by Ward, Alice
Shep reached over and gripped my hand. “I know you felt something,” he insisted. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chased you across the country.”
“You shouldn’t have,” I snapped, pulling my hand from his, jumping up from the couch.
I wanted to walk away, storm away, but I couldn’t. His deep brown eyes had me rooted to the spot. He stood, and his body brushed against mine, his chest pressing against my nipples. “Claire, I know you feel it too,” he whispered.
I did feel it. I didn’t want to, but I did.
Shep’s hand squeezed mine, and his other moved up my back, pulling me towards him. In what felt like slow motion, his head bent and our lips connected in the gentlest kiss I’d ever experienced. I melted. Simply melted against him as our mouths slid together, our tongues dancing as if they’d always been the other’s partner.
The chemistry was undeniable and our excitement uncontainable as he sank back onto the couch, taking me with him. My body pressed hard into his chest, my tongue swirled between his lips and my hips rocked against his erection.
His hands were everywhere. My hair, my shoulders, my back, my ass. It was as if he needed to feel all of me at once. I felt so desired, so desperately needed as his mouth slid to my throat.
The strap of my dress fell from my shoulder, his lips following its path as his hands moved up my thighs. I moaned, my fingers sinking into his thick hair and holding onto him for dear life.
My breathing was becoming winded and my heart rate racing as his thumb touched the heat of me through my panties. I cried out when he circled my clit; wailed when a finger slid under the thin material.
“I’ve dreamed of this,” he murmured against my lips as his finger slid between my folds. “Every night since the moment I first saw you.”
This is wrong.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, warning bells were ringing. But it felt so good, so right, so desperately needed.
Aiden.
Thinking his name was like having a bucket of cold water thrown on me. I pulled away, horrified at myself, at what I’d been doing.
Shep recognized what I was feeling at once. He stopped and pulled me to him, holding me close to his chest. “Ssshh,” he soothed. “It’s alright. I’m sorry.”
I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me go, just held me while I cried. Tears of mortification. Regret. Longing.
In reality, Aiden and I had made no promises to each other, but I was too inexperienced to know when that line was drawn. What I did know was that I’d been cheated on, and I knew soul deep how horrible that felt.
“I can’t,” I finally said. “I’m sorry.”
His hand traced a path up and down my spine. “I told you, he isn’t the man you think he is.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is, I’m not this woman,” I said. “I don’t have flings or flirt or do any of the things I’ve been doing these past weeks.”
I pushed away from him, and he let me go this time.
“And you’re my judge. And this is wrong. If I win this contest, it has to be because of my skills and love for cooking.” I pulled my strap back up onto my shoulder. “Not because of anything else.”
“Claire—”
I held my hand out, cutting him off. “I wish things could be different, Shep. I really do.”
With as much grace as I could muster, I walked into my bedroom and shut the door.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
e
Shep was sitting on the couch, staring at his hands when I opened the French doors to my bedroom. I worried he’d been doing that all night. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” he replied, standing and waiting for me.
We didn’t have any luggage. I only had my purse and the bag from the boutique that had my old clothes, and the outfits I purchased for dinner and sleeping. I wore the capris with the flowy red blouse and strappy sandals. I couldn’t believe I was actually looking forward to getting back on the farm. This had been so luxurious.
We drove to the airport in silence. The only noise was the voice on my GPS giving me directions. I parked the car in the extended parking lot as instructed and left the keys inside. The lady at the ticket counter was extra perky and told us to have a nice flight without questioning the fact that we didn’t have luggage. I guess when you fly first class, you aren’t suspected of being a terrorist or drug smuggler, nice.
“First class, huh?” Shep said.
I smiled and waved the tickets in front of my face. “It pays to have rich friends,” I said. It felt good to break the ice. We hadn’t said but a few words to one another and none since we left the hotel.
We were seated in large leather seats and had a small table between us to share. “So, about last night,” Shep said. My heart sank to my stomach. I really didn’t want to talk about it. Forgetting about it was the way to go in my mind. “I just want to apologize for putting you in that position.”
“I let myself get into that position,” I murmured. “You’re right, there’s chemistry between us, but you’re a judge of a competition I desperately want to win because of my talents in the kitchen, not in the bedroom.” I held my breath as guilt took a slice of me before going on. “And I’m also with Aiden, and I just can’t do that to him, or myself.”
“I get it, but will you do me a favor?” Shep asked with a seriousness that made me nervous.
I swallowed hard. “Sure.”
“Keep your eyes open and remember what I said about him.”
I met his dark eyes, saw the worry there and nodded. “I will,” I promised.
The plane took off, and they served breakfast in the form of a croissant and carafe of freshly squeezed orange juice. We landed in Illinois and made our way to the main gate where we found Gretchen waiting for us.
“How did she know to pick us up?” I asked.
Shep grinned. “Gretchen knows everything, and I told her to,” he teased.
“Okay, so we have to get cracking, we have extra footage to film with you since you were away, and you have to get caught up on what’s been happening,” Gretchen quickly started her professional spiel.
Apparently, everyone but Aiden had all hoped I left the show, because, with the exception of him, they all grumbled when I stepped out of the car with Gretchen and Shep. Aiden moved towards me quickly, his eyes glaring as he stared at Shep over my shoulder.
“How’s your friend?” he asked.
“She’s good, just exhaustion and dehydration. Baby is fine too.”
His eyes moved from Shep to mine. “Why was he there?”
I felt sick from the question and wasn’t sure how to answer it. I wasn’t used to being dishonest, but I knew an honest answer would further fuel their feud. “He just met me to make sure I was fine and get me back here on time,” I said, not necessarily lying since that was the first excuse he gave me at the hospital. I decided to leave out the part where he confessed his feelings, and we’d come close to having sex on the couch.
“They don’t seem happy to see me,” I said softly.
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they thought you quit, or at the very least would be disqualified since you weren’t here,” he said coolly. “They thought the friend emergency was just an excuse.”
“Even Elle?” I asked.
He lowered his voice. “Especially Elle.”
I decided not to take it personally. I knew everyone was there to win, just like I was, so of course it would have been nice to get rid of one more hurdle. And I knew I was a tall hurdle.
Gretchen pulled me from Aiden’s arms and rushed me onto the set. The camera crew was already set up and waiting for my parts that needed to be filmed. It was strange talking about stuff that I hadn’t even done, giving my commentary on tasks I hadn’t performed. Shep had to do his part, announcing a challenge he hadn’t attended and then we were done.
I was curious what everyone had been assigned on their first day on the farm, but the current day’s activities were alrea
dy starting, and I wasn’t able to ask. I was paired with Janine, and together we had to shear sheep of their wool. It wasn’t exactly a culinary task, but it was part of the experience, I guess. It did make for good TV having little miss Barbie doll trying to hold a sheep still while giving it a Mohawk.
“So, you and Shep just take off for a romantic night alone?” she asked, her mouth dripping sarcasm like venom.
I forced my lips into a tight smile. “I was in Boston for an emergency,” I said calmly.
She scoffed. “And Shep just came along for the ride?”
I turned to face her, holding my head high and meeting her eyes directly. “He showed up to make sure I made it back on time.”
It was obvious she wasn’t buying my story, even if it were true, which it really wasn’t. I was so frustrated that he showed up there, ruining any chance I had of escaping this drama.
I was relieved when we sheared our last sheep, and I could get away from Janine. I found my trailer and changed from the white capris and flowy top I’d been wearing. The capris were dirty, and the top had ripped. There went seven hundred dollars down the drain. Sorry, Asher.
Elle ran up to me and gripped my arm as I walked towards Aiden’s trailer. “How was everything?” she asked.
“It was good. My friend and her baby are fine,” I responded coolly. I wasn’t ready to be big buddies with her again, not after she looked so irritated that I had returned. I pulled my arm from her grasp. “I thought you didn’t want me to quit.”
Elle looked at me with concern. “What do you mean? Of course I don’t want you to quit.”
I tried to read her expression, but she seemed honestly wounded. “Then why did you look so upset when I returned?”
She pushed her hair back from her face. “Okay, maybe I was a little disappointed. From a selfish standpoint, that would have left me with only Aiden as real competition, but I didn’t want you to quit.”
I appreciated her honesty and felt the tension release in my shoulders.
Aiden stepped out of his trailer and stretched his hands high above his head. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and watching his tattoos ripple over his muscles was a sight to behold. Something about his bad boy body was so attractive, yet for the first time, I hesitated for the briefest of moments.
He smiled and waved me over, and the moment of uncertainty was broken. This was Aiden. The man I’d chosen and enjoyed being with. The man I was attracted to in a crazy primal way. The man I’d spent many nights sharing pleasure with, giving and receiving. The man I might be able to love, maybe share a life with some day.
So why was I still standing here?
“I gotta go,” I told Elle and moved towards Aiden, reminding myself over and over that he was the man I wanted.
“Come on in, darlin’. Home sweet home,” he said playfully as he opened the door.
When his arms closed around me, my doubts disappeared. It was good to be back. I’d missed him. The guilt I felt about last night was slowly dissolving, and I was growing lighter by the minute.
“Did you miss me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I breathed against his chest before looking up to see his eyes. “Did you miss me?”
He grinned. “You know I did, darlin’.”
He pulled me in close and the smell of his body wash mixed with his masculine musky scent immediately soothed and aroused me at once. I pulled his head down and his lips pressed against mine. They were soft, full, and tasted of beer.
“You holding out on me?” I asked, and he looked confused. I grinned. “Beer. Where are you hiding it?”
Aiden laughed and released his grip on me so he could open the mini fridge under the table. He pulled out two lights and twisted off the caps before handing me one. “So, tell me about your trip.” I knew he wasn’t interested in my friends and only wanted to hear about Shep.
He sat in the lone chair that accompanied his table and patted his lap. I stepped towards him slowly and straddled him, my center grinding into his welcoming erection. “You really want to talk?” I asked, rocking my hips slowly to stroke the hardness beneath me.
“I just wondered if you had any fun there, is all.” He said it so casually, I was immediately uneasy.
“I went to the hospital because my pregnant friend collapsed,” I reminded him. “I would hardly call that fun.”
“I know, baby. I just thought maybe you got to see a show or have a fancy dinner or something you would want to tell me about.” I didn’t think I imagined the heavy suspicion in his voice.
“I had dinner, but no sights, no movie,” I said and then lowered my mouth to his.
I knew he wanted to ask more, but I didn’t want to give him the chance. He wouldn’t be happy if he knew I had dinner with Shep, and I knew that was the next question. After that, I wasn’t sure. Would he ask where I stayed, where Shep stayed? Was I supposed to tell him that Shep stayed on the couch while I slept just a few feet from him in the bed? No way! My tongue pushed past his tight lips and into his mouth. I reached between us and worked on undoing his pants as he finally seemed to loosen up and forget about his questions.
His hard flesh peeked out from his jeans once they were undone. I traced the outline of the tip and playfully squeezed at the shaft I could reach. He lifted me up so quickly, I squealed and then he laid me onto the bed.
He pressed me into the mattress as his mouth gripped the skin of my neck and sucked it into his lips. I moaned and squirmed beneath him.
“New perfume?” he asked. I tensed as I realized I hadn’t worn any perfume, not even the small bottle in the bathroom of the hotel. I was covered in Shep’s cologne.
“Yes, hotel complimentary,” I said without opening my eyes. I didn’t want to know if he was staring at me, and I couldn’t bear to look at him.
He laughed. “I think that was men’s cologne baby,” he teased.
My eyes opened, but he was already working his way down my body. His hands pulled at the button of my shorts and then slipped them down my legs. He playfully tugged at my panties, stretching the material to rub against my swollen clit before pushing them aside as his tongue explored my soft flesh.
Shep kept creeping into my mind as memories of last night intruded on my present. The feel of his mouth on mine. His touch. The noises he made. But more than anything, the way he looked at me with so much longing.
I closed my eyes tighter, trying to focus on Aiden working between my legs, pushing me toward an orgasm. I gripped at his hair, and a surge of disappointment went through me when I touched spikes instead of Shep’s thick tresses.
“Come, Claire.”
I wasn’t even close. A sob tried to escape me, and I held it back, tightening my entire body to keep it from making itself known.
Aiden pulled away. “Good girl,” he said before slipping a condom down his length and crawling up my body. I realized he thought I had come.
He pushed inside me, his mouth meeting mine, my taste mingling with the beer on his tongue. I closed my eyes and held on, trying to focus on the man above me. Tried to focus on how his cock felt gliding in and out of me, the way his lips felt on my neck.
I opened my eyes, forcing myself to see him. See the man I chose to be with. The man I nearly betrayed.
Guilt consumed me as he pumped into me. His hands moved under my ass, his fingers gripping hard into my flesh. In return, I tightened my grip around his body and rested my chin on his shoulder as he dug deeper and deeper.
I was relieved when he finally came, and I could sleep this guilt away.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
e
It felt as though my mind had just shut off when a loud bang sounded from outside Aiden’s trailer. I pulled the sheet over my nude body and shook Aiden awake. “Someone’s beating on the door,” I told him.
He just mumbled something and turned over as I peered through the window.
It was already daylight, so I knew I’d slept longer than I thought. “Did we oversleep?” I asked. “Wha
t time is it?”
Aiden grabbed the alarm clock by his bed. It was seven, and we weren’t supposed to be on set until nine, but the banging continued.
He got up, slid his jeans up his legs, stuffing his limp dick into the denim. He didn’t bother fastening his pants. Instead, he just opened the door.
Gretchen and the head producer pushed into the camper. My heart sank when I saw the looks on their faces. We’d spent the night together before, and it hadn’t been a problem. Had something changed I wasn’t aware of?
Gretchen held a stack of papers in her hands which she immediately dropped onto the bed. Pictures of Shep and me were plastered over the front cover of the tabloids she’d brought inside. I could feel my face losing color, and I grew light headed and dizzy as I stared at them, blinking hard, trying to make them say something else.
I reached for the top one. It had a picture of Shep with his hand on the small of my back walking through the Four Seasons lobby. I was wearing the blue dress, the one I knew was too sexy, and it looked as if we were having a fling in the fancy hotel.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
“Oh my God is right,” Gretchen snapped. “What the hell were you two doing in Boston?”
The accusation beat into my ears and my heart picked up pace as I struggled to respond.
“W-we had dinner with my f-friends,” I stuttered, then took a deep breath. “He was walking me to my room.”
Gretchen gripped a handful of tabloids and pulled one from underneath. “This room?” she asked. The picture showed the two of us entering the same room together, and me in that slinky blue dress. I knew my explanation wasn’t going to be good, but it was all I had. I took another deep breath and explained that the hotel was booked, that the entire city was booked due to the marathon.
“I had a private bedroom; he slept on the couch,” I pleaded for them to believe me.
Aiden looked bitter as he sat down in the chair at the table and browsed through the tabloids that were placed in front of him.
