Page 64 of Behind the Scenes
“Only because you asked nicely, my love.”
She took the pen from the guard, signed the papers, and gave them back to me.
I shrugged her off and quickly walked to the waiting fans to place her autographs in the closest hands. They screamed when they saw what it was.
When I turned around, Harley was waiting for me with a smile on her face.
“So you have a heart?”
I huffed. “I know what it’s like to be a fan. And—let’s admit it—you’re unnecessarily cruel to the people who support you.”
Instead of grabbing on to the jab like I hoped, her smile only widened.
“So wereyoua fan of me,Laura?” The way she said my name in that teasing, sensual tone had my skin prickling.
I was hit with mental images of her at the cover magazine shoot and just how much I liked what I saw.
She looped her arm back around me as if it belonged there. Her warmth seeped into my skin, and against everything my mind told me to do, I found myself sinking into her side.
The street wasn’t too crowded, with only a few couples and families walking about. Some looked our way, but no one approached us.
“Do you ever stop thinking about work?” she asked. “I can feel your mind working nonstop.”
“Never,” I admitted. “Do you ever stop thinking about killing people?”
Her step faltered.
“Often,” she said. “Especially when I’m with you. But I did get rather close to killing my manager yesterday. When I saw that you had to come get me when you were sick… I should have been taking care of you, but instead you were the one coming to my rescue. I have a whole list of ways I can do it.”
Ah, so she did think about it.I almost smiled at that, and then I saw the cloud that formed over her eyes. For the first time, I felt like I could see into the violent mess unfolding inside her mind.
“Let’s not get reckless,” I cooed. “If you really want to kill him, we need a plan.”
She blinked a few times before meeting my gaze. There was clearly something she wanted to say, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. She bent to kiss me instead, and I welcomed it.
“Let’s get you something to eat before you faint,” I said. “You look pale.”
She gave me a hesitant nod and took my hand.
The rest of the short walk was silent. I didn’t know where we were going or what we were looking for, but she led us to a small restaurant that had only a few seats inside and even fewer outside.
There were still a few customers inside, probably regulars, chatting happily with each other.
“It’s nice out. Take a seat, and I’ll go order.” She helped me to an empty table and even pulled out my seat for me. I caught sight of her eye bags under the restaurant’s light. The makeup artist had done a great job, but after a full day of filming, it was starting to wear off.
I didn’t mention it. Instead, I watched her from outside, looking as she greeted the staff with a friendly smile. She was so at ease with them, falling into her charismatic role in seconds.
Would I have fallen for the same act if she hadn’t revealed herself to me?
But she had. I had known from the start. And I still allowed myself to relax. I let her touch me. And even the night before I had allowed myself to sleep in the same bed as her… again.
If I were being honest, I was looking forward to doing that same thing tonight too. Either to sleep or… whatever else.
The warm air was nice against my exposed skin. The headache had all but disappeared, but there was a slight buzz from the last drink I had allowed myself while they were filming. That, combined with the excitement of being able to nail that bastard of a manager of hers, was enough to make me believe I was on vacation.
To bring myself back to reality, I pulled out my phone.
There were a few client emails and some forwarded documents from my various ongoing investigations, but I didn’t feel the need to reply to them.
