Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Life without her.
The pain in my chest flared, and I rubbed it absentmindedly as I took a sip of beer.
“How are the rest of the cast? Have they noticed you bungling it?”
“Blake has. We had a word. But everyone else is just going with it. Eden doesn’t join us until Berlin.” I referred to my costar and leading lady Eden Gabriel, a French actor who’d smashed international barriers to find global fame. We’d met months ago at a table reading and she’d flirted her arse off with me. I’d been seeing Cara at the time, so I wasn’t interested.
Now I feared I’d never be interested in any other woman ever again.
Aria Howard had fucking broken me.
Not that I’d admit that aloud. There were only so many hits I could take to my ego and masculinity.
“Ah, Eden Gabriel.” Theo swirled his drink. “She’s rather beautiful.”
“I’m not going there.”
“I’m not advising you to.” My friend leaned forward. “My number one rule is never fuck anybody on your film set. Costars, crew, no one. Too much money involved for the drama it invites. If the attraction is great, you can always fuck them once the film wraps.”
“Nice to know you have some principles,” I replied sarcastically.
“You are in a charming mood.” He grimaced. “Okay, I’m only saying this because I find you more tolerable than most people, but—fuck, I can’t believe I’m saying this—have you considered a grand gesture to win your lady back?”
Surprised he was trying to give me romantic advice, I raised an eyebrow. “Grand gesture?”
“Yes. You said the reason you broke up with the delightful Ms. Howard is because she has trust issues. Why don’t you prove you trust her beyond any doubt? Perhaps in doing so, she’ll feel moved to reciprocate.”
Huh.
My mind raced as I considered his advice and what I could do that would break through Aria’s walls.
What I did know was that I couldn’t go on like this.
Every day had become about missing this woman. The only solution was to get her back.
I opened my mouth to thank Theo, but a deep, American voice cut me off.
“Cavendish!” A tall, familiar bloke with dark hair and light eyes appeared at our table and clapped a hand down on Theo’s shoulder. “Imagine seeing you here.”
It took me a second, but the reason for his familiarity became clear.
Preston Holden, of all fucking people.
“Preston.” Theo gave the American a tight-lipped smile. “What brings you here? I hope you lot aren’t trying to infiltrate my local?”
“Your local what?” Preston frowned, still wearing that shit-eating grin.
Theo sighed wearily. “Never mind.”
“Okay, then.” Preston’s eyes flicked to me, away and then quickly back. “Fuck, man. North Hunter.” He gestured to me excitedly and then held out a hand across the table. “Nice to see you again.”
“He was talented, so I helped him get an audition for my dad’s movie and he got it. I surprised him by showing up to set one day and found him fucking his costar in his trailer. He dumped me while he was still inside her. Cheers to being told that you were no longer of use and that I was getting fat while he’s literally inside his beautiful costar.”
Aria’s words blasted through my mind as I stared at this motherfucker who the entire world loved with his acting accolades and Oscar.
Appetite gone, I stood up, staring stonily at him. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same.” I looked down at Theo, whose eyes had rounded comically. “You can have my burger. I’m leaving.”
“Wait, wait.” Preston held up his hands defensively, expression confused. “What happened? Did I do something to offend you?”
Staring at his pretty-boy face, I wanted nothing more than to smash my fist into it. But I wouldn’t. I did, however, want him to know that I knew he was scum. “We have a mutual friend in common. Aria Howard.”
Something like uneasiness flickered in his expression, but he brushed it off with a lazy smirk. “Oh, yeah, Aria. I don’t have a problem with Aria. If she has a problem with me, that’s not my issue.”
Arsehole.
I glanced at Theo. “I’ll see you around.”
“Oh, I’m done here for the evening.” Theo pushed to his feet. “I’ll walk you out.”
Without another look at Preston, I turned to leave.
Then the fucker said, “It’s bad enough Wesley Howard won’t work with me now … I should’ve known that frigid bitch would go around tarnishing my reputation. I guess that’s what I get for pity fucking a fatty to get to her daddy.”
A red haze of fury clouded my brain and before I could stop myself, I whirled around and slammed my fist into his face. All my weeks of training hit the actor with such impact he might as well have run headfirst into a brick wall.
His legs buckled and he crumpled to the pub floor.