Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet

She could tell the guy—she still couldn’t remember his name—recognized Finn, which wasn’t surprising since Finn garnered almost as much press as the stars in the films he produced. And, of course, everyone on the planet knew about her past with Finn. The double whammy for her admirer, though, had to come from Finn’s family ties: smart people didn’t make enemies of the Marshalls. Especially if they wanted any kind of future in politics. They were simply too powerful a family to mess with.

But this guy, proving again he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, got belligerent instead. “This is a private conversation, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, I mind.” Disdain dripped off Finn’s words.

The men sized each other up, and Caitlyn couldn’t help but do the same. She hadn’t exactly forgotten Finn—how could she?—but reality was slapping her in the face now. Finn could give his leading men a run for their money when it came to heartthrob status. He had strong, aristocratic features made less harsh by a deep tan earned from his love of all things outdoors. His dark blond hair had sun-bleached lighter streaks, and, as always, it had that casual windblown look that all men who weren’t Finn had to work hard to achieve. The dim light made it hard to see the color of his eyes, but she knew how their deep green could suck a girl in and melt her insides.

Finn had a good four inches in height on her admirer and, while both men were lean, he looked athletic and strong even in his suit. He might have the bluest of blue blood in his veins, but he had an edge that belied the DNA—not enough to make him look out of place in the throng of political and social elite inside, but it certainly set him apart.

It made the red-faced young man look ridiculous even trying to match up. He just fell short all the way around.

And his scowl was nothing compared to Finn’s.

Which brought her nicely back to the real problem at hand. Finn had an odd gallant streak when it came to damsels in distress. At the right time it could be endearing—sweet, even—but this was not the right time for Finn to channel his inner caveman.

“I distinctly heard Cait tell you she was done talking. Do you really need to resort to assault?”

What’s-his-name bristled visibly. Lord, the man was too stupid to realize the danger lurking behind Finn’s controlled cadence. She knew better, though, and launched into damage control before this got worse. “That was just a—”

“I know what that was, Cait,” Finn snapped. He took her arm and moved her a few feet farther away, putting himself between her and the man like a bodyguard. He looked her up and down, then asked quietly, “Are you okay?”

“She’s fine,” the other man answered testily. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”

Finn’s green eyes flicked in his direction. He obviously wasn’t impressed with the man. “I didn’t ask you.”

He puffed up like a blowfish and Finn squared his shoulders. With all the testosterone in the air, this was about to get ugly.

Caitlyn cleared her throat. “I’m fine, Finn, thanks. And I would like us to all go our separate ways now so that this just remains between the three of us. There’s a lot of press and a lot of people inside who don’t need to be party to this.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed as he looked her over. “Are you sure?”

She nodded and saw Finn un-bow his shoulders a little bit as he released her arm. “Fine. No sense embarrassing you unnecessarily.”

Thank goodness. “I’d appreciate that.”

He turned to the other man, who seemed to get younger and weaker-looking as each second ticked by. “Go.”

He shot them both a dirty look, then stalked away. She heard the noise of the crowd inside as the door opened, and then silence, blissful silence, broken only by the sound of the traffic on DuPont Circle, settled over the balcony again.

Caitlyn moved to sit on the bench against the balustrade and sighed as she pushed her hair back from her face. She needed a minute to get herself back together. First that guy, then Finn … It was all a little too much to process in such a short time.

“What the hell were you thinking, Cait?”

The heat in his voice hit her like a slap across the face. “Excuse me?”

Finn stood in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. She could see the muscle in his jaw twitching. “What were you doing out here alone? Where’s the damn security?”

How dare he jump on her over this? She gritted her teeth to hold her temper in check. “They’re probably inside with everyone else—which is kind of the point, because I wanted a moment alone.”

“Have you lost your mind? You don’t get to decide to be ‘alone’ in a place like this.”

“A place like this? It’s a cocktail party, Finn, not a drug den. A ‘place like this’ should be the one place I can grab a minute to myself without worry.”

Finn didn’t seem to hear her. He was too busy glaring. “Then when some guy assaults you you try to arm wrestle him yourself instead of calling for help?”

“Like anyone would have heard me inside even if I did.” Finn’s eyes narrowed and the thin thread holding her temper snapped. Anger surged through her. “I didn’t want to make a scene. And you’ll please note I had the situation under control just fine before you even made your entrance.” She lifted her chin. “If you want to play the hero, you might want to work on your timing.”

He frowned. “You should know better.”

“Why do you care?”

Finn’s eyebrows went up, but before he could answer a door opened and three people came out to the balcony. They passed without speaking, but Caitlyn felt her face flush, anyway. She did not need to be seen in a shouting match with Finn. The list of things she didn’t need was growing longer each day. Maybe signing on to this project wasn’t the best idea, after all.

No. Folly is perfect. It’s a gift, so don’t screw it up. And, since Finn was running this project, she’d have to swallow her anger and pride and act like a professional.

Caitlyn forced herself to smile. “However, I appreciate your concern and will keep your warnings in mind for the future.”

There. That was the proper thing to say to set the right tone for their future working relationship. She was pleased she’d made the effort. The look on Finn’s face was just a bonus.

She thought he might be about to say something more, but Finn just shrugged, a signature movement showing that this was no longer worth his time. “So, who was that guy, anyway?”

She looked around. While more people had drifted onto the terrace, no one seemed to be paying them undue attention. She had to quit worrying so much about that. There was nothing attention-worthy about her and Finn speaking together. They had to: they were coworkers, colleagues working on Folly. There was nothing remotely scandalous about the two of them talking.

At a respectable distance from each other, of course.

“I don’t know his name. All I really know is that he’s a fan of the whole Reese clan and that he works for someone in Congress.” The eyebrow that went up told her that Finn would be able to provide a name shortly, and she almost felt a touch of sympathy for the young man. “We spoke briefly inside. Obviously that wasn’t enough for him.”

“Obviously.”

“I think he’s had a couple of drinks, and we all do stupid things after we’ve had a couple of drinks, you know.” Finn seemed to agree to that with a minuscule tilt of his head, and she blew out her breath in a long sigh.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine, Finn, really. It was a surprise, but that’s all. I appreciate your rescue, but I doubt he would have pressed it much further. I probably just overreacted. Either way, I think I managed to convince him that I’m serious.”

Finn chuckled and the sound rolled over her like a remembered caress. “If not, he’s amazingly dense. Nice moves, by the way.”

“Thanks. After that thing with Mom’s stalker two years ago, she and Dad made me take some self-defense classes and work with a trainer. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to put it to the test, though. Things were different in London. Fewer people knew who I was, so the weirdo potential was way down. It was a wake-up call I probably needed.”

“Hell of a way to be welcomed home.”

She swallowed as Finn came to sit next to her. There was still a respectable distance separating them, but that didn’t stop her heart-rate from jumping up a notch. Speaking of being welcomed home … She’d thought about this moment a thousand times, planned a million witty and clever things to say that would put their past behind them, show she’d moved on and had her career firmly back on track. All those clever words eluded her now, damn it. But she had to say something or else look like an idiot.

She looked around, appreciating the dim quiet of the terrace and the view of D.C. beyond. A full moon topped the Washington Monument like a candle flame. “Beautiful view.” Well, that wasn’t exactly inspired.

Based on the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Finn agreed with that assessment. “Indeed.”

“This is my first time in D.C., believe it or not. I’m hoping to have some time to do a little sightseeing.”