Liam watched a red firework burst overhead. Somehow Chloe had ended up in his lap again. Okay, so he’d pulled her down as she’d been passing by. Could he help it if they were one chair short? But she seemed comfortable leaning back into the curve of his chest, his arms encompassing her waist. She was so tiny. He usually dated tall women, but he was finding he liked her compact size. It made him feel protective somehow.
He rested his chin on the top of her head. Relished the soft weight of her body against his, the scent of fireworks in the air, and the muffled sounds of exclamations on the beach. He’d had fun tonight, hanging out with her family. And despite Sean’s attitude toward him, Liam had shared in the camaraderie and laughter naturally. He felt like one of them.
Sitting here, watching the fireworks bloom overhead with Chloe in his arms, he couldn’t remember ever feeling so content. How odd. If anyone should feel content with his life, shouldn’t it be him, with all his fame and money and success? What more could a man want?
But the way he felt in this moment somehow surpassed all that other stuff. Made all the other things seem meaningless. And he couldn’t help but attribute it to Chloe.
Something had shifted inside him the past few weeks. Therewas a softness to her. A vulnerability that drew him. But he didn’t have to remind himself what happened to the moth when it got too close to the flame.
Nonetheless, that knowledge never seemed to stop his heart from thudding in his chest when she gazed up at him. Or keep his insides from clenching when those wide eyes, full of questions, met his. He had those same questions running through his mind. Was there something here? Was she feeling it too? What would it be like to kiss her?
As of today they’d been fake dating for almost five weeks. Just the fact that he hadn’t kissed her yet was noteworthy. He kissed women all the time in the process of his job. This PR relationship was an extension of his work. If he didn’t have feelings for Chloe, he’d have no trouble laying one on her for the cameras.
He was avoiding kissing her because he was afraid where it might lead. Anything real between them would be a dead-end relationship. She lived clear on the other side of the country. There was no point in traveling down that road.
Something deep inside flagged the convenient excuse. But he didn’t care to explore the thought further.
Whatever he was feeling for Chloe, he needed to pretend it wasn’t there. Pretending was what he did for a living, after all. Once the filming was complete, they’d fake their breakup and he could go back to his regular life, hopefully with a promising movie offer.
And just like that, a heavy shadow loomed over the sense of contentment he’d felt only moments before.
Chapter30
One of the photos taken on the Fourth went viral after Liam posted it on his socials. Mom had captured the moment just after Liam pulled Chloe onto his lap. They faced each other, laughing. His fans loved it. And her social media following climbed to new heights.
“Spencer says you’re the new media darling,” Liam told her a week later as they sat in the coffee shop, running lines for the day’s shoot.
“Is that so?” Chloe could hardly fathom such a thing. But as long as it was good for both their careers, she was happy.
“Can’t say I blame them. And, uh, according to Spencer, they’re crying out for more PDA.”
Chloe glanced away as her face warmed. She gave a put-upon sigh. “Suffering for the cause.”
“Somebody’s gotta do it.”
He held her hand as they exited the coffee shop and kissed her cheek when they parted ways.
Over the next week there was a lot of hand-holding, hugs, and kisses on the cheek. The media showed up at the restaurant, and Chloe began getting used to the public life. But most of their time was spent on set. During breaks they ran lines or Liam lingered in the video village, hands on her shoulders, sometimes offering a mini-massage as he stood behind her. A peck on the cheek as he went back to work.
What came next started small. A gentle hand on her back in theprivacy of his home. A quick touch on her shoulder when they were reading lines in her living room.
Their public relationship was creeping into their alone time—and Chloe wasn’t altogether unhappy about it. Maybe he simply carried over the intimacies by habit. Or maybe he was just affectionate with his friends, and familiarity allowed more demonstration.
Or maybe the same feelings growing inside her were also growing inside him. The thought stirred something deep down. Was it possible? He seemed to enjoy her company. He sought her out sometimes when there were no lines to run or gossip to generate. He shot her random texts and called her up just to chat. Their relationship had clearly expanded beyond the boundaries of their bargain.
In mid-July she had a rare Saturday night off, and Liam took her to Main Street Grill, the nicest restaurant in town. She curled her hair and added a touch of makeup. Her pale yellow sundress complemented her small waist and bronzed skin. Liam was handsome in khakis and a button-down shirt the same gray-blue shade as his eyes.
They marveled over their perfectly cooked steaks and a sweet potato casserole that could’ve been served as dessert. They talked about the filming, which was only a month from wrapping, and about Liam’s upcoming movie offers—he had two potential scripts, though he wasn’t sold on either. They talked about Docksiders and Chloe’s ambivalence about the restaurant business. About her desire to write a novel set during the World WarII era and the lack of inspiration about the same.
They chatted and laughed, lost track of time, and, except for the fangirling hostess at the beginning of the evening, forgot they were even in public.
Sometime during the meal it had begun raining, and by the time Liam ushered Chloe out the door it was pouring. They stopped under the canopy, staring at Liam’s Camaro across the street and down a ways.
Feeling nothing but joy after their wonderful meal, Chloe laughed. “Where’s an umbrella when you need one?”
“I’ll pull the car around for you.”
“That’s okay.” She was loath to leave his side—and besides, what was a little rain? She linked arms with him. “Let’s do this.”
