Camden

I felt a renewed sense of control as I exited the limo. I had said my piece, and it was more than evident that Kate Prescott wasn’t immune to my charms and had at least, for a second, considered giving into the undeniable attraction between the two of us. I took a moment to glance back at Kate, who was trying desperately to compose herself enough to exit the vehicle. She looked adorably flustered and God help me, I loved that I’d had that effect on her. I had begun to think that perhaps I wouldn’t be able to penetrate her armor, but that car ride had made it clearer than ever that Amber was wrong. Kate Prescott was most definitely attainable.

Grinning, I watched as Kate rose from the car and straightened out her sexy little romper before giving her hair a fluff. She inhaled deeply and eyed me with…what was that? I couldn’t quite describe what I had seen there, but it disarmed me a bit. Kate, however, took one overly confident step forward, not relinquishing my gaze, and promptly tripped over the hem of her pant leg, which sent her lurching forward into my waiting arms. The gods were clearly smiling on me today, I thought as I grasped her, instantly loving the feel of her—of being this close to her again—close enough to take in her sweet scent and to see all of the well-hidden specks of gold in her green eyes. I smiled at her sympathetically as her stunned eyes peered up at me. My silent admiration of this stunning woman and all of her delicious curves was quickly interrupted though as a barrage of camera flashes went off all at once, capturing Kate and me in what looked distinctly like a romantic embrace. The thought of the gossip rags speculating about us immediately put a silly grin on my face. It was at that moment that I finally figured out that look that Kate had had in her eyes from the moment she had stepped out onto the carpet. Fury. She pushed me away sharply but had done so in a way that allowed her to evade the cameras and looked me squarely in the eyes with a bright but disconcertingly fake smile on her face—a look that oddly sent a chill through me. My smile faded as all of my earlier bravado suddenly drained from my body. I took in the seriousness that her stern eyes now held.

She placed a hand on my chest to steady herself and rose onto her tiptoes, so her mouth was just inches from my ear and whispered, “Come on to me like that again, and we’re going to have a serious problem, Hollywood,” she trilled brightly.

To the untrained eye, our exchange would appear as though she were thanking me for my assistance, but her actual intent hadn’t been lost on me for a second. She was ready to have my balls—and not in a good way.

Kate turned to the cameras feigning embarrassment. “My hero,” she exclaimed jovially. “Thank God there are a few gentlemen left in the world to save us novices in heels.”

The paps laughed at her good-naturedly. I knew instantly that she had just downgraded our red carpet embrace from front page salacious gossip to the “Celebrities are Just Like Us” section with the innocuous subhead, “They Help Friends.” The thought nauseated me as Kate and I walked side by side to the photo pit. I suddenly felt a bit ill as I watched her intently.

“Kate, I…”

“Look, I get it,” she said sharply as she negotiated our way through the crowd on the carpet. “You’re testing the boundaries with me, and that’s fine, I’m up to it, but if you’re trying to distract me from my job, you’ll have to do far better than that, Cookie. This isn’t my first time at the rodeo.” She patted my chest, and I couldn’t help but grin at how neatly she had put me back in my place. Kate was a pro and it was at that moment that I realized that underestimating this woman would certainly be my downfall.

As her work required, Kate ushered me over to the photo pit, where I joined several other members of the Due North cast, including our leading lady, Alexis Hathaway, who gleamed like a rare jewel in a ruby-colored evening gown and looked every inch the starlet. The cameras ate us up. I knew that Alexis and I always made a very pretty picture, especially with Alexis’s enviable figure—courtesy of an unfortunate coke habit—and her perfectly coiffed head of ice blonde hair and dramatic makeup. I, however, could only think of how much I wished it was Kate standing by my side—even with the stern expression that now made her face appear all business.

Matt Castell soon joined the group on the carpet, his good-natured energy immediately igniting not only the cast but the crowd of onlookers that he excited with his sheer presence. I allowed my gaze to drift momentarily over to Kate, who was watching Matt with a grin as he palled around with his cast mates. His affable energy and boisterous movement had jostled the collar on his shirt just enough so that it stuck straight up. I watched as Kate walked over to him to straighten it out, so that it lay flat.

“I’m a fucking mess, aren’t I?” Matt said with a boyish grin.

“Nothing a good publicist couldn’t fix,” she said quietly with a wink.

“That’s why I need ya, Katie!”

Kate smiled more broadly now. I immediately felt perturbed and hated that Matt was always able to inspire a smile to cross those beautiful lips of hers. My mood quickly soured.