Over the next few days, he realized just how much he hated the city. The work hours were long and the social events were a pain.

He had to purchase a suit for a dinner party planned on the last evening of filming. So, he’d gone shopping and had returned with a hole in his pocket. How could a simple suit and dress shoes be so damn expensive?

He’d chatted with Emma several more times when she had been hiding from Mark. Once, during a long break when the crew had to repair the set, she’d pulled him into her trailer and they had talked for an hour.

He didn’t know why talking with her was so easy, but he found himself opening up to her more than he had his own mother or sister.

When the evening of the party came, the car arrived to pick him up and he was surprised to see Jim, a busty blonde woman, Emma, and Mark already in the stretch limo.

“Evening,” Jim said casually as JT crawled in directly across from Emma, who was sitting at the very back. “We’re running a little late.” He glanced down at his watch.

Someone handed him a glass of amber liquid and the conversation grew loud as the limo sped through town.

He tried to keep his eyes from returning to Emma, but the red dress she was wearing kept drawing his eyes to her. Her long blonde hair fell in soft ringlets down her bare shoulders. Her lips matched her dress and shoes perfectly. Her dress wasn’t tight, like all the other evening dresses he’d seen her in, but flared out at the bottom. She had gold around her neck and wrists and dangling from her ears so that when she moved even slightly, they swayed and caught the light.

Her eyes met his across the dark space, and he wiggled his eyebrows to get a smile from her.

“You look lovely,” he mouthed.

Her eyes moved over to Mark, then back to his as her smile widened. “Thank you.” Her eyes ran over his suit. “Nice suit.” She covered her mouth as she chuckled.

“What?” he mouthed when her eyes returned to his.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. He glanced over and realized that Mark was too deep in a conversation with Jim to notice them.

“You look uncomfortable.”

He nodded. “I’m no Cary Grant.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she tilted her head as her eyes ran over him again. “Yet you look just as good as he ever did.”

His eyes bore into hers as her cheeks flushed.

Suddenly, the car pulled to a stop and Mark helped Emma out. There were bright lights as he made his way out of the car alone. He tried not to watch as Emma and Mark posed together for the cameras. When shouts of his name rang out, he turned towards them and tried to give his best smile.

The music was loud when he finally entered the private party. A drink was shoved into his hand as Jim pulled him around and introduced him to a bunch of people he figured he would never see again, at least until the night of the premiere.

When one drink was empty, another one was handed to him. Tiny finger food was passed around and he tried to eat at least as much as he drank. When he felt a slight buzz, he set the drink down and asked for some water instead.

He had watched for Emma but had only seen a flash of red every so often in the crowded room.

Almost two hours after arriving, he called for the limo to take him back to his hotel. He figured since the crowd had thinned, he could make his escape.

He was standing outside when he felt her step next to him. Glancing over, he smiled as she stopped by his side.

“Evening.” He ran his eyes over her.

She smiled back at him. “Leaving so soon?” she asked.

“Yes, you?”

She tilted her head. “I wasn’t, but when I saw you sneak out, I figured I would follow.”

“Is Mark not coming along?” He glanced back towards the glass doors and noticed they were alone outside.

“No, he’s neck deep in producers, agents, and people who will kiss his ass.” He could hear the sarcasm in her tone.

“Want to share my ride?” he asked as the black car pulled to a stop in front of them.

When she nodded, he opened the door and helped her slide into the car, then took his spot next to her.

“Did you enjoy the evening?” he asked after the car pulled away from the curb.

“Yes, you?” She turned slightly towards him.

“As much as one could enjoy being in an uncomfortable suit in a room packed with people you don’t know.” He smiled. “You look wonderful tonight,” he said again. He figured the first time didn’t count because he hadn’t said it out loud.

“You too.” She reached over and ran a finger along his collar. “Looks like you can’t wait to pull that tie off.”

He did so and let out a loud sigh, causing her to laugh.

“What about those shoes?” He nodded to her feet, which she’d been wiggling.

She toed off the heels and repeated his sigh, only hers was softer. His body responded.

“Much better.” She leaned back into the leather seats.

“How many more of these do you have to attend?” he asked.

“Too many.” She glanced over at him. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” He looked out the window as the dark city flew by them.

“We’ll miss you.”

He turned and locked eyes with her.

“We or you?” he asked.

“Both,” she said after a moment of silence.

He didn’t know what caused him to move, but suddenly, his hand was up, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. “I’m going to miss this, our time together, too.”

They both moved at the same time and suddenly their lips were pushed together in a kiss that seared him to the core.

She was so soft next to him and she smelled like something he could only dream of holding onto for the rest of his life. Her hands were tangled in his hair, holding him closer as he roamed over her sexy curves as they almost spilled out of that sinful dress.

Somehow, she ended up in his lap, her soft ass pushing against his hard-on, which was bound by the damn suit slacks. His hands moved under the flair skirt and found her soft skin. Her moan almost undid him.

Then, the car slowed and pulled into the hotel, and she slid off his lap and pulled her shoes back on.

He shifted slightly and prayed that no one would notice the bulge in his pants as he walked inside.

They didn’t speak as they walked through the brightly lit lobby. They didn’t touch as they waited for the elevator and when the doors slid closed, he glanced back and cursed the glass walls of the elevator. Even though it was close to one in the morning, there were still people in the lobby who would notice them.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said when the doors slid open to her floor.

“Thank you.” Her voice was low and she avoided looking in his direction.

He knew how he wanted the night to end, but he wasn’t going to push her. Especially when he noticed her hands shake as she opened her door.

“Emma, my flight leaves pretty early.” He stopped her from entering her room by putting a hand on her arm.

“Oh?” She blinked a few times and finally looked him in the eyes.

“If ever… If you need to escape all this… you know where to find me.” He took a step closer, sealing the space between them. “I meant it. I have enjoyed our time together more than you’ll ever know.”

Her fingers dug into his jacket and held him close to her. “Me too.” She reached up on her toes and laid a soft kiss on his lips.

“Goodnight,” he said, taking a step back.

“Night.” She smiled. “Safe trip home.”

He nodded, then turned and left. The image of her standing in the doorway in that red dress would be locked in his mind for the rest of his life. So would the pain of leaving her behind.

* * *

Emma closed the door behind her and sighed. Wow. Just… Wow.

She stood with her eyes closed, leaning against the hotel door, until her phone chimed and woke her from the sexy daydream she was having about JT.

Pulling it out of her clutch purse, she frowned down at the message from Mark.

-where u at?

-Back at the hotel

-I’ll be there in 10

-No, I’m tired

-Can I come by tomorrow?

She thought about having to keep up appearances for the next few months and groaned.

-Sure, meet at the diner?

The little hole-in-the-wall diner by the studio had been a staple for most of the crew during filming.

-No, I’ll pick you up at 10. I have a surprise for you.

She groaned again.

-ok

She tossed her phone down and pulled off her new dress and shoes then stepped into the shower to clear her mind of the sexiest kiss she’d ever had.

By the next morning, she’d fantasized about that kiss so much, she was sure she’d imagined how good it had been.

When Mark picked her up, she tried to figure out how she was going to make it through it.

Mark had one of the latest Porsche models and when she stepped from the curb, he leaned over from the driver side and waved at her. She stepped off the curb and opened the passenger door and got in.

“Morning.” He smiled over at her.

“Morning.” She locked her seat belt into place just as he peeled away from the curb, causing gray smoke from the tires.

She held on as he drove fast through the city. “I thought we’d head out of the city for lunch,” he said without looking her way.

She remained silent as he drove, not wanting to take any of his attention from weaving through traffic at a high rate.

Less than an hour later, they pulled into a small, secluded restaurant that she knew only by reputation. The place was more expensive than she wanted to think about.

They were shown immediately to a private sitting area that overlooked the hillside. Lavender flowers surrounded the private patio area and instantly she was thankful she’d worn a summer dress and there was a slight breeze.

The waiter pulled out her chair and seated her facing the view while Mark sat directly across from her. He ordered a bottle of champagne and then waved the waiter away.

“So.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “I was talking to Jim and the guys last night.”

She waited, but he just smiled over at her.

“Have I told you that you looked amazing last night?”

Something in his tone told her that he wanted something, but she ignored the warning and smiled.

“Thank you,” she replied. He hadn’t, nor had he mentioned how she looked today.

“We were discussing the release day.”

“And?” She shifted since he wasn’t letting go of her hand.

“Well, everyone knows how it ends for Liam Adams, Dylan St. Clair, and Hannah Rodgers.” He chuckled.

They had filmed their final scenes early on in the shooting before she’d started seeing Mark on the side.

She smiled. “Yes, I can’t believe how wonderful the book was, even without a happy ever after.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed. “There is a time and place for mushy stories, and JT Whistler doesn’t seem like a man who likes mush to me.”

She thought about the kiss last night and almost came to JT’s defense, but bit her lip instead.

“Anyway, like I said, we were thinking that…” He released her hand and to her shock, pulled out his chair and slid slowly to his knee as he flipped open a ring box.

She vaguely heard the snapping of cameras and blinked as the flashes almost blinded her.

“Will you marry me?” Mark said plainly. Then he leaned in and whispered. “It’s what the production wants.”

She swallowed and glanced around when she noticed all of the cameras on her and all of the smiling faces of the people watching them.

She turned back towards Mark and followed the course someone else had laid out for her life.