“I don’t know, Cassidy. You tell me.” Evan sat on the bed as Cassidy paced the room.
“Let’s stop pretending we don’t know what’s really going on.” She’d stopped walking and was now facing him, hands on her hips, challenging him. She was feistier than he’d ever seen her. He liked it despite being totally annoyed.
Stop liking it.
“You’re jealous of my ex-boyfriend. You’re jealous of that stupid kiss with him.” She didn’t have an ounce of uncertainty in her voice. Damn it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cassidy.”
“Oh no?” Cassidy sauntered toward him swinging her hips, her voice low and sexy. “So you didn’t mind when he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms and kissed me, hard on the lips?”
He flinched at the memory of Cassidy and Brad kissing. Every agonizing second of that kiss was burned into his brain, and he’d done nothing but compare that kiss to one he’d had with her only hours earlier. Which had she liked more? His anger toward Brad flooded back to him.
“You’re right,” he admitted bluntly, annoyed that Cassidy knew what he was really thinking — that he couldn’t hide his feelings from her. He hadn’t exactly been subtle, but he hadn’t thought he’d been obvious either.
Evan stood up from the bed, mere inches separating himself and Cassidy. She took a step backward, but he caught her arm, stopping her. Minutes earlier, he’d wanted nothing more than to be far, far away from her, but now he didn’t want her to go anywhere.
“I was jealous … No, I am jealous, because ever since I kissed you, I haven’t been able to think of anything else.” I’ve never had a kiss like that before.
Evan swept the back of his hand along Cassidy’s cheek and traced the line of her jaw until his hand stopped under her chin. He held her there, his gaze locked on the green eyes staring back at him.
“All this time, I’ve been fighting to stay away from you, trying to ignore the desperate urge I feel to kiss you.” He sighed, fighting for the right words. “That kiss — it was … amazing. Stopping was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long time.”
His thumb stroked her bottom lip. He wanted to kiss her again.
Don’t do it. Stop.
“I hated seeing you kiss Brad. It was as if someone decided to use my chest for batting practice.” He tried not to focus on her inviting mouth. “I couldn’t believe the same lips I’d just had the most intense pleasure of experiencing, were now smashed up against the surfer boy’s undeserving smart-assed mouth.”
A small gasp escaped her mouth as her lips parted. The urge to kiss her flared inside him, the desire she sparked in him overwhelming. “I acted like a jerk, and I’m sorry.”
He didn’t want to feel this way about her. It went against his plans, but he couldn’t help it. Cassidy was simply too much to resist.
“I’m sorry, too,” Cassidy whispered. “I only ever wanted one man to kiss me that day, and it wasn’t the surfer boy. And, there’s only one I want to kiss me again.”
His mouth hovered above hers. “I’m going to assume you mean me.”
Without waiting for her confirmation — without letting his conscience protest — he claimed her mouth. Her lips were as soft and delicious as he remembered. Cassidy’s tongue caressed his top lip, exploring and tasting him with gentle licks. The thought of her tongue exploring him anywhere else was almost too much for him to dream about.
Her tongue plunged into his mouth, her eagerness apparent, fueling the fire burning inside him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her body tight to his. Her every curve melted against him. His body instantly responded. Sliding his hand down the small of her back, he kneaded the rounded flesh hiding beneath her jeans.
Cassidy groaned in response, running her fingers through his hair and kissing him deeper. Her breath grew heavy and ragged to match his.
Evan’s head spun as he told himself to stop. What they were doing was a serious breach of contract, but where they were headed was absolutely forbidden. Not to mention, he was pretty sure once he’d been with her fully, there’d be no way he could stay away from her — no way to avoid getting involved.
Goddamn, Susan was right — he was doing it again. But it was different this time, wasn’t it?
Cassidy dropped her hands to his waist and slipped them under the edge of his shirt. Her fingers lingered low on his abdomen, caressing the trail of hair leading to the place he couldn’t wait for her to find.
As she ran her hands up his abs, teasing his sensitive flesh with every stroke, he knew there was no going back. He wanted Cassy tonight and she wanted him, too. His body tingled under her touch. Her hands trailed along the ridges of his pecks, her fingers brushing past his nipples sending an electric pulse rushing through him.
Every inch of his body was aroused because of her. He needed her. Soon.
Cassidy pulled his shirt over his head. He smiled as her eyes skimmed his abs and chest with approval before meeting his gaze again, with eyes half-lidded — obviously heavy with desire.
He carefully unbuttoned her shirt, lingering for a moment after each button to savor the small patch of ivory skin it revealed. When he released the last one, the shirt fell from her arms leaving her standing before him in only a black lace bra and jeans. He didn’t know why her mic pack wasn’t still wrapped around her waist, but he didn’t care. He was just happy it was out of his way — one less thing to take off.
He paused, taking in the beauty of Cassidy’s body that he’d only be able to dream about until now. She was stunningly gorgeous and perfectly simple at the same time. She was everything he never knew he wanted or needed. And she was going to be his.
He unfastened her bra, letting it fall to the floor then caressed her ample breast, his fingers dancing across her nipple. She arched her back and gasped as he sucked one beaded peak into his mouth.
Cassidy slipped her fingers inside the waistband of his jeans, tugging them open. Evan growled at her touch as she stroked his hardened length. He felt liked he’d waited an eternity for this moment.
“You’re irresistible, Cassy.” He lifted her into his arms and tossed her gently onto the bed. He kicked the adjoining door shut, grabbed his “just in case” condoms from his wallet, and shed the rest of his clothes before joining her. He quickly tugged her jeans and panties off, dropping them on the floor.
He kissed his way up her body, starting with the beautiful, delicate ankle she’d twisted days earlier. She giggled as he licked the inside of her thigh, his chin stubble tickling her skin. But when he found the junction of her thighs, her giggles turned to soft moans until she trembled beneath him.
A quiet gasp escaped Cassidy’s mouth the moment he thrust into her, their bodies finally joining fully. They moved together, finding the perfect rhythm as she wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her hips in time with his. Her warm heat surrounded him, threatening to send him plunging over the edge, but he held back, hoping the night would never end.
• • •
Cassidy’s eyes fluttered open. The room was dim and quiet, but a steady rhythm beat beneath her ear. The constant rise and fall of the tanned muscle against her cheek told her Evan was still asleep.
She sighed deeply, her thoughts drifting back to their evening together. Outstanding. Amazing. Unbelievable. Those adjectives didn’t even come close to describing her night with Evan. The thought of it made her shiver with desire again.
Best sex ever. Twice!
Cassidy traced her fingers along the line of Evan’s ribs. She tilted her head to watch him sleeping only to find him staring back at her with a lazy smile. She propped herself on one elbow, moving away from Evan slightly to get a better view of him.
“Don’t even think about going anywhere,” he mumbled, yawning. “I’m not done with you.”
She blushed at the suggestion of repeating what they were already recovering from. The warmth of a smoldering fire sparked to life inside her again. “I’m not
going anywhere yet. I just wanted a better view.”
“I think I’m the one with the good view.”
His gaze traveled down the length of her naked body. Her cheeks warmed to what must have been a bright red and she reached for the blanket to cover herself.
Evan shifted beneath her and in one quick movement she was on her back as he hovered over her. Every part of her body flared to life when he brushed her hair back from her shoulder and left a trail of soft kisses from her collarbone to her belly button.
Oh my God, he’s like the Energizer Bunny.
“You,” he said between kisses, “are not allowed to hide in the sheets. I’ve been tortured by you wearing little pink bikinis and sexy dresses for weeks. Now that I get to see you, all of you, I plan on looking. A lot.”
“You didn’t seem tortured,” she said, breathless.
“Only because you couldn’t read my mind.” He smirked. “Let me assure you, Cassy, what we did last night was tame compared to what I’ve been doing to you in my head.”
“Evan, stop.” She hit him on the shoulder, embarrassed by his words. “I can’t even imagine anything more than what we’ve already done.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t have to imagine for long.”
Cassidy held her breath as he kissed her with more affection than she expected. Passion burned in his kiss, but an undertone of something else was present now too — something that lingered in the pit of her stomach even after he pulled away.
She forced her eyes to focus on him, not wanting to get carried away in the moment again before they’d had a chance to talk. She didn’t know anything about Evan. This wasn’t typical Cassidy behavior, but that’s why she’d come here in the first place — to do something unlike her normal life. She hadn’t realized that would include doing someone, too.
“You know, I don’t even really know you and you’ve already gotten me into your bed.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re the one who came to my room asking for trouble.”
“True. But I was looking for answers, not sexy time.”
“Sexy time?” He laughed. “I like that. We should do less talking and a lot more sexy time.”
“No, you should tell me about yourself, Evan — great. I don’t even know your last name.”
“Last names are highly overrated. But it’s Burke. Evan Burke.”
“Are you related to Bond, James Bond?” She couldn’t help but smile.
“We’re only related by our amazing ability to seduce unsuspecting women into our beds.” He grinned. “It’s a superpower, really. We should come with a warning label.”
“So where are you from?” She tried not to laugh at his bad joke. She didn’t want to encourage him to make more of them, even if he did make her giggle. “What do you do when you’re not here filming me? Any other women in your life I’m going to have to worry about hunting me down because of this?”
“I’m from outside of Denver. I have a nice little cabin in the woods. I film all kinds of stuff. This is my first reality show and it may be my last if anyone finds out about what we just did. And yes, there is another woman in my life.”
“What?” Cassidy gasped and tried to wriggle her way out from underneath his weight.
Evan held her tight. “Cassy, stop wiggling. It’s driving me to distraction. There is another woman. Her name is Aspen and she’s a chocolate brown lab who drools. Trust me, she’s not going to hunt you down. Unless of course you’ve got a medium rare steak in your back pocket.”
Cassidy stopped wiggling. She could feel his arousal and now she was the one distracted. She shifted, hooking her ankle behind his knee and tilted her hips slightly. Evan groaned and grabbed a handful of sheets beside her.
“I think I may have a superpower, too.”
“If only you knew the extent of your powers over me.”
“Now, about Aspen.” Cassidy stared at him and narrowed her eyes. “It’s not funny, toying with my emotions.”
“It’s not nice that you toy with me either.” He referred to her leg intimately wrapped around him.
“True, but it is fun,” she teased and adjusted her lower body again, getting as close to him as she could.
“You’re playing with fire, Cassy. Careful, or it might get too hot for you. Now, any men I need to know about besides douche bag Brad?”
“None. Brad’s my ex-boyfriend and I want to keep it that way.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes really. What we did tonight should have proven that to you. I’d like nothing more than to be done with this whole show right now, but I’m stuck here until America sends me home.”
“Well, then we’re just going to have to get you sent home.”
“That should be easy enough.”
“We need Brad to put you in the bottom three and then America to send you home. Maybe if you’re a complete bitch to him it would help?”
“I think that might send up some red flags. I need to act the same toward him. Besides, I don’t want to come off as the bitchy girl on the show, that was Zoe’s role and I don’t want to fill her shoes.”
“True. Well, there must be something really annoying you used to do to drive him crazy. What was it?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t really go into all that when we broke up.” A part of her still wondered exactly why he’d broken up with her. It couldn’t have all been only about surfing, could it?
“Okay, how about if you really suck at the next challenge without appearing like you’re throwing it? That shouldn’t be too hard for you,” he smirked, “and I’ll convince Brad anyone so terrible at the challenges shouldn’t be here. Besides, he’s already been with you. He should try out someone new.”
“I know I suck at the challenges, but you don’t have to rub it in. And could you not make it sound like I’m some used up old shoe?”
“I think you’re adorable in the challenges, but from now on, you’re going to have to work harder to do badly at them. We need Brad to get frustrated with you so he’ll put you in the bottom three. Can you do me a favor and carefully suck at the challenges? I don’t know if I can handle seeing you get injured anymore.”
“Aww, is the big, tough cameraman worried about me?” she teased.
“I am. These challenges are no joke. I’m a little pissed Chip’s putting you guys in these situations to begin with. And I might not be able to save you every time you have trouble.” He rubbed his hand along her side.
She batted it away. “I don’t need saving. I’m not some kid you have to protect. I can take care of myself.” If there was one thing she was really sick of, it was being treated like she was too fragile to accomplish anything. Brad never thought she was tough enough to try any of the extreme sports he liked, but he didn’t get any say in what she did now.
She could compete and no one, not even sexy Evan, was going to stop her.
“I’m sure you can, I just have a thing about dangerous activities.”
“I’m not sure horseback riding and cooking pizza count as dangerous.” She rolled her eyes.
“Did you get hurt by the horse?”
“Yes, but she was a stupid horse.” Cassidy tilted her chin defiantly, a smile playing on her lips.
“I rest my case. Be careful, okay?”
“And what happens if he kisses me again? Will you save me from that, too?”
“Then I’ll have to kill him.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll have to ignore whatever goes on with me and Brad. Deal?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Neither of us have any choices right now.” She stroked her hands along the ridges of his washboard stomach. “We’re officially stuck between some rock hard abs, very enjoyable abs I might add, and a hard set of signed contracts. You know, I signed contracts saying stuff like what we did is strictly against the rules. I could get sued for breach of contract. You could lose your job or be blacklisted from filming. We took a big risk being together.”
“Some risks are worth the reward.” He kissed her.
She kissed him back for a moment, fighting to keep her thoughts in order. “If anyone finds out about this, we’ll both be in deep shit.”
Evan rolled back onto the bed beside her. “I know. You’re right, we broke the rules, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if you’d stop talking for a minute and let me.” He trailed his hand between her breasts and across her stomach. She shivered with his touch as a familiar ache grew again. He grabbed her hips, sliding her toward him.
“I hope it doesn’t take too long to get booted off the show. I’m really going to miss these hands of yours.”
“Let me give you some lasting memories to tide you over until I can get you all to myself again.” Evan caressed her breast and she moaned with pleasure.
How was she ever going to pretend Evan was only a cameraman to her, when every time she looked at him she’d be thinking of these moments they’d spent together? Their plan was good, but would it be enough?
Chapter Seventeen
The bus pulled to a stop in front of an enormous chateau nestled into the base of the Rocky Mountains. The dark wooden siding made the structure appear to be part of the mountains instead of something unnatural and manmade. The warm afternoon sun cast long shadows over the immaculately manicured lawns and gardens surrounding the whole complex.
As the girls were guided into the lobby of the main building, Cassidy was awestruck by the huge pillars of wood that seemed to hold up the expansive roof above them. Rustic chandeliers of sculpted bone and horns hung from the ceiling creating a comforting glow of amber light.
But nothing prepared her for what — or who — she saw next to Spencer.
Zoe.
“Welcome to the beautiful and luxurious Stony Peaks Chateau.” Spencer stood in the middle of the breathtaking lobby. For such a normally big personality, even he seemed small in the massive space.
“As you can see, Zoe is back for another chance at becoming The One. When Lauren had to leave, we needed to fill her spot. We asked Brad who he’d like to have back for another chance and luckily Zoe was able to join us again.”
Falling for You Page 15
