Page 59 of The Movie Star and the Spy

“Please say it isn’t true!” another shrieked.

“It can’t be!” yet another cried.

Julian gave his friend a look, started to deny it, and stopped. For once, he didn’t want to refute his interest. Because he was interested.Veryinterested.

But that someone, who liked him enough to call him awesome, was desperate to deny it. And although he had every intention of changing her mind, he couldn’t thrust her unwillingly into the spotlight. “No,” he said loud enough for the fans to hear. “There’s no lovely lady. I’m one hundred percent single.”

He gave Zachary a look, which was clearly understood when his friend clapped him on the back. “All the more fun.” At Jess’ pout, he quickly backtracked, “I mean, poor guy. We’ll have to find you someone. Maybe someone out there,” he called to the crowd.

The applause was deafening, and took everyone’s mind off his supposed lady love. Everyone’s, that was, but his. To be fair, he hadn’t been able to get his mind off Destiny in days. No matter his efforts, their time together would soon end. Even if she was his personal assistant, she was employed by the studio, and she was unlikely to take an offer of employment from him. They only had a few weeks of filming left, and thencurtains.

That meant this last date had to count. One night simply wasn’t going to do it, not when Destiny had already set up personal meetups with multiple cast and crewmembers during her week off. She didn’t want to be seen with a movie star but would happily date twenty different men? It didn’t make sense. She may act the flirt, but he’d seen the real her, and she wasn’ta twenty-guy type of woman. Her motivations played a mystery plot, and he was going to uncover every last detail.

He knew just how to do it.

CHAPTER 13

The two outfits were as different as a mystery to a rom-com. One was a black cocktail dress, smooth and silky and fit to perfection, the other faded blue jeans and a plaid button-down shirt, boring and ugly and well-suited to a cowhand. Cheyenne sighed with reluctance… and tossed both into the duffel bag.

This was ridiculous. She was packing (yes, packing!) for a two-hour date. But Julian refused to share their destination, despite her repeated questioning. He wanted it to be a surprise, although he promised it would be private. The thought of more time alone with him was more scary than placating, but at least it wouldn’t compromise the operation.

When she pointed out she didn’t know how to dress for their date, he told her to bring several outfits. When she tried to argue, he silenced her with a kiss. She tried to argue once (okay, seven) more times, but in the end it seemed easier to bring a few things. This was their last date, after all, and she’d already set up personal visits with multiple suspects. If she got lucky she might not have to return to the set at all. Might not have to see Julian Starcroft ever again, at least not outside the silver screen.

The thought made her distinctly uneasy.

A knock sounded, and she tightened. He was early. “Just a minute!” She threw a few more shirts into the duffel bag, zipped it up and jogged to the front door. She unlocked and opened the door to...

“Abraham Lincoln?”

With a long fake beard and a big hat, Julian bore a striking resemblance to the iconic president, and the presence to match. He stood in the doorway, waiting for her to let him in, but instead she slipped into the hallway. He didn’t need to see the lack of personal items in the sparsely furnished apartment she rented for the assignment.

He looked behind her as the door clicked shut. “Hiding something or just in a really big rush?”

Both.She locked the door and smiled. “You got me. Big Foot is in my apartment.”

“I didn’t know he made house calls.” He adjusted his fake beard. “Or are you just that anxious for our date?”

She snorted. “Nope, it’s Big Foot– Hey!”

He took her duffel bag. She tried to snatch it back, but he kept it out of her reach. “Can’t I hold my lady’s bag?” Then he turned on his major weapon – that smile. Heat filled the small corridor. She was not going to win. Not this battle, perhaps not the others.

“All right.” She lifted a finger. “As long as you don’t throw me over your shoulder.Again.”

He smiled wickedly. “My mother told me never to make promises I couldn’t keep.” He took her hand. “And I’m keeping this, too.” He resumed his pace… taking her with him.

She tugged at her hand with the same success she’d had with the bag. “You can’t keep someone’s hand.”

He passed the elevator and went straight to the stairs. Hand in hand, they walked down the concrete steps. “Actually youcan keep a whole person if you’re a celebrity. It’s in the job description.”

She walked fast to keep up with his long stride. “That’s completely untrue.”

The look he gave her was so full of comic disbelief, she couldn’t help but laugh. “No one ever told me ‘no’ before.”

Now that, she’d believe. People treated him like a king, emperor or some sort of supreme being. They would give him the moon wrapped in a big red bow if he asked politely. “You’d better get used to it.”

“Really?” he drawled. “Does that mean you’re planning on seeing me more?”

No. Of course not. Absolutely not.Yes.“Don’t worry. When I leave, I’ll train the cast and crew how to say no to you.”

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