Page 45 of Love At First Fright
“I’m sorry, love.”
He watched as Rosemary blinked back tears. “It was a long time ago, it’s okay.”
Ellis thought briefly of Hank, and even though he knew losing a pet wasn’t the same as losing a parent, the grief of that often surprised him at the most unlikely of times.
“It can still hurt,” was all he managed to say. “Do you still live in Georgia?”
Rosemary shook her head. “I’ve been in New York for a couple of years. But now, I’m in between places.”
“Your dad?”
“Oh, my dad is still in Blossom Ridge, and I’ll see him at Christmas. But that’s my childhood home, you know, it’s not my home now.”
“I get it. Will you go back to New York, after the movie is done?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. All my friends are here, in England. I don’t know what’s left for me there, but moving permanently here feels like a big step.”
Stay,Ellis thought, even though he had no right to, no reason to.Stay close.
“There’s something I want to show you,” he said instead. He hadn’t planned this, but the idea unfolded now in his mind.
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Hmph. I don’t like surprises,” she said, sucking on a sweet in her mouth. Why did the thought of her tongue lapping at a sweet have him fighting an erection?
“Come on, you’ll like this one.”
Ellis took Rosemary’s hand, so soft and small in his own, and pulled her up off the sofa. He didn’t let go of her hand as he led her out of the room, and she didn’t seem inclined to let go, either.
“You’ll need to put a coat on,” he told her, and zipped her into a cosy parka. They didn’t speak much as Ellis led Rosemary, under the clear night sky, from the Gatehouse back to Hallowvale. The house was dark and empty at this time, everyone back at their crew accommodations now the sun had set.
He led her up the narrow staircase on the way to the Belltower, where he’d caught her in his arms that first day at Hallowvale, but this time Ellis let his gaze rove hungrily over Rosemary’s luscious curves, visible even under the chunky coat. Should he be doing this? Ellis wasn’t even sure what his plan was. Only that when Rosemary had begun talking about not having a home, he had this instinctual urge kick in to make her smile, make her feel good. To make herhis.
17
Ellis’s hand engulfed Rosemary’s, andshe could feel the calluses of his palm against hers, warm and dry. They were holding hands—people who were just colleagues didn’t hold hands. He was leading her up those narrow, twisting stairs they’d walked up on the Hallowvale tour, only this time, when they approached a divot in the staircase, Ellis ushered her through a wooden door she hadn’t noticed before. Another set of winding stone stairs twisted into darkness above them.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice echoing.
“Not too far. I was exploring after shooting up here the other day and found this room. I suppose Mrs. Fairfax didn’t want to show us on the tour because we’re not using it as a set.”
Ellis pushed open a creaking door at the top of the stairs, revealing a second turret room. It was a small circular space, with a glass-domed roof above them and, higher above, the bright winter stars.
“It’s beautiful,” Rosemary breathed.
“When I’m on night shoots and I’m trying to stay awake, sometimes I’ll research what constellations I might be able tospot if the night is clear. Tonight we’re lucky, the Orionids should be visible.”
“I used to watch shooting stars all the time as a kid.” Rosemary smiled and went to the tall arched windows to look out. Below them, the forests of Hallowvale spread out, lavender tinged in the darkness, moonlight catching on the upturned leaves, silvering branches.
“Thank you for bringing me here. I knew I was going to struggle not to fall asleep tonight.”
He stepped closer, bracketing her with his arms against the cold windowpane. Desire was blurring her vision at the edges, her whole view was of Ellis.
“The constellations are outside, you know,” he teased, taking hold of Rosemary’s hips and pivoting her around. They watched in silence for a moment, and though there were no lights on in the room, Rosemary could still glimpse her reflection in the window, her breath misting the glass, sucking on the sweet she’d had in her mouth while she was writing.
Despite the lack of heating, Rosemary was too warm, a little sweaty, so she peeled herself out of the parka and threw it over a nearby chair.
