After he paid the bill they put on their coats and headed outside. He unlocked the car, but before he opened her door he pushed her against the car, wrapped his arms around her and did what he’d thought about doing during dinner. He kissed her—a long, hot kiss. She slid her hand around his neck, lifting up on her toes to press her body closer.

  He heard the familiar click of a camera, then another, then another. Immediately jerking back, he cursed under his breath, spotting the photographers he hadn’t even noticed were there when they’d walked out of the restaurant. Hell, for all he knew they’d been inside the restaurant. But now the damage had been done and they’d gotten the shots.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Paparazzi. Let’s go.” He tucked her inside the car, angry that he’d let his guard down. He’d been here before, that moment when he was out in public and he was suddenly surrounded by photographers. It was part of his job and he lived with it. But it wasn’t part of Mae’s life and he felt bad that she was being sucked into it.

  He slid into the seat and started the car, getting out of there as fast he could.

  “Somehow I get the idea you’re pissed off about what just happened,” she said. “Isn’t this something that happens to you, given your occupation?”

  “I didn’t see it coming. I should have.”

  “I didn’t see them, either.”

  “Not your job. It is part of mine. I let my guard down because they haven’t been hovering lately. I should have known better. Now a photo of us kissing will be plastered all over the gossip sites.”

  “Oh.” She shifted in her seat and stared out the windshield. “That is a problem.”

  He spared her a quick glance. “I’m sorry, Mae. I would have never dragged you into this, exposed you like this—”

  “Wait. You’re worried about me?”

  “Hell yes, I’m worried about you. I’m used to this bullshit. But you—”

  “Can take care of myself, thank you.”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “Mae, you don’t know what kind of ruckus one picture can cause, the amount of negative press.”

  She laughed. “You sure think highly of yourself.”

  She didn’t get it. She would, though, and she’d blame him. Rightly so. “I’m sorry. All I can say is I’m sorry.”

  “Look. Am I into this whole celebrity thing? Absolutely not. You’re just a person, and having people follow you just to take your picture and invade your personal life is ludicrous. But I knew going in that this was a possibility. I’ve accepted it. And, like I said, I can take care of myself.”

  They drove the rest of the way in silence. She was already angry with him, which would only get worse. He figured he might as well support her level of irritation.

  He pulled up in front of the house and went around to open her car door. She slid out and turned to face him, placing her palms on his chest.

  “Kane, listen. I’m a strong, independent woman who is perfectly capable of making her own decisions.”

  “I’m aware of that. But, if you’ll allow, this isn’t something you’ve been through before and I was trying my best to shield you from the effects of my…my…”

  She arched a brow. “Epic stardom?”

  He scratched the side of his nose. “Not the words I’d choose. I just want to prepare you for what’s coming.”

  “I can take it. And I’m sorry if you think I’m some kind of emotional wreck who’s going to crumple because a picture of us is going to show up on the gossip sites tomorrow. No one even knows who I am. Unless…you think it’s because I’m a nobody and your legions of admirers will wonder what the hell you’re doing with me.”

  He frowned. “What? No. I never said that.”

  “You implied. Good night, Kane.”

  “Mae, come on.”

  “Good night.”

  Before he could argue further, she turned and walked up the porch steps, disappeared inside and turned off the porch light.

  Well, hell. That was a pretty definite Go the Fuck Away. So he got into his car and drove back over to the production site. He went inside, stripped out of his clothes, slid into sweats and grabbed a beer from the fridge, plopped down on the sofa and grabbed his phone, scrolling through the gossip sites to see if any pics had hit yet.

  Not yet.

  But they would, and as angry as Mae was tonight, it was only going to get worse.

  Chapter

  twenty

  It had been two days of nonstop stalking by photographers. The phones were ringing off the hook, everyone was showing up here and Mae wanted nothing more than to go back to her apartment and hide, possibly for the rest of her life. She was appalled by all the attention one ridiculous photo of Kane and her kissing had caused. Now she had to sit in a meeting with the entire Bellini family, and she was certain this wasn’t going to be good.

  She should have known better than to get involved with a popular actor.

  Nothing good ever came from dating men. They were just a catastrophe in the making.

  Gathering up her notebook, pen and laptop, she made the slow walk to the meeting, hoping like hell that they weren’t going to fire her.

  Of course they were all there, staring at her as she made her way to her spot at the table. She decided the best defense would be a good offense. She laid her stuff down on the table and addressed the family.

  “I’m so sorry about all of this. I’m going to do whatever I can to fix it.”

  Erin frowned. “Fix…Mae, you do realize this is all good for our business, right?”

  Mae didn’t understand. “Good for business? How?”

  “I know you’ve been buried in your office the past couple of days,” Honor said. “But the phone’s been ringing ever since the gossip sites printed those photos of Kane and you.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”

  “No, you don’t get it,” Brenna said. “We’ve booked wine tastings and vineyard tours for the next several months.”

  Honor nodded. “And I’ve scheduled twelve prospective bridal couple tours, plus interest from several more. I know there’s a possibility someone wants to come and gawk at Kane August, but some of the more legit media publications also grabbed the story and featured Bellini Weddings in their articles, including that the wedding venue and vineyard will be featured in his upcoming movie. Thanks to you and Kane, we’re suddenly extremely popular.”

  Mae could only gape at them while simultaneously trying to absorb everything they were saying to her.

  “So this is a good thing?”

  “Yes, my dear,” Maureen said, beaming a smile. “It’s all good.”

  She finally exhaled. “Okay, then. Thanks.” She finally sat, prepared to go on with the meeting, relieved that nightmare was finally over. She opened her folder to grab her notes.

  “So, when are you seeing Kane again?” Honor asked.

  Her head shot up. “What?”

  “Seeing Kane. You like him, right?”

  At the moment she was ambivalent, especially since he’d implied she wouldn’t be able to handle the press attention. Though, if she were honest with herself, she hadn’t been handling it all that well, so maybe he had been right. Not that she’d admit that to Kane.

  “He’s okay.”

  “That photo of the kiss makes me think he’s more than okay,” Erin said with a knowing smirk.

  “Okay, fine. He’s a great kisser. Well practiced, I’m sure, from years of movie kissing experience.”

  “I don’t know,” Brenna said. “I’ve seen movie kisses, and I’ve personally experienced real-life kisses. That didn’t seem like a movie kiss to me.”

  Mae shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. They all seem the same to me.”

  Maureen was giving her that mom look. “Did you two have a fight?”

  Mae didn’t answer.

  “Mae. Did you two have a fight?”

  She knew Maureen wouldn’t let it go. “We might have had a slight disagreement. He warned me that the paparazzi could be intense and I might not be able to handle it. I took offense.”

  “Have you spoken to him since that slight disagreement?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’m sorry,” Honor said. “This whole situation must be very hard for you.”

  She blew out a breath. “Yeah, it has been. I’ve never known anyone like him. He’s nothing like the usual men I date.”

  “Is that a good or a bad thing?” Brenna asked.

  Mae let out a short laugh. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Would it help if you talked to him?” Maureen asked.

  “Probably. I at least owe him an apology for going off on him like I did. He was right, after all. All he did was try to prepare me for the onslaught, and I got all self-righteous.”

  “It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong,” Erin said. “Not that I’m ever wrong. It’s just what I’ve heard.”

  Mae laughed. “Right. I understand.”

  “I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” Honor said. “You just have to talk to him.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Okay, then,” Maureen said. “How about we start the meeting?”

  Grateful for a reprieve, Mae presented her agenda items and they discussed the massive influx of appointments and tours and how those would be handled. She was due for filming two days this week, which meant she was going to have to see Kane whether she wanted to or not.

  The thing was, she wanted to. She wanted to clear the air between them, to tell him she was sorry.

  After the meeting she went back to her office, stared at her phone, picked it up a few times, even started a text message to Kane, then deleted it. Once. Twice. Three times. Then, disgusted with herself, she shoved her phone in the drawer and focused on work.

  She successfully avoided her phone for a few hours until it pinged multiple times, reminding her of its existence. She pulled it out of the drawer and read the messages, all from Kane.

  Hey. I hope you’re not still angry. I’m sorry for what I said. Can I see you? Can we talk? I’d really like to see you.

  Her heart tumbled at Kane’s messages. She clutched her phone to her chest, feeling relieved. Guilty. Happy. Guilty.

  She should have texted him right away. She should have been the one to apologize, not him.

  She quickly typed a reply: I’d love to see you. She shook her head. No, too mushy. She tried again with: Yes, let’s meet. When and where?

  That was much better. She sent that one.

  He responded right away: I’ll pick you up. About seven?

  She replied in the affirmative, then sat back in her chair, exhaling a breath of relief.

  Okay. Now she could fix things.

  * * *

  ••••••

  Kane felt a tightening in his gut as he drove his new rental car to the house. A not-all-that-fancy truck this time, because everyone in this state seemed to drive one and he figured maybe he could blend in more.

  He planned to lead with that when they spoke. It was important that he let Mae know that he intended to protect her as much as he was able to. The press could be invasive as hell. They thought because you made movies or music or TV shows or were in the public eye in some way, that gave the public the right to know every damn thing about your private life.

  They were wrong.

  When he was alone, or at a premiere or other event, he played the game, smiled for the press and allowed his picture to be taken. No problem. But out here trying to lead a normal life? They had no business in that life. Which was why he tried to hide out as much as possible.

  Now that they’d discovered him on this location shoot? Now that they’d gotten photos of him with Mae? It irked him and made him regret choosing this life.

  Sometimes the money just wasn’t worth it.

  He’d already talked to his agent and his publicist, but there was only so much spin they could put on a photo of him pressing Mae against the car and kissing the hell out of her.

  It was a hot picture, for sure. Video, too. He couldn’t craft a scene as smoking as that one by the car. Too bad the press had no business prying into what should have been a private moment.

  He could only hope that Mae would forgive him.

  She was out the door before he got out of the truck. He hurried around to open the door for her.

  “Hi,” she said, giving him a smile wide enough that he was encouraged by it.

  “Hi yourself. You look amazing.”

  “Just leggings and a shirt, Kane.”

  “Yeah, but they’re on you.”

  Her smile got wider. He helped her up into the truck and went around to his side and climbed in.

  “New vehicle?”

  “Yeah. I had them switch out the rental. Maybe a truck will slow down the photographers.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.”

  He’d thought about taking her to a restaurant somewhere in the city, but then he had a different idea, one that would afford them some privacy. He’d asked one of the staffers to book the reservation, prepay and grab the key, so it wasn’t even in his name. The hotel wasn’t crap and it wasn’t super high-end. It was what he’d call above average and not somewhere you’d expect a movie star to stay. He pulled into the side parking lot and slid on his cowboy hat.

  “You’re taking me to a hotel?”

  “I’ve heard the room service here is really good, and it’ll give us some privacy to talk.”

  She shrugged. “Sounds good.”

  They went in the side door and down the hall to the room. He’d specifically asked for a fast-entry-and-exit location so he wouldn’t run into people who might recognize him. Which meant no lengthy walks down a hallway or taking any elevators. They were four rooms down the hall from the side entry. He made a mental note to tell Paul he’d done an excellent job scouting out the perfect room, at least from a geographical perspective. Now he could only hope the room itself wasn’t awful, because at the moment, he didn’t think dazzling her with his charm was going to work.

  He slid the key card in and pushed the door open, breathing a sigh of relief at a decent living area separated from the bedroom. There was a table and a couple of chairs, a sofa, a bar area with a sink, and it all looked bright and comfortable.

  “This is nice,” she said, placing her bag on the table and moving fully into the room. She peeked her head into the bedroom and surprised him by lingering there a few seconds before turning around. “Well, then. Let’s talk.”

  “You want something to drink?” he asked, suddenly nervous to engage in what he was sure would be a difficult conversation.

  “No, I’m good.” She slid onto one side of the sofa, an unsaid invitation for him to sit on the other side, so he did.

  “Mae, I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

  “No, actually, you weren’t. You were trying to protect me. I overreacted, and for that, I’m sorry.”

  This wasn’t at all the way he expected this to go. “You didn’t overreact. You’re perfectly capable of deciding for yourself how much you can handle. I thought I had hidden myself well and I was overconfident. When I heard the click of cameras, I freaked. I was pissed off, and my first thought was to get you the hell out of there before the paps could suss out every detail of your life and spread them across the gossip sites.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “That hasn’t happened. The only thing they said was you have some hot new woman in your life and are you cheating on Everly.”

  “Yeah, I read that. And, again, there’s nothing going on with Everly and me.”

  “I believe you. And they said I was hot. How could I complain about that?” She gave him a wry smile.

  “Well, they were right on that point. But they’re intrusive as hell and I’m still pissed about them following you around.”

  “They aren’t following me around anymore. Your production company has increased security and the Bellinis have hired their own. Trust me, no one is getting anywhere on Bellini grounds unless they’re getting married, doing a wine or wedding tour, or part of the movie production. And no cameras allowed other than cell phones. Even those aren’t allowed during the tours. Plus, Honor is giving the wedding tours and Brenna does the vineyard, so I’m mostly in my office except for already scheduled weddings. Everything’s fine, Kane.”

  He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Okay. And you’re right. You do have it all under control.”

  “Of course I do. And so do you.”

  That was debatable. “Sure.”

  She scooted closer to him. “Kane. It’s really okay. I’m sure this is something you’re used to.”

  “Yeah. Typically it’s just me, or me and other people who are in the business. They know what to expect. It’s you I’m worried about.”

  She laid her hand on his thigh. “You have to stop worrying about me.”

  “Not possible.”

  She shifted, drawing one leg up on the sofa so she faced him. “Here’s the deal. I’m not going to hide. And I don’t think you should, either. I would also like to continue to hang out with you, if that’s what you want.”

  This wasn’t going at all like he expected it to. He’d figured he’d have to grovel a little, maybe a lot, because he really liked Mae. He planned to continue to see her, hiding out if they had to. Turned out that wasn’t what she wanted at all.

  Mae was so damn brave.

  “It’s definitely what I want.”

  “Good. Now that that’s taken care of, let’s check out the room service menu. I’m starving. And since we’ve got this awesome hotel room for the night, we’re going to have a lot of sex.”