She looked at the spot where Rob had been standing. The empty spot. Her stomach knotted. “I’d like to ring his neck right now, but,” She dropped the pieces of porcelain she’d gathered. “I love him, Jess.”
“Like, I kinda figured that. Go get him.”
“Yeah.” Jill kissed her sister’s cheek, stood, and ran in the direction Rob had disappeared.
Chapter Seventeen
Rob took the steps of a narrow back passageway two at a time. He wasn’t sure where he was headed, but the air in the hallway had become too thin and his body had threatened to shut down in protest of its deprived state. He’d had to escape from Jill’s oxygen depleting presence.
He’d almost shut down because Jill had admitted to being like Mandy. A starlit willing to sleep her way to the top just as an irate-about-his-filing-for-divorce Mandy had an affair with the star of Rob’s first production, leading to the show’s demise when the man walked off the set and refused to finish shooting.
He paused on the stair-step and clasped his fingers around the wooden rail as blinding pain burned across his chest. How could he have been so wrong about Jill?
He’d known better than to care about a woman.
But she’d snuck around his defenses. Or more likely she’d plowed right over them.
And he’d let her. Because he’d believed she was different from every other woman he’d ever known. That she cared about him, not what she thought he could do for her career.
He’d been wrong. So wrong.
“Damn!”
“Rob?” the source of his pain whispered from a few steps behind him. He hadn’t heard her. Admittedly in his current state, she could have stomped down the stairs and it was unlikely he would have noticed.
He didn’t look at her. He’d seen the guilt, the shame, the regret, in her eyes when she’d turned and seen him in the hallway. She hadn’t known he was listening when she’d blurted out the truth. The truth that she’d been faking a whole lot more than just her identity.
She should do just fine in the acting world. She’d certainly fooled him.
“Rob,” she whispered again, placing her hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn’t jerk free from her scalding touch. “I know none of this looks good, but you have to let me explain.”
“No, I don’t have to do anything.” Except find better quality air. The stairwell seemed to have been overcome with roses.
Death by roses. Would he ever be able to smell the flowery fragrance without thinking of her? Somehow he doubted it.
“Please.” Her fingers tightened on his shoulder, and this time he pulled away, but only to turn toward her. She stood a step above his, which put her mouth at his eyelevel. Memories of that mouth against his reminded him of what he’d thought they’d shared this morning.
“Please what?” he asked, as a wave of exasperated anger shook him. “Please forget you’re not who you claimed to be? Or please forget you made a mockery of my production by not choosing any of the bachelors? Or, even, please forget I heard you admit you slept with me in hopes of my helping you land another role? Not that you’ll need any help with talent to deceive like yours.” He took a breath. “Please what, Jilly?”
She met his gaze head-on and except for the slight quiver of her lower lip, she showed no outward signs of being affected by his outburst. “I never meant for anyone to find out.”
Yeah, announcing she’d only slept with him to advance her career probably hadn’t been on her agenda. Of course, he knew producers who wouldn’t care. Heck, most didn’t care.
Rob cared. Too damn much.
“Lesson learned. Next time keep your mouth shut.”
“Huh?” He had to give her credit. She genuinely looked confused. He watched as understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, you mean that last bit about my sleeping with you.”
She reached out and cupped his jaw, her soft palms pressed on either side of his face. “Having been right t
here, how can you possibly think I made love with you for any reason other than the fact I’m crazy about you?”
His heart slammed into over-drive at her words. He wanted to believe, but Jill was a skilled actress, and he’d taken the crash course in Lying 101 courtesy of his ex-wife. He wouldn’t be taken for a fool again.
“That was just sex.”
She looked taken aback. “I made love to you, Rob. Couldn’t you tell? Feel it in my touch? My kiss? The way I couldn’t get enough of you?”