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Come to me, Juliana, his heart pleaded as sleep finally claimed him Come to me
“Cut! And that’s a wrap, everybody Especially you, Dirk I think that’s it for you” The director looked at his assistant, who nodded, confirht be a few scenes back at the studio, and some voice work, but Dirk was free to leave Zakhar
Juliana collapsed into a chair, for once not worrying about her costuain, so it didn’t hting technicians, grips, ofers, assistants and everyone else, shaking hands and sincerely thanking the such an excellent job on thisit on every ht her about professionalis, but this is a team effort and I couldn’t do it without you
Dirk ca out his ar to hihtly, little pinpricks at the back of her eyes She didn’t knohen she would see hiain, but she kneithout a doubt they would never do anotherI’ll , she realized with a shock In Jetsa’s Ransom—the start of her film career and the end—she’d starred opposite Dirk
“Thank you,” she whispered “For everything For believing inI could play Tessa better than anyone else”
Dirk loosened his embrace and stepped back froive rise to any gossip about their relationship, knowing their on-screen chemistry would always make people wonder “You would have becoht have taken a little longer, but the writing was on the wall”
“Thanks But it’s not just that you gavea professional And that’s not a little thing” She cleared her throat and changed the subject “So when are you and Bree heading out? When’s your flight?”
DirkCoht, okay? But not too late I want her to have an early night and be rested before the flight” He gave her a considering look “You’re not co back to Hollywood, are you? Not per here with him”
“You know me too well,” Juliana murmured
One corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile “It won’t be easy, you know, not for either of you But I will say this He see” He hesitated, then asked enigmatically, “Does he know the truth?”
She shook her head, her smile sad “I told him, but he doesn’t believe me”
Dirk whistled tunelessly “And he still loves you?” He reached over and flicked her cheek “Babe, that’s a powerful love Don’t let hiet away”
A week later Juliana toweled herself off after a long, luxurious bath I needed that, she told herself Another long day of fil had left her exhausted, but the bath had revived her Rejuvenated her Not tosweet and clean the way a woman wanted to smell when she intended to entice a man And not just any man, the man she loved
She was careful not to rub her hip where she’d applied the patch five days ago, and instead just patted it dry She turned so she could see her hip in theanxiously tosecurely to her skin It was, and she was protected
Tonight She s week, er by the fact that Andre hadn’t even been in residence in the palace for most of that ti Zax had confirone to Andre without waiting for her birth control to be effective, it wouldn’t have mattered, since he wasn’t there
But he hadn’t told her he was leaving He’d sent her a for the Red Cross appeal for donations—handwritten by one of his secretaries on thick cream-colored stationery with the royal seal of Zakhar on the cover and personally signed by Andre—but that was all
That lack of coe Not just about relatively ations and cos About what they were thinking Feeling About their long-teroals Dreams Desires