“Are you injured?” His question came out harsh with worry.

  “Not much. Just shaken.”

  “Let’s get you to the trailer.” She nodded, so he pulled her toward him. Looking back, he saw Sam stranded up on the lift with the first unit crew, trying to get down. “Find out what happened,” he called to her. It was not a request.

  Then with an arm around Veronica’s waist to support her, he pushed the crew back and led her off the set.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Veronica shouldn’t lean on Chris—shouldn’t let him take care of her like this. But as they walked, she continued to get flashes as if she were falling all over again. The memory of feeling herself slip, grabbing onto Chris wherever she could. It was only because of him that she hadn’t fallen. Even with the padding below, there was a high chance that she would have gotten hurt—and that would have delayed the shooting schedule so badly that they might have decided to replace her. This early into production, it might have been their only option.

  When they got to the trailer, Chris opened the door for her and she climbed up the steps. Going straight to the back, she crumbled onto the bed and buried her face in a pillow. She felt the mattress dip down near her feet and felt a sense of comfort spread over her. Then she heard someone kneel next to her bed, a few inches from her face.

  “How are you doing?” Sam asked.

  Raising her head to look back at her, Veronica took a deep breath, though it was a bit wobbly. “Fine. What happened?’”

  “We’ve got an investigation going,” Chris said from the foot of the bed. Somehow, she’d known it was him.

  Hating the way she must look like a frightened child, Veronica sat up. “Good. We’ve got a lot more scenes to shoot like that, don’t we?”

  “Some,” Sam agreed, her voice wary.

  There was a tense silence for a moment, and then Chris said, “I’ve sent for Keith by the way.”

  Still rattled, she scrunched her eyebrows together. “Why?”

  Chris narrowed his eyes slightly. “I figured you’d want him here.”

  Even before he’d finished speaking, Veronica’s brain had at last caught up. The fake-boyfriend thing. “Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

  “Wait, what’s this?” Sam asked.

  “Oh, you didn’t know Keith and Veronica were dating now?” Chris asked Sam. “All of a sudden?”

  Veronica clenched her teeth together as Sam’s eyes moved between the two of them. “No one told me.”

  Chris folded his arms and leaned back against a big pillow. “Are you guys keeping it a secret?” he asked Veronica.

  “No.” She met Chris’s eyes. He was obviously sorting through clues and making the right conclusions—which was exactly what she didn’t want to happen.

  Right then, the trailer door opened and Keith came in. Like lightening in her brain, she got the idea to kiss Keith and prove to Chris that they were dating. After what she’d been through, it would be completely natural for her to run to him for comfort. As Keith turned to shut the door behind him, she jumped up from the bed and ran to him. She grabbed him just as he looked up. He made a startled noise, but she pressed her lips against his to muffle it. It was like kissing a fence post for the first few seconds, and Veronica mentally pleaded with him to roll with it. Then came the flash of regret for jumping on him. If their positions had been reversed, she would have sucker-punched him.

  Feeling bad, she pulled back with a gasp. Before she could start apologizing, however, Keith put his arms around her waist and kissed her. It was long, enthusiastic, and unquestionably the most uncomfortable ten seconds of her life.

  It wasn’t that he was a bad kisser, or that he wasn’t gorgeous—he was. He was a legend in the love scene arena, onscreen and off. But after kissing Chris yesterday, it was just…lacking. No buzz, no spark, no sensation of drowning in starlight. Instead, it took incredible willpower to keep herself from pushing away from him.

  At last, when she thought she’d die from the awkwardness, Keith finally ended the kiss. “I heard about the accident. What happened?”

  “The lift went crazy, and Veronica’s wire broke,” Chris said, walking towards them, followed by Sam. Veronica almost shivered at his cold, dry tone.

  “You’re sure?” Keith asked, sounding worried.

  Chris nodded. “At first, I did wonder if it was because of all the donuts she ate—she seemed heavier than usual.”

  Veronica gasped. “You ate twice as many as I did.”

  Keith seemed more shocked by this than by the accident. “You guys ate donuts without me?”

  Veronica pointed at Sam. “She forced us to. She shut us up in her office with them.”

  Keith looked at Sam, a hurt look in his eyes. “Is that true?”

  Sam rolled her eyes. “You’re all idiots, and I don’t know what’s going on here anymore. Someone make sure Veronica gets home safe. I don’t like her driving when she’s shaken like this. I’ve got to go see what they’ve found.” She headed for the door but paused. “I hate to think this might happen again.”

  Veronica felt a warm glow that people cared about her so much. Until Sam finished what she was saying.

  “If shooting gets delayed anymore, we’re going to be in trouble. So be here, ready to shoot by six in the morning, people. We have to get a jump on tomorrow.”

  When the door shut behind her, Veronica shook her head. “I should have known she’d just be worried about the schedule.”

  Chris went over to her fridge and dug around. Over his shoulder, he said, “I’m not surprised she’s worried about it. She’s got as much on the line with this movie as the rest of us do.” He straightened up with a bottle of lemonade. “Why is this the only thing in here to drink?”

  “There’s water in there too.”

  Groaning, he shut the door. “Hey, look, guys. We’ve had a stressful night. I say we go out and get something to eat before we go home. I need to unwind.”

  “Keith and I already planned to, but as a date. Sorry,” Veronica said, glad she could at last say something to put him in his place.

  “Uh…” Keith said, drawing the sound out. Veronica looked at him, begging him with her eyes not to let her down. But he just shrugged. “I can’t tonight. I’m pulling an all-nighter with second unit.”

  “Crap.” Maybe that wasn’t quite the reaction she needed in this situation. She forced a pout to her lips. “I was really looking forward to some alone time, babe.”

  Keith pressed his lips together to fight back a smile. If he broke character right now, she was going to strangle him.

  “You know I’d get out of it if I could, sweet thing.” Then, for emphasis, he shrugged.

  Veronica’s eyes flashed to Chris where he reclined back in his seat with his hands behind his head watching them. His expression was inscrutable, so she had no idea if he was buying this or not.

  “Okay, well, you and I can go,” Chris told her. “Keith trusts me, right? Just two co-workers out for a business dinner?”

  Keith raised an eyebrow. “You know I would with any other woman, man, but Veronica is way too tempting.” He came over and put an arm around her waist, pulling her against his side.

  She squirmed for just a second and then forced herself to at least look relaxed. “Thanks, babe,” she murmured. Turning back to Chris, she said, “Besides, there’s no way we could be seen out in public eating together.”

  “Why not? Everyone already thinks we’re a couple.”

  “Exactly.”

  “It’s old news. And anyway, I know a place we could go and have complete privacy. And our diet is screwed up today anyway. What do you say to some thai food? A big plate of noodles?”

  Veronica’s resistance wavered, so she bit her lip to keep from agreeing.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Keith said cheerfully. “I’m just kidding about that whole too-tempting thing. She needs a good meal.”

  “Hey!” There was so much wrong about this that she couldn’t help but glare at him even if it wasn’t exactly lover-like.

  “Okay, since that’s all decided,” Keith said, letting go of her and heading to the door. “I’ll call you later, Veronica.”

  “You’d better.”

  Keith grinned and saluted her as he left.

  “He’s a very accommodating boyfriend,” Chris said, smirking at her. He sat up as if it took some effort. “Hurry up and change. I’m starving. And exhausted.”

  “I could just go back to the hotel and order room service.”

  She looked up as he stopped on his way to the door. As soon as their eyes met, she got lost in the current that flowed between them like a river. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to break the connection, but at last he said. “I’ll come by in fifteen minutes. You can tell me what you want to do then.”

  When he’d gone, she felt like kicking something. Too many emotions swirled in her foggy brain to make rational decisions. She was not going with him.

  But she did have to change out of her costume regardless, so she went back to her room and changed into the skinny jeans and black T-shirt she’d come in that morning. The neck of her T-shirt was wide and slid off her right shoulder. As she looked in the mirror and cleaned off all her makeup, she caught herself wondering if Chris liked shoulders.

  What the heck did it matter if he thought her shoulder was attractive? Or if he thought any part of her was? She was not going to dinner with him, and she certainly wasn’t getting involved with him. That would be absolutely the worst thing she could do.

  But when there was a knock on her door almost exactly fifteen minutes later, she couldn’t control the flutters in her stomach.

  She closed her eyes, sighing at what an idiot she was about to be. Then she picked up her handbag and went to open the door.

  Chris had changed into jeans and a blue T-shirt that was all the right kinds of form-fitting. “You’re coming?”

  “Only because I need pasta.”

  “Of course,” Chris said, grinning as he held the door for her to come through. “One giant serving of pad thai coming right up.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chris measured his pace to match Veronica’s as they walked toward the parking garage. She was quick and athletic, but her legs were just too short to keep up with his usual long strides. Not to mention that she still looked a bit shell-shocked from the night.

  He wasn’t sure if he wanted to take her to dinner more because he wanted to make sure she was safe or because he wanted to further investigate his growing suspicion that her relationship with Keith was a complete sham. Though sham or not, he still felt like slugging the guy.

  “Here’s my car,” he said, stopping next to his white Range Rover Sport SVR. It was only a few weeks old and his current favorite car, so he wondered what she’d think of it. She ran her eyes over it appraisingly, but she didn’t look all that impressed. “I need to drive myself so I have my car in the morning.”

  “Why?” he asked, moving around to open the passenger door for her. “Surely someone at the hotel can give you a ride in the morning. Or I’ll come pick you up. Besides, where we’re going, we need to take my undercover car, and I’m guessing you don’t want to be seen pulling into my driveway. There’s sometimes a jerk or two hanging around my house with a camera.”

  She rolled her eyes as if annoyed that he’d won the argument. “Fine.”

  After she got in, he closed the door carefully and ran around to get in. Seconds later, the heavy rumble of his car’s engine resounded through the closed-in space of the parking garage with a metallic rasp then settled into a throaty burble, reverberating off the concrete walls. It covered the silence between them.

  He could feel the anxiety coming off Veronica in waves. It matched his own, though he was doing his best to hide it from her because he wanted her to put it behind her and rest tonight. Sam and Rob had better figure out what had happened and how to prevent it in the future, or he wasn’t going to let them put her on that wire again.

  As they arrived at his house, Chris pulled around his narrow driveway that lay between two tall hedges and pulled into his five-car garage. “Say goodbye to the Range Rover,” he said before getting out. He opened her door for her and led her over to the nondescript car at the far end of the garage. “So, I bought this car from my gardener a few months ago. I try to keep a different shabby car around all the time. I hope you don’t mind, but it sure makes it easier for me to slip out of here unnoticed.

  Veronica smiled as she ran her hand over the hood of the late model Chevy Malibu, an affectionate gesture much different from her reaction to his other car. “I love it,” she said.

  “You would have loved the car I had in high school then—covered in dents and rust spots. And I had to pull up on the driver’s side door handle just right to get in it.”

  “Doesn’t sound much worse than the car I was driving just a few years ago,” she said, laughing.

  This garage bay opened at both ends, allowing him to exit into the alley that ran behind his property onto a side street. As he drove down it, he said, “You’ve come far since then, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah. I have to admit that even though Chain Reaction has caused me so many problems, it was great for my career. But I don’t know that I’ll ever get a role I’ll enjoy more than this one—on a personal level, you know? Maybe better roles, but not one that means more.”

  “You’re going places, Veronica. This is just the beginning.”

  She chuckled but gave a dismissive shake of her head. “I’ll never be as big of a star as you are. And that’s okay. I’m not doing this for the fame. In fact, all the yucky bits come from that. I just want to act. But it’s a catch-22 isn’t it? Big names get the good parts.”

  “Yeah, well, there are certain parts I can get—heroic parts in action films where I don’t have to do much but knock people out and kiss the girl. At first that was fine. Not even a dream come true because I’d never even thought of going into acting until Kim came along and dragged me into it. But now that I’m in it, I love it. And I want to do stuff that’s worthy of respect. You know?” When Veronica nodded, he continued, “I even have an acting coach now.”

  She grinned. “I thought I’d seen some improvement, but I was marking it all down to my good influence.”

  “You can take credit for it. I do act better when you’re around. That’s why I wanted you on this movie.”

  “It wasn’t for the publicity?”

  He heard the tightened tone in her voice and wondered why she’d even think that. “That never even crossed my mind. I already told you it was because you’re the best. End of story.”

  They arrived at the restaurant before she answered, and she stayed quiet as he drove around to the back and pulled into a parking space. When he put the car in park and looked over at her, she was watching him.

  “I’m glad,” she said. “Deb would say you were stupid not to consider the publicity first.”

  “Who’s Deb, again?”

  “My agent. But I’d much rather be friends with someone who wanted to make a good movie than someone who only cared if it was a hit.”

  The sincerity of her words warmed him, even as he cringed to hear her call him a friend. But that was stupid. They were friends, and that meant a lot to him. Before they’d started working together on this movie, he’d thought that was ruined forever. But he realized then, like someone had sounded a gong over his head, just how much he wanted more now. How kind of fate, to make him want her so badly but not give him a way to convince her he was worth all the unpleasant consequences dating him would bring.

  “Where’d you go?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “What?”

  “You blanked out on me.”

  “Oh, sorry, just thinking. Stupid things. Let’s go inside.”

  “Great. Because even from out here, this place smells amazing.”

  Chris took her through the back door that was used as the employee entrance. It opened out into a waitress station with the kitchen to their right. One of the waitresses, Maylee, turned sharply when she realized someone had come up behind her but relaxed when she saw it was him.

  “Chris. It’s been a long time,” she said in her softly accented voice.

  “I’ve been put on a strict diet again.”

  Maylee grinned. “You need to stop making movies and let us make you fat.”

  He looked down at Veronica. From her expression, she was trying not to make a sarcastic comment. “Well, if anyone could do it, Mama Kamnon can. Is my table open?”

  “Oh, sure. We don’t seat anyone there but you.”

  Chris prompted Veronica forward with a gentle touch to her back and had to fight an overwhelming urge to slide his hand around to her hip and keep it there. Maylee led them to a booth with high sides in a back corner. Veronica stood patiently while the waitress cleared away the silverware and napkins spread all over it since it was currently being used as a work station for one of the waitresses to roll silverware and fill soy sauce bottles. When the table was clear, he and Veronica slid in on the vinyl bench seats across from each other.

  Veronica leaned forward and murmured. “I’m going to die if I don’t get something in front of me quickly.”

  When Maylee came back with their wrapped silverware, water glasses, and menus, Chris smiled coaxingly at her. “Think you could bring us out some soup really fast?”

  “Yes. What kind do you want?”

  “You know I want Tom Yum Soup. How about you, Veronica?”

  “I’ll try whatever you’re having.”

  “You won’t be disappointed, if you can take the heat.”

  Veronica narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, maybe I’d better not go too spicy right away.”

  “It is good heat. You’ll like it,” Maylee said.

  “Sounds good,” Veronica said.