Em! It's Liv. Call me sometime tomorrow if you can. I've been working with Poppy Azure handbags to cast a TV and print campaign. Your name came up with one of their PR peeps today. She'd seen some of the press from the red carpet at Raine's premiere and noticed you holding their clutch purse. She floated the idea out there of having you audition for their campaign, if you're interested. Text me your email address, and I'll send the audition sides and some other info.

Emily blinked, not sure she could have heard Olivia's voice message correctly. Poppy Azure wants me to audition for their campaign? she wondered. She hit play on the message and listened to it for a second time, in case she'd misunderstood.

She didn't even have headshots, really, aside from a photo taken a couple of years ago to run with some of her freelance columns for publications that required a photo. And even though she lived in L.A., Emily had never been on an audition. She hadn't even been an extra on a TV show or film, something practically everyone in L.A. seemed to do at one point or another.

The Poppy Azure clutch she'd had at Raine's premiere a few nights ago had been borrowed from Shelby. Since the premiere had been only a couple of days after she and Raine had come back from their weekend away, she hadn't had time to shop for a clutch that matched her dress. Shelby had come to her rescue after Emily had torn her away from Aiden and they'd gotten home after dinner at Raine's.

The clutch was still in her room, sitting on top of her dresser. Emily got up from the sofa and headed out of the living room to her bedroom so she could retrieve it and return it to Shelby, and tell her about Olivia's message.

After grabbing the clutch, Emily went to Shelby's room. She heard music playing from the other side of the door.

"Hey," Emily called out. "Can I come in?"

The door opened and she did a double-take. Shelby had straightened her curls, her hair falling sleekly past her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled under smoky eyeshadow, and she had changed out of the clothes she'd had on earlier and was now wearing a printed halter-neck dress.

"You look gorgeous!" Emily told her. "Going somewhere?"

"I have a date tonight," Shelby said, looking a little sheepish.

"With Aiden?"

Shelby nodded, her cheeks flushing pink. "I didn't say anything in case it doesn't go well. I didn't want it to be awkward."

"It won't be," Emily assured her. She glanced at the clutch she still held in her hands. "Just returning this. Need any help getting ready?"

"Can I borrow a necklace?" Shelby asked.

"You can borrow all of my necklaces," Emily replied. "Let's go find one that goes with your dress."

Now wasn't the time to mention Olivia's message to Shelby and to ask her what she thought. She would tell her tomorrow, right after she got all the details of Shelby's date with Aiden.

* * *

Emily let her shoulders sink below the swirling saltwater in Raine's outdoor hot tub and leaned her head back against the cool tile.

"Heaven," she murmured.

"Champagne?" Raine asked, coming to stand by the edge of the hot tub. He was shirtless, wearing only swim trunks. Emily's eyes roamed his bare chest.

"Absolutely," she answered. "Then you're getting in here with me."

"I don't have to be told twice." Raine grinned and disappeared inside the house for a couple of minutes. When he returned, he held two filled champagne flutes, which he set down on the hot tub's ledge.

Emily reached for one of the glasses. She took a slow sip, letting the bubbles roll on her tongue.

Raine lowered himself into the hot tub, almost mirroring Emily as he sank down as far as he could while still keeping his head above the water. He, too, leaned his head back against the tiles, and let his eyes close.

"How was your photo shoot this morning?" she asked.

"Early. They wanted to get photos of me on the beach at sunrise." He opened his eyes again and scooted closer to her. "Tell me you slept in for me?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I had some work to do, and some advertisers I had to talk to. I must have missed Liv's call while I was on the phone with one of them."

"I'm so happy you two hit it off at dinner, you know. Was she calling to give you more dirt on all the ridiculous stuff I pulled as a kid?"

"She already gave me tons of that." A smile tugged at the corners of Emily's mouth. "It was kind of a business call. She left me a message that someone from Poppy Azure handbags saw me holding their clutch at your premiere and wants me to audition for a campaign she's helping them cast."

"Do you think you will?" he asked.

"I've never done anything like that before. It could be a disaster." She shrugged, taking another sip of champagne. "Then again, it could be fun. I'd just have no idea what I'm doing. Liv mentioned something about audition sides and I didn't know what she was talking about."

"It's what they want you to perform during the audition," Raine explained. "Sometimes it's lines, and sometimes it's directions about what to do or what's going on in a scene."

"If I decide to do it, would you run through whatever she sends with me?"

"Without question." He leaned over to kiss her forehead, then reached behind her for his glass.

"It's just funny to me," Emily said, watching Raine drink from his champagne flute. "That was Shelby's purse I borrowed at the last minute. Speaking of her, she had a date with Aiden tonight. I could tell she was looking forward to it."

Raine swallowed, then put his glass down. "Aiden is a good guy. I'm glad he and Shelby had a chance to meet and talk the other night."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "All part of your master romantic plan?"

"No, but this is." Raine took her glass from her and set it on the ledge, then cupped the side of her face. Clouds of steam rolled off the water around them as his lips met hers.

Her hands drifted up to his chest. Then she slid her arms around him, letting her hands wander up his back. She felt him grin, then take hold of her waist. He gently lifted her up and moved her so she was sitting on his lap. His mouth moved to the hollow of her throat, and then up to her jawline.

"Seducing me, are you?" She tilted her head back as Raine's lips moved to her neck.

"Is it working?" he asked. "We do have the entire place to ourselves now that Liv and Matt are back in New York."

"Maybe if you throw in some of that interpretative yoga," she teased him. "It looked pretty hot on Awake in the City last night."

Raine raised his head, staring at her. "He didn't."

"He did," she confirmed.

"That guy is in so much trouble."

"It was actually really funny." She couldn't help but giggle at the memory. Jackson had nailed his over-the-top impression of Raine. She and Shelby had rewound the segment after it was over and had watched it another three times.

"Funny like this?" Raine asked, reaching below the water for her foot. He'd barely tried to tickle her when she shrieked, giggling even harder and gasping for air.

"You are not doing that," she told him, catching her breath. She tried reaching for his foot to tickle him, but he caught her arms before she could.

"Tickle truce," he said. "You have my word." He kissed the tip of her nose, his eyes twinkling.

And there, under the moon of a Los Angeles night, in the hills above the millions of lights that dotted the city's skyline, Emily knew she'd made the right choice. No matter who was hiding in the shadows capturing private moments, and no matter what anyone wrote or believed about the two of them, she and Raine belonged together. For this, all of it was worth it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *