Page 57 of My Turkish Fling
I lifted a shoulder. “She smiles too much, but she’s not as fake as I first thought.”
An image of Janie in bed, her eyelids fluttering, mouth ajar but still somehow smiling flashed behind my eyes. There was nothing fake about her. About us. I may have offended her, just like Cem had predicted, but I’d also surrendered to whatever was growing between us. I didn’t feel the same. I wasn’t the same, and having to hide it was making me increasingly uncomfortable.
“Done,” I said, tightening the screws.
“Really?”
Janie’s bright voice shot straight to my heart. Light streaming from kitchen doorway gave her a halo as she stepped into the entry hall, smiling so brightly I had to fight the urge to smile back. With Cem’s suspicious eyes on me, I’d never hear the end of it.
“You do the honors.” I handed her the new key and closed the front door.
“Oh, wow.” She joined me at the door.
I should have moved back, to make sure I didn’t raise anysuspicion, but I couldn’t. If there was a chance to inhale her scent, I was ready to risk everything.
Janie stepped outside, locking and unlocking the door, letting out a rapturous gasp as she stepped inside and turned the latch, locking the door again. I’d never seen anyone quite so enamored by a door before.
“That click,” she explained, turning the latch again, “is so satisfying. Thank you.”
“Are all Kiwi women turned on by locks? Asking for a friend.” Cem sneered behind me.
Janie whipped her head, casting him a brilliant smile. “Totally. I recommend a new deadbolt and a panic room for your wedding night.”
She turned to me and her exaggerated smile morphed into a grateful one, eyes glossy. “Thank you, Emir. You have no idea what this means. I feel like I’ve been tensing muscles I didn’t even know I had, and they just relaxed.”
“That’s good.” I wanted so badly to hold her that my entire arm twitched.
What was my brother still doing here? A quick glance in his direction answered my question. He was assessing us, his eyes flicking between us, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
I cleared my throat and started packing up the tools. Once done, I fetched the vacuum cleaner from the hallway closet, ignoring another look from my brother. Yes, I knew where she kept cleaning supplies. So, what?
Janie tried to take the vacuum. “That’s my job, Emir.”
“I made the mess, I’ll clean it.”
She stepped back and took Cem with her as I cleaned up the sawdust. Maybe she’d sensed it, too—The longer we spent together, the more we risked revealing. If she didn’t want to tell them about us, she had to stay away from me.
Chapter 26
Janie
I pulled up to a half-empty parking lot overlooking the ocean. “This is it, I think. I’ll just double check Gus’s message.”
As I mentioned the filmmaker’s name, the crease on Emir’s forehead reappeared. “I can’t see his Hyundai.”
“How do you remember his car?”
He shrugged. “I just do.”
After a moment, we spotted the car approaching us. “Promise me you’ll behave.”
His face softened. “I don’t like him, but I’ll be civil.”
I blew out a breath, reaching for the door handle. “Good enough. I don’t like him either, but he has major GAS and we can use that to our advantage.”
“GAS?”
“Gear acquisition syndrome,” I clarified. “It’s a common condition within the film and TV industry.”
