fingers through his hair. “I have no feelings for Randi.
But I wake up every day missing you like crazy, and I spend the afternoons in the arms of a stranger. I don’t like it.”
A pair of eagles caught their attention at the same time, and they watched them dipping and soaring in wide, graceful circles. Dayne knew Katy wouldn’t have asked him to change for her,
48
wouldn’t have brought up the topic. But it was eating at him more than he’d realized until now. Until he looked at it not only from his perspective but from hers.
“You’re the star, but do you really have any control?”
“Not for a script I’ve already approved. Not for this film.” He nodded slowly.
“But for the next one, you know? And all the others after that.”
“What could you say? I mean, look at you.” The smoky depth he’d seen in her eyes earlier down at the lake was back. “The film industry will expect you to have a leading lady, and that means love scenes.” She lifted one shoulder. “Maybe there’s no way around it.”
“I could ask for a clause saying no between-the-sheets scenes. That’s what some people do.” He raised his brows. “Most of them don’t work for long, but I guess that wouldn’t be an issue for me.”
“No.” Katy smiled. “I don’t think so.”
He sighed. “There’s always going to be some of it, Katy. Until I move to the other side of the camera.”
“Directing?”
“Yeah. Someday. Maybe after my contract’s fulfilled.” He’d been thinking more about it. An actor could only lend so much creativity to a film. A director could make or break it.
She looked like she didn’t want to say much. “It’s your career, Dayne. Your decision.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t question your loyalty for a minute.”
“I can think of one way around the problem.” His tone lightened.
“How?”
“You, Katy.” He took hold of her fingers. Memories flooded his mind. Paparazzi chasing them through the parking lot at Malibu Beach and later down Pacific Coast Highway. The insane fan rushing from the bushes intent on killing Katy.
But couldn’t they figure out a way to work together even still? “We missed the chance before, but maybe you could be my costar.” The idea 49
was appealing. Especially since everyone would know by then that they were married.
She laughed quietly. “We’ll have to see.”
“At least you didn’t say no.” He tilted his face toward the sun. “My director says he’d love a chance to work with you.”
“Really?” Katy looked surprised. She’d appeared in only one movie after all. A television special that never amounted to anything. “How does he know about me?”
“The audition film on you was amazing. Mitch Henry told every casting director in town.”
“Wow.” Her cheeks darkened. “I had no idea.”
“So think about it, okay?” The possibility was already taking root. He and Katy in a film together? Their love for each other would make their on-screen chemistry far better than it had been when she auditioned the first time. He leaned back and stared at the distant clouds. Hadn’t Katy told him she’d always dreamed of starring in a movie? Her privacy wasn’t at stake anymore; she was already a familiar face in the tabs. Working with Katy would be magical, a chance for her to share his world and show Hollywood what she was capable of.
Katy slid a little closer to him. “It could be fun.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Good.” He released her hand and stood. “Down the road a few months, I might have to remind you of that.” He felt the cuff of his shorts. “Well . . I’m getting drier.”
She ran her fingers over her shorts. “Me too.”
He helped her up and pulled her close. “We won’t have a lot of alone time later.” He gave her a shy grin. “Which could be a good thing.”
“Yes.” The color returned to her cheeks.
“No time for long good-byes.”
She put her arms around his neck. “Or
But I wake up every day missing you like crazy, and I spend the afternoons in the arms of a stranger. I don’t like it.”
A pair of eagles caught their attention at the same time, and they watched them dipping and soaring in wide, graceful circles. Dayne knew Katy wouldn’t have asked him to change for her,
48
wouldn’t have brought up the topic. But it was eating at him more than he’d realized until now. Until he looked at it not only from his perspective but from hers.
“You’re the star, but do you really have any control?”
“Not for a script I’ve already approved. Not for this film.” He nodded slowly.
“But for the next one, you know? And all the others after that.”
“What could you say? I mean, look at you.” The smoky depth he’d seen in her eyes earlier down at the lake was back. “The film industry will expect you to have a leading lady, and that means love scenes.” She lifted one shoulder. “Maybe there’s no way around it.”
“I could ask for a clause saying no between-the-sheets scenes. That’s what some people do.” He raised his brows. “Most of them don’t work for long, but I guess that wouldn’t be an issue for me.”
“No.” Katy smiled. “I don’t think so.”
He sighed. “There’s always going to be some of it, Katy. Until I move to the other side of the camera.”
“Directing?”
“Yeah. Someday. Maybe after my contract’s fulfilled.” He’d been thinking more about it. An actor could only lend so much creativity to a film. A director could make or break it.
She looked like she didn’t want to say much. “It’s your career, Dayne. Your decision.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t question your loyalty for a minute.”
“I can think of one way around the problem.” His tone lightened.
“How?”
“You, Katy.” He took hold of her fingers. Memories flooded his mind. Paparazzi chasing them through the parking lot at Malibu Beach and later down Pacific Coast Highway. The insane fan rushing from the bushes intent on killing Katy.
But couldn’t they figure out a way to work together even still? “We missed the chance before, but maybe you could be my costar.” The idea 49
was appealing. Especially since everyone would know by then that they were married.
She laughed quietly. “We’ll have to see.”
“At least you didn’t say no.” He tilted his face toward the sun. “My director says he’d love a chance to work with you.”
“Really?” Katy looked surprised. She’d appeared in only one movie after all. A television special that never amounted to anything. “How does he know about me?”
“The audition film on you was amazing. Mitch Henry told every casting director in town.”
“Wow.” Her cheeks darkened. “I had no idea.”
“So think about it, okay?” The possibility was already taking root. He and Katy in a film together? Their love for each other would make their on-screen chemistry far better than it had been when she auditioned the first time. He leaned back and stared at the distant clouds. Hadn’t Katy told him she’d always dreamed of starring in a movie? Her privacy wasn’t at stake anymore; she was already a familiar face in the tabs. Working with Katy would be magical, a chance for her to share his world and show Hollywood what she was capable of.
Katy slid a little closer to him. “It could be fun.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Good.” He released her hand and stood. “Down the road a few months, I might have to remind you of that.” He felt the cuff of his shorts. “Well . . I’m getting drier.”
She ran her fingers over her shorts. “Me too.”
He helped her up and pulled her close. “We won’t have a lot of alone time later.” He gave her a shy grin. “Which could be a good thing.”
“Yes.” The color returned to her cheeks.
“No time for long good-byes.”
She put her arms around his neck. “Or
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