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CHAPTER1
Lana climbed out of the limousine and lifted her sunglasses to get a good look at the beach where they’d be filming for the next three weeks. Her driver closed the door for her as she headed out on the pavement toward the boardwalk, her heels clicking. Various members of the crew bustled about, setting up equipment. Filming didn’t start for another few hours, but she liked to get her bearings and get into the right headspace.
Starting a new movie always brought her excitement and a lot of anxiety. She knew the other leading actors, of course, but who else would she be working with? Her stomach knotted. She couldn’t help but scan the crew for Hayden. Of course, her thoughts would turn to him, even though she didn’t want them to. Blast it all. It had been the same on the first day for the last two films. A sense of dread loomed over her, but also a tiny bit of hope that he would be on set, which was really dumb. Her relationship with Hayden was a thing of the past.
She spotted her co-star and inwardly cringed. Brent Clark waved at her from a beach chair, and she nodded politely at him. This would be her second film with the man Hollywood called ‘The Sexiest Man Alive.’ They were right—he was amazing to look at. Blond locks that curled at the ends and dimples to go with a shining smile. Too bad there was nothing inside that pretty little head of his.
Her gaze continued to sweep the crew, and she let out a breath. Hayden wasn’t there. Good. At least she tried to convince herself that this was good. She could now do her job without worrying what he was doing. Without wondering if he was watching her. And certainly without hoping they’d run into each other after filming.
The landscape was amazing, and she forced herself to study it and forget about her ex. Palm trees swayed in the light breeze. A seagull flew over a hut selling coconut drinks. The sun hit the water, turning it a gorgeous aqua-blue. White foam gathered on the waves. If she didn’t have to film soon, she’d kick off her heels and let the water rush over her toes.
As she stared at the water, her heel caught in one of the slats in the boardwalk and her legs buckled. She unceremoniously fell, her knee scraping on the rough wooden surface. “Ouch,” she said, before glancing around to make sure no one caught her mishap on camera.
“Are you okay?”
The familiar voice washed over her, and her breath caught. He was here after all. She looked behind her to see Hayden rushing toward her. He wore the leather jacket she remembered being his favorite and a pair of faded blue jeans. He’d let his dark hair grow out a bit. It was a good look for him. It made his stunning blue eyes pop even more. A mix of emotions rose in her chest. Hurt, betrayal, and sadness were at the forefront, but she couldn’t deny the longing, attraction, and yes, even desire that trailed behind.
Hayden had been her first real love. They’d met on set five years ago, and their chemistry had been instant. They dated during the filming ofSummer of Love, and she’d fallen hard for him. She’d thought he had returned her feelings, but then he dumped her for no reason leaving her confused and wondering what had gone wrong.
She’d seen him two nights later with another woman. Scumbag. Yet, a part of her wished there was some massive misunderstanding between them and that they could repair things. She shook her head at her thoughts. She should not do this to herself.
He paused when he got near enough to see who she was, like he wasn’t sure if he should continue to her aid or run the other way. He must have decided he couldn’t abandon her, as he closed the distance and crouched down to examine her knee. He always was the nice-guy type. But at the moment all she could see was him with that blonde, and it irritated her.
“That’ll need some ointment. I’ll help you get to the med team.” He held out his hand.
Lana bristled. Hayden was no good for her. Why on earth had she hoped he’d be on the set? She’d cried for three weeks straight after he so callously dumped her. She couldn’t let herself fall for him again. Brushing him off was the only solution.
“No, thank you,” she said. “You don’t need to do that.”
He clenched his jaw, his muscles working as his gaze traveled over her. “But you’re hurt.”
She took in a breath, hoping to firm her resolve. She couldn’t let his white knight act affect her. She had to remember the sleaze who left her crying in the rain. “I’m fine.” She stood, but her heel had broken off which made her wobble.
Hayden reached out to steady her, grabbing her arm. She melted like butter under the contact from his warm skin, and her heart pounded. So not cool. Why did she always react that way to him? She yanked her arm away which only made her topple back to the boardwalk. Great. Now she looked like she couldn’t walk at all.
“Lana,” Hayden said in that soft way that always wore her down. “Let me help you.”
She didn’t want him to help her. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Hayden. But apparently she wasn’t going to get what she wanted, because here he was, and she’d be stuck working with him for the entire time filming this next romantic comedy. She turned from him.
Hayden didn’t wait for her to tell him to leave again. He lifted her back to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Humiliated, but with no fight left in her, she succumbed, hobbling next to him. The broken heel made her seem like she was hurt much worse than a simple scrape. Dumb shoes. Why did she have to wear her favorite heels to the beach, anyway? She should have worn her flip flops.
Hayden led her to the tent that housed the medical team. While they tended to her scrape, she tried to ignore the way his cologne wafted near her and how thoughts of working with Hayden over the span of this next film caused unwanted excitement. He’d made it clear when he dumped her that he had no feelings for her.
When they were done with her knee, she gathered up her heels and stood. She straightened her back, not quite meeting his chin at her full five-foot-six height. “Thank you for the help,” she said, allowing a cold edge to her words. “I’ll be going now.”
“Lana…” Hayden said before she could brush past him. The way he said it held so much meaning. She knew he was in pain, and yet, part of her was happy about that. She was in pain too.
“Can we talk?”
For some reason, that made her angry. Oh, he wanted to talk, did he? What was he going to say? That he was sorry he didn’t love her? That he had moved on and hoped she had done the same? She had no intension of letting him say anything like that. She was done with Hayden Sterling. “No,” she said, her tone flat.
Brent walked into the med tent, his blond curls blowing in the breeze. “Lana, you okay? I saw you fall. Did you hurt yourself?”
Typical Brent question. Of course, she’d hurt herself. She was in the med tent, after all. But she held back a sarcastic comment. “I’m fine.”
“Hey,” Brent said, pointing at Hayden. “You’re that prop guy Lana used to date, aren’t you?”
