For some unknown reason, I suddenly got very pissed off. All the confusion from earlier today turned into full-blown anger.
Luke nodded. “I thought that was why you weren’t answering your calls.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Think pretty highly of yourself, do you?”
His expression turned to one of confusion.
Okay, chill out, Bree. You’re not the jealous type. Or at least you need to act like you’re not.
“Wendy showed me,” I said when he sat there.
“It wasn’t what they made it out to be, Bree.”
I drew my legs around him so I could stand. “You think I flew into a rage of jealousy, turned off my phone, and fell into a pit of despair because I saw a picture of you leaving a hotel holding hands with another woman?”
Shit. That was exactly what I’d done.
He looked up at me. “I didn’t think you fell into a fit of despair, but I wouldn’t blame you if you were mad about it. I know I would be, if the roles were reversed. Then add in that you reached out but I never returned your messages.”
I walked over to the kitchen and turned on the light, blinding myself for a moment before I opened the fridge and looked for something to eat. Anything. Something to make it appear I’d walked away from him for a good reason.
Christ, think, Brighton. What would you eat in the middle of the night?
Yogurt.
I grabbed a French vanilla yogurt and peeled off the lid before opening the drawer for a spoon. “If I was mad at you, Luke, why would I come to your place?” I asked as I turned and leaned against the counter.
He raised a single brow. “You seem mad.”
“You woke me up. I had a long day of looking up boring law shit.”
That made him smile. “I thought you loved all that law shit.”
I shrugged. “Well, some days I don’t. Today was one of them.”
Luke stood and nodded before he walked over to me. “I was meeting Kathleen Daughtry at the hotel because we both signed up for a new movie we’ll be co-starring in. The director was there and wanted to meet with us both. The movie will be filmed in the New York area.”
I licked off the yogurt from my spoon and watched as Luke’s eyes followed the action. They seemed to grow dark with desire for a moment, and a part of me liked that little bit of power I had. “That’s nice. You’ll be closer to Boston.”
“And to you.”
I nodded and smiled because that really would be nice. “And the reason you were holding her hand as you both left?”
“There was a lot of media present, and I grabbed her hand so we could get to the car faster. What you didn’t see behind us was Donald Michaels, the director, slipping into the car as well.”
And there you have it. The I-feel-like-a-jealous-idiot phase has hit.
All I could do was nod. I had been upset. Jealous, confused, call it whatever the hell you want to.
“This is all new for me still, Luke. Even after dating for nearly eight months, I’m not sure how to navigate all of this. Especially pictures of you with another woman, regardless if they’re your co-star or not.”
“It’s not uncommon for actors to meet before shooting, especially when it’s a romantic comedy. Kathleen and I auditioned together, but the director still needs to see if we’ll have chemistry on screen.”
I stared at him. “Chemistry?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“So when you’re filming your love scenes it’s believable?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yes.”
I suddenly felt extremely tired.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Bree, it means nothing. It’s acting, that’s all. When we do a love scene, we’re covered and there’s a whole fucking crew of people around us. It’s far from romantic and—”
“Stop.” I held up my hand to halt his explanation. “I don’t want to hear about how you’re going to be pretend-fucking Kathleen Daughtry.” Shaking my head, I let out a growl. “Great, now I’m never going to be able to listen to Daughtry again because it will remind me of her.”
Frowning, I pointed at Luke. “Thanks a lot, Luke! I really like Daughtry!”
The corners of his mouth twitched with a hidden grin.
I frowned. “If you so much as smile right now, I’m walking out and never giving back your favorite Sox sweatshirt.”
He held up his hands as if promising he wasn’t going to laugh. Then he dropped them and walked toward me. “Bree, I want you to trust that I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I could feel tears prick the back of my eyes, and that pissed me off, too, because I vowed a long time ago that no man would ever make me cry.
“I love you,” he said, “and I know this whole thing with us is ass-backwards. I hate that you would even think I’d do something like cheat.”