Hollywood Ever After Read Online Free PDF Page A

I made the mistake of looking at him. My eyes seemed to get tangled up with his.
    Josh leaned forward. “Curious.” He radiated a dangerous amount of heat.
    “Not really. Nothing of interest, nothing to warrant any curiosity,” I argued.
    “It’s not always easy to see oneself clearly.” Josh’s voice was soft, considering. I turned my eyes back to my glass, attempting to end his visual assessment. “And I disagree. I find you very interesting. An intriguing mystery,” he murmured, so softly no one but me could hear him. He sat back, his eyes sparkling as I shifted awkwardly in the chair.
    Shannon was chattering on about the lack of good stories in today’s films. Was she goading me? I intentionally tuned out the conversation. Why would anyone here be interested in my pathetic story? Even I was barely interested in it and I was living it.
    Josh was staring at my leg. I was wedged into the chair, one leg tucked under me, the other dangling with my toes tracing the flooring of the deck. His eyes traveled slowly up, from my toes, along my calf and, slowly, to my knee. He smiled slightly when he realized I was watching him. His cheeks were flushed and he arched an unapologetic eyebrow. I took a sip of my drink as a diversion. His eyes fell to my lips, his jaw tightening. I couldn’t breathe.
    “Jennifer Fleming, Claire Collins. Claire, Jennifer.” Shannon nudged me, forcing me to respond to the young woman standing before me.
    I smiled up at the girl, mumbling, “Nice to meet you.”
    The strawberry blonde nodded politely at me then plopped down on the ottoman next to Josh. “What are we talking about?” He treated her to a grin, then looked at me again. I shifted in the chair, trying to make staring at him a little less easily accomplished.
    “Baring your soul for the sake of inspiring stories,” Victor said. “You were great in the film tonight, Jen. Really great.”
    It took me a moment to recognize her. She’d had short black hair in the movie. Her most memorable scene had been while she was mostly naked and wrapped around Josh for a good five minutes. I felt a flash of envy and rubbed a hand over my hair. What’s the matter with me?
    I needed space. Now.
    “Food?” I spoke into Shannon’s ear.
    “Table.” She pointed toward the buffet table across the deck.
    I got up and made my way to the table, intentionally avoiding warm hazel eyes as I went. He stood too, making my heart leap, before disappearing into the crowd without saying anything. I dismissed the sense of disappointment pulling at me and focused on sustenance. I filled a little plate with things that looked to be more vegetable and protein than starch, hoping to quiet the buzz in my ears.
    As I nibbled, I let my gaze wander. In one group I found Josh, laughing, his face totally animated. The rest of the group stopped laughing long enough for someone to say something else, and then started up again. The camaraderie was evident. I smiled in spite of myself. His eyes flashed to mine, wandered over me deliberately, never wavering as he continued talking with his friends. He was staring at me in a way that left little doubt about his thoughts, his color rising slightly and his jaw rigid.
    My heart was pounding in my ears. Was I imagining this? That he was looking at me like… that?
    I must have had more to drink than I thought. I put down the plate on a nearby tray and made my way back to Shannon.
    She was still deep in conversation with Victor and the others, so I whispered into her ear. “I’m going for a walk on the beach. I just need a minute to clear my head. Too much to drink… You know me.”
    She nodded. “The water is cold, so no skinny-dipping.” I rolled my eyes at her.
    I slipped out of the group and made my way down to the beach, making note of any people of interest I could tell Natalie about later. Unless I met Darth Vader himself, six-year-old Will couldn’t care less about any of this. I missed them both as I walked on