Pick Me (9 page)

She blinked, then darted her eyes to his lips. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he began, “I could kiss you on the cheek like this.” He bent his head and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Or I could kiss you like this...”

Chapter 6

Valentina moaned a muffled gasp as Colt’s mouth crushed against hers. She’d never grow tired of his demanding, coaxing lips. She liked him rough and ready. The way he controlled the kiss, cupping her head, his tongue lashing against hers in a sensual duel. One where they’d both come out as winners.

Even wearing three inch heels, she had to rise up on her tip toes to meet his potent, mind-numbing kiss. She twined her arms around his neck, needing body contact, needing him to swallow her whole and make all her anxieties over the show go away.    

As he nipped and sucked her lower lip, then peppered open mouthed kisses down her throat, she let go of all those worries. Amidst all the lies she’d been weaving, she knew one thing for certain. She wanted Colt. Bad.

His strong arms offered security. His kisses gave her a sort of solace. When he caressed her, kissed her, she’d shifted back to the real Valentina. Not the bachelorette, not the Production Assistant willing to do just about anything for a promotion, and not even the little Italian girl who’d disappointed her parents and even now still continued to try to regain their pride. In his arms, she was herself, and loving every minute.

She groaned as he pressed his lips against the swell of her breasts, then again when he ran a rough hand down her back and brought her against his erection. Through the fabric of her flimsy sundress, his belt buckle dug into her skin. She loved the intoxicating mixture of pleasure and pain.

He’d been gentle with her in Denver, had started to show his true desires in the parking lot the other night, and some of his baser needs yesterday. She wanted a combination of all three. No holds barred sex, with subtle tenderness. Not too tender, though. Too much tenderness would lead her right back to Denver. To the night she’d realized she was tired of living out of a suitcase, and mediocre hotels. To the night she realized she’d been utterly alone for too long.      

Gripping the hem of her dress, he raised the material over hips in one quick shove. He grabbed her rear with both hands and gave her a squeeze. “You have the sweetest ass,” he murmured then captured her lips again, and raised her off the ground, wrapping her legs around his back. “C’mon, let’s head back to the bedroom.”

She tore her lips from his. “Wait,” she blurted, and stared at him. His eyes, bright with desire. His lips, moist from their kiss. He wanted her, she wanted him, but she knew in her heart she had to be honest—at least about some things—before they had sex again. Her conscience demanded it. “I think we need to talk.”

“What is it?” he asked, and searched her eyes. “Did something happen tonight? Trent didn’t—”

“No,” she said with vehemence, Trent was sweet and fun, and like Colt, deserved more than what she could ever offer. “Although I do feel guilty about all the effort he’d put into our date tonight, especially when all I’d kept thinking about was you.”

A small smile played on his lips before he brushed them against her temple. “Me too, which is why I left my ranch early. I couldn’t wait another two days to see you.”

His words and the sincerity in his eyes had her throat tightening. God how she wanted a man like Colt in her life—permanently. Good, honest, and caring, he radiated strength and comfort, something she needed right now.

“I’m glad you came tonight, but there’s something you should know...about the show,” she finished with a deep sigh.

He tightened his hold on her. “Go on,” he encouraged.

While her heart rate accelerated and her stomach knotted, she cupped his jaw. “Do you remember Jonas?”

“Yeah, the director, right?”

She nodded and smoothed her palms along his rough jaw. “He gave me that broach you’d found earlier...it’s not just a cheap piece of jewelry, it’s a spy cam.”

As her words sank in, he frowned. “Why would he need a spy cam with all the cameras around during the dates? There wasn’t anything on the dating schedule Danny emailed me that had you having alone, off-camera time with me or any of the other bachelors.”

“True, but I think Jonas might find a way to make that happen. He wants the spy cams to capture footage of me being intimate with you and the other guys.”

“For what?” He adjusted his hands and gave her rear another squeeze, and not gentle, either, but more along the lines of possessive. 

“Ratings,” she said, while all she wanted to do was forget this entire conversation and pick up where they’d left off, kiss him, strip him naked and lose herself in his body.

His jaw ticked beneath her palms. “What did you tell him?”

“No.” When relief softened his face, she had a moment of hesitation, but knew she’d gone this far, she might as well tell him the rest. He deserved to know. “But, he threatened me.”

“That bastard, I’ll—”

“Colt, stop. Let me rephrase that, he threatened us.”

He set her feet to the floor, smoothed her dress down, but kept his hands secured around her waist. “
Us?
”

“There was a security camera in the parking lot that filmed what we’d done against my car. Jonas has it and said that if I didn’t wear his stupid spy cams and give him something he could use to help his ratings, he’d use the tape of us on the show. He also said if I told anyone about this, he’d splash it on the internet.”

Instead of walking away in disgust, or ranting and raving over the bomb she’d just dropped, he kissed her forehead with such tenderness, she wanted to cry. “When I was parking my truck, I saw you in the window earlier.”

“Is that why you shut my drapes?”

“Yep. I could see you clear as a bell. You’d thrown the broach across the room, then slammed your cell phone on the table. Had you been talking to Jonas?”

“Yes,” she hissed, her Bonasera temper igniting. “He threatened me with releasing the tape on the internet again if I didn’t give him something he could use from my date with Brad, who I’m scheduled to see tomorrow night.”

“Did you see the tape?”

She nodded. “It’s in black and white, grainy and while it’s difficult to tell the couple in the footage is us, I still don’t want it out on the worldwide web or used on the show. Colt, we both have careers and families to think about.”

“You’re right. I’m not worried about my career, though, but I’m sure this tape would make it difficult for you to find another teaching job.”

Damn, just when she was finally being honest, he reminded her of another one of her lies. “Now I don’t know what to do. I refuse to act like Jonas’ whore so he could have his precious ratings, and I refuse to secretly film you or the other bachelors, it’s just not right.”

“Then let’s quit the show,” he suggested with a shrug.

She masked her panic. Quitting the show had been her first thought, too, but if she quit, the show would be cancelled and people would lose their jobs—including her. If she didn’t meet her contractual agreement and finish
Pick Me,
she’d lose the promotion Derek had offered her, and if Jonas grew spiteful enough, he could still air the sex tape on the internet. No matter which way she sliced it, she was screwed.

“No, I don’t want to quit. I need to finish the show,” she said honestly.

“C’mon, Valentina. Is it
really
worth it? I mean, how much are they paying you?”

“Thirty thousand dollars.” Another honest answer considering Derek promised to double her measly salary. “I need the money, Colt.”

“But like this?” He blew out a deep sigh, his warm breath grazing her lips, while he tightened his arms around her back, giving her comfort when she needed it the most. 

“I don’t know what else to do.”

“Okay.” He smoothed her hair from her face. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we give Jonas what he wants?”

“No way, I’m not about to—” 

He kissed her. “Shh, let me finish. I’m not suggesting we give him another rendition of what happened in the parking lot, just what seems to come natural between us. Kissing.” He captured her lips in a slow, lazy kiss. “A little heavy breathing.” He chuckled against her ear, his warm breath sending goose bumps along her skin as he nipped her earlobe. “No sex, just a glimpse of a couple enjoying their time together.”

For the first time in days, hope worked its way through her chest. “That might work. But what about the other bachelors?”

Hauling her against his chest, he snagged her gaze. “No one else touches you but me. If Jonas doesn’t like it, and he does make good on his threats, I’ll sue him for everything he owns. I might be a sports agent, but I’m also an attorney.”

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, and shifted her fingers through his hair. “Thank you.”

“For what? Allowing myself to be filmed doing something that’s as natural as breathing?”

“And what would that be?” she asked with a smile.

“Being with you.”

She stared into his eyes, puzzled, amazed and awestruck. His comment about being an attorney had hit a chord. She’d been so worried he might be
Pick Me’s
imposter that she’d allowed her insecurities over choosing the wrong guy to rule her better judgment. She knew in her heart Colt was exactly who he said he was—a sports agent with an affinity for horses.

Yesterday, while they’d dined on bologna sandwiches in his kitchen, he’d told her about his new endeavor. He was rescuing horses and keeping them on his ranch until they were given a clean bill of health and received proper training. Then he planned to sell them, only not for profit, just enough to come close to covering his cost.

Even then she had questioned her doubts. He didn’t have a working ranch to prosper from, and the rescued horses would gain him zero profit. Now, though, she knew for certain he was indeed an attorney and a sports agent. The furnishings in his home were simple, but she had a general idea of the price tags they’d carried, plus he owned a condo in downtown Dallas. The lease on her apartment had cost the show over two thousand dollars a month. There was no way the people of
Pick Me
would spring for another lease on a swanky downtown condo—one she wasn’t scheduled to see—in order to keep up a ruse. No. Colt wasn’t the imposter. The only imposter in the room was her.

A tear slipped down her cheek. God, she was such a fool. She had a good, honest man holding her, willing to sacrifice himself and help her counter Jonas’ threats. And yet, in the end, she knew she’d walk away from him. When he learned the absolute truth of her actions and the gain she would make, he wouldn’t want her anyway.

“What’s this for?” he asked, and swiped the tear away with his thumb.

She choked back a sob. “I guess all the anxiety over the tape and spy cams caught up with me. I’m fine. Really.”

Colt’s eyes narrowed. Not willing to waste another moment when she knew she had so few with him left, she twined her arms around his neck. “Maybe we should practice what we’ll give that jerk Jonas and his dumb spy cams,” she said, and ran her nails along his neck, then through his hair.

He groaned. “Damn, that feels good.” Then he scooped her back up in his arms, and wrapped her legs around his waist again. “But what I want to do to you isn’t fit for regular TV.” He captured her lips, and slid his tongue into her mouth with such demanding desire it nearly stole her breath. When they both came up for air, he grunted, “The bedroom.”    

She tried not to tense. The bed...the bed was for lovers. While she’d wanted him to be her lover, for however long it lasted, she worried once they were there, she’d never want him to leave, or that he would on his own accord. She had to go back to what she’d said yesterday, to herself, to him. This was sex, for however long it lasted.

Grazing her tongue along his jaw, then tentatively along his lips, she feathered her fingers through his hair and cupped his head. “No. Now. Right here.”

His gaze flickered with disappointment, yet the desire remained. After a heartbeat, the side of his mouth turned up in a crooked grin, one that didn’t meet his eyes. “You got it,” he said.

Before she had a chance to dissect his pointed look, he had her heels on the ground, and her dress pooling at her feet. In one swift motion, he unsnapped her bra, and took a nipple between his lips.

She stood in the small foyer, naked except for her panties and three inch heels, while Colt shifted from one nipple to the next. Licking and sucking. His rough, beard stubbled jaw flush against her skin, sent goose bumps skidding over her body.

Reaching around she grabbed his ass the same way he’d grabbed hers. With need. With want. He released a throaty groan, then dropped to his knees. Stared at her simple, white bikini underwear.

He licked his lips and hooked his fingers under the waistband, then tugged. Slow. So damned slow. An inch on one side, followed by an inch on the other, until her dark curls peeked from the waistband.

She speared her hands through his hair when he circled his tongue over her belly button. Shivered when he placed wet kisses all over her stomach, then tensed with anticipation when he dipped his head lower.

“You’re ass is sweet,” he said against her skin. “But what’s underneath here is delicious.” Snagging her gaze, he slid her panties over her hips and around her ankles until she was completely naked except for her heels. His eyes glittered under the low lighting in the living room. He held her gaze and ran his tongue along her thigh. Nibbling, teasing, and driving her insane with need. When he reached her dark curls again, he drew in a deep breath, his release burning a hot path along her sensitive skin. Then he darted his tongue. She gripped his head, welcoming him, urging him to take whatever he wanted.