“Don’t act as if you’re disappointed. Your forte is action flicks, not romantic comedies.”
“Then why do I feel as if I’m trapped in a romance?” he murmured.
“Go blow something up and make yourself feel better.”
“It’s not that type of itch that I need to scratch.”
She huffed and then turned toward her front door. “I’ll have you checked for fleas then.”
Rick stifled a grin. This was going to be one interesting stay.
After he got settled in the guest bedroom, he found Chiara in the large country-style kitchen. Warm beige cabinets and butcher-block countertops added to the warm atmosphere. Sniffing the air, he said, “Something smells delicious.”
She glanced up from a saucepan on the range, edible enough herself to be a food advertiser’s dream. “Surprised?”
“That you cook? Gratified.”
“Dinner is beef Stroganoff.”
“Now I’m surprised. You’re an actress who eats.”
“Portion control is everything.”
“Can cook. I’ll check that little detail off my list.”
She cast him a sidelong look, her cloud of dark hair falling in tantalizing waves over one shoulder. “What list?”
“The one that Odele gave me. A little quiz for the both of us...so we can get acquainted. Be believable as a couple.”
Chiara frowned, and then muttered, “Odele leaves nothing to chance. Next thing, she’ll have us convincing the immigration service that we’re not in a sham marriage for a residency card.”
“Because you need one...being from the Land of Fairy Tales?” He almost got a smile out of her with that.
“What do you—I mean, Odele—want to know?”
Rick consulted his cell phone. “What first attracted you to me?”
Chiara spluttered and then set down her stirring spoon with a clack. “This is never going to work.”
“Come on, there must be something that you can tell the reporters.”
She looked flustered. “Does she ask you the same question about me?”
He lowered his eyelids. “What do you think?”
As the question hung there, Rick’s mind skipped back to their stunts...the rehearsals...every single moment, in fact, that he’d become aware of her close by. The air had vibrated with sexual energy.
Chiar
a wet her lips. “I’ll take that as a ‘Yes, she did ask.’”
Rick gave her a seductive smile. “When you showed up for the rehearsal of our first stunt, I knew I was in trouble. You were beautiful and smart and had guts.” He shrugged. “My fantasy woman. The perfect match.”
Chiara blinked.
After a pause, he asked, “Sound good enough for an interview answer?”
She seemed to give herself a mental shake, and then pursed her lips. “Perfect.”