Page 17 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“Sounds delightful.” She scooted past him, trying not to feel the heated effects of…whatever it was that seemed to emanate off him in waves. No such luck, though, because he smelled like something delicious and she paused, making the mistake of tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

And then she melted into the icy blue of his eyes. He raised his hand and laid it against the door above her head. Her breathing quickened and she’d never wanted to kiss a man more than she wanted to kiss Kane.

But she absolutely refused to allow herself to be tempted, especially not by some crazy-popular movie star who probably went through women like paper towels.

“Well, good night, Kane.”

His gaze remained fixed on hers as he moved away to let her pass. “See you tomorrow, Mae.”

“Right. Tomorrow.”

She exhaled on a regretful sigh as she walked away. She headed toward the main house, then detoured, taking a stroll through the vineyards. It was a cool night and she needed that fresh air to clear her head.

There was something compelling about Kane August. It wasn’t his celebrity because Mae didn’t care at all about that kind of thing.

It was definitely the man. All of him.

She was going to have to watch herself. Or watch him. Or not watch him. Yes, definitely not watch him.

Or something.

Chapter

six

It was ahair and makeup day since they’d be filming a scene. Mae’s back would be turned to Kane, so they’d be doing her up to look as much like Everly as they could. Alexis had been in makeup with them, talking her through the scene, since they arrived before dawn. Mae did a lot of nodding and sipping of her coffee, but otherwise she hadn’t said much.

He finished up well before her, so he went to costuming to get into his jeans and button-down along with his boots, which would pretty much be his standard outfit for much of the shoot. Suited him just fine. Typically for movies he’d be in uncomfortable clothes that didn’t suit him. That he got to dress in his normal clothes for this one was a bonus.

After dressing, he wandered off to talk to the cinematographer. While he enjoyed acting, he’d always been fascinated by how a film was made. Scene setup, direction, camera angles and all of the nuance was how you took an actor’sblah blah blahand turned it into something incredible.

Someday he’d step away from acting and direct. Definitely produce. There were already projects he was interestedin taking on from the production side. He’d been acting since he was a teen. He couldn’t—didn’t want to, really—do this forever.

He heard his name over the loudspeaker, so he headed over to the grassy area where they’d set up the scene. The main house was in the background and so were the vineyards. It was a great, beautiful background. The sun had risen and steam rose from the grass. It was outstanding for the scene they were about to play. He’d had a croissant for breakfast and was fueled with caffeine, so more than ready to lay into his argument with the character of Caroline—Mae’s character. Well, eventually Everly’s character whenever she showed up. But for now it would be Mae.

“Okay, I’m here—finally.”

He pivoted and smiled. She was made up to look not at all like herself. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail instead of the loose, beautiful waves she typically wore. They’d put a hat on her, too. And the makeup was movie standard but so over-the-top.

“You look…nice.”

Mae snorted out a laugh. “I look like I’m wearing funeral makeup. It’s hideous.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “We all have to endure it.”

She stepped closer, raising up to inspect his face. “You’re wearing all that makeup and still, how can you look so…so…”

“Ruggedly handsome?”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I don’t even know why I’m made up, since no one’s going to see my face.”

He shrugged. “That’s the way Alexis wants it. If we get a bit of a side view of your face, you won’t be all pale and pasty.”

She snorted out a laugh. “Gee, thanks.”

“What I meant was, you need a lot of makeup for the camera.Youare not pale and pasty.”

“Okay.”

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