Page 3 of Stunts and Sparks

He supposed he was lucky the first day was more of a meet and greet than anything. But he didn’t want to be seen limping around the set for fear he’d be replaced. Having been through boot camp came in handy in situations like this, if only because he’d increased his own pain tolerance. Today, he would need it to hide his aching foot. There was no chance in hell he was going to sabotage his whole career just because he stubbed his toe.

Now, he stood in a crowd of people, in full costume, his hair dyed to match the actor he was doubling for, and he tried to look normal while keeping most of his weight on his good foot.

“You feeling okay, Mr. Reynolds?” He whirled around to see someone he assumed was a grip or another assistant. He didn’t recognize the guy from the cast. It was strange to be called by name before he had been introduced, but he didn’t let it faze him.

“Hi. Yes, I’m doing just fine. Thank you. You know how it is. First-day jitters.” He smiled a charming smile.

The assistant smiled back. “You don’t seem to be the type to get the jitters, Mr. Reynolds.”

“You can call me Cole.”

“Okay, Cole.” He walked away, and Cole watched as he passed by a woman Cole hadn’t noticed until now. She was standing in a crowd of people, chatting with someone who had just let go of her hand. She looked remarkably like the star, but there were differences he noticed right away. Her bone structure was different, her jaw a little stronger, her lips a little fuller, her smile a little warmer.

She moved, too, with a grace the star didn’t seem to have, which surprised Cole. Usually, it was the other way around. The trained actress would move with grace, and the stunt double would have a less polished way about her. This had everything to do with what each individual was trained in, and stunt doubles tended to be more athletic and powerful. This woman felt like someone who had the kind of athletic training that required control. Intense control. Like a dancer or a gymnast.

Cole made his way closer as she moved to another group of people. He heard one of them call her by the star’s name, and he heard her correct him. So she was a Heather. Cute. He had quickly guessed that she was going to be his stunt partner based on how she was dressed and how closely she resembled the star. He stayed strategically close to get an impression of her before he was introduced. Cole had long held the belief that people were more honest about him before they’d been introduced, and he rarely trusted any impression he got after an introduction. Trust issues seemed to follow him all the years of his life, but they’d helped keep him out of some sticky situations, too, so he wasn’t ready to part with them.

Another group of people introduced themselves, assuming Heather was the star. And again, she had to correct them. Strange, how easily they confused her for Jessie. While the two women did look similar, Cole could tell them apart quite easily. Only one of them, for example, was exactly his type. The closer he came to Heather as the two of them did their introduction dance around the room, the more he realized he’d probably never seen a more appealing woman in his life. Oh, this job was going to be a blast if he played his cards right.

Along one wall was a long table with refreshments, and Cole made his way there after seeing Heather move in the same direction. They arrived at the same time, and he reached for the same drink she did, intentionally. His foot was killing him, but if Cole did anything better than stunts, it was plying women with his undeniable charm.

“Well, well, Ms. Jessica,” he said, pretending to confuse Heather for the star like everyone else did. No point in admitting he already knew her face like the back of his hand. “It’s great tofinally have a chance to introduce myself. I’d been hoping to run into you.”

He held out his hand, and Heather shook it. “Nice to meet you too, but I’m not Jessica,” she said. “I’m just her stunt double.”

“Well, I don’t believe that,” Cole said, winking and squeezing her hand one last time before finally letting it go. “Do you have proof?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he grinned back. “If you don’t believe me, I guess you’ll figure it out when we do our first scene together.”

He moved a little closer. “What if I don’t want to wait?”

“It’s literally later this afternoon,” she said. “You’ll live.”

He loved her snark, but she was wrong. “Today is just to meet and greet. We won’t be shooting.”

“Then why are we in costume?”

She had a point there, but Cole didn’t want to believe her. Why was he so out of it today? His foot still ached, and he wasn’t sure he could actually do a stunt so soon after injuring it. He needed to put it up and ice it or something. His shoe was starting to feel too tight.

“Which stunt?” he finally asked.

She shrugged. “The fall. From the building? How are you not aware of the schedule?”

Cole laughed at her, maybe a little too loudly. “I don’t need to know the schedule because I’ve already got every single stunt down pat. I could do it in my sleep, so what does it matter? They’ll tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.” He knew he wasprobably protesting too much, but Cole’s day was going from bad to worse, and he needed to put a stop to it as soon as possible. It was looking like his only option was going to be to suck it up, pretend the pain wasn’t even there, and strut his way to success. He had a plate of food in one hand, and his resolve in the other. Every spike of pain that came from his foot, he ignored as though he were fed up with a screaming toddler demanding attention.

The one thing he wasn’t ready to admit to himself yet was that this stubbornness, on his part, had more to do with impressing the beautiful woman in front of him than impressing the filmmakers. Just now, she was looking at him like he was some kind of idiot. There was the smallest curl to the corner of her mouth that could have been the start of a smile or sneer. He couldn’t really tell, and it didn’t really matter. Cole’s instinct in every situation was independence and invulnerability. He would never ever allow his weakness to show, even if that meant acting like an arrogant jerk. Arrogant jerks were rarely disappointed by the actions of those around them because they expected the worst.

His stunt partner shook her head at him. “Well, it’s been great getting to meet you, Cole, but I’m off to the courtyard for some fresh air.”

“I’ll join you,” he said without thinking. Heather looked annoyed, but he countered by pretending not to notice and doubling down on charm. “It’ll be good for the two of us to get to know each other better, don’t you think?”

“Fantastic.” She rolled her eyes as he followed her.

Outside, he noticed how perfect her skin was, how her wild hair glimmered in the sunlight. She looked more alive than anyonehe had ever seen. She sat at the edge of a round, concrete bench surrounding a group of trees. The dappled sunlight and cool breeze calmed his mind more than he had thought it would. The energy his new stunt partner gave off was similar. She was… peaceful, the opposite aura of most people he met in the industry.

“I didn’t get one of those,” he said, pointing to one of the mini quiches she had on her plate. “Can I try one of yours?”

She frowned hard at him, but eventually shifted her plate toward him and he took one of her mini quiches. It was delicious, but he didn’t let on. “Pretty good, I guess,” he said, as though he’d definitely had better. There was something sensual about eating off her plate. He wanted to do it again, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he sat beside her and glanced over every time she took a bite. He was finding it more and more difficult to control himself around this woman, although he’d have to figure it out quickly. He was about to be working in very close quarters with her, and he was determined to maintain professionalism.

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