“Well, do you enjoy my company?” asked Amber. “Because I enjoy your company.”
“Aye, I do.”
“You haven’t tried to kiss me or anything.” She smiled sweetly.
Angus pressed his back into the chair. He had no desire to kiss her.
Amber was beautiful, and a year ago, he’d have been more than happy to drown his sorrows with her. But now he found himself comparing each woman to Penelope. Amber was a trophy to be shown off. The kind of woman who was good for events and parties. Penelope was beautiful too, but she was the kind of beautiful that kept you warm and grounded. The kind of woman who loved and you felt it miles away.
Amber leaned in, inches from him. “See, I’m right here, and you seem like you’re a million miles away.” She stared at him, her golden-brown eyes locking with his.
He swallowed hard. “Uh, I’m here. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Do you have feelings for one of the other girls?”
“Naw. At least, not yet.” His heart raced, and not in a good way. He felt trapped.
“Then kiss me. How do you know if we have any spark when you won’t even kiss me?” Amber chewed her bottom lip and draped her arms around his neck. “I won’t tell, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Angus took her arms in his hands and pulled them from around his neck. “I’m not worried. I want to take things slow.” He was wrong about her. She was just as aggressive as Zora, only Amber wasn’t as vocal about it.
For the rest of the day, an uncomfortable tension hung in the air. His refusal to kiss her had landed him in the doghouse. Throughout their dinner, he tried to ease the rebuff, but Amber pouted. The only way to make it up to her was to kiss her, and he wasn’t willing to do that.
Yes, others had taken opportunities like these and used it for their advantage, but after being used by Clara, he couldn’t do that. Affection wasn’t a weapon he was willing to use.
The moment they got to the house, Amber stomped down the hallway and slammed the door to her room.
Jeff gave Angus a heads up that Jeanie and Zora were on the back deck and he felt obligated to join them a moment before he went looking for Penelope.
“Was that a door slamming?” asked Jeanie.
Angus nodded.
“What did you do?” Zora teased with a flirty smile.
“I’ll let her tell that. I just wanted to say goodnight.”
Zora cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t you mean you wanted to placate us so you can run off and find Penelope?”
For the second time that day, he felt cornered. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb. We saw you sitting on the beach with her a few nights ago. Then the night before last, you nearly tripped over yourself to go see her. Yesterday, you spent the day fretting over her. You’re like a dog with a bone. You want what you can’t have. It’s the oldest story in the book,” said Zora.
These catty women. Why had he agreed to do this show? The only thing positive he could see in it all was meeting Penelope. Maybe―no, not maybe―he was chasing her at the start, but not now. Not after their talk on the beach. Or their encounter the day before. Something in him had changed. He wasn’t chasing her anymore. He was being pulled to her.
He clenched his jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I went out to the beach to have a minute, and she was out there. I came back from the date to find she’d been sick the whole day. I wanted to know if she was okay. And yesterday she wasn’t feeling good. That’s all.”
Jeanie held his gaze. “It does feel a little like you’re chasing her. You barely give the rest of us the time of day lately.”
Anger was beginning to boil, and he knew he needed to settle himself down. Angus took a deep breath. “What exactly are you two getting at?”
“We―” Zora looked at Jeanie who was shaking her head. “Okay, I think you’ve got it bad for her. Another conquest. I’m hoping she succumbs quickly so we can get on with the show.”
“What does that mean?”
Zora’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “We’re just over halfway through the show, and it seems like we’re no longer needed.”
Fury burned in his gut. He was done with the conversation. “I’m just trying to be a better person. All four of you are needed. Nothing has changed.”
Jeanie sighed. “He’s right. She’s had a hard time since we got to Hawaii. It would make him look like a horrible person if he didn’t show some interest in her problems.”
He appreciated that. “Thank you. That’s exactly it.”
“If you say so,” Zora said.
“Goodnight, ladies.” Angus walked back into the house and paused outside Penelope’s room with his hands on his hips, taking a few calming breaths before tapping on her door a few times. When she didn’t answer, he figured he’d find her outside near the ocean and changed into something more fitting for the beach.
She was easy to find. There was plenty of moonlight to see she was barefoot and wearing a pair of thin pants and a long-sleeved, billowy shirt that hung off one shoulder. He knew cameras weren’t far away, but he appreciated that Jeff was taking extra care to keep his distance when it came to her.
Angus knew he had a duty to Barb and the show, but his heart was being pulled in a singular direction. A frustratingly complicated woman who intrigued him and who he couldn’t get enough of.
Chapter 25
A two-day reprieve was all Penelope was able to milk out of her night of drinking. Although to be fair, three drinks didn’t really qualify as a night of it. She’d managed to ditch the crew for a couple of hours. Barb hadn’t been thrilled. There’d been a real threat of Paige getting in trouble if she did it again.
Before Vincent even opened his mouth, he played that beach scene. As it ended, he turned to her and smiled. “Seems you got cozy with our celebrity bachelor.”
“Yeah, cause nothing says cozy like running away.” Only that had been at the end. Until then, it was rather intimate.
His teeth gleamed as his lips stretched into a wider smile. “Yes, but you didn’t run away at first. It was a very sweet moment. One that our viewers loved, along with this one,” he said, and another video played.
Penelope’s lips slowly parted as she watched herself in the kitchen with Angus. Her heart kicked against her ribs so hard that she thought for sure she’d have a heart attack any second.
Vincent lifted his eyebrows. “I can tell by the look on your face that maybe you are a little surprised by this footage.”
“Not a little. A lot. I thought I was dreaming. My blood sugar was crashing, and I was in a fog.” She wiped her eyes to keep tears from streaking down her cheeks.
“That was some dream. Do you often have dreams where you’re running your fingers through our bachelor’s hair?”
More tears and this time she let them roll down her cheeks as she tried to process that she’d been awake, touching Angus and acting plumb out of it. “I hate this show,” she said as her lips trembled. “Not Angus, I don’t hate him. I hate these cameras, these questions, this process. I hate all of it. He deserves better than this.”
She tore out of the interview room and raced to her room. It would have hurt less had they hit her with a truck.
* * *
“May I join you?” Angus asked as he sat beside her in the sand.
Penelope jumped and turned away from Angus. “Sure.” Her voice was thick, and it trembled.
“Are you crying?”
Instead of sounding like a blubbering idiot, she remained quiet. Her emotions were a mess. She thought she’d been dreaming, but seeing herself behaving like a drunk zombie horrified her.
Angus, sitting on that stool in the kitchen, had looked startled. When she thought it was a dream, she’d wished she had the courage to tell him in person what she’d told him in that dream. That the reason she’d been using a ten-foot pole was that she couldn’t handle being crushed again. But now that she
knew she had said it in reality, she was embarrassed.
He took two breaths that seemed to match the rhythm of the waves. “I don’t know why people think it’s not okay to cry. Like they think you’re weak or frail.”
“Or pathetic.” She took the sleeve of her shirt and wiped her eyes.
“What’s made you so upset?”
Like he didn’t know? She really wished he would stop. “If you’re really my friend, you’ll leave me alone.”
“I thought real friends helped when their friends were in trouble.”
She looked at him. Her eyes hurt, and her nose was red. Being in Hawaii made her emotions run amok, and to top off everything, she’d made a fool of herself with him. The poor guy had probably never witnessed a diabetic episode. Who knows what he thought about how she’d behaved?
“Angus, please. Not now. Not tonight.”
“Maybe you’ll feel better if you get it out.”
She scoffed. “And tell millions of people.”
He nodded. “Or you could just tell me and forget they’re watching.”
Penelope pursed her lips. “Okay, you first, then. Let them watch as you get it out.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I fell in love with my agent, Clara.”
“Your agent?” The words came out in a breathy rush. Oh…a lot of things made sense now.
Angus nodded. “Not just fell in love. It was a consuming fire. She was everything to me. My first real love. I thought she loved me too. Said she did. I was filming in New Zealand for several months, and the location was remote, so I had no idea what was happening. When I returned stateside, I learned she’d hooked up with the new ‘it’ fella, Timothy Gallows.”
Penelope inhaled sharply. “Oh no.”
“I discovered later that she had been seeing him behind my back for months. And roles she’d typically get for me, she was getting for him. She used her connection to me to build his portfolio and career. It cut me deep, and I felt foolish because I never saw it coming.”
If there was one thing she understood, feeling foolish was it.
The nervous laugh, the slight tremble in his voice, and sharp inhale of breath made the ache radiating from him feel too real. If he was faking this, he was the best actor in the world.
She scooted across the sand until she was inches from him. “I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone.”
“One moment, but a lifetime of consequences.”
“And your friend didn’t do anything to help you or stop you?”
“Naw, he lets me get away with a lot when it’s not directed at him.”
Some friend. He’d had no one to hold him when his heart was broken. She was stunned by how much she wanted to put her arms around him. “How long did you date her?”
“Well, we started dating a little while before she became my agent. Officially, we dated for a year, but we were off and on for another twelve months. It’s been a year since we finally broke it off and I started acting out. I thought it was the best way to get back at her since I was stuck in her contract, but I only hurt myself.”
Penelope braced herself with one hand in the sand and rested her chin on her bare shoulder, a thin smile playing on her lips. “It’s kinda late, but I can go get china if you want to throw it.”
His laugh was deliciously throaty and warm. “I may take you up on that.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I don’t think I’ve heard you laugh like that before. I like that laugh.” Her eyes widened at the realization that she’d voiced the confession. Did it matter? It wasn’t like he didn’t know he was sexy.
“Does that mean you don’t hate me as much anymore?”
What did she have to do to make him understand it wasn’t hate making her keep her distance? “I’ve never hated you. I’m scared of you. I know all of this is a show, but I think it would be fairly easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget that. And for some reason, despite my initial assessment, I get the feeling you’re so much more than you present to the world. It would be easy to fall for you. Plus, of course, the red hair.”
“Have you had anything to drink?”
She chuckled. “I wish I had that excuse.”
“Why?”
Penelope rolled her eyes and looked away. “Because I’m finding you very likable, and I don’t want to.” She really didn’t want to like him, but being in his atmosphere was like fighting a giant. Only she didn’t have a slingshot.
“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed you found me likable.”
“You’d have guessed wrong.” Glancing at him, she twisted her fingers in her shirt. “They showed me the video of yesterday morning. Me, showing what an idiot I am.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “No, you weren’t. I thought it was sweet and genuine. My only regret was stepping out of the kitchen to get you a blanket. You were gone when I got back, and then you avoided me the rest of the day.”
“My blood sugar was in chaos because of those drinks. That’s why I’m careful with what I eat and how often I eat, so I don’t behave like that. It was low yesterday, and even the little bit of sugar I drank in my coffee didn’t help.”
Angus held her gaze. “Is that what I need to do if it happens again? Give you a little sugar?”
She nodded. “It helps. And…thank you for cooking me breakfast. You were sweet while I made a fool of myself.” Penelope drew in the sand with her finger. “How was your day with Amber?”
His eyebrows knitted together. “You’re inches away from me, and you’re asking about another woman? Why?”
During the conversation, she’d shaved off distance between them. He was so close, smelling so good, and a more kissable set of lips couldn’t possibly exist.
She tried to move away, but he caught her around the waist and kept her still. “Don’t.”
“Angus, I think I’ve given you the wrong impression.”
“What impression is that?”
That she’d somehow forgotten where she was or that she was being filmed. “This is still a show. I’m still me. And there are three women vying for your attention who are much better suited for you than I am.”
“What makes you say that?”
She exhaled sharply. “Angus, come on. They’re them, and I’m me. I’m not putting myself down. I know what I’m not, and I’m not them.”
His face was so close to hers. Whatever cologne he was wearing smelled beyond good. She was doomed.
“You must think I’m pretty shallow.”
Her heart thrummed in her ears. Not shallow, just…“I don’t,” she whispered. Millions of butterflies settled in her stomach, and they tickled like crazy. This was what she was afraid of. That she’d be dumb enough to fall for whatever game he was playing. “I think we’re too close.”
“I disagree.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I haven’t done anything. I’m just sitting here.”
This would never work. Maybe if she showed him there was nothing between them, he’d leave her alone. If he left her alone, she’d survive this show and leave undamaged.
A snap decision, and Penelope was kissing him. She was sure he would push her away as soon as her lips touched his, but he didn’t. Instead of the quick, bland kiss she hoped it’d be, it was like holding a lit sparkler against her mouth. Tingles traveled over her lips and down her spine. The longing and need for someone to love and to be loved settled over her like a warm blanket. Not just any someone either. Him. Oh, she was in so much trouble.
Penelope pulled away. Words were caught in her throat.
Angus held her gaze. “You do realize you kissed me.”
“It was a good way to prove there’s nothing here.”
He smiled. “Who are you trying to sell that to? You or me?”
Both? “It was nothing.”
“If that was nothing, I eagerly await a kiss that’s something.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. If she
got her heart broken, it would be her own stupid fault. What if she could make him angry enough to push her away? “How does it compare with the other three?”
Angus tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “If you think you’re going to get a rise out of me, you’re wrong. I haven’t kissed any of them, and I have no desire to.”
“This was a mistake.”
“Let’s test that theory. Kiss me again.”
At that moment, all she wanted to do was kiss him again. She was absolutely attracted to him. There was a magnetic pull she felt when he was near. It made no sense because she barely knew him.
“No.” Penelope used all her willpower and stood. “Goodnight, Angus.” She turned and made a mad dash to the safety of her room.
Chapter 26
“How many?” Angus asked. The crew had taken up residence on the second floor, while Barb took the third. He’d been called to Barb’s room so they could talk in private.
The top floor had been converted into an entire master suite. Light, airy, and spacious. A large, dark wood canopy bed faced a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. A fireplace divided the room and a large soaking tub in the second half of the room faced another set of floor-to-ceiling windows that opened to a large balcony with seating for two.
In truth, it made Angus a little jealous.
Barb gave him a pinched look. “So far, five.”
Angus sat down with the letter hanging loosely in his hands. It had been more than a year since his stalker had sent him a letter. Long enough that he’d forgotten all about them. “Do you think it’s the same person as last time? Why start this up now?” They were all the same. He belonged to them, they were his biggest fan, and they loved him. Then they’d gone after Clara about a year back.
He and Clara had been broken up until that. He’d sworn her off, and when she’d called, he’d rushed to her. It was only a couple of weeks before they broke up for the thousandth time. He’d caught her with someone else again. That had been the beginning of his fall from favor.
“I’m guessing your interest in Penelope has rekindled their attention.”
Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1) Page 13