Read Online Dear Cupid by Julie Ortolon - Free Book Online

painful it would be to learn that she couldn’t.
    Stepping back, she eased her wrist free. “Yes, well ... considering how much you enjoy your work, I think your best bet would be to marry someone else in the movie industry.”
    He looked ready to argue, then shrugged. “If that’s what you think.”
    “When will you meet the rest of the crew?”
    “This Saturday. Some of the cast and crew are flying in from L.A. to start the location shooting. The alliance is hosting a big Welcome to Texas bash out at the Lakeview Inn, where the crew will be living for the next month.”
    “The alliance?”
    “The Austin Movie Alliance,” he explained. “It’s a group of local actors, producers, scriptwriters, and old crew dogs that meet every month to figure out ways to promote the film industry in Texas. The average person thinks most movies are made in California or foreign countries. They have no idea how many movies are filmed in places like Texas. The alliance has a lot to do with that.”
    “Sounds like a fun group.”
    “They are. And before you even ask, the answer is no, I’m not dating, sleeping with, or interested in anyone in the alliance.”
    “Too bad.” She frowned at her own sense of relief. “Although the party sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to scope out a potential victim—I mean wife.”
    “Cute,” he said with a smirk, then his eyes lit on something behind her. “Now this is what I call a tie!”
    She tried to move away when he reached behind her, but found herself trapped between him and the counter. His nearness engulfed her, bringing her senses to life.
    “What do you think?” he asked, holding the tie to his chest.
    Willing her heart to quit pounding, she stared at the tie. It suited him so perfectly, he’d be downright irresistible wearing it. “You absolutely cannot buy that tie.”
    ‘What’s wrong with it?”
    “It’s a Tasmanian Devil tie.”
    “Yeah, isn’t it great?” Grinning, he held out the end to study it upside down. With his head tipped to the side, she noticed his hair was blonder at the ends, and needed trimming. She curled her fingers against the temptation to run them through his hair. “This is the perfect tie to wear when we go to the alliance patty.”
    “We?” She blinked. “What do you mean we? I’m not going.”
    “Of course you are.” He gathered up the ties he’d picked, ignored hers completely, and motioned for the clerk, who had followed them from sportswear. “You don’t even trust me to pick out my own clothes, so surely you don’t trust me to pick up a date at a party by myself.”
    “Good point, but since you don’t take my advice, it’s not exactly a valid one, now is it?”
    “Hey, I bought the size pants you suggested.”
    “I’m still not going.”
    “Why not?’ he asked with that directness to his gaze that unsettled her.
    “Don’t you think taking a date on a wife hunt would sort of hamper your style?”
    “You wouldn’t be my date, precisely. You’d just be tagging along as my ... consultant. You know, in case I get tongue-tied and need a coach.”
    “Consultant?” She fought the urge to laugh. The man oozed confidence. No one could possibly need a dating coach less. “Come on, Mike, you’re a big boy. I think you can handle an evening of mingling and flirting all by your lonesome.”
    “Scared?” He cocked a brow in challenge.
    “Of you?” she scoffed. “Hardly.”
    “Then come with me.”
    She hesitated, far too tempted by his offer.
    A smile tugged up the corners of his mouth, making him look boyish and sexy. “Come on, you’ll have fun.”
    Fun
. The word pricked a hole in her resolve. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done something just for
fun
. “Oh, all right. I’ll go. But only if you understand I’m not your date.”
    “Certainly not. Now, how about something to eat? My treat.”
    “On one condition.” She narrowed her eyes. “I get to pick the restaurant.”
    “Fair