Page 59 of Tempted To Be Mine

We talked for another twenty minutes, her cheerful chatter washing over me and soothing all those pesky thoughts. She asked about the shoot and whether I’d met any nice young men, which made me choke on my coffee. It was almost funny that she didn’t ask if Jeremy was the wrong man I’d reached for. She wouldn’t think to ask because I’d been working with him forever and nothing had ever happened.

By the time we said goodbye, I felt more settled than I had since waking up that morning.

Gram was right. This didn’t have to be a disaster. Jeremy and I were adults. We’d made a choice in an intense situation. It didn’t have to mean anything more than what it was. We could acknowledge it happened, agree to move forward professionally, and go back to being friends.

People did that all the time. Colleagues who hooked up at conferences. Friends who crossed a line after too much wine. It happened, and then life went on. And if we chose to let it happen again, we could chalk it up to friends with benefits.

I could do this.

I opened my laptop again and pulled up the watch-brand email. This time, I made it through the entire response without my mind wandering. I sent it, then moved on to the next message. And the next. And the next.

Hours passed. The pile of emails shrank. I felt more like myself with every task I completed. This was what I was good at. Managing. Organizing. Keeping the chaos of Jeremy’s career running smoothly so he could focus on being beautiful in front of cameras.

That was my job. That was our relationship. One night in a cabin didn’t have to change that.

20

JEREMY

Iscanned the area that was dotted with hair and makeup, wardrobe, and all the photographers. I kept looking for a familiar blonde ponytail and navy parka. She wasn’t there. I’d assumed she was riding with someone else. Maybe she was running late.

I almost smiled. I would give her so much shit about being late. But as the minutes ticked by and the crew finished their preparations, I still didn’t see her.

Bernadette approached me with a clipboard, checking off items on her safety list. “You ready for today? Weather’s holding steady. Should be a smooth shoot.”

“Yeah, looks great.” I tried to sound casual. “Hey, is Lucy running late?”

Bernadette shook her head. “She’s not coming today. Said she had work to catch up on. Emails, contracts, that sort of thing.”

That was unexpected. And not at all normal. “She’s staying at the lodge?”

“That’s what she said. Can’t blame her, really. Yesterday was intense.” Bernadette gave me a knowing look. “Being stranded like that would shake anyone up.”

“Right. Yeah. Makes sense.”

Bernadette moved on to her next task, leaving me standing there trying to process what I’d just heard. Lucy wasn’t coming.

Lucy, who never missed a single day of any shoot, even when she was sick, had decided to skip today. And she hadn’t even told me. She’d told Bernadette. Like I was just another member of the crew she didn’t need to personally inform.

“Are you feeling alright?” Bernadette asked. “Catch a chill yesterday?”

“I’m good. It wasn’t so bad. The fire kept us warm.”

“I’m glad you had the cabin. Getting caught in those elements would have been a different story.”

“Yeah, me too,” I murmured.

I shouldn’t have slept with her. The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d known it was a risk. She’d made all those comments about professional boundaries and lines that shouldn’t be crossed. And what had I done? Crossed every single one of them the first chance I got.

She’d initiated the kiss. She’d been the one to say, “don’t stop.” But I could have pumped the brakes. I could have been the responsible one. I should have recognized she was freaking out and not really thinking straight. Instead, I’d kissed her back like my life depended on it and then proceeded to make love to her on a pile of coats in a freezing cabin.

Because I’d wanted to. God, I’d wanted to so badly.

And now she was hiding from me.

“Jeremy!” Sebastian’s voice cut through my spiral. “We’re ready for you!”

I forced myself to focus. This was my job. This was what I was here for. Whatever was happening with Lucy, I couldn’t let it affect my work. Sebastian and the whole Blackwell Couture team were counting on me.