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A few hours later, she had been in the backseat of a town car, huge sunglasses over her swollen eyes, then it was first class back to LA and a car straight out to Beverly Hills.
August had answered his door, talking on the phone, telling his caller he'd have to hang up. "What are you doing here?” He asked, as soon as she’d crossed his threshold. “You're supposed to be in New York until Saturday."
"I couldn't stay," she said, walking inside as he stepped away."It was pretty miserable."
"Yes. I’ve seen the entertainment news. You and Kline looked nice and cozy."
Jill snorted."I almost slept with him.We're talking so close I'm not sure that it counts that we didn't." She threw her purse down on his couch and turned to face him. "I have slept with two men in my entire lifetime. It's been almost a year since the last time Gary and I slept together. What is wrong with me?" She held out her arms so he could inspect her."What about me is so horrible and vile that no one wants me?"
"I wouldn't say no one wants you. You just tend to have bad taste in men," August said, looking her over and then pulling her in for a hug. "You have exquisite taste in everything else, I guess you had to be bad at something."
She had sniffed, but found there were no tears left to cry, so she just sighed, letting August lead her around to sit down, where he sat beside her and pulled her close again, stroking her hair. "You're very bad for getting naked with Kline," he scolded gently, kissing her forehead. "He might get you dirty."
"Or he might not.I don't know which is worse."
"So what happened?"
Jill let out a shuddering breath."He's seeing Rhiannon. He's got feelings for her. She's wonderful and perfect--and I can attest to that.I'm just...not. August? He was going to drop everything to come back here to her.Put off work. He'd never do that for me. Gary, who didn't even want to live together because he was so serious about keeping us a secret, is parading his pregnant girlfriend around town. And here I am. Whining to you again."She sat up and looked around. "Is Lola here?Am I interrupting something?I didn't even think about that."
"No. She's gone off on a shoot. I don't think she'll be coming back," he said, dismissively. "How can you say that you aren't perfect? I've always thought you were perfect. Kline's an idiot. A sneaky idiot. And Gary is in serious need of some therapy. He left you because you started taking control of your life and didn't yield to his whims at every turn. He's still smarting from the fact that you scored Devil's Party without his help. Don’t think it's something wrong with you, darling. It's them."
"Well, there're a lot of 'thems' out there, August." She lowered her lashes.“I need to fall in love with someone who wants me."
August was quiet for a long moment, watching her with his dark green eyes, weighing his next words carefully. "Well, there's always me."
"Oh, Duckie," she smiled wistfully. "You've got Lola."
He sighed. "No, I don't. Lola is gone. She was a poor substitute, anyway."
"Lola's gone? When?What happened?"
"I sent her packing." August shrugged with a strangely cute laugh."She--oh, hell. She's not you. Look, Jill, I've spent a decade waiting for a real opportunity with you. Kline snatched you right out of my hands twice, and then Gary. I know you've had some romantic interest in me now and then, because we have dated. You just like the bad ones.Now ifyou're interested in rewriting history, rewrite it with me.Take a chance on me, if you're not too afraid of loving someone who will actually love you back for once."
Jill stared at him, caught completely by surprise, even though she had always known in the back of her mind that he felt this way. At least, he had felt this when they were younger. The fact that it was still true had her blushing. "Oh, August. I-I don't know what to say."
He shrugged. "I'm not asking for the world, Jill. Just a chance. I know you've been through a lot and that you're still hurting from the emotional roller coaster you've been on for the last several months. I'm prepared for the highs and lows, and I'd like to take care of you. If you'll let me."
"You just want to see me naked," she tried to tease.
"I've seen you naked, love. But if that's part of the deal, then I'm all the more interested." He opened his arms."Come here."
She hesitated. "August, I don't know.You're the one person in the world I can trust. What if…if it doesn't work? Then I lose you."
"No. You won't lose me. If we make a fair go of it and it doesn't work out, then we'll say we tried and move on. I know you won't do anything deliberately to hurt me and you know that you can trust me not to hurt you," he said, seriously. "As long as we are open and honest, as we've always been, I can't see an end to us."
She had made a decision in that moment. She was going to try doing things that didn’t feel exactly right because what did feel right was always wrong. This didn’t feel exactly right, so maybe it was."Okay," she whispered against his mouth. "But I get to see you naked too. Moles and all."
"Moles? I don't have any moles, darling. I had those lasered off ages ago."
"Too bad," she teased quietly, nestling into his arms. "I brought my sharpie. I could do connect the dots."
"You could write a book on me if you want, I wouldn't care," he said, kissing her hair and holding her close.
Jill had leaned back and looked at him, tilting her head. "You're insane for doing this, you know? I’m damaged. I’m neurotic. I’m needy."
"I know and I know and I know," he nodded slowly, pulling her back to him for a real kiss, gentle at first, then more demanding. It wasn't their first kiss by any means, but he was relishing it like it was. "Come on," he said, standing after a while, holding out a hand. "We're going upstairs.I'm damned if I'm missing this chance again. And if Kline Scott so much as comes on the television before I've got you in my bed, I'm putting a hit out on him."
"Kline who?" she said, as he led her towards the stairs.
