Page 83 of Bad Reputation

“Kinda. I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Shoot.”

If she’d said “Action,” it would have been better because he would have had a script for this. Would have known the ending. He was all alone here, hopeful but not certain.

“In the last few months, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. And there have been times when I ... that is, we’re friends?”

“Yes?” She seemed confused, probably because he’d made it into a question.

“You’re amazing. You’re smart and hardworking, and you make everyone around you better. The entire production is better because ofyou. But it’s not just about the work. It’s really not about the work at all. Because I like hiking with you, and relaxing after a long day with you, and taping props back togetherwith you. These last few months, you’ve been ... everything to me. And sometimes I look at you, and it’s like there isn’t enough air. And I—I think we might not only be friends.”

“We’re coworkers?”

Maybe she didn’t understand what he was saying—which would be fair; his words were pretty incoherent—or maybe she was deliberately pretending she didn’t understand because she didn’t feel the same way.

But he was in this now. He had to finish it. “Were. Wewerecoworkers.”

“Because my contract expired at five p.m.”

“Yeah.”

Maggie licked her lips. Most of her lipstick was gone, but they were still stained berry. It took every bit of restraint he had not to lunge for them.

“Some days,” he finally managed to get out, “kissing you is the only thing I want to do. Filming, eating, getting in my reps—none of those things matter. I just want to kiss you.”

A pause. An endless, endless pause. Then, “Cole.”

He could’ve slurped the relief down like ice water after a marathon. “Tell me I’m not imagining this.” Because as inevitable, as obvious, asrightas this felt to him, he didn’t know what Maggie wanted.

He knew that at the end of a long day, she wanted french fries and thought it was a tragedy that you couldn’t find proper seasoned fries in the UK. He knew her Wordle starting word (READY), and her favorite indie band of the aughts (Stars). He knew she was smart and strong and sarcastic but that it hid her soft heart. He knew her in every way you came to know someone when you worked hard, stressful hours making television together.

But despite all those details, he didn’t know if she wanted him enough to overcome her doubts—her reasonable doubts—about how they’d met.

She was playing with the hem of her skirt and not giving him her eyes. “You aren’t. But ...”

“Let’s go back to ‘You aren’t.’ I liked that better.”

Her gaze shot up to his, amusement lighting her expression. “You couldn’t have thought it was all in your head.”

“I did. So tell me.” He didn’t normally feel this needy. But because it was Maggie, because he was in so deep, he wanted the words. The assurance that her heart got as tripped up as his did when they were together.

“When we met, I thought you were sweet. Impossibly sweet, especially because you’re so hot. I couldn’t figure out how you could exist in this industry. But now I know, it isn’t an accident. You made yourself this way because it was the best and most honest way to be. Because of whatever mistakes you think you made when you were young, you made yourself better. And I think that’s why I find you so hard to resist. Your goodness is intentional. It comes from discipline and values. When I see you working so hard to make sure Rhiannon keeps herself safe and Tasha is protected, you make me want to be better at my job. To be more ... fierce.”

Thank God it was dark, because he was smiling like a loon. “You can’t resist me?”

“Ishould. Because this won’t be easy, Cole. I see the way you’re looking at me—”

“Like I adore you?”

“Yes. Like if I were to crawl into your lap right now, it would all work out.”

“It will.” He simply couldn’t believe that something that felt this good with someone who was this good could be wrong.

For years, after the mess that was his days onCentral Square, Cole had distrusted his feelings. When you were selfish and good at rationalizing, you could do some dumb and destructive stuff, thinking it was okay. But he’d thought this one through, from front to back, and he couldn’t see how it hurt anyone. The production was over, and heand Maggie weren’t going to work together again. This wasn’t anyone’s business but theirs. The only risk was to their hearts, and he was going to treat hers like gold.

So Cole let the strength of his feelings leak into his voice. “Let’s make it simple. This is about us, Maggie, you and me. You either want that, or you don’t.”

“And if I do?”

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