Page 55 of He's The Reason Why

Blake stared at his front door, contemplating the consequences of his actions. Piper was going to stay the rest of the night.

In his house.

In one of his bedrooms.

The idea sent his thoughts spiraling a dozen different, previously unexplored directions.

She was his costar. His colleague. Someone who trusted him to help her do a good job. Someone who helped him up his own game in the singing department.

She was authentic and real in a way that felt foreign in Hollywood.

But it wasn’t just that.

There were things that were just Piper that he found fascinating. Like the tiny little dimple on her left cheek that only appeared when she smirked or was deeply amused.

And she was naturally gorgeous with a girl-next-door appeal that made him want to invent ways to spend more time with her.He found her more attractive in leggings and a T-shirt than any of the women he’d seen on the red carpet.

He liked her.

He wanted to find out more about her.

That was a dangerous combination. Hooking up with a costar never worked because the fantasy always interfered with reality. By the end of a project, it was never clear if they’d fallen for each other or the characters they’d pretended to be. It would be stupid to pursue anything with Piper while they were working together.

Marshall stepped up next to him. “Now that is onefine-looking woman.”

He grunted acknowledgment. If he didn’t engage in this conversation, maybe Marshall would take the hint and change the subject.

“She’s smart,” Marshall continued in a carefully casual tone of a man testing the waters. He was trying to figure out if Blake had already made a move. They’d been friends a long time, and they’d formed an unspoken code of hands-off when one of them was interested in a woman. “Funny. Sexy as hell. Mind if I ask her out?”

“Yes, I mind.”

Just because he hadn’t thought of Piper that way before today didn’t mean he wanted to watch his best friend go after her in his own house.

He shouldn’t be standing here by the door. He should go make sure the rooms were ready, or shove Marshall into the pool to cool off, or something other than wait like an eager puppy for her to walk back in.

“Why?” Marshall eyed him. “You going to make a move? I thought you didn’t like her.”

“I never said that.”

“I distinctly remember you called her a drill sergeant.”

“I was frustrated. Doesn’t mean anything.” His first impressionof Piper had softened. She was a hard worker and determined to create something great. He couldn’t fault her for that. “I wasn’t getting it, and she called me on it.”

“Frustrated.” Marshall drew the word out with enough innuendo to give it an entirely different meaning from the one Blake had intended. “I thought you swore off dating costars on active projects.”

“I’m not sleeping with Piper.”

Yet, he filled in silently to himself.

“Hmmm.” Marshall inspected him like he was some sort of bug. “But you like her.”

“Sure. What’s not to like?”

What was taking her so long? Had she parked at the bottom of the driveway, or somewhere down the street, or somewhere in Nevada?

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t at least take her to dinner.” Marshall wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe a drink at my place. A little wine. Nothing too outlandish. You know, just to get to know her better.”

The idea of Marshall wining and dining and…other things…with Piper made him twitch. “One good reason? How about Brenda Sanchez.”

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