Was Drew openly flirting with her? Kate wondered.

Like, on purpose?

The thought made her stomach flip-flop.

Maybe working on this scene was a good idea after their deep conversation. They had finally said something about the big elephant in the room. And though she hated the thought of Drew punishing himself for Aiden's death for so long, part of her was relieved he hadn't disappeared from her life because she was a bad kisser.

Even though things were still not completely solved between them, she hoped that they'd be closer to where she wanted them to go. Today's scene was likely to be super awkward, but when all was said and done, she wouldn't mind some good old-fashioned flirting with Drew. It would be like reliving high school…but only the good parts. She could be her old self again, free and unafraid of what love could do to you.

Drew scooted his chair closer. "So you're saying this guy wants to be a good guy, right?"

"Right." Kate nodded. She worked up the courage to say her next words. "I need to find a way to get this bad guy and the girl to actually kiss, because as you probably know, so much can be communicated in a kiss."

"Well," Drew said, scratching his chin as if thinking deeply. "If I was a bad guy who wants to become a good guy but isn’t quite there yet, I'd probably just grab the girl, trap her in a corner, and start making-out with her."

Kate gasped. "You wouldn't…"

"Well, I, Drew Burrows, wouldn't, but we're talking about Treven. You did say he was a bad guy, right?"

"Yeah but…" She swallowed, trying to get her voice to come out even and unaffected instead of on the verge of squeaking like it was. "You really think that's what he should do?"

Drew laughed. "We're just brainstorming here. Maybe he could pretend to get hurt or something, and then she'll bandage him up and they can have hot eye contact."

"Hot eye contact!" Kate smiled despite her nerves. "You’re hilarious, Drew."

Drew grinned, his eyes glimmering with mirth. "Well, at least I have something going for me."

Oh, he had way more going for him than he could ever know about.

"So what would you have them do in this scene?" Drew asked. "Like, if you were this girl and Treven was holding you hostaged, would you want him to just go for the gold?"

"What kind of gold are you talking about?"

Drew laughed. "Just a good wholesome peck on the cheek, of course."

Kate smiled again, enjoying this. Maybe she should ask for help every time she was working on a scene.

Twenty minutes later, Kate finished typing. "Would you mind running through it with me so I can get the dialogue down?" she asked. They had figured out the main idea, but usually, acting it out with someone helped her figure out the rest much quicker.

"Of course." Drew's face lit up.

They went through the script a few times to reinforce the scene in their minds. Kate's stomach bubbled with nerves as she thought about what they were about to do.

She set up her laptop to record, so she could just transcribe the dialogue they came up with later.

They stood across from each other, anxious anticipation running through Kate as she looked at Drew. They hadn't done this for years. Would she be able to relax and act naturally?

"It's been a while, huh?" Drew swiveled his wrist back and forth at his side. He was nervous, too.

"Yeah," she breathed, then pushed a button on her computer. It beeped three short times before a long beep sounded to signal it was recording them.

Drew sucked in a shaky breath. "Okay, so you want Treven to just walk in the door to the basement where he's been keeping Misty?" He pretended to open the door, the movement seeming to help him relax into the exercise.

"He's gone." Drew jumped into character, stepping toward Kate and pretending to unlock her hands from an imaginary chain attached to an imaginary wall. "I'm sorry we have to keep you locked up like that."

Kate made her face turn to stone as she imagined Misty would do in that scenario. "Are you really?" she spat the words. "If you were sorry, you wouldn't keep locking me back up."

Drew's shoulders slumped, and his hands moved to Kate's right wrist, tracing along an imaginary line. "I’m sorry." His eyes had so much depth to them. Had Drew finally learned to act? "It's just that I—I can't let you go. I've missed my dog all these years, and keeping you chained up reminds me of him." His lips curled up and he laughed.

"Where did that dog line come from?" Kate attempted to jab him in the stomach.

"Sorry." Drew laughed again as he struggled to defend himself from her attack. "I couldn't think of what was supposed to happen next, so I improvised."

"You're terrible, you know that?"

"And I'm okay with that." She went after him again, but he gripped her wrists and held her arms hostage. He pulled her to him, and her entire body became intoxicated with their close proximity. He was wearing his familiar cologne again, and part of her wanted to just go limp in his arms so she could have a reason to stay close for a little while longer.

But they had work to do. So she stood up straight and forced herself to stop running away with inappropriate thoughts, such as stepping closer and brushing her lips against his just to see if they were as soft as she remembered.

She cleared her throat and stopped the camera. "Let's try that again. This time, remember you're going to apologize and then grovel. The goal of this scene is to obtain forgiveness, and maybe move Treven and Misty closer to falling in love."

Drew nodded, becoming serious again before going back to his beginning pose behind an invisible door.

"And go." Kate pressed start and the camera began rolling again.

Drew repeated his opening lines, making it to the point in the scene where he was supposed to trace a line on her wrists.

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes deep and brooding again. "If Ben finds out I've been unlocking you, he'll put another guard down here. And that guard wouldn't be nearly as nice as me."

"I feel so lucky," Kate said sarcastically, knowing Misty shouldn't give into Treven quite yet. "And why are you treating me differently than another guard would?"

Drew paused to think for a minute.

"Don't even think about telling me it's because I remind you of your childhood puppy," Kate whispered when she saw a smile try to sneak on his lips.

He burst out laughing. "Sorry, Kate." He clutched his stomach. "I really was going to try this time, but I'm pretty much the worst at this."

"Would it be better for me to figure this out on my own then?"

Drew sobered right up. "No, no. I'll get it. Sorry."

"Is there something that could help you get in character?" she offered. "Maybe a costume or a prop?" Those had always been helpful in the past.

“Guess we could try that.”

Kate looked around her small apartment. She didn't have much: no clothes for a guy, no chains or bars for him to pretend to lock her up with. She looked Drew over. He was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt that really brought out his eyes. Maybe she could work with what he had?

She stepped closer to Drew, creating an image in her head. Treven was supposed to be a super hot guard, and even Misty couldn’t resist him. Which she hated since she was supposed to hate him. "Hot bad guys wear tight shirts, right?" She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few chip clips out of the junk drawer.

"I guess… Hey, what are you doing?" he asked when she pulled his shirt tight from the back and stuck a chip clip to hold the fabric snugly.

She attached another clip. "You said you work better while in costume, so…since Treven would want to show off his toned physique, that's what you get to do." And boy was it toned. She could wash her laundry on those washboard abs of his.

"I feel so violated." Drew sighed.

She paused, her stomach sinking. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. "Do you really?"

He cracked a smile. "No. Not yet. They did much worse to me when we filmed the promos for the show. At least you're letting me keep my shirt on."

"For now." Kate winked. She rolled up his sleeves until they were just above the dip between his bicep and deltoid. What was it like to see him without his shirt in person? She'd probably faint.

"You really think Treven would wear sleeves this short?" Drew's cheeks were rosier than usual as he inspected his newly fitted shirt.

"Yep. Just like that." Kate stepped back, hoping to appear calm and unaffected by his good looks as her eyes moved up to his face. "I also think his hair might be slightly different. Come with me." She grabbed his hand, feeling warmth spike up her arm as she pulled him into the bathroom just down the hall.

"And what are we going to do in here?" Drew asked, looking around the small room at her curling iron, brushes, and makeup that she'd stacked haphazardly in a cart next to the vanity. "You're not going to put eyeliner on me, are you?"

"No, but if it would help, I'm not opposed to it. I just got a new glittery eyeliner that would really stand out against your dark lashes."

"As tempting as that is…I'll pass."

"Good choice." She instructed him to sit down so she could work on his hair. "Are you okay if I change your hair?"

"You don't like it?" He peered up at her through his lashes, and she couldn't help but think how unfair it was for a guy to have such full and long lashes.

"Your hair is great. Quite an improvement from the surfer-dude style you sported a few years ago."

"Hey, I'll have you know I had lots of women asking to touch my silky locks." His jaw jutted out.

"Whatever you say."

Then, as if realizing something, he said, "Wait. How did you know I had my hair longer? That was four years ago."

She bit her lip. "I, uh, ran across a photo of you online one day."

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a teasing look. "Did you stalk me online?"

Her face heated. Why did he have to be so good at picking up on everything? "I didn't stalk you." That much.

He kept staring at her, like he could get her to confess anything if he just met her with that smoldering gaze for a few seconds.

And of course, it worked. She wondered if he used that look in his business meetings very often.

"Fine. I looked you up once or twice."

"Why?"

Was there an exit from this conversation that didn't end with her looking like a fool?

"I was curious about what you were up to." She grabbed a comb from a drawer and started moving it through his dark hair. She hadn't realized how thick and silky his hair was until she touched it.

"To be fair, I looked you up, too."

Her hand stilled. "I hope it wasn't during my pixie-cut stage. I didn’t have the right shape of face for it."

"I thought it looked good."

So he had seen it. How many times had he looked her up?

She wanted to ask but knew if she did, she'd have to tell him how many times she'd gone to his page. Which was probably in the hundreds. So instead of revealing how much of a stalker she actually was, she grabbed some hair wax and began styling his hair.

She wasn't used to doing a guy’s hair, but she eventually found a style that would best embody Treven's character. When she'd dreamt Treven up a few months ago, he'd somehow ended up looking a lot like Drew. Maybe her subconscious had been trying to remind her of something.

As she worked the wax into his hair, they were quiet, though she felt his eyes on her, studying her. Her neck prickled with heat under his scrutiny. What did Drew Burrows see in her? Did he still see her as the annoying ten-year-old who bugged him and Aiden as they played their video games? Or as the domineering twelve-year-old who acted like a dictator when she was putting on a backyard production? Or as the hormonal teenager who had the hots for her brother's best friend?

She hoped it was none of those, hoped he noticed that she wasn't the same as she'd been back then. Maybe she wasn't exactly how she thought she'd be at twenty-five—not nearly as successful as the woman she'd daydreamed about becoming, that was for sure. But she hoped he saw her as a peer, an equal, now that they were finally in the same stage of life.

But could she really hope to be on the same level as Drew Burrows: America's Favorite Billionaire Bachelor?

Probably not. She certainly hadn't been enough for Nolan Prosser.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and swiped the thoughts away.

"Is everything okay?" Drew asked, his voice quiet with concern.

She nodded and pushed back the heartache threatening to spill out of her eyes. "My mind decided to ramble back through bad memories." She stepped back and gestured for him to take a look in the mirror.

"Thinking about Aiden?" Drew asked, still looking at her instead of at his hair.

She shook her head. "Nolan."

His eyes became wary. "Do you miss him?"

She groaned. No. Definitely not. "I was just wondering why he went through with the wedding. Why go through with it when he wasn't even interested in being my husband?" She swiveled to face the mirror. Drew did the same, so they were looking at each other's reflections.

Drew gazed at her with a soft sympathetic expression. "I wish I had an answer for that. But all that comes to my mind is that he was a class-A jerk. And really, really stupid."

A smile cracked Kate's lips. "Yes, he was really stupid."

"I'd use a stronger adjective, but I know how you feel about profanity. So we'll leave it at stupid jerk."

"You could have called him a nincompoop."

Drew put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward his side. She melted against him. "Yes, a really stupid nincompoop jerk with a big helping of twerp on top." He sighed and squeezed her tighter. Then he inspected his hair for the first time. "So, this is my bad-boy hairstyle then?"

"Yep, though I'm pretty sure you pull it off even better than Treven could."

"Since Treven is imaginary and all."

Yep, no part of Treven was based on Drew at all.