Read To Catch a Star for Free Online Page B

short single-page report gathered by her father’s intelligence people.
    Christian had been born on Los Pajaros, only child of a single mother, which was still a stigma in the islands. There was no father named on his birth certificate. He’d been in and out of trouble from a young age. Then mother and son had suddenly moved to Los Angeles when he was fourteen. And that was where Christian Hewitt became Christian Taylor. It was almost as if they’d wanted to disappear.
    Tessa’s father had marked the print-out with a big, bold question mark. She knew what he wanted to know. Not just “
why?”
but
“how?”
How could a single mother, working as a school teacher, afford to move countries to start a new life in middle-class suburbia in California?
    They’d cut all ties to Los Pajaros. There was no mention of his being born or raised there in any of his official biographies. She rubbed her forehead.
    The only new information Tessa had for her father was that Christian wasn’t wearing the ring now. She couldn’t have missed it if she tried. His bare chest glistened with a sheen of sweat as he and Dominic danced around each other, moving slower as they tired.
    “Enough,” Christian said, breathing hard.
    “You’re getting soft.” But Dominic’s laugh was just as breathy. “Are you letting this ‘being a movie star’ thing get to your head?”
    “Never!”
    They sheathed their swords and Christian turned to her. “I’m going to take a shower, then we can head back to my hotel.”
    Tessa nodded and glanced at her watch. She needed to check in with her father. And Anna. And she needed to call Stefan. What time was it in New York anyway?
    While the two men hit the showers, she made the most urgent call of all, to her dress designer. “I’m so sorry, Anton. Something’s come up. Is there any way we can re-schedule for later?”
    She was going to have to put the wedding together in what little down-time her new job offered. This was one of those moments in life where the presence of a mother would have been good. Someone who could choose floral arrangements and discuss menus, and all the other stuff she still had to tick off her to-do list. For the first time in her life, she was going to have to leave the details to other people.
    Anton wouldn’t let her go without an explanation. She could practically hear him drooling down the phone at the mention of Christian’s name. “You change your mind, love, and I’ll take the job!”
    She smiled.
    Christian emerged from the adjacent bathroom, his short hair still damp. “It’s a miracle: she smiles!”
    She ended the call, her smile turning to a frown. “What are you wearing?”
    “The usual.” He looked down at the old jeans and baggy sweatshirt he now wore. “Is there something wrong with my clothes?”
    “They’re fine if you’re planning to be mistaken for a homeless person.” She’d thought Hollywood actors were obsessed with looking good.
    Christian grinned. “You sound just like my stylist.”
    She switched back to professional mode. “Gerry arranged for your car to meet you at the front entrance.”
    “Tell him not to bother. You know where I stay. You can take me.”
    She pursed her lips. She remembered way too vividly how he filled the space in her little car. But she’d promised her father she’d stick with this until she could get the intel he needed. The sooner she found out what they needed to know, the better. And where better to start asking questions than alone in her car?
    Christian matched her pace as she strode out to the car park, texting his driver as she walked.
    “Where’s the fire?” he asked, practically jogging to keep up. “Or are you just eager to get rid of me so you can get to your hot date?”
    That was a little closer to the truth. She’d love to get rid of him. The quicker she could get this job over and done with, the happier she’d be.
    She slowed her pace. “How did you know about the Tortuga curse?”
    She