Never had she felt so confident in a project. It validated her decision to refuse the countless huge box office movie auditions for rom-coms that had come her way that year, and instead venture out into coproducing a project of her own. Before her near-death experience with her stalker the year before, she’d gone along with what everyone else wanted and expected from her. She’d played the game. She’d been that artist who politely and gratefully accepted the opportunities that presented themselves. She didn’t make waves or demands. And she’d been happy to do it. Mostly.

After the scare, things changed. She’d changed. She’d taken more control over her life. She was determined to go after the career she wanted. Life was too short not to take chances and go after the “big dream.” This indie project was going to help her do just that.

She glanced inside the bedroom, where Matt now paced nakedly, his cell phone to his ear. Damn, he was hot. Six feet, 170 pounds of muscle, blond hair, dark eyes, dimples for days and a solid, square jawline; he certainly turned heads and commanded attention wherever he went.

That phone call better be quick.

Having him agree to the indie film and coming on this new adventure with her made her feel that much better about it. Having him believe in her and support her meant a lot. These days, that support was tough to come by when she was refusing to be the cash cow everyone had come to depend on.

She watched him rake a hand through his silky blond hair, and her heart pounded in her chest. She was in love with him. Of course, she hadn’t told him that yet. They’d met on the set of her last feature film. He was new to acting and, at twenty-one, six years younger than her. He’d been the best friend to the leading man in the film they’d worked on together, but he had real talent. He could have been the star. Their chemistry on set had had to be toned down so as not to overshadow the intended romance, and they’d held off on officially dating until filming was over. The wait had nearly killed her. She’d dated her costars often in the past. It was par for the course in this industry, but this time with Matt felt different.

It wasn’t just his amazing looks, his sense of humor or natural charisma, but also his talent. A lot of the male leads she’d worked with were one-dimensional. They pretty much played the same character in all their films. Matt had depth. He was new to Hollywood, but he was going straight to the top.

She strained to hear what he was saying.

“Of course I want this opportunity…Yeah, no, I’ll make it work.” Pause. “Thanks, man…Yeah, talk soon.”