Erik caught it in his fist before it could smack him in the face. It was cool and silky to the touch. If he brought it to his nose, would it smell like citrus?
Belle turned her head, mouth parted. “Sorry, did I hit you?”
“You almost gave me a black eye.” He pressed his lips together to stop the laugh. He dropped her braid before he did something stupid like wrap it around his fist and bring her in for a kiss.
“Liar.” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
“You don’t know your own strength. I could have been seriously injured. Has there ever been a fiancé on crutches with a black eye and a bloody nose?”
“No, somehow I don’t think that’d go over well.” A flash of humor crossed her face at his exaggeration. She stalked him, hips swaying. “Nor would my braid cause that kind of damage.”
“Unless you were Supergirl, then yes, it could. I mean, you’re not wearing your glasses…” he trailed off, waiting for her comeback.
The cute gap between her teeth was revealed by her growing grin. He had settled his hands on his own hips when he wanted to reach out and bring her in tight to his body.
“Hey Erik.” A thin guy with tattoos up to his ears approached. He held out some stapled papers. “I’m Tim, the production assistant. I sent you a script last night. Were you able to read it?”
He shook the guy’s thin hand. “Yes, I did, thanks man. This is Belle, my agent.”
“Belle,” Tim said, bobbing his head. He turned his attention back to Erik. “The Pioneers offensive lineup is pretty tight this year.”
“Yes, we have a solid team.” He ran into fans on a constant basis and he always tried to be available to talk to them. For many years, this guy was him. His first year on the Pioneers, he’d been starstruck with all the legends he’d met. He fed off the energy of the crowd and had won fan favorite two years in a row.
“Would you sign a ball if I brought it on set?” he asked.
“Sure.” While he didn’t mind talking football, he had a crazy need to be alone with Belle.
Yeah, right. There were people all around them. This wasn’t a date. It was a job. A job where he’d be going on dates with eight different women. None of them Belle.
Belle tucked her hands into her back pockets, elbows relaxed as she listened to their exchange.
“Cool.” Tim nodded again. “The director wants you to do some camera takes for blocking. I need to make a call and then I’ll be back out to run the lines with you.”
“I can help him,” Belle said.
Tim glanced over at her before his thin face flushed. “Excellent. Come on and I’ll show you your mark.”
The fountain was made out of fake rock with chips in places. Not very impressive. The ferns were as fake as the show. Erik had broken down and watched the last season. The waterfall wasn’t running at that moment and the set looked cheap in person. Yet it translated well on camera and that was all that mattered.
He stood on the red X and scanned the lines. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“What?” Belle asked, clutching his wrist. She leaned in; the fabric of her shirt soft against his bare forearm. He kept his gaze on the paper, the words starting to move on the page. Fuck. He couldn’t concentrate with her standing so close.
“Why don’t you stand right there and I’ll read the lines to you.” Better to have her at a distance, even if it was a few feet.
“Okay.” Belle twisted, a bounce to her step. She looked much younger and more carefree, the seriousness that she wore like a second skin gone. “During the first year in college, my friends and I had watch parties. Kendra—my oldest friend and current roommate—used to make up our own lines. I can’t wait to see what they came up with.”
Channeling his inner actor, he skimmed the first line. “Cheesy doesn’t begin to describe what’s written here. Are you ready?”
“I am. Shoot.” Head tilted, she watched him with an avid gaze. The lights cast her face in shadows, adding to her physical appeal. She was gorgeous. Her body enticing.
He had a hard time recalling what he’d just read. Focus. This was important. “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
She blinked, pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes. “If that really is what it says, I think it’s the script for the last scene of the last show, not this one.”
“No, it was my lame attempt at a joke. Let me try again.” He tucked the paper under his arm and clasped her wrist. “Here’s your charm bracelet. Because you’re a lawyer, I have chosen the scales of justice as your first charm. Justice might be blind but any man can see how beautiful you are.”
Hand moving to her mouth, her eyes sparkled and she rocked back on her heels.
