Wicked Heart Read Online Free Page A

brow at him and he shoves his hands in his pockets. “She used this sort of flirty, sexy tone to explain she’s gluten-free this
week, and then, at the end, she stroked my arm and smiled.”
    “That
bitch
.”
    “Don’t give me shit. Seriously, I’m not in the mood. This woman could flirt me into committing murder, I have no doubt. Now, give me cash. I’ll get her a different
lunch.” He holds out his hand.
    I pull out the petty-cash tin and hand him a fifty. Surely that’s enough to cover whatever Angel wants. Josh grabs a second fifty and shoves the money in his pocket. “Back
soon.”
    Dammit, our budget is so screwed.
    I put the cash tin away, and I’m about to go back to my rehearsal schedule when there’s a knock on the door.
    “Come in.”
    The door swings open to reveal Liam. Within seconds, my palms are wet.
    I stand to face him. “Mr. Quinn. Do you need something? Is your lunch acceptable? If not, I’d be happy to get you something else.”
    He lingers in the doorway before moving into the cramped office and closing the door behind him. He looks too big for the small room. His shoulders seem broader than I remember, and traces of
ink peek out from the right sleeve of his T-shirt. That’s something he didn’t have last time I saw him up close and shirtless.
    He glances around the room before coming back to my face.
    He just stares for a few seconds, and dammit, I can’t believe the years haven’t diminished his effect on me. Time’s supposed to heal everything, right? Well, it hasn’t
educated my heart to stop wanting a man who doesn’t want it back.
    I clear my throat. “Mr. Quinn?”
    He takes a step forward, and I have a moment of panic because in this enclosed space, my usual tactic to avoid and ignore is impossible.
    “Elissa—”
    “Mr. Quinn, if there’s something you need—”
    “Stop calling me that.”
    “It’s your name, sir.”
    “God, Liss.” He sighs and looks me up and down. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
    “It’s my office. Not that hard to believe.”
    “I meant on the show.”
    “Marco asked me to run it.”
    “I would have thought that as soon as you heard my name, you would have run a million miles.”
    I don’t mention I’ve considered it. “When I accepted the job, I didn’t know you would be the star.”
    The muscles in his jaw tense. “Of course you didn’t. That makes sense.” He lets out a bitter laugh and rubs the back of his neck. “If you’d known, you
wouldn’t have taken it, would you?”
    I try to find a nice way of saying it, but there really isn’t one. “No.”
    He nods. I’d say he looks hurt, but why would he? He’s been living the Hollywood high life without any contact from me. I doubt he’s even spared me two thoughts over the past
six years.
    “Well, however you got here, I’m grateful.” He looks down at his hands. “I’ve missed you. More than you know.”
    I almost laugh.
Of course you have. In between making megabuck movies, earning millions of dollars, and banging one of the most desired women on the planet, you’ve had plenty of time
to pine for the short, cheese-obsessed stage manager you once had a thing for. That makes perfect sense.
    He reads something on my face and frowns. “What’s that look?”
    “Nothing.”
    “You don’t believe me?”
    I shrug. “I wouldn’t dare question you, Mr. Quinn. That would be very unprofessional.”
    There’s that look again. Hurt or disappointment—I can’t decide which. “I guess I haven’t given you much reason to have faith in what I say, have I? Just one more
thing I regret about us.” There’s laughter out in the hallway, and he looks over his shoulder before coming back to me. “Speaking of us, does anyone here know about our . . .
history?”
    “No.”
    “Not even Josh?”
    “He knows we’ve been . . . intimate. That’s it.”
    “Intimate.” He says it like it’s funny. “Doesn’t really do justice to what we had, does