Free A Midsummer Night's Fling (Stage Kiss Series Book 1) by Beth Matthews

wall. Lachlan, perhaps as a reaction to Max's blunt stance, sat on the floor at Rita's feet and pretzeled his long legs into a yoga-like pose.  
    "First of all: the hair," Rita said. "We are going to dye both of you – "
    Both men emitted identical roars of disapproval then launched into what could only be termed a bout of whining. Manly whining, of course.  
    "Not again – "
    "My face peeled off – "
    "It bloody burns – "
    "We aren't even playing brothers this time – "
    Rita shushed them, flapping her hands. Nicola hid a chuckle behind her palm and looked a question at Rita.  
    The director rolled her eyes. "When we did King Lear a few years ago, these two played the brothers, Edmund and Edward – "
    "Edgar," Max growled. His blonde brows were drawn together in a scowl. With his mane of dark blonde hair and the scruff on his face, he resembled a lion. An adorable, pissed off lion. "You are not bleaching my beard," he declared. "Never again."
    "Seconded," Lachlan said, lifting his finger in the air.
    Tierney rolled her eyes. "Oh my God. You pussies . I bleach my hair all the time."
    "Clearly," Lachlan said, "dear heart, you are made of sterner stuff than we."  
    " Anyway ," Tierney continued Rita's story, ignoring Lachlan. "When we did Lear we all thought it would be cool if these two looked more like brothers. So we bleached their hair. Heads. Eyebrows. Beards." She wrinkled her nose. "In hindsight, the beards were a mistake."
    "You think?" Max rumbled. He cast Nicola a wounded look. "Our skin started to peel. In our Elizabethan gear we looked like particularly well-bred zombies."
    Nicola made a sympathetic moue . "Poor lambs."
    He sent her a dark look, and she caught herself leaning toward him, smiling into his eyes. But when he tilted toward her, shadowing her face, she did a wide turn on her stool to face the table away from Max. Always away from Max. That was the way to go.  
    Rita waved her hands in the air, as if wiping clean the white board of their conversation. "No bleach. Do not get any haircuts before we open. I want all my fairies to have long, beautiful hair." She dragged her fingers through Lachlan's luxurious red locks, and he butted his head into her hand like a cat. Nicola laughed at his antics, and he shot her a mischievous glance through his lashes.  
    Max shifted in her peripheral vision, and she had to stiffen her muscles to stop herself from peeking at him.  
    Again . How was she even supposed to get through a scene with him like this? And with herself like this: hyper-aware, half-turned on, only managing not to think about that stupid kiss through sheer stubbornness.  
    "Lachlan, we're going to take you dark. Black hair with some colored highlights. Purple, green, blue. And you'll have to shave the goatee." Tierney was speaking, she'd dug out her sketches and laid them on the work table. Lachlan uncurled from the floor and leaned over to gaze at his Puck costume.  
    Max pushed from the wall and loomed over Nicola's shoulder to see his own sketch. She caught a hint of soap and clean male skin, Max's spicy cologne, and mint from his mouth. For a moment, she was too distracted to do anything except breathe.
    "Maxim, my love," Rita said. "No bleach, I promise, but for you we want to take your hair a shade or two lighter."
    "Shit," he said behind Nicola, his voice like a boom of thunder before the lightning comes.  
    Tierney poked his shoulder. "Blondes have the most fun, Max."  
    Lachlan waggled his eyebrows. "That's because there aren't enough gingers to go around."
    "And, Max," Tierney said, "we want you to keep growing the beard out."  
    "Yes," Rita put in, a sour expression on her face. "So often in Midsummer productions they make all the fairies androgynous. Nothing but spandex and leaves." She made a frustrated gesture toward her lap and clucked her tongue in disapproval. "Not in my play. We will have manly fairies. Strong. Handsome." She squeezed Max's bicep, giggling. "Big."
    Max