скачать книгу бесплатно
And then she was gone, racing out of the bar before either of them could object.
‘But I thought you were supposed to be dancing?’ Sara asked knowingly.
‘So did I,’ replied Noah.
CHAPTER TWELVE (#u669e95ea-7edd-5c3f-a502-2a8965d3bfc7)
THE RESTAURANT WAS blissfully empty when Eloise arrived. The rehearsal dinner wasn’t for another few hours, but already the decorations were up, the tables laid and the menus displayed against the festive floral decorations.
Sinking into her assigned seat, Eloise rested her elbows on the crisp white table linen and placed her chin in her hands.
Well.
That had been a disaster.
As much as she’d like to blame Noah for everything, she knew that a large part of the fault lay with her. It was her cheeks that bloomed bright red at the mention of a relationship between her and Noah. Why couldn’t she control her body? Of course, if she could she might never have slept with him in the first place.
And, whatever trouble that was likely to get her into now, she couldn’t quite bring herself to regret it.
‘Hey,’ Laurel called as she walked through the entrance to the restaurant, crossing to where Eloise was slumped at the table. ‘Everything ready here? We just got back. Everyone’s gone to get changed for the rehearsal dinner. Which I’m guessing you will be doing too...?’ She left it hanging, as if she wasn’t entirely sure Eloise didn’t plan on attending in her suit.
‘Yeah.’ Eloise glanced at her watch. ‘Oh, yes, I’d better get moving. Did the tours go okay? Nice romantic day out with Dan?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Laurel said simply. ‘What about you? How were the interviews?’
‘All fine,’ Eloise lied.
‘And how is the very gorgeous Noah?’ Laurel raised her eyebrows expectantly.
Eloise groaned. ‘Don’t ask.’
‘So there is something going on with you two! I knew the gossip was wrong.’
‘Gossip?’ Eloise jerked her head up. ‘What gossip? What are they saying?’
‘Nothing bad, I promise.’ Laurel pulled out the chair next to Eloise and sat down. ‘Nobody’s laughing or anything. In fact, everyone seems to think that you’re keeping Noah at arm’s length. I take it that’s not entirely the case?’
‘It’s a secret,’ Eloise blurted out. ‘I don’t want anyone to know.’
‘Well, so far, they don’t. In fact, from what I heard, people are pretty amazed. They’ve seen him hanging around, chasing after you—apparently that’s not his usual modus operandi.’
Eloise sat back in her chair and stared at her friend. ‘Really? How do you mean?’
Laurel shrugged. ‘Seems he usually lets people come to him. He’s the chase-ee not the chaser, if you see what I mean.’
Eloise bit her lip, unsure how to feel about this news. Did that mean she meant more than the usual women he dated? After the things he’d said the night before, she’d almost started to hope that she did. Even if this was just a momentary fling, it was nice to know it wasn’t meaningless.
But then, was she just fooling herself about that too? They’d been naked in bed at the time. And Eloise knew better than to trust a guy when sex was on the cards. Was it just her poor, inexperienced heart hoping for more?
And, if so, what more was she hoping for? What more could there be, really, when he was leaving the day after tomorrow? When no one would ever know what had happened except for him and her.
Well, and Laurel. But she didn’t count.
Their whole relationship was a moment out of time. A fantasy.
And maybe the real reason she hadn’t been mad at Noah for almost giving them away to the interviewer was that, deep down, she wanted it to be real, in a way it couldn’t be if no one knew. Yes, she didn’t want to be another of his women, cast aside when he was done with her—that was why keeping this secret was so important.
But if she mattered to him...
No. He’d made it very clear that he couldn’t feel that way, couldn’t let those deeper feelings in and out, not after Sally. Letting herself believe, even for a moment, that he might care more for her than their short-term fling would allow was dangerous...but exhilarating. Like opening up to him the night before had been—emotionally and physically. And like all the other steps into the spotlight she’d been taking since Noah had arrived.
But letting herself fall in love with Noah Cross was a step too far.
‘Are you okay?’ Laurel asked and when Eloise looked up she saw her friend was frowning at her. ‘You look...scared.’
‘I’ll be fine.’ Eloise pasted on a smile for Laurel’s benefit. ‘I need to go get ready for tonight.’
And decide how close to the spotlight she was willing to go. Before she got burnt.
* * *
Noah went straight from coffee to whisky, once Sara had packed up and departed to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. He’d stayed in the bar near the lobby so he could keep an eye out for Eloise, but there was no sign of her—even when the coaches returned and all the rest of the guests traipsed in.
Unfortunately, in the chaos of people, he also failed to see Melissa approaching.
‘Right,’ she said, standing beside his chair as the crowd thinned out. ‘Time for you and me to have a talk.’
Noah winced and tried to get to his feet, but apparently the whisky was already working because he felt his head start to spin, then Melissa’s hand was on his shoulder, pushing him back down into his seat.
‘So. Tell me about Eloise,’ Melissa said, taking the seat opposite him. ‘Or, more specifically, you and Eloise.’
There was no sign of the sweetness-and-light Melissa Sommers who’d been playing to the camera and the media all morning. This Melissa was all business and looked about ready to rip his head off—and Noah was pretty sure it wasn’t out of concern for her friend getting hurt.
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ he said with a shrug. The lie came out easily; he was an actor, after all. But, even as he said it, Noah realised he didn’t want to lie. He wanted to tell the whole world that he was...what? Sleeping with Eloise? Dating her, even?
No, he realised. What he really wanted to do was tell the world that Eloise was his.
Except she wasn’t. At least, not more than temporarily. They hadn’t discussed exclusivity because they hadn’t had to. Their whole love affair was set to run out in forty-eight hours or less. When would either of them have time to cheat?
If he had more time, he thought he could probably talk Eloise into being open about their relationship—into telling the world, if necessary. She was warming to the spotlight, at least, and getting over her fear of being the centre of attention. And if it was a proper relationship rather than a casual fling, then Stefan, the director, couldn’t possibly object—Noah’s romantic life would grow boring to the world’s media the moment he stayed with one person for more than a week. But time was the one thing he didn’t have.
And didn’t want, he reminded himself. Half of the thrill of his fling with Eloise was knowing they had to make the most of every moment. If he had for ever stretching out in front of him to spend with one woman, he’d be running for the hills. That was just who he was.
Even if that woman was Eloise.
Yes, they’d shared some secrets, and the intimacy had been nice. New, unfamiliar but...comforting, somehow. He’d felt lighter, better, in her arms.
He’d gone deeper with her than with any woman since Sally. But deep was one thing—falling the whole way was something else altogether.
‘I saw the two of you this morning,’ Melissa said, her eyes narrow with suspicion. ‘If you expect me to believe—’
His phone rang, loud and shrill, on the table, cutting her off. ‘I do,’ Noah said, picking it up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me? It’s my agent.’
Even Melissa had to respect the importance of an agent’s phone call. She sat, sulking, in her chair while he got up and paced across the lobby and through the front doors out onto the steps.
‘Tessa? What’s the news?’ The winter air was bitter and Noah huddled against the side of Morwen Hall to stay out of the wind. He figured this weather was still warmer than the chill Melissa was emitting in his direction today.
‘Not your love life, for once. Not a hint of an inappropriate sexual encounter anywhere on social media today. I’m impressed.’
‘I can show restraint when it matters,’ Noah lied. ‘Did you get me the video audition?’
‘Yes, I got you your call,’ Tessa said. ‘But they want to talk early this afternoon—evening for you, I guess. You’re free, right?’
‘Right now, yes,’ Noah said. ‘But it’s the rehearsal dinner for this wedding in an hour or so—’
‘Then you’ll have to be late,’ Tessa interrupted. ‘If you really want this part, this is your one chance to convince him.’
Noah took a breath. This was his career at stake. ‘What do I need to do?’
‘You need to sell it, more than ever before. You need to show them that you get this guy, inside out.’ Tessa paused, and Noah knew she was wondering whether he was really capable of it. Ouch. ‘Should we talk it through now? Get some ideas going? I’ve been making some notes...’
‘No,’ Noah said firmly. ‘I’ve got this. I know this character. I do.’
‘So, convince me.’ When he didn’t answer, she sighed. ‘Noah. If you can’t sell it to me you’re sure as hell not going to sell it to these guys. Then we’ll both be on their blacklist for wasting their time.’
‘Fine. He’s...he’s grieving.’
‘I think we got that from the dead wife.’
‘Yeah, but he’s not just grieving for her. He’s not just lost a woman he loved. He’s lost all hope that he can ever have that again. He’s scared—so damn scared to take any more risks with his heart, now he knows how much it can hurt. How it can destroy you, take you right back to the bone and leave you to rebuild everything. And when you do...you’re not the same. You can’t be. You’re a mass of scar tissue that can’t feel anything any more, and you’re happy about it. Because at least it hurts less that way.’
Tessa was silent on the other end of the phone. Noah grasped for the stone balustrade lining the steps down from Morwen Hall, desperate for something to keep him balanced. Grounded.
Because he hadn’t been describing a character, he realised. He’d been talking about himself, the same way he’d talked to Eloise in bed the night before. The way he never talked.
‘Where did that come from?’ Tessa asked after a minute. ‘Noah, I’ve never... Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ he managed. Then he laughed. ‘Let’s just say I’ve found a new muse.’
‘Are actors allowed muses?’
‘This one is.’ Except he wasn’t, not really. Eloise wasn’t his. She was just a temporary distraction.
‘Well, whoever she is, hang onto her. Sounds like she’s just what you need. As long as you’re not sleeping with her,’ Tessa said crisply. ‘Now, go. Get ready for that call. You’ve got thirty minutes.’
Time enough to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, so that when he was done with his call he could head straight down there and find Eloise. Not because she was his muse, or because she might be mad at him, or even because she was so sexy he couldn’t go another few hours without her again.
Just because he wanted to see her. And because they didn’t have much time left.
But Noah intended to make the most of every second.
* * *
Eloise smoothed down her cocktail dress as the lift doors opened at the restaurant floor. The dress the stylist had chosen—a beautiful silver and black-edged halter-neck—had looked so good in the photo shoot that she’d asked if she could keep it to wear to the rehearsal dinner that evening. Yes, it was a little more showy than she’d usually wear, but she couldn’t wait to see Noah’s face when he saw her in it.
If nothing else, it was definitely not a boring dress.
She might not be as beautiful as Melissa, in her pale pink gown that showed off every curve and slender line of that famous body, and she knew she couldn’t live up to the beauties Noah usually had on his arm. But, in this dress, Eloise felt beautiful in herself. And that was enough for her.
The restaurant floor was already buzzing by the time Eloise arrived. Whereas a more normal wedding might just have a rehearsal dinner for the wedding party and family members, Melissa and Riley had wanted a wedding extravaganza and that was what Laurel and Eloise had given them. For the rehearsal dinner—ignoring the fact they hadn’t actually had a rehearsal of the wedding itself because Melissa said she’d played a bride on screen often enough to know what to do—they were holding another drinks reception in the bar area, then a special dinner for all the guests in the restaurant. The wedding party, along with Melissa and Riley’s families, would then retire to a private room, where they could do the usual speeches and gift presentations.
‘Now that is a dress.’ Noah’s voice, warm and appreciative, behind her, was already so familiar that Eloise smiled even as she turned to face him.
‘Somehow, I had a feeling you might like this one.’
‘I do.’ He raked his gaze up and down her body and for once Eloise didn’t even blush. He’d seen more, after all. ‘It looks fantastic on you.’
‘But let me guess.’ Eloise leant closer to keep her words private. ‘It would look better off.’
Noah met her gaze and smiled, and Eloise knew there was a promise in that smile. ‘That goes without saying.’
‘You’re in a good mood,’ Eloise said, taking in his sparkling eyes.
‘I just gave the best audition of my life, over video chat.’
‘For the part? Eight Days After?’
‘That’s the one.’ Noah grinned again, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop. ‘If they don’t give me the part after that, then they never would have. I gave it everything and was pretty darned good too.’
Eloise wondered what it must be like to live with that sort of self-confidence, even if only in a professional sphere. ‘You found a way to go deeper, then?’
‘Yes.’ His expression dropped into something more serious, but so compelling Eloise couldn’t have looked away if she’d wanted to. ‘You. You helped me talk about Sally, helped me examine what I felt back then, so I could transfer it to the character. I’d been putting off dealing with that for a long time.’
‘I’m not sure one conversation counts as dealing with it,’ Eloise warned. Grief was a tricky thing—especially when it had been blocked and ignored as long as Noah’s had.
‘But it’s a start,’ he said. ‘And I have you to thank for it. However can I repay you?’ His lips curved up into a smile again, but this one felt more intimate. More seductive.
‘I have some ideas...’ she said.
Noah leant in, just a little more, and in a flash Eloise remembered where they were—in the middle of the bar, surrounded by celebrities and at least one photographer. She pulled back, and spotted Melissa watching them from across the room. She didn’t look happy.
‘Time to mingle.’ Eloise gave him an apologetic smile. ‘But I’ll see you later?’
‘Most definitely.’ She felt Noah’s eyes on her as she walked away and she knew, deep down, he was definitely imagining her naked. And she loved knowing that.
She spent the drinks reception chatting with the other guests, many of whom she’d failed to speak to at all before then—a side effect of being so caught up with Noah, she supposed. Since many of them just expected her to nod and smile politely as she listened to them regale her with their best stories of celebrity life, she had plenty of time left for daydreaming about the night ahead, once she and Noah were alone again.
Tonight, there would be no secrets between them. No emotional outpourings and confessions.
