Charlie climbs from the back seat. “Gemma, did you pull the fire alarm to get Karson to rescue you?”
I smile at my hero. “No, I never could have plotted this.”
Karson doesn’t even seem to care about our audience. He’s looking at me. Carrying me to the ambulance. Setting me down for the EMTs to inspect. Wrapping the scratchy blanket they give him around my shoulders.
My students all shout and whistle.
Karson’s smile quivers. His eye contact doesn’t. “If you want a good ending to your screenplay, I’ll give you one right now.”
And I thought I’d been swooning before. I’m not cold anymore. My skin burns. My breath hitches. My pulse thunders through my veins.
“Gemma, as you admitted tonight, you are trouble.”
He’s keeping it real, and I can’t keep from laughing. Ramona the Pest would be proud.
He chuckles along, then his grin sobers. “You triggered me. You saw through my shield of self-protection, and you pointed out my mistakes.”
Okay, now my heart hurts for him. I didn’t mean to cause him pain. I only want the best for him.
“You could have had any man you wanted, but instead you cared enough to make me want to be a better man.”
I shake my head. Because I didn’t do anything for him that he didn’t do for me.
“Yes, you did,” he argues. “And I don’t care if I’m making a fool of myself in front of everyone tonight. They already seem to know what I’m about to say anyway.”
“I know too,” I say. “Because I’m also in love with you.”
He shakes his head and gives me the smirk I can’t get enough of.
I reach for his face to kiss him, letting the blanket fall away. Our lips meet to the cheers of the crowd around. He tastes sweet, like fruit punch and commitment.
I smile against his lips.
He smiles with me. “It’s a good thing you’re not shallow the way I once assumed you were, because we are a sight.”
“It’s true.” Kai’s camera lens is practically in our faces. “Gemma, you look like you belong in an ’80s hair band.”
How kind of him to record this moment so I can laugh at myself later … along with the rest of the world.
I bug my eyes at Karson, probably making myself look worse. His gaze caresses me in return, as if I’m the most radiant woman he’s ever seen. This is what it’s like to be loved.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” I whisper.
He kisses the top of my head. His kiss is so much better than a tiara that tarnishes. “You rescued me,” he responds. “Gemma Bennett is my hero.”
Read on for a sneak peek ofFiancé Finale, the third book in the Love Off Script series!
Chapter One
NICOLE
It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
—ANDRÉGIDE
It’s rare for me to be awakened by the sound of an incoming text message because it’s rare for anyone to beat me out of bed. So when the phone on my nightstand starts to vibrate, I’m lost in the dark. Then I see a glow of blue light and hear the buzz. A rush of warm fuzzies reminds me what day it is.
It’s the day my campaign launches. And by “my campaign,” I mean the one that is going to skyrocket my career in advertising. It’s what I’ve sacrificed for.
