Page 48 of Such a Good Girl

I turned my head, looking over at the other section of the rooftop. My eyes widened. “Oh my god, is that Jennifer Aniston?”

He smiled, nodding. “I thought you didn’t keep up on celebrities.”

“Well, I don’t, but obviously I know who she is.”

“Do you want to meet her?”

“What? You know her?”

He laughed, shrugging. “Yeah, I did that one movie with Brad a long time ago and we all went to dinner together. That was before she got with Justin Theroux, of course.”

“Right,” I nodded, slowly, trying not to seem so impressed. “I don’t need to meet her, but thank you… oh my god, is that Harry Styles?”

“Okay, I’m starting to not believe your story at all now.”

“Well, I don’t live under a rock,” I laughed, prying my eyes away from celebrity sightings. I couldn’t wait to tell Violet, she was a huge Harry freak.

“But you didn’t know about my divorce?”

“I try to stay away from the actual gossip stuff. It seems so invasive, you know? It’s nobody’s business. But I do appreciate a good rom-com and a good song.”

He cocked his head to the side, his dark eyes softening. “That’s a rare but refreshing attitude, Little Rose.”

His nickname for me made me blush every single time. It was intimate. Personal. Affectionate even, and it made me simultaneously want to crawl under the table and kiss him at the same time.

I shrugged. “I do feel that way. It’s hardly fair. Just because someone chooses to be an actor or model or whatever, they shouldn’t lose all sense of privacy. I’ve always felt strongly about that. So, I choose not to partake.”

“I like you,” he said, his voice soft in the darkness. He reached over and grabbed my hand again, the warmth of his fingers caressing mine comforting me and making my heart race at the same time. “Listen…I know I’m coming on strong. But I think I should say something, just so I’m not leading you on. And since we’re talking about my divorce. It was brutal. Danika almost ruined me. I love being with you, Rosie, you’re a lot of fun. And I want to keep exploring that. But as for right now, I’m not ready to start anything serious.”

I relaxed at his words. I appreciated his honesty and transparency, and it made me breathe a little easier now that I knew his real intentions.

“Thank you for saying that, West. I suspected as much. I’m not looking for anything serious right now, either.”

“Then we’re on the same page,” he said, his eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m having fun, too. I don’t want to stop.”

“You’re incredibly beautiful.” His eyes peered into mine intensely. “I meant what I said. Maybe you should do a test shot with me sometime.”

“I don’t think so, but thank you.” His words were immensely flattering.

“That’s too bad, because I really, really need to find a lead actress for my new film.”

“What’s it about?”

“The club. My ex-wife, I guess? Seems depressing, but I’m on the hook now.”

I smiled over at him, reassuringly. “You’ll figure it out, West. You’ll find your girl.”

He stared at me for a moment, his eyes searching mine. I could barely breathe when he looked at me like that. He seemed to be looking right through me. I wondered what he saw. I wondered what he thought.

I wondered what it would feel like to kiss him again.

My eyes betrayed me, darting down to his lips for an instant before darting back up again. He saw me, and a knowing smile stretched across his face.

“I think I may,” he whispered, and I knew he wasn’t talking about the movie. His thumb pressed into my palm, suggestively tracing hot, slow circles in the center of it.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked, his voice a low, lusty growl that cut right through me.

---