The Things She Says by Kat Cantrell Read Free Book Online

to pry into your life. I’m sure people do that all the time, and you’d like to keep some things private.”
    “That’s true, but it’s not the reason I’m a jerk. It’s complicated.”
    “Complicated is my specialty.”
    He grinned and shot her another of those enigmatic glances over the top of his sunglasses. “Have I mentioned how much I like you?”
    “Yes, but you should definitely tell me again.” Maybe she was getting better at the sport of flirting. The trick was not to let on how that kind of statement thrummed straight to the place between her thighs.
    He bit his lip, contemplating. She had to avert her eyes from the sight of his white teeth sinking into flesh.
    “The problem is,” he said, “Kyla’s starring in my next film, Visions of Black. I guess I’m kind of touchy about it because of the unconventional demands around the financing. Without the right backing, the project’s dead. The downside of not being affiliated with a studio.”
    “Contract negotiations are shaky. I get it. Is it worth whatever your investor is demanding?”
    He froze, and her hand flew to his arm before she’d realized it. She wanted to comfort him but had no idea why.
    She did know one thing—Kris wasn’t and never would be a stranger. There was something between them. A recognition. A mystical draw she couldn’t ignore or pretend to have imagined.
    “Is it worth it?” He exhaled and nodded slowly. “To have a chance to direct this film, which will solidify my career and put me on the A-list? Yes, it is. I’ve been busting my back for years to get this shot.”
    The raw longing and aspiration carved into his expression hit her in a wave way hotter than the music. She swallowed, hard. Her fantasy imploded and shrank down to one crystalline shard of desire—that he’d look at her like that. She tucked it away before it grew too sharp.
    “That’s a lot of mileage for one film.” No doubt he’d be successful, as soon as his investor was happy. “Out of curiosity, what is he asking you to do?”
    A tiny muscle in his forehead jumped. “Announce that Kyla and I are engaged.”

Four
    K ris could have gone at least another hundred miles without mentioning that. Next he’d be telling VJ it was all a publicity stunt, one he strongly suspected Kyla had talked Abrams into as a method to either push her way into Kris’s bed again or drive him insane. Maybe both. Kris assumed she’d split with Guy Hansen and was on the hunt for another warm, male body, but, knowing Kyla, she could have other ulterior motives. Until he figured out her agenda, it was better to stay off the subject.
    Regardless of who had devised the fake engagement, he recognized the value of Kyla’s attachment to Visions and had to suck it up. Without her in the starring role and without the publicity, Abrams would pull out. Without Abrams’s experience making blockbusters, Kris’s career couldn’t move to the next level. Period.
    “Oh.” As if fascinated, VJ stared out the window at the landscape dotted with lumpy cactus and heat shimmers, which she’d doubtlessly seen a million times.
    VJ was at a loss for words. That was unfortunate, but the less said about Kyla and engagements, the better.
    “Hungry?” he asked.
    She shook her head. “No. Thanks.”
    “Is that your wallet talking or your stomach?” He glanced at her, certain it was the former. He’d never met someone so determined not to accept nice gestures.
    Her forehead scrunched. “Are you practicing your ESP?”
    “Yeah.” He turned back to the road. “For my next trick, I’m going to levitate.”
    The joke went over like his last film, with zero reaction and a lot of white knuckles. Where had all the fun and flirting gone? From the moment VJ appeared out of a swirl of dust, the awful temper he’d been in since leaving L.A. had fled and he didn’t want it to come back.
    After a few minutes of silence so loud his eardrums hurt, she said, “So. Kyla’s a lucky woman.