Page 7 of The Grumpy Actor

What am I doing right now? I should be trying to figure out what she’s doing here and what she wants.

I move closer to her. “Why are you here?”

She gasps loudly, snapping her head around. The action is so quick that the warm liquid splashing across my bare torso doesn’t register until she winces.

“I’m so sorry,” she says hastily, the now empty cup of coffee dangling from her fingertips. She quickly drops the cup onto a table and picks up a napkin. “I didn’t mean to do that and—”

“Answer my question,” I snap, capturing her hand in mine before she can touch me. “Why are you here?”

Sophie’s breath catches, and so does mine. Heat springs through my entire body from the place where my hand holds hers.

This pull between us shouldn’t still be happening. I shouldn’t feel this drawn to her, no matter how persistent it is.

What is it about Sophie Grant that makes her so impossible to ignore?

Chapter 3

Sophie

“Whyareyouhere?”

Yes, that’s the question he asked me. I should be trying to answer him, not gawking at him like a creep.

It’s easier said than done, though. Being so close to him with his hand tightly wrapped around mine is disorienting. All I can think about are the rioting emotions inside me.

It’s almost like my chest is going to explode from how fast my heart is beating. A shiver runs through me, catching me off guard.

Feelings I thought I’d buried years ago come rushing back—all because of the man who first made me feel them.

This is bad.

I knew working as his personal assistant would be a disaster, but I couldn’t reject this job without telling my mom the truth.

And I can’t blame Mom for pitching me for the job. She knows how restless I’ve been about not getting any jobs lately, and she believes adding this gig to my résumé will make me more appealing as a virtual assistant.

I also can’t ignore the fact that the pay will also go a long way in helping around the house and fixing some major issues at the diner.

Those are the reasons I woke up so early and dragged myself to this resort to start working as my ex’s personal assistant.

I knew what I was getting into, but I thought I was prepared for it. It turns out I wasn’t prepared to run into a shirtless and sexy Liam Ryder so early in the morning.

I’d lost my composure and spilled my coffee all over him, and judging from his reaction, he wasn’t expecting me.

I clear my throat, trying to slip my hand out of his tight grip. Liam gently lets me go without breaking eye contact.

“Why are you here? Can’t you answer?”

“I’m—”

“She’s the temp assistant,” Julian cuts me off sharply. I turn around just in time to see him rush through the door. He’s out of breath. “I wasn’t expecting you to wake up this early. I thought I’d be back before you woke up, and then I’d make a proper introduction.”

Liam’s eyes harden a notch as he glances from me to Julian. “She’s the one you hired.”

“Yes, I told you I found someone. She’s an amazing virtual assistant, so I figured she could pull off being a personal assistant to you,” Julian replies, rubbing the back of his neck. He raises a brow as he notices the droplets on Liam’s torso. “What happened here?”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Liam snaps.

“Yeah, right. Introductions. She’s Sophie Grant,” Julian says, giving me a warm smile. “And you must already know him. This grumpy man over here is Liam Ryder.”

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