I shook my head. “I was sure Vince had us followed.”
“Well, better a camera than a gun?” She arched her brow.
I glared at her.
“Too soon?” She reached out her hand. “I’m sorry that happened. We’d been having such a peaceful morning.”
As long as Juliette’s life was in my hands, I could never let my guard down. I needed to remember that. One slip, and we could both end up dead.
CHAPTER 18
Wes
“I really like when you cook at the stove wearing a robe with nothing underneath.” I came up behind Juliette, tugged the tie on her robe so it came loose, and cupped both her breasts.
She laughed and pushed her ass out to force me to take a few steps back, but that only turned me on more.
“This is even better.” I groaned and slid my hands around to her ass. “Bend a little more. Grab on to the stove.”
“You’re a fiend.” She giggled and turned around, holding the spatula up. “I’m frying bacon, so my robe needs to be closed and my face far away from the sizzle. Now go sit. We’re going to eat in a few minutes.”
I pouted but sat my ass in a chair at the table. My spot had the newspaper folded and a vitamin waiting for me on the napkin. Juliette had teased me last week when I’d mentioned that I missed reading a physical newspaper, yet a few days later, when I sat down to breakfast, there was a copy of theNew York Postwaitingfor me. Apparently, you can get it delivered out here in California. I opened the paper from the back, last page forward, to get to the sports section and started reading. But not even halfway through an article about the Mets’ rookie pitcher, my eyes found their way back to the lady standing at the stove. Juliette and I had settled into what felt a hell of a lot like domestic bliss lately. She made me breakfast and did my laundry. I fixed the dishwasher and took out the garbage, and we went food shopping together. We were practically an old married couple, and I hated to admit it, but I loved every mundane task when I was with her.
But for every minute I let myself enjoy playing house, there were twice as many sleepless ones spent staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out how the hell to get out of the mess I was in. Leave the country with her and never come back? That idea was starting to seem less ridiculous by the day. Though I had no doubt that Vince Ginocassi would scour the Earth to find his only daughter.
Even in moments like this—when I felt content and my heart was full, I couldn’t shake the shadow of a bad feeling, like something was bound to go wrong. Some days, it took everything I had just to let myself live in the moment here and there.
Juliette set pancakes and bacon on the table, then took the seat across from me.
I folded the newspaper and set it aside. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“I have to go meet Bradley Wilson.”
“The asshole actor you were doing rewrites for when we first met?”
She nodded. “I thought I was finally done with them. They’re almost to the end of filming, but he’s decided tochange the ending now. I’m sure the author of the book is going to love that.”
“What time do you need to be there?”
“Ten.” She looked at the time on her phone. “Which is in an hour, and I didn’t even shower yet.”
“Me neither.” I grinned. “Sounds like we should save time and do that together.”
“That willnotsave time. It will make me late,” she replied. “Besides, we had sex an hour ago.”
“I know, but I’m still turned on from watching you at the stove.”
“You’re insatiable.” Juliette chuckled. “We’re meeting at the studio offices instead of on set. So at least you won’t be bothered about being on the lot today.”
An hour later, after a quickie in the shower, we were on the road, and I caught myself whistling.Whistling. I wasn’t a damn whistler. But I guess two rounds of morning sex before ten AM will do that to a man. Though my whistle was cut short when I glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed that a black sedan three car-lengths back changed lanes right after I did. Tinted windows. Same car I’d clocked when we first hit the highway. I didn’t want to alarm Juliette, since it was probably nothing, but I sat up straighter, my hands tightening on the wheel as I sharpened my focus.
When I got off at the next exit, the sedan did, too, though it was now back five lengths. At the first light, I turned left, and the car kept going straight, so I breathed a little easier. Five minutes later, we pulled up to the studio office. I parked in the loading zone in front of the building, hoping no one would hassle me since I was staying in the car. If they did, I’d have to pull the ex-cop card and hope I got a courtesy.
While Juliette unbuckled and gathered her things, I jogged around the car to open her door.
“I’m probably going to be here most of the day,” she said, stepping out. “Nothing to do with Bradley Wilson is quick.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll be here waiting.”
