Page 5 of False Start
Visions swam through my mind of packing up and moving back to Texas. Of having to live under the same roof as my parents again.
I couldn’t let that happen.
“Wait!” I called, throwing out a hand and almost slapping an unsuspecting Weston in the face.
Denny Hayes kept walking. With a straight back and rolling stride, he left the restaurant without a backward glance.
“I can’t go back to my parents’ place,” I whimpered, scrubbing my hands over my face in misery.
This was almost worse than how I imagined the day going.
Okay, that was a lie. Submitting to unspeakable things on a casting couch was way worse, but still…
“Do you live with them?” Weston asked, sliding out of the booth and taking the seat Denny had vacated.
“Live with who?”
“Your parents.”
“What about them?”
He cocked his head, like he might have been as lost in this conversation as I was.
“You said you had to go back to your parents’ place. I was curious if you lived with them. It seems like something a boyfriend should know. Even a fake one.” The lift to the corner of his mouth told me he was trying to lighten the situation a little. I didn’t blame him after what he witnessed outside.
“I’m not usually that… dramatic. I mean I am, because I’m an actor and it’s literally my job — if I ever get cast in anything — but it’s not like panic attacks are an everyday occurrence for me. I’m mostly just normal, y’know?”
Weston’s lips quivered, like he was fighting off a laugh. Rude. He reached across the table and covered one of my hands with his. The warmth of the move shocked me, and I met his eyes, unsure what was happening.
“Are we having two separate conversations right now?” he asked, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“What…?”
“You don’t need to worry about earlier. You clearly have history with that guy, and that’s why I couldn’t leave you to face him alone. I’m sorry if my jumping in has complicated things for you, but it sounded positive when he left. I’m not sure how any of that relates to your parents, but I’m weirdly curious to find out. Now, can I buy you a drink?”
Gia
“So… we’re madly in love?”I asked, knocking my shoulder against my new friend’s as we spilled out of Bar 103, slightly tipsy and having talked for hours about everything and nothing. I now knew Weston was a closet baker, had the most adorable little neighbor, and had strong opinions on olives and anchovies. We’d steered clear of anything too personal, including work. After Denny Hayes’s departure, Weston had considerately avoided any further talk about acting or any future projects. We just enjoyed a night of being in a fake relationship with no strings attached.
The sun sat low on the horizon, painting the Chicago River in a wash of reds and oranges. The breeze lifted the hair on my shoulders and cooled my skin as we wandered along the boardwalk.
Hazel eyes sparkled down at me, a smirk twisting his face into something that had no right to be as attractive as it was on him. It turned out confidence was hot in a man who knew how to stop a panic attack and save an ill-fated interview.
“Desperately.”
“And yet I have no idea what you look like naked.”
It wasn’t until the joke sat in the air between us I realized what I’d suggested.Stupid drunk brain.I had trouble controlling my mouth at the best of times, but put a couple of drinks in me and my filter went offline. Weston was hot, and it had been a while since I’d spent any time with a man I liked.
Oh god. He knew it was a joke, right?
Was it?
An endless second stretched beyond my rapidly heating face before Weston threw his head back and barked a laugh.
“All you need to do is ask, Georgie girl. Just ask.”
The problem was, now all I could think about was how good it would feel to have his huge hands on me. He had proven he was kind and considerate, but would that translate in the bedroom?
