Free Take Two by Laurelin Paige Page A

second assistant roll the camera dolly back to its starting position on the track. This, this was why she couldn’t get mixed up with Micah Preston. She couldn’t even watch him act a scene with a fellow cast member without being overcome with jealousy. Without screwing up her job—a job that she was usually perfect at. Surely if anything more happened with him, this feeling would only get worse. Right now it was already horrible. Achingly, maddeningly, horrible.
    Maddie avoided Micah’s eyes as his makeup artist came in to retouch his lips. She took the free moment to pull out her phone and type a final text to Bree. I’m not gonna jump him.
    4 the best. Luvs!
    Was it for the best? She thought she’d feel better but her decision seemed hollow. She swallowed hard, stealing herself for the second take of the scene.
    “Wait,” Joe said, his right hand lifted in a halting gesture. With his other hand, he pressed his headset tighter against his ear, listening to an order from Beaumont. After a minute, he pointed to Micah. “Micah, Beaumont wants to move your initial mark to here.” Joe tapped a spot on the ground with his toe. “Bruce, the light isn’t hitting the new mark. Can you arm it in, please?”
    A lighting adjustment and a change in blocking. She’d have to refocus too.
    She took a deep breath as crossed to the mega-fine actor, blushing as she remembered the last time she’d calculated a focus for him.
    “Hey,” Micah said.
    “Hey.” She didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t ask him to hold her measure, but instead put it on the ground at his feet. She felt rather than saw him pick up the end. “Thanks,” she muttered. She walked the steps back to the camera and wrote down the new measurements, then pushed the button to pull the length in, but it didn’t budge. She glanced back at Micah who still held tightly to the end. Seriously?
    She trudged back to him. “Can I have it back, please?”
    He crossed his arms, burying the edge against his chest. “Will you talk to me?”
    Heather broke into a laugh a few feet away, pulling Maddie’s attention. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the actress flirting with Joe, still bristling from having just watched Heather make out with her man. Whoops. Not her man. Definitely not her man.
    Micah studied Maddie. “What’s with you and Heather? That look could shoot daggers.”
    She bent her head, hoping to hide her irrational envy. “Nothing. Can I have my measure?”
    “No, that wasn’t a nothing look. That was most certainly something.” He pursed his lips. “Hmm. Anger? No. Jealousy.”
    Her cheeks went warm. “My measure, please.”
    “Maddie, you’re blushing. You are jealous.” He peered over at Heather and the crew. “You can’t be into any of those guys. At least, I hope not, because you’re way out of their league. Is it…” His face broke into an electric smile. “Are you jealous of her and me?”
    She burned with irritation. “Oh my God, you’re so full of yourself.” It was true, but that he thought it was true was downright narcissistic.
    “I’m right.” He uncrossed his arms and stroked her chin, the end of the measure held tightly in his other hand. Goose bumps rose on her arms as his finger moved across her skin. “No need to be jealous, Maddie. That was acting. Not like our kiss.”
    She couldn’t help herself. She moved her eyes to his crotch where his hard-on was evident. “Looked like it had the same effect.” She meant to insult him with her words, but after she said them she realized she’d just confirmed his accusation. Man, she was so much better with dialogue when she had a chance to write and rewrite. Spitting it out in real time was incredibly more challenging.
    Micah chuckled. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous. And this”—he removed his hand from her face and waved it over his pelvis—“is still from you, baby.”
    Her insides twisted at his endearment. “I can’t believe I blue-balled you