Page 73 of Cast to be Mine

Grace settled onto a folding chair and immediately started demolishing her food. I sat across from her, trying not to stare at the way the robe had shifted, revealing a strip of collarbone, the curve of her shoulder.

I wanted to peel that robe off her so badly it was physically painful.

“So,” she said around a mouthful of rice, “scale of one to ten, how badly did I want to actually punch Jack during that last take?”

I laughed. “I’d say a solid eight. Maybe eight and a half.”

“Only because I knew it would hold up production if I broke his perfect nose.”

“Very considerate of you.”

She grinned, spearing a piece of pineapple with her fork. “I’m a team player.”

We talked about the afternoon’s shots, debating whether the sunset would hold long enough for the golden hour sequence I wanted.

It felt normal. Natural. Like we were just two people enjoying lunch together, not sneaking around behind everyone’s backs.

I caught myself watching the way she licked a drop of coconut milk from her lip and had to look away before my body betrayed me in very obvious ways. Her cheeks flushed when she caught me staring.

Movement at the edge of my vision caught my attention. I looked up just in time to see Chantilly storming across the sand toward Jack’s trailer, her caftan billowing behind her like a battle flag. Even from this distance, I could see the fury radiating off her.

Jack was trailing behind her, his hands raised in a placating gesture that clearly wasn’t working.

“What the hell was that?” Chantilly’s voice carried across the beach, shrill enough to cut through the ambient noise. “You were practically drooling over her!”

“Babe, it’s called acting.”

“Don’t you ‘babe’ me! I saw the way you were looking at her. At her body. You think I’m blind?”

She grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the trailer. He stumbled, nearly losing his balance in the sand. The trailer door slammed shut behind them, but we could still hear muffled shouting from inside.

Everyone could.

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Apparently.” I watched the trailer, half-amused, half-concerned. “Poor bastard.”

“Poor bastard?” Grace snorted. “He was definitely checking me out during those takes. Chantilly’s not wrong.”

“I noticed.” My jaw tightened involuntarily. “I didn’t love it.”

She looked at me, something warm flickering in her eyes. “Jealous?”

“Territorial,” I corrected. “There’s a difference.”

She flashed a smile.

The shouting from Jack’s trailer continued for another few minutes before going quiet. I made a mental note to check on him before we resumed shooting. The last thing I needed was a sulking leading man ruining our afternoon takes.

As I turned back to my food, I noticed a few crew members glancing our way. Nothing overt—just quick looks. But I clocked them. They’d noticed us sitting together.

No one said anything. But they were watching.

I needed to be more careful. We both did.

“We should probably…” I gestured vaguely toward the rest of the crew.

Grace nodded, understanding immediately. “Yeah. I should go check in with Patty anyway. Make sure I don’t have anything stuck in my teeth before we roll again.”