Page 44 of Never Date a Celebrity

Imogen’s chest moved as she let out a sigh. “It’s not something I’ve experienced before, no.”

Amelia pushed herself up onto her elbow to look at her. “Yeah? It’s not only me?”

Imogen shook her head. “No. There’s something about us.”

Thank God Amelia wasn’t the only one feeling that way—she was so relieved to hear that Imogen got it too. “Do you think that’s scary?”

“Terrifying.” Imogen smiled. “I wasn’t expecting this. You. And I definitely wasn’t prepared for it.”

“Me either,” Amelia said. How could she be? It had happened so fast. When Amelia travelled somewhere for work, that’s all it ever was. It wasn’t like she made a habit of seducing locals and making out with them on hikes and in their living rooms. And okay, maybe she’d been a bit more open to dating than Imogen had been when they’d met, but Amelia was still in new territory herself. She had a lot of feelings and very few answers. Not to mention a very big secret.

“It’s a little bit less scary because of the person you are,” Imogen said, looking at her with those gentle, warm eyes brimming with sincerity. Imogen expressed a lot through her eyes. Amelia wondered if she knew that.

“How so?”

“It’s just refreshing to meet someone so normal.”

Shit. Would Imogen be saying that if she knew the truth? Amelia would bet not.

“Down-to-earth. Uncomplicated,” Imogen continued.

Double shit. Amelia was certainly making things a lot more complicated than she should have been. The time for honesty was long overdue—she could at least test the waters. “I could say the same thing about you. And believe me, normal and down-to-earth are not what I’m used to either.”

“No?” Imogen seemed surprised.

“Not in the least.” Amelia chose her words carefully. “A lot of the time, women I date are only with me to see what they can get from me. They don’t date me for me, you know?”

A look of understanding dawned on Imogen’s face. “Because you work with a lot of famous people?”

“Exactly. People date me because I can give them access to things they otherwise couldn’t,” Amelia said. This was good. She was being truthful, putting herself out there. “It can be really exhausting.”

Imogen frowned. “I don’t get people’s obsession with fame.”

“Most people are at least intrigued by it, I think.” She glanced sideways at Imogen. “Present company excluded, obviously.”

Imogen grinned at being accurately eliminated. “No, I get that. My friends Piper and Niamh are so into it. In fact, they’re dying to quiz you.” She winced. “But not in a bad way or anything.”

Amelia smiled to put her at ease. “No, I know. Most people do it. Don’t worry, that’s normal to me.”

“They’re really into that whole celebrity scene. Singers, musicians, actresses.”

“Would you ever date an actress?” Amelia blurted before she could stop herself.

“Me?” Imogen laughed. “No chance. No, no, no. I like my quiet life far too much. Especially now.”

That was a firm no if Amelia had ever heard one. And the reason why it felt practically impossible to come clean. Only, at some point she was going to have to whether she wanted to or not. She was being selfish. So selfish that she deserved whatever consequences she faced.

“Besides,” Imogen said, pulling Amelia’s attention back from her internal guilt trip, though the guilt lingered on. “I’m happy with dating the girl behind the scenes rather than the person in front of the camera. And I can confirm that I want zero of the perks that come with that.”

Amelia couldn’t smile or speak or even look Imogen in the eye. She leaned down and kissed her, because in that moment, it was all she could do—and she probably wouldn’t be able to do it for much longer. For the first time while they kissed, Amelia was consumed with something other than Imogen. Sadness. Because she knew that she was going to lose this.

With her eyes closed, Amelia tried to take in every single detail of what it felt like to kiss Imogen so that she could commit it to her memory. The feel, the taste, the smell. How her toes curled, and her heart felt so incredibly full. She grasped onto Imogen like it would keep her there forever.

If only it was that easy.

Chapter Nine

Amelia was the ultimate professional. She was a whizz at remembering her lines, and if she made a mistake during filming, she didn’t make it twice. She had gained a good reputation in the business for being easy to work with. And for being, well, good. Amelia was a very good actress. That morning, however, Amelia was a total flop.