“Just do it.”
She did as he asked, bracing herself—for what, she didn’t know. Her heart, beating like a bass drum, seemed to have gotten the memo though. All her senses were on high alert. Water dripped off the oars. His fingers tightened at her waist. The boat swayed gently as he leaned forward.
Something warm and gentle settled on her forehead. A kiss, her brain worked out. He stayed for a delicious beat. She might’ve purred. She definitely felt like it.
Then it was over and the air stirred around them. She opened her eyes to find him making a study of her features. At least she thought he was. But his gaze snapped toward his phone so quickly she might have just imagined it.
“Let’s see what we have here.” He sounded perfectly calm and collected.
Her heart hammered and her thoughts spun, distracting her as he thumbed back to the first photos and swiped slowly through them. The memory of that kiss was like a brand on her forehead. Had anyone ever given her a forehead kiss? Also his arm was still around her.
“This is the one.” He aimed the phone her way. “Don’t you think?”
Oh, right. The phone. The pictures. She blinked them into focus. It was the shot of the forehead kiss. Could that be her, lips parted, wearing that dreamy look? The background was blurred and the sunlight glinted off wisps of hair, giving the picture a romantic feel.
Andhim. Liam’s eyes were closed too, his lashes fanning his upper cheeks. He was gorgeous. She gave a soft sigh.
“Okay?”
“Sure,” she breathed.
“No signal out here,” he said, “but I’ll okay it with Patty when we get back to the house, then forward it to you if she’s good with it.”
She didn’t need a picture to remember that kiss. She hadn’t expected his nearness to affect her this way. But surely her reaction was perfectly normal. Of course she was attracted to Liam Hamilton. Every woman in America was attracted to him. He was hot and sexy and his forehead kisses (she could now attest) were eleventy million out of ten stars.
But attraction and feelings were very different animals. She knew better than to develop feelings for a man whose dating habits resembled those of a lion.
Liam cleared his throat. He’d already put his phone away. He shot her an awkward glance.
Oh. She was still on his lap. She jumped up so quickly, the boat pitched precariously. She grabbed the gunwale, and thankfully the boat settled as she slid silently into her seat.
Chapter13
Chloe blocked out the sound of the surf and the way the breeze tugged at Liam’s hair. She stared across the beach blanket at him, homing in on his words. On his tone. On the expression on his face. They’d been at this for twenty minutes.
He was delivering the lines from a scene that would film early on. Ledger and Cate would be on her pier. He was bringing up their past for the first time since the two had serendipitously reconnected after seven years apart.
He nudged her bare foot. “Your line.”
She’d missed her cue. She dropped her attention to the script in her lap and found her place. “‘Really? You’re bringing that up now?’”
“‘Somebody has to. If it were up to you, we’d just pretend it never happened. But it did, Cate. It did happen.’”
He had the lines memorized, so their gazes connected as he said the lines. Chloe watched the expressions flitter across his face. During a heavy pause, his jaw twitched with frustration. His eyes tightened with restraint. Then he delivered his last line, and Chloe picked up her part.
They read lines until the glare of the sun on the page was about to blind Chloe. She had to hand it to Liam—he was a good sport. He took her criticism well and was quick to adjust to her direction.
She checked her watch. “I think that’s good enough for now. Why don’t we call it a day?” She had to be at work in two hours and she was already exhausted.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
They set the scripts aside and, as if by silent agreement, lay back on the beach blanket to soak in the afternoon sun.
“It’s been a long day.” She’d awakened to a phone call from Meghan and over seventy comments from friends and loved ones on her Instagram page. Everyone wanted the scoop on their relationship, but Chloe just played it cool with her responses. How was this all going to go when they “broke up”? They probably should’ve talked about that, but they had plenty on their plate for now.
“How’s the image coming along?” she asked. “I’ve been a good girl and haven’t gone looking for trouble.”
“Good for you. You’ll be happy to know the tone is shifting now that we’re formally out as a couple.”
