Laurelin Paige - Take Two

Micah furrowed his brow. “How come you weren’t here from the beginning?”

“I had some personal issues with…someone…working on the show.” In this business, you couldn’t bad mouth anyone without serious repercussions.

He leaned toward her. “Did those issues resolve somehow?”

Her body turned on from his close proximity. Stupid female hormones. Beaumont seemed much less of a problem now that she had Micah to cope with. She simultaneously wanted to scoot nearer and shrink into the car’s interior. She did neither. “I’m learning to deal.”

He looked at her carefully, then reached over and casually pushed aside a stray hair from her face, his finger brushing her cheek. “Hmm, let me know how that goes.”

Maddie shivered under his touch. “Thanks,” she managed to whisper. Was he hitting on her? Maybe he hit on all girls the minute he met them. He did have a reputation. Or maybe she was just wishing he was hitting on her.

No, she wasn’t wishing he was hitting on her. That would be trouble. He was just so attractive it was hard to remember why she wasn’t interested in him.

She needed a distraction. “What exactly is this movie about, anyway? I didn’t get a chance to read a script.”

“It’s great,” Sam said. “You’ll love it. It’s a heist movie—”

“It’s a romance,” Micah interrupted, his eyes never leaving Maddie. “There’s kissing.”

“And a romance,” Sam conceded. “A bunch of friends take on a small mountain gambling town then have to hide in the great outdoors.”

Fudge looked up from whatever he was doing on his iPhone. “It’s like The Town meets the West.”

Micah shook his head. “It is not.”

“Whatever, dude.” Fudge pulled a set of earphones out of his jeans pockets and stuck them into his phone. “I’m gonna nap. Is that cool?”

“I’m sure we’ll be safe on the ride from DIA to Golden.” Micah bent his leg and Maddie realized if she relaxed just a little, their knees would bump. “Besides, the windows are tinted. No one can see in.”

She couldn’t help herself; she relaxed, silently gasping at the light contact.

Then, did he respond by moving his leg against hers? No, he’d only bumped her as he bent over to fiddle with his bag. The brush sent tingles through her lower belly. She had to close her eyes to regain focus.

Unaware of the desire running rampant in the backseat, Sam continued with his lowdown of the film. “Most of the cast already arrived. Heather Wainwright. And Pierce Bartlett and Bray Morgan. And Josh Gibbs plays the cop.”

Maddie couldn’t pass up the opportunity to turn Micah’s earlier question back on him. “So who are you?”

He smiled. “Touché. I’m the love interest, of course.” He tapped his finger on her knee as he said “of course”. Even through her sweatpants, Maddie felt the electricity of his touch.

“Of course.” Maddie’s traitor face returned the smile. The glimmer in his eye made her warm between her thighs. She blinked and looked away, hoping her flush didn’t give away her indecent thoughts.

What the crap was she doing? Even if he wasn’t flirting, she was and she shouldn’t be. She couldn’t get sucked into Micah again, even though the idea of sucking and Micah fit deliciously together in her mind.

She tried to stay on topic. “Good cast,” she said, though she couldn’t even recall who Sam had mentioned. Focus, focus.

“They’re excellent.” Sam‘s upbeat attitude seemed to be his signature trait. “Great cast, awesome script. They shot all the interiors in L.A. and now we’re doing the exteriors in Golden. It’s beautiful up there.” Sam met her eyes again in the rearview mirror. “Not the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all day, but still pretty breathtaking.”

Oh no, could she please have some wine with the cheese? Yet Sam could prove to be a way to keep her mind off the tall, dark and, oh-my-God-hot specimen sitting next to her. And he was definitely flirting while Micah was probably just being Micah. She gave Sam a small wink. “You’ll have to show me around.”

His face lit up. “I will.”

Micah pulled his leg away—deliberately? She couldn’t tell, but his retreat blew through her like a cold draft. He covered a yawn with his hand and pulled down the armrest between their seats and closed his eyes. “Sam, is it? Are we all staying in the same hotel?”

“No. You and the other actors are up the mountain a bit. The rest are staying in a Comfort Inn.”

“Good,” Micah said, his eyes still closed. “I prefer the cast and crew separated. I hope you’re dropping me off first.”

“Certainly.” The ever cheerful Sam seemed only slightly downtrodden by the superiority in Micah’s tone.

Maddie’s insides echoed the same disappointment. Who knew Micah Preston was such a jerk? Had he been that guy when she’d first met him? Or had he become that way with fame and money? Whichever, he was bad news. Now if someone could convince her body…

Her phone buzzed with a text. He doesn’t remember u? So no replays of your night together?

Not a chance. So over him.

It was only partially a lie. He still made her insides hot and bothered like no one had in a long time, but he was cocky, a player, and had forgotten her. Three strikes against him. Maddie had never been a sports fan, but she was pretty sure that three strikes meant you were out.

Her.

Even with his eyes closed he still saw her face.

Micah had spotted her talking to Sam by baggage claim, and though it took him a moment, he knew there was something familiar about her big dark eyes, high cheekbones and long legs, hidden beneath her baggy sweats. And that perky bosom of hers that peeked out above the low neckline of her tank top—he’d definitely fondled those tits before. But when?

He was so distracted trying to place her that he hadn’t even minded signing autographs for fans. He’d needed those couple of minutes to gather himself.

It wasn’t until he’d seen her up close, her hair all mussed and cheeks flushed like a woman after a night of pleasure, that he suddenly remembered her. Maddie from the party. Oh, yeah. That chick.

If he remembered correctly, that party was before he’d even signed with Stu. He had to be careful or she’d want to hook up again. Women from his past didn’t ever want anything except his fame and fortune. Hell, women in his present only wanted that. He decided it best to pretend he didn’t remember her at all.

She remembered him, though. It was obvious. Recognition spread over her face the minute he said her name. Her eyes glimmered with hopefulness.

Then the spark left and letdown settled on her features. He could have thrown her a bone then, given her a hint that he knew her, but he didn’t.

Yeah, he was an asshole.

Then he was stuffed in the SUV with her, drowning in her unique smell and memories of their evening together crashed over him like a giant wave—her tentative flirting, his smooth moves, that apple-pear body spray she used, the one she still wore now. He hadn’t done anything big yet. She hadn’t even known he was an actor. And still, she’d let him kiss her and touch her. Very intimately.

Was she the last woman he’d kissed before he’d become known? Too many years and women had passed for him to be sure. Maybe she wasn’t, but she reminded him of that time. Before he doubted the sincerity of every compliment. When his pick-up lines were meant to start relationships, not just get some for the night.

Now no pick-up lines were necessary at all. He could bag a girl with a flash of his famous smile. And though having models and costars and willing fans lined up at his bedroom door was out-of-this-world awesome, it got boring. Hot sex wasn’t the same as just talking and flirting and connecting with a woman. How long had it been since he’d done that?

What if he could recapture those days? With her. With Maddie. They still had chemistry. He could cut the sexual tension in the backseat with a knife. He felt her lean into his leg. He got it. He wanted to touch her too. And he did—a brush of her cheek, a hand on her knee. It wouldn’t take much to get her alone and underneath him.

But then she flirted with that overly chipper, butt-kisser Sam and he remembered—he wasn’t that guy. He wasn’t the guy who was in it for the long haul. Micah was a movie star. He was into girls for a minute. He couldn’t recapture the days before his fame and that was the price he’d paid. Even if he tried to get involved with a woman, he could never trust their intentions with him. He’d chosen this life, made a very deliberate decision of career over love.

And getting tangled up with a girl like Maddie Bauers, a girl from the days when he was that guy, wasn’t what he needed.

What he needed was to get to his room and take a cold shower. He crossed his hands low in his lap to hide his stiff bulge and shut his eyes, attempting sleep. Or, at least the pretense.

“Hey, Micah.” Fudge paused. “Dude?”

His bodyguard’s insistent tone pulled Micah out of his pretend sleep. “What?”

“Look out your window. The mountains are dope. Why do we only come out here in the winter?”

“Because you think sliding down a mountain on a surfboard is fun.” But he leaned forward to look at the scenery through the front window. Fudge was right, it was gorgeous. “We’ll do some sightseeing while we’re here, okay?”

“You should invite Lulu.”

He swallowed a sigh. “Maybe.” Lulu was his mother. Lucille, actually, but he and his friends had always referred to her as Lulu.

“Come on, she’d love it out here.”

“I’ll think about it.” She would love it. His mother had a thing for nature and Micah flew her out to many of his more picturesque locations.

It was just that, though he adored his mom, she also brought him down. She’d remained single since she’d flown off to California when he was twelve and Micah worried about her being by herself. He couldn’t help but fear that she was sad and, well, lonely.

Sometimes that made him question his own decision to be alone.

But then he’d remind himself that he was nothing like Lulu. She’d given up love for a career and it hadn’t worked out. Micah’s sacrifice had worked out. He had the life most people only dreamed of. He had the life he’d dreamed of. He didn’t want for anything.

Well, almost anything.

He snuck a peek behind him at Maddie. He’d moved nearer to her to look out the window, but didn’t have the luck of brushing against her again. Now he saw why. She was leaning against her window, her beautiful body pressed against the door, away from him. Thick irritation emanated from her like a barrier between them. So thick it bordered on loathing.

Good. Hate him. It would make it easier to avoid her if she was also avoiding him.

He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes again. It was simpler now to fight any urge to make amends with Maddie. Now that he saw how turned off by him she was, he had no desire to ease the tension between them.

He closed his eyes again and succeeded in putting her out of his mind until they pulled up in front of his hotel. As Sam retrieved his luggage from the trunk, Micah stole one more glance at the brunette beauty beside him before he stepped out of the car. Only then did he realize that Maddie’s expression didn’t read as angry—it read as hurt.

Aw, shit. That wasn’t what he was going for at all.

He should have left it at that, painful as it was to see her distressed. But he couldn’t stand it. He swallowed. “Hey, Maddie Bauers.” She looked up at him, her eyes big with curiosity. “I got to know Adam when we were filming in L.A. He’s the best cameraman I’ve ever worked with. You must be pretty stellar to get his recommendation. Welcome aboard.”

“Thanks,” she said softly.

That wasn’t so bad. He remained professional yet seemed to lift her spirits. Problem was the smile she gave him had his cock jumping again. He shifted, hoping she didn’t notice as he stepped from the car.

Fudge joined Micah at the bellhop station. He chuckled as Micah watched the SUV pull away down the mountain.

“What?” Micah asked.

“Nothing.” But the amusement remained on his face.

Damn. Fudge knew Micah too well. He was much more than an employee. The two had met in middle school when Fudge stood up for Micah after a bully had teased him about a commercial he’d appeared in. They’d been good friends ever since. Half the reason Micah employed him was for the company. The life of a famous Hollywood bachelor wasn’t as friend-filled as many people thought.