Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Hope squinted as the crew started packing up the equipment they didn’t need. She cocked her head to the side, staring at the stove on the far wall. Something about that stove didn’t seem quite right. Something that…
“No way.” Hope clenched her jaw and walked closer, and then walked to the other side of the room. It gave her a completely different view than when she was close up, but looking from here, it was undeniable. How the hell had she missed it before?
“What’s wrong?” Rex frowned, coming to stand next to her.
“Does that look right to you?” Hope pointed at the hood and the stove, the hood that was not actually over the stove top—or at least only barely.
“Oh shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah.” Hope crossed her arms and looked around the kitchen with new eyes.
If someone made that big a screw up, she was bound to find more.
Opal Oasis had said they’d just gotten a renovation, brand new in the last year, and yet…
there were massive issues with it. And someone should have caught them.
She hadn’t had a minute to truly walk through the kitchen freely and check everything over, but now was as good a time as any. She went to the back door and started her unofficial inspection there, whipping out her phone and keeping a list of offenses.
By the time she finished, the kitchen was empty except for Rex, who was keeping a close eye on her.
“How bad is it?” he asked.
He hadn’t said a word the entire time she was walking through. Hope rolled her shoulders and straightened her back, frowning. “It’s not great. Not unfixable, but it’s going to cost a pretty penny.”
“Ange isn’t going to be happy about that.”
“No, she isn’t,” Hope agreed, sliding the phone into her back pocket. “Is she done filming for the day?”
Rex nodded. “She finished a couple of hours before you.”
“She in the conference room?”
“Don’t know. Why?”
“I need to talk to her about this.” Hope furrowed her brow at him. “Think you can handle putting Eva down tonight?”
“Yeah.”
Hope nodded. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take us to figure this one out, but I’ve got the list started and then we can get people in here.
But we can’t operate the kitchen until some of these issues are fixed.
Which is going to be the bigger problem, I think.
And the Jordangers aren’t going to like that. ”
“No, they won’t.” Rex leaned in and pressed a kiss to Hope’s lips. “I’m exhausted after today, so I might be crashed out when you get back.”
“I’ll be quiet.” She smiled at him before stepping around the kitchen counter and through the doors to the dining room.
She should probably check in there to see how bad it was too, and the bar area.
Sighing heavily, Hope pulled out her phone and prepared to make a few more lists before she went to find Angelica.
She checked the time and cringed. She’d spent way too long checking on the rest of the hotel.
Hitting the button for Angelica’s floor, she rolled her shoulders and hoped that she was still awake so they could talk before the morning.
Then again, she was fairly certain Angelica didn’t actually sleep.
She just worked nonstop. Smirking at that thought, Hope stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway.
Closing her fist, Hope rapped her knuckles against the door. It didn’t take long for Angelica to undo the locks and slide the heavy door open.
Hope froze. Angelica wasn’t in her usual pantsuit or skirt or dress.
Instead, she was dressed down in leggings and a loose, flowing tank top with a sports bra underneath it.
The white of the sports bra was a stark contrast to the deep sapphire blue of the shirt, which set off her eyes.
Her hair was pulled away from her face, but loose curls were down around the sides of her face.
“Did you need something?” Angelica asked.
“Uh… yeah. Do you have a minute?” Hope swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, trying to wet her parched mouth. What was it that this woman had on her?
“I was just about to go out for a run.” Angelica pointed toward the hallway. “Can this wait until the morning?”
“Not really, no.” Hope bit her lower lip, still trying to figure out exactly what she was doing and where she needed to go from here.
“Fine.” Angelica held the door open a little wider, and Hope stepped inside.
She was instantly hit with Angelica’s scent, and it overwhelmed her.
The blankets on the bed were rumpled slightly, and the chair at the desk was pulled out.
Hope couldn’t breathe. Her head spun, and she could barely keep herself upright.
The sound of the door clanging shut shot through her entire body with a shock.
“What did you need to talk about?”
“I uh…” Hope froze. She stared down into Angelica’s eyes, unable to move and barely able to think. This was so much worse than the bar at the airport, and that had been bad enough. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, all she could feel was Angelica’s body pressed against hers.
“Hope…” Angelica sighed. “We really should talk about this. We need to put some boundaries in place.”
“Yes, we do,” Hope quickly agreed, nodding. “We need to stop running around like horny teenagers.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s quite that bad, but yes. We need to make sure that we keep everything professional.” Angelica clenched her fists at her sides, her eyes still locked on Hope’s eyes.
But why the hell were they standing so close? Hope couldn’t breathe in without Angelica being right there, filling every single one of her senses. She shifted slightly closer, almost able to feel the warmth of Angelica’s body in hers. If only they were touching like they had been at the airport.
“Yes, we do need to keep it professional. So many people rely on us.” Hope said the words, and she truly believed in them. But it was still damn hard to want to put any effort into them. Not when Angelica was within reach.
“I’m your boss, technically. And we need to maintain an appropriate front and keep our hands to ourselves.” Angelica’s entire body listed forward so slightly.
“Right. Agreed. I’m really glad we’re having this conversation now because it’s been weighing on me.” Hope’s heart hammered, her knees were like jelly.
“Yes, it’s been weighing on me too.” Angelica nodded, blinking her agreement at the same time. “We really should have talked about this sooner.”
“We should have.” Hope licked her lips. “I’ll just… we can talk about the kitchens tomorrow. I feel better having this conversation.”
“Me too.” Angelica stepped toward the door, and Hope followed her. “We really shouldn’t keep holding these things in. Talking about them will help us deal with them so we can make sure that the set stays calm.”
“Right. Yes. Of course.” Hope stopped as she reached the door.
They faced each other. Hope bent her head, her gaze drifting from Angelica’s eyes to her lips. And the world steadied. The spinning craziness ended, and she knew nothing could go wrong.
“Good. I’m glad we had this talk then.” Angelica reached for the door, her fingers curled around the handle as she pulled it open.
Hope reached up on impulse, pressing her palm flat against the cold steel door and pushing it shut.
One breath.
Two.
She moved in, capturing Angelica’s lips. She melted. Angelica pressed a hand against the back of her neck and pulled her in closer, immediately parting her lips and groaning under the kiss. Hope sighed, allowing herself to be pulled in deeper. This felt so right, absolutely perfect.
She pulled back slightly before diving back in, open mouthed. Sliding her hand against Angelica’s back, Hope dragged her closer until their fronts touched, until she could feel herself pressed against Angelica in the very way that she’d craved for months now.
Yes, months.
She was willing to admit that now.
That moment they’d shared at the airport had nothing on this.
This was purposeful, intentional. It was heat and passion and sex all wrapped up into one tight ball.
Hope hummed contentment as she nipped Angelica’s lip, pulling it gently before diving back in for another kiss.
She tangled their tongues together and rocked her hips against Angelica’s.
Angelica slid her hand against Hope’s shoulder before pressing her fingers firmly into the fabric of her chef’s coat, tugging at it almost. Hope leaned forward and then back, taking Angelica with her as she kept her mouth open, her tongue sliding against Angelica’s in a tease that she never wanted to end.
Angelica broke the kiss, sliding away and breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, and her cheeks had that sweet rosy color of arousal that Hope had found so damn attractive before. Hope held still, staring deep into those eyes.
This was it, wasn’t it?
This was the moment when she’d have to decide what she was doing and if they were actually going to go down this rabbit hole.
She couldn’t find words. They escaped her entirely.
But it was clear that Angelica wasn’t going to push her to do anything.
She wasn’t going to be the one to make the next move.
Hope reached forward, slipping her hands along Angelica’s hips and just under the loose fabric of her workout tank.
The fabric was soft against her hands, but it was Angelica’s skin at her hips that was full of heat and softness that Hope reveled in.
She pushed her hands upward, taking the fabric with her slowly.
Angelica stayed still, her breaths the only sound Hope could hear.
It wasn’t until the backs of Hope’s fingers brushed against Angelica’s breasts that Angelica moaned so slightly that it was barely there.
Hope raised her gaze, meeting Angelica’s eyes as she lifted the shirt even more.
Angelica raised her arms over her head as Hope pulled the cloth from her body and dropped it onto the floor.