Page 85 of Cast to be Mine

She could laugh with Patty. But she couldn’t even smile at me. Definitely intentional.

The thought was depressing as hell.

“Rolling!” the AD called out.

“Action!”

Grace delivered her lines perfectly. The fear in her eyes, the desperation in her voice—all of it exactly right. I should have been thrilled. Instead, I found myself watching her face for any hint of the woman I’d held in my arms. I thought about the woman who’d shown up at my door with takeout and a smile that made my chest ache.

But that woman wasn’t there. Just the character.

“Cut!” I called out. “Let’s go again. Grace, on the second beat, I want you to⁠—”

I stopped. What did I want? I’d lost my train of thought completely, distracted by the way the sunlight caught her wet hair, the way her chest heaved with exertion. It reminded me of her naked and breathing heavy while I moved inside her.

“Want me to what?” she asked, her tone perfectly neutral.

“Just, uh, more intensity on the second beat. The moment you realize you’re going to have to jump.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

No smile. No private look. Nothing.

On the fifth take, I called cut when there was nothing wrong with the shot. The DP gave me a look that clearly said what the hell, man? I pretended not to notice.

“Let’s take fifteen,” I announced. “Everyone hydrate. It’s hot out here.”

The crew scattered gratefully toward the shade and the cooler of drinks. I moved to the railing of the boat, gripping the metal bar and staring out at the ocean. Maui rose in the distance, all lush green mountains and pristine beaches. Paradise.

It didn’t feel like paradise.

I heard footsteps behind me and my heart jumped, hoping it was Grace. But when I turned, it was just one of the grips, heading to the other side of the boat.

Of course it wasn’t Grace. She was probably with Patty right now, making sure she stayed far away from me. We were only on the same boat because she had to be.

It was slowly driving me insane.

I really liked her. That was the problem. This wasn’t just physical attraction or a fun fling to pass the time during production.

Somewhere along the way, I’d fallen for her. And now I couldn’t even talk to her.

The timing was terrible. I needed to be at my absolute best to get this production finished on time and under budget. Every day cost money. Every mistake cost money. I couldn’t afford to be distracted and pining over my on-set crush like some lovesick teenager.

But here I was. Pining.

I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Not only was I thinking about the movie, but I also had a little something else cooking on the back burner.

I didn’t care what the studio said about generating buzz. I didn’t care about Chantilly’s follower count or Jack’s PR strategy or any of the bullshit justifications they’d thrown at me. Grace was being dragged through the mud for something she didn’t do, and I was going to put an end to it.

I just needed to talk to Chantilly first. Get her buy-in or at least warn her it was coming. She’d probably throw a fit about losing her precious engagement numbers, but I didn’t give a damn.

This had gone on long enough.

Tonight. After we wrapped. I’d find her and have the conversation.

After getting back to the hotel, showering and changing, I made my way to Jack’s suite. Lucky me, Chantilly was there. I didn’t want to talk to her, but she was the one I had to convince.

I sat across from them on a cream-colored sofa. Jack was sprawled in an armchair, his attention completely absorbed by his phone. Every few seconds, he’d let out a little chuckle at something on the screen. Probably watching his own movie clips.