That’s why they couldn’t have to world looking too closely at it. The question is, who were you in that equation?”

Mara tore her gaze away and focused on the vault. “I’m the fool who got her heart broken.” Mara’s mouth lifted in one corner in a sardonic smile. “It’s odd. When they left, I thought that was the worst thing they could possibly do to me. Then Early proved me wrong, and they ended up here.”

Cal stood. Chivalry he hadn’t thought he possessed any longer rose inside him. He helped Mara stand, ready to carry out of there. Even once she was on her feet, Cal didn’t release her hands. It was the second time in one day he hadn’t been able to let her go. Her gaze shot to his. The words came without thought. “You’re not a fool, Mara. Those of us who are weak can’t stop ourselves from destroying good people in the process of ripping ourselves to shreds. That’s not your fault. You’re one of the good ones.”

Mara’s grip tightened on Cal’s hands for a second. Her expression screamed curiosity. He wished he hadn’t said anything. “Is Cal short for Calvin?”

An unexpected smile exploded across his face. Mara truly was like no other. It was no wonder she was famous and irresistible. “No.” Leaving it at that, he picked up her purse. “Are you ready?”

Mara released a heavy sigh. “As ready as I’ll ever be, Callum.”

Cal couldn’t stop smiling. “Nope. Nice try, but you’re still wrong.”

“Dang,” Mara cursed as she headed for the SUV. “I’ll figure this out eventually. Mark my words.”

Cal kept smiling, because he couldn’t seem to stop in Mara’s presence, but he hoped like hell she never figured out his name. Right now, he got to pretend he was someone else. Once she knew who he was, he’d still be the fucked-up mess he was every day before they’d met, but she’d know it. He’d only given her the bare bones of his story earlier. With his name, she’d know it all, and he’d become less in her eyes.