Page 78 of One Filthy Kiss

When I’m done, she says, “Do you wish you’d never come to America?”

“No.” My head sinks back into the squashy pillows. “I wouldn’t have met Gio.”

“Okay.” Nikki leans on one elbow and peers at me over the top of Amber. “Please explain why you didn’t accept his marriage proposal.”

I suck in a deep breath, puff out my cheeks, and release it slowly. “Long story.”

“That’s what he said.” She checks the imaginary watch on her wrist. “I’ve got all night, and I’m not getting out of this bed until I understand exactly what’s going on.”

I smile. “I’d forgotten how bossy you can be.”

It feels wrong to talk about Gio when Ric is somewhere in the cabin and there are cameras everywhere. I haven’t located the camera in the bedroom, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Or a microphone.

So, I change the subject. “Anyway, you still haven’t told me who you’ve been seeing.”

A smile stretches the corners of her lips upward, and she launches herself back into the pillows, bouncing her legs off the mattress excitedly. If Amber wasn’t sleeping, I know the room would’ve been filled with the sound of her squeals.

“He’s so drop-dead-gorgeous, Meg. I have to keep pinching myself to make it feel real.”

“Name?” I can be bossy too.

She rolls her head sideways to face me. “I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

Now, it’s my turn to lean on one elbow. “Why not? We’re a million miles away from LA, and he’ll never know that you told me.”

“I promised I wouldn’t say anything. Even to you.” She chews her bottom lip. “Especially to you.”

“Nik are you sure he isn’t married?” It sounds mighty suspicious to me; it’s the number one reason why a man would want to keep a relationship a secret.

“I swear he isn’t.” She doesn’t sound convinced though. “I know how it sounds, but there’s a perfectly feasible explanation.”

“Which is?”

I’ve never heard Nikki be so vague about anything before, even when she first heard about the role that would bring her to LA. She’s always been superstitious about her roles, firmly believing that if she spoke about them before she signed on the dotted line, she would jinx them into non-existence. But this is secrecy on another level.

She cringes. “He’s ostensibly in a relationship with an actress.” At my sharp intake of breath, she plunges on. “It’s for a movie they’re due to make together; their agents are using it as a marketing angle. Once filming is over, they’ll publicly announce their separation, and then we can all get on with our lives.”

I can tell how desperately she wants to believe this. She’s got it bad. In fact, I’ve never seen her so excited about a guy before. But I’m worried that she’s going to get hurt. He and his actress ‘girlfriend’ will make that movie, then there will be the premieres, the red-carpet events, the promotion, and before they can go their separate ways, a year will have passed by. Then there’ll be another movie. Another reason to stay together.

And where does that leave Nikki?

But how can I burst her bubble when I don’t even know his name?

“Are you happy, Nik?”

“Yes.” She sinks into the pillows, her eyes drifting shut.

The following morning, complete with the security team wearing sunglasses to disguise the fact that they’re eyeballing us from all directions, we head into Stowe.

Amber and I have already gotten used to their presence, but Nikki keeps glancing over her shoulder and checking out their reflections in store windows. “Do they follow you into the restrooms as well?” she mutters under her breath.

“Only in crowded places.” I try to make light of the situation.

I don’t know how much time we have together before she needs to get back to LA—she told me that Gio helped her get the audition for a second movie—and I want it to be as normal as possible.

The Mercantile Store is a pretty pink building straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. We buy sweets from large glass jars, hazelnut-flavored coffee in regal-looking packets, blue-and-gold mugs with our initials on them, and a teddy on skis complete with thermal jacket and holographic wraparounds for Amber.

Ric pays for everything.