Pick Me (13 page)

Grinning, he took her wine glass from her hand and set it next to his, then tugged her hips. When she was flush to his body, he stroked her hair from her face. “You did blow a hole through the target, but you also took out a tree branch and kicked up a bunch of dirt, too.”

“The .22, then?” she asked and smoothed her hand on his chest.

“Not happening.”

“Well,” she said with a sigh, “It was worth a try.”

“No guns, but the pepper spray might be a nice addition. Just don’t mistake it for hair spray.”

She chuckled. “That actually happened to a girl I knew from college. Maybe I’ll just kick Jonas where it counts if he tries anything.”

“That might get you kicked off the show.”

Her smile fell, and tears swam in her eyes.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry.” She pulled away and reached for her glass, her hand shaking as she took a sip. When she set the glass back down, she turned to him, her eyes searching his for a moment before she spoke. “While I was on the set doing the dating diary thing, I overheard some of the crew. If
Pick Me’s
ratings nosedive, the show will be cancelled.”

He honestly couldn’t believe the show had lasted this long. In his opinion, reality shows were plain stupid. There were so many of them anymore, he couldn’t keep track. Losing one more, like
Pick Me,
might actually do television a favor. “And that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes,” she said with more vehemence than he’d expected. “Think about all those people who work for the show. They’ll lose their jobs and I don’t want to end up being the reason they’re on the unemployment line. I won’t let Jonas and his intimidation tactics ruin everything.” Taking her wine, she hurried to the living room.

He stood in the kitchen, and drew in a deep breath. His feelings and respect for Valentina growing and compounding. She cared enough for people she didn’t even know to risk her well being, and her reputation. If Jonas leaked that security tape, she’d never find another teaching job, yet she was willing to risk it. For the money? Maybe, but at this point, he didn’t think so. He’d like to think he knew her well enough that this was more about justice. As if, in her own way, she was fighting for the crew members of
Pick Me.

Wine glass in hand, he went into the living room and settled next to her on the sofa. “Did I mention my brother, Win, is a Texas Ranger?”

Widening her eyes, she laughed and choked on her wine.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s so funny? Win Walker? Hello? Walker, Texas Ranger. You know the Chuck Norris TV show? I bet your brother has caught all kinds of crap for that.”

He grinned. “Not so much. A few years back, a rookie had made the mistake of comparing Win to Chuck Norris and wound up regretting it. Win made the kid work the worst shifts...he never, nor has any other rookie since, made the same reference again.”

She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever meet him.”

If? No, more like when. He wanted to introduce Valentina to his family. He wanted them to love her and appreciate her like...nope. This wasn’t love. This was a very strong like. Then again, what the hell did he know about love? All he knew was whatever he had with Valentina sure felt right.

“Anyway,” he said, in an effort to segue from his thoughts. “I asked Win to do a little checking into Jonas’ background. I’m hoping he can come up with something we can use to combat his threat.”

“If not?” she asked, and ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass.

“I’ll go to the producer.”

“But Jonas could still use his copy of the tape.”

True. “Well, what if we use his spy cams against him?”

“What do you mean?”

“I could buy one of my own, you know like those pens they advertise in magazines, and maybe you could catch him harassing you. We could take that to the producer, then—”

“Again, he could still use his copy in an act of revenge.” Sighing, she set her glass on the coffee table and rubbed her palms against her temples. “I like your idea, but unfortunately there’s no telling what Jonas will do.”

She had a valid point. Setting his own glass on the table, he pulled her close to him. As he did, she shifted her legs onto the sofa, and rested her head in his lap. While he wanted to offer her comfort, with her face practically in his groin, he had a hard time concentrating on anything.

“I had a great time tonight,” she said, and curled her hands under her chin. “I can’t believe the people you know.”

He stroked her hair. “They’re regular people, just like you and me.”

“Yeah, right. Reggie and Shawna combined make more than I’d see in a hundred lifetimes.”

“Money isn’t everything,” he countered, and moved his hand down her shoulders. Tension lined her muscles, and while he worked the knots loose, he pictured beating the ever living shit out of Jonas. He should have come to Valentina’s rescue rather than stand across the street with his thumb up his ass while Jonas had berated and threatened her. Her safety was more important than the jobs of
Pick Me’s
crew.

She sucked in a breath when he honed in on a major knot just below her shoulder blade. “It is if you don’t have much. Ouch, okay, you’re torturing me.” She gripped his thigh when he pressed his thumb against the balled up muscle.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Yes...no,” she grunted, then relaxed again when he finally smoothed the knot.

“So the show is important to you because you need the money, have no job, and now you’re crusading for the crew and their impending unemployment.”

“Stop or you’ll bring that knot back to life.”

Chuckling, he ran his hand down her back. “Honey, I don’t understand why you have to carry all of these burdens yourself. If it’s about the job, Ruger told me about an open position at an elementary school just outside of Sunny Springs. You could apply and walk away from the show.”

She tensed, and shoved off of him. Now sitting with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, she mumbled, “I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Look, let’s just drop this. You’re leaving tomorrow and we won’t see each other for a few days, so let’s enjoy the rest of the evening. I don’t want to talk about the show, or Jonas.” Offering him a smile, she nestled her head against his chest and ran her hand down his stomach. When she reached his belt, she toyed with the buckle.

He stiffened and swore the knots he’d just smoothed from Valentina’s back found their way into his. At the same time, his cock stirred. Damn it, he hated when she shut down on him, changed the subject and thought sex would make it all right. Not that he didn’t want to have sex with her. Hell, he wasn’t a fool. He’d never found a partner as sexually in tuned with him, but he needed more from her. He wasn’t exactly sure what
more
was, but he wanted to explore the possibilities without sex being the basis of their relationship.

She unclasped his belt buckle, then ran her hand along the inseam of his trousers. His body reacted, as it always did when he was near her, but he didn’t want sex right now. Okay, he did, his erection hard evidence to that fact. Call him crazy, but he actually wanted to finish
talking
first. “I don’t want to talk about Jonas anymore, either, but what about the teaching job I mentioned? Do you want me to get the principal’s contact information?”

“Um, no.” She stilled her hand, then released a deep breath. “Thanks, but I found out this morning that I have another job lined up.”

“Really? That’s great. Where? Will you be able to keep the apartment or is it too far of a commute?”

“I’d say it’s a pretty far commute. The job’s in Los Angeles.”

His momentary excitement vanished and left him hollow. “LA, huh? I see. That’s...great. Congratulations.” Frowning, he added, “But I thought you said you were going back to Chicago.”

She shifted her body, hiked up her dress and straddled his legs. Cupping his face, she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss, then drew back. As she stroked his jaw, a small, sad smile played along her lips. “Chicago was my last resort. Even without a job, at least my family is there. To be honest though, as much as I love them, they can be a bit overbearing.”

He gripped her hips and tried to channel his irritation elsewhere, but knowing she’d up and run all the way to LA without giving him, or rather Dallas, a chance had him disgusted and pissed. Still, she’d opened up the dialogue and had given him an opportunity to find out why she seemed to be running from everyone.

“How so?” he asked, and eased his hold on her, running his hands over her bared thighs.

Meeting his gaze, she said, “I’m the baby in my family, and the only girl on top of it. I was coddled, but never spoiled. Smothered is the best word I can come up with to describe my childhood. Everyone knew what was best for me. Everyone knew what I needed only they never asked me what I actually wanted. And while I wanted control of my life, I still wanted to please everyone around me. Oh God,” she half-laughed, “we’re not going to see each other for a few days, and here I am wasting time on all of my woe is me crap. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I think I understand.”

“You do?” she asked, her eyes widening.

He shrugged, and brushed the hair from her face. “You’ve spent so much time worrying about everyone else, you’ve forgotten about yourself. About what pleases you.”

Her dark eyes flickered with appreciation, and maybe regret. He understood. He’d worked his ass off to please his father, but because he had no interest in ranching, his dad had given the support and love Colt had craved to Ruger and Barrett instead. Those two would keep his dad’s hard work and legacy alive. If only his dad had understood, if only he and his father had been able to make amends before he’d died. Before his mother’s death, she’d tried. She had been the glue of their fractured family. Unfortunately, the glue hadn’t hardened enough.

Smoothing his hand over her hair, he cradled her neck. While Valentina was a pleaser, he was a fixer. A fixer with an acute obsession with the beautiful woman straddling his thighs. “So now you’re trying to discover what that is, what you want most out of life, but it seems to me like you’re running in all sorts of directions without a map.”

“Well,” she said with a rueful smile, “all my running led me
here.
” She emphasized the word by grinding her panties against his erection. “I guess I didn’t do too bad without a map.”

He gritted his teeth and wanted to fight like hell to not cave into her tempting body. She
was
running, and right now, attempting to divert him from a serious conversation. He could understand her need for freedom and independence from her family. There had been times when he wished his siblings weren’t his neighbors. What he couldn’t understand was why she was running from him. Why it seemed as if she only looked at him as a guy who could warm her bed—make that the sofa or living room floor considering she hadn’t allowed him into her bed. Deciding to challenge that theory, he pulled her head close to his and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. When he drew back, he said, “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

“Why?” she asked, then reached behind her back and unzipped her dress. She shimmied her shoulders, the dress gaped and her breasts spilled forward—right in front of his face. “What time does your flight leave tomorrow?”

He stared at her nipples, contemplating whether or not he should push their conversation until he received some satisfying answers, or simply succumb to the ultimate satisfaction and take her the way he’d been aching since leaving her last night. “I have to be at the airport by six in the morning.”

She raised her head to the gay pride clock on the other side of the living room. “Well, it’s almost midnight, so...” She clenched her thighs around his, cupped her breasts, then brushed a nipple along his lips.

Her strawberry scent surrounded him, and his mouth watered for a taste. He resisted...barely. Skimming his hands up her back, he reached her hair and tugged. “So,” he mimicked, and rubbed his lips against her nipple. “Does this mean I’m spending the night?”

She tensed, her breath coming in small, short gasps as she shot her gaze from his lips to his eyes then back again. Knowing sex was on the forefront of her mind, but also knowing they shared something deeper, something she, for whatever reason, didn’t want to admit to herself, he grazed her nipple with his teeth. Tugged gently, and when her entire body shuddered, he almost hated himself.

Just like her, he was falling back on what they did best—sex—to weasel his way deeper into her heart. He wanted to spend the night, even if he’d have to wake up at the crack of dawn. Hell, before he’d picked her up for their date, he’d packed his bag for the Miami trip and stowed it in his Corvette with the hope she’d let him stay the night. Yeah, he wanted to have sex, but he also wanted to hold her as she slept. He hadn’t done that since Denver, and missed the curve of her body against his.

After what seemed like forever, she cupped his jaw, her nipple still against his lips, and stared into his eyes. Their dark depths held an emotion he couldn’t name, but one that brought hope to his weary heart. “Were you serious about staying here, you know, because of Jonas?” she asked with a hitch to her breath as he licked her nipple.