Their discussion turned to Cass, and in spite of themselves, they were giggling at his performance earlier in the day. “Why might YOU be here?” Mallory said, mimicking his style of delivery.

  “It is the quarry or nothing at all!” Jason declared with a dramatic finger jab in the air. He laughed. Then sobered. “I would love to know where he swanned of to.”

  “Did you call him?” Mallory asked.

  Jason shook his head. “I’ll get hold of him tomorrow,” he said with a flick of his wrist. “He can’t have gone far. I have never known someone in this industry who could get their feelings so hurt so fast.”

  Mallory agreed—Cass was a thin-skinned bully. Weren’t they all?

  When the lobsters came, and Jason had tutored her in how to get one apart, Mallory finally found the courage to say what she didn’t want to say, but had to say. She’d been having too much fun. “I need to go back to L.A. tomorrow.”

  Jason looked up from his lobster. He had the bib tucked up under his chin, almost like an Elizabethan collar. “So soon?” he asked as he dunked a piece of lobster meat into a small vat of butter.

  “I don’t have enough clothes. And there is so much that has to be done at the office.”

  Jason shifted slightly in his seat and grimaced. She wondered if it was his back or the fact that she was leaving. “Why don’t you stay two or three days—”

  “You promised me, Jason. You said a couple of days. And you know what I am saying is right. We have so much going on. It’s not good that we are both out of the office.”

  He sighed. He leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers against the table. “You’re right,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll get you a plane in the morning.” He was looking at her. Studying her.

  “What?”

  “You amaze me, Mallory. You know more than I do half the time.”

  She smiled. “That’s my job.”

  He sat up and leaned forward a little and pushed his plate away, smiling. “I remember the day you came to interview. Do you?”

  “Of course I do.”

  Jason grinned. “You sat on the edge of your seat. You had a binder.”

  She grinned. “In case you wanted proof of my experience.”

  His gaze moved down her face, to her bib. “You were wearing this dress with little buttons on the pockets, and one of the buttons was missing.”

  “No it wasn’t.”

  “Yes it was.” He smiled. “Do you want to know what I thought?”

  Mallory laughed and yanked her bib free. “I’m not sure. What did you think?”

  “You were so business-like. I thought you looked like a librarian. And I thought that was about the sexiest look I’d ever seen on a woman.”

  Warmth trickled through Mallory. She remembered him, too, perched on the edge of his desk, his gaze steady as he assessed her.

  “What did you think?” he asked.

  “I thought you were distracted. And that you kept looking at my chest.”

  “I wasn’t looking at your chest. I was looking at that missing button. And I was looking at how pretty you were.”

  The warmth in her was beginning to turn to heat. “You didn’t seem that interested in my experience. You asked some weird question.”

  “Like?”

  “Like, you asked me to look around the office and tell you what I’d do differently.”

  Jason laughed. “You’d covered every base. I didn’t know what to ask. You said you’d need a few days on the job to analyze work flow.”

  “And you said there was no workflow, there was only chaos, and by the way, did I have “Find my Phone” on my phone and could I show you how it worked.”

  They were both laughing now. “You said you did, and that did it for me, you were the woman for the job.”

  They dissolved into laughter. “I really wanted the job,” Mallory said through gasps of laughter.

  “You were getting the job one way or the other. I was out of options.”

  “Gee, thanks!” She punched him playfully on the shoulder.

  “You were the most attractive woman who had ever applied for a job with me,” he said. “That was not the reason I hired, you,” he quickly added. “But it didn’t hurt anything.”

  “Really?” She smiled with pleasure.

  Jason covered her hand with his. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Yes. Let’s.” Mallory felt weak. She could not control her attraction to him—it was out of control, a tornado moving through her and tossing out all common sense.

  He paid the bill and they walked out, hand-in-hand. Like they were a couple. Like they could do this for real.

  At the hotel, they walked up the stairs together, and at Mallory’s door, they paused. She turned around to face him, her back to the door. He braced his hand against the wall, next to her head. “Don’t you have some notes or something you’d like to review with me? I mean, if you’re flying back to L.A. tomorrow, we should probably review a few things,” he said, his gaze sliding past her mouth, to the opening of her shirt.

  “You mean episode notes?” she asked as he lazily traced a finger from her throat to the top of her breast. “Suggestions for Cass?”

  He looked up. “I wasn’t thinking of Cass.” He slipped his hand to her nape. “However, I am open up to any suggestion you have.”

  Mallory opened the door behind her, then grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him inside with her. He had hardly stepped inside before she pushed the jacket from his arms. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I kind of want to rip your clothes off every time I see you.”

  “Same here,” he breathed.

  She pulled his T-shirt free of his jeans and over his head. Jason wrapped his arms around her and began to walk backward with her to the bed.

  “Are we crazy?” Mallory whispered.

  “Probably,” Jason said, and pressed his lips to the skin of her neck as he worked the buttons of her blouse.

  Before he could finish, Mallory twisted him around and pushed him down on the bed. He landed with a grunt of pain. “Sorry!” she cried.

  “No I’m okay,” he said with a grimace. “I’m really okay.” She shimmied out of her pants. “I am so much better now,” he said, and propped himself on his elbows to watch her.

  She unbuttoned his jeans, and with a little help from him—he could barely lift his hips—she pulled them off of him. “I get to be in charge this time,” she said.

  “Fantastic,” Jason said. “Do to me whatever you want.”

  With a giggle, Mallory straddled him. She kissed her way down his body, to his cock. She took him in her mouth. Jason groaned, and sank his fingers into her hair. But it was quickly too much. They were both panting, both groaning. “Condom,” she said frantically.

  “Pants,” he said, just as frantically.

  She leapt off the bed, dug around his pants, then found his wallet. Tucked inside a pocket was a condom. She crawled back onto the bed and Jason as she ripped the package and slid it on him.

  “You are so efficient,” he muttered.

  “Horny,” she said against his mouth. She was beyond aroused, too rushed. She should have savored it, but her body was pressing forward, so she slid onto his shaft. Jason anchored her hips with his hands, and they were suddenly a whirl of hands and mouths and movement. They were fucking. There was no other word for it—they were mad for each other, as if each moan spurred the other. She was riding him and he was bucking into her, his hands on breasts. Mallory’s release came with a ferociousness that was unlike her, and then Jason’s did, too, bucking so hard that they tumbled right off the bed, landing on their sides on the floor. Neither of them had realized how close to the edge of the bed they were.

  Mallory burst into laughter. “This has never happened to me before,” she said, kissing his face.

  “Me either,” he agreed. He was grinning. “Could you maybe just…slide off?” he said.

  He seemed to be trying to catch his breath. Mallory obliged him and rolled onto her back on the plush carpet. Her heart was still beating hard in her chest. Jason was also on his back, and groped for her hand, holding it tightly in his. “I’m going to miss you.”

  She laughed. This affection between them was exhilarating. “You’ll be back to L.A. soon.”

  “I know, but this…has been nice. I’m going to miss this.”

  Mallory wondered if he was referring to the sex or something else. What did he mean? What happened in King Harbor stayed in King Harbor? The thought sobered her, and Mallory slowly sat up, uncertain how she felt about anything. Of course this couldn’t continue if they are going to work together. Lord, she could almost hear Inez in her head. She looked at Jason lying beside her. His eyes were closed. “Do you think I should take that job?”

  “No,” he said emphatically without opening his eyes. “I think you should stay put.” He caressed her leg. “What did you think I’d say?”

  “I want more, Jason.”

  “I know you do,” he said. “But right now we’re in a crisis.”

  She laughed. “We’re always in a crisis.”

  Jason opened his eyes and turned his head to give her a look.

  “I know. Not a joking matter. And not the best time to jump ship.”

  “I promise we’ll talk about it, just as soon as we are shooting. Okay?”

  That was another week. “Okay,” she said. She didn’t want to think about it right now. Mallory stood up and pulled on her pants and shrugged into her shirt, buttoning a few of the buttons. Jason remained on the floor. Mallory looked at him curiously.

  “Give me a hand up?” he asked, and winced a little as he lifted his arm.

  “Are you okay? Is it your back?”

  “I’m just a little stiff.”

  Mallory helped him to his feet—not without a bit of struggle from him—but when he was on his feet, he took her into his arms. “I’m not going to stay,” he said, and moved his hand over her crown.

  “Oh.” Mallory was surprised by how disappointed she was.

  “I have to make some calls,” he said apologetically.

  He always had to make calls. That was part of the job, obviously. But she wondered, as he ran his hand over her head again, if this is what it would be like. He’d always be off to the next call. What was she doing?

  Jason kissed the tip of her nose. “Has anyone ever told you how good you are in ye old sack?”

  “Stop it,” she said, grinning.

  “I mean it. You’re good at everything, Mallory.” He kissed her mouth. A sweet, tender kiss on the mouth. She curled her fingers around the wrist of his hand that cupped her face. This was a different kiss. A very different kiss. It was reverent. Apologetic. “Get some sleep, go back to L.A. tomorrow, and I’ll be in touch.”

  She nodded.

  Okay.

  Jason found his clothes and stiffly put them on. He walked to the door—it looked like he was leaning to one side. He paused at the door and glanced back, but his head wouldn’t turn all the way around. “You wouldn’t take that job without talking to me, would you?”

  “No. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m so good right now,” he said with a smile. “And tomorrow my back will be fine,” he said with a wink. His gaze lingered on her, but he finally went out.

  When the door clicked behind him, Mallory felt sad. She wished she knew how to talk to him about what had happened here in Maine, but God help her, she didn’t know how. She didn’t know what she wanted to say to even herself.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  JASON WAS NOT FINE. He could hardly move the next morning. It was like his back had seized up and was crushing the nerves—every movement was excruciating. So he remained flat on his back to make some calls and eat ibuprofen like it was candy. He finally managed to get up, wincing with every step into the shower.

  Mallory was gone. He’d asked Ned to pick her up at eight this morning. It was almost noon.

  He tried to reach Cass for what he guessed was the tenth time, but there was no answer. Cass was in quite a snit, avoiding Jason’s calls. The crew was texting and calling him. They were going to shoot the hospital scenes first, but they needed a director. They needed a call sheet, they needed to know which sequences of which scenes. They needed the director.

  Jason couldn’t do everything he needed to do with his back killing him. Every movement sent a bolt of lightning down his spine. He needed help.

  He was popping more ibuprofen when he got a call from Marlene, the Blackthorn Entertainment publicist. “What is Cass doing?” she demanded hotly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “That ass gave an interview to Good Morning America and said that Darien’s problems were common knowledge.”

  Jason sat up so fast that he sent his back into spasms. “He did what?” he asked with a hiss of pain.

  “You have to fix that,” Marlene said. “I can only do so much, but when he’s out there running his mouth, it makes it hard. Can you call Cass off?”

  “I will try,” Jason said darkly.

  He tried Cass again, and no surprise, there was no answer. Or the next day. Or the day after that. By then, Jason’s back was in such bad shape that he briefly considered throwing in the towel. Just call the whole thing off. You know that deal you got to produce a series for Netflix? Forget it. But he didn’t.

  Marlene called him again. “Who is this Debbie from Blackthorne Enterprises?” she demanded.

  And the hits just kept coming. “She is a publicist my family uses from time to time.”

  “Well, she’s been calling making my life harder by insisting we make a distinction between Blackthorne Entertainment and Blackthorne Enterprises. And she wants to know what we’re going to do about Cass the Ass.”

  “I can’t get him on the phone,” Jason admitted.

  When he hung up from Marlene, he had that feeling again, that everything was unraveling. His series. His back. He kept thinking about what Brock had said, how Uncle Graham was thinking of pulling funding because of his fear of lawsuits. If Cass convinced the public that everyone at Blackthorne Entertainment knew about Darien’s past and the accusations, he could see that definitely coming to fruition.”

  “Damn it Cass,” he muttered when he tried the director again. “Call me back.”

  On the third day, Jason thought about firing Cass, but had a sneaking suspicion that was exactly what he wanted. He couldn’t fathom getting a director at this late date, so he decided to play Cass’s game. He instead called in the troops. Meaning, Mallory. “You have to come back.”

  “No way,” Mallory said. “You wouldn’t believe the work piling up here.”

  “Mallory, I need you. I can’t do this without you.”

  She didn’t say anything for so long that Jason worried he might have lost the connection. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Jason filled her in on Cass’s latest antics and the fact he wouldn’t call back. “We start shooting in three days and the crew is setting up without any guidance and I don’t even have a call sheet. So please, Mallory. This show is so important to me—you have no idea how important.”

  “I can come,” she said slowly. “But with a few conditions.”

  “Mallory, I—”

  “I want to direct.”

  Jason sighed. “Mallory, you know that I—”

  “A few scenes! I’ll do the hospital scenes!”

  “Cass won’t agree,” Jason said.

  “Cass isn’t even there, is he? And if he doesn’t like it, then maybe he ought to pick up the phone. Come on, Jason, let me do it until he comes back. That’s not asking too much, is it?”

  He really had no choice. “Fine. Done. What else?”

  “I won’t stay at your family’s house.”

  He almost laughed at that. There was no way he could get around the estate in the shape he was in. “Agreed. You’ll return to your room at the Bickmore. Anything else?”

  “You’ll take a look at my short film I’ve finished,” she said softly.

  “Okay,” he says carefully. “I’m not sure I can help you in any way.”

  “Jason I didn’t ask you to buy it, I asked you to look at it. Will you?”

  “Yes,” he said. “When can you be here?”

  “Let me see. I suppose I have to arrange my own plane?” she asked, and laughed.

  “It would be a big help.”

  “We can not afford all this flying. I’ll be there tonight.”

  “Fantastic. Hey…” He was smiling for the first time in days. “Bring that blue dress.”

  “You are so bad, Jason Blackthorne,” she said. “So we’re still doing that, huh?”

  “Listen, I don’t know what we’re doing. I just know that I can’t wait to touch you and kiss you and boss you around, and in that order. What if…what if we agree to decide what this is later?”

  She giggled. “Great idea. So I’ll see you tonight?”

  “Yes, thank you. And Mallory?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Did you take the other job?”

  Another long pause. “Not yet.”

  “Great. See you later.”

  Jason hung up. He felt so much lighter now.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  MALLORY WAS PACKING a bag when Inez walked into her room, blinking at the light, having just awakened. She looked at the clothes on Mallory’s bed, then at Mallory. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m on my way back to Maine.”

  Inez picked up a pair of heels. “What happened to athleisure wear?”

  “I get a better response in heels,” Mallory said with a saucy little wink. She did not do saucy little winks as a rule, but she was riding high from Jason’s call. He needed her.

  Inez looked at her clothes. “What about the director job?”

  “Oh. I emailed Kelly and told her I couldn’t make a decision right now. She said she understood, but to please call her if I change my mind.”

  Inez stared at her. “You’re really, seriously, giving up the chance at a job you’ve been trying to get for years?”

  Mallory didn’t look at Inez. “Now is not a good time, that’s all.”