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“Yep,” I answer too quickly. “Why?”
“No reason, although, come to think of it, yesterday we had to shoot a scene in the water, and I saw Paxton on a boat. I could have sworn he wasn’t alone . . .”
My heart rams into my breastbone. She was on the boat.
Paxton said she couldn’t see me when I was on my knees, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t see me before or after . . .
Nervous energy cuts through me, and my hand drops to my side where my finger moves to tap my leg, but I stop myself, knowing full well that if I give in to the anxiety, Teagan will see it.
She sees more than she lets on; that much is obvious. Taking slow breaths, I will myself to calm down.
Teagan steps closer to me, her hand reaching out. “What’s that?” She’s staring at my neck, but she shouldn’t be able to see what I’m hiding; it should be covered. Or at least it was.
Shit.
Can she see it?
I thought I did my best to cover it.
While we slept, Paxton’s hand was lying on my upper chest and neck.
Now, I’m sporting a tan mark from hell. But it shouldn’t be in view. I look down, and that’s when I notice the button of my collared shirt is no longer closed.
“It’s nothing.” I try to laugh it off.
But Teagan doesn’t look convinced, the corners of her lips turning down. “That doesn’t look like nothing, Mal. Is there something going on?”
I don’t know what to say to her. On the one hand, I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t want this to get out there.
“Nope, nothing,” I finally say. “I just fell asleep in the wrong position.”
She presses her lips together and nods, then turns away without another word.
I guess she’s not convinced and is now pissed that I lied. Not that I can blame her. I’m a terrible liar.
This situation isn’t good.
If I were smart, I’d end things now and get my head screwed on right. Do my job and get off this island and back to my life.
That’s not what I want.
There’s definitely something happening between Paxton and me. Something that I can’t quite explain, but when he’s around, I feel things. Things I’ve never felt before.
We’re good together, really good.
I’m not ready to admit that to him. Not yet. Not until we figure out how this might work long term.
We lead two entirely different lives, worlds apart from our shared profession.
For now, I can only protect our secret and pray for an outcome where no one gets hurt.
Unlikely.
I search for him in the crowd, and when I find him, my pulse races. This might be a problem. One that signals that when this movie wraps, it’s going to hurt leaving him.
I need to push these feelings down for now. That’s the only way this will work out while we work on this project together. It’s also the only chance I have to keep my heart intact just in case something goes wrong.
For now, what we have has to be enough.
Paxton strides over to me as if he can hear me thinking about him.
“What’s that about?” He motions to a pissed-off Teagan, currently striding away from the set.
“Nothing,” I say, turning away from him.
He steps closer, his usual grin replaced by a thin lip and a hard jaw. “You sure about that?”
It takes every bit of strength to keep my resolve now. I step back and adjust the collar of my shirt, making sure it’s buttoned up this time.
“Yep.”
“If that’s how you want to play it, but I’ll get it out of you, eventually.” He winks, and I shake my head at him. I have a feeling he’s right. His attention shifts to my sunburn, and his smile fades. “You all right there, princess?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Must be nice to be you.”
He lifts a brow in question. “I’m a red lobster, and you . . . you look like you stepped off the cover of Sports Illustrated with the perfect tan. It’s annoying, if you must know.”
“Want me to rub aloe on you later?” The look he’s giving me should be illegal. It’s downright deadly how sexy he is.
This man is trouble.
My gaze darts around to make sure no one heard him, and he shakes his head at me with a chuckle. “I’m not a complete idiot. No one can hear me.”
“Debatable, but I’ll let this one pass.” I smirk at him.
He steps close to me, his face just inches from mine.
“You’re not as tough as you think,” he whispers and winks before walking away.
I know he’s right because my heart is beating faster than ever before, and all I want to do is follow him. To spill my guts and give him my heart on a platter.
