Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Hope blinked her eyes open, the warmth surrounding her unexpected. Angelica slept soundly in her arms. The gentle rise and fall of her chest as she took deep, sleep-filled breaths were all Hope needed to know today was a new day.
Trailing her fingers gently over Angelica’s arm, Hope stilled her soul.
Last night was… something else. The way Angelica had been vulnerable, bare—Hope had never seen her like that before.
After fucking, they’d talked for hours, the low murmurs of their voices vanishing into the walls of yesterday as the hours ticked by and Angelica’s eyes closed from slumber and exhaustion.
Despite the number of times they’d had sex, despite the hours they’d spent together, this was the first time Hope truly woke up with Angelica in her arms, sleeping soundly.
She pressed a kiss into Angelica’s shoulder, moving her hair to the side to kiss the warm flesh of her neck.
Angelica hummed lightly, rustling under the blanket that barely covered her chest.
“It’s morning,” Hope whispered into Angelica’s skin, kissing her again.
Angelica hummed again, but she didn’t say anything, and her eyes remained closed.
Hope nuzzled her face into Angelica’s hair, breathing in her scent—something so pure in these early morning hours.
She’d never forget it. Pressing her bare chest against Angelica’s back, Hope snuggled into her tightly.
“Angel… we have to get up and go to work.”
“Logan sent me home for the night.”
“Uh huh…” Hope kissed the back of her neck and shoulder again. “But it’s morning.”
Angelica sighed heavily, her eyes fluttered but didn’t open.
Hope trailed her fingers down her side, over the swell of her hip and the bruise that still covered the skin.
Though Angelica swore it didn’t hurt anymore, it still looked nasty as hell.
Hope slid her hand over the front of Angelica’s thigh, pulling her leg back to tangle their legs and feet together.
“We have to finish the majority of filming today,” Hope said, her lips brushing against Angelica’s shoulder with each word.
“We’re so far behind schedule,” Angelica whispered, still not opening her eyes.
“We are.”
“The last thing I want to do is go to work today.”
“I wish I could tell you that we could lie around in bed all day, touching, kissing, fucking.”
Angelica shivered, and Hope grinned at her reaction. Angelica reached backward, her fingers brushing against the back of Hope’s head, scraping against her scalp lightly, teasingly. Hope kissed her shoulder again, nibbling her way from neck to arm and back again.
“Hope…” Angelica trailed her name, scooting back into Hope’s body even more. Angelica turned slightly onto her back, holding Hope’s hand in hers. She threaded their fingers tightly, bringing their hands up to her lips and pressing a kiss against Hope’s knuckles.
“Let me,” Hope whispered, looking deep into Angelica’s eyes. The plea was out there. The ask, the question. Hope shifted even closer, whispering again. “Let me do this again.”
Angelica’s lips parted slightly, looking first at their hands and then into Hope’s gaze. “Yes.”
Gently as ever, Hope moved, sliding one leg in between Angelica’s and wrapping their bodies together, the heat of her pussy pressed to Angelica’s thigh.
Angelica cupped Hope’s cheek, bringing her down so their lips could meet in a sweet kiss.
Hope closed her eyes and breathed in Angelica’s scent again.
Lifting up on her forearm, she hovered over Angelica and separated their hands.
In silence, she ran her fingers over Angelica’s chest, over the slight swell of her belly and the soft skin. Everything was warm, hot. She pressed her fingers against Angelica, offering a slow slide against still swollen and sensitive lips from their night.
“Yes…” Angelica hissed the word, parting her legs even more.
Hope pressed against her, using the slide of her hips against Angelica’s leg to increase her pleasure, to add to the moment of intensity. Her heart raced as she stared down into Angelica’s face, into her eyes, her parted lips, the stunning way that Angelica looked up at her.
Rubbing back and forth, faster, Hope moved against Angelica.
They were going to do this together. With the break of dawn, with the new day in front of them, one of weariness and rest melded together, they would do this.
Angelica gasped, arching her back and pressing her thigh deliciously into Hope.
Grunting, Hope had to catch her breath. Angelica wasn’t the only one oversensitive to touch.
Bending down, Hope kissed her again. She melded lips and tongue.
Angelica held onto her sides, keeping them locked together in passion.
Hope couldn’t think of a time when she’d felt this connected with someone before, this bare and soul-joined.
She closed her eyes as she came to completion, as she felt Angelica shudder under her touch.
They kissed again. Hope buried her face in Angelica’s neck, sliding down to the bed and cradling Angelica in her arms. The silence was so comforting.
Hope just smiled as the sun’s rays brushed Angelica’s golden locks, giving her what looked like a halo.
She was anything but an angel—harsh and cold on the outside.
But deep down, Angelica’s motives always came from a place of truth and dedication.
“I hate to leave,” Hope whispered.
“So don’t.” Angelica smiled at her, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Stay in bed with me all day.”
Hope chuckled lightly. “I always figured I’d be the one trying to convince you to stay with me in bed, not the other way around.”
Angelica sighed heavily. “Maybe my old age is betraying me.”
“Hardly. Just exhaustion from idiots.”
“From the patriarchy,” Angelica corrected. “Only from that.”
“Then I think some exhaustion is owed.” Hope kissed Angelica’s lips again. “It’s been a long battle.”
Laughing, Angelica shook her head. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Hope kissed her loudly.
“And it’s morning, and I need coffee. I’m sure you do too.
” Moving to the edge of the bed, Hope sat on it and looked over her shoulder at Angelica’s still resting form.
“I’ve got more interviews to do today. I think I’m close to solving your little problem. ”
“My little problem?” Angelica raised an eyebrow at her.
“I think I might have found your iPad.”
Hope pressed her elbows into the table as she leaned over it, staring directly into Raina’s eyes. “I’m sure there’s been gossip about what I’ve been doing.”
Raina nodded and bit her lip, keeping her gaze downcast.
“So, do you want to tell me what’s going on here?
” Hope was going to get an answer one way or the other.
She was tired of this line of questioning.
She wasn’t a detective. She was a chef and restaurant owner and reality show star—nothing more.
And this was way more politics and understanding than she usually delved into.
“I don’t want to,” Raina whispered. “But I’ve never been okay with it.”
Hope paused. She’d never gotten this far with someone before. They’d all shut down and refused to talk to her.
“I don’t care if I go to jail,” Raina continued.
“Jail?” Hope shook her head confused. “Why would you go to jail?”
“Wylde, Maggie, and Kaidee… they’d turn me in if they found out I’m the one who told you.”
“I’m fairly certain there’s some sort of immunity for whistleblowers.” Hope folded her hands together. “But that also probably depends on the severity of what you’re about to tell me is going on.”
“We steal.” Raina sighed heavily, not looking at Hope directly. “From anyone who seems to not know that things will go missing.”
Hope’s heart hammered. “What do you steal?”
“Anything of value.” Raina pressed her lips together. “Electronics, watches, jewelry. Then we bring it to Wylde or Maggie or Kaidee, whoever is nearest, and they give us part of the money they get for selling it.”
Sitting back into the chair, Hope stared at Raina with wide eyes. “How many people are involved?”
“Just a handful.” Raina bit her lip and shook her head. “Those of us who have been around a while.”
“Those who can be trusted,” Hope surmised.
Raina nodded her agreement, but she didn’t add anything. “It never sat well with me, but they threatened that I wouldn’t find another job if I told anyone, and well, I need the job.”
“Everyone needs to work,” Hope answered. She pressed her lips together hard and debated where to go with this. “Tell me how it started, for you at least.”
Raina looked around furtively, like someone was going to walk in on them and take her away any second. Hope wasn’t sure who she was looking out for, but she needed all of the information that she could get.
“After I’d worked here for about six months, Maggie approached me after my shift and took me to a bar just down the street.” Raina gnawed on her lip. “We, uh… we had some drinks.”
Of course they would. This wasn’t the kind of conversation they would have sober. Hope kept her mouth shut, letting Raina talk and share what she needed to get off her chest.
“She said that she wanted me to join a special crew at the hotel and that it’d increase my pay. Double it.”
“And did it?” Hope asked.
Raina lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Not really. But it was an increase.”
So they weren’t even holding up their end of the bargain. Hope clenched her jaw, mentally taking notes of everything and glad it was being recorded so she could listen back later to the insanity that was this plot.
“She asked, but it didn’t really start for another month.” Raina sighed heavily. “And even then, it was slow, like it was a test of loyalty. They don’t let many people into the circle, but when they do, they don’t let you go. I tried to quit once—they wouldn’t let me.”
Hope bit her tongue. Because if Raina really wanted to quit, she could have found a way. No one could force her to stay there, even if it felt that way.
“So I did it, but I didn’t like it.” Raina lifted her hands up and brushed away the tears on her cheeks. “I hate myself for it.”
Reaching forward, Hope covered Raina’s hand with her own and squeezed. “You know what we have to do, right?”
Raina nodded.
“Good. Then, let’s figure this out. Together.” Hope sighed heavily. She spent the next hour scheming with Raina to get the owners to admit what was going on, but ultimately, none of the plans they came up with sat right with Hope.
Eventually, she sent Raina on her way. She needed to clear from the table soon so that service could start, but she couldn’t force her legs to move. Cadence eventually slipped into the chair Raina had vacated.
“Well?” Cadence asked.
“Fuck,” Hope said with a laugh. “I don’t think this is what any of us expected.”
“No, it’s not.” Cadence ran her fingers through her hair. “What should we do about it?”
“I need to talk to Ange.” Hope rubbed her hands together and then checked the time on her phone. She bit her lip and shook her head. “She’s not going to like it.”
“No, she won’t.”
“But she’ll know what to do.” Hope looked at Cadence. “Well, I know what to do, but it’ll be easier if she’s doing it with me.”
Were they really that much of a team now? That they did everything like this together? Hope flushed at that thought. They hadn’t seemed like much of a team this week, not like Hope had initially thought they would be, anyway.
“I don’t suppose there’s any hope of getting Ange’s iPad back now, is there?” Cadence’s lips quirked up into a half smile.
Hope snorted. “No, it’s probably long gone by now.”
And God, that was going to be the worst part of this conversation, wasn’t it?
Hope leaned back in her chair and shook her head, still half laughing at the thought.
Angelica and her iPad. Whatever last night had been, and this morning, between them, Hope wasn’t quite ready to see it end yet. Though the doubts were certainly there.
Could they maintain this?
Could they find a way to be together through everything that was still being thrown at them?
Perhaps if Angelica could get over her obsession with her iPad, they might have some luck on their side.
Maybe.