“Didn’t you just leave?” she asked.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I was trying to study tomorrow’s script. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I don’t like sleeping without you.”

That made her smile. “Good. Because I’m not having any luck sleeping without you, either.”

“Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. I’ll let you go.”

“Screw that. Get your ass back over here so you can climb into my bed. I’ll never get to sleep otherwise.”

He laughed. “I’ll be right there.”

She hung up, then threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, slipped into her sandals and walked toward the gate. Another beautifully clear night.

She’d really miss these once she got back to the city.

One of the night security guys raised a brow at her.

“Don’t even ask, Phil,” she said.

Phil shook his head, but smiled. “Okay. I won’t.”

When Logan pulled in and came walking toward the gate, Phil opened it with a wide grin. “Evening, Mr. McCormack.”

“Hey, Phil.”

“Night, Miss Desiree.”

“Night, Phil.”

She slipped her arm around Logan’s waist and they walked to her trailer.

“You didn’t have to come out here and wait for me,” he said.

She tilted her head back to look at him. “I wanted to.”

Once inside, they undressed and climbed into her bed.

Logan grunted. “Your bed is small. We should have gone to my place.”

“Quit complaining and get over here.”

He tugged her against his chest and Des sighed. Perfect. Logan turned out the light and Des could already feel her lids drooping closed.

“Better?” he asked.

She yawned. “Perfect.”

Chapter 21

IT HAD BEEN an idyllic few weeks, but now it was coming to a close. Today, Des and Colt would shoot their final scene, and the movie would wrap.

That part she didn’t want to think about, not when she and Logan had spent every single night together. As soon as she finished on set each day, she’d head over to the ranch and would either spend time with Martha until the guys came in for dinner, or if they wrapped filming later, she and Logan would spend the evening alone. She’d slept in his bed every night, had gotten accustomed to wandering around that big ranch house she’d grown to love so much.

Martha had become as much a mother to her as she had always been to Logan. What was she going to do without Martha’s advice? What was she going to do without Martha’s awesome food?

It was a good thing they’d filmed out here in the summer, where she sweated off a massive amount of calories working under the hot sun every day, or she swore she’d probably have gained ten pounds eating all the glorious meals Martha fixed for her. When she went back to L.A. she’d likely starve to death.

Though Martha was teaching her how to cook, so she was learning a lot under Martha’s expert tutelage. At least when she went home, she’d know more than how to make a salad and steamed vegetables.

Today she and Colt were in full makeup and costume, ready for the final scene, though it wasn’t the movie’s final scene, because that had already been filmed prior to coming out here. The final scene of the movie was back on the planet, in a hospital room, a tender reunion scene between her and Colt. At least she wouldn’t have to die in this movie, a fact that made her very grateful.

This final scene being filmed was the one before the big explosion they’d filmed several weeks ago. She and Colt were running for their lives, and the scene they were filming today had them on top of a massive rock, debating whether to jump. The stunt folks would make the jump for them, but this was where she and Colt would declare their love for each other. It was going to be a huge emotional scene, a possible good-bye, and Desiree wasn’t ready for filming to finish, so her emotions were tenuous. She dug into her feelings when she and Colt stood at the edge and held on to each other, looking down into what—once CGI effects added some depth to the scene—would be a giant abyss.

“I love you—you know that, don’t you?” Colt said, holding on to her as they mimicked feeling the shock waves as the aliens worked to destroy what remained of the planet.

She shook her head, the tears falling, blinding her as she kept her focus on Colt. “I’m not a goddamned mind reader. I didn’t know how you felt. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Colt looked away, then back at her. “Because I’m a coward, Lacey. Because I was afraid you didn’t love me back. Because I thought you still mourned Brace.”

She pulled him to her, kissed him, then squeezed his hand, all the while mimicking trying to hold her balance as the planet fell apart around them. “Brace was a long time ago. And it was never him, Deacon. I’ve always loved you. Since we first met, since you made that cocky remark to me. You were mine. You’ll always be mine.”

Colt swept his fingers across her jaw, and she gave him her deepest look of love. “Let’s make this jump and get the hell out of here. Together.”

They hovered on the brink of the precipice, looked into each other’s eyes one last time. Des nodded at Colt, and then—

“And, cut.” Theo stood, and the crew clapped. “That was as damn perfect a scene as any the two of you have shot. We have a location wrap.”

Des smiled and swiped at the tears. Colt hugged her and kissed her cheek.

“Fucking finally,” Colt said.

Des laughed. “Seriously.”

It was done. They were finished here. As she watched the crew start pulling the sets apart and wrapping up wires and equipment, she looked toward the far corners of the ranch. She was going to be leaving all of this.

She was going to be leaving Logan.

“Tell him how you feel, Des,” Colt said as they walked back to their trailers.

“Tell who?”

Colt rolled his eyes. “I’m not the only one who needs to live an honest life, you know.”

“Oh. Well, you know. We’ve had fun, but there’s no future for the two of us. He’s here, and I’m there and, yes, I have feelings for him, but it would only end in disaster, with us hating each other. I don’t want that when we can end it friendly.”