Safe from what though, was the million-dollar question.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Once again, we’re in the kitchen.” Belle pulled the fresh popped bowl of popcorn from under the maker in the kitchen at her apartment, and added some white cheddar seasoning. Her kitchen was small and Erik’s presence made it feel smaller. He’d come over with Cash to view the show. She’d prefer to skip it entirely. Watching Erik kiss Irina on his date with her had been difficult. She dumped half the popcorn into a second bowl, annoyed and she had no right to be. “Thank God for commercials.”
Erik grabbed a few kernels and popped them into his mouth. Beer in hand, he washed it down. “I hear you. At least you’re only on for ten minutes. I’ve been on for close to two hours. Two painful hours.”
He truly sounded pained and she didn’t bother hiding her smile.
“Darius put me on last and from the promos, I have a feeling it’ll be even more unpleasant.” Dread settled in the pit of her stomach, making her smile drop. The teasers had been the second before he’d kissed her. Yet another reminder of that night. Sparks ignited in her core as Belle remembered what happened before the power went out. And especially what happened afterward. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Did he remember, or was she just another notch on his proverbial belt?
“The show’s back on,” Kendra called from the living room. She had snuggled up to Cash on the couch, his arm around the back of the cushion. Over the years, she’d forced her boyfriends to watch the show with her. Personally, Belle thought she did it to torture them. Nobody, not even Erik, could live up to the expectations the show set. Seen through a different prism, the show subjugated women and set unfair expectations for the men. Yet for years, she’d never missed an episode.
“Great, more shit from our supposed friends.” Heavy sarcasm underlined his words, along with amused exasperation.
“With friends like them…” She shrugged and led the way into the room, his rich laughter following her. They’d finished filming their segment for the next week’s show that afternoon. Her car was now working, thanks to him. She was beginning to owe him a lot more than she was comfortable with. He was her client, not the other way around.
Cash and Kendra took up most of the couch, leaving Belle and Erik the love seat. She handed Kendra a bowl of popcorn before she sat next to Erik. Her awareness of him increased with the close proximity.
She stared at the television, watching Darius—as host—tie up the previous segment of Erik and the physical therapist on their date, a brunch. She shared a knowing look with Kendra. The PT would be the next woman who would leave.
“Erik has had the opportunity to meet with the five bachelorettes. Will one of these women be his future Fiancé? Don’t vote yet. We still have one more contestant and she’s a beauty,” Darius flashed his overly white teeth. “Our Belle.”
The show cut to another commercial which didn’t bode well for Belle.
“He’s a piece of work.” Cash snorted, startling hazel eyes framed by black lashes narrowed at the host’s words. Like Erik, Cash was tall, ripped, and suspicious of Darius after he’d found out about the wardrobe malfunction.
It was on the tip of Belle’s tongue to defend the host but she thought better of it. He’d been her TV crush for seven years and it was hard to let go of that. Yep, she’d definitely been brainwashed by romance.
“Yes, a real douche.” Erik lifted the beer bottle and drank, his forearm touching hers.
Heat radiated from him. Belle was chilled but not from the outside temperature. She had a horrible suspicion that she was about to get burned on the show.
“Could he be any more obnoxious?” Resigned, she crossed her legs, her thigh resting against his hard one. The heat of his body was somehow comforting, despite her resolve to remain unaffected. They weren’t a couple, and yet, here they were, watching a show featuring them in it. If this were real life, she’d lift his wrist and drape his arm around her shoulders. She had no right to do so, and if she did, there’d be expectations she wasn’t ready to live up to.
“The show’s not over yet.” Erik said, leaning forward, the beer bottle loose between his fingers. The hair on his forearm showed golden and she knew from experience it would be soft to the touch. Stop it.
“You guys are ruining this for me,” Kendra said.
Erik tapped his thumb against the glass bottle. “I can tell you how it ends,” he said.
Kendra sat up straighter and lifted one brow. “Would you?”
“Sure,” he said, winking at Belle.
Her heart did a little pitter-patter at the playful gesture. She didn’t bother to hide her smile. “Don’t joke with her about that. She’ll bug you until you tell her everything. She’s nosy like that.”
“Damn straight.” Kendra settled back into Cash’s chest. They made a cute couple but according to Kendra, it wasn’t going to last. They were having fun, a common theme with Kendra. Cash was a nice guy and Kendra ran from nice guys like they were the plague.
The show came back on, zooming in on Belle and Erik on the swing. She glanced down at her watch and snapped her head back up. “Wait, why is there twenty minutes left on the show? Surely they cut some of our conversation out. It was rather mundane.”
“Are you kidding me?” Erik rested back on the couch once more, eyes widened. “You talked about your mom’s death. It was pretty powerful and moving.”
She waved his comment away. “I was feeling nostalgic and as much as I’d like to think our conversation was riveting, it has to be boring to an outsider.” Of course, the show had a way of editing footage and adding music to make it more exciting or dramatic.
He put his arm across the back of the loveseat, the shift in his weight bringing her closer to his side. “Regardless, of what you think, you’re not boring.”
Looping her elbow on the arm of the loveseat, she tried to stay as far away from him as possible as she listened to her story. The more her television self spoke, the tighter her throat became.
