“What the hell else did I have to do?” Ty started tapping the face of his phone with his thumb.
“What are you doing?” Jax asked, suspicious.
“Just putting it out on Facebook. ” Before Jax could react, Ty put up a hand and leaned away as if he were protecting himself from an attack. “Kidding. I’m texting it to you. You can forward it to your girl. She’ll pee herself laughing. Then maybe you’ll get that text you’re waiting on. ”
“What girl? And what text?”
Ty sl
id Jax a knowing look and tucked his phone into a space between his armor and his chest. “The one you’ve been checking your phone for every fucking fifteen minutes, dude. I’m not blind…or stupid. There’s very little short of death and one killer-hot chick that can make you late. ”
Jax smirked and returned his gaze straight ahead. “The stupid part’s debatable. ”
“Just tell me it’s not the bitch who fucked you out of the Bond film—literally,” Ty said, “or I really am going to skewer you in the next scene. ”
Irritation crawled up Jax’s spine and gripped his chest like twin fists. “I’ve been screwed over by so many women in so many different ways, why is everyone so damn set on remembering that particular occasion?” He turned narrowed eyes on Ty. “And how did you find out?”
“I worked with Pine on Into Darkness. Pine heard it from Hardy. Hardy heard it from Bale. Bale heard it from—”
“Never-fucking-mind. ” Jax turned away. One of his guys had worked with all of those actors recently. Word spread so damn fast about the stupidest shit in this industry. Who the fuck cared about Jax’s sex life? Since he’d left acting and now made one percent of what he used to, who the hell cared what contract he gained or lost? Or why? “You all need to get a damn life. And no, it’s not her. ”
It was one thirty p. m. Lexi was probably still in that important lunch. That was what he kept telling himself, because he was not going to get crazy over her not texting him back when he’d sent her a message asking how the meeting went. Though that didn’t account for her not texting about the jacket. He’d left it at the desk on his way out with a request for them to send it to her room. Of course he only had her first name, but he knew Spencer’s staff, and he knew it would have reached her before she’d gone to lunch.
But he wasn’t going to let that little fear in the back of his mind take over—the one that whispered she wouldn’t be at the hotel when he got back. Or that she didn’t want to hook up tonight.
He was staying positive. He hoped the meeting was going so well she’d forgotten all about him. Okay, almost all about him. He was anxious to hear the details. Hoped he could keep himself from attacking her until they talked for a little while, because he wanted her more now than he had this morning.
When he and Ty got back to the set, the crew still wasn’t ready to shoot, and they steered the horses into the shade of some pine trees to wait. Someone from costume brought Jax another helmet. Someone else brought them each two bottles of ice-cold water.
Jax leaned on the metal helmet propped on the pommel of his saddle and took another deep drink from his water bottle, then poured the rest over his head and face. The real relief came from the way it trickled down his neck and into the metal armor covering his body.
“So, who is she?” Ty asked.
“Why don’t you ask Pine or Hardy or Bale or someone?”
“Very fucking funny. ”
“I don’t need any more rumors floating around. ”
Ty slapped a hand to his chest. “I didn’t start or spread the rumors, dude. Have you ever heard of me saying anything about anyone?” He paused only a millisecond before adding, “’Cause if you have, it’s a lie. ”
His flicker of uncertainty made Jax laugh. Ty was one of those tight-lipped guys, but Jax knew people could put words in a person’s mouth in this industry. “I don’t really know. I just met her. ”
“Just?” Ty asked. “How just?”
“We started talking last night. But I just…you know, met her met her, in the flesh”—soft, warm, juicy flesh—“this morning. ”
When he put it into words, it sounded ridiculously cheap. Lewd. Meaningless. So why didn’t it feel like any of those things? Jax couldn’t figure out what made it different. Or if it was just him making shit up in his head.
“Okay, wait. ” The smile was back in Ty’s voice, but it was laced with disbelief. “You’re telling me that you just met this girl this morning and she’s already got you pussy whipped?” His laugh was low and hot. “Dude, she’s got to be one awesome fu—”
“Whoa, kid. ” Jax restrained the snap of anger, but clear irritation filled his voice. “You’re over the line. Back the hell up. ”
Ty’s grin turned speculative, cunning. He adjusted his seat, leaned forward, and pressed his palms to the pommel of the saddle. “You’re awfully defensive about a girl you just met. ”
Jax didn’t answer. He was replaying everything in his mind. He’d known in the light of day everything he’d thought had been intriguing and sensual at the time would seem odd when he looked back on it. Having Ty pushing his mind in that direction when he was already feeling insecure about the whole damn thing wasn’t helping Jax’s anxiety.
“All right. What’s going on?” Ty straightened in the saddle and pulled one foot from a stirrup to fold his ankle over the Andalusian’s withers.