The Accidental TV Star Read Online Free PDF Page A

some European thank you or a greeting?
    I put my hand in his. His fingers felt rough, strong. I tried to stop from trembling as a thousand sensations shot through my palms. Oh God, the shaking, the crying, and the movie quotes were about to start. I opened my mouth to say a line from one of his more obscure indie films— With this touch, I will change the univer se— but his voice reached me first.
    “Last night meant so much to me, darling. You mean so much to me. Truly.”
    I loved how he said the word truly so much that it took a moment for the meaning of his words to register. I hadn’t been here last night.
    He ran his thumb over my palm; my hand jerked and clenched at the tingling sensation.
    Garrett said, “Though, sweetie, as wonderful as last night was, you didn’t have to make me breakfast.”
    He thought I’d spent the night—last night—here—with him. I wished he’d sounded like Shrek because he certainly had Shrek’s gift for making mistakes. But he didn’t. He sounded like a hot epic hero.
    I stepped closer. “Cooking for you fulfills me.” I blinked rapidly and tilted my head. “Am I truly special?”
    Garrett’s expression stilled, and his eyes shifted. “Very special.”
    Wow, the way he rolled his r ’s. Stop thinking about his voice.
    Garrett glanced back at me. “But this was just a moment in our world. Fleeting and ephemeral and lovely.”
    Ephemeral. I snorted in my head. Who talked like that? He thought I wouldn’t recognize the line from his first hit, Space Stampede . I tightened my grip and prepared to play him. I placed my other hand where his sleeve ended. Nice.
    His gaze froze to my fingertips, and his hard bicep tensed.
    Don’t lose focus. “Ephemeral. That’s not us. We’re as permanent as the stars. Like you said last night, our green-eyed children will be a blessing to the universe.” My hand fell from his well-muscled arm with a lingering stroke. It’d be the last time I’d get to touch him and I wanted the full experience.
    Garrett’s gaze followed the path of my hand. His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me to his side. My body pressed into his strong frame. His other hand landed against my waist. I shivered. OMG.
    His fingers trailed from my jaw, down my neck, to my shoulder blade. My knees softened. His eyes tracked my reaction. A grin curved his lips, and he bent closer.
    My next words came out in a panicked rush. “I’m Marissa Steele. I arrived today. I flew in this morning.”
    His green gaze narrowed, and his head tilted as he put the pieces together. “Texas drawl.”
    “Yeah.” I broke free from his grip before I threw myself tighter against him. “I’m your new cook.”
    His gaze followed my retreat. “The girl Ashley recommended from her high school?”
    Ash’s BFF, but okay. “Yeah.”
    He rose to his full height, and I had to tilt my head back to meet his green eyes. He drummed his fingers on the counter. “I’ll be denied my morning kiss now, won’t I?”
    I glanced at the clock and regained my composure. “Well, since its evening. I think we’ll have to end this encounter happy to be free from expecting minty-eyed triplets.”
    Garrett laughed. “Minty-eyed? My eyes are the color of the fields of Scotland at the first blush of spring.”
    I shrugged and breathed out, turning to the kitchen, the familiar. Saucers and small tasting bowls sat on the counter in front of me. The bowls held honey dip, yogurt dip, and a cream cheese dip. The saucers were empty, ready for the fruit I’d peeled earlier. I added grapes, apple slices, and orange wedges, and then placed the fruit course in front of him. “When your guests come down, I can make more sandwiches. Or anything, really.”
    Garrett sank back to the barstool. “My entourage has gone, leaving me alone in the cold world.” He reached for the fruit.
    “Oh.” I watched closely and grabbed my color-coded notebook to write down which one he’d try first and which one he’d