I can’t ruin that for her.

The distant sound of my cellphone comes. I quickly wrap the towel around my waist, wanting to shut it off before it wakes her, but when I step back into the bedroom, Zoey’s awake, tugging her dress from last night over her head.

She freezes, looking tousled and flushed. “Hey.” Her gaze drifts lower over my tiny towel then snaps away, blushing furiously, so fucking adorable I want to kiss her right now.

I hold back. Remember what you just decided, I order myself. Let her down easy.

“Hey.” I keep a safe distance away from her. “Was that my phone?”

“Yes. I let it go to voicemail. I wasn’t sure…”

“No, that’s great. Thanks.”

Zoey finds the rest of her clothing while I go check my messages. It’s Josh, big surprise, calling from London.

“Big news, superstar. They’re holding a first screening of Judgement Day next week for all the top brass at the studio. Let’s get ready for the offers to roll in once they see you in action!”

I hang up. My big action movie, one step closer to release. I haven’t seen anything from the shoot, so I have no idea what’s in store. But everything’s on the line with this: the chance to make or break my whole career.

I hope I’m good. I need to be good.

“You hungry?” Zoey’s voice pulls me back. She’s hunting down the side of the bed for something. “There’s a great little breakfast spot nearby, we’ve got some time before we need to head back. I could kiss Dash for moving call time until noon,” she grins, finally pulling a slim gold chain loose. She tries to fasten it, but before I know what I’m doing, I cross the room and take it from her. I stand behind her and brush her hair aside, carefully fastening it around her neck.

“Thanks,” she murmurs.

I catch a breath of some scent, sweet and light that makes my head spin. Slowly, she turns so she’s facing me, and I can’t resist leaning in to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

Zoey sighs, melting against me. And for a moment, I’m caught in that vision of the morning in bed. Breakfast in a little cafe together, holding hands and kissing her anytime I choose.

And then what? Remember, getting close will only make this worse in the end. You can’t risk it, the stakes are too high.

I pull back. “We should really hit the road,” I say awkwardly. “I want to go over the script pages, and talk to Dash before we shoot.”

“Oh. Sure.” Disappointment floods Zoey’s face, and right away, I feel like a total ass. But then the frown is gone, and she’s all bright smiles again. “It’s probably for the best, I need to stop by the B&B before heading to work, and Kira is bound have a pile of stuff for me to do.”

“Another time,” I promise, despite myself, but Zoey doesn’t reply.

We go pick up her car from where she parked near the club, and we hit the freeway back to the coast. As Zoey drives, music playing low, I try to distract myself with useless emails and bullshit on my phone, but I can’t relax, not with my thoughts spinning like this.

Last night was a mistake.

Not because it wasn’t amazing—because it was. We were so in tune, so connected. It’s never been like that with anyone before, and if I let myself remember it for too long, I feel my resolve slip.

What would be the harm in trying? A voice whispers in my head. Be with her for real. Take that risk.

The thought is terrifying as hell. I wouldn’t know what to do, I’ve already fucked up this morning by blowing off her plans for brunch; when I think about how many ways I would disappoint her, all the boyfriend stuff I’ve never done…

Boyfriend.

It sounds too damn good to me.

I look over at Zoey. She’s not stressing like I am, she’s perfectly at ease humming along to the radio, happily focused on the road.

She glances over, catching me staring. “What?”

“Nothing.” I cover quickly. “You look…different.”

It’s true.

Zoey flushes. “That’s because you gave me like, five minutes to get myself together before we hit the road.”

“No, you always look beautiful. I don’t know…” I pause, trying to figure out this girl I thought I knew so well, and it turns out I don’t. Not even close. “Maybe I’m still getting used to the new you.”

“I’m still me,” she argues, grinning. “Just…with better fashion sense and a good conditioner, that’s all.”

I laugh. “It’s more than that.” I study her, until I can put it into words. “It’s like you finally got comfortable in your own skin. You seem so confident now.”

“I do?” she looks surprised. “I guess that old saying about faking it until you make it really did work out. You know, I was always envious of you for that,” she adds.

Now it’s my turn to be surprised. “How do you mean?”

Zoey bites her lip. “Just, the way you always seemed to know exactly who you are and what you wanted,” she explains. “I don’t know if you knew it, but I felt so invisible back then. Or, the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. But you… It seemed like other people’s opinions never mattered to you. You were just you.”

Her words sink in. I’m silent for a moment, trying to figure them out.

Is that how she sees me? Confident and self-assured? The truth is, I’m faking it just as much as anyone these days, playing the part for Dash and Josh and everybody back in LA. They want me to be the golden boy, their leading man, and sometimes it’s so easy to give them what they want that I forget where the act ends and the real me begins.