Page 41 of Heavy Shot

"No. I'm in bed. Still recovering from the weekend," she said, with the first audible smile since he'd said hello.

"Ah. Good. You had me worried."

"Nothing to worry about unless you’ve got a guilty conscience."

"Ha-ha! No. I have no conscience," he tried to sound chipper, but couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. "I'll call soon. Goodnight."

"Okay, have a good interview," Rhiannon said, then added, "tell Jill I said hello. 'Night," before hanging up.

Kline hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead. Neither he nor Rhiannon had made any promises to one another, but they'd certainly spent enough time that she might expect explanations should he decide to be with anyone else. He hated figuring out relationships. He liked the part when he was sure he’d gotten the girl, but the rest of it? Nothing but the anxiety of trying to get her, and then trying to keep her.

His alarm went off at ten and he got up, had another shower, then dialed Jill's number. She answered on the third ring, sleep clouding her voice. "Morning, princess," he said. "I wanted to make sure you made it home in one piece."

"I'm home," she drowsed. "One piece."

"Good. Listen, why don't you come down to Stephen’s studio? Meet me. We'll go get something to eat when my interview is over. Roland would love it."

Jill yawned and sighed, and he could hear her rolling over and caught himself wondering what she was wearing. His favorite mornings had been the ones when he woke up to find her sound asleep wearing his boxers, splayed out on her stomach so that the leg of his shorts cut up across her bum, giving him a slice of cheeky cheesecake. He felt his groin tighten. No, his favorite mornings had been the ones where he woke up to her half passed out across him, naked and rumpled from the night before. Suddenly, he wondered if anyone was there waking up with her. "Mm okay," she sighed. "It's at two, right?"

"Two, yeah. You'll be there?"

"Sure," was the dreamy reply. "I'll be there."

"Great, see you at two," he said, offering a smile she could hear before saying goodbye. She mumbled to him and he could picture her in his mind. He laughed as the line clunked and went dead.

He grabbed his suitcase and set about getting dressed for his appearance. It had taken Roland a month to get him on Colbert’s schedule and he was sure that his recent box office success was the only reason it had come about. He'd been the butt of many a Colbert joke in the past, so everyone knew Stephen didn't like him much. When the guy with the reputation of being the nicest in late night is barely civil to you, people talk.

Still, not even Colbert could ignore how Knight had blasted into theaters. People were comparing it to Top Gun: Maverick for the business it was doing. It would be interesting to see how the interview went, all things considered.

After a very light breakfast, he called for the car and headed to the studio. There was guest prep and makeup to go through well before the taping began, so he arrived a little before noon. One of the production assistants ushered him into the dressing room and told him that Stephen would be meeting with him in the Green Room prior to airtime.

He was scrolling through his phone when a tap came on the door, followed by Jill walking in. She was wearing a simple black wraparound sweater and a pair of slim black trousers over high-heeled boots. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant twist, and she wore minimal makeup. Kline smiled. "You are one of the few women I know who looks even more beautiful dressed down than up. Come on in."

She grinned at him and walked over to sit by him on the couch. "So, are you ready for Stephen?"

"As I'll ever be. He loathes me."

"It's because you're so pretty."

"Yes, I'm sure that's true. Well, you know what they say, those who can't act make jokes about those who can."

"Is that what they say?" She giggled, leaning to kiss his cheek. "Listen, about last night…thank you. I wasn't thinking straight."

He smiled. "I knew you were going through a lot. I didn't want that to be the reason…you know?"

"I know. Honestly? That wouldn't have been the reason, but– I got caught up in the moment. It felt familiar. Good. You know? But that was a long time ago.”

Kline cleared his throat, ignoring the last bit. "Yeah. It means something to me, too." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Er, Rhiannon phoned. She saw a bit about us yesterday on DeuxMoi last night. I think she's upset."

“She reads that?”

“That’s what I said!”

Jill closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. "I shouldn't be here, should I? It is serious, isn't it? Or at least she thinks it is."

He shook his head. "I'll talk it out with her when I get home. She and I haven't made any commitments and you and I haven't done anything wrong. It just isn't something that can be discussed over the phone. I want you to stay. Please?"

In spite of looking like she wanted to bolt immediately, Jill shrugged. "You were there for me yesterday. I can be here for you today. But tell me something, because if I don't ask, I'll wonder until I find out and I don't want to find out the hard way. Are you going to try to make a go of things with her? Are you going to make commitments?"

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