Page 19 of The Movie Star and the Spy

Did Target count as a designer? She didn’t think so. Only one brand came to mind, and she didn’t think about it before it popped from her mouth. “Under Armour.”

Julian gave a half choke, half laugh. “Under Armour? The company that makes products to reduce sweat?”

Things were going downhill fast.

“That’s the one,” she chirped. “It’s very important to… um… not sweat in my position.”

Well, actually, in hernewposition, the whole point was to sweat. Time for this conversation to go in a new direction. “I love to exercise, so that’s why I like it so much.”

“I enjoy exercise, too.” Thankfully he let her change the subject. “What do you do?”

Since both a policewoman and a body-conscious actress would want to stay fit, she could answer truthfully. They started a discussion about their favorite physical activities, then compared their favorite restaurants. The conversation grew comfortable and all-too-enjoyable, and soon they were sharing stories about fun family gatherings and eccentric relatives. From there, they moved to funny tales from the past and a bevy of safe topics like sports, television and general news items.

The conversation was lively and animated, as they laughed and joked like two old friends. Julian shared quite a bit, although not anything that wasn’t common knowledge. After years of skirting the paparazzi, he clearly knew better than to divulge any family secrets. When she finished laughing at one funny story, Cheyenne looked down at her watch and was stunned to discover two hours had passed.

“Well, look at that.” He tapped his smartwatch. “Two hours and you didn’t find anything to growl about.”

Cheyenne chuckled… and growled.

He laughed. “I stand corrected. When you stop trying to hide yourself, we get along perfectly fine.”

They did get along perfectly fine, or actually, justperfectly. Which in itself was far from perfect. It was a sobering dose of reality. Even if she didn’t betray her cover, she was still painting the picture of a far different woman than Destiny Dane. She needed to protect the integrity of her mission and stop wasting valuable time. She should be spending every minute looking for a criminal, not cozying up to a movie star. Which was why right now, she needed to get this over with.

She’d known she would never escape it, so it was time to stop putting it off.

“Is it time to undress me?”

CHAPTER 5

Is it time to undress me?

The air turned thick as a sourdough starter, heavy, dense, suffocating. Julian’s wide smile had vanished, replaced by a sensual grin and smoldering eyes. He took a moment before responding. “I didn’t think you were anxious to get back into the role.”

He pushed himself into a standing position, his tall, imposing form towering over her curvy yet petite build. She stood so quickly the chair tipped backward and fell to the ground with a loud clang. She reached down to get it at the same time he came around. He loomed over her as she bent down, touching her shoulders. “Let me.”

She tightened, allowing him to stand her up. He reached down with one hand and easily lifted the heavy chair. “Are you ready?”

“Of course,” she lied. “It’s just business. We’re both professionals.”

He flexed his muscles as if preparing for the work he would soon do. He held out his hand.

She hesitated.

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course not.” She forced her hand into his. It was large and heated and firm, and as he engulfed her far smaller one, something sparked. He held her firmly as he led her to the back of the room.

“Am I supposed to just stand still while you conduct your administrations?” She shouldn’t be questioning him, should be accepting as the real Destiny Dane would, but she couldn’t help it. How would she ever manage this?

“That’s right. Most of the scene will be with the main actress, of course, but when more is exposed, it’ll be you.” When she stayed silent, he continued, “And you’re sure you’re okay with this?”

She had to be – after all, nudity was in the contract. Just not the one she signed with the police department. That cited the high risk of police work, bodily danger, physical harm. Nothing like the dangerous prospect of giving Julian Starcroft a la carte entry to her body. “Absolutely,” she bit out. “Of course, it’s okay. It’s great. It’s my job.”

“And you read the script?”

She actually had, last night. Well, as best she could with visions of one very sexy actor infiltrating every thought. She’d read the part where the hero made love to the coquettish heroine, touched her everywhere, took every liberty and made it his own. She’d never contemplated experiencing it in real life, even a surreal facsimile.

“Bet you never thought you’d be here.”

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