“Ready?” Roger asked. He was a muscular man in his thirties with windswept, dark brown hair and dimples hidden under the scruff of a painstakingly maintained ten o’clock shadow.
Not that he was a vain man, but sometimes Angelica wondered if Roger Mewes didn’t have a little extra help in that regard. The whiskers lining his jaw were just too damn perfect to be natural. She also thought he might visit a tanning salon once a week. It was sunny in California, but no one could maintain the sort of tan he sported with the hours he worked indoors. Suddenly, she couldn’t help but compare it to Noah’s California casual style, flannel shirt and real scruff included. Unfortunately for him, poor Roger just didn’t stack up.
“Yep. Come on in,” she said, stepping aside to welcome them all into her home, shambles though it may be.
As the crew tromped by her to set up their stationary equipment on the folding tables she’d stuck in the formal living room, she sat on the staircase to put her socks on.
“Ang?” The soft voice was familiar, and Angelica looked up in surprise.
“Leah! Nobody told me they’d talked you into this project!” She jumped up to hug the petite woman standing between two huge plastic cases marked MAKEUP in permanent black marker.
Leah Strange hugged her back. “I needed a change of pace, so it wasn’t too hard to convince me.” Her signature red hair had been chopped decisively into a pixie cut, just as flattering as the angled cut she’d sported the last time Angelica had seen her. Everything looked good on Leah. Perfect eyebrows over big brown eyes in skin that didn’t need the products she carried? Angelica had once heard another actress demand, “Just make me look like you!” in the makeup chair.
She tightened her arms around the smaller woman, then released her. “Please tell me you haven’t had another breakup.”
“Would if I could,” the other woman said cheerfully, a hint of her Southern accent still remaining. “But my Daddy says I’m descended from George Washington, so I don’t lie.”
Angelica laughed. Leah had been an assistant on the hair and makeup team for her first movie, and they’d formed an easy bond. They didn’t see each all that often, but Angelica had always been delighted on the rare occasions she’d slipped into a makeup chair and found Leah standing behind it.
“I’m surprised to find you doing TV work,” she said, picking up one of the makeup cases and heading to the kitchen. “Best light in here, probably.”
“Rumors are flyin’, honey, and I wanted to be in on the ground floor.” Leah’s tinkling laugh had always reminded Angelica of some kind of fairy. “Pun intended.”
“Rumors?”
“Anytime a celebrity does one of these renovation shows, there are questions, Ang.”
Angelica winced. “I wouldn’t call myself a celebrity.”
“Vanilla Ice did it.”
“And I’m definitely not Vanilla Ice.”
“Mmm. Thank goodness. I don’t think his highlights would look good on you.” Leah unsnapped the locks and flipped each case’s lid open with the practiced ease of a professional. “I called Jai.”
“Of course you did.”
“He told me you were making major changes.”
“Of course he did.”
“And, needing a break as I was, I made a few calls, and called in a few favors.”
Angelica snorted. Leah was at the top of her game, so she must really have wanted a break from L.A. Otherwise, there was no explanation why the talented woman had been willing to take what must have been a substantial pay cut. The RenoTV folks had probably been panting to hire her. It was a coup for them, but for her friend? Well, something must be up.
“Leah… is everything okay?”
“Sit.” Leah pushed Angelica down onto the stool next to the island. “Everything’s fine. Stop frowning, I need to look at your face,” she said, quickly flicking through the cases, tubes, and tins in her supplies, pulling a few things out as she went.
“But—”
“You’re not the only one who wants a change, honey.” Leah smoothed the skin around Angelica’s eyebrows with steady fingers, then frowned. “What’s this?” She traced around the edges of Angelica’s lips, and her eyebrows flew up. “Angelica!”
“What?” Angelica tugged her head away from her friend’s too-knowing gaze.
“Nobody told me I’d be covering up stubble tracks.” Leah smirked. “Who haven’t I met?”
“Nobody.”
“Somebody’s been awfully close to your face, for a nobody. Fresh, too.” Leah reached into her case for a concealer. “Can’t lie to your makeup girl. Last night? Rog said something…”
“I’m not surprised.” Angelica rolled her eyes. “He was ready to have a pissing contest right then and there.”
“Who?”
“Both of them.”
“Rog and…” Leah let the words trail off on a note of inquiry.
Angelica gave in with a sigh. “You’ll meet him soon enough. I’m sure he’ll come storming in here to yell at us before too long.”
“Sounds like a peach. What’s this paragon’s name?”
“Noah Bradstone. He lives next door.” Angelica waved a hand in the direction of Noah’s property.
“And he is….” Leah was a master interrogator, apparently.
“Infuriating, grumpy. Ridiculously attractive. Off limits.”
“To you, or to me?”
Angelica bit back the flow of unexpected jealousy. “Me. But I wouldn’t recommend him for you, either. He doesn’t have a high opinion of people from Hollywood. Or people in general, as far as I can tell.”
Leah grinned. “I look forward to meeting him.” She leaned forward, brush in hand. “Close your eyes.”
Angelica closed her eyes obediently and felt the expert application of liner and shadow happening. “What about Roger?”
“What about him?”
“Don’t act innocent with me. I remember when you dated.”
“That was years ago, Angelica.”
“Not that long.”
“At least four boyfriends ago, which is basically an eternity.”
“Normal people don’t measure time by relationships, Leah.”
Leah sniffed. “Normal is overrated. Hair next.”
Angelica opened her eyes. “Up or down?”
“Your hair, or my relationships?”
“My hair, you weirdo.”
Leah glanced down at a clipboard glued into the lid of her makeup case. “Says we’re doing preliminary walkthrough shots today, so let’s go for fabulous instead of feisty.”
“The glamorous celebrity leads you through a tour of her home?”
Leah laughed. “You got it.” She handed Angelica a sparkling hair pin. “Hold that, I’ll do a quick blowout.”
One quick spray and a noisy blowout later, Angelica looked in the mirror Leah held in front of her face. “You do good work, kid.”
“Call me kid and I’ll knock your kneecaps out,” Leah said sweetly.
“Only because that’s all you can reach.”
“Keep it up, Boobs McGrath. I’m the one making you look good today.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Angelica grinned at her friend. “Are we ready?”
Leah nodded. “I’ll be on hand for touch-ups.”
“Sounds good. Time to go find Roger and remind him of your everlasting love.”
“You’re going to look like a raccoon tomorrow.”
“I’ll fit right in then.” She grinned impishly. “Have you been out to the shed yet?”
Leah followed her out of the kitchen, running a finger down the chair rail in the foyer and making a face when it came away covered in dust. “You know this place is a dump, right?”
“I do, but it’s my dump,” Angelica said with a firm nod. “And it’s going to be gorgeous. What you just did to my face?” She circled her head with her finger and waited for Leah’s nod. “I’m going to do that to this house.”
“You’
re going to need a lot of concealer.”
“We call it drywall,” Angelica said with a grin. “And there’s a truckload being delivered tomorrow.”
Chapter Seven
Hooking his sunglasses onto the neck of his faded gray t-shirt, Noah reached for the door to The Hollow Bean, his favorite coffee shop in River Hill, stepped over the threshold, and stopped dead in his tracks. Because there she was. Angelica Travis: Noah’s greatest desire and the biggest nemesis, all wrapped up in one mouth-watering package.
Up until the other night things had been going well between them. So well, in fact, that Noah couldn’t get the taste of her off his lips, couldn’t stop thinking about what the rest of her would taste like too. But damn it if she wasn’t the most infuriating woman he’d ever met. As he’d gotten to know her better, one of the things he appreciated most about Angelica was that she’d willingly walked away from a life in Hollywood to pursue her dream of opening and running a B&B. He’d been impressed by her fortitude in the face of uncertainty, by her complete faith in her ability to succeed in this new venture. She’d reminded him a bit of himself in that regard, if he was being honest.
But now that she’d told him about the TV show she’d be starring in, he had to wonder if Angelica had meant all the things she’d told him previously, or if she’d only said what she thought he wanted to hear. She was an actress, after all, and delivering scripted lines was her specialty.
What other bullshit might she have fed me?
For a fleeting second Noah considered turning around and walking out, but this was his town, and he refused to be chased out of all his favorite haunts just because she was there. Besides, River Hill was a small community; he’d better get used to running into her whenever he stepped foot in town.
Noah ran a hand through his hair, noted that it was getting overly long, and stepped into line behind her. Even though ogling a woman in public wasn’t the gentlemanly thing to do, he couldn’t stop his eyes from falling to Angelica’s ass encased in soft, well-worn denim. Now that he knew how that sensuous flesh filled out his palms, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to keep from staring. Which was a problem since he probably wouldn’t get a chance to repeat the experience anytime soon.
Unless …
Noah knew he’d reacted harshly, but that was only because he’d been disappointed. The truth was, he’d grown to like Angelica these past few weeks. He’d found her exasperating at times, sure, but what women wasn’t? But now that he’d learned where her priorities lay, he’d gained a bit of clarity where his sexy neighbor was concerned. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if this show wasn’t a good thing after all. Somebody who was committed to a TV show wouldn’t be looking for a commitment from him, and that sounded… well, perfect. Not to mention, their chemistry was off-the-charts explosive, and if they didn’t do something about it soon, Noah wasn’t sure either of them would survive the combustion. He definitely wasn’t in the market for a relationship—and now he suspected Angelica wasn’t either—but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy each other. Specifically, each other’s bodies. They just needed to keep things nice and friendly between them without stepping over the line.
But first, he’d have to eat crow.
Noah stepped closer and cleared his throat, causing Angelica to swing her head around to investigate the noise. When her eyes landed on him, her pupils flared but then her gaze turned flinty. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Yup, it’s me,” he said, rocking back on his heels. “Who were you expecting?”
“Go away.” Angelica faced forward, giving him her back.
“Sorry, no can do.”
Noah couldn’t see her face, but he’d bet she was speaking through gritted teeth when she said, “Isn’t there another coffee shop you could go to?”
He laughed and shook his head. Who the heck did this woman think she was? “You’re kidding, right?” The Hollow Bean was River Hill’s only coffee shop. Which was why the line was always so damn long.
Angelica peered at him over her shoulder. “Does this look like the face of a woman who’s joking?”
Noah took a few moments to study the woman in front of him. Damn. Just looking at Angelica caused his temperature to spike and his dick to swell. Which reminded him what he needed to do if he was going to get to touch her again. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night.”
Angelica raised an eyebrow, and he noticed that since he’d last seen her last, they’d been groomed into perfectly sculpted arches. His gaze roved over her face, taking in other changes in her appearance. The adorable freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose had been masked by a heavy layer of makeup, and her eyes were dusted with a shimmery shadow that reminded him of the burnished hillside behind his house during the height of summer.
“What happened to your face?” he blurted. When Angelica winced, he realized how his words had sounded. “Shit, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” He scrubbed a frustrated hand over his jaw. Noah had never been good at apologizing. “I just meant, your face looks different.”
“It’s called makeup.” She turned her head away, giving him her profile.
“I know what it is.” He rolled his eyes. “What I mean to say is, why are you wearing makeup?”
Not that Noah thought she looked bad—because she didn’t, she looked fucking beautiful—but he’d gotten used to seeing Angelica all fresh-faced and relaxed, not this primped and polished version of the woman. It reminded him of the women his mother was always trying to set him up with.
“Everyone wears makeup on TV.” Her tone was excessively patient, her voice rising an octave as if explaining a very simple idea to a very simple person.
“Yeah, but you don’t need it,” Noah said as he edged out from behind her to eye her from the side and make room for the growing line.
When the customer at the front of the line paid and moved aside to wait for his order, they both took a step forward, and Angelica lifted her face to study the chalkboard menu, ignoring Noah’s words.
He waited, but when she continued ignoring him, Noah plowed on. “Because you’re beautiful without it.”
Angelica’s lips hitched up in a small, shy smile that she quickly fought to control, but it was too late—Noah’d seen it and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to build on that tiny bit of progress. Stepping close enough to smell her light, floral scent, he traced the line of her collarbone with his finger. “I always think you’re beautiful.”
He watched with satisfaction as her skin turned a becoming shade of pink, starting somewhere below the neckline of her shirt and moving up to color her cheeks. But before Noah could lean forward and whisper in Angelica’s ear that he’d bet good money she looked best with nothing on at all, it was her turn to step forward and place her order.
As she asked the barista for a triple cappuccino, Noah pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Make that two,” he said, handing over a ten-dollar bill.
“I can pay for my own coffee, Noah.”
“I know. But it’s the least I can do to make up for the other night.”
Angelica’s cheeks colored again, and Noah’s dick stirred with the memory of her curves pressed up against his hard body. Why couldn’t she have waited to tell him about the show until after they’d fucked? He’d probably still have been angry, but this way, he’d wound up angry and sexually frustrated.
“There’s no need,” Angelica responded, interrupting his wayward thoughts.
She could argue all she liked, but he was buying her goddamned coffee. With a fixed stare, he accepted his change from the barista. “Too late. I win.”
Angelica stepped aside to wait for her coffee and crossed her arms. “Is that what this is about? Winning?”
Noah stared at her in bewilderment. “What?”
“This thing between you and me,” she answered, rolling her hand between them. “You always have to have the upper hand.”
“That’s not
true,” he protested, as an uncomfortable sensation of dismay grew in his chest. The thing was, Angelica wasn’t the first woman who’d accused him of something like that. He was competitive—he knew that—but he didn’t think it was as bad as she was making it out to be.
“It is,” she said firmly. “The vines, the tacos, the music, the coffee. You always have to be right, always have to come in first.”
Noah blinked long and slow and inhaled a frustrated breath. He didn’t want to admit Angelica was right but … she wasn’t wrong either. He opened his eyes. “What can I say or do to make things right between us? I’m tired of fighting with you.”
Angelica studied him for a few brief moments while Noah’s heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t know why, but suddenly he was very worried what her answer would be. He couldn’t have guessed, but suddenly he had this overwhelming fear that she’d say there was nothing he could do. And that would be bad. Very, very bad. Because as much as she infuriated him, she also intrigued him.
Peering up at him, her mouth lifted into a smile she didn’t try to hide this time. “Tell you what. I’ve smelled you barbecuing a few times and I know you have good wine at your place. How about you invite me over, ply me with steak and alcohol, and we can start over?”
Noah smiled at her offer of a truce and tried not to think what else he’d like to ply her with. “I’d planned on cooking up some ribeyes tonight. You free?”
Angelica grabbed their coffees off the counter and passed Noah’s cup to him. “Six o’clock work?”
Quickly, Noah calculated everything he still had to do that day, including cleaning up his house and making sure his bed was made with fresh sheets and blankets. He had a meeting down in Santa Rosa later that afternoon and with rush hour traffic, he didn’t think he’d be back until well after dark. “Can we make it 7:30?” he asked.
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