Page 111 of See You There

Dahlia felt like she’d been dunked in an ice bath.

What was this? Pity?

She stiffened and pushed against his chest until she could get to her feet. Staring down at him, she didn’t know what to say, and worse, she was terrified she didn’t need to say anything at all because he could see right through her.

“When this is over, Dahlia,” Luke began.

But she didn’t want to hear his logic. She just had the best orgasm of her life, and now she felt like a pathetic charity case.

“Thank you,” she said stiffly, before leaving Luke to stare at the fire alone.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“That sheetbehind you makes it look like a hostage video.”

Dahlia made a face. “Good point.”

“What if you set it up in front of the fireplace? You’d have the lights from the windows, but the fireplace is generic enough you could be anywhere.”

Luke lifted her computer and helped her arrange it on the coffee table. He frowned at the setup.

“I’ll just sit on the ground,” Dahlia said plopping cross-legged on the floor in front of the computer.

Luke looked dubious. “Is that comfortable?”

“I’m good. It’s only a headshot.” She smiled.

He shook his head and leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. “Do you want me to wait outside? I don’t want to distract you.”

Dahlia let out a laugh. “Audiences don’t bother me. I’m an actress, remember?”

Luke took a seat on the sofa while Dahlia tucked air pods in her ears and took several deep breaths. In front of him, she transformed. One second, she was Dahlia, the fun passionate woman who had come apart under his hands last night, andthe next, she was Lia. Satisfaction spread through his chest. He loved that Dahlia let down her walls with him.

He listened as she made small talk with the hosts. It was a slightly strange scenario, as he could only hear Dahlia’s side of the conversation. It sounded like the same type of questions as the other interviews he’d witnessed. He could tell the minute they asked about the shootings, but after a noncommittal response, Dahlia shifted the conversation back to the movie.

When the first interview was over, Dahlia rolled her shoulders and angled her head to either side.

“It sounded like they were pressing pretty hard on where you were.”

“Yeah.” Dahlia wrinkled her nose. “They were definitely more interested in what was going on with the police than in the movie. But I guess as long as they are talking about me, it’s good.”

There was a problem with the feedback from her headphones during the tech check for the third interview.

“Shit,” Dahlia muttered. “I’m going to have to use the computer’s microphone, and that always sounds terrible.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I’ll do my best to mute it in between questions—”

“You’re fine. I’ll be quiet.”

Dahlia reached for her glass of water and frowned, finding it empty. Knowing she didn’t have time to get a fresh one, Luke placed a cup of tea next to her, being sure to stay out of the computer’s camera range. She rewarded him with a soft smile.

“Who’s with you?” Luke heard a female voice ask.

“Just an assistant,” Dahlia said with a straight face, and Luke smirked.

“Thirty seconds,” another voice said, indicating the interview was getting ready to begin.

“Dahlia, we are so glad you could join us today.”

Dahlia smiled, but there was something about the woman’s tone that made Luke perk up. It wasn’t quite the same benign, friendly tone the other interviewers had used.