But I’m not about to ruin the most surreal moment of my life by sending him running out the front door. ‘Looks can be deceiving.’
‘Don’t I know it?’ He shakes his head ruefully and my eyes are drawn to his perfect bone structure. Sculpted, prominent cheekbones that would make any woman envious. The sharp jut of his roman nose. Those thick lustrous eyelashes that should be illegal on any man.
‘You’re not what I thought you’d be.’ Even though the adrenaline is doing a sterling job of burning through the alcohol I consumed, it hasn’t yet restricted my unruly tongue. ‘Not that I’ve thought about you a lot. Much. Ever…’
Fuck’s sake, Holly, could you be any less cool? If Savannah and Ashley could see me now, they’d cringe. Hell, I’m cringing!
‘Yeah?’ The corners of Nate’s eyes crinkle with amusement. ‘What did you expect?’
‘I don’t know.’ I shrug. ‘I suppose in my fantasies, I never imagined you’d be so…nice. So normal. No offence, but you come across as pretty grumpy in your interviews.’
‘You’d be grumpy too if everyone wanted a piece of you.’ A smile lifts his lips, revealing his perfect Hollywood smile. ‘Fantasies, you say?’ Devilment dances in his darkening eyes.
I press my palms against my eyelids. ‘Oh. My. God. I’m so sorry. I have no filter. Or manners apparently.’ Heat flames my cheeks.
A low, gravelly chuckle penetrates the air.
‘Want to hear something funny?’ He readjusts himself in the seat, not waiting for my answer. ‘Nobody ever called me nice before.’
I peek from behind my palms. ‘Not even Celeste?’ The media paint them as the perfect couple.
Visually, it’s a statement I’d have to agree with. They look flawless together. Where he’s the stereotypical tall, dark and handsome, she’s the conventional tall, blonde and beautiful. Their contrast in colour alone is striking.
A resigned sigh slips from his lips. ‘Celeste has called me many things. Not one of them was ‘nice’, I can assure you.’ He glances towards the kitchen. ‘In fact, she’s the reason I took the job here. To prove I’m not a “one-trick pony”.’
‘She said that?’ The cheek of her. How many Oscars has she won?
‘It was part of her justification for boning Spike Hancock.’ He raises a chunky metal wristwatch to his eyeline and squints at the screen. ‘We broke up about thirty-nine hours ago.’
‘Spike Hancock?’ My palm covers my mouth. ‘Holy shit. The man permanently looks like he stepped out of a hair salon. I’m not sure which of them is more beautiful, Celeste or him.’ It’s not a compliment. It’s the opposite, in fact. ‘Men should be men, you know…’
Instinctively, I slide closer across the couch to comfort him, my bare thigh falling against his coarse dark jeans. ‘Celeste is a fool.’
He shrugs, like he doesn’t care that the relationship half of Hollywood was obsessed with is over. Pensive eyes land on mine again. ‘Is there any more of that wine?’
I leap up, needing to put some distance between us before I do something really fucking stupid, like throw myself at the movie star next to me.
A man like him would have no interest in a woman like me.
‘There’s a whole basket of it. Cheese too. Are you hungry?’ Finally! The manners my mother impressed on me are kicking in.
This has to be the craziest night of my life.
‘Ravenous.’ His gaze roves over my nightdress and he arches one thick, inky eyebrow.
Is he fucking with me? Because for a split second there he looked like a lion assessing its prey.
But if he’s a lion, I’m the black widow. Because, given half the chance, I would devour this man.
This visceral reaction is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Then again, I’ve never come face to face with a drop dead gorgeous, overtly sexual movie star before.
Who even am I?
Where is my social anxiety now?
Though one-to-ones are my forte. It’s bigger numbers I struggle with.
‘Are you…staying?’ I can barely breathe while I wait for his answer.
