Falling for You (20 page)

“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?

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.”

“Lucky us,” Cassidy grumbled.

“This is where we’ll be staying for the next few days. This is also where we’ll have our last elimination ceremony. Only two of you will be finalists, and it’s only those two girls who will return to the house. Each of you received a key to a room and in it you’ll find the bag we asked you to pack after the last elimination ceremony.

“While we’re here, you’ll each go on a special private date with Brad. Erica and Cassidy, your dates are tonight. Zoe and Savanna, you’ll go on your dates tomorrow night. Erica,” Spencer said, turning his attention to her, “Brad will pick you up at your room at six.” He turned to Cassidy. “And he’ll be at your room at nine. All right, girls. Go find your rooms.”

Cassidy and Evan squeezed into the elevator with Zoe and her cameraman. They rode to the fourth floor in silence, watching the numbers as the elevator rose. Finally, the door chimed and slid open in front of them.

Cassidy glanced between her key and the brass plaque on the wall and followed the arrows pointing in the direction of her room. She stopped outside room 415 and stuck the plastic keycard into the lock, twisting the handle. The door didn’t budge but the red light beside the lock blinked brightly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Zoe snapped beside her. Cassidy jumped, not realizing Zoe had followed her down the hall from the elevator.

“I’m trying to get into my room. What does it look like?” Cassidy shoved the keycard into the lock again, frustrated.

Why the hell can’t I ever open a frickin’ door?

“That’s my room. Did you forget how to read numbers?”

Cassidy took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “What’s your problem, Zoe? I can read fine. This is my room.”

Sneaking a peek at her key, Cassidy checked to see if the number on it matched the one on the door. She sighed with relief when they did. She slipped the key gently into the lock and waited for a light to blink. This time, the lock blinked green instead of red. She pushed the door open.
When will locks stop hating me?

“There must be a mistake. My key says 415 on it and — ” Zoe fell silent.

Just inside the door sat two suitcases. An envelope sat neatly placed on top. Beyond that, a large sprawling room stretched out in both directions and large picture windows offered an amazing view of the mountains.

Cassidy picked up the envelope and read it quietly to herself. “It says the two of us are supposed to share this one suite. Camera crew included because of ongoing filming and lack of additional wall-mounted cameras throughout the hotel.”

It’s not enough she’s back, now I have to share a room with her? Awesome.

Cassidy stole a quick glance at Evan, unsure of whether this was good news or bad. Well, it was bad that they were stuck with Zoe, but it could be good to be stuck with Evan. Of course the temptation of Evan sharing such close quarters with her could be bad, very bad.

Zoe laughed. “Well played, Chip. Well played. I didn’t see this twist coming.” She wandered into the suite. “Of course, I’m not too crazy about sharing.”

“It’s only for a couple of days. I’m sure we can manage to live with each other that long.”

Zoe put her hands on her hips and faced Cassidy with an expression of amusement. “I would rather sleep in the lobby than bunk with you. But the show must go on, as they say.” Her eyes flickered to Evan. “Maybe bunking with your hot cameraman isn’t so terrible.”

Zoe grabbed her bag and disappeared into one of the bedrooms, slamming the door in her wake.

“I think that room is officially yours,” Cassidy said to Zoe’s cameraman, pointing to the room beside Zoe’s closed door.

Cassidy walked across the living room to the other bedrooms. “I’ll just go get myself settled and ready for my date tonight.” Evan followed Cassidy into her room and she closed the door behind them leaving Zoe’s cameraman standing in the living room alone.

“I can’t believe they stuck me and Zoe in the same room,” Cassidy whispered, clicking off her mic pack. “They’ll be lucky if we both make it out of here alive.”

Evan put down his camera and did a quick check through the room for hidden cameras. Despite what the note had said, Cassidy guessed Evan trusted Chip just about as much as she did, which wasn’t a lot.

“I think our bigger problem is making sure we don’t get caught being too friendly with each other,” Evan said. “Zoe’s waiting for an excuse to get you thrown out of the competition.”

“I want out, but not in a way that will lead to me being sued. It’s only a couple of days. We’ll be on our best behavior and hopefully I won’t make it past the next elimination.”

“If you can manage a crappy enough private date with surfer boy, it should be easy for him to eliminate you. Until then, it’s going to be tough keeping my hands off of you.” Evan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I hate that you’re going on a date with Brad tonight, and I hate even more that I have to be there to witness it.”

“I promise I won’t enjoy a single second.”

“You better not. And you better do something to avoid another kiss with him. He had his chance with you already. His loss is my gain.” He traced the outline of her lips then kissed her softly.

“I’ll try, but what am I supposed to do if he tries to kiss me? I’m on a dating show, remember? And it’s not like we’ve never kissed before, so I can’t use the excuse of not wanting to kiss someone I’ve just met.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“I need a good reason for not kissing him.”

“How about don’t brush your teeth and eat something with lots of onion and garlic? Oh and cough and sniffle a lot like you’re getting a cold. Snot is not sexy.”

“Thanks for the tips. Maybe my dragon breath will be enough to scare him away so I won’t have to use the snot tactic. Snot is not good for television ratings.”

Cassidy slid her hands up to his broad shoulders and pulled him toward her. Brushing her lips against his, she took a moment to savor the surprise on his face before pressing her lips to his. She longed to be with him again. To feel his naked body pressed against hers. The bed behind her was all too tempting.

Cassidy pulled away from Evan and gave him a slow smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“Don’t ever be sorry, Cassy.” Evan held her tight for another few seconds, his hands stroking her back. “Just remember this moment later tonight when the surfer boy tries to put the moves on you.”

“I won’t be able to think of anything else, trust me.” She pulled out of Evan’s grip and switched her mic pack back on. Walking across the room, she lifted her suitcase onto the bed and zipped it open. As she started to unpack, Evan picked up his camera and began to film in silence once more.

If only America knew what really happened when the cameras stopped rolling.

• • •

Cassidy heard a knock at the door and cringed. It was time for her date with Brad and she would rather sit naked on a ski lift in the middle of winter than spend another moment alone with him. But she had to go. It was part of the show and she couldn’t bail on dinner.

She grabbed her handbag and opened the door to find Brad grinning. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Should we get going?” Cassidy asked, ignoring his term of endearment. The quicker they left, the quicker the date would be over.

“Yeah, I have big plans for us tonight.” He arched his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Cassidy’s stomach rolled. “Oh, that’s great. What exactly do you have planned?”

“I can’t tell you, it would ruin the surprise.” He took her hand and led her out the door. “I’d rather show you.”

They walked hand in hand to the elevator. Brad punched the button for the sixth floor. As the door closed in front of them, he let go of her hand and put his arm around her waist.

Her back stiffened involuntarily at his touch until he pulled her gently to his side. Her body fit into place under his shoulder like she remembered. The soft musky scent of his cologne drifted in the air around him, making her relax.

The scent brought back a flood of memories she’d forced herself to forget when he’d left. Suddenly, she was back in Central Park, with Brad’s arm around her like this as they’d wandered through the park on their way to watch the ice skaters twirl on the rink. His body was warm next to her on that crisp, cold day. Her mind skipped forward two weeks later to the day he’d left her standing on the sidewalk alone and heartbroken.

Her heart ached at the memory of a time when they were happy together.

The elevator chimed, bringing her back from the photo album in her head and the doors slid open revealing the entrance to the chateau’s most upscale restaurant. The lobby floor was paved with river stone. Fake votive candles bobbed on the surface of small pools of water which had been set directly into the floor and covered with glass, their light forming the pathway into the restaurant. Along one wall, a waterfall trickled from ceiling to floor creating a slight mist in the air. The overall effect was enchanting.

“Good evening, Mr. Murphy,” a young girl dressed all in black said. “It’s nice to have you join us again tonight. Miss Quinn, it’s a pleasure to have you with us. If you’ll both please follow me.”

Classy. He brought Erica here earlier.

They followed the hostess through the dining room to the outdoor terrace. Cassidy’s eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Immediately in front of them was a small table set for two with pristine white linens, gleaming silver settings, and a small candelabra in the middle bathing the table in a soft circle of light.

Beyond that, a queen sized outdoor sun bed was draped in a canopy of white organza that billowed in the slight breeze as it hung gracefully to the floor. A collection of pillows and a strategically placed blanket created an ideal setting for a romantic encounter.

Millions of pillows on a bed big enough for two, candles, and a freaking amazing view. Hmm, someone’s hoping to rekindle some magic tonight.

The view was breathtaking, but Cassidy couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it. She wanted to be here with Evan, not Brad.

Brad stood beside her. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s gorgeous.”

“The view’s not the only gorgeous thing here tonight.” He draped his arm across her shoulders. “I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.”

She shrugged his arm off — the familiarity of his touch was too likely to bring back more memories. “I’m sure there are plenty of beautiful women in California. I can’t imagine you would’ve wasted too much time thinking about the one you left in New York.”

“Let’s not do this here, Cassidy.” Brad shifted away from her. “Why don’t we sit and have a little dinner. It’s late. You must be starving by now.”

She turned to face Brad. “I guess you’re probably not hungry if this is your second time here tonight.”

“True, I was here earlier with Erica. But, I saved the best for last. Now that she’s out of the way, we can relax and see where the night takes us without any time limits.”

It’s going to take me back to my room in about, oh, two hours.

Cassidy sat at the table and laid the napkin across her lap. “Is there a menu, or is someone going to bring us the house special?”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of ordering for you.” Brad smiled, confidently. He poured himself a glass of red wine before filling hers. “Cheers,” he said, raising his drink. “To a wonderful night to come.”

To making it out of here without tongue wrestling any more Basset hounds.

Cassidy took a sip of wine. The alcohol instantly warmed her insides. It wasn’t the best wine she’d ever had, but it wasn’t the worst. She would have preferred white wine tonight instead red, as usual — not that she expected Brad to remember that.

A waiter appeared and set two small plates on the table. Her stomach twisted as she peered at the gray slime in a shell someone called food.

“Oysters on the half shell. I hope you like them.” Brad smiled.

“I can’t say as I’ve ever had them.” Cassidy picked up an oyster to examine it. It wiggled in the shell, taunting her.

“Well, you forced me to try one of your favorite foods, so I thought it was only fair that you have to try one of my favorites.”

“Oysters and pizza are not a fair swap.”

Brad put a shell to his lips and tipped it into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly, motioning for her to try one as well. “You know, they say oysters are an aphrodisiac.”