He stood up hesitantly when he saw her sway. He hoped to the lord above that she was not going to faint because there had been a lot of screaming and fainting in front of him in his time in the industry. Moreover, he had enough of that and didn’t want that from the woman he liked. He really didn’t want to associate her with that part of his life. She was definitely a fan, but more than that, she was the woman who had stolen his heart without knowing who he was.

“Oh god,” she whispered to herself. ‘Please be different.’ “Either I have lost my mind or Angelina scored well.” She turned around and looked at Angelina.

“I am so happy for you,” she said in a choked voice that hurt Cage’s heart.

In Katherine’s mind, she was sure that Angelina had been talking to Cage all this time and it had been a prank or something of the sort where they thought that he was a kid. She felt a jolt of jealousy that Angelina had met exactly whom she had hoped for, but also felt happiness that at least one of them had a happy ending.

“No, silly. He’s not here for me,” Angelina said with a small smile but appreciated that her friend hadn’t gone into a rage because of Cage appearing in Angelina’s room.

“Then am I having a psychotic breakdown? I’ve finally lost my mind, haven’t I. It was only a matter of time,” she hyperventilated.

Angelina snorted from across the room and folded her hand across her chest.

“On any other day I would have told you what a crazy bitch you are, but he is here for real.” She blinked. Cage couldn’t help but laugh at the scene in front of him. It was inappropriate, but so like her to make him laugh at the most inopportune moments.

She had closed her eyes shut, but when she heard his guttural laughter, her eyes snapped open and she looked at him in awe. “Is this real?” Her eyes glowed with hope.

He couldn’t laugh at her at that time. He stepped forward, wanting to take her into his arms for a hug or a kiss… or just shake her out of her stupor. He didn’t know what to do. He had dreamt of their union, but the scene had turned out nothing as he had imagined. And now they had so much to talk about. He settled for reaching out and brushing a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers ghosting over her cheek for a second before he moved back…

Shock and need coursed through his veins.

“Katherine,” his voice was like a prayer. She sucked in a breath and her eyes clouded with confusion.

“Angelina made you come? How?” Her shoulders shook with panic. She really couldn’t understand what was happening around her. Cage grabbed her shoulder gently and held her still.

“You made me come, love.” Her eyes widened and suddenly she grew frightened, her doe-like eyes gazing at him with such fear that it made him slightly uncomfortable. “Ray?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Mmm,” was all he said as he stroked her shoulder with his fingers. “I am sorry I couldn’t meet you before,” he said equally slowly, making sure that she could hear him in her panicked haze.

He stood still as her palm approached his chest. She placed her hand on his heart lightly, listening to his racing heartbeat and stood stunned.

‘Could it really be him? Was this a joke and the cameras would come out any second?’ She couldn’t believe it.

“I know what you are thinking, and I am sorry for hiding this from you. I really wanted it to be a surprise.” He would have shrugged if it weren’t rude to do so in this situation. He found himself standing stoically, unable to express any of the conflicting emotions shooting through him.

“You’re… really here…” Her chest heaved with the need for air. He nodded. “This can’t be true. I’m going to wake up and life will suck again.” She groaned. “How did I come up with the idea that Ray was Cage, though? Has Angelina’s stupidity finally affected me?” she grumbled.

“Hey!” her friend protested from behind, but she was quickly ignored.

“I really hope that you’re not dreaming.” He smiled. He placed his hand over hers and smiled. He had finally touched her. She finally knew who he was. It was only a matter of making her believe it was real. “It would suck to go back to a world without you,” he confessed, taking her hand by the wrist and kissing it gently to reassure her.

He saw her shudder and knew exactly what she had felt when his lips met her skin. He had felt the connection, too, and it was strong. There was no denying the attraction between the two of them, it was simply nature.

She blinked several times as she looked at the hand now in his grasp. “What are you doing here?” she finally came to her senses. Memories of what had happened floated back into her mind. If he really was Ray, he had betrayed her.

Her eyes welled with tears. Unable to stand it, he pulled her into his arms and crushed her against his chest. He breathed in her scent of lavender and wilderness and knew that was what defined her being… that was how she naturally smelled.

So what if their first meeting was awkward, he still had her in his arms. There was no denying that.

“Please don’t cry, love. I don’t think I can bear to see tears in your eyes. It tears at my heart.” She pulled back from his embrace. ‘This can’t be happening,’ she thought as she did so. She looked up into his eyes and for a minute, the passion grew.

He reached down to wipe away her tears and realized how supple her flesh felt under his hands. He pulled her back into his chest, hiding his head at the crook of her neck. Her scent calmed him down and let him know that everything would be fine.