He shot to his feet, fury overcoming him in waves.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she led the way out the sliding glass doors to a common courtyard area.
Eager to get her alone to talk this out, he planted his hands on his hips and paced the brick pathway. They had to decide how they would spin this, if there was a way they could. “I told him I wasn’t going to put up with his shit.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong, Erik.” She crossed her arms and ran her hands up and down her biceps. He slipped off his hoodie and handed it to her.
It was night and there was a cool breeze, heavy with rain. The weather was reflective of his relationship with Belle. Hot and cold. He scowled, her comment didn’t lessen his upset. “He took it out of context.”
“No, he didn’t. He gave the illusion that we spent the night together.” Her mouth spread into a tight-lipped smile devoid of amusement and she clutched the hoodie but didn’t put it on. “We spent the night together.”
Exasperated by her logical argument, he rolled his eyes. “Why are you being so reasonable?”
Hugging his jacket to her chest, she hissed air from between her teeth, acceptance in every word. “Because we predicted something like this would happen. We talked about it.”
During the awkward in-between time. “Then you want to just let it go?”
Silence met his question, the tension back. Shit, the last thing he wanted was a repeat of the dead zone. Where before, they could talk about anything, now conversation was stilted and didn’t come easy. He wanted that comradery back. But how to get it?
“We don’t have much of a choice. I do think we need to rethink our on-screen relationship.”
“The kiss.” Everything went back to him kissing her. The appalling part was the fact that his reputation wouldn’t be damaged by any of this. In fact, it would enhance his popularity. It didn’t matter that it was the twenty-first century. People still judged men and women differently. “I shouldn’t have kissed you again. You asked me not to and I did it anyway.”
“I could have avoided it but I didn’t.” She glanced away as she slipped his zip-up hoodie on. She’d given it back to him and he’d worn it because it carried her scent. The strain between them came back with a vengeance.
And it would again. “Speaking of which,” he paused in his pacing and inhaled. They had to be adult about this. “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Us.”
“There is no us.” Voice barely above a whisper, she rubbed the toe of her slipper on a blade of grass that had forced its way through the bricks.
“No, there’s not, but we had sex. Twice.” And it was damn good.
When she remained mute, he stepped closer to her. She followed him with her eyes, confusion in their depths. Distraction was evident in her uneasy movements. She closed her eyes and reopened them. “And then it got weird,” she said.
“Right.” He shouldn’t have been insulted but he was. Mixed feelings surged through him. He masked his inner turmoil with an uneasy calmness. Odd and disturbing thoughts began to race through his head. The silence became more pronounced.
“There’s no denying that we have a mutual attraction.” Tension tightened her cheekbones and she glanced over her shoulder back toward the house. “But that’s kind of it.”
Instead of being relieved, he was getting more peeved and he wasn’t sure why. She spoke the truth. Or had she? He tucked his anger behind the appearance of indifference. It was a mask he’d acquired over the years from habit and necessity. Fame had a way of broadcasting every flaw. When you were a household name, there were certain expectations that people had and if he failed to live up to them, he’d pay a steep price. But he was privileged and he knew it. It was a tradeoff for short-term gain.
“I mean, we’re being pushed into a situation on the show where we’re expected to flirt,” she said.
They had carried on a flirtation since the first moment he’d met her. “True.” She hadn’t taken him seriously then. She wasn’t taking him seriously now.
“And we have to work together. We’re both in the beginning phase of our careers. You said you weren’t interested in any kind of relationship, and I definitely am not looking to become involved with anyone, most especially my client.” She cleared her throat. Shoulders squared, she raised her chin, resolve in her direct stare. “Let’s play out the rest of the show. No more intimacy if we can avoid it.”
He took a second to gather his thoughts. She made some good points. Each one stung like a son of a bitch, but they were good points. The stubborn side of his nature hated to give up on something that he’d had hopes for. “Then we’ll just leave things as they are.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Belle rubbed nervous hands down the side of her sundress and stared out the window of the town car. She’d be seeing Erik for the first time in close to two weeks. And on a Saturday. The episode where he fixed her car had played the week before and the teacher had been voted off. This was a day date, which gave her hope that she’d be voted off soon.
The car stopped in front of a plain brick building. Erik was standing outside, his hair shining golden in the sun. Her pulse picked up, her body responding to the sight of him. They’d texted back and forth but the texts contained nothing of a personal nature. Most of it was business. He’d gotten the commercial and she was coordinating his schedule. Football season was fast approaching and he’d be busier than ever.
Tim was sitting next to her, phone in hand. “Once I get the signal, you’ll step outside.”
“Okay.” She placed her cellphone in her purse and slipped the strap across her body. Never again, would she be without it. Although her car was working fine. Thanks to Erik.
“Erik will open the door and help you out.”
