“Like heaven. How about you? Please tell me you’re suffering for this role too.”

  “You mean being on a strict low-carb diet to get my body fat percentage as low as possible? Yeah, I’m suffering. It’s not easy looking malnourished, you know. What do you say we go hit up some buffets as soon as production ends?”

  Chris held out his hand and shook hers. “Deal. So, any tips for me today?”

  Veronica shook her head. “Not yet. We’ll see how things are going. Don’t think about it too much. You know how to hit your marks and all that technical stuff. The rest is all imagination. Become Xander.”

  “That’s just it. I’m not sure I know who he is yet, and I have to jump into one of his most revealing scenes.”

  Veronica leveled a steady gaze at him and stepped close. “I’m Eden, Xander, and you are madly but hopelessly in love with me. And I’m about to die up there.”

  Chris blinked but searched her eyes. His expression shifted, and his jaw tightened.

  Alan came up to them then with the sound crew. “Since you’re both here…” there was a heavy current of sarcasm in his voice, “let’s get the camera rehearsal going.”

  They ran through the scene, not bothering much with dialogue, since there wasn’t much, and worked out exactly how they were going to play things. Final adjustments were made to their mics and wardrobe. As the crew worked, she kept her eyes locked on Chris’s, letting him focus on his inner world. But the intensity of his expression affected her more than she’d anticipated. Goosebumps broke out across her skin, and her breath quickened. She wanted to rein things back in, but this was exactly what he needed. So she stayed there, open and vulnerable until Sam came on set and gathered them together for directions.

  When they knew exactly what Sam wanted from them, they climbed up onto the skyscraper rooftop and got into position. Veronica laid down, carefully memorizing her exact body position so that she could return to it over and over again. One of the crew members took a strand of her long, curled hair and pulled it over her face. When she was ready, Chris knelt next to her. It was time for her to close her eyes, but it was difficult to break their gaze.

  “Ready?” he asked, his breath coming quickly—a sure sign of nerves.

  “Ready. But Chris?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You might want to relax those eyebrows. You look like you want to kill someone, but you need to save that for a minute.”

  She saw the tiniest jerk at the corner of his mouth as he tried not to smile. “Okay, relaxing my eyebrows. Anything else?”

  She smiled. “Clench that fabulous jaw of yours. The ladies will love seeing you in torment over me.”

  And then Veronica closed her eyes and drew into her own world, letting every muscle in her body go limp. She heard Alan doing his thing, announcing the take number, and the click of the clapper. Then Sam called “Action” and she focused everything she had on minimizing her breath so that the rise and fall of her chest wouldn’t read on the camera.

  “No, Eden.”

  She was momentarily surprised by the raw emotion in Chris’s voice. It nearly broke her concentration, but she pulled it back just in time. His arms went around her, scooping her up and pulling her against his chest. She let her head fall back. His calloused fingers brushed against her skin as he pulled the hair back from her face.

  “No, no, no,” he said again.

  Gripping dialogue, she thought to herself, then mentally slapped that part of her brain before it got her into trouble.

  Then his lips were pressed to her forehead, and she tightened up in surprise. She hadn’t been prepared for that. Ribbons of hot and cold ran through her veins, even after Chris’s lips had left her skin.

  A deep growl of primal fury ripped from Chris’s throat. She felt the vibrations of it through his chest, and chills rushed over her again. Then he dropped her—he dropped her—back down to the ground before lunging away to go get his revenge.

  “Cut!” Sam called.

  Veronica sat up and rubbed the back of her head, glaring at Chris.

  “That was perfect,” Sam cooed at him. “I loved everything about that.”

  “Not the dropping part,” Veronica argued. “He wouldn’t drop the woman he loved.”

  Chris shrugged, a half-smile turning up the right side of his mouth. “He thinks she’s dead. It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does too matter.” Veronica wanted to tell him she wasn’t about to be dropped fifteen or twenty more times while they got all the takes they needed for this scene. But she also didn’t want to sound like a wimp.

  Sam stared thoughtfully at them from the camera platform. “She’s right. Lay her down gently like you’re still protecting her.”

  “Okay, whatever you want,” Chris said.

  “Ha,” Veronica said softly.

  Sam didn’t waste any time. “Okay, set it up again. Let’s get rolling.”

  Veronica laid back down again, arranging herself in exactly the same place and position she’d been in before. When she was settled, Chris knelt back down next her. This time, he was the one to pull the curl down across her face. The tip of his finger brushed her cheek.

  Veronica closed her eyes. This was going to be way more dangerous than she’d ever anticipated.

  Chapter Eight

  When Chris got done with his day’s shooting, he didn’t feel like doing anything but crashing on the nearest soft surface. But he also felt a strong, insistent desire to see Veronica. The roof scene they’d shot that morning had opened him up. It felt as if a wall had broken down, allowing him to access a deeper part of himself emotionally. He wanted to thank her, but mostly he wanted to reassure himself that it was just the emotion of the scene and the adrenaline that came with acting that he’d felt and nothing more.

  No doubt she’d already gone home, though, because she’d been done with her scenes much earlier in the day. He hadn’t seen her on set all afternoon, though he often caught himself searching the cavernous studio to see what the rest of the crew was working on, or at least everyone who wasn’t assigned to the fight scenes he was filming with Keith.

  When he walked to her trailer, he knocked on her door with little expectation of anyone answering. He had turned away and taken a few steps toward his own trailer when Veronica called his name.

  “Chris? Did you want something?”

  He turned around. The odd jump in his stomach when he saw her was bad news. He clenched his jaw. It didn’t mean anything. “Yeah. I wanted to talk for a minute if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure. Come on in.”

  He climbed up the steep steps to her trailer door while she stood to the side to let him pass. As he walked in, he looked around, curious about her space. It looked like a standard, nondescript trailer that had been rented by the production company. Paneled walls, commercial carpet, and few personal belongings. It wasn’t the most inviting space, so he felt bad that he had his personal trailer on site, with all its luxury and customized details.

  “They worked you hard today, didn’t they?” she asked. “I had a chance to watch some of the filming.”

  “Really? I didn’t see you.”

  Veronica smiled and sat on the cushioned bench in the dining area of the trailer. A cup of tea steamed on the table in front of her, along with a paperback copy of Portent. She leaned back and stretched, making her voice a bit rough as she said, “I’m pretty good at sneaking around a film set. I learn a lot by watching other people. How long did you have to train for those scenes?”

  Chris leaned against the wall. He felt like he was trying to follow her words through a fog. Somehow, being in her trailer and watching her at her ease was way more intimate than he’d been prepared for. “Too long. Keith and I spent the whole weekend rehearsing the choreography. There are a few other fight scenes, of course, but this one is the most complicated. We’ll be shooting it for three more days.”

  Veronica waved a hand to the bench next to her. “I guess I won’t complain about my schedule this week.”

  Chris straightened and squeezed himself into the narrow space between the bench and the bolted-down table. “You fit here a lot easier than I do.”

  She laughed. “Come on. I have more room in the back.”

  She picked up her tea and book as she got up and then waited while he shifted out from behind the table. As she led him through the trailer, she smiled back at him. “This is the sort of thing that starts rumors though, you know?”

  “What does?”

  “Being alone together like this.”

  Veronica pushed back a curtain, revealing the bedroom beyond. Chris swallowed. “Yeah. People are stupid though.”

  A twin-size bed sat to one side. It was covered in jewel-colored silk pillows. Across from it was a sofa with a narrow coffee table between the two. Chris moved straight to the couch and sat down. It was comfortable and the cushions supported his aching back perfectly. So why couldn’t he relax?

  He watched as Veronica hopped onto her bed and pulled a few pillows over to prop herself up. She took a sip of her tea and tossed the book down on the comforter.

  “I like the silk pillows,” Chris said, struggling for something to talk about. “They kind of stand out in the rest of this trailer.”

  She laughed. “You think? I like a little exotic flair around. Besides, I have to have silk pillows to lie on or my curls turn into a frizzy disaster. My hair people appreciate it, let me tell you.”

  Chris ran his fingers through his own hair, which was longer than he was used to. Apparently, angels didn’t have military-short hair. Which was stupid, but that’s what the part called for. “Maybe I should get some silk pillows too, to keep these angel locks in order.”

  “Yeah, you’d better make sure they’re nice and silky for the scene where I run my fingers through your hair.”

  He clenched his jaw again, wondering if her trailer was always this warm. He cleared his throat. “I’ll do my best.”

  She was laughing at him again. Her eyes sparked with mischievous humor as she watched him squirm. What had possessed him to come in here anyway? Maybe it would be better if she went back to keeping him at arm’s length.

  “So, what did you want to talk about anyway?” she asked.

  “What? Oh.” Chris searched his brain. There had been something. Kim. That would work. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you what happened after the table reading the other day. Kim was waiting for me at my house.”

  Veronica rolled her eyes just a fraction, and her lips pressed together for a moment. “Oh?”

  “Yeah. She’s not taking this well.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “I tried talking to her, but now she’s blaming me for a lot of things, saying that I owe her more. But I want to move on and do something more with my career than just be her screen candy, you know?”

  Veronica nodded, a slight twist to her lips showing more sympathy than words could have.

  Clearing his throat, he continued. “Well, I’m sure you don’t care about all that too much. What I really wanted to do was warn you that she says she’s going to make you sorry.”

  With an expression like stone, Veronica leaned forward and put her half-finished tea on the coffee table in front of her. “Make me sorry? I’m already sorry. Does she think I wanted any of this crap? I just want to act, not get mixed up in crazy diva drama.”

  Chris watched her, caught off guard by the firestorm of emotions in her eyes. “I know. Again, I’m sorry.”

  “For what? You don’t deserve this either. We both know that we didn’t do anything wrong. I know you’re still friends with her, maybe more, I don’t know—but I’m not such an unknown as I was then, and she’s just going to make herself look like a spoiled brat if she’s not careful.”

  Chris straightened. “Bravo. Look, Kim and I are not friends; we never were. Whatever our relationship was built on––which wasn’t love––is gone, like last week’s headlines. I do feel in some way responsible for her though. Maybe if I’d handled the breakup better, she wouldn’t have taken it so hard.”

  Veronica scooted to the edge of the bed and gripped his forearm. “Stop blaming yourself for her choices and weaknesses. You have to do what’s right for you.”

  Smiling, he dropped his hand down on hers. “Right. And thanks to you, I think I made a breakthrough today. I don’t know what it is about you, but you make me a better actor.”

  “Good. We both need to be better than we’ve ever been before. Know why?” When he shook his head, Veronica sat back, pulling her hand away, and picked up the book. She waved it at him. “Because I love this story, and I’m determined that this movie is not going to be a disappointment for the fans.”

  Chris took the book from her, brushing his fingers over the black, glossy cover. “Maybe I should read it.”

  “What?” The word blasted from her mouth, a scream of appalled horror. “Are you serious right now?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve read the script like five times.”

  Veronica flopped back on her pillows and groaned. “No!” She held out the word like a plaintive cry. “First, you didn’t know who the author was, and now, I find out you haven’t even read the story.” Sitting up, she held out the book. “Here, take my copy.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’ll get my own copy.”

  “Take mine. All the good parts are underlined. Pay attention to them. You’ll learn why I love this story this much.”

  So, he took the book and swore to himself that somehow, he’d find time to read it. He wanted to be every bit as passionate about this as she was.

  Chapter Nine

  This was it. The day Veronica had been dreading—though she wasn’t about to let anyone know that. It was the bed scene, the one that had loomed large in her fears since the first time she’d read the script.

  “Let’s just get it over with,” she said under her breath.

  “Get what over with?” Keith asked from his seat next to her.

  She and Keith had spent the morning filming a scene where Lucius, the bad guy, captures Eden for a short time before Xander rescues her. Keith was a brilliant actor, indecently good looking, and very nearly as well-built as Chris was. Somehow though, even after hours of being held in his arms, carried over his shoulder, and staring into his eyes as they exchanged pithy dialogue, she didn’t feel a spark of the attraction that plagued her when doing scenes with Chris.

  They were seated together in the canteen, eating grilled chicken breast and asparagus. It was good, but seeing the crew around them enjoying pasta primavera and tiramisu was making her even grumpier.

  “Oh, the scene today,” she answered, looking at the plate of dessert tempting her from a table away. She forced her eyes away from it. “I mean, my scene with Chris. Sorry, I was talking to myself.”

  Keith’s eyebrows scrunched together as he considered her words. “The bed scene? What are you worried about? You don’t even have to take your clothes off.”

  Veronica felt her face flush, so she poked at the chicken on her plate with her fork. The last thing she wanted was for Keith to tease her about being prudish. “That’s not what I mean. I just…with the rumors and everything—”

  “Oh wait—there’s a kiss, isn’t there? Like, a big one. Wait, do you have feelings for the guy?”

  Keith bent his head and tried to see her expression. Veronica looked up defiantly and glared at him. “No. It just stresses me out a little, okay?”

  “Okay.” Keith sat back, but his expression told her he didn’t believe her.

  Ugh.

  Alan came in then, all frustrated energy, clipboard in hand. “We need you on set, Veronica.”

  She sighed and dropped her fork. “Coming.”

  “You’re not going to finish that?” Keith asked, looking at her plate. In answer, she slid it across to him. “Enjoy.”

  She followed behind Alan, careful to avoid tripping over the endless miles of cords and cables that ran all over the studio. When they got to the set, makeup, hair, and wardrobe people surrounded her, blocking her view of the bed, which was probably for the best. That was just a source of stress, and she needed to zen right now. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to sink into the world and her character.

  “Open your eyes, please,” someone said.

  She popped open her eyes, and the makeup artist dabbed a foam brush that was slightly damp and ran it along under her eye.

  “I’m just smudging your makeup a bit,” the lady said. “My notes say you’ve been crying in this scene.”

  “That won’t be hard for me to act out today.”

  The lady gave her a weird look but was too busy tweaking her appearance to answer. Then the sound people showed up to mic her. When they were done, she stood patiently while they took reference photos so they could ensure continuity between takes. As she stood still, she saw Chris step away from his own set of stylists and walk onto set with Sam.

  “Sam wants to talk to you,” Alan told her.

  Veronica took a deep breath and followed him over to Sam and Chris.

  “Remember, Chris,” Sam was saying. “Don’t give the wide shot everything you’ve got. This is a really intimate scene, and we’ll be doing a lot of closeup work, so keep your best stuff for that.”

  “You’ve got it,” he said pleasantly.

  “Let’s do a quick run-through and block everything out.” Sam strode over to the window of the set. “Luckily, we won’t have too many marks for you to hit in this scene. It’s all about the dialogue and meaningful looks. You have a moment when the danger is finally far away for a time and you’re hidden from the world. The attraction and feelings that have been building between you can finally come to the surface. Chris, you know that once you leave this room, you can never show her how you feel again because you can’t have her. You have this one opportunity, but you don’t think you should. Let us see the conflicting emotions when you’re looking at her. Veronica, you don’t know any of that. All you want is to feel safe, and for the first time in your life, you’ve found someone who makes you feel protected.”