Taming Her Hollywood Playboy

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‘Yes. I told you that.’

‘No. You never said you grew up here. You told me you lived here. Those are two different things.’

‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Kat said.

‘How can you know what I’m thinking?’

‘Because it’s what everyone who’s not from here thinks. You assumed I moved here for work because why would someone choose to live here?’

‘I guess I did think it was for your job,’ Oliver agreed. ‘But that’s partly because everyone I know moves where their job takes them.’

‘I’ve lived here my entire life, just about.’ Give or take a few years in Adelaide, but she tried not to think too much about those years. ‘I choose to live here because my family is here. And because I miss it when I’m not here.’

‘What do you miss?’

‘The community. The people. The beauty.’ She could see from his expression that he didn’t believe her. ‘I’ll show you. There’s more to the outback than dust and flies.’

‘It’s a date,’ Oliver said, smiling again, and Kat realised, just a fraction too late, that he’d played her and got just what he wanted.

‘It’s not a date,’ she protested.

‘You can call it whatever you like,’ he said with a smile, ‘but I’m going to call it a date.’

He reached towards her and Kat thought he was going to pick up her empty glass, but his fingers reached for her hand. His thumb stroked the side of her wrist before he turned her hand over and ran his thumb over the sensitive skin on the underside. Kat’s insides turned liquid, she felt as though her bones were melting, and it took all her energy not to close her eyes and give in to the heat that flooded through her.

She needed to leave. To get out from under the spell he was casting over her. She was feeling vulnerable and she knew she was in danger of falling for his charm. He created an energy around him, around her.

‘I should go,’ she said as she pulled her hand away, breaking the spell before she made a complete fool of herself.

‘I guess I’d better get to the gym,’ he said as he stood, ‘but I’ll walk you to your car first.’

He kept a slight distance between them as they walked outside but even so she was aware of a field of attraction and desire surrounding them. Or at least surrounding her.

She turned towards him as they stopped at her car.

‘I’ll see you at work,’ he said as he opened the door that she’d once again left unlocked. ‘And I’m looking forward to our date,’ he added, ‘but until then…’ he said as he bent his head and leant towards her.

Kat didn’t intend to but she lifted her face, angling it up to him.

Was he going to kiss her?

Her eyelids drifted down, half-closed.

She could feel his breath on her cheek and then his lips pressed against her cheek, just in front of her ear, briefly touching her. Too briefly.

She opened her eyes.

He’d kissed her but not how she’d expected him to. Not how she wanted him to.

He was watching her and she knew he could read her mind. She’d wanted him to kiss her properly. She knew it and he knew it.

She needed to get a grip, she thought as she slid into her car. She was sure he had the same effect on dozens, hundreds, of women. Just because she felt something didn’t mean he did. He probably didn’t notice it. It was probably something he did out of habit. George had warned her but she couldn’t ignore or deny the feelings he evoked in her. She shouldn’t be so fascinated but she hadn’t met anyone like him. Ever. It was as if he was from a different world.

He scared her. Not in a frightening sense but in a sense that he would have seen far more than she ever had; she had no doubt he would have had his share of beautiful women around the world and she wasn’t worldly enough to compete. She didn’t want to compete. Not unless she knew she could win. And she suspected there would only be one winner if she let Oliver Harding get his way.

She was certain he was not the man for her. Just as she knew she wasn’t the woman for him. She wasn’t going to be anyone’s conquest. But she couldn’t deny he was attractive. Charming. And sexy.

She knew it would be almost impossible to deny her desire if he kept up his charm offensive, so she suspected the question wasn’t could she resist him, but rather how long could she resist him for?

‘Good morning! How was your date?’

Kat jumped, spilling her coffee over the kitchen bench as Saskia’s voice interrupted her morning routine. ‘Jesus, Sas, you scared the life out of me.’

‘Daydreaming about a cute actor, were you?’

‘No,’ Kat fibbed. ‘And it wasn’t a date.’

‘Looked like one to me.’

‘I was just there to meet some of the cast and crew,’ she said as she mopped up the spilt coffee. But she couldn’t help the blush she could feel creeping across her cheeks as Saskia’s comment reminded her that she had promised Oliver a date. At least, in his words she had.

Saskia raised one eyebrow but didn’t comment. She leant on the kitchen bench and sipped from her own mug that she’d brought in with her. Kat knew it would still be hot; Saskia hadn’t come far. She and Dean lived next door.

Saskia and Dean, Roger and Maya, plus Kat’s aunt and uncle all lived in the same street, with their underground houses dug into the same hill. As their family had expanded they had simply dug more rooms and added new entrances so they all had their own front door. Kat’s own parents had dug a house in the same hill and she had moved back in with her father when she returned to Coober Pedy from Adelaide. She didn’t mind living close to her family—she enjoyed the feeling of belonging—but sometimes the proximity could be disconcerting.

If the houses were viewed from outside, all that was obvious were the front doors and some windows. Gardens, or what passed for gardens in the arid country, were at the front, complete with barbecues or pizza ovens and outdoor seating areas used on the warm nights. The houses themselves extended back into the hill. Internally her father’s house had white, lime-washed walls, which gave a welcome break from the perpetual sight of red earth. A few skylights and air vents protruded from the surface, but there was no way of telling how large the houses were from outside, and some were very large.

‘When do you start work on the movie?’ Saskia asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.

‘I’m going out to the set this morning, but only to get a feel for filming. There are no stunts today.’

Saskia looked Kat up and down. ‘Is that what you’re wearing?’

Kat was wearing black three-quarter-length trousers and a loose camisole top. The clothes were comfortable and cool, perfect for the late autumn heatwave they were experiencing, but she could tell by Saskia’s tone that she didn’t approve. ‘What’s wrong with this?’

‘Nothing, if you don’t mind Oliver seeing you dressed like a homeless person.’

‘I’m not dressing for him,’ she said, even as she began to rethink her outfit.

‘You’re right. It probably doesn’t matter. He probably doesn’t care what you’re wearing—he’s only interested in getting you out of your clothes.’

‘Saskia!’

‘How about you?’ Saskia continued, ignoring Kat’s exclamation. ‘Are you interested? You’d have to be comatose not to be.’

‘He’s not my type.’

‘What? Drop-dead gorgeous isn’t your type?’

Kat smiled but shook her head at the same time. ‘He could have his pick of women—what would he want with a country girl like me? Even if he did set his sights on me, I’m not going to fall for him just because his pickings are limited out here.’ How did she explain to Saskia that he made her nervous and that it was a mixture of excitement and uncertainty? She suspected he was far too experienced for her, and she didn’t want Saskia to laugh at her by telling her so.

‘I’m pretty sure he’s already set his sights on you, and it wouldn’t matter where you were, Kat, you’d get noticed. But if you think you can’t handle him…’ Saskia paused, waiting for a response, but when nothing was forthcoming she continued ‘…then you might as well go dressed as you are, or I could find you something else to wear?’

Kat checked her make-up in her rear vision mirror. She wasn’t wearing much as it was too hot and most of it would just slide off her face, but she touched up her signature red lipstick, telling herself she didn’t want to look like a country cousin in comparison to the actors on set but not admitting that she was really driven by a desire to look good for Oliver. She felt a little silly that she’d let Saskia talk her into changing her outfit but she had to admit she did look more presentable, and that boosted her confidence. The white fitted top clung to her and showed just a few centimetres of tanned, toned midriff, and the black and white vertical-striped loose trousers hugged her hips before flaring out over the pair of low wedge sandals she’d added. She was only on set as an observer today—it was a chance to get a feel for how things worked before her attendance was officially required and, because there were no stunts scheduled for today, she didn’t need to be in clothes that would have to withstand an emergency.

She was met by George’s assistant, Erica, who escorted her to the make-up trailer.

Oliver winked at her as she stepped inside and Kat’s nervousness about being on set was replaced by the nervous excitement that she felt every time she saw him. It had been a long time since anyone had paid her some attention and she couldn’t deny she found it extremely flattering.

In Coober Pedy all the locals knew her and she didn’t really interact with the tourists, except when they needed her medical expertise. She preferred to be at home when she wasn’t at work, but that habit wasn’t conducive to meeting people. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked her out.

‘All done.’ The make-up artist removed the disposable collar that protected Oliver’s costume and he stood up. He was wearing a space suit, dirty and torn, and his make-up made him look as though he’d been through an ordeal, lost on an alien planet. He hadn’t shaved, and Kat assumed he was supposed to look dishevelled, thirsty, and possibly in pain, but, to her eyes, he looked unbelievably good. The fake dirt and dust made his eyes even more noticeable, a more vivid blue.

‘What are you filming today?’

‘Do you know the plot?’

‘Not really. George gave me a little overview but not a script. I know it’s a science fiction movie but I have to admit that’s not really my thing. I like romantic comedies.’

‘I’ll have to remember that. OK, the plot in a nutshell: Earth has set up a space station, an air force base in the sky, the first line of defence against alien attack. One space station has been badly damaged and we are supposed to be evacuating and returning to Earth, but my “ship” is hit and crash-lands on another, previously undiscovered, planet. I have a dozen crew on board. Mechanics, scientists, astronauts, physicists, defence. I’m the commander, the most senior defence person on the ship. The planet has an atmosphere but it’s thin. Low oxygen—a bit like high altitude. There are no trees, nothing green, it’s a barren place, but gas readings indicate moisture and we think there could be water somewhere. I’ve gone off to scout.