Take Two (8 page)

“Maddie, you’re blowing this out of proportion.”

“Except I run the camera. So technically, I call the shots. At least I’m calling this one.” She turned toward the door, ready to bolt. The idea that he held all the power irked her. Just because he was famous? No, she didn’t go for that. He was a regular guy like everyone else.

He put his hand up to stop her from walking past, but a knock at his trailer door brought it back to his side. He groaned. “Yes?”

“They’re ready for you on set,” Sam’s voice bellowed through the door.

Maddie glanced back and saw Micah screw up his face in frustration. “Okay. Be right there.” To her he said, “Can we please talk about this later?”

“There’s nothing to say.” She opened the trailer door. Before she left, she turned back to the disheveled man staring after her. “I’ll send your makeup artist. You need a touch-up.”

Chapter Seven

It took the entire walk back to set for Maddie’s heartbeat to settle to its regular rate. Even then, her head still spun from her Micah encounter.

What the fuck just happened? No, don’t think about it. Think about work.

Except there wasn’t any work for her to do. She’d adjusted her focuses earlier with the stand-ins and Adam didn’t need anything from her at the moment. She watched as Joe walked Heather through the blocking on the log cabin where the scene took place. It was a beautiful location. The aromatic purple grape-like flowers—Maddie didn’t know their name—mixed with the tall green and yellow grasses against the rustic wood of the log home, creating a quite visually appealing setting. It would look good on film. Especially when the ruggedly handsome Micah was added to the scene, leaning back against the rough post of the deck, thighs hard and…

Stop.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Micah Preston had kissed her. He kissed her. And he had been into it. And he had wanted more. Then, did she end things? Yes, she was pretty sure she had. Was that really what she wanted? Yes, yes it was. There must be a good reason though she couldn’t manage to think of what it was. All she could think of were his lips, his hands, his bulging pants…

No, stop it, stop it, stop it.

Think about something else.
Usually, she spent dead time on set working on her own movie, editing on her laptop. But her computer bag was in the crew’s trailer and that was too close to Micah’s trailer.

Micah’s trailer…

She pulled out her phone and scanned her Facebook newsfeed for distraction. Nothing interesting. She was tempted to update her status, but was afraid
Just made out with Micah Preston and am now lost in thoughts of him naked against me
was an inappropriate post. Though it would probably garner several “likes”.

She pocketed her phone and looked up to see Micah complete with fresh makeup strolling onto the set. Even with several yards between them, he met her eyes and an undercurrent of electricity rushed through her. She tapped her foot to direct the frenzied energy somewhere. Did he do this to every woman or just her? Probably all women. She wasn’t special. But there he was, maintaining eye contact, looking at her with—what? Yearning?

“Let’s talk,” he mouthed to her.

She was confused. Should she talk to him? Why did he even want to talk to her? He was into women for a quick roll in the hay, and if he thought that was what he was getting from her, then he had another thing coming.

But that yearning look he gave her… Maybe he wanted something different from her. Something more.

Right. And fairies were real and rainbows had pots of gold at the end of them.

She wished she were invisible, wished she could fade into the background like she usually did. She closed her eyes, as if doing so could make her disappear. When she opened them, Micah had moved his attention to his scene partner. The absence of his gaze chilled her. Despite how easily she’d pulled herself from his embrace, she wanted him—there was no doubt of that. Wanted him so much she practically needed a change of panties whenever he was in the room.

It was possible she’d been too hard on him. So he’d pretended not to remember her. That was shitty. But he was right—she hadn’t let on that she remembered him either.

It was his reasons for pretending that bothered her. That he’d thought she’d want to take advantage of him just because he was a famous actor. He had some superiority complex.

Except, okay, maybe most women did that to him. Assumed things about him or showed an interest because he was who he was. She should give him a break.

But that just illuminated the whole reason she shouldn’t get involved with him in the first place. He was an actor. A famous actor. And his life was, as he said, different. One main highlight being the rapid-fire way he went through women. All of it suggested that Micah was just a whole jumbled up mess of stuff not to get involved in.

She was stupid for being attracted to him in the first place. It was the memory of him she desired—a fun night in the past. That was all.

Well, and he was super hot. And famous. And charming.

And he’d kissed her.

This was so not like her. She was usually cool and collected and together, but Micah fuddled her up too much to sort out on her own.

Maddie pulled out her cell phone again and typed a text to Bree.
He remembers me after all.

Yes! What did he say?!!?

He kissed me.
She shook her head, not believing the words as she typed them. She rubbed her fingers across her swollen lips while she waited for Bree’s response, remembering the feel of his mouth on hers.

OMG. Did you jump him???

No!
Maybe she shouldn’t have included the exclamation point. After all, she was considering it.

R U gonna???

Idk, that’s why I’m texting you.
Maddie typed then paused.
That would be bad. Right?

Long minutes passed before Bree’s response arrived.
It’d probly b real good. Even though he’d break ur <3.

Maddie scowled. That was a bit dramatic. Just because she had a tendency to fall in love with every guy she slept with when she was in college didn’t mean she still did. She was older and wiser now. Probably.
Whatev.

Her phone buzzed Bree’s incoming text before Maddie could return the slider.
And make you cry.

Maddie’s scowl deepened. Was she really so fragile that she couldn’t sleep with a guy and not have it mean anything? She didn’t have to be. She could sleep with him and not become a weeping willow. Sleep with him and not be affected.

Rephrase that, sleep with him and only be physically affected. An important distinction as she liked the delicious effect he had on her body.

“We’re ready to shoot,” Joe said, interrupting Maddie’s thoughts of her and Micah rolling around in the grassy meadow in front of them, sans clothes. “Places!”

Maddie cleared her head of the ridiculous fantasy she shouldn’t be having in the first place and started toward the camera, toward Micah. She squatted on the dolly at the side of the Adam. “Sound rolling,” Chloe, the sound technician, called from her cart.

Sam stepped in front of the camera and read the clapboard. “Scene twenty-two, take one.”

Adam shifted as he adjusted the camera. Maddie rolled with the dolly as the second assistant moved them along the track, circling into the scene.

Micah began his lines, the very lines Maddie had read with him. As she watched him surrender to his performance, her body tingled. Not just in the usual physically turned-on way, but in the artistically turned-on way. He was really a good actor. She hadn’t paid attention before, trying her best not to notice him on the days since she’d arrived in Colorado. But now she saw it, saw how his whole body took on his character, his voice and movement changing into a persona very different from the man she had swapped spit with less than thirty minutes before. Yet at the same time, he was Micah Preston, more exposed and unveiled than she’d ever seen him.

Holy crap, she was gaga over him.

She let the realization settle as she followed the camera, adjusting the focus at the appropriate times.

Until Micah began walking toward Heather, and Maddie’s chest began throbbing.

Painfully throbbing.

She knew what came next—the kiss—and she didn’t want to see any more, didn’t want to watch Micah’s mouth possess another woman’s. But she had to watch, it was her job. So she did, the ache increasing with each passing second. By the time Micah wrapped his arms around Heather and leaned in for the kiss, the stab of jealousy was so tight Maddie wondered if she was having a heart attack.

Impulsively, Maddie closed her eyes, blocking out the action before her.

“Cut,” Joe called out and Maddie’s eyes flew open, realizing he’d ended before the scene was finished.

Shit. She’d missed her final focus.
Shit, shit, shit.
She peered up at Adam who was listening to Beaumont on his own headset. He looked down at Maddie questioningly.

“I missed it,” Maddie said softly. This wasn’t like her. She never missed.

“Adam, Maddie?” Joe asked. “What was with that last focus?”

“Miscalculation,” Adam said, not pointing out Maddie’s error in front of everyone. “We got it now. Sorry.”

“Let’s take it again.” Joe’s irritation sounded in his voice. “Reset.”

Dammit,
Maddie thought as she helped the second assistant roll the camera dolly back to its starting position on the track. This,
this
was why she couldn’t get mixed up with Micah Preston. She couldn’t even watch him act a scene with a fellow cast member without being overcome with jealousy. Without screwing up her job—a job that she was usually perfect at. Surely if anything more happened with him, this feeling would only get worse. Right now it was already horrible. Achingly, maddeningly, horrible.

Maddie avoided Micah’s eyes as his makeup artist came in to retouch his lips. She took the free moment to pull out her phone and type a final text to Bree.
I’m not gonna jump him.

4 the best. Luvs!

Was it for the best? She thought she’d feel better but her decision seemed hollow. She swallowed hard, stealing herself for the second take of the scene.

“Wait,” Joe said, his right hand lifted in a halting gesture. With his other hand, he pressed his headset tighter against his ear, listening to an order from Beaumont. After a minute, he pointed to Micah. “Micah, Beaumont wants to move your initial mark to here.” Joe tapped a spot on the ground with his toe. “Bruce, the light isn’t hitting the new mark. Can you arm it in, please?”

A lighting adjustment and a change in blocking. She’d have to refocus too.

She took a deep breath as crossed to the mega-fine actor, blushing as she remembered the last time she’d calculated a focus for him.

“Hey,” Micah said.

“Hey.” She didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t ask him to hold her measure, but instead put it on the ground at his feet. She felt rather than saw him pick up the end. “Thanks,” she muttered. She walked the steps back to the camera and wrote down the new measurements, then pushed the button to pull the length in, but it didn’t budge. She glanced back at Micah who still held tightly to the end. Seriously?

She trudged back to him. “Can I have it back, please?”

He crossed his arms, burying the edge against his chest. “Will you talk to me?”

Heather broke into a laugh a few feet away, pulling Maddie’s attention. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the actress flirting with Joe, still bristling from having just watched Heather make out with her man.
Whoops.
Not her man. Definitely not her man.

Micah studied Maddie. “What’s with you and Heather? That look could shoot daggers.”

She bent her head, hoping to hide her irrational envy. “Nothing. Can I have my measure?”

“No, that wasn’t a nothing look. That was most certainly something.” He pursed his lips. “Hmm. Anger? No. Jealousy.”

Her cheeks went warm. “My measure, please.”

“Maddie, you’re blushing. You are jealous.” He peered over at Heather and the crew. “You can’t be into any of those guys. At least, I hope not, because you’re way out of their league. Is it…” His face broke into an electric smile. “Are you jealous of her and me?”

She burned with irritation. “Oh my God, you’re so full of yourself.” It was true, but that he thought it was true was downright narcissistic.

“I’m right.” He uncrossed his arms and stroked her chin, the end of the measure held tightly in his other hand. Goose bumps rose on her arms as his finger moved across her skin. “No need to be jealous, Maddie. That was acting. Not like our kiss.”

She couldn’t help herself. She moved her eyes to his crotch where his hard-on was evident. “Looked like it had the same effect.” She meant to insult him with her words, but after she said them she realized she’d just confirmed his accusation. Man, she was so much better with dialogue when she had a chance to write and rewrite. Spitting it out in real time was incredibly more challenging.

Micah chuckled. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous. And this”—he removed his hand from her face and waved it over his pelvis—“is still from you, baby.”