Kiss and Make Up

by Serenity Woods

  She dabbed some color on the back of her hand with a sponge and flicked him an amused glance. “Let’s just say I enjoyed yours more than the others.” She pulled out some photographs of the makeup that Kelly Peters had done before her accident and studied them for a moment before putting them down and staring at the tray. It’s no good, Tabby, you can’t pretend it didn’t happen. She looked back up at him and bit her lip. “I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have flirted with you. I’m not normally such a tease. But you’re incredibly sexy, and I couldn’t resist getting my hands on you.”

  Something like relief spread across his features. “No worries, honey. You may have noticed—I kind of enjoyed it.”

  She laughed and looked back at the makeup tray, running her fingers over the colors.

  “I don’t date the women I work with,” he said. “Also, I’m going to LA to work soon.”

  She nodded. The knot in her stomach unfurled. His smile was warm and friendly—he’d enjoyed her flirting, and he understood that any idea of a relationship was out of the question. “Sure. I’m off the UK soon, too. We’re just two people who find each other attractive…and who haven’t had sex for a while.” She couldn’t stop the teasing smile that curved her lips.

  He returned it, eyes twinkling. “I guess you could say that.”

  “So we’ve cleared that up, then.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool.” She picked up one of the pots of colored paint. “Come on, let’s get started.”

  Eli sat patiently while Tabby mixed her colors and began decorating his skin with the blues and greens of the Atlantis King. She worked silently, concentrating on getting the colors right. After about ten minutes, however, she sat back, biting her lip.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I should’ve started lighter. The colors are coming out darker than I thought. I haven’t used this paint before.”

  “You want to begin again?”

  She hesitated, not wanting to make him sit for her any longer than he had to. But she had to get this right—for her sake, for his sake as he’d recommended her, and for Geoff Stone, who’d probably have a coronary if yet another makeup artist failed to meet Kelly’s high standards.

  She gave him an apologetic look. “Would you mind? I’m so sorry.”

  “Of course not.” He smiled and she smiled back. He was so nice. She removed the makeup and began again, this time building up the color from a lighter blue base.

  “That’s better,” she said after twenty minutes, sitting back with satisfaction. “Thanks, Eli. I really appreciate your patience.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  As she started to apply brighter highlights and darker shadows, she was aware of him studying her.

  “How old are you?” he asked.

  “Twenty-three. You?”

  “Twenty-six.”

  “Old man.”

  He laughed. “Compared to you, maybe.” He nodded at the henna on her hands. “Did you do that yourself?”

  “Yes.”

  He tipped his head. “That’s pretty impressive, with your left hand.”

  “I’m left-handed, but I taught myself to write with my right, too.”

  “Do you henna your hands often?”

  “I’m always drawing on them with something. If it’s not henna, it’s ballpoint or felt tip.”

  They fell silent again. When she leaned closer to apply some shadows to his face, her cheeks grew warm as his gaze moved down to where she’d unbuttoned her shirt almost to her cleavage. It lingered there for a moment before returning to caress her face.

  “So why have you been celibate for a year?”

  She shuffled the bottles on the tray. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m hardly rushing off here.”

  “Let’s just say I haven’t found that love and a career mix very well.” Understatement of the year, Tabby.

  He snorted. “Join the club. My ex dumped me a couple of years ago when I wouldn’t give up being a stuntman. Never mind that I’d wanted to be one my whole life.”

  Tabby frowned. So his ex had screwed him, too. “Why do people think once they start dating you, they have the right to tell you what to do with your life?”

  “I have no idea, but it sucks.”

  “Did she know what you did for a living before you got together?”

  “Oh yeah. But every time I crashed a motorcycle or got blown up, she threw a fit.”

  It didn’t make sense to her at all. Why get involved with someone in a dangerous profession if you couldn’t cope with them taking risks? “That’s crazy. People like to think they can change you. I think most relationships break down because someone comes to the realization it’s not going to happen.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “I suppose everyone has an ideal partner in their head, and many people try to make the person they fall in love with fit that ideal, but that’s never going to work, you know?”

  “Mm.” His eyes were warm, filled with something like admiration.

  “You have to accept that your partner’s never going to fit your perfect image of them. And I think the absolute worst thing you can do is to ask them to change their dreams because they don’t fit into your plans.” She glared at the bottles for a moment, thinking about her ex. It had been a year, but the memory was still like a knife through her heart.

  “So what’s your story?”

  She pressed a sponge into gold paint and dabbed it onto his shoulders. He’d confessed to her, so she owed him an explanation. “I was going out with Simon—my ex—when the Delamar Academy in London accepted me about eighteen months ago. Shortly afterward, he got a job on the other side of the States.”

  “Ah.”

  “Yes, you can see where I’m going with this. He persuaded me to give up my place in the course to go with him and said if I loved him, I’d do it for him.” She concentrated on his upper arms as anger swept over her. She wasn’t going to let Simon have this power over her anymore.

  Eli frowned. “So you gave up the place.”

  “Crazy, isn’t it?” She said the words flatly. Telling the story never failed to make her feel stupid.

  “So… What went wrong?”

  “Two months later, I found him in bed with someone else.” She straightened. “I tried to get back into the course, but it was too late—they’d given the place to someone else. Luckily, they allowed me to reapply this year—I even got a scholarship, so I guess, maybe, it was meant to be.” She made the comment flip to hide the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

  Eli watched her for a moment. Then he gave her a pleading glance. “Please tell me the person you found him in bed with was a guy.”

  She laughed and picked up the makeup sponge. “Unfortunately not. She was a very pretty blonde. Her boobs were fake, but I guess they were big enough for it not to matter.” She didn’t want to think about how she’d felt when she walked into the bedroom and saw him wrapped around another woman. The shock, the crushing feeling of betrayal. She’d gone over and over it, reliving the moment for months. Now she pushed it to the back of her mind and dabbed a glittery green paint onto Eli’s collarbone.

  “So since then you haven’t dated?” he asked.

  “It seemed like the safer option.” She shrugged. “Plus I haven’t really met anyone I wanted to date.” She didn’t look up at him. She was not thinking of dating him.

  “Me neither,” he said.

  She laughed at that, not believing him. He was far too gorgeous to have been single for so long. “You’ve been celibate for two years?”

  He grinned. “Hmm, not quite. I meant I haven’t had a serious relationship for a while. It’s too much of a hassle.”

  “Yeah.” She sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. At least they were on the same wavelength.

  “So you’re off to the Delamar soon? You must be pretty excited.”

  “God, yes.” Then she thought of her parents, and her shoulders
slumped. “Yes I am, but it’s complicated.” She waved her hand and picked up a silver pencil to draw small circles on his arms, not wanting to give him her whole life history in one sitting. “I won’t bore you with the details.”

  “I like being bored.” He tipped his head. “Well, actually I don’t, I’m terrible at it—what I meant to say is that you won’t bore me. I’m interested in you.”

  “I’m terribly boring, Eli—not at all exciting enough to keep a guy like you interested.”

  “That shows how little you know me.”

  She didn’t look up, but her lips curved with pleasure.

  They were quiet for a while. Aware of him watching her, she concentrated on the patterns on his arms until he spoke again. “Have you met Will Daniells yet?”

  “Yes. I bumped into him this morning on the way here. He was meeting with Geoff Stone.”

  “Did he say anything to you?” He was frowning. Had the two of them spoken?

  “He asked me to dinner tonight.”

  “What did you say?”

  She picked up a brush and drew small gold stars across his shoulders. “I told him I don’t date guys I work with.” She thought of Eli’s lips on hers, and giggled.

  “If he gives you any trouble let me know and I’ll break his nose.”

  “You think you could?”

  He snorted. “The guy’s a lightweight. I could do it and play the piano at the same time.” He looked over as Mick came into the room carrying a couple of plastic containers and a cardboard tray with three cups of coffee. “Hey, tell her I could take Daniells.”

  “He could completely waste him,” Mick confirmed, passing the containers to Eli. “He used to be a bouncer—did he tell you?”

  “No.” She rolled her eyes at Eli, although the thought of him in such a physical job raised her heartbeat. “You’re just a thug deep down, aren’t you?”

  “Pretty much.” He opened one of the containers and took out the bagel. “Mind if I eat?”

  “Not as long as you sit still.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Mick sat opposite them. “I got you a coffee, just in case,” he said to Tabby. He looked up at Eli, and his eyes widened. “Wow. That looks fantastic.”

  Pleasure and relief flooded her. “You think? Is it as good as Kelly’s?”

  “Pass me a mirror,” Eli said. She did, and as he examined her work, she passed a critical eye over the colors and patterns. “Wow, Tabbs. You’re good. I look almost handsome.”

  Mick dunked a doughnut in his coffee. “Give it up—she’s not a miracle worker.”

  Tabby laughed and sipped her drink. “I haven’t finished yet.” But their compliments pleased her.

  She continued for another half an hour, adding highlights and glitter while he and Mick talked and ate, drawing her into the conversation and making her laugh.

  As Mick related some gossip he’d heard on set, Tabby continued to mark the dips between Eli’s finger bones with dark shadows, highlighting his knuckles with lighter, silvery paint. After a while, another makeup artist came in to work on Mick, and Tabby sat back to check her watch. “Geoff said he’d be along around seven thirty. I think we’d better figure out your hair.”

  “Sure.”

  The wig sat on a stand to one side, its green and silver strands shining in the electric light. Tabby moved behind him and raked her fingers through his hair. “It won’t lie flat,” she said. “It’s sticking up.”

  “Are you still talking about my hair?”

  She laughed and bent forward to whisper in his ear. “Behave.”

  “My hair won’t listen. It’s rebellious. I can’t do anything with it.”

  Smiling, she smoothed it down as best as she could with some wax, then applied the glue around his forehead. Standing in front of him this time, she lowered the wig, pressing it into place.

  Afterward, she picked up the container with his lenses and sat before him again. “Are you comfortable with me putting these on you?”

  “Yeah, no worries. It’s only Mick that runs screaming like a girl when his eyes are touched.”

  She lifted the dark green lenses out of the case and applied them, soaking up the occasional tear with a tissue as his eyes watered. “There,” she said, standing back. “Done.”

  Eli stood and walked to the long mirror on the wall. Tabby admired the view of the long-haired warrior, mysterious with his ocean-colored skin and startling eyes. He turned back to her, clearly impressed. “Wow.”

  “Excellent,” Mick said. “Perfect, Tabby.”

  “Let’s have a look.” They turned as several people came through the door, led by the tall, gruff form of Geoff Stone, Will Daniells on his heels. Tabby didn’t glance at Daniells, keeping her gaze on the director.

  While they examined Eli’s transformation, Tabby nibbled her bottom lip and awaited his verdict. Geoff surveyed her handiwork, frowning, comparing the photos of Kelly’s work and inspecting the swirls and patterns on Eli’s skin up close.

  Tabby swallowed, unable to wait any longer. “Is it any good?”

  “It’s excellent,” Geoff said. He straightened and gave her a smile. “Well done, Tabby. Better than I could have hoped.”

  Triumphant, she glanced at Eli and mouthed, “Yes!”

  He winked at her.

  Geoff beckoned to Eli. “Come on. Let’s get you in costume and we can get cracking on that fall from the tower before we start on the main battle. It’ll give Tabby enough time to make up Will.”

  “Sure thing.” Eli followed Geoff out, but she saw him hesitate in the doorway as Will sat in the seat he’d just vacated. Was he worried she was going to give him one of her surveys?

  “Hi,” said Will, catching hold of her hand. “Given any thought to my proposal, sweetheart?”

  “I’m not your sweetheart.” She removed his hand from hers and sat in front of him—about a foot farther away than she’d sat before Eli. She made sure her voice was loud enough to reach him. “You’re just a blank canvas to me, Mr. Daniells. Please sit there and be quiet, and we’ll get on fine.”

  Her gaze flicked over to Eli’s. He laughed and left the room. But his smile stayed with her a lot longer.

  Chapter Four

  Tabby’s stomach churned like a washing machine. She’d been terrified Geoff wouldn’t like her work, and she could have used some time to herself to recover, but now Will watched her with a rising interest that annoyed her.

  He reminded her of Simon. They wore the same easy indifference, and had the same egotistical assumption that every woman found them enchanting. Part of her wanted to work more quickly to get the job over with, but that would be stupid considering Will was the lead role, so she forced herself to slow down and ignore the intensity of his hazel eyes as she worked on him.

  For a while, he remained silent as she brushed base color on his face, neck, and shoulders, and she managed to forget who she was working on, thinking instead about Eli, and the way he’d slipped his hand to the back of her neck and kissed her. She’d been flirting with him, enjoying her study of his body, amused and pleased when she opened her eyes and saw his reaction to her touch. Still, she hadn’t expected him to press his lips against hers, in such a tender, hesitant way it made her heart pound to think about it.

  Will shifted in the chair, and she stopped, closing her eyes and counting to ten. She’d known Eli was impatient to get up and move, but he’d stayed perfectly still while she worked, and she’d been touched when he didn’t complain about her starting again after she made a mistake. Will, however, looked bored, eager to get the makeup over with so he could get on with being a star.

  She waited for him to settle and then started again. At least she knew what she was doing this time, and it wouldn’t take her quite so long.

  “Are you sure I can’t tempt you with dinner?” Will raised an eyebrow. “I can get the best table at the Waterfront.”

  “Ooh, the most exclusive restaurant in town…” She waved her hand in
the air in mock awe before rolling her eyes. “No thanks. I told you, I don’t date guys I work with.”

  “Why is that again?”

  She smiled. “Too complicated.”

  “It doesn’t have to be complicated.”

  She looked away and chose another paint color. She’d heard about his relationship with the lead actress and how he’d dumped her after a couple of weeks. He was one of those men who had fun using women and never called them afterward. When she’d walked out on Simon, he’d never even called to apologize for the fact that she’d found him having feral sex in their bed with a bimbo. And Will would be the same.

  Her eyes met his for a moment. Then she dropped her gaze back to his neck and dabbed on more paint.

  He remained silent for a while. He’d removed his T-shirt, and she pondered for a moment on how different he was from Eli. The two men were similar in height and build, which was obviously why Stone had picked Eli to act as stunt double for Will, but there the similarity ended. Eli’s hair was short, thick, and black, and had felt silky beneath her fingers. Will’s was dark brown and wiry, with a natural curl he clearly hated and had tried to repress with gel. His face was more sensual than Eli’s, with fuller lips and eyes perpetually at half-mast, giving him a look of lazy indifference. Something about him made her shiver—and not in a good way.

  “Are you with anyone at the moment?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer, but she thought of Eli, grinning at her with his black teeth before calling her “Tabbs” in his deep voice.

  “You have a pretty smile,” Will said.

  You wouldn’t say that if you knew why I’m smiling. She thought about Eli’s offer to break his nose. The guy made her laugh, more than Simon had done…intentionally, anyway. Like Will, Simon had been dazzling, drawing all eyes including hers like a comet in the sky, but it had all been a sham. And now Will was seeing something he couldn’t have, like a child in a toy shop, and he thought a few smooth words would be enough to get her into bed.

  But the only guy she wanted in her bed had a sexy gap between his teeth. And he’d kissed like an angel—as if afraid she’d break at the touch of his lips.