“I… I’m just getting off the plane. I sent over Levain cookies for you and Kane. Did you get them yet?”
“No? I haven’t heard the buzzer, and Kane didn’t say anything when he left for work. I’ll go check.”
If I don’t get them now, he’ll eat them all. Phone still pressed to my ear, I yank the door open, my attention homed in on the welcome mat. Where I expect to find a box of cookies from my favorite bakery, I find a pair of white sneakers.
I drag my gaze up the legs and torso in front of me until I’m face-to-face with the most beautiful woman in the world. “Millie? What are you doing here?”
“Surprise,” she sings.
The echo of her squeal through the phone causes me towince, then instantly fall into laughter. I disconnect the call and tentatively reach out, convinced she’s a hologram. Thankfully, rather than pass through a 3D image, my fingers make contact with soft skin, confirming she’s not a vision I conjured up.
“What are you doing here?” I can’t take my eyes off her red-stained lips. She’s wearing fake lashes and her hair is in a topknot.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” She giggles.
“Shit, of course.” I take her suitcase from her and step back.
In the entryway, she drops her carry-on and purse and flings herself into my arms.
We sway in exuberance. When she finally pulls away, I keep my arms looped around her and kiss the top of her head. She smells like a bouquet of flowers covered in aerosol hairspray.
“What are you doing here?” Third time’s the charm, right? Or is something wrong? Shit. My heart plummets as I hold her at arm’s length and inspect her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she promises, breaking into a wide grin. “I actually have some news.”
“Should we sit down?” I lead her into the living room. “Do you want something to drink?”
With a shake of her head, she drops onto the sofa and tucks her legs beneath her. She’s wearing the leggings I love so much, paired with a tight cream-colored tank top that pushes her breasts up. Thank god for the hidden folder on my phone, otherwise I’d be ripping that damn tank in two right now.
“So?” I scoot in close, my knee bumping hers, and rest my arm along the back of the sofa.
“Remember the jerk of a director I dealt with when I was inMamma Mia? Taron?”
My blood heats at just the name. “Mm-hmm.”
“His wife called me.”
My eyes nearly leap out of their sockets in response to thatrevelation. Before I can ask an entire host of questions, she grasps my hand.
“Ex-wife, I should say.” She tells me about an article published about West and how his ex-wife called, first to apologize for the man’s behavior, then… “She offered me a job.”
I’m hit with a jolt of excitement, though it quickly mixes with confusion. “What do you?—”
“It’s here. The job. It’s in the city.” She’s bouncing so animatedly she’s practically in my lap now. “She’s been workshopping a brand-new top-secret musical and wants me to star in it. On Broadway.”
My heart stutters at the pure elation on her face and in her tone. Tugging her the rest of the way onto my lap, I smother her with a kiss. “That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.” I stamp her entire face with kisses until she’s giggling and squirming against me.
Having her in my arms again is incredible. My dick would agree. It’s pretty damn sick of my fist these days.
I lean back. “But what aboutMatildaand your contract?” I don’t know how the theater world works. Could she really just up and leave?
“It turns out Diane has a lot of connections in the industry. She got me out of my contract in record time. We were already at the airport, so I switched my flight and came here. My understudy is amazing and was thrilled to step up.” She shrugs. “Everyone wins.”
A sense of peace washes over me. She’s back in the city. For now, at least.
“What’s this new production?”
She twines her fingers into the hair at my nape, sending a shiver down my spine. With a lustful grin and a twinkle in her green eyes, she says, “The Proposal.”
