Once Upon A Setup (Meet Cute Romance 5)

“What do you think?”

Piper stared at him. That was the thing. She didn’t know whether he’d do it or not because she didn’t know him. Not really. She’d very carefully kept her distance since that day in his office, to try to limit her own temptation. She wanted to think he wasn’t monster enough to expose her treachery—and Tyler would see it as treachery, no question—but she wasn’t willing to call his bluff to find out. He had a helluva poker face. “Oh for God’s sake. Dinner. Then at least I’ll get the chance to explain.”

“Okay then. Tomorrow night? After the afternoon rehearsal?”

“Fine.” She’d just chew her nails down to nubs in the meantime.

“I’ll cook,” he said.

Could he cook? Piper decided it didn’t matter either way. It wasn’t likely she’d feel much like eating once she got through telling the tale.

“Deal.” She meant to offer her hand to shake on it but realized that it was pressed to his chest. Apparently had been since she’d shoved him back against the palm tree. She started to jerk it back, but he covered her hand with his, holding it in place.

“Deal.”

Jesus Christ, this closet was really freaking tiny, and they were really freaking close. Was he radiating all that heat or was it her?

Myles’ lips curved into a devilish smile. “You wanna keep running lines from in here?”

“What?” Dammit, her voice was breathless.

“I mean, it’s nice and cozy and all, but I expect we’ll be missed before long. Unless you’re into the making out like teenagers part. I’m completely amenable to that, show be damned.”

Piper snatched her hand away and stumbled back. “You’re impossible.” But she was forced to admit, as she snuck back out of the closet, he was also very, very tempting.

~*~

Back ramrod straight Piper marched past Myles into his living room and tossed her purse in a chair. “Let’s get this over with.”

Oh, this was starting beautifully. After he’d gotten the cold shoulder all through rehearsal, Myles suspected he’d made a serious miscalculation. Time to fix that. “Okay, before we go any further with this, I’ve had a little time to think about how I came off yesterday, and I want to assure you that I’m really not an asshole and have no intention of pressuring you for anything. This wasn’t meant to force you into a corner or to break your personal rule about dating co-stars.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then what was it?”

“Teasing and curiosity. If you’d been cooler-headed, I wouldn’t have known for sure I was right. But instead you dragged me into a closet.” Where he’d had to exercise considerable restraint to keep his hands to himself because what else was he going to think about when trapped behind closed doors in an itty bitty space with a beautiful woman?

Piper studied him with speculation. “So you’re saying you’re letting me off the hook?”

Myles cringed. “At the risk of leaving my incorrigible curiosity unsatisfied...yes. I won’t say anything to anybody. But you should know, the unsatisfied curiosity of a reporter is like the intellectual equivalent of blue balls. I’m hoping you’ll have mercy on my brain.”

She snorted as he’d hoped she would. It was such fun saying outrageous things to get a reaction out of her.

“It’s such a fine brain, I hate to be that cruel. Especially about something that you could probably dig up yourself if you knew the right people to ask. The back story isn’t too much of a secret around town.”

“Then you’ll stay for dinner? Tell me the story while I cook for you?”

“I’ll stay for dinner and tell you the story, while I help you cook. I can’t just sit with idle hands.”

“I can work with that.” Myles led her back to the kitchen and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge and pantry.

“What are we having?”

“I figured a nice simple stir fry. Easy to customize based on personal preference and fast. What do you like?”

“Everything. But not too spicy.”

“No Thai chilies then.” He grabbed a bamboo cutting board and pulled a vegetable cleaver from the knife block. “Can I trust you with this?”

She arched those delicate brows and put on an innocent face. “I don’t know, can you?”