Page 12 of Brant
“Tell me what you did not like about his movies. The guy is brilliant.”
“His accent.”
“Come again?”
She shrugged. “He sounded too much like he’s from Brooklyn, and in all his movies, that’s the way he sounded. He sounded country. And now hearing myself, I sound like a snob.”
“Let me get this straight.” He sat up and turned around to face her. “You’re not put off by his acting skills, but his accent?”
“Yes. And saying it out loud makes no sense. It’s a thing with me. I’m awful when it comes to being a critic. I would sit and watch a movie and spend the entire time looking for faults. Whether it’s the actors’ skills or the way they say their lines or how believable they are when they say them, things like that.”
“And you found nothing to critique in the movie we just watched?” he asked her curiously.
“Nope.” She automatically handed him a fistful of popcorn. “Nothing, which means it’s actually brilliant.”
“Or you’re so blinded by Swayze that you’re oblivious to his flaws.”
She pretended to think about it and then shook her head, her smile flashing. “No, that’s not it. He’s just a brilliant actor.”
He gave her a pitying look that had her laughter pealing.
“You’re obsessed.”
“No. Just have the good sense to know when a movie is worth watching.” She crunched on the popcorn and eyed him curiously. “I bet you’ve met some of these actors.”
“I have, yes. Why?”
She shrugged. “Just wondering. How does it feel?” she asked quietly.
“How does what feel?”
“To rub shoulders with people like that?”
He was about to blow it off with a flippant response when he realized that she was serious.
“Ah, I never really thought about it,” he murmured. “To me they’re just people. Yes, they live in the public eye and are photographed whether they like it or not, but they have their good and bad days. And most of them would prefer not to live their lives for all the world to see.”
“Are you one of those who would prefer privacy?”
“Absolutely. At first, it didn’t matter to me, but now it does.” He reached for the remote that controlled the huge screen. “How about a Jason Statham?”
“I would say yes to that.”
Chapter 4
He pleasured himself by just leaning on the doorjamb and staring at the woman in the center of his living room. She had on an oversized sweater and black leggings and no shoes. A smile tugged at his lips as he noticed the pink nail polish on her toes.
It took him a while to see the towering Douglas fir across from the massive fireplace.
"That's some tree."
She whirled, dislodging some of the loose pile of locks on top of her head. "I- I- you're home. I thought you were- you had a dinner thing. I hope you don't mind."
She gestured to the tree. "You said you didn't do Christmas, but it so happens that I adore the holiday, it's my favorite time- and I'm babbling. I'll stop now."
She plopped her hands on her hips and gave him a defiant glare. "Besides, the decorators, and yes, I hired a very expensive team to put this tree up and the lights all around the property and the beautiful ferns by the perimeter-"
"I saw those. Hard to miss since the lights could be seen from a mile away." He was amused by her and how adorable she looked flustered.
