Page 34 of Under the Table

What the hell was Lyric implying by that comment?

Angelica swallowed a lump that formed in her throat, still struggling to find the right words for this type of conversation.

“Lyric, I need you to run the photos by me and Hope… or Hope’s press manager, I’m sure she has one… before you post them. Hope’s trying to tighten up what ends up on her socials.”

Lyric winced. “Is there something wrong with what I’ve been posting?”

Angelica pursed her lips. The elevator stopped at their floor, and she stepped out, but before she could saysaved by the bell, Lyric asked again.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“I just need you to double check before you post anything. We’re trying to create an image about the two of us, and we need to make sure everything falls under that branding.” Angelica crossed her arms, the weight of her bag feeling heavier by the second.

“So I did something wrong,” Lyric asked, but it was far more a statement.

“No, because I never told you not to post those photos. I didn’t realize how much the fan base of this show would do with them. Just check first, a quick text ought to do. I needto get ready for the party tonight.” Angelica pointed down the hall toward her room and immediately started walking in that direction, leaving Lyric behind her.

As soon as she was in the safety of her room, she collapsed onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

“Holy fuck,” she said out loud.

Covering her face with her hand she closed her eyes and groaned. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Hope. Not after those photos. Not after seeing what was reflected in her gaze, the desire and the longing, the blatant fucking flirting that had been captured digitally and potentially for all the world to see.

Groaning, Angelica kicked off those fucking four-inch heels she was coming to hate and pulled the rest of her body into the center of her bed. What the fuck was she going to do about this? Because policing Lyric’s every post wasn’t the right answer. It was a short-term solution that needed a long-term fix.

And the fix was to get Hope Lawrence out of her head.

And her heart.

Chapter

Twelve

Hope stepped out of her hotel room all dressed up with her hair pulled back and pinned in place with a clip. She’d sent Rex and Eva off nearly thirty minutes ago to get things started, but she’d just wanted thirty minutes to herself to think.

She was in over her head with Angelica.

Their conversation in the party room earlier that night told her that, but she’d thought about it, just about every single moment since they’d gotten to Houston told her that. She was still very much attracted to her. And despite trying to convince herself otherwise, to stop herself from that, she couldn’t.

And the more she got to know Angelica the worse that crush got.

Breathing slowly, Hope slid her hands down her black waist-high slacks and then smoothed down the sides of her pink billowing shirt. She’d wanted to dress up a bit for this wrap party. Robin and Johnny really had kept true to their word and made far more of a turnaround than she’d thought they would. So they deserved her best. She’d even put in a nice pair of earrings for the occasion.

She arrived at the elevator and nearly stumbled.

Angelica stood there, arms crossed, staring down at her toes. Hope’s gaze dropped to her toes, showing in her peep-toed heels that made her calves look fantastic. Smooth skin up to the hemline of her dress, which was just at her knees. The black dress formed to her body, following along each of her curves to her shoulders with peep holes just on the upper parts of her arm. Hope drew in a staggering breath, nearly frozen to the spot as she stared.

She’d forgotten that Angelica usually showed up late to these things, that she always came down on her own with no one else, always wanting to make sure that she was there the shortest amount of time possible.

But what the hell was she going to say to her?

Because she’d just been telling herself that her crush was getting out of control, and now she was being confronted with Angelica right there. Close enough to touch. Yet far enough away that perhaps Hope could fake forgetting something in her room and run back to hide for a few more minutes. But she couldn’t make herself do that.

Instead, when the elevator doors opened and Angelica stepped onto the lift, Hope followed her. Like the dumb lost and horny little puppy she was. Perhaps that’s all this was. Horniness. She and Rex hadn’t slept together much in the last year, not since she’d told him about kissing Angelica, and when they had, it had been tense, and not in a good way. Like he was constantly judging whether or not she actually wanted to be there.

“You look nice,” Hope murmured as she leaned against the back of the elevator, her palms pressing into the wall in a feeble attempt to center herself.

“You too,” Angelica said, not lifting her gaze toward Hope.