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She huffed. “Fine. Let’s get it over with then.”
Sydney pulled into a shady parking spot on a campsite loop. “Looks like Trevor is ready for us.”
He stood by a cement slab surrounded by woods with a trail that led to the lake. Just like at the other locations, people pitched tents on concrete here. Crystal’s hips and elbows ached at the thought. She’d hoped for a more comfortable arrangement. Maybe she’d buy a foam pad like the one she had for her bed. The thicker, the better. As soon as she had money for one, she’d order it.
With her well-practiced, red-carpet smile pasted on, she opened the car door. She pushed out of the SUV, making sure to pause as her heels hit the ground for the best toned-legs shot. Not that it mattered, because she had no intention of working on this island.
For now, she’d play along.
She crinkled her nose and shrugged. “I think my viewers will be bored with this remote place. The other sites had way more campers and action.”
The roar of an engine cut through the silence. She spun around as some sort of jeep or four-wheeler thingy came to a halt next to them.
A mountain of a man jumped off the vehicle wearing camo pants and an olive T-shirt stretched to the max over his broad shoulders. The fabric clung to the rippled muscles of his stomach. He radiated pure strength with corded veins in his neck and not an ounce of fat on him. She judged him to be about her age, late twenties.
He had a buzz cut and a couple of days of stubble on a chiseled face. His prominent, strong jawline clenched as he strode toward them. This guy moved with purpose and power, like a big black bear on its hind legs defending his territory.
Crystal swallowed and tried to ignore the fluttering under her ribs. The unfamiliar feeling caught her off guard. Sure, she’d worked with macho types in the movies, but Hollywood used special effects and cosmetics to make them appear larger than life.
Aviator glasses hid his eyes, yet she sensed anger emanating from him. What was his problem?
Sydney made a keep-the-cameras-rolling hand gesture to Trevor.
Great. Sydney and Trevor couldn’t be on film, so it was up to Crystal to deal with the man.
He stopped in front of her, planting his feet in a wide stance. “I’m Zach Stone. Obviously, you are the celebrity whatever crew.” The sides of his mouth turned down. “I run this campground.”
Not the most welcoming hello. And either he didn’t care enough to know the name of the production company, or he’d dissed it on purpose. She smoothed back her hair and shrugged. “Doesn’t look like much to manage. A bunch of woods and tents. What’s the worst problem? Sunburn?”
He snorted and his chest expanded.
She tore her gaze from his pecs to his face, and her own reflected in his mirrored sunglasses. Her cheeks heated, and they turned pink before her eyes. What the hell? She didn’t blush. Then again, she’d never been this close to someone so…daunting.
“What’s this getup?” He waved a hand from her head to her feet. “You plan to camp in that?”
Her skin prickled. Getup? He should be thrilled she’d even considered wearing one of her designer outfits to his Podunk grounds. From the corner of her eye, she noted Trevor had moved closer, zooming in on them.
“I’ll have you know this is the latest in my line.” She smoothed a hand down her side and squared her shoulders. “It’s so popular I can’t even keep up with the orders.” If only that were true.
Zach’s head dipped and snapped back up. Was he checking her out?
“Cut.” Trevor lowered the camera. “This thing’s on the fritz again. I have to get the other one from the villa.”
“That’s fine. I need more coffee anyway.” Sydney checked her watch. “We’ll grab some at the general store and meet again in half an hour?”
Trevor nodded.
“I’ll make sure I’m here,” Zach said.
Crystal raised her chin. “We don’t need you to be. Why don’t you do whatever you do while we check out the place?”
“Keeping people like you from getting hurt while stomping around my territory unsupervisediswhat I do. I’ll be back.”
Crystal glared at him as he stalked to his vehicle. Her face burned. The guy had a bad attitude and a load of arrogance to go with it.
Just another reason to make sure they chose a different location.
Like hell he’d have the last word. She had a thing or two to say to him before she left him in the dust.
