“Your turn. One fact.”
Carly didn’t hesitate. “I love it when food is burned a little.”
“Oh, you mean like cookies.”
“No, I mean anything. A little bit of char on my vegetables, my fries, my burger, anything.”
Lauren balked. “Blasphemous. Your burger? No, no, no.”
Carly extended her hand and shook her finger. “No judgment. Only facts. Go.”
She was being bossy again, and damn it, it made Lauren even hotter for her. “I love matching underwear sets, but I’ve never been able to master a thong.” She watched as Carly’s lips parted. Yeah, that one had affected her, and Lauren enjoyed the response. “Your turn.”
“I’m wearing one right now.”
Lauren squeezed the countertop behind her. Her body had been on high alert since they’d arrived at her place, but that last comment sent her to a whole new level of arousal.
Lauren blinked. “I’ve always wanted to have sex in public but have never had the courage. Go.”
“When I first met you, I thought you were uptight and a buzzkill. Your turn.”
“When I first met you, I thought you were self-involved and overrated.” Carly’s jaw fell. “No judgment, remember? Your fact?”
“But now, I think you’re the most intriguing, most beautiful woman I’ve ever been involved with.”
Lauren sucked in a breath. Those words settled over her, and she felt like she might float away. She refocused, remembering the game. “I was wrong about you, too, and the sex dream I told you about? Impactful as hell. I still haven’t been able to shake it. Go.”
“Whether it’s days, weeks, months, or years, I will probably think about undressing you until the moment I get the chance.”
God, was her heater on high? Her cheeks were warm and she felt a little drunk on desire. “Kissing you in rehearsal is the best part of my day.”
“Same. Staring into your eyes at the end of act one is everything. I always end that scene with a slight tremble because you affect me so much. That’s not acting. That’s you.”
Lauren let go of the counter and took the two steps that brought her to Carly. With one hand under her jaw, she slowly kissed the woman who’d walked into her life out of nowhere and made her feel so much. Call it lust, infatuation, or even a damn showmance. It didn’t matter. Lauren felt alive, and that meant everything.
“Look at that,” Carly murmured. She smiled as she kissed Lauren back. “We’re at it again.”
Lauren pulled back in Carly’s arms and met her gaze. “It’s like you’re this magnet, pulling me in. I can’t stay away. Plus, these lips are addictive.”
“The best part is you don’t have to stay away.” She caught Lauren’s mouth and melted into the kiss.
That’s how the night ended.
With kissing, more kissing, and a side of wandering hands. She walked Carly to the door, still touching her as much as possible. The small of her back, her hand, her cheek. The kiss at the door was the longest yet, and when Carly stepped back onto her porch, she glowed like an angel under the porch light.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Carly. Thank you for all of this. It was a fantastic night.”
“For me, too. Maybe I can woo you again in the future? Maybe?”
Lauren laughed. “God, yes. The more wooing the better, I always say.”
“Good night, Lauren.”
“That it was. Good night.”
Chapter Nine
Carly was half giddy, half terrified. The key lime yogurt she’d had for breakfast was a nice temporary distraction from the very big day she had ahead at work.
They had seven rehearsals remaining. Seven. Luckily, they had moved to The McAllister’s main stage for the remainder of them, and that meant they’d have an entire set to get to know and work with. It also meant there’d be new spatial relationships and technical elements, like lights and sound, that would make their way into the show beginning today, during their ten out of twelve rehearsal.
As Lauren had explained it, the ten out of twelve was for the addition and tweaking of each and every technical cue in the show. Each of the designers would sit in the house with stage management as they adjusted levels, intensities, and timing of each cue. They’d work ten hours out of a twelve-hour day, with two hours allotted for meals.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Kirby said, looking up at the theater’s architecture. It reminded Carly of a beautiful outdoor theater, complete with the illusion of a night sky overhead, stars and all. Cherubs lined the proscenium, and newly upholstered red seats filled the house. Nearly fifteen hundred, she’d been told. Kirby turned in a reverent circle. “I’ve wanted to work at The McAllister since I was twelve, and I’m finally here, in the room.”
“Kinda makes you want to pinch yourself,” Carly said. Though she’d once underplayed the entire experience, Carly now understood how special this all was. She just didn’t want to do anything to screw it up, and there was lots to learn about working in the space.
Lauren arrived with her bag slung over her shoulder, and Carly turned. If she’d been aware of Lauren’s presence in the past, before their date, she was hyperaware of it now.
Lauren waved at the room with two hands. “Happy ten out of twelve, everyone.” She wore fall boots, taupe and up to her midcalf, gray jeans, and a navy hooded sweater. Carly blinked back a too noticeable reaction to how fantastic she looked. The idea that she now got to spend the rest of the day with this woman and would be paid to do so was a surreal concept. Her job certainly did not suck.
“Did you catch anything I said?”
She turned absently and looked up at Trip, who must have been speaking. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t.”
He looked across the room to Lauren and smothered a knowing smile. “Right. Got it. Well, I was just offering to walk you through the different danger zones on set for when we go to black between scenes. I’ve marked them with glow tape, but you’ll want to be aware for safety.”
“Good idea. Lead the way.” She glanced over her shoulder one more time to Lauren, who was busy signing in with Janie. For whatever reason, in that moment, Lauren intuitively raised her gaze to Carly’s.
“Hi,” she mouthed.
Carly offered a wave back. The connection from the other night was still in full effect.
Bam. She smacked right into somebody. Tinsley. The set woman. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Carly said.
“Yeah. Probably best to keep your eyes forward.” She flicked a look in Lauren’s direction. “Instead of over there. Make sure everybody is safe.”
Carly offered a salute. “On it.”
Tinsley tolerated her at a minimum. Carly was pretty confident it was because of her own interest in Lauren. Jealousy flared, and she quieted it. She had no ownership of Lauren, even if she secretly hoped she had no interest in Tinsley, or anyone else for that matter. One thing Tinsley had over Carly—Minneapolis. She was a permanent fixture. Carly wasn’t.
“When you make this corner, be aware of the edge right here. Use the tape as your guide.”