Page 63 of Love: Take Two

Noah clenches his jaw but nods, stalking off to Yong-rae. They speak in hushed tones while Yong-rae sneaks glances at Tabitha. He's obviously worried about her—I am too—but if they're really serious about one another, orplan to be, he can't let his worry get in the way of her career. She's experienced enough to make her own choices.

Even if those choices occasionally make my palms sweat.

When Noah and Yong-rae finish talking, Yong-rae looks miserable but resigned. Kenny and Edward discuss logistics now that Clara's out. If he can, Edward wants to do one continuous shot, which means Tabitha will struggle in the water for several minutes, go limp, then Yong-rae will drag her ashore for CPR. Stunts with water are especially dangerous, but I remind myself that Tabitha is dive certified and actually swam competitively through college. She can do this.

Tabitha climbs the ladder, Edward starts rolling, and she steps off the artificial ice into the water.

"I didn't expect to see you today," Noah says when Edward yells cut the final time. Neither of us got much work done, too focused on keeping everyone safe and negotiating a peace between costars who are back to butting heads.

"I didn't expect tobehere," I admit, closing my laptop and sliding it into my briefcase. "But when Tabitha calls, I come."

Noah holds my suit jacket open. After a moment's hesitation, I step into it.

"I was hoping the next time we saw each other would be a little more…fun." His face is right by my ear; close enough to feel the innuendo against my skin. A quarter turn and our lips would touch. I quickly move out of reach.

"It was fun forme," I respond with a smirk. "Or did you think I'd go easy on you just because—"

"Of course not," he says, sounding almost offended. He takes my hand but drops it when he remembers we're in public. "It's just that…all that texting. We hadplans."

My eyes dart left and right, checking to see if anyone saw his display of affection. Once I'm confident the coast is clear, I give him a sly grin.

"Oh, I'm very aware of our plans. Your texts were quite…descriptive."

"I think you mean 'hot'. They got you hot and bothered, and now all you want to do is come home with me to act them out. Maybe twice."

I bite my lip to contain my laugh.

"I don't know, Noah," I reply saucily. "If we're back together on set, maybe it's better if last time was the only time. We wouldn't want to get caught."

Who am I right now?Awa Faye doesn't tease. Certainly not when she's on the clock. Something about Noah brings it out of me, and from the harsh flare of his nostrils, he likes it. He also knows I'm bluffing; one time together was nowhere near enough.

"Are you sure about that?" he asks, his voice low and rough like whiskey. "Or am I going to reach into those sexy panties of yours and find you wet for me right now?"

He smirks in triumph when a gasp escapes my lips.

"That's what I thought. It was a long day, and we were at odds for most of it." He inhales deeply, as if he's savoring my scent. "I need to see you tonight. It felt like you fucked me and then completely disappeared."

I ignore the hypocrisy in his statement because, dammit! I need to see him, too. Our bickering did nothing to decrease my desire for him. It may haveincreasedit, judging by the growing dampness between my legs.

"If I recall, you were the one who fuckedme," I taunt. My boldness sends him into a coughing fit, which only makes me grin.

"So what are we waiting for?" he asks when he can finally speak. "Let's get out of here before some other emergency pops up. We'll make everywhere else a neutral zone. No work talk. No calls or texts or emails. Just two people, with their phones on silent, using each other to unwind after a hard day."

I raise an eyebrow.

"With our phones on silent?"

He nods.

"Otherwise, we'll never sync up again." He looks me directly in the eyes, a fire burning there. "And I really want to hang out again."

I drop my eyes to hide my reaction to him. Noah saying he wants to spend time together, with our history, is bound to cause some flutters in my chest. I force them down, besidethe memories of all the men who left as soon as feelings were involved.

Noah's not offering forever; just "for a while". For the duration of the shoot, or until this thing between us fizzles out. I honestly don't know if I can handle it, but I clearly can't avoid it.

"My driver is outside."

Chapter thirty-three