Amelia’s eyes went momentarily wide with surprise. And the waitress faltered for a second but quickly regained her composure.
“What an insulting thing to say.” But the expression on Amelia’s face said that she might very well be the kind of woman who was always upstairs.
Morgan perfected the arrangement of his wineglasses. “Are you denying you stole it?”
The waitress quickly withdrew.
Amelia leaned forward, placing one elbow on the table and bracing her chin with her hand. “I am categorically denying I stole the painting.”
He also leaned slightly in. “You are categorically lying.”
She lifted one of the glasses. “That’s not something you are going to be able to prove, Captain.” Then she placed her lips on the rim and took a sip.
He copied her action, choosing the same wine she had. “I’ve got my best men out looking for evidence against you.”
He suddenly felt her calf against his.
She brushed his leg up and down. Then she pouted, pulling ever so slightly down on her bottom lip with her index finger. “Does it have to be your best men?”
Morgan broke character to laugh. “Okay, you nailed it.”
She sat up straight. “I did?”
“That was perfect.” He held his glass out to toast.
She responded, clinking her glass against his. “You sure?”
“Go get ’em, tiger.”
o o o o
Amelia got a callback. She could barely believe it. When the text had arrived, she’d read the message three times over, closed it, and hugged her phone to her chest. Then she’d reopened the text message, read it and double-checked the phone number of the sender. It hadn’t appeared to be a hoax.
Her first instinct was to tell Morgan. But it was Tuesday morning. For the rest of the week, he was working all day and she was working all night.
She could have called him at work. But she didn’t want to be presumptuous. Sure, they’d had a great weekend together. They’d made love, but she had all but thrown herself at him to get him there. Okay, so there was no “all but” about it. She had completely thrown herself at him. She wasn’t going to turn into a stalker on top of everything else.
So, she went to the callback audition on Thursday, then hoped he’d come into Sapphire Sunday on Friday so she could tell him all about it. It was true that he’d come into Sapphire Sunday only the one time. But it didn’t stop her from hoping every Friday that he might show up.
He didn’t show, and Saturday morning, she debated whether to call him, go knock on his door, or just hang around by the pool and hope he’d show his face. She wasn’t used to feeling this kind of insecurity. But after finding out Morgan was more brilliant and accomplished than she’d ever imagined, she was even less sure of where she stood.
Her phone chimed, and she experienced a wild second of hope that it was him. But the number was unknown.
“Hello?”
“Amelia Camden?”
“Yes.” She braced herself for anything.
“Hi, Amelia. My name is Jennifer Sephora. I’m an agent with Westerway Talent.”
Amelia’s breath froze in her chest. Jennifer Sephora? Westerway Talent? Was this a joke?
“I hope you don’t mind me calling like this. I heard through the grapevine that you tested for Cavalier Cop.”
“You did?” The idea that someone had mentioned her name in some restaurant or corporate office somewhere in the business was astonishing to Amelia.
Jennifer gave a light laugh. “We all know how small this town can be.”
“Yes,” said Amelia, even though she had no idea.
“I’ve been given to understand they’ll be calling to offer you the part.”
This time, both Amelia’s breathing and her brain-wave activity sputtered to a halt.
“So,” Jennifer continued, “I’m calling to pounce. I wondered if you might be interested in representation.”
“I...uh...” Amelia shook her head to shock her brain back to action.
“Have you heard of Westerway?”
“Yes,” Amelia blurted out. Who hadn’t heard of Westerway? “Yes, I’ve heard of Westerway. And, yes, I’d be interested in representation.”
Jennifer laughed again. “That’s great. Fantastic. I expect you’ll hear from them today.”
“Today?”
“These things happen fast. I’m going to text you my contact information. When the casting director calls, tell her you’re working with me, and I’ll take it from there.”
Amelia’s stomach contracted to a mass of swirling butterflies. “You really think they’ll call?”
Jennifer’s tone turned soft and kind. “I really think they’ll call, Amelia.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s my job to keep my ear to the ground, scope out promising young talent and find them work.”
“I’ve heard very good things about you.”
“I’m glad. I heard the director loved your second screen test. Not so much the first one.”
“The director director?” Amelia’s screen test had actually gone up the line? That alone was mind-boggling.
“The decision-maker himself,” Jennifer confirmed.
“I need to sit down.”
Jennifer laughed again. “You should sit down and breathe for a while. Then give them my name, and I’ll take good care of you.”
“Thank you, Jennifer.”
“Thank you, Amelia. I’ll talk to you later on.”
Amelia sank down onto her ugly couch, holding the phone in her hand and staring at it. She might get a part. She might actually get a plum part offer today.
It felt like she should do something. But there was nothing to do except wait. And she couldn’t just stare at her phone for hours on end.
She stood. She deliberately set the phone down on her kitchen counter, double-checking that the battery was charged. There were some dishes in the sink. She’d wash them. Then maybe she’d clean the bathroom. That would use up a bit of nervous energy. After that, she could head for the gym, do a few circuits, warm up her muscles, stretch out.
Her phone chimed, and her heart slammed into her chest.
She took a breath then hesitantly leaned forward to read the number. Unknown. Okay. It could be them.
It chimed again, and she lifted it, pressing the answer button, her voice all but trembling. “Hello?”
“Amelia Camden?”
She swallowed against an instantly dry throat. “Yes.”
“This is Shelley Irvine. We met briefly at your audition on Wednesday for Cavalier Cop.”
“I remember,” Amelia managed. “Hello, Shelley.”
“I’m calling because we thought you did a fantastic job. Gregory Mannix, who plays Drake Banner, saw the test and loved it.”
“Really?” Amelia couldn’t help but ask.
“He did. The director has approved, and I’m calling to offer you the part.”
Even though she’d had a warning from Jennifer, Amelia went speechless.
“Amelia?” Shelley asked.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. It happens all the time. Honestly, this is one of the best parts of my job.”
Though it felt pretentious, Amelia blurted it out. “I’m, uh, working with Jennifer Westerway.”
“That’s great. I know Jennifer well. Can I call her?”
“Yes, please.”
“We’ll need you on set starting next Thursday. Once I get the terms settled with Jennifer, a production assistant will be in contact with logistics.”
“Just like that?”
“Welcome aboard, Amelia. We’re all looking forward to working with you.”
“Thanks,” Amelia offered in amazement.
“We’ll talk soon.”
She got the part. She got the part. She was about to be paid as a professional actor. And she had an agent. She could barely th
ink. She could barely breathe.
A rumbling sound echoed through the wall, and she realized Morgan was opening his garage door. He was going out. She had to catch him before he left. She had to share the news.
She rushed out the front door, crossing the driveway in her bare feet to find Morgan with his mountain bike. He looked like an absolute nerd in spandex shorts, striped T-shirt and a bike helmet. She rocked back on her heels, grinning because he was such a wonderful nerd.
“Morning,” he greeted.
“Morning,” she returned, her exuberance faltering.
It was crystal clear that he had his own life, his own interests, his own priorities. While they might intersect with hers on occasion, she simply wasn’t a significant player in his life. With his job and intellect, she was likely more of an amusing distraction than anything else.
“I’m heading up to Briar Pond,” he offered.
“I hope you have a great time.”
“Care to come along?”
The question confused her. “What do you mean?”
He nodded back to the garage. “One of the researchers at work got a new job. She was selling her bike, so I picked it up.”
Amelia squinted into the dim garage, making out a smaller version of Morgan’s mountain bike. Her heart warmed. “You did that for me?”
“You or anyone else who might like to ride.”
“Of course.” She was back on the roller coaster of self-doubt. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“Intrude?” He laughed. “It’ll be nice to have company.”
It was pathetic, but even as his naïve, amusing, young pal, she wanted to spend time with him. Their relationship was beginning to frighten her, since she realized she was falling fast and hard, while he was keeping it light. But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to spend the day with him. She’d missed him all week.
“I’d love to come along,” she told him honestly.
He took in her cotton skirt, cap-sleeve, lacy blouse and bare feet, smiling. “Then go get changed. I’ll get your bike ready.”
They pedaled hard uphill for over an hour, Amelia growing hot and tired, even as she marveled at the vistas. Managing to stay fifty feet or so behind Morgan, she couldn’t help pondering the irony of her feelings for him. Throughout high school and college, there had been countless boys with crushes on her. She had been friendly to them, not too encouraging. She had genuinely liked most of them, but she’d certainly never given a thought to their potential disappointment when she wanted only to be friends.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this was karma getting her back. Morgan was friendly, not too encouraging, and he’d never given any indication that he wanted to be more than friends. Having sex with her in Sacramento didn’t count. He was male, after all, and she was the one who’d insisted.
They came to a viewpoint, and he pulled off the trail, leaving his bike to walk out to the cliff’s edge. Amelia arrived a few seconds later and left her bike as well, joining him. She peeled off her blue helmet to wipe the sweat from her brow. Her hair was tied back in a braid, but wisps had worked free, and she knew she looked travel worn.
“How’re you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine. That was steep. But this is gorgeous.” She took a long swallow of tepid water.
“You’re doing good,” he complimented.
“Just how much are you backing off for me?”
He shrugged. “Not much.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Hey, I’ve got eight inches and about seventy pounds on you. If I didn’t have to back off, I’d be worried.”
“Have you been up here before?”
He nodded. “A few times.” Then he pointed across the valley. “If you take the fork at the base of the trail, you can go up that side and cross the river.”
“There’s a bridge?”
“A footbridge. It lets you turn it into a circuit. It’s about thirty miles.”
“I wouldn’t mind doing that someday.”
“Sure.”
He wasn’t unenthusiastic, but he didn’t rave about the idea or set a date. She couldn’t help but feel slightly deflated.
“Will we backtrack today?” she asked.
He turned and pointed to the hill behind them. “We go up about another six hundred feet to the pond. Then we can loop around back and pick up this trail again about halfway back.”
“Downhill?” she asked.
“The fun part is at the end.”
They remounted their bikes. They took another break at the pond then started the long, rollicking ride back down. The trail was steep, winding and bumpy. She pushed the bike as fast as she dared, exhilarated by the thrill ride, still grinning when they pulled into the driveway.
o o o o
Amelia looked good windblown and dusty. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she pulled off the helmet. Her hair was plastered to her head, her jeans streaked with dirt, faded T-shirt covered in sweat patches. But all Morgan could think was how much he wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her.
Instead, he wheeled his bike back into the garage, and she followed with hers.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you.” She seemed hesitant as she set the helmet on a shelf and stepped back.
Morgan braced himself. He’d been surprised when she’d agreed to go on the bike trip this morning. And now he wondered if she was breaking bad news, like she was leaving town, or she wanted to be clear with him that they were just friends.
“What’s that?” he asked, keeping his tone neutral, focusing on getting the helmets in just the right spots.
Her tone was soft behind him, almost apologetic. “I got a part.”
He turned in surprise. “An acting part?”
She nodded. “I found out this morning.”
His face broke into a grin. He was thrilled for her. He was also relieved for himself. “Which one? That’s fantastic. Come on inside. We’ll open something up and have a toast.”
She glanced down at her dirty clothes.
He waved away the concern, hitting the button to close the garage door. “Don’t worry about a little dirt. This is worth celebrating.”
He opened the door that led from the garage to the kitchen. “White? Red?”
“You pick.”
He snagged the first bottle out of the rack. “Which part?”
Amelia leaned her hip against the counter. “Drake Banner’s sister.”
Morgan stopped. “Seriously?”
She nodded, grin all but busting out on her face.
He set down the corkscrew, reflexively reaching out to snag the waistband of her jeans. “Come here.” He pulled her into his embrace. “That’s fantastic news, Amelia. I am so proud of you.”
She molded against him, all soft and warm. She smelled like fresh air and sexy woman. His feelings of pride quickly morphed into feelings of desire.
“Thank you,” she breathed, her arms wrapping around his neck.
“Why did you wait so long to tell me?”
Her slender shoulders shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He drew back to look at her. “You can tell me whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want.”
He couldn’t seem to stop himself from smoothing back her hair. He wanted to kiss her so badly, feel the heat of her lips, taste their sweetness. He inched forward, slowly, carefully, giving her plenty of time to tell him no.
She didn’t, and his lips met hers, sending a shock of arousal through his body. Every fiber of his being remembered this kiss, remembered her naked, remembered the feel of her in his arms, her hot body wrapped around his.
He deepened the kiss, and she opened to him, tipping her head back, exposing her neck, arching her back so that her nipples seemed to burn into his chest. One of his hands slipped up her side, the other moved to her butt, pressing her into the vee of his thighs.
She groaned his name, and the next thing he knew
she was lifting his T-shirt, pulling it over his head. Instinct took over, and he pulled hers off, releasing her bra, molding his palm over one bare breast.
He swore under his breath, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop himself. The primal caveman inside him wanted her with a force that went well beyond reason.
He scooped her into his arms, carried her to the couch, dropping to one knee to tug off her jeans. She kissed her way along his chest, driving him wild as he worked. When he pulled off his shorts, she leaned forward, kissing his stomach, tracing circles with her tongue, moving lower and lower.
He swore again, pushing her back on the plush cushions, bringing their heated bodies together and kissing her deeply. She grasped his buttocks and pulled him to her. He didn’t need a second invitation. He was in. She was hot and slick and tight, and he had to muster all of his self-control to have a hope of making this last.
And he wanted it to last. He wanted it to last forever.
“I’ve missed this,” she moaned.
“I’ve missed you.”
“You feel so good.”
“You’re so beautiful.” He was in total and absolute rapture. He touched her breast, rubbing his thumb across her swollen nipple, then growing bolder and plucking at the bud.
“Oh, God.” She arched against him.
He did it again, and she whimpered, her hips bucking.
He switched to the other breast, passion driving his movements faster. Her ankles locked around his back, and their kisses grew frantic. Arousal was a runaway freight train chugging through him. Nothing was going to slow it down, and nothing was going to stop it.
She squeezed her arms tight around his neck, her teeth pressing against his shoulder. His body coiled impossibly tight, then tighter still. She cried out his name, and his world dissolved into pounding pulses of sound and light that went on forever.
When reality returned, he realized he was squashing her. He quickly lifted his weight onto his elbows, drawing back. “I’m sorry.”
She blinked her eyes open, looking dazed. “Uh, sorry for what?”
“I was squashing you.”
“You were? I didn’t really notice.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, their deep breaths synchronizing. He couldn’t resist, so he kissed her swollen lips. Then he lifted himself, turning to sit on the couch, pulling her into his lap, cradling her there.
An Unlikely Match (The Match Series - Book #1) Page 14
