“Something’s up with you today,” Franny said as he got up from the makeup chair. “Are you all right?”
Ren gave her a smile and did his best to hide his innermost thoughts. “I’m good. Just a little tired. I didn’t sleep all that well.”
She wasn’t buying it. He could see the suspicion in her eyes, but she seemed to be willing to let it pass, for now. Thankfully.
They walked together to the waiting van that would take them to the location. Katrina was already inside, waiting for them. She’d chosen to sit in the front passenger seat, next to the driver, precluding any closer contact between them while they were driven to work.
Ren guessed he deserved her skittishness. He’d let the cat show a little too much this morning, he supposed. He hadn’t meant to, but he’d probably given her a good scare. Not that she would know what she was frightened of, but many humans had good instincts about sensing predators in their vicinity. Self-preservation was a strong instinct in many prey species.
He knew he really shouldn’t think of humans in those terms, but his cat was a big influence, even if they didn’t always merge seamlessly into one being. Because of his lack of peace with his cat, Ren was more comfortable among shifters, though his work brought him into contact with all too many non-magical folk, more often than not. His fame gave him a good excuse to hide out on his estate, away from people, when he wasn’t actively working on, or promoting, a film.
They were driven to the location, and Katrina took off for the costume trailer. Ren followed behind while Franny frowned at them both. Ren just shook his head. Franny could frown all she wanted. He was going to have to deal with this...whatever it was...between himself and Katrina.
Sonia pulled Franny aside as they watched Ren stalk after Katrina, heading for the costume trailer.
“How’s it going?” Sonia asked, her gaze narrowed on the pair walking away.
“Something’s in the air,” Franny replied. “Ren’s inner jaguar would not stop staring at Kat. It got a little too obvious, I think.”
“Kat is a total innocent. She knows nothing about shifters or the magical world,” Sonia said quietly.
“Regardless, she sensed it. She ran like prey,” Franny insisted, frowning a bit.
“Maybe that’s because she felt like prey,” Sonia replied. “You know he’s going to kiss her today. Our Kat is inexperienced in such things.”
“Surely, she’s kissed men before. She’s pretty enough to have had many boyfriends,” Franny said, looking sharply at Sonia.
“Oh, certainly,” Sonia agreed. “But she’s never kissed anybody in front of rolling cameras. That’s got to feel a little odd. And she’s certainly never kissed Ren before. Say all you want about your cousin, but he is…um…potent.”
Franny scoffed. “All jaguars are, when it comes to sexual attraction, but I suppose you’re right. I’m so used to him I forget how he makes women swoon with the merest glance.” Franny laughed at her own words.
“Well, I’m glad she’s coming on set with the right attitude for the scene. Marian isn’t going to jump into Robin’s arms easily in my movie. She’s got to have a little fight in her. A little spark,” Sonia enthused. “If she’s fighting the attraction, I can use that.”
“What if she’s just scared?” Franny countered.
Sonia shrugged. “I can use that, too. Remember, a well-raised woman of Marian’s time would have been completely sheltered. She never would have kissed a man. She probably wouldn’t even know how sex was accomplished until her wedding night.”
Franny’s eyebrows went up. “No shifter woman would ever be kept that much in the dark, no matter what time in history.”
“Maybe so,” Sonia agreed, “but humans are different. The last time I was in the mortal realm, the high-born females were treated that way, though it was different among the other classes. The Marian in this film, despite other portrayals in the past, is going to be like those high-born women I knew in the old days. Fear was a big part of their lives, I’m sorry to say.”
“Good. Because Kat is definitely running scared this morning.”
Chapter Ten
Sweet Lord in heaven, this was really happening. Katrina was going to be kissed by Ren in just another few minutes. Her costume was great. Check. Her makeup was done. Check. Complicated hair style accomplished. Check. Everything was ready, except maybe her nerves.
They’d already shot the parts leading up to the kissing, and Sonia had seemed pleased with Katrina’s performance, so far. She just hoped and prayed she didn’t freeze up or do something really weird when the actual kissing started. Darn it. Why had he unnerved her so badly this morning in the makeup room? What had that all been about?
His famously green eyes had gone all stalker-y on her. The intensity of his gaze had creeped her out! It was almost as if… No. She had an overactive imagination, that’s all.
Still, she’d run. Chicken-hearted. That’s what she was. Scared of who-knew-what. So, he’d been staring. Big deal. He couldn’t actually do anything to her with his gaze, could he? She’d been crazy to let him get to her. Maybe it had just been an actor-on-actor psych-out of some kind, though why he’d chosen to do it this morning, she had no idea.
She kept giving herself the same pep talk as they waited patiently for the cameras to be ready with some new angle Sonia had requested. The next take was it. He was going to grab her, push her up against the stone wall, and kiss the living daylights out of her.
Sweet Lord. She wasn’t sure she could handle it. Just the anticipation alone was enough to make her crazy. Or…crazier. She hadn’t been thinking clearly since this morning in the makeup room when his stare had so discomfited her.
“Okay, the first kiss between Robin and Marian isn’t something sweet or fairytale. In this film, it’s an assault, at first. Of course, it quickly morphs into something bone-melting once they both get into it,” Sonia advised them as she and Ren walked closer to where Katrina waited. “I want to see intensity. Kat, he’s going to grab you and push you up against this wall. Go with it but let the fear and anger at being manhandled show. Marian would have been gently treated her whole life. She’s outraged at being touched by this ruffian. She’s afraid of him, too, but she also has a bit of backbone. Don’t fight him. You’re too stunned at first to fight, and then, after he starts kissing you, you’re too involved in the new sensations. Remember, Marian had probably never kissed a man before this point. She’s convent-educated. She’s the next best thing to a nun. Innocent and sheltered beyond all reason. Then, this big hunk comes along, and she loses her head.”
Sonia backed off, leaving Ren nearby. The look in his hooded eyes was hard to decipher, but it sent a little frisson of fear—or was that merely awareness—down Katrina’s spine. Sonia went around behind the cameras, which had been set up at right angles to the stone wall. There was a tapestry on the wall to her left. The camera was to her right. The wall was at her back. They were near the corner, but not quite in it. Just close enough that the tapestry on the adjoining wall made an interesting backdrop.