“You need me there?” I gave him my best are you for real? look.

He picked at his costume, which was a blue pair of very cool rock climbing pants, a look that I’d be sure to buy for him the next time I went shopping. “Yeah. I like knowing you’re there.”

“I don’t want to be in the way. I figured I was a distraction.”

“Taryn, you just breathing is a distraction.

Knowing you’re on the lot, holed up in my trailer doing God knows what that I can’t see, is a distraction.”

Ditto.

And here I thought I made him nervous.

Hearing that he wanted me there made my insides warm. I was learning so much by being a silent observer and I’d much rather be out there than in here. “Well, since you need me . . .”

Ryan knifed his body up and then he was inches from my face, letting me know his thoughts. “I need you. You’re my muse.” I knew he was messing with me but his sexy lips made me think about how damn lucky I was, especially imagining him being all athletic and sweaty on set. “Your muse, huh?”

He grinned and nodded. “Uh huh.”

“I thought I was your sex slave.” That got me a wider grin and a sexy-as-hell kiss. “That, too,” he breathed, tasting of the mint gum I had slipped into his pocket.

I wanted his tongue again. “You taste good.”

“I’ll let you taste me all over if you want—later. Reminds me, there’s this one position we haven’t tried yet and I was wondering if you’d be game?”

His face was so close; I had to lean back.

“Just one?”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “You have a dirty mind and a mouth that makes me have all sorts of ideas. That’s why you’re perfect for me.”

I met his lips and gave him a wicked kiss, growling from the strain of having to separate us. “Before you get carried away . . .”

“Then you better come up with another distraction besides putting your tongue in my mouth.”

I fought his pull and murmured, “I talked to Joe for almost an hour.”

He looked surprised, edging back a bit.

“Yeah? And?”

I fought back my disappointment and sudden sadness, trying to stay positive on the subject, but it was hard. The man who fathered me was keeping me at arm’s length, and well, it hurt. I felt more rejection than acceptance in that hour.

“It was good, but . . . welll. . . He told me about his wife and his family. He has two young daughters who apparently are huge fans of yours.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed, reading me like a book again. “Is that so? Apparently he also said something that upset you. I can see it in your eyes.”

I sat back. “He said that he’d always regretted giving me up but he was young and didn’t know the first thing about raising a baby and . . . I can tell he’s full of remorse.”

Ryan sat down next to me. “I can imagine.

So we going there to meet him?”

“No.”

“And why not?”

“Ryan, I have not been a part of his life for a very long time.”

“So?”

“It’s not that simple. We talked and, well, he’s glad I know the truth about him but said he’s not ready to tell his wife about me yet.

He’s not sure how she’ll take it since he’s never told her about fathering a child when he was a teenager. He’s afraid the news will upset her too much.”

Ryan rubbed his forehead, appearing annoyed. “Well, that’s too fucking bad.”

“Ryan, it’s his choice. I can’t expect him to put his family’s happiness in jeopardy, no matter how much I want to meet him.” Ryan shrugged a bit. “A man should own up to his situation.”

“He was a kid when I came along. I can’t put that on him. He’s got to decide what’s best for them.”

He seemed to disagree. “What’s he do for a living?”

For a moment, it sounded like he was being protective, like he needed to know if Joe was good enough to be my absentee real father. “He’s a master electrician. He owns his own company. He said he does a lot of new construction and they’re so busy they can hardly keep up.” There, that ought to be good enough.

Ryan’s lips twitched and he nodded his silent approval. “Good, honest job. Sounds like a hard worker.”

Who are you and what happened to my twenty-seven-year-old fiancé?

“Does his wife work?”

I nodded. “She’s a dental hygienist.” That got an eyebrow raise and a few more head bobs of approval. It was almost like saying she was related to his dentist father, in the way he seemed good with that information.