Come Away with Me (With Me in Seattle, #1)(32)

“If you have questions about my past, you need to ask me. Don’t go looking around online for answers.”

Geez. “Okay.”

“This is important. It could make us or break us, and I refuse to lose you over something that is no longer a part of my life.”

“Is stuff still printed about you?” I ask.

“Sometimes, not often anymore.

Thank God.”

“Have you really not made a movie in five years?”

“I haven’t acted in one in five years,”

he replies.

“Why?”

He runs his hand through his hair again. “Because not all money is good money.”

“What does that mean?”


“I made a lot of money from those films, Nat. I still do thanks to merchandising, and my accountant and lawyers. And I could still be making a lot of money acting in films, but at what cost? So I can be hounded and have my life ruled?”

“What about actors like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck? They seem to lead fairly private lives.” I remind him.

He nods. “Yes, they do, but they’re also a bit older now and aren’t starring in romantic comedies geared toward young women. They aren’t great fodder for the rags anymore.”

“So no movie business at all?” I ask, wanting to know more, he still hasn’t told me what he does.

“I didn’t say that.”

Oh. “Okay.”

“I produce now, help movies get made. I’m not an actor anymore.”

“So does that mean that you have to be gone for long periods of time?” I keep the panic out of my voice, but my blood runs cold. I don’t want him gone most of the time!

“No, I do most of my work from home.” He kisses my hand again. “I go to L.A. or New York for a few days here and there, but that’s it. I also work with other producers who are able to do most of the hands on work.”

“Oh.” Wow, he really does live in a completely different world from mine.

“I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Jules said yesterday that she’d heard that someone hurt themselves in your house.”

Luke goes pale and his eyes suddenly look bleak.

“Yeah. I was in New York doing publicity for the last movie.” He swallows. “A young girl, a fan, broke into my house. She lit it on fire.”

I gasp. “Oh my god.”

“That would have been bad enough, but she did a really bad job of it and got caught in the house, and ended up dying in there.”

“Holy shit, Luke.”

“That’s when I knew, I was done. It’s too crazy, and I’m just not made for it.

Other actors manage okay in that world, but it’s not worth people’s lives to me.”

“She was obviously a messed up girl, honey.”

His eyes dart to mine. “That’s the first time you’ve called me anything other than my name.”

I smile shyly and shrug.

“Yeah, she was messed up. It didn’t make it right.”

“Do you miss it?”

“I miss the work. Acting is fun, and I like to think I was good at it. Being on set was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.

But I don’t miss the rest of it.”

“Okay, so here’s the million dollar question. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“At first I didn’t believe you when you said you didn’t know who I am.”

He smiles sadly at me. “That rarely happens. And then when it became obvious that it was true, it was just such a breath of fresh air to be normal.”

“You’re not normal, Luke, and I mean that in a good way.”

He smirks. “You know what I mean.

You didn’t become a fifteen year old like Jules did yesterday. You seemed to like me, not a character in a movie.”

“I’ve never seen your movies,” I state matter of factly.

“I love that.” His voice is completely honest.

“But were you ever going to tell me?

I was going to find out sooner or later.

That’s what I’m struggling with, Luke.

That’s why I freaked out on you yesterday. I confided things in you that I just don’t share with anyone. Even Jules doesn’t know about my tattoos.”

His eyes smolder at the mention of my tattoos, but I press on.

“Clearly after our conversation in the car you should know that I have trust issues with men. All men. I don’t keep men in my life.”

“I’m hoping that’s about to change,”

he whispers.

“This wasn’t a great start to convince me to make any changes.”

“Natalie, think about the rest of the time we’ve been together. I’m still the same man I was before we were in your kitchen yesterday morning. I still like to cook, I think your work is sexy, I can’t keep my hands off you. I’m just a man.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’m not an idiot. But you know me better than anyone, after less than a week, and I can’t help but feel a little foolish.



Yesterday

was

really

embarrassing for me.”