“Um…your cell phone.”
“I know it’s my cell phone, smart-ass! I’m talking about what’s on my phone.”
“And what’s on your phone?”
She glares at me. “You tell me!”
I glance at Alex, and he shrugs. Lot of fucking help he is.
“Pins, have you been drinking?”
It’s a valid question but probably not the best one to ask because her nostrils flare, and she gets this crazy look in her eyes. I genuinely shit my pants.
“No, I haven’t been drinking, you ass! A first-class plane ticket, West. What the hell were you thinking?”
Ah. Now, we’re getting somewhere.
I upgraded her flight to Vegas from coach to first-class and put her on the same flight as me. We leave in two days to go to Vegas to film the rest of the movie.
I thought she’d be happy. Apparently not.
“And I’ll take that as my cue to leave.” Alex gets up, putting the script down. “I’ll get some coffee.”
“Deserter.” I glare at him.
He laughs. “Go easy on him, Charly.” He pats her shoulder as he passes. “His intentions were good. He’s just a bit dim at times.”
“Hey! What the fuck?”
“Can I bring you coffee back?” He pulls his jacket on.
“Where are you going?” Charly asks him in a nice-as-pie voice.
“Starbucks.”
“Ooh, I’ll have a caramel latte then, please. Thanks, Alex.”
I buy her a first-class plane ticket and get yelled at. He offers to buy her a four-dollar cup of coffee—that I’ll actually pay for—and she’s all please and thank you.
Honestly, I don’t understand women.
“Black coffee, Vaughn?” he asks me.
“Yeah.” I sigh. “And one of those toffee cookies.”
“A Toffeedoodle?”
“Ooh, I’ll have one of those, too,” Charly says.
“Got it. See you in ten.”
We both watch him leave. Then, Charly turns back to me, her face like thunder.
Seems her happy moment left with Alex. Great.
“Pins…I thought you’d be happy about the ticket.” I get to my feet, walking toward her.
“It was a nice thing to do—”
“I’m a nice guy.”
“But it was also dumb.”
“Hey!” I frown. “Go easy there, Pins. My ego is fragile. I wound easily, you know.” I slap a hand to my chest.
Her lips crack into a smile. But she’s soon back to scowling at me. “Did you even think when you booked the ticket?”
“I didn’t book it. I had the studio do it.”
“Yeah, and nothing says we’re sleeping together like a first-class plane ticket on your flight.”
Oh, yeah. She has a point there.
“Do you want people to know we’re sleeping together?” she asks.
“Maybe I do.”
What?
Her eyes widen with surprise. Honestly, I’m a little surprised myself.
I didn’t know I was there yet.
But…maybe I am.
Is that why I had her ticket changed?
“Vaughn…” She swallows, moving closer to me.
I watch her closely. Her eyes…something in them isn’t sitting right with me.
“Are you sure that’s what you want? Because I thought you wanted the focus to be on the movie right now. Not your sex life.”
“Personal life. I thought we had established that you and I are more than just sex.”
Even though we haven’t discussed exactly what we are. But I know I want her. I know I’m serious about being with her. I know I want more from her than just sex.
“I know we are, but…” She looks away.
“But what?” I ask, dipping down to look her in the eyes, my heart starting to beat just that little bit faster.
She lifts her head. “I just think the focus should be on the movie and not us.”
“It’s not just that though, is it?”
“Of course it is.” Her response is too quick, and I know she’s not being entirely truthful.
“Charly…if you’re not ready for us to go public or to have your life changed, then it’s fine. I do understand.”
She stares at me for a long beat. Then, she bites her lip. “Are you angry?”
“No.” I wrap my arms around her. “So long as you’re not ashamed to be with me.”
“As if.” She laughs, fisting the back of my shirt in her hands. “I’m pretty sure the embarrassment should be on your part.”
“What?” I pull back from her, looking at her like she’s lost her mind because she clearly has. “Why in the fuck would I be embarrassed about you?”
“Because I’m just a wardrobe assistant.” She lifts her shoulder.
“You’re an artist. I read lines that other people write and pretend to be a different person for a living. It’s not as big of a deal as people seem to think it is.”
“I think it’s a big deal.” She slides her hands into my back pockets.
“I think you’re a big deal. When we finally go public, I’ll be wearing an I’m Sleeping with Her T-shirt, you know, just so everyone knows we’re screwing.”
“You’re so romantic.” She laughs, squeezing my ass.
“And you love it.” I brush my lips over hers.