Page 128 of He's The Reason Why

Especially with Piper.

“No, you need to hear this. It’s business.”

Marshall grabbed his towel and came inside. “What’s up?”

“I spoke with John Edgerton today. He says we have to clear the overage or they’ll shelve the project.”

Marshall plopped into the nearest dining room chair. “Okay…when?”

Blake checked the time. “About an hour, though I’m sure I can get an extension until the banks open. He was posturing.”

“John the Edge? I doubt it.” Marshall snorted. “Still. It’s a bastard move.”

“That’s the studios for you.” He glanced at the laptop. “My mother would never put up with it. As a matter of fact, I know exactly what she would do.”

“Your mom would cut off his balls,” Marshall said matter-of-factly.

“No she wouldn’t. She’d leverage her power. We have enough firepower to either make them back down or craft a deal with another studio. I’ll do what I did before. I’ll play this project off a future one. Which means I don’t need money from Piper, or anybody else.”

She huffed out an impatient sound. “That would take weeks to make happen. You have an hour.”

“It could work,” Marshall said. “Just the threat is enough. He doesn’t have to actually go through with it. I like it. Yes. Tell them I’m in too. Two stars for the price of a few points on a future gig, if they leave off harassing us on this one.”

“You don’t have to do that. What is it with men?” Piper shouted a sound of frustration. “Iwantto invest. I’m the third lead, it makes perfect sense, and a producer credit would be a pretty cool thing for me to have.”

Marshall looked thoughtful. “True. It’s not unheard of. Besides, I’m pretty sure she has a lot more money than we do. She probably made twenty million before she was eighteen years old.”

“Not quite, but close.” She flashed a quick smile at Marshall. “I can get the process started as soon as my broker wakes up and have it wired wherever in three days.”

“Nice,” Marshall said with two thumbs up. “You’re all right, Piper Bellamy.”

“No,” Blake said. His stubborn streak stood up and bared its teeth. “You’ll get a producer credit someday, but not on a movie I’m directing that you’re starring in.”

“Why the hell not?” Piper asked.

He caught Piper’s angry gaze with his own. “Because I don’t want to risk the relationship I have with my girlfriend over a measly twenty million dollars. You’re worth more to me than that.”

Marshall’s eyes widened. He looked back and forth from Piper to Blake like he was watching a really good tennis match. “Wow.”

“Girlfriend,” Piper said.

It wasn’t a question or a statement. It was more like a concept she was trying to wrap her head around.

“Yeah, this is where I tap out.” Marshall held up both hands in surrender. “No way I’m getting in between a man and his twenty-million-dollargirlfriend. I’ll just be out in the pool, pretending I’m not here. Feel free to shout. I’m sure the coyotes won’t mind.”

He left, pulling the door shut behind him.

Silence stretched while the expression on Piper’s face did somersaults. She still seemed pissed off, but there was a hint of pleased surprise too, and maybe a dash of something else.

Something more.

His heart pounded. Now that he’d put the idea out in the open, it felt like a truth he’d always known. Like they didn’t even have to spell it out; it was just there.

Piper Bellamy was his girlfriend.

Do you love her?He heard his mother’s voice echo in his head. The last time he thought he was in love he was seventeen. Rachelhad screwed his head around so much he’d never even tried to get that close to anyone else.

Until now.

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