She didn't recall mentioning it, but they'd talked so much over the past few weeks it was hard to say. She slept in his room every night now, and her nervousness over the cameras was virtually nonexistent. She'd gotten used to them. Even now, with a cameraman lurking less than six feet away from them, she was about as aware of him as she was one of the trees surrounding them.
Mason lit the candle and held the cake out to her so she could blow out the candle. "Happy birthday sweetie. Make a wish."
Janelle closed her eyes and made a wish. Opening her eyes she caught his as she gently blew on the flame. The flame went out and she beamed over at him. "Thank you."
Placing the cake on the blanket he pulled a knife from the basket and carefully cut the small cake in half, making two perfectly sized portions of chocolate cake. Chocolate - her favourite.
"How did I get so lucky to find you?"
He grinned. "You signed up for a reality TV show."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean."
Mason chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
He brought a piece of cake to her mouth and she took a bite. It was delicious. "I don't want to be a buzzkill, but I don't think I'm going to make it through the next round, Mason. I know you're making it to the end, but my days here are very limited."
He frowned. She knew he hated talking about it, neither one of them wanted the fairy tale to end. But it was going to and she feared it was going to end sooner rather than later.
"Listen honey. Whether you make it or not is immaterial. This isn't some little fling for me. You know this. If you leave next week, I finish playing the game to the best of my ability and when I'm done we'll be together. Besides, there is always the prize for the fan favourite couple. You never know."
He took her hand and kissed it lightly, "But hey, I could be out on my ear next elimination and you could take it all. Don't underestimate yourself."
"You're right. This whole thing has just been more stressful than I anticipated." Her eyes darted over to the cameraman. "It'll be nice to see how things go for us in a normal environment."
Leaning forward, Mason brushed his lips across hers. "If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere baby."
~ Fourth Elimination ~
Janelle's heart was thudding in her chest and she found it hard to swallow. Each elimination was harder than the last on her. She'd spent virtually every day with Mason for the past month. While the money would be great – life-changing even - she'd found another more important reason to remain in the mansion.
Mason gave her hand a squeeze as they waited for Grant to make the announcement on who was going to be eliminated that week. Glancing to her left, Janelle caught Nadine's eye and Nadine gave her a knowing smile. Glancing to her right she watched Bambi, who was looking confident and smug as usual.
She hated the idea of either her or Nadine being eliminated. She and Nadine had become the best of friends and they'd promised to keep in touch after the show - no hard feelings regardless of the results. For some reason the viewers seemed to really love Bambi's exploits in the mansion; she supposed as far as entertainment value went, Bambi was the best of the bunch.
Grant emerged from the back room with the results of the viewer polls in his hands. Janelle's heart stopped for a moment.
"Breathe," Mason whispered down at her.
She let out the breath she was holding and smiled up at him. Keep optimistic Janelle. Optimistic, she repeated over and over to herself.
"All right everyone. The results are in. We'll start with the men."
Mason's hand tightened on hers slightly.
"The first person safe is... Trevor."
Janelle glanced over at Trevor and Nadine and smiled, and then turned her attention back to Grant.
"The second person safe and will be spending another week in the mansion is... Mason."
Relief flooded over Janelle. One down.
Her gaze locked with his and he gave her a nod.
"Now on to the women. The first woman safe this week is... Bambi."
Fuck! Janelle cursed silently. Either Nadine or herself would be going home. She wasn't sure what she hated more, the fact she may be headed home, or her best friend in the house would be leaving her to deal with Bambi on her own. Only two weeks left. Two weeks and it'll be all over.
"The second person safe for one more week is... Nadine. Congratulations. Janelle and Jamie, please say your goodbyes and leave the mansion."
Janelle forced down the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. It was over and Mason would be staying at the mansion - with Bambi. Mason pulled her into his arms and held her tight, kissing the top of her head.
"Don't worry. It'll be over soon and I'll find you. Okay?"
She nodded, not being able to hold back the tears as they spilled out onto his suit jacket. She hated that she was being emotional, especially when she was being filmed for the world to see. She'd watched a number of reality shows over the years and would always roll her eyes when the females got emotional and here she was doing exactly what she swore she wouldn't do.
Mason lowered his mouth to hers one last time and kissed her with a passion she'd never felt before - not from him - not from anyone in her life. The kiss held promises of a future for them and helped to settle her frazzled nerves slightly.
Mason pulled back, keeping her at arm’s length. "Two weeks."
She nodded. "Two weeks."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Bambi offered.
Eyes narrowed, Janelle glared over at the smirking Bambi.
"I'm so sorry Janelle." Nadine's voice shifted her focus to Nadine with Trevor at her side. "We'll keep in touch okay?"
Janelle gave Nadine a strained smile and nodded, falling back into Mason's warm and strong arms. She held him like her life depended on it, engraving the feeling of his hard body against hers into her mind - just in case.
Chapter 8
––––––––
~ Week 5: The Mansion ~
The house just didn't seem the same without Janelle in it. In just a few short weeks he'd gotten used to waking up with her snuggled next to him in his bed. Now the queen-sized bed felt too big, too barren. Seeing Nadine and Trevor together only amplified how much he was missing her. Because of the contract he signed when coming onto the show he wasn't allowed contact with the outside world, including Janelle.
After pulling on a pair of swim trunks Mason grabbed a towel and made his way towards the pool. Most of his time was being spent exhausting himself either in the gym or doing laps in the pool.
He was relieved that the pool area was vacant when he entered it. Trevor and Nadine had once again won the fantasy date and were enjoying four days and nights in Argentina, leaving him home alone with Bambi. He'd been avoiding Bambi like the plague hoping she'd get the hint, which seemed to be having the reverse effect than intended.
Dropping his towel on one of the patio loungers he made his way to the edge of the pool and dove in. The water was refreshing as it surrounded his body and his worries began to fade away as he began to swim, using strong, fluid motions. He'd swum several laps, when he sensed he was no longer alone. Reaching the end of the pool, Mason surfaced fully and looked in the direction where the feeling of being watched was coming from.
Sure enough, Bambi was reclined on the lounge chair where his towel was draped in a pink bikini that barely covered her.
"Hey Bambi." He tried his best to keep his tone even and nonchalant. The last thing he wanted was to encourage her. All of her playthings had been eliminated from the house so he was now her only source of potential "fun."
Before she had a chance to reply he ducked back down into the water and continued his workout. He was hoping that if he ignored her long enough she'd eventually get bored and find something else to do within the house. Up until this point it had worked for him.
He'd gotten two laps in when her body blocked his progress. Emerging from the water he stoo
d before her, their bodies a mere foot apart. He wiped the water from his face and looked down at her, waiting for her to either move or tell him what she wanted.
"Look Mason. I think we got off on the wrong foot when we first got here."
Planting his hands on his hips he shook his head. "No, I think we're fine." He attempted to step around her and she blocked his path.
She placed a hand on his chest and he tensed, but didn't move away. "Listen. Now that Janelle is gone I think you need to reconsider how you play this out."
He stepped back out of her reach and eyed her suspiciously. He had a feeling he knew where this was going and he wanted no part of it.
"One of us may win, but we're both head-runners in this game. If we got together, we'd be guaranteed to take it all."
Mason raised his hand, stopping her. "I'm not single, Bambi."
Bambi huffed, "You know what I mean. You and Janelle will not win the couple prize. But, me and you. It would be a slam dunk." She reached behind her and undid her bikini top, as she closed the distance between them. "We can pretend we're a couple. We can take this prize together. We just need to..." She pressed her body against his and slipped her hand behind his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.
He wouldn't lie. She felt nice against him, her pink nipples hard and pressing against his chest. He lowered his lips to hers and just before their lips touched he stopped. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it'll never, ever happen, Bambi."
Their eyes locked and he saw the fire of both desire and anger within her eyes. It was going to be a long, long couple of weeks. Bambi wasn't the type to take rejection well, and he suspected this current rejection of her was going to cause him a world of trouble. Getting the feeling that they were being watched he lifted his eyes and his stomach sank. A cameraman was crouched by the side of the pool and had captured every second of his encounter with Bambi and he doubted the editing would be in his favour.
*****
~ Bangor, Maine: Janelle ~
Coming back to Bangor and the problems she'd left behind when she went on the show was a real eye opener to Janelle. She came home to an eviction notice on her apartment door and no funds in her bank account. Her long shot of winning the money and putting herself through law school that way didn't pan out.
Luckily, the show didn't have a long wait till air time. In fact, it aired just a week after the events happened so when she got home she was a minor local celebrity. Knowing she needed money fast or she'd be out on her ear with no place to go, she applied for a bartending job at a bar not too far from her apartment and got the job on the spot. She got the job because she was on the show, not because she had any experience, but she wasn't complaining. A job was a job and as it turned out the bar was busy and the patrons tipped well, so things were looking up.
After popping some popcorn Janelle pressed play on her video recorder, anxious to see how Mason was doing on the show. Not seeing him the past couple of weeks was killing her, but it would be over soon. And she believed in her heart he honestly wanted to be with her when it was all over. She just had to be patient and sate her need for him with the weekly episodes.
Could a new romance be blossoming within the house... Stay tuned for this explosive episode of "The Game Of Love."
New romance? Janelle's pulse began to race. What did they mean by new romance? With who? All that was left was Nadine and Trevor, Mason and Bambi. No... Not possible...
She sat up straighter on the sofa, her eyes glued to the television screen. She fast-forwarded through the scenes with Trevor and Nadine until she reached Mason. He was swimming in the pool, his body gliding fast and powerfully through the water. She felt a shiver run through her just watching him and she missed him even more than she had minutes ago.
Bambi entered the pool area in a string bikini that barely covered her hard nipples. A growl rose up within her. There was no way he'd go for her. No way... But...
Bambi watched him from her lounge chair, but Mason seemed to be ignoring her. That's my guy! Seemingly bored with being ignored, Bambi got up from her chair and entered the pool and settled herself in Mason's direct path and waited.
Janelle's eyes narrowed. Bitch!
Mason stopped swimming and stood in front of her. They spoke in hushed tones, too low to be made out.
Janelle leaned forward in the chair. She didn't like the looks of this. They looked too cosy.
Bambi undid her top and tossed it into the pool and then leaned forward. They spoke another moment and he leaned in.
Janelle's heart sank. He's kissing her? The angle was odd, but it seemed that way. He was leaned in and their bodies were flush to each other. "Oh my God!" She could hardly believe her eyes. Was Mason using her all along so he could win the couples prize as well? Was it all a game for him? Had she been a game to him?
She watched the rest of the episode. Bambi snuck into his room after the cameras went off and didn't appear to come back out. She felt sick to her stomach and couldn't watch another moment. She didn't even care, at that point, who was eliminated. She was confident Mason was going to win in the end so she didn't need to see any more. She shut off the television, curled up in a ball on the sofa and let the tears flow.
*****
The previous week had been hard; Janelle didn't think she had ever cried as much in her life. But as she pulled herself out of bed this morning and padded her way into the kitchen for an espresso she was feeling a little better. If Mason wanted Bambi - for whatever reason - there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she had to treat her time at the mansion with him as the past and move on, regardless of how hard that was for her.
With the espresso machine turned on and heating, she made her way to the bathroom and gave her teeth a quick brush. While she was in mid-brush a knock sounded at the door.
Shit! Spitting out the toothpaste and giving her mouth a quick rinse she rushed to the door. Without bothering to ask who it was she flung it open and found herself face to face with Mason, looking sexier than he remembered him to be. He was wearing his normal jeans and t-shirt with a slight shadow along his jaw.
"Oh my God!"
He gave her a lopsided grin. "Not really. But-"
A thousand different emotions rushed through her. "What are you doing here? The show-"
He shrugged. "I was eliminated last night and had the show send me here."
"What!"
He nodded. "Yup. Bambi and Trevor are left to slug it out. Nadine was eliminated after you and I went next."
"Wow. I'm sorry." She frowned. "But what are you doing here?"
It was his turn to frown, confusion evident on his handsome features. "I... I'm done. I wanted to see you. I... Can I come in?"
Janelle hesitated and chewed at her lower lip in consideration. Finally, she nodded. He came there; the least she supposed she could do was let him explain himself. The truth was she doubted she'd have had the strength to turn him away anyhow.
He stepped to her and pulled her into his arms. She tensed in his arms, at first, but his embrace felt so familiar and so right she couldn't help but melt into him. "I've missed you,” she confessed. “But I'm so angry. How could you do that to me?"
He pulled away and frowned down at her, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about Janelle?"
His expression of pure shock shook Janelle. Maybe what she'd seen wasn't what had actually happened. "You and Bambi."
"What?" His face was distorted in pure confusion.
"Nothing happened?" She looked over at the television. "But the show..."
Mason's jaw clenched as he followed her eyes to the television. "Show me."
Janelle turned on the television and started the player, then sat down beside Mason on the sofa. She watched his reactions as he watched the episode and with each passing minute she saw his anger increase, but he said nothing. When the episode ended he remained silent for a couple of minutes, as Janelle's heart raced.
Slowly, he shook his head. "She ne
ver stayed in my room Janelle. Never."
"But she went in..."
He turned to her and shook his head. "And I kicked her out less than a minute after she entered. And the pool. I never kissed her. Yes, I was close to her, but just to tell her it would never happen. I just didn't want to embarrass her, but telling her so the cameras couldn’t hear."
Janelle felt her face flushing. "Oh." She looked down at her hands, embarrassed she could ever have doubted him. "It just... Looked..."
He took a deep breath in and slowly released it. "I've been miserable this past week without you. The house was so quiet. My bed so... empty."
Janelle lifted her eyes to meet his. "Me too."
"So, I was doing a lot of thinking this past week. I want you to come to New York with me."
Her heart skipped a beat. "What? New York? Move in with you?"
He nodded. "I know it's a big step and we've only known each other for a month. But this has been one of the best months of my life, Janelle. And this past week without you has been one of the worst."
She knew what he meant. She'd felt the same way. But it seemed so crazy, so fast. But what was life without taking a chance? She had nothing holding her in Bangor, other than a bartending job, and she could just as easily do that in New York.
"There's no place I'd rather be."
Chapter 9
––––––––
He smiled widely, the dimples she adored appearing. "Me either." He leaned over and kissed her softly, with such tenderness that it left her light-headed.
"That's the robe you were wearing in the mansion isn't it?"
Laughing, Janelle nodded, glancing down at the robe that had partially fallen open. Embarrassed she attempted to pull it together, but he stopped her. The feel of his hands over hers sent a chill down her spine and she inhaled sharply. The spark was there, more powerful than ever.
"Oh, and guess what," he said, pushing her back onto the sofa and giving the tie on her robe a tug.
"What?" she managed to gasp.
Tangled: A New Adult Romance Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle of Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Royalty) Page 157
