She relaxed against him as he told her more about the night sky. He didn’t know much but he’d already figured out that with Staci sharing parts of himself was the key to getting past her barriers.
“My mother and I did that with the moon. She’d send me a kiss to the moon and I’d retrieve it when I went to bed...” she said, her voice wobbled a little. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
“It’s okay. Your secret is safe with me,” he said.
She shifted around to look at him. “I want to believe that but the past has taught me that a secret is only safe if you keep it.”
He had just thought the very same thing and he knew that a man who was busy trying to cover up something had no ground to stand on. He leaned down to kiss her because it seemed a better thing to do than to make promises he knew he couldn’t keep. He wanted to tell her he’d never lie to her but since he already was...
Angry at himself for not being able to be the man he wanted to be with her, he slipped his tongue deep into her mouth. Trying to show her the truth the only way he could at this moment. He wanted her but more than that he liked her, he respected her, he was in awe of her. He wanted her to be the woman in his life despite the fact that they were both competitors and going after the same prize.
While he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and concede victory to her he knew that if she won, he wouldn’t be as disappointed as he might have been a mere week ago. He’d already learned more about himself in the last few days then he had in the last four years of doing the same thing every day.
He put his hands on her waist and hugged her close to him as he lifted his head. Her lips were swollen and her eyes closed. “That nearly got out of hand.”
“Did it? I thought that might have been your plan for the evening,” she said.
“No. I want to get to know the real Staci Rowland so the next time, when I take you to my bed...and it will be my bed and I can have the time to explore your body, we both understand it’s more than just attraction.”
She turned in his arms and put her hands on his shoulders leaning down close to him. “You keep saying the right things...”
“Is that a problem?” he asked, keeping his hands on her waist even though he wanted to slide them around to her ass and draw her in closer to him. He wanted to feel her straddling him and claim another kiss to stir the passion that was between them.
“No. But I’ve heard it all before. The lies, the lines. And a part of me wants to believe you are different, Remy, but you’re a guy.”
“Yes,chère, I am. And one you’ve never known before.”
She shook her head. “You’ve got a point but in my experienceevery man is hiding something and my gut says you’re the same.”
He swallowed hard and knew that if he told this lie it would hurt him later but he decided he could make up for it. Staci needed him to be a man she could believe in. She needed a man to prove to her that there was more to a relationship than sizzle and he was determined to be that man.
She turned back around and he held her in his arms but this time as she settled back against him he didn’t feel the peace of the night or the need to share past memories. Instead his mind was active with the thought that sooner or later he was going to have to tell her who he really was. But when?
Chapter Eight
THEHOUSEWASABEEHIVE of activity when they returned from their walk on the beach. Though things had gotten hot and heavy they hadn’t made love and Staci felt unnerved by that. She was also feeling what she knew was the first flush of love. She couldn’t help smiling every time she looked over at Remy as they sat in the living room with the other chefs.
Some of the contestants were already clearly working on a strategy by talking about their own skills and pointing out the weaknesses of others. It wasn’t as if she didn’t expect it from them. After all they were being taped all the time they were in the house and it was a television show so some tension was a good thing. But she wasn’t interested in that side of the game.
She was more focused on winning by cooking and if she were being completely honest Remy.
“Next week will be interesting. Staci, you’re the one to watch. What do you think the next challenge will be?” Viv asked.
“Not sure. I’ve been as surprised as you guys so far,” she said.
Staci preferred to do all of her talking in the kitchen rather than speculating on what might be coming up. Whatever it was, the challenge would be to keep her cooking fresh. She glanced over at Remy. After eating the dinner he’d prepared tonight she knew he was probably her toughest competition.
“They change it up every season. I really want a mystery basket,” Dave said.
Conversation flowed around her as everyone discussed his or her favorite type of cooking. Christian, Quinn and Frances were all quiet no doubt dwelling on the fact that the next day they’d be cooking to stay in the competition.
Slowly, everyone got up to go to bed and she left after Remy did. There were too many people around for a private goodnight and Staci was okay with that. Since they were in the house now they weren’t a couple. Were they anywhere else?
But she knew that they were. At least in her eyes. She wondered if her mother had felt this way with her father. Staci had always wondered why her mom hadn’t seen the signs that her father wasn’t going to stay. But the feelings swamping Staci now made her realize that love came whether it was wise to get involved or not.
Staci could only hope that she had chosen better than both her mother and grandmother. She was still feeling not exactly happy with her new feelings for Remy when Vivian walked in.
“I noticed you and Remy were getting cozy tonight,” Vivian said after she’d washed up and they were both sitting on their beds.
