I woke up with Penny in my arms, and I knew today was going to be a good day. In fact, every day since Penny had re-entered my life had been better—because she was in it. She was smart, talented, sweet but tough, encouraging but didn’t let me get away with shit—and on top of all of that, she was fucking gorgeous.

And right now, she had my ring on her finger. So what if it wasn’t strictly genuine? Right now, the swell of pride in my chest felt real enough . . . as well as the swelling elsewhere.

She let out a soft sigh and snuggled up closer to me. My body stirred in response—how could it not? I wrapped my arms around her, pressing against her perfect ass and dropping kisses along her shoulder.

Even though I was turned on, though, I wasn’t really focused on sex at the moment. I was just interested in being closer to her. In curling around her.

Worshipping her.

“Good morning,” I whispered.

She turned in my arms, her eyes sleepy.

“Good morning.” She smiled, leaning in and kissing me.

Damn, that was the way to wake up.

I lost myself in the kiss—in her touch and scent. Rolling onto my back, I brought her with me, tucking her under my arm and trapping her hand between my palm and my chest. Looking down, I saw her engagement ring sparkling there on her third finger.

Even though I knew it was for show, I still liked the way it looked on her.

“Do you like it?” I asked her, realizing we hadn’t really spoken about the details of the engagement since it had happened.

Penny held up her hand, the diamond sparkling in the sunlight that streamed into the room.

“I love it,” she said, her voice still sleepy and a little dreamy as well.

“It’s inspired by a ring that Jane Austen used to wear,” I told her. “The original is made from turquoise, but I thought I’d go a little more traditional.”

Penny shifted onto her side to face me. “You picked the ring?” she asked, looking surprised.

I nodded. “I wanted to make sure it was something you would like.” I paused. “Where did you think it came from?”

Penny blushed a little. “I guess I assumed Stella had been in charge of everything.”

My alarm buzzed.

I groaned and rolled over to shut it off. Usually I was excited to go to set, but for some reason, today I just wanted to spend the day with Penny. In bed.

Clothing optional.

“Can’t we just stay here?” Penny yawned, echoing my thoughts.

“I wish. But I’m shooting with Olivia today, just the two of us. I’m guessing people would miss if Darcy wasn’t there to sweep Elizabeth off her feet.”

“You mean, annoy her with his arrogance and snooty charm,” Penny countered with a grin.

I laughed. It was cool that she knew the book—and script—so well. She’d helped me run lines in our downtime and given me advice on the emotions behind the lines. And seeing how excited she was about the production made me feel optimistic about the chances of success down the line. If a die-hard fan like Penny was satisfied, then we wouldn’t be trampling on any Austen-loving toes with our version.

“Want to come watch the scene?” I asked hopefully.

“Maybe later.” Penny smiled back. “I still have a bunch of thank yous to send out.”

“You don’t have to bother with that stuff,” I told her. “Stella can take care of it.”

But Penny shook her head. “People are being so nice, I want to return the kindness.”

Of course she did. I gave her a kiss before heading to the shower. I had a feeling that she would be going right back to sleep before those notes. Not that I could blame her—I had kept her up last night. Just as she was keeping me up right now—my cock still wishing we were in bed with her.

I wanted to crawl back in, to pin her to the bed and have my wicked, wicked way with her. But I took a cold shower instead, knowing that at the very least denying myself this release would give my lines as Darcy—a man practically brimming over with sexual frustration—extra weight.

It seemed to work, because Declan was especially effusive with my performance. He cornered me after we wrapped, not only to congratulate me on the work, but also about the engagement.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” he told me.

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. Everyone had been surprised. And for good reason. Even by Hollywood standards, my engagement to Penny had happened extremely quickly.

“Well, OK, I was a little surprised,” Declan confessed. “But everyone can see that you two are a great couple.” He gave me a thoughtful look. “I mean, she’s way too good for you, but I guess you’ll just have to work extra hard to deserve her.”

I laughed. “Trust me, mate, I could not agree more.”

I thought of Penny that morning, how sweet and soft she had been in my arms. Just a few more hours and I could be with her again.

“You made the right choice,” Declan told me. “Choosing someone outside of Hollywood. You’re going to need her to keep you grounded. To call you on your bullshit.”

“I know,” I agreed readily. “And she’s more than ready to do that. Maybe even when I don’t deserve it.”

Declan gave me a look.

“OK, OK.” I held up my hands. “I always deserve it.”

We were both laughing when Olivia returned, asking about some blocking on the next scene. We’d been shooting all day, but we still had our big scene coming up soon—the dramatic moment between Elizabeth and Darcy when they both finally confess their feelings for each other—and I knew that Olivia was feeling the pressure to get it right.

“The hardest working actors I know,” Declan said with great fondness, before leaving us alone.

“This shouldn’t take long,” Olivia told me. “I know you’re probably eager to get back to Penny.”

“I am,” I said honestly. “But I want to make sure the scene is right. Penny understands how important this is.”

Olivia nodded. “She seems really great,” she told me, strolling a little way away from the camera setups.

“She is,” I agreed, surprised to hear Olivia talking anything except work. She’d been super-professional all shoot: showing up for rehearsals and filming, then disappearing to who knows where? No chatting with the crew, no boozy nights down the pub. I almost admired her discipline and commitment to the role—even if I did think she could be having more fun.

“I heard you’re up for a pretty big role after this one,” she said, giving me a knowing look. “A superhero franchise is a great upward move for you.”

“Thanks, but that’s all still up in the air,” I responded, not sure how much I could say about the job I was still praying to get. Then again, Olivia always seemed to know everything. I would catch her on set, sitting by herself and watching all that was going on around her.

“What’s next for you?” I asked.

“I’d love to tell you . . .” She gave me a secretive smile.

“But then you’d have to kill me?” I asked.

“Yep.” She nodded. “However, I should be able to announce it soon.”

“Something you’re excited about, I hope?” I wanted know, being completely aware of the fact that sometimes actors—even great ones like Olivia—had to take roles they weren’t excited about. It was all part of the game. A game that Olivia seemed to know how to play very, very well.

“I am,” she confirmed. “It’s all going according to plan.”

“You have a plan?” I asked.

“I have many plans,” she told me, her tone becoming serious. “And I always plan five steps ahead. At least.”

I chuckled. There she was again, showing off that laser focus. Planning like that was probably what kept her out of the tabloids and away from the kind of scandals I kept finding myself in. There were probably quite a few things I could learn from her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar figure approach.

“Olivia,” I made the introductions. “You’ve met my publicist, Stella, right?”

“Sure, at the BAFTA tea last year.” Olivia flashed her a smile. “Great to see you again.”

“You too,” Stella cooed. “The dailies look amazing. You’re doing a wonderful job.”

“What about me?” I joked. Stella rolled her eyes.

“You’re fine, too.”

“Fine,” I echoed. “Gee, thanks team.”

Olivia laughed. “I should get going,” she said. “See you tomorrow, Jax.”

The minute she was out of ear shot, Stella gave me an assessing look.

“The two of you look adorable together,” she said. “And I wasn’t kidding about the dailies. Your chemistry is burning up on screen.”

“Thanks.” I started walking towards my trailer, Stella hurrying to keep up. “It’ll all help the movie.”

“You know what else would help the movie?” Stella said, looking thoughtful. “You and Olivia.”

“Me and Olivia what?”

“You and Olivia.” Stella gestured. “Together.”

I laughed, but she seemed serious. “Come on,” I exclaimed. “I literally got engaged to Penny less than 48 hours ago.”

She waved a hand. “I know,” she said, “but the movie won’t be releasing for another year. And if you and Olivia happened to have started dating in time for the press tour—”

“Stella.” I stopped her, sternly. “No.”

“It was just an idea.” Stella smiled. “That’s what you pay me for, isn’t it?”

I gave her a look.

“OK, OK. One fiancée at a time,” she agreed. “Speaking of which, is Penny ready for tomorrow night?”

Tomorrow night the whole cast was going to the premiere of Mikey’s latest movie. It was going to be Penny’s first red carpet premiere, and I planned on making sure that she was pampered and relaxed beforehand.

“She will be,” I told Stella. “Don’t worry about that.”

I knew that red carpets were often difficult for the significant others of actors, especially when they weren’t part of Hollywood, but I also knew that Penny was tough.

Stella, however, did not seem as confident as I was.

“Just be careful,” she told me. “It’s a lot of pressure. She’ll be under the spotlight in a big way, and that’s not easy.”

“Trust me,” I reassured her. “I’ve got this. Penny’s going to feel like the belle of the ball. Everything is going to be fine.”