IF ZANE HEARD one more Go get her, buddy, he was going to lose his shit. Jesus, they’d built this scene up to epic proportions, as if there wasn’t pressure to do every scene as perfectly as possible. He’d come to the realization that this was it for him. The end of the line. Changing genres hadn’t given him any better sense of fulfillment than acting in action movies had. Did all actors eventually feel like they were playing with water instead of working with clay? No matter how different the set, the cast, the location, it was all still pretending to be someone another person had created. Yes, he was bringing the character to life, but it was still carrying out someone else’s vision. It was time to take the next step, and after handing his script over to the director this morning, he hoped like hell luck would be on his side. If Steve liked the screenplay, anything was possible.
He took his place on the set, mentally playing over his lines and hoping Remi had pulled herself together. She’d been a nervous wreck, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like they were hijacking a plane and jumping out midair. That was something to be nervous about. This was a piece of cake.
Thinking of cake brought his mind to his beautiful girl. He popped an Altoid and stole a quick glance at Willow, who was talking with Patch. He should be pissed at his loose-lipped assistant for spilling his secrets about his house and what was—and what had never been—in it. But it was hard to be angry at the guy who’d helped bring him and Willow together in the first place. Like a kid awaiting show-and-tell, Zane couldn’t wait to show her his place.
“Quiet on the set!”
Steve’s voice snapped Zane into acting mode, but as he caught sight of Remi nervously fidgeting with her hands, the part of him that should want to do whatever it took to make her comfortable sort of wanted to give her a little shake and say, It’s a kiss. Lighten up.
It was definitely time to get out of this business before he turned into an asshole.
With everyone in place, the assistant director yelled, “Roll it,” and the rest of the directions fell on deaf ears. Zane was in the zone. He’d become his character, and at the sound of the clapper, he spurred into action. Or rather, slow motion, given that action in this movie moved at a snail’s pace.
Remi stood by the lake with her back to him. Her short black dress hung loosely from her thin frame. In the scene, they’d just come from the funeral of her father, who had been murdered, and Zane, the private investigator her family had hired—and her past lover—was comforting her. He’d mastered the confident yet careful gait and the tender cadence of his voice the scene called for. She turned as he approached, sunlight reflecting in her damp eyes. Her trembling lips and fidgeting, nervous hands perfectly relayed her devastation. But as he reached for her hand and she collapsed against him, he felt his body tense up and worked hard to fix it, but she felt wrong. She wasn’t Willow. And now he was screwed. His mind reeled as he tried like hell to get his head back into the scene.
“I will stop at nothing to catch the people who did this, Cora. I promise you I will put them away.” Okay, cool. That was solid.
“Bob,” she said breathlessly.
He lowered his mouth to hers, and the second their lips touched, he tensed up again. Motherfucker.
“Cut!”
“It’s not you,” he said as quickly as he could, knowing Remi would think she’d somehow caused his screwup. “I mind-fucked myself. Sorry.” He raked a hand through his hair, not caring that makeup would have to fix it, and waved to Steve.
“I’ve got this. Sorry,” he called to Steve, but his insides were in a full-on battle. He’d kissed more women than he could count, and never had he freaking fucked up. He forced himself not to look at Willow, but that didn’t block the heat of her gaze from boring into him. He didn’t want to know what was going through her mind.
The makeup team fixed his hair and Remi’s lipstick, and they went through the motions again. Three times.
Holy hell.
The easiest scene of them all, and he was acting like this was his first time filming. Steve called Patch over and said something Zane couldn’t hear, but Patch’s pinched look wasn’t good. He stalked over to Willow with his head down, took her by the elbow, and began escorting her away.
“Oh, hell no!” Willow’s voice called the attention of every person on set as she broke away from Patch and stormed past the camera crew.
Wills, what are you doing? His eyes darted to Steve, who rose from his chair with a pissed-off look in his eyes. Zane held up a hand in his direction and strode toward Willow.
“Baby, what are you—”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she said through gritted teeth.
Shocked, he was at a loss for words.
She stepped closer. “I’m afraid to touch you because of makeup and wardrobe and all that, but if I could, I’d grab you by the collar and shake you.” Her eyes dialed down to warm determination. “Z, if anyone knows how to kiss the hell out of a woman, it’s you. What’s going on? Do you really need me to leave the set? You’re a professional, and I don’t need or want you to be anything less.”
“Wills, she’s not you, and it’s fucking with my head.” He felt the eyes of the cast and crew watching their every move.
“Then unfuck it, because I believe in you, and don’t you dare let me or anyone else down. Do you hear me?”
He chuckled, but there was no denying the mental click inside his head. She was absolutely right. “Yeah, baby. I hear you loud and clear.”
“Good, now go kiss her like she’s never been kissed before, and if you screw this up”—she stepped closer and whispered—“you’ll never find out the dirty surprise I have in store for you.” She spun on her heel and strutted away.
The whole damn peanut gallery applauded.
Steve waved a hand as if to say, Go to it.
And Zane did just that. This time when he took Remi into his arms, he kissed her until she went limp in his arms, and when Steve yelled, “Cut!” it was Willow’s eyes he found.
She mouthed, I’m so proud of you, and he mouthed, Dirty surprise, earning the sexiest blush he’d ever seen.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LATER THAT NIGHT Zane locked the door to Willow’s apartment and followed her down the back steps. He was relieved that filming was over, at least for now. Most of the cast and crew had taken off as soon as filming had wrapped for the day, but they were meeting Remi and her brother, Aiden, along with Bridgette and Ben—who Willow insisted had to meet them—for dinner at Tasker’s Chance, an upscale restaurant on the edge of town. They were running a little late because Willow had gotten stuck at the bakery taking care of loose ends before leaving town tomorrow morning.