Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
It had to be because both of them were mysteries, and each ran from me.
I saw Lacey head toward the conference room, and I drained my coffee, tossing the empty cup in the bin.
I needed to stop thinking about anything but this role. It was time to go meet the author and get some questions answered.
At least I would solve one mystery and finally know the answer as to the author’s real identity.
I picked up my well-read script, covered in notes, and headed toward the other side of the studio, stopping to grab another coffee. I had a feeling I would need it.
I saw the infamous A.M. Archer from behind as I walked into the conference room. I was right and it was a woman, but unless her face showed me something different, far younger than I expected.
Her back was to me, the curve of her shapely butt somehow familiar. Her skirt hugged the swells of her ass like a lover. She was tiny, barely reaching Bradley’s shoulder, and he was a good six inches shorter than I was. She wouldn’t break my chest. Her hair was spectacular, falling over her shoulders and halfway down her back. The colors were indescribable. Caramel, gold, blonde, soft browns all woven together. It was one hell of a dye job. She had shapely legs and wore low heels.
What I didn’t expect was the sound of her voice or her words.
“Mila is fine,” she said to Bradley.
Mila?
As in the pool nymph Mila?
I highly doubted I would meet two Milas so close together. Which meant the woman I had kissed in the pool had to be the author. It also meant she knew exactly who I was. Why I was there.
And she’d decided to play me. Have a little fun with the lead actor.
Anger, cold and insistent, dripped into my chest. It canceled the disappointment that hit me first. And the surprise that the seemingly shy woman I had kissed had written the steamy script in my hand.
She was a pretty damn fine actress herself.
She turned slowly, and our eyes locked. Another shock hit me as I took in her wide eyes and saw her face fully.
Mila was not only the author and the pool nymph; she was also Shortcake. There was no denying those full cheeks and big eyes. The color of which I now saw clearly. Golden in their tone with a dark rim around the outside, they were as unique as the face of the woman they were set in. She was a fairy brought to life with her lovely hair, pretty eyes, and full mouth.
For a moment, nothing changed. Our eyes stayed focused on each other. No one else in the room moved. It was as if they felt the raging emotions between us.
My confusion. My anger.
Her…fear?
I blinked at the maelstrom of emotions in her gaze. It was like looking in a mirror some days. I felt her anxiety as if it were my own.
Then it happened. Her face went white, her left eyebrow quirked, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she pitched forward.
There was no thought, nothing but instinct. The anger I was feeling vanished. The script in my hand went one way, the coffee I was holding another. I was on my knees in front of her, catching her falling form before she hit the floor. I felt the heat of her coffee splash my chest and my arms. I ignored the burning sensation as the hot liquid hit one cheek. I encased her protectively as my joints took the brunt of the impact.
Then I held her close, refusing to let go until she woke up.
I needed to be the one to lay her fears to rest when she opened those incredible eyes.
Somehow, I knew it as strongly as I needed my next breath.
Chaos broke out around me. Amber ordered everyone out of the conference room. “Keep this to yourselves,” she ordered. “I’ll let you know what is happening.”
A woman dropped to her knees beside me. She was the one I had seen on set a couple of times. She pushed at my arms. “Let her go.”
“No,” I snapped. “Get a doctor.”
“She doesn’t need a doctor. She’ll come round in a minute.”
“How the hell can you be so sure?”
She met my gaze, hers upset but calm. “Because I know her. I’m Andi—her agent and friend. I know what she needs.”
Mila’s eyes fluttered open, and she jerked at finding herself in my arms. Her gaze flew to the woman beside me. “Andi?”
“It’s okay, kiddo. You’re okay.”
“Oh God, no. It happened,” Mila whimpered.
“It’s okay,” Andi soothed her. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Mila’s eyes met mine. She pushed at me. “Let me go, please.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, not wanting to release her.
“Yes. This, ah, happens.”
“What is this exactly?” I demanded.