Change With Me (With Me in Seattle 17.5)

“I played Bundy once,” I say and take a bite. The ice cream is damn good.

“Oh, that’s right. What kind of research did you do for that?”

“I spoke with the original investigators. People who knew him. I read a lot, watched documentaries. I studied for six months before we started filming.”

“Wow.” Her eyes are wide as she listens. She’s truly listening. She’s not starstruck. She doesn’t babble. And she’s definitely not just humoring me.

She treats me like a…normal person.

Maybe that’s what I’m attracted to the most.

“Does it mentally put you in a dark place to play characters like that? By the way, if I’m too nosy, please say so. I just know that sometimes, even after only listening about stuff like that, it can put me in kind of a dark mood. I can only imagine that after being in that headspace for several months, it could really mess with you.”

“You’re not bothering me,” I reply truthfully. “And, yeah, it was dark. I can’t speak for all actors, but a lot of us learned some valuable lessons from Heath Ledger’s experience after portraying a very dark Joker in Batman.”

“He died from suicide,” she says softly, her eyes sad at the thought of it.

“He didn’t,” I inform her. “It was an accidental overdose. But from what I understand, his role in the movie didn’t help things. If you’re good at your job, you become the character. So, if I’m playing something dark, I only let myself stay in character while we’re filming. Then I go out to dinner with the crew, have some fun. Laugh. You can’t dwell there.”

“Fascinating,” she says and licks her spoon.

Her little pink tongue has my cock tightening.

“How long have you been a teacher?” I need to keep my thoughts off her tongue.

“A couple of years,” she says. “I teach first graders. I love the little ones who aren’t jaded yet. They’re eager to learn. Sometimes, they can be hard to wrangle, but I enjoy them.”

“And you moved here from Arizona?”

She nods. “Yeah. I was sick of the heat. My granddad passed away a few months ago, and he was the only family I had. So, I applied for jobs out of Arizona and landed this. I’m excited.”

I have questions. Why doesn’t she have other family? Is she alone? No friends?

But it’s none of my business, and she’s yawning.

“I guess I’m finally tired,” she says with a little laugh. “New places are always hard for me at first. But I think I’ll sleep good now.”

“Good.”

“’Night.” She sets her bowl in the sink, gives me a little wave, and disappears into her bedroom.

At least one of us will sleep well tonight.

Chapter Three

~Aubrey~

This is what I wanted.

I breathe in the early morning air and savor a sip of my black coffee as I watch the water from my little perch on the balcony.

It’s cool this morning, so I bundled up in my favorite sweatshirt and leggings and brought out a throw blanket, as well. I’m used to the dry Arizona heat, and this is anything but that.

It’s completely glorious. I’m convinced that with time, I’ll become accustomed to the cooler, damp air.

When I woke this morning, I stretched in bed and then remembered everything that happened yesterday. My drive to Seattle, meeting Zane Cooper, and all of the banter that took place with him. He’s smart. I don’t know why that surprised me, really. I guess I just didn’t expect it.

Even more shocking to me is…I like him. Last night, over chocolate ice cream, it was fascinating to listen to him talk about his work. I could tell by the way his eyes lit up that he loves it. He’s proud of it.

And he should be.

I mean, he’s arguably the most famous man on the planet.

How I ended up living with him, I have absolutely no idea. It’s the oddest twist of fate. Like the universe laughing at me.

Zane Cooper is living twenty feet from me, and I have no clue how to handle the situation. Most people I know would try to seduce him.

I snort at the thought and drink my coffee, watching a man walk his poodle down the sidewalk.

Yeah, I’m not exactly the seduction type. Zane would laugh in my face.

Not that I wouldn’t want to. I may be plain, but I’m a red-blooded woman and am as attracted to the hot actor as anyone else. I’ve seen him mostly naked on the big screen, and it was a lovely sight.

Last night, I saw him mostly naked in person. And let me just say, that’ll do things to a girl.

The sliding door behind me eases open, startling me.

“Sorry,” Zane says. “I was just going to grab some breakfast and wondered if you want something. I’m headed to a deli not far from here. They have great breakfast burritos.”