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“This who you chose over me the other night?” he asked when they stopped in front of him. The thin, hipster assistant next to Trent gasped, then bit his lip. Trent rolled his eyes. “Oh can it, Earl, you know what I meant.”
“Who’s with you today?” Dom asked, shaking the hand Trent held out. “Garrett or Royce?”
“Nobody. You threw the stalker through a window, remember?”
Dom’s body went stiff. His frame seemed to puff up a bit in indignation. “You have no security from Ward now?” His gaze latched on to the bruiser standing next to a picnic table outside a trailer.
Trent aimed his thumb back over his shoulder at the man. “I just sent Royce on his way. My usual guy is over his flu and back on the job. He should be enough with the threat removed.” He frowned. “You’re being rude not introducing me to your boyfriend.”
“Oh, I’m not—” Abe started.
“This is Abe Stephens and no, he’s not my boyfriend, but that’s not from lack of trying.”
“Nice to meet you, Abe Stephens,” Trent said, holding out his hand.
Abe shook it, noticing he had a lot of callouses. He remembered reading something about the actor paying a lot of extra money for insurance because he climbed as a hobby. He had an iron grip, too.
“So, you don’t think Dom here is pretty enough to date?” The wry twist of Trent’s lips let Abe know he was messing with Dom. And it worked.
“Pretty? What the fuck?” Dom scowled.
And like that, Abe’s tension eased. He liked this guy. “Oh, he’s plenty pretty, just not my type.”
“And that is?” Trent asked.
“Respectful of his elders.”
“We are having a big conversation later,” Dom growled under his breath. He held his hands out in front of his chest like he was measuring something. “Big.”
Trent cracked up and waved them toward a picnic table. “Come and eat. I ordered ahead—got several things because I didn’t know what you guys like.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Dom said.
Trent shrugged. “Gotta eat and I only have an hour tonight. And I only got that because the director is pissed about something or another. This one usually is whenever his wife can’t come on the shoots. If you’ve seen her, you’ll get it.” He paused as he settled on the bench. “Or maybe not with you two.”
Dom stared at Abe but didn’t speak, and Abe realized he wouldn’t give away any of Abe’s personal information. His heart warmed and he stared back until Dom’s mouth went slightly slack.
“Whew,” Trent muttered. “You guys better sit down before you catch my trailer on fire. Not dating? Really?”
Abe briefly closed his eyes, then sat across from the actor. He needed to watch himself, or he was going to hurt Dom for real. He focused on the spread on the table, impressed. Sandwiches, subs, salads—and none looked like the kind he made himself at home. These had specialty meats, cheeses, and veggies. Several bright lights had the entire area lit up so much, it was like daytime.
“It’s nothing fancy,” Trent said. “Things like this are easier to serve when you don’t know what time you’ll have each day. If you’re adventurous, try this one.” He pointed to one of the thicker subs. “My assistant found that spicy mustard on our last shoot in Pennsylvania. Has a kick, but a way of bringing out flavors of everything around it.”
“You a foodie, Trent?” Dom reached for one of those subs.
So did Abe. He had a thing for good mustards.
“I dabble some, but I eat on the run a lot and with the workouts they’ve had me doing for this movie, I’m wallowing in protein. Who ever heard of a bulked-up vampire?”
“Not wallowing in blood then, eh?”
Trent flashed them both a quick grin. “Well, I do like my steaks rare.”
Bulked out was an understatement. He wasn’t as tall as Abe and Dom, but his layers of muscle dwarfed them both.
Abe enjoyed the dinner, surprised he felt no nerves around the easygoing actor. Trent really was like one of the guys, and he had a feeling they’d be friends if he lived nearby.
A woman with sleek black hair and red eyes wrapped in a short, silk robe walked over, her gaze locked on the spread rather than the table’s occupants.
“Damn, Trent. I’m jealous.”
Abe blinked and stared hard at the woman. It was only when she spoke that he realized that he was looking at Kate Jones, one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. But then, she was hard to recognize without her trademark blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
“I do have pretty amazing dinner companions,” Trent quipped.
“No offense, gentlemen, but I was eyeing the food. If I have to eat one more salad, I’m gonna murder for real.”
Grinning, Trent grabbed an untouched sandwich and pulled off a thick slice of roast beef. He rolled it into a little tube and handed it off to the woman, who consumed it like she was starving.
