Page 93 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

Confusion swam in my gut. I had no idea what she was going to say, but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good. Any sentence that included the word ‘warn’ couldn’t be.

“What you and Josh have, can’t last,” she said, her tone sympathetic and slightly patronizing. “I’ve seen it too many times with actors like him. He’s a method actor, honey. That means he gets right into his role to the point that he almost believes he is the person he’s playing. I mean, the fact that he’s dated three of the girls he’s starred with should tell you something to that effect.”

I blinked at her stupidly before my head finally processed what she’d said. Drawing in a slow, steadying breath, I gave her a kind smile. “Thank you for the warning, Hannah. I really appreciate it. I might not know much about this industry and how it works, but I’ve seen enough pain and suffering to not let things like that worry me. I may be innocent in some ways, but I’m far from insecure.”

A calculating air spread through her features. Her eyes hardened and her mouth tightened. She looked very much like she was about to unleash something vile. But then the door opened and Josh appeared, striding toward me with urgent steps.

Hannah smiled. “I’m so glad,” she said, seeming far from sincere. Then she lowered her voice. “Because I’d hate to see you get hurt by the darker side of this industry.”

As I watched her turn and walk away, I smiled. Olivia: 1 Hannah: 0

Chapter 56

Josh

Throwing the cushion across the set, I glared out at Steven’s silhouette. “That’s it! I’m done,” I yelled, the veins in my neck straining I was so pissed off. “If this is what you call professional, I fucking quit!”

Between forgetting her lines, missing her marker, not ‘feeling it,’ and getting a case of uncontrollable giggles, Hannah had now made us two hours behind schedule. We were on a closed set to shoot a scene that demanded her to be mostly naked. She claimed it was compromising her modesty beyond what was in her contract. It was bullshit. She was still wearing her fucking underwear.

Steven strode forward, his face unreadable. “Just give me a minute, Josh,” he said, heading straight for Hannah. I hoped he threatened her with breach of fucking contract. I was fucking over her shit.

Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down, but it was hard to do when I knew Liv had been waiting in my trailer for me for the last four hours. I still wasn’t convinced Hannah hadn’t said anything nasty to her when I’d left her on set earlier. But she hadn’t seemed upset, so I decided to let it go. For now.

As Steven finished up talking to Hannah, he made his way to me, his expression all business. “Can you do one more take?” he asked.

It was a no-bullshit question. I could tell he needed me to be the professional here. But, fuck me, she was making it hard. “One,” I said.

He gave me one sharp nod. “That’s all I’m giving her.”

Turning away from the set, I tried to take a few more breaths. I needed to look as though I cared about Hannah’s character in this scene, and at the moment, all I wanted to do was strangle her.

Closing my eyes, I tried to put Liv in Hannah’s place. I tried to think about how I would feel if I really was Jesse McGuffey and Liv really was being traumatized by her dad. I thought about how that would make me feel.

As Steven called us to our places, I straightened my shoulders and slipped into character. I would not allow Hannah Bryant to alter my professionalism.

The clapper snapped, and take seventeen started rolling. Hannah rushed forward, panicked and scared, but to me, she was Liv. The protective instinct I felt was real. I needed her to be safe. Grabbing her, I crushed her to me, holding her as she crumbled in my arms. Anger and frustration simmered in my veins. I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore. I was going to do everything I could to take away her pain.

As the scene played out—finally to the end—I took her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers.

“Cut! That’s a wrap.”

Dropping Hannah like a hot potato, I turned and walked off set without a backward glance. At this point in time, I’d be happy if I didn’t see her again for the rest of the coming week, and then some.

Lance’s eyes narrowed as I walked up to the trailer. “Don’t say a fucking word,” I said, not prepared to deal with anything any of them might have to say right now.

“She’s asleep,” he mumbled as I reached for the door.

Hanging my head, I sighed. I just hoped she wasn’t going to be pissed at me.

Closing the door quietly behind me, I moved to the bed at the end of the trailer and looked down at Liv’s sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful lying there with her eyes softly closed and her hair fanned out around her. So perfect and pure. Untainted by the egos of superficial divas who’d do anything to get what they wanted.

Lowering myself to the edge of the mattress, I tried to push the guilt aside, reminding myself that it had been her decision to try this with me. But, deep down, I knew the guilt was justified, because her decision had been made using a very limited knowledge of what being with me could mean.

With gentle fingers, I traced the waves of her hair near her temple, begging the universe to protect her and allow her to keep her optimistic view of the world. If being in my world squeezed even an ounce of that from her, it would crush me. The light she emitted was the part of her I loved the most.

As she drew in a soft, deep breath, her eyes fluttered open to gaze up at me, kind and loving. The pale blue of them never ceased to draw me in. To me, they were hypnotizing,

“Hey,” she said with a sigh, her lips curving up contentedly.

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