A Hollywood Bride (Ryder & Paige 2)

I blink at him. This is the last thing I expected him to talk about.

“They are really romantic,” Elizabeth says.

“Well, yeah…unless your costar keeps farting.”

I choke on my drink. Elizabeth snorts a laugh. “You’re lying!”

“I’m not kidding.” He raises a hand, palm out. “Scout’s honor.” The other one, the one that’s resting on the back of my chair, takes a section of my hair and wraps it around a finger.

My heart skitters a bit. “So what did you guys do?” I ask, doing my best to ignore the effect his hand has on me. “Edit out the farting noise?” For god’s sake, it’s just hair.

“We couldn’t because we couldn’t stop laughing. Besides, she was so embarrassed it wasn’t possible to continue.”

“What made her so…gassy?” Elizabeth asks.

“Bean burritos and yogurt off the local roach coach.”

“Oh god.”

“Yeah. So not only did we get the sound effects, but that movie was done in smellovision. We had to postpone the scene for a week. That poor woman.”

We all burst out laughing. Elizabeth wipes her tears. “I have no idea if it’s true or not, but you better not tell anybody. People will start going through your filmography, trying to figure out who this woman is.”

“Don’t worry. I haven’t told a soul. Besides, her agent made everyone sign an NDA afterward. He was horrified.”

“If you signed a nondisclosure agreement, why are you telling us the story?” I ask.

He looks at me. “Because I have faith that you won’t repeat it.”

And for some insane reason, my insides turn all gooey and soft. I can’t remember why I thought it was a good idea to make him tell me why he could trust me as his assistant but not as his fiancée. Maybe he already knows at some basic level, even though he can’t articulate it.

“I swear I won’t tell,” I whisper.

“Neither will I.” Elizabeth blinks away the rest of the wetness from her eyes. “My god, you’ll never give me a penny if I do.”

Ryder snorts, but even the joking mention of what Ryder could possibly hold over her makes my gut tighten, reminding me of Mira’s threat.

“We should watch a movie or something,” Elizabeth says, stretching. “I bet you have stuff that isn’t in the theaters yet.”

Ryder’s lips twitch. “I might possibly.”

“Oh come on. Isn’t your latest in post-production? Don’t you have a copy?”

“I do, actually.”

“So let’s watch that one.”

He hesitates. “It’s, ah, pretty violent.” His gaze falls to my belly. “Totally not appropriate for babies, even if they’re still in the oven.”

I laugh. “I think it’s fine. It’s probably too young to hear anything.”

Bright fire lights in his eyes as he regards me, and my breath catches. It’s as sexual as any look he gave me when we made love, but there’s a complexity to it as well. Like he’s longing for something so bad it physically pains him.

And I feel like I’m the cause of that pain, and I want to pull him into my arms and promise to give him everything he needs so he won’t feel like that again. Of course that’s crazy. It’s not just his emotions at stake, but mine too. What I thought would be a simple and convenient arrangement is twisting me around until I’m not sure what I’m feeling anymore. All I know is that I’m in way way over my head, and if I’m not careful there may be damage I won’t be able to undo.

Not willing to dwell on my fears anymore, I paste on a smile. “Come on. Let’s watch it.”

* * *