“So, this chick—Meadow—is supposed to be a newly discovered heir to the company?” Kaiti was reading over the character bio.

“Yeah. You watch the show, right?”

She nodded absently, still reading. “Doesn’t everyone?”

“Up until now, only four heirs have been introduced. Tyler, Tia, Warren, and Layla. All the offspring of the founding four. Well, actually only three of the founders were thought to have heirs.”

“Enter Meadow,” she muttered, pursing her mouth to one side.

“Exactly. The previously-unknown, illegitimate child of the fourth partner.”

“I forget, did they ever say whether there was foul play behind the plane crash that killed the founding four?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, but there are mutterings around the set that there may be something coming on that front. Of course, they say that every season and nothing ever comes of it.”

“Damn teases,” she said, chewing her lip as she concentrated on the lines. “And Meadow doesn’t have any clue what she’s gotten herself into, I see. I can relate to her already.”

“You’ll do great, Kaiti. And even if you don’t, it’s only you and me here. We can keep trying until you get it perfect.”

She huffed out a breath and met my gaze. “No, I don’t want this to be a long, drawn-out process. I can either nail it in the first couple of read-throughs or I can’t. I won’t keep trying to coax out something that may not even be there.”

I raised a brow. “So…?”

“So…call Bryce. Skype or Facetime with him, and let him know we’re doing no more than two passes on this. Period. After that, he can either cast me as Meadow or leave me the hell alone.”

I had the overwhelming desire to kiss her obstinate little mouth just then, and I barely fought back the urge.

She really was amazing. Even as I made the call, I knew this was only the beginning for us.

As future co-stars, as friends, and maybe as a hell of a lot more, if this yearning in my chest was any indication.

* * *

“But I don’t know anything about running a business, much less a Fortune 500 company.” She paced nervously as she spoke, shooting me disbelieving glances. “When I was eight, I had a lemonade stand that went belly up…in the south…in freaking July.” Her exasperated tone was spot on, her body language exactly suited to the scene we were portraying. She was so good, in fact, that I was too dazzled by her to fully immerse myself in my own role.

“There are no sales involved. It’s strictly financial management.” I wasn’t feeling Tyler’s presence, but faking it was easy enough. I wasn’t the focus of this little exercise anyway. I shot a glance at my phone, having propped it up on the windowsill so Bryce could see as much of the room as possible. The screen was small but I could make out enough to know he was nodding in approval.

“Oh, that’s much better.” She poured on the sarcasm, throwing her hands up. “Until a week ago, I had eleven dollars and thirty-seven cents in my savings account. Clearly, I’m the one to go to about financial planning and money management.”

“Meadow, breathe,” I told her—settling into my own role, like pulling on a perfectly tailored suit. “You’re freaking out now, but trust me, you’re going to be fine.”

“No offense, Mr. Savage,” she said with thinly veiled exasperation, “but how the hell would you know that?”

I strode across the room and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Because it wasn’t so long ago that my sister and I were in your shoes. We were thrown into this just like you, and we figured it out. You will too, probably faster than we did because you have an edge we never had.”

“And what edge is that?” She looked up, meeting my eyes with a combination of wariness and vulnerability that made me—Gavin, not Tyler—really want to kiss her.

“You have someone watching your back,” I told her earnestly. “You have me.”

She shook her head, pulling away as she resumed pacing. “I don’t need anyone to look out for me.”

“No, Meadow, you’ve never had anyone to look out for you. That’s not the same thing.”

Her hair swirled around her face as she spun toward me, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why do you care so much? What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing. I just know how vicious this business can be. It’s brutal. There are a lot of back-door dealings and you never know who you can trust. My sister and I learned that the hard way; I see no reason for you to have to do the same.”

She pursed her lips and considered for a moment. “Is it really that bad? Everyone here has been so welcoming; all smiles and open arms.”

“Something I’ve learned in the last few years—never take anything at face value.”

“Even your offer of friendship?”

I gave her a half smile. “Even that.”

“So, what ulterior motive do you have?”

“I want to keep you from getting swallowed up by this place. I’d hate to see you become one of them.”

“So, Savage might be your last name, but the real savages are all around us?”

“Bingo.” I gave her a slow wink.

We’d reached the end of the scene, but I kept my eyes on hers, watching as she slid out of Meadow’s head and back into her own. It was like she’d been acting her whole life—she had great instincts and presence. She delivered the lines perfectly and put enough of her natural spark into them to make them sing.

“Excellent, Kaiti.” Bryce’s voice cut into the heavy silence between us.

She blinked, turning toward the phone as she nodded. “Thanks. We can do the second pass now if you want. Just give me a minute to grab some water.” She looked to me, her eyes never actually touching on mine. “Thirsty?”

I shook my head, though my mouth was dry as the Sahara.

“Not necessary,” Bryce said, sounding excited. “I’ve seen all I need to. Kaiti, the part is yours. You’re absolutely the right person for it, as I suspected. Take the rest of the weekend off and I’ll see you first thing Monday morning. Gavin can give you directions to the set.” He paused and cut a look in my direction. “Or you can carpool if he’s still staying over at that point.” He gave her a pointed look and that signature brow raise that he deployed when he wanted to appear intimidating. “And Kaiti, leave the stun gun at home, will you?”

I wanted to snap at him for being a shit, but he gave a little wave and hung up before I could call him out.

“Taser,” she corrected absently at the darkened screen and froze.

When I looked over at Kaiti to apologize for his rude assumption, she was white as a sheet, still staring at my phone like it was about to explode.

“Kaiti?” My heart kicked up at the sight of her like that, the slow blink and blank expression was so removed from the spirited, fearless girl I’d met only the day before that it freaked me out, which wasn’t an easy thing to do. I dropped the phone to the coffee table and grasped her upper arms. “Hey, you okay?”

“Shit,” she breathed, searching my face.

“What?”

“I didn’t think it would happen this way.” Her eyes widened further and she kept blinking like she was hallucinating. “I was supposed to suck. That was what I expected.”

“Well, you didn’t. You’re a natural.”

She drew in a breath and nodded, apparently realizing I was right. “Shit.”

“Want that water now?”

She moved to sit on the love seat. “Put a little bourbon in it, will ya?”

“It’s a little early for that, but under the circumstances…”

“Breakfast of champions,” she muttered, beginning to laugh.

It was the laughter of someone on the edge of losing their shit; that shrill ‘it’s either this or fucking cry’ kind of laugh. I grudgingly left her to it while I made her drink, mixing it as weak as possible and returning to her side just as tears joined her laughter. Both her hands were doing that thing where the fingers touched to her thumb, but they stopped as soon as she realized I was back.

I gave her the drink and sat down next to her before rubbing a hand across her back in a gesture of comfort. “This an anxiety thing?” I knew damn well it was but I wanted to get her talking, and that was the least stupid question I could come up with.

“Pretty much,” she managed before draining half the glass.

I cupped the side of her neck and I pulled her head onto my shoulder. “It’s okay. Work through it. I’m not going anywhere.”

The laughter and tears were both slowing, fading, and I wanted to think I had something to do with that. “I lied to you,” she said on a long exhalation.

“Oh yeah? About what?” I stroked her arm as I held her against my side.

“I said I wasn’t scared but I am.”

I leaned my cheek against the top of her head, trying to ignore the sweet smell of her shampoo and the heat of her body against my side. “We all lie about being scared.”

“When was the last time you were afraid of anything?” she asked, wiping away her tears.

When I woke up holding you in your bed and didn’t want to let you go.

I wasn’t about to tell her the truth, so I went with, “More recently than you’d think. Everyone has anxiety about something and no one is impervious to fear. Anyone who tells you different is full of shit.”

She nuzzled her head against my shoulder, sighing. “Sometimes fear and anxiety serve a purpose. They warn us when we’re about to screw up.”

“And sometimes they make us too afraid to take chances that could change our entire lives for the better.”

She nodded slightly. “Then how do we know which it is?”

“We don’t. We just keep moving forward, no matter how much fear tries to hold us back.”

“Meaning you think I should take the part as Meadow even though I’m petrified.”

“Meaning I think you should take the part as Meadow because you’re petrified. The best moments in life are usually one step past our greatest fears.”

She chuckled and lifted her head, smirking at me. “If I agree to go through with this, will you stop talking like a motivational speaker?”

I returned her smile and winked. “I’ll try, but only if you promise to come to me if you ever need another pep talk.”

“I promise.” She leaned away to reach for her glass, then dropped her free hand to my knee and patted it fondly. “You’ll probably be my only friend on set, so you might wish you could take back that offer.”

“Doubtful. On both counts. Everyone on the show will love you, and I’d never back out on a friend.”

She offered me some of her bourbon water and I gratefully accepted. “So, we really are friends, huh?” I nodded and she shook her head. “How is this my life? Three days ago, I was bored and going nowhere. Now I have a role on one of the hottest shows on TV and Gavin-fucking-Lane actually thinks of me as a friend.”

I laughed and did my best fangirl impersonation. “He slept in your bed too! In his underwear!”

She tossed a throw pillow at my head. I ducked and retaliated by stealing a long swallow of her drink.

She countered in her own high-pitched voice. “And he even humped my leg in his sleep!”

Turns out even watered-down bourbon burns like a bitch when it comes out your nose.

* * *

It was all I could do to make myself leave that afternoon. After my unfortunate sinus flushing, we’d laughed and joked for hours, mostly at each other’s expense. She was a spitfire, that was for damn sure, and she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by me. It was nice being with her, uncomplicated and light-hearted. Mostly, it was nice being myself.

Eventually, I realized if I didn’t leave right then, I’d likely end up staying another night. And that wasn’t a good idea.

It was a great idea if you asked my dick, but that was beside the point. I didn’t want to cross any lines and ruin what was happening between me and Kaiti, even if my attraction to her was getting harder to ignore.

I’d ended up giving some hollow excuse about having plans with friends and she’d hidden her disappointment well—but not so well that I didn’t see it. Before I left, I made sure she had my number and directions to the building we leased for shoots. She’d walked me to the door and given me a long hug before watching me go.

The rest of the night dragged on forever, with me kicked back on my stiff, uncomfortable couch in my bland apartment, avoiding calls from pretty much everyone. There was an offer to be seen with an old castmate and her entourage at a club, but I ignored it. I wasn’t in the mood. It was exhausting spending time with other industry types. I always had to be on, playing the part of the big deal TV star like they did.

It was wearing on me—all of it. I’d been dragging for a while, not finding pleasure in the art like I used to. Not really feeling it. Not feeling anything except alone.

Kaiti Oliver, though, might have changed everything.

For both of us.

I felt alive with her, more energized than I’d been in a long time. I needed that. Needed her.

She’d told me a lot about herself last night, probably more than she intended and definitely more than she recalled. Knowing what I did, there was no doubt that she was a fighter and kind of my hero, if I was being totally honest.

But was I a total ass for encouraging her to take the part because it was what I wanted, especially knowing what I did about this business and how awful it could be? The media, the execs, the other actors and actresses… It wasn’t as glamorous as people thought, and sometimes it was downright hostile.

Would she continue to surprise me with her strength and tenacity?

Or would they break her?

If they did, I would be the one to blame.