“Wow,” he said when he’d swallowed. “I mean, that’s a whole lot of bad for me but it tastes too good. How come I’ve never had that before?”
“Maybe Los Angeles is too health conscious?” I wasn’t Hollywood thin like the women Matt must be used to, though I’d never worried about my body or what I ate. Girls like Audrey Tanner must never eat.
“LA’s full of crazy people eating cardboard and cotton balls or whatever the latest fad is. I ignore it. You can take the boy out of the Midwest but do not take the steak from the Midwestern boy’s diet.”
“Is that how you see yourself?” I asked. I released the countertop behind me and tucked my hair behind my ears. “As a Midwestern boy?”
A wrinkle formed between his eyes as he looked at me. “That’s what I am.”
“But you’re a movie star.”
He snorted and took another spoonful of curd. “Are you a shopkeeper? Or are you from Worthington, Maine?”
I transferred my weight from one foot to the other. “Both, I guess.”
“Exactly. Just because I’m in movies doesn’t mean that’s all I am.” He took a deep breath.
I knew what it was like to have people you didn’t even know make judgments about you. I didn’t know how anyone enjoyed being famous. I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was famous, but I was kinda enjoying the anonymity. It doesn’t happen much anymore.” He put the empty spoon back into his mouth and hummed as if he might have missed a speck of the curd. “I liked the fact that you didn’t have me in that movie-star box. That you found me attractive without knowing who I was.”
I folded my arms. “Oh, because no one ever found you attractive before you were famous.”
He chuckled and screwed the cap back on the jar. “I’m not saying that I had a problem getting women to notice me. But these days . . .” He slid the curd across the counter. “These days I never know if a woman wants me so she can brag to her friends, tip off a tabloid, or because of some kind of . . . connection.”
“Must be terrible,” I said, shaking my head in mock sorrow.
He sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for me. I’m just saying that it was nice.” He shrugged and his t-shirt pulled tight across his chest. “Refreshing, but I should have told you, I just—”
“No, I shouldn’t have gone off like I did. You told me you were an actor. If I didn’t have my head in the clouds, or went to the movies a little more often, I would have known who you were. I’m sorry for going crazy.” I stared at my feet, embarrassed that I’d been so angry . . . and that I hadn’t recognized him.
“I should be the one apologizing. Fucking Sinclair bursting in like that—I could have killed him.”
“He’s your publicist?” I leaned back on the countertop, my eyes flickering to the waist of his jeans. Was his body really as hard as I’d remembered?
He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Came to check up on me, I think. And, as you witnessed, he has boundary issues.”
Ruby had been right. “So he’s mad at you stepping out on Audrey?”
His face lit up with a wicked grin. “Stepping out? Is that what I did the other night?” He moved closer, stopping right in front of me, leaving us only a whisper apart.
I should step back but it was almost as if I couldn’t even if I’d wanted to. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say you stepped out on your girlfriend with me.”
His fingers found mine, linking our hands so our palms were touching. “You know she’s not my girlfriend, right? I can call her if you like, and she’ll tell you herself.”
I didn’t shrug him off even though I knew I should. I needed to avoid the storm, not step right into it. “You’d call her right now?” Was he saying what he thought he had to in order to get a repeat performance from me?
“Sure, she wouldn’t mind one bit. I’ve had dinner with her and her fiancé. He’s a good guy too.”
He dipped his face to mine. “You want me to?” He released my hand and took his cell from his pocket.
I hesitated, so he swiped the screen and began to tap. Then he put the phone to his ear and smiled at me. My knees fizzed under his gaze, and he let go of my other hand and pulled me tight against him. Instinctively, I pressed my palm to his upper arm to steady myself and as I touched him, memories of the night before last flooded through me. It had been so good. He’d seemed to know my body better than I did.
“Audrey, hey. I have a rather odd favor to ask you. I’m interested in a girl in Maine that I met. But she thinks we’re dating—” He paused and smiled. “Exactly. We’re very convincing. Especially as we’re hardly ever seen together. Anyway. I guess that’s Hollywood.” He nodded. “Sure, I’ll put her on.”
My stomach flipped as he handed me the phone. “Hi,” I said as I held the cell to my ear.
“Hey, Matt didn’t give me your name, but I’m Audrey Tanner.” I’d watched at least two of her movies, courtesy of Ruby, and it was either her or the best impressionist I’d ever heard. “Please don’t tell anyone, but Matt and I haven’t so much as kissed. I’ve been in love with my high school boyfriend since I was seventeen.”
How on earth was I meant to react? “I appreciate you taking the time to—”
“And while we’re sharing secrets, Matt has never asked me to talk to a girl he’s interested in.”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from smiling.
“Right,” I replied.
“He’s a nice guy. Mainly. I think.”
I let out a burst of laughter.
“Well, you know. For someone that good-looking,” she said. “I imagine there are women around who think differently. He had a bad reputation back there for a while. But I don’t think that’s who he is. Not really.”
I stared into Matt’s blue eyes, then down to his full lips. He was too handsome. Like the man factory had made a mistake and put too much good-looking in the mixture. Some other guy had probably lost out as a result.
His palm flattened against my back and pulled me close. He began to grow and twitch against my belly. It would be so easy to give in to him right now.
“Thank you, Audrey. Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Oh, you can’t tell anyone.” She sounded genuinely scared.
“Of course, I won’t.”
“If the press finds out, I’ll be crucified in the tabloids for cheating on Matt. You know the women always come off looking like sluts.”
“I promise I won’t say a word.”
“Girl to girl, I’m trusting you.”
I nodded. “Thank you for talking to me.”
“No problem, good luck with him.”
I handed Matt his phone, then he and Audrey said their good-byes and he hung up.
I braced my hands on his arms. “You need to let me go.”
“That’s the last thing I should be doing.” He glanced at my chest as I inhaled.
“I’m serious,” I said.