“If it means keeping everyone here on Alpha Blue safe, then yes, I won’t be bitter. I only hope everyone will have only good things to say about me when I’m out looking for other work.”
I was amazed at his acting skills because Jenner never hid how much he wanted off this show. Knowing he was probably giddy on the inside, I tried not to smile or laugh as Jane nodded at his selfless words.
“Of course, we will. Your acting has been stellar.” She placed her frail-looking hand on his arm and smiled kindly up at him. “I’ll make sure Rick doesn’t talk to anyone.”
So it was known Rick didn’t like Jenner. Interesting.
Smiling with barely upturned lips, he placed his hand over hers. “I’d appreciate it. If it was up to Rick, I’d never work another day in my life.”
Jane gave him a knowing look before she shook her head. “Why don’t you go get dressed, and I’ll contact you in a couple of days once everything is settled.”
Wait! What?
Were they going to let him go just like that? No wonder he hated this show. I wanted to defend him and scream loud enough for every single person on set to hear me and make them give the man beside me a real chance.
If only they got to see who I saw at home.
“Sure. Thanks, Jane.” Wrapping his hand around mine, Jenner looked down at me. When our eyes met, I saw a myriad of emotions move through them, but before I could name them, they all disappeared except for humor. “Welcome to life on a TV show. I’m sorry I couldn’t have shown you more.”
“There will be others in the future; of that, I have no doubt, so it’s okay.” I squeezed his hand to let him know I didn’t mind.
“I guess I should get back to my trailer and see if there’s anything that needs to be packed up. Come on, let’s go.” He tugged on my hand.
I let him lead me out of the warehouse with my head turned, my eyes trained on the group of people who had decided his fate. The second Jenner’s feet crossed the threshold, their faces relaxed.
Had they thought he would create a commotion once he learned they wanted him off the show? I guess it was a good thing his character looked as if he was dying. Now they could kill him off without a problem.
“What’s the deal with the director?” I couldn’t think of a single reason why he would target Jenner or make it publicly known his dislike for him. To me, it all seemed unprofessional.
Jenner’s cheeks turned pink as he ushered me up the steps to his trailer and opened the door. He took long strides down the hall before he removed his robe and started to dress in the clothes he’d come in. The other clothes he’d tried on at wardrobe and brought back to his trailer were miraculously missing. Zipping up his jeans, he glanced over at me, where I was unabashedly ogling him.
“Two weeks after we started filming, Rick found out I’d slept with his daughter. The worst part was I didn’t even remember her, but she pointed me out when she visited the set, and he took her word over mine.”
God, my husband had been a manwhore. I hated hearing about or seeing the women he’d been with. Would there ever be a day when I wouldn’t be smacked in the face with someone he’d stuck his dick into?
“Did you sleep with her?” My question came out with all the emotion I was feeling. I was sad, angry, and jealous over a man I’d only known for four days.
After pulling his shirt over his head, he took me in from head to toe. “What changed?” His brows pulled together. “Are you pissed because I might have slept with Rick’s daughter?”
Turning to gather my laptop and purse, I answered. “I can’t control how I feel. Trust me. I do not like feeling like this.” I pulled in a deep breath and closed my eyes to center myself as I let it out. “It’s unfair that we don’t remember when we had sex, but I guess that’s a common occurrence with you now, isn’t it?”
Strong hands came to rest on my tense shoulders. Jenner spoke with his mouth next to my ear, and with each word, I could hear how much he regretted his past. “I won’t lie to you. There were many nights I got blackout drunk, and I can’t tell you if I slept with someone or not. Rick’s daughter is one of those women I have no recollection of. I hate to keep disappointing you, Abbi, but please don’t hold my past against me. Let’s pretend nothing happened before we woke up in Vegas together. Can you do that?” His arms slid from my shoulders, down my arms, and wrapped around my waist. He pulled me close, hugging me from behind.
“I want to. I really do because I hate the thought of you with other women,” I answered truthfully.
“And I hate the thought of you with other men. It’s a good thing you only have the one, but I can assure you that if I’m ever in the same room with him or you talk about him, I will be jealous and want to smash his face in.”
I liked the idea of Jenner being the one jealous for once, and if by some crazy reason Greg was ever in our vicinity, I wouldn’t hold him back from kicking Greg’s ass.
Nuzzling into the side of my neck, he spoke against my rapidly heating skin. “Would you like to go to dinner with me?”
My hands rested over his just above the waistband of my shorts. “Like on a date?”
“Yeah, I thought it would be nice for us to get out and do what normal couples do. Have dinner and get to know each other, and anything else you want to do. What do you say?”
Turning in his arms to face him, I didn’t try to hide my happiness about going on a date with him. Pressing up, I kissed the corner of his mouth. I didn’t dare give him a full-on kiss. I was sure if I did, we wouldn’t have left the trailer until every inch of it had been christened. “I’d love to have dinner with you. Do you mind if I freshen up in the bathroom before we go? I know I look a wreck.”
“You look beautiful to me, but I’ll wait if you want to fix yourself up a little.”
I skipped down the length of the trailer with my purse in tow, and a smile stretched across my face. It was strange how one minute I could be fuming jealous, and the next, I was on cloud nine with this man.
I knew then that life with Reeves Jenner would never be boring, and he’d always keep me on my toes.
Chapter Eighteen
Jenner
The last time I was on a date felt like . . . never. Poppy hadn’t liked to go out to dinner, but she liked to hit the clubs and parties on my arm. At first, I didn’t realize it, and by the time I did, I was in too deep. I was young and dumb and totally let her take advantage of me.
Now, here I was, married because of another bad mistake, but thinking it might have been the best mistake I’d ever made. Abbi didn’t want the attention of the paparazzi, and I was racking my brain trying to figure out a place that was both private and would show her I wanted us to work.
I wasn’t sure if such a place existed, but I was going to try and take her to the perfect place. One thing I knew was that we needed to head out of town and away from the vast majority of the cameras that followed me around daily.
“Where are we going?” Abbi asked from the passenger seat. Her voice was laced with uncertainty.
I peeked at her from the corner of my eye. “Out of town. I thought it would be nice if there wasn’t a swarm of paps trailing behind, and around Malibu, there are quite a few amazing seafood restaurants. You do like seafood, don’t you?”