Page 112 of No Holds Barred

Angelica said nothing. Instead, she turned her cheek and looked toward Hope, locking their gazes together as she just breathed in the moment between them, unfettered for the first time in as long as Angelica could remember.

“Go to dinner with me tonight.” Angelica tightened her arms across her chest.

“We’re done filming for the day already.” Hope furrowed her brow. “Why don’t we go now?”

Angelica toyed with that thought. She’d love to head up to her room and change into something more comfortable than these clothes, something that was also less attention grabbing. But the thought of walking all the way to her room and back down was just as unappetizing. Nodding, Angelica started to pull at the mic pack on her waist band.

Hope mimicked her, and then returned them. When she came back, she no longer had her chef’s coat on, and instead just sported the white T-shirt she must have had under it, one that was tight to her skin. Angelica breathed in that image—Hope dressed down, calm and easy and in her element. Angelica’s lips quirked up slightly as they started down the street to find someplace to eat.

When they were seated, Angelica put her hands in her lap and stared at Hope. She had so many emotions running through her, so many thoughts, that it was damn near impossible to sort them all out and know where to even begin. Finally, as the waiter filled their water glasses, Angelica picked a point to start.

“I need to take this slow,” Angelica said, her voice calm and a bit quieter than she expected it to be.

“What do you mean by this and what do you mean by slow?” Hope took a sip of water.

Angelica wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. “I mean us, as a couple. I mean that I don’t want the world to know, not yet. I want us to figure out us first. We didn’t exactly have an easygoing start that put us at an advantage.”

Hope snorted lightly at that. “Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and redo all of it.”

“But then we wouldn’t be here.”

“Exactly.” Hope’s face dropped. “And I like where we’ve ended up.”

Angelica nodded, not quite sure what to say other than that. “I need to trust you more than I did last year, and that’s going to take time.”

“I understand.” Hope rubbed her fingers over the edge of the menu. “So we keep it to ourselves and then what?”

“We go from there.” Angelica’s stomach tightened with anxiety. She’d just honestly thought that Hope would fall in line on this one, that she wouldn’t push back, but the longer she sathere, the harder it was to keep that line. “When we get back to Los Angeles, I think it’ll be easier.”

“Because the crew won’t be around?”

Angelica nodded. “And we’ll have a bit more free time.”

Hope narrowed her gaze. “I don’t think that you have free time that you don’t try to fill with more work.”

Humming, Angelica took that note. “I will if I’m in a relationship, to an extent. We’re really going to make this work, I’ll have to. It’s not just about you sacrificing for it. I also have to give.”

Hope’s lips pulled into a brilliant smile, one that warmed Angelica’s heart. “But you still don’t want the world to know.”

“No, not yet.” Angelica sighed. “I’m too old to be playing games when it comes to what the world knows and doesn’t know. I want simple as I can get. And then there’s Eva to consider.”

Hope nodded and swallowed, her entire face pinching in discomfort. “Rex, unfortunately, put her through a bit of the ringer in the last year with relationships. I don’t want to do the same thing to her. So I do agree that I’d like to keep this as hidden as possible for now, until I’m ready to tell her.”

Angelica would love to know more about that, because Rex had seemed so calm during filming so far. Perhaps it had just been fling after fling and he’d stopped it because he’d lost his taste for it already. She was sure she’d find out more as the months went on, but now wasn’t the time to dig deeper into that.

“I think that’s the right decision.” Angelica sipped her water.

“Did you see Josef at all today?” Hope asked, changing the subject suddenly.

Angelica paused, her heart racing in an instant before she could calm it down. “No.”

“Me either.” Hope frowned. “Do you think something happened?”

“I don’t know.” Angelica breathed slowly. “Logan is aware of everything, not with us, but in my past, and he… he didn’t seem very happy when he caught Josef and me the other night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sent Josef home early or told him to steer clear for a day or two.”

Hope hummed. “I can’t believe Josef accused you of that.”

“I can. It’s not the first time. You were there the other day when he did it.”