other times she’d been in his presence. “Have you done all your laps or would you like to join Kelly and me? We’re just starting out.” Had she really just blurted out that embarrassing invitation? She felt her cheeks heat.
“He’s done for this morning,” the therapist said.
A sheen of sweat coated Troy’s face and his sexy smile had the power to make her palms slick. “Marco thinks I’m getting ahead of myself with rehab,” Troy told her.
“No,” Marco said. “Marco knows you’re getting ahead of yourself.” Though Marco didn’t match Troy in height, he beat him in bulk. “I don’t think you understand the extent of your injury. You need to listen to your body, and I can hear it loud and clear, screaming, ‘I need a break!’”
Julie chuckled as she tipped her head in Troy’s direction. “Good luck with him, Marco. I hear he jumps in front of moving bullets.” She lowered her voice in a whisper meant for them to hear. “It’s possible that he’s got a macho complex.”
“Kelly,” Troy said, directing his attention entirely to the platinum blonde, “did you ever get the feeling that people were talking about you as you stood by and listened?” His brows lifted with the question.
Kelly laughed and blushed under the attention. Julie didn’t blame her. Being the recipient of all that testosterone could be hugely unsettling. “We should get going,” Kelly said. “My PT schedule is booked solid today.” She tightened her grip on Julie’s good arm, the sure signal to start moving.
“She is a slave driver,” Julie said as she took a step. “Maybe I’ll stop by your room when I’m done,” she added. “I owe you a visit.”
Troy nodded. “I’d like that. You know where I live.”
“I do now.” Julie’s stomach did a quick flip, almost as if she had a date. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a real date with a man she liked. Sure, the tabloids had paired her with a dozen different men over the years. They’d splashed her picture on the cover and come up with some amazing lies. It always astounded her how one meal with a man meant she was sleeping with him. Or showing up to a movie premiere with a costar meant they were now an item.
Her last serious boyfriend had left her years ago. Julie would’ve sworn on a stack of bibles that their relationship would stand the test of time. They were Hollywood’s golden couple for half a decade.
When Lucas Monroe dumped her before The Only Way wrapped, she’d been devastated. He’d promised he’d be with her forever, had sworn he loved her. But when his own movies had tanked one by one at the box office, he hadn’t been able to handle his girlfriend’s success. The pressure to stay as successful was more than he could handle. Landing the lead role in Dangerous Race had been exactly what Julie needed to forget about Lucas and his empty promises.
From that moment on, she’d vowed to stay out of relationships with other actors. Lucas had been the second and the last. She wanted a guy who had nothing to do with show business.
Troy Mills fit that bill to a tee.
* * *
Troy had just sat down in the chair—his bed be damned—when Julie hobbled in, Kelly at her side, dragging the IV.
Now it was Julie with a coat of perspiration on her face. She didn’t seem to be narcissistic like the other television bigwigs he’d come across while working for Ari. Although Ari had to be the biggest narcissist on the planet so it was easy to gauge. The man’s condo was decorated in wall-to-wall mirrors.
Kelly left to find a chair from another room and Julie watched him. She seemed a little flustered, which fascinated him since she was the big-time actress.
“How was your walk?” Troy asked.
“Good,” she said. “How was yours? You look...refreshed.”
He nodded. “I had to de-stink.”
“Sponge bath?” she asked.
He nodded again, not adding that he’d urged the nurse to hurry so he’d be done before Julie got there. He hadn’t wanted to literally get caught with his pants down. “I see you’re familiar with the drill.”
She lifted one arched eyebrow. “Very. I can’t wait for a real shower. I’m dying for a real shower.”
Kelly brought in the chair and helped Julie sit. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” she said, “then you need to lie down and rest.”