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“Yes, dear.”
~ ~ ~
Reece was offered an action film playing opposite Melanie Daniels. He was reluctant to take the part because the press would once again assume there was more than a professional relationship between them. He liked her well enough, but the thought of having his name linked with hers romantically left his blood cold. And what would Nicole think?
He accepted the role, departing for Los Angeles where the film was being shot in the studio before going on location in New York. He was hoping to track down information on Nicole while he was there, although he had little hope of accomplishing anything.
~ ~ ~
In the meantime, Nicole took on a few writing projects, traveling to The Big Apple to meet with her editor. Audrey was thrilled with her new work in progress, putting her under contract to finish it. She was now a published author with multiple titles in print.
Everyone told her to write her heartbreak out on paper. That was exactly what she did. She put her heroes and heroines through hell before they could reach their happily ever after. Rape, murder, and mistaken identity were all concepts becoming her specialty. Her characters were exhausted by the time they made it to the end. Her growing fan base was frantic for the next title to arrive.
She attended writing conferences and was always surprised when a fan asked her to sign their book. The way people fawned all over her, asking for pictures and keepsakes, made her feel like a celebrity.
She was amazed how quickly time passed while she stayed buried in her writing; the days, weeks, and months were passing in a blur of words and storylines.
When she first arrived back from England, she feared how people would respond to her, seeing what they had in the tabloid magazines. She was completely surprised when friends and neighbors came out of the woodwork to show her their support. Yes, there had been the occasional innuendo and pointed look at church, but for the most part, the people who cared about her treated her no different than they had before.
She dealt with the press by ignoring them. When she was seen in public, she behaved responsibly, giving them no reason to drag her name through the mud. She kept her nose clean. With no juicy story to exploit, they moved on to greener pastures.
; She hardly thought about Reece anymore—just every second of every day. She heard he was dating his co-star again, and that things were heading in a matrimonial direction. It twisted her heart to think of him with another woman, doing the things with her that he’d done with Nicole. She didn’t want him to be with anyone else, but her wants had never mattered to the high and mighty Reece Collins.
About a month after her return to the States, a letter was forwarded to her from the publisher’s offices. The return address was in Cornwall. Curious, she opened the envelope. It was a check from Reece—a hefty bribe in payment for her silence on their affair. She didn’t need his money; she didn’t want his money. And he had a lot of nerve sending it to her.
She thought of sending it back to him with a scathing reply. She thought of making and posting a video to YouTube, burning it on camera for the entire world to see. Instead, she fired up her laptop and did a bit of research on his family. With no hesitation whatsoever, she made a phone call to his mother’s law firm, offering an abject apology to Mrs. Woodhouse for all the harm her encounter with Reece had caused. She explained that she couldn’t accept such a substantial amount of money for something she had no intention of thinking about ever again.
His mother had been gracious in her acceptance, encouraging Nicole to tell her more about her time with Reece. They were on the phone for hours, discussing everything. By the end of the call, plans were set in motion for a little cottage by the sea to be sold to the red-haired girl from North Carolina.
~ ~ ~
It was summertime in New York. Nicole was staying with Audrey for the week, going over the plans for future release dates, book signings, and the upcoming national romance conference. Lindsey had tagged along for company, and she and Nicole planned to attend the movie convention to catch sneak peeks at the newest movies about to be released.
Nicole was walking around Times Square when she caught sight of something that froze her feet to the ground: the billboard for Reece’s next film. She paused on the sidewalk, studying the gigantic, digital likeness, showing Reece with his blond hair messy as he held the girl in his arms and clinging to a ladder while the helicopter whisked them away.
She rolled her eyes, turning away. It had to be another action movie where he played a super spy in a tuxedo. Couldn’t he find any more original roles than that? She glanced back at the picture one last time before moving on.
“Nicole?” someone shouted. She peered around to see who had called her name, her eyes widening. Reece was staring at her from across the street. His eyes were just as wide in shock. He spoke a few words to the person by his side before beginning to move in her direction.
She didn’t think, but she turned on her heels, running from him as fast as she could. There was the blare of honking horns and squealing brakes as he pursued her, but she kept running. She didn’t want to see him. He was the stuff of her nightmares. How many nights had she woken in a cold sweat with the feel and scent of his skin still permeating her senses? How many times had she touched her body in the dark of night to replicate his caress but always failing? She couldn’t face him again.
“Nicole, wait,” he called, but she kept to her course, running down the street and dodging pedestrians until she reached a hotel and ducked inside. She ran to the ladies’ room, hiding and watching from a crack in the door as he entered the lobby, looking around.
His breathing was harsh, his chest rising and falling with every breath. His hair was windblown and messy, and his beautiful blue eyes were searching frantically.
She swallowed hard and loud, her breath hitching in her chest. He looked so good. She wanted nothing more than to leave this room and maybe jump into his arms, but she wouldn’t do that. He was probably looking for a convenient piece of ass. She wasn’t going to be stupid enough to fall for him again.
His hands were on his hips as he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze briefly resting on the bathroom door before moving on. His eyes continued to scan over and over until finally, with shoulders hunched, he turned on his heels, leaving the way he came.
She waited in the ladies’ room ten more minutes before slipping out of the hotel from a side entrance. She practically ran back to Audrey’s apartment, determined to leave the city as quickly as possible.
~ ~ ~
“But we just got here,” Lindsey complained, her own suitcase open but still empty.
Nicole was shaking her head. “I can’t take the risk of going out and running into him again.”
