Noah exhaled sharply, and AJ was hit with another wave of desire—hisdesire.
AJ’s back arched reflexively, her focus going soft as his hand closed around her hip bone.
She breathed, “No—”
Fuck.Her mouth snapped shut on the second syllable of his name.Fuck.Noah was fighting to control his breath; she heard him swallow with difficulty.
They had no choice but to move on as the bounty hunter’s boots stopped outside the nook.
“I can hear you,” he menaced in a singsong voice. “I cansmellyou.”
What followed was some of the best improv they had ever done. Rho went out first to protect Ana, and though he initially succeeded in driving the bounty hunter back, the bounty hunter produced a gadget that electrified the shacks in Rho’s wrists—within seconds he was prone.
At the sight of Rho writhing on her bedroom floor, Ana unleashed a telekinetic assault on the bounty hunter, weaving the water in his veins until he died. The episode ended with Ana passing out from the effort, on the verge of death herself.
“I’m thinking Gilamede will subsume her into her wall to keep her from exsanguinating,” Em cheerfully told AJ afterward, outside wardrobe.
AJ knew she should be happy he was speaking to her again, but all she could think of was that moment she’d lost control. Had Em seen it? AJ was pretty sure the camera had only captured them from the shoulders up. But she had no idea what their faces might have shown.
No.All she’d said wasno.Nocould mean anything.
But it didn’t.
As AJ nodded at Em’s idea, she felt a tug and glanced up to see Noah walking toward the trailer. He paused by the door, standing calmly, without expression, just looking at her.
“Well, can you?” said Em, stepping between them.
AJ jumped. “Sorry, what?”
“Dinner at seven,” said Em.
“Oh,” said AJ, giving herself a shake. “Yes, of course.” She watched Noah step inside.
After hearing about these dinners from Ian, AJ anticipated a large banquet complete with Em, Noah, Anjalee, and assorted media execs. She donned her nicest jeans and a silk blouse from Ann Taylor Loft and…she looked like she was about to retake her LinkedIn photo.
Oh well.
But when she arrived at Em’s house at seven, she was shown to the patio where a table had been laid for only four—her, Em, Ian, and Toni.
Fuck.This was the double date from hell.
“No pine nuts tonight,” said Em warmly, passing AJ the salad. His eyes lingered on her as she took the platter from him, and AJ did her best to convince herself it had nothing to do with any faces she might or might not have made on camera that day.
“Oh yeah, you’re allergic, right?” said Ian playfully—he also seemed to have moved past the other day. “How does one even discover that?”
“An…allergy test,” said AJ.
“That issofascinating,” said Toni, checking her phone.
As the main course arrived, the discussion transitioned from pine nuts to postproduction.
“Em, I’d love to pick your brain on some of the deeper themes,” said Ian.
Across the table, Toni perked up. “Seriously, what’s your underlying inspiration?”
“This may shock you,” said Em. “But I was a very nerdy child.”
From there, he launched into the same monologue he’d given AJ at Thanksgiving. Verbatim. AJ listened, aghast. Every witty aside, every self-effacing shrug, it was all a…routine. AJ told herself this didn’tmake Em any less brilliant, but with each rehearsed mannerism, his halo seemed to dim.
