“This Austen chick’s writing is wicked hard to recite,” Mikey, the actor playing Charles Bingley, told me as soon as Declan yelled “cut.”

There were few things in life that amused me as much as hearing the Boston-born actor switch from his hometown accent into a flawless British one the moment the cameras were rolling.

“Wicked hard indeed,” Morgan drawled from her couch across from Mikey.

I grinned at both of them, glad that I was part of a cast that knew how to have fun between scenes.

Declan sauntered over, looking every inch the badass director in his motorcycle boots and messy black hair. Of course, the minute he opened his mouth, it became abundantly clear that while he was, indeed, a badass, he was also a huge Jane Austen nerd.

“How did that feel?” he asked.

“I’d like to do a few more takes,” I told him. “Felt like I was going a little too intense in that last one.”

“I don’t think there’s such thing as too intense when it comes to Darcy,” Morgan commented. “And check out your girlfriend. She clearly feels the same.”

I glanced over at Penny, who was doing her best to fade into the wallpaper. But despite those efforts, I could see that she had been watching the scene with rapt focus. In fact, her eyes looked a little glazed over at the moment. Maybe the scene had been working after all. I knew that she was a huge Austen fan. She’d tell me whether or not it was working.

“Olivia?” Declan asked. “How did you feel?”

“I agree with Jax,” she said, getting up and coming over. “Not because I think he was coming on too strong, but I would like to try it a few different ways.”

I liked Olivia. Even though we’d only been working together for a few days, it was clear that she took the work incredibly seriously, and was always open to trying new things. She was an ideal scene partner, and I felt the chemistry between us was coming off great on camera.

In fact, it was a real pleasure to be working with most people in the cast. Everyone seemed excited to be there and dedicated to making the film the best it could be. Sadly I couldn’t say the same for every film I had been on, but so far the films I had done with Declan—both of them—were like this. It made my job a lot easier and it made me feel like I was actually doing the job I wanted to do.

We ran the scene a couple of more times, and I could see exactly what Olivia was talking about. Her changes were subtle, but they affected my performance—for the better. By the end, I felt confident that we had a really fantastic take for Declan to use.

As the crew began to reset the lights, I headed over to where Penny was still trying to be at one with the wallpaper.

“What did you think?” I asked, realizing I was eager to hear her thoughts.

Her eyes were still wide. “Wow,” she said. “Just wow.”

“Really?” I asked, feeling incredibly relieved. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted her approval, or how great it would feel to get it.

“You’re amazing,” she said, her eyes shining. “It was just incredible.”

“Thanks,” I said, the praise more than I expected, and yet, exactly what I needed. “I’m really glad you enjoyed it.”

“You’re so good,” she said. “When the camera rolls, you are Darcy.”

I felt warmed from the inside. “You’re just saying that because I paid for your apartment and bought you clothes and flew you out here all expenses paid,” I teased.

She laughed. “My opinion doesn’t come so cheap,” she quipped back.

“Jax.” One of the costume women touched my shoulder. “Can we borrow you for a few moments?”

“Sure.” I turned to Penny. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”

She nodded.

I followed the costume woman, who just needed to fix something on my shirt sleeve, but as I was heading back to the set, I was cornered by one of the actresses. The one who was playing Jane Bennet.

“Jax!” she said, as if we were old friends, instead of two people who had met briefly a few days before.

In fact, I was struggling to remember her name.

“Hey, uh . . .” I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Lulu,” she prompted.

“Right, of course,” I said, making sure to keep walking towards set and towards where Penny was waiting for me. “How can I help you, Lulu?”

“Oh, you silly,” she said, letting out a bright little laugh, and touching my arm. “It’s not how you can help me, it’s how I can help you.”

I raised an eyebrow in her direction, and she batted her eyelashes in mine.

“I was just going to offer my, um, services,” she said, her voice low and sultry.

I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to face her.

“Excuse me?”

“To help you run lines, of course.” Her expression was innocent.

“Of course,” I repeated, taking a step away from her.

I’d met plenty of actresses like Lulu and knew that it was best to stay away. Far away. We were only a few feet away from where the next scene was being filmed, and I could see Penny waiting patiently for me.

Lulu moved in closer, wetting her lips.

“Penny!” I called out, and Lulu stepped back as Penny joined us in the hallway. “Penny, I want you to meet Lulu.” I put my arm around Penny’s waist. I felt her stiffen, but thankfully she didn’t move away. “Lulu is playing Jane Bennet.”

“Oh,” Penny said, and I saw something flash across her expression. But whatever it was, it disappeared quickly, replaced by a smile.

“And Lulu, this is Penny.” I gave Penny a kiss on the cheek. “My girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lulu said, putting on a sickly-sweet smile.

“And you,” Penny responded, the two of them clearly sizing each other up.

“Well,” I said, a little too loudly. “I should probably head in.” I gestured towards the room behind us where the lights were being set up.

“I guess I’ll see you around,” Lulu said, shooting me a wink before swishing off down the hallway.

I slumped in relief the moment she was out of sight.

“Thank God you were here,” I told Penny, sweeping her into a hug.

“I think you would have survived,” she told me, pulling away. “And we need to set some boundaries.”

I stared at her. “Boundaries?”

Penny looked around and lowered her voice. “About us. About this whole thing.” She gestured between us. “About what is fake. And what is real.”

Oh. Right. For a moment, I had completely forgotten about the whole “paying my old childhood friend to be my girlfriend for the paparazzi.”

But before I could say anything, Declan popped his head out into the hallway.

“Ready, mate?” he asked.

I turned back to Penny. “We’ll talk about this at hotel, OK?”

She nodded, biting her lip. Her very, very nice lips.

I headed back onto set, thinking that whatever boundaries Penny was imagining were boundaries I was going to want to break down, one by one.

It had been a long day. Penny had stayed on the set with me all day, which had done a lot for my self-esteem, as she was quick to offer praise—and feedback—between every scene. And because it was Penny, I knew that she was being honest. I knew that she wasn’t doing it to appeal to my ego or to butter me up or to get something out of me. She was saying it because she meant it.

But when we got back to the hotel, she suddenly got weird and nervous. The door closed behind us and she started pacing the room, twirling her hair and fidgeting.

“Calm down,” I told her, sitting on the couch and patting the cushion next to me.

She ignored me. “We need to set some ground rules,” she told me.

“I know,” I said. “So go ahead and set them.”

“OK,” she said, still not stopping.

I was a little worried she was going to pull a chunk of hair out her head.

“Tell me what’s bothering you,” I told her, knowing that there had to be something in particular.

“That!” She stopped and pointed towards the bedroom.

I stood and went over to the room, checking it out. I let out a low whistle.

“The bedroom? Yeah, it’s a nice one, isn’t it?”

Penny shook her head. “No! I mean, yes, but that’s not the point. The point is that we are not sharing it. You’re sleeping on the floor. Or on the couch.”

I chuckled and walked over to her.

“Come with me.” I took her hand and led her into the bedroom.

I felt her tense, but she followed me anyway. I wondered if she thought that I was going to throw her on the bed and ravish her. I was sorely tempted, but I was guessing it wouldn’t go over so well, so I showed her the door nearly hidden behind one of the long tapestries. Opening it I revealed another suite with another bedroom.

“That’s where I’ll be sleeping,” I told her. “I am a gentleman after all.”

She looked so relieved that my pride was slightly bruised.

“I’m glad,” Penny said, sagging in relief. “It’s better this way.”

I stood in the doorway, my shoulder against the doorjamb.

“It is?”

“Yes.” She looked over at me. “This is all pretend, remember?”

“Only because you want it to be pretend,” I reminded her. “I’m pretty sure I got down on one knee and asked you to marry me.”

She glared at me. “Only because of a dumb pact we made fifteen years ago.”

“Not exactly,” I told her, making sure to give her a meaningful look. One that I hope told her how little I was going to have to pretend with her.

It apparently worked because she blushed furiously.

“Stop it,” she said. “I know you have your pick of beautiful actresses.” She dug her toes into the carpet. “Like that blonde one that cornered you in the hallway.”

“Lulu?” I asked. “If you think I’m interested in her, then—”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Penny asked. “She’s gorgeous.”

“She’s dangerous,” I countered. “I don’t trust her. And I don’t mess around with people I don’t trust.”

Penny seemed surprised by this, and I was disappointed by how poor her opinion seemed to be of me.

“You think I’d screw around with someone like her when I have someone like you?” I asked.

Her blush returned. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “We’re alone. No paparazzi around.”

“I know,” I told her. “I’m doing it because I mean it.”

“You barely know me,” she said, repeating what she had told me the night at the bar.

I reached out and adjusted the strap of her dress which had been precariously close to sliding off her shoulder.

“I know enough,” I told her.

I wanted to kiss her. Badly. And for a moment it seemed like she wanted me to kiss her too. But instead of leaning forward, she put her hands on my chest and gave me a solid shove, pushing me out of her room and into mine.

“Then you’ll know that when I say boundaries, I mean boundaries.”

And then she shut the door in my face.

I couldn’t help but grin. Because Penny was exactly the same stubborn girl I had known fifteen years ago. And while I was grateful she hadn’t changed, I also knew that I was just as stubborn.