a nice person.” When he didn’t say anything and one eyebrow rose a fraction, she got nose-to-nose with him. “I am,” she insisted. “People love me! I’m America’s Sweetheart for God’s sake.” Now she was sounding ridiculous even to herself, especially under the circumstances. She deflated and lay back on the cement. “We don’t know that this is strictly because of me. A lot of people here were at the Sporties.”
“True,” he agreed with a shake of his head. “But none of them got shot.”
A fresh surge of panic washed through her. “You really think someone is out specifically for me?” Even she heard the hysteria in her tone.
“Easy there,” he said smoothing his thumbs over her ears. The movement felt intimate. Too intimate considering she was mad at him and flat on her back beneath him while someone continued to take random potshots into the house. Interesting how they couldn’t really hear the bullets until they crashed into something. “I think when we get out of this, you need to sit down with the police and figure out who could possibly be behind this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t—”
“Shh,” he whispered. “Don’t worry about it now. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Are you nuts? Talk about something else while we’re trapped here for God knows how long?”
He shrugged and the motion caused her to feel every hard muscle in his chest and thighs. The man took care of himself. “We’ve got nothing better to do.”
Maybe not, but his position made Julie much too aware of how much time had passed since she’d been this close to a man, too aware of the fact that she missed this kind of intimacy with the opposite sex. “Do you think you could move off me a fraction?”
He grinned down at her, his face a combination of boyish mischief and sexy heartthrob. “I think you’re safer right where you are.”
“Said the fox to the hen.” She narrowed her eyes.
He had the audacity to laugh.
“Can’t we at least sit up? Our heads are well below the balcony.”
“I don’t know how many rounds went into the wall. I don’t know how sturdy it is. I do know I want you to stay as far down as possible. I don’t want to give this guy any chances. You’re safe just like this.” Maybe she was safe from bullets and falling bits of stucco from the house, but she didn’t feel safe from him and the feelings he sparked in her. “So... Now’s the perfect time to tell me what I did to piss you off so bad. C’mon, you know you want to. Get it off your chest.”
“I’d rather get you off my chest,” she grumbled.
He laughed again. Low and soft, it totally dissolved her anger. Of course the shooting had pretty much taken her mind right off of her annoyance. How could she be mad at him when he’d saved her a second time? If he hadn’t tackled her, she’d probably be bleeding out again.
“Truth?” she asked.
The grin faded as he looked down at her. “Truth.” His low voice rumbled through her and a streak of goose bumps chased down her arms.
“I was hurt because you never said goodbye when you left the hospital.” She couldn’t look at him. Didn’t want to see what might be in his eyes. Didn’t even want to guess at what he might be thinking. “I thought we were friends. I thought...” She didn’t bother finishing her sentence. Just because she had a crush on the guy didn’t mean he’d reciprocate.
“Shit,” he muttered. He dropped his chin to his chest and she could barely see his face. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with remorse. “I went to your room. Honest to God. I looked for you. I even went to the PT room to see if you and Kelly were working out. I didn’t know where you were. I’m sorry.” He nodded his head. “I’m really sorry. You are the one person I wanted to see most before I left.” He shook his head. “We hadn’t exchanged numbers and I didn’t know if you’d even want me calling you, you know, to keep in touch. I didn’t know...” He trailed off again, closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
Okay. It was official. She was a huge bitch. Her America’s Sweetheart crown could now be stripped from her without cause for appeal. But because she was one of the best actresses