“No, they don’t. I asked Darius and he assured me they didn’t. They will, however, be able to see you leave,” he said.
“Lovely.” She fiddled with the button on the too-long sleeve. The shirt carried his scent, taunting her steadfastness to stay on topic.
“We’ll play it off. You’re still my agent.” The words were matter of fact but the tone of his voice curled her toes.
She was forced to look at him and what she saw, weakened her knees. His intense blue gaze was hard to hold. Flashes of memory, hands and bodies moving as one skated through her mind. But the kisses, those slow, sensual kisses were her undoing. “True, and as your agent, I’d recommend you not get caught with another woman while you’re looking for your future Fiancé.”
The smile deepened; the spark of amusement bright. “Technically, you’re still in the running. You can’t tell me this hasn’t happened in the entire history of the show.”
Belle wished he would turn the charm down a notch. She had to think and it was impossible when he was watching her with close scrutiny. “No, not in this show. There’s been some steamy scenes cut together to give the illusion of them sneaking off. Oh,” she paused, frowning as she tried to recall the exact details. “There was the infamous hayride where one of the contestants hooked up with another one but that was on the guy show.”
“Are we talking guy on guy or girl on girl?” He continued to massage his shoulder. The eagle moved, giving the illusion that the feathers were fluttering.
“Guy on guy.” What a typical guy thing to ask.
His face fell, disappointment furrowed his brow. “I guess we’ll make our own scandal.”
“Or we simply tell Darius the truth and force him to disqualify me.” She liked that scenario better. That way, she could sink back into obscurity. Once she was no longer on the show, her time with Erik would be cut down substantially. Most of what she accomplished on his behalf could be done in an electronic format.
“You want to tell Darius that we had sex?” His hand stilled and he winced. She tried not to stare at his taut belly, or recall the heat of his skin.
“No, that I stayed the night here. In separate rooms. Which is the truth.” Her relationship with Erik was nobody’s business but her own. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”
“Occupational hazard.” He arched his neck and shook his arm out. Pain marred his forehead.
“I’ll hire you a massage therapist tomorrow.” She tapped her finger against her arm and made a mental note to take care of that in the morning. “Have you seen the team doctor?”
“Yes, and yes.” He stopped short of rolling his eyes.
She beat him to it. “Sit. Do you have any Icy/Hot?”
“Are you going to rub me down.” he cocked an eyebrow, the light of lust back in his gaze.
“Do you really want me to rub that stuff all over your body?” she bit back her own grin. “Everywhere?”
“No, that might burn in a few key places.” He shook his head and went down the short hallway. She watched him disappear, allowing a quick perusal of his back. There were a few red streaks marring his skin. No doubt, from her nails.
Waving a hand in front of her face, she slipped on her underwear. After an indecisive moment, she put on her jeans as well. Better not tempt fate. Like her clothes would stop any further intimacy.
He returned and handed her a tube of medicine. He sat in the chair and she moved behind him. Squirting the white lotion onto his shoulder, she began to work it into his skin. Big mistake. She should have gone to bed. Instead, she was determined to make this as hard as possible.
“About the show. Don’t you think it’s rather creepy that they know our every move?” he asked.
“You know, if you asked me last month, I would have said no. Now, you’re right. It is creepy, especially since I used to be one of the voyeurs.” She worked the knot in his deltoid, disillusioned and embarrassed. She wasn’t the only one. “Millions of people tuned in to the show to escape, as you rightly pointed out.”
“You admitted I was right twice in one sentence.” He dropped his head and the streaks of gold in his hair showed. “I want you to remember that.”
Indecision continued to haunt her. Part of her ached to give in and have sex with him once more. The more logical side said not to do it. “It’s an aberration. It’ll never happen again.” She said it more to remind herself to behave, then to answer his question.
He turned his head and glanced up at her. “I’ll never be right again? Or you’ll never admit I was right?”
“Both?” Her pulse picked up and she had a hard time resisting the need to kiss him once more.
“Is that a question or a statement?” He clasped her wrist and tugged. The husky timbre of his voice was beyond tempting.
“I plead the fifth.” Her resolve melted even more, her nipples hardening.
He continued to bring her closer until her cheek pressed against his. “Do you want to know what I think?”
