I’m ready.
I’m ready.
I put my hands on my hips and sigh.
Nope. Not buying it. Screw you, positive thinking. Of all the days to let me down.
When I hear chatter in the hallway, I tense up. Liam’s deep voice carries through the walls and vibrates into my body.
“Lissa?” I turn to find Josh looking at me with concern. “You know that not breathing is bad for your health, right? Please chill.”
I blow out a breath and nod. “Sure.” I roll my neck and it cracks. “I’m good. Bring it on.”
“ ‘Atta girl.”
As our tiny tall-haired publicist, Mary, sweeps into the room with the stars, I half hide myself behind Josh. Subjecting only part of my body to the full force of Liam’s presence seems like the sensible thing to do.
“And this is our production team,” Mary says. “Of course, you know our director, Marco. I believe he’s spoken to you on the phone.”
Marco smiles and shakes their hands. “Delighted to meet you both in person. Welcome.”
Mary points to the quivering black girl by the windows. “Over there is our production intern, Denise.” Denise melts into the floorboards when Liam smiles at her. I think her crush on him rivals my own.
“And here’s our choreographer, Martin.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Martin says, barely sparing Angel a glance before holding on to Liam’s hand for several seconds too long for it to be anything but creepy.
“And last but not least, our illustrious stage management team, Joshua Kane and—”
“Elissa Holt.” Liam says my name as if I’m some sort of mythical being he never expected to encounter. I try to keep my smile steady as he blinks in surprise. “You’re our stage manager?”
I nod. “Yes. Hello, Mr. Quinn. Good to see you again. And it’s nice to meet you, Miss Bell.” I hold my hand out to Angel. “Please let either me or Josh know if you need anything.”
Angel takes my hand and tilts her head at me. “You and Liam know each other?”
Her suspicion is clear. I go into evasive maneuvers. “Not really. Josh and I worked on Mr. Quinn’s first Broadway show, many years ago. He just has a good memory.”
She relaxes a little and gives me a smile. “He does. Sometimes I envy it. Especially his ability to learn lines.”
I glance at Liam to find him staring at me. I can’t decipher his expression. Anger? Bewilderment? A bit of both? There’s a heat in his gaze that makes me think he’s not entirely unhappy to see me, and I fluctuate in deciding whether or not that’s a good thing.
Josh steps up beside me. “Hi, Mr. Quinn,” he says as he clasps Liam’s hand. “Welcome back to New York.”
Liam gives him a quick smile. “Josh. Hey. How’ve you been, man?”
“Not as good as you, Mr. Hollywood. Congrats on all the stardom and adulation, dude.”
A wry grin lifts Liam’s lips. “Yeah, well, it’s not as much fun as it seems. Believe me.”
Liam glances at me, and when Josh moves over to talk to Angel, I offer my hand. Liam looks at me for a moment before he grasps it. Then he steps forward and towers over me as his fingers curl around mine, warm and electric. I try to hide the shudder that runs through me. No one needs to know what a single touch from this man can do to me. Especially not him.
I plaster on a smile as the heat of his skin sinks into my bones. “We’re thrilled to have you and your fiancée starring in our show, Mr. Quinn. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge hit.”
“God, Elissa, I . . .” His fingers tighten, and I shiver as he rubs his thumb over my knuckles. He looks down at our hands and then back up to my face. “I’m a bit lost for words here. Seeing you again is . . .”
I wait for him to finish the sentence, but he seems to be struggling to express himself.
By now, my hand is burning, so I pull it back and try to swallow around my too-thick tongue. “It must be nice to be back in New York. I understand you haven’t been home for a while.”
He fixes me with those incredible aqua eyes. His expression seems way too intimate, considering how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other, not to mention that his fiancée is standing right next to him. He catches himself staring and clears his throat. “Uh . . . no. I haven’t been home for a long time. Too long. Every day I’ve been away, I’ve missed it.”
He looks like he’s about to say something else when the rest of the cast starts arriving.
Thank God.
I use the distraction to move away. It’s not easy. I feel like a spaceship escaping the inexorable pull of a black hole.
As people fill the room, I go on autopilot. I sign people in, hand out information sheets and rehearsal schedules, and busy myself dealing with anyone who isn’t Liam.
It doesn’t escape my attention that an hour later when we’re ready to begin rehearsals, Liam still seems shell-shocked by my presence.