Page 18 of The Movie Star and the Spy

“Thunder Force.”

“Exactly.”

His eyes twinkled. “So do you want to take it back?”

“I’ll think about it.” She straightened. “I have an idea. Why don’t you tell me about your family, and I’ll tell you if you’re right?”

“I think I’m being scammed.” His grin returned full-force, with just a sprinkling of mischief. “Here goes. I have four older brothers who are very protective of me. Two are cops, one is–”

“Hey!” She choked out a laugh. “That’s my family.” She tried to ignore his charm, but it was hopeless.

“Actually I was raised by a single mom. I have one sister, who still lives with her.”

Her laughter quieted, but a smile remained. “A kid sister?”

“No, she’s older than me. She has Down syndrome. She’s absolutely amazing – sweet, kind and caring. She finds joy at every little thing.” His expression reflected adoration. “She’s special in an altogether wonderful way.”

Warmth, as strong as it was unexpected, infused her. “Do you see her often?”

“At least twice a week.” He nodded broadly. “I bring her to the set occasionally, and she loves it. Of course, everyone loves her, too.”

“I bet they do.” She gestured toward him. “Just like her brother.”

“I don’t know about that.” He feigned a grimace. “I can think of one extra who, although she pretends otherwise, doesn’t find me interesting enough to even watch my last movie.”

“You meanThunder with the Wind?”

“I’m starting to feel like you don’t take my work seriously,” he rumbled. “Are you going to at least watchSpy Heatwhen it comes out?”

“Probably not.”If it showed any of her, definitely not.“I tell you what. When they makeSpy Heatinto a book, I’ll read it.”

He rubbed his chin. “I just can’t imagineSpy Heatas a book.”

“Sounds like a great book to me.” She winked. “They could put a little romance in it, with an alpha hero and a strong woman.”

He grinned, but then the light banter melted to more serious regard. “So you made it on your own, without any big connections.” They actually had more in common than he realized. She’d lived half her life with a single mother, only inheriting her beloved stepfather and four brothers, or technically stepbrothers, when she was nine.

“No big network, but my mom and sister are great. Since I never knew my dad, I didn’t miss him. Like I said, I gained a replacement when I started in the business.”

Cheyenne fought to remain impassive as something passed between them, something different than the sizzling physical attraction and yet no less poignant. A connection of a sort. “Where do your mom and sister live?”

“They live in the same development as me,” he shared. “Crystal Landing.”

Like pretty much everyone else, she’d heard of the famous Crystal Landing. She’d even once entered the exclusive community on a domestic call. The homes weren’t simply million-dollar homes – they started at ten times more.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like pretty much everyone else in the world looks at me. It’s just a house, and I’m just an ordinary guy.”

“Ordinary guys don’t have waterfalls in their front yards and roller coasters in the back. They grow up in cozy little ranch homes with a quarter acre of land.

She thought he muttered, “Not all of us,” but before she could ask, he changed the subject, “So you’re into fashion, huh?”

“Fashion? Why in the world would I… I mean why in the world wouldn’t I love fashion, because it’s so wonderful andgreat and… ummm… fashionable?” Yeah, fashion was one of the hobbies listed on her resume. Which she forgot. Again.

“You don’t say?” The humor was back. “My job brings me into contact with some of the big fashion designers. What are your favorites?”

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