Unscripted Love: The Complete Reality TV Romance Collection

by Heather Thurmeier

  “Maybe a shower is a good idea after all,” Miles said. “I’m starved. Why don’t you go shower and I’ll scrounge us up some food and bring it to your room while we wait for Zoe to call.”

  Miles. Alone. In my room?

  “Yes,” she said too quickly. “I mean, that sounds okay.”

  “Good. See you in a few.” Miles wandered off in the direction of the kitchen while Paige bolted for her room.

  If she was going to get an evening alone with Miles, away from the game, she’d better clean up. She couldn’t have him in her room when she looked like this. It wouldn’t take long for him to find food so she had to hurry.

  She cranked the shower to hot and steamy. It would take heat and lots of soap to make her feel clean again. Quickly, she scrubbed and rinsed her hair. While she waited for the conditioner to soak in, she soaped up the rest of herself with body wash. When she was sure she was clean, she rinsed off and stepped out of the shower.

  Toweling off, she reached for her clothes only to realize that she’d forgotten to grab something clean to put on. The thought of getting back into her denim shorts was most unappealing. But maybe it wasn’t so terrible to slip back into Miles’s shirt for a few minutes while she found something clean to wear. It was either that, or her towel.

  At least her towel was clean, which was more than she could say for Miles’s shirt. Even from a few feet away she could make out the distinct layer of grime on it. She would definitely have to wash it before giving it back.

  Was Miles out there waiting already or would he wait in the hall? Maybe he was still finding some food for them.

  She pressed her ear against the door and held her breath, listening for any kind of movement in her room. Hearing nothing, she pulled her towel tight around her chest and made a beeline for the closet on her side of the room. Halfway across the room, she heard a cough and froze mid-step. A cough that came from inside her room.

  A cough that came from the incredibly hunky mountain climber currently sprawled across her bed and propped back onto her pillows. Oh, how she wanted to climb that mountain.

  Shit. Maybe the shirt would have been better than the towel.

  “I didn’t realize you would be in my bed — in my room … Um, hi.” She smiled, trying to look casual.

  Miles took a swig of his beer then set it on her bedside table and sat forward. “Sorry. I thought you realized I planned to wait in here, not in the hall.”

  “I forgot my clothes.”

  Brilliant response.

  He raised an eyebrow. “I see that. Would you like help finding them?”

  She bit her bottom lip, suddenly wondering if she could convincingly pretend to drop her towel by accident. No. She’d never be confident enough to pull a move like that successfully. Best bet was getting into clothes quickly.

  “I should be able to manage.” She stood unmoving. Or maybe she couldn’t manage.

  What should she put on? It seemed a little late to put on a whole new outfit. But staying in her towel really wasn’t the best idea either. At some point the towel would unwrap and her bits or pieces would end up exposed. He’d already seen her in her pajamas so those might work.

  She took a moment to actually look at what he wore — a pair of beat up gym shorts and a clean T-shirt. By the look of him, he’d stopped into his room to clean up too. How had he managed all that and the dinner waiting on plates on Zoe’s bed while she’d barely accomplished the quickest shower of her life?

  That settled it. If he could be in comfortable clothes, she could be too. The only problem was that her pajamas were currently lying on the bed beside Miles. Meaning, she’d have to get close enough to Miles for him to hand them to her.

  And she had to try not to get too close or she might risk doing something stupid — like try to climb his mountain.

  She took a tentative step toward him. He leaned forward a little more on the bed, a questioning expression playing on his face. Another couple of steps and she was only a foot from the bed, and from him — altogether too close for her current state of nakedness. Especially with such a hunky guy looking up at her from her bed … his eyebrows arched.

  “I thought you said you didn’t need my help, but now here you are.” Miles’s voice sounded huskier than usual. Maybe he was tired. “Do you need my help?” he asked, reaching out his hand to stroke the little indent beside her very naked kneecap.

  Maybe he was horny.

  She gasped. Oh God, yes I need help. But no … Or maybe.

  Squeezing the looped edge at the top of her towel tighter so there was no risk of it coming undone, she pointed with her free hand to the pajamas beside him. “I. Pajamas. You.”

  Paige tried to calm her breathing, which was difficult because she suddenly felt as if she’d run a marathon since showering. Maybe if she could stop hyperventilating, she’d actually be able to form a coherent sentence.

  Or maybe she’d be able to think straight if Miles wasn’t still massaging a circle on her knee while he waited for a response.

  Or possibly it was the tingles dancing along her nerve endings that caused her brain synapses to short circuit.

  Miles grabbed the tiny pile of clothing beside him then stood. Hot damn, he was tall. And she was still very naked. He held out her clothes, gripped tighter in his fist than seemed necessary given the lightweight material.

  “Your pajamas.” He smirked.

  She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Seemed every thought she could’ve possibly had was washed down the drain during her shower. All thoughts except for the ones that involved tackling him onto her bed. She touched his hand as she reached for her shorts and camisole and tried again, unsuccessfully, to speak.

  “I think you do need some help getting dressed since even forming a sentence seems too challenging for you right now.” He held out her camisole and shrugged. “No different than on the canoe earlier really. Only this time I’ll hold up your towel while you slip into your pajamas. I promise I’ll even try my best not to peek.”

  She nodded.

  Yes. Okay. At least then she wouldn’t be in a towel or naked. And since her body no longer seemed to function in its current state, she saw very few other choices. The thought of walking to her bathroom to change felt like an unachievable option. She took the top he offered her and met his gaze.

  Miles removed her other hand from the top edge of the towel, pulling the secured end free. As the towel loosened from around her chest, his fingers brushed against her skin. She worried she might actually burst into flames.

  Or jump him.

  Either was a plausible option.

  He slipped the towel from her body, holding it out in front of her a couple of inches. His gaze flickered down momentarily before meeting her eyes again.

  “I promised I’d try not to peek.” He cleared his throat. “I tried.”

  She blushed, unsure of how much he could even see with the towel up at her chest height. Of course, he was a good amount taller than her. He probably had a pretty clear peek at all the goods. The cool air of the room drifted across her rear, sending a chill up her back, beading her nipples instantly. She shivered.

  His gaze faltered, falling to her chest again.

  Her suspicions about his view were immediately confirmed as his eyes glazed over and his breath came out in a ragged sigh. “Please, Paige. For the love of all things holy. Put your pajamas on quicker.”

  Paige glanced down to the towel he still held, his knuckles almost as white as the bathroom linen. Screw it. He obviously wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  “No,” she said, dropping her pajamas to the floor.

  “No what?” he asked, his voice very deep and forced.

  “Neither one of us wants me to put those on, so I’m not going to.” She pressed her now paja
ma-free hands to his chest, smiling as he took in a shaking breath. Maybe she did have what it took to turn a guy like Miles on. “Drop the towel, Miles.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Miles did as he was told and dropped her towel. A second later she was in his arms, her naked body pressing to his clothed one. She went up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. His hands traveled down her back as he did, coming to rest on her ass. Goddamn, it felt even better than it had looked in those little jean shorts she’d worn all day.

  Miles groaned into her mouth and pulled back from her, propping his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath, which was coming fast and hard. “I’ve been trying not to do this all day. You looked so damn hot wearing my shirt.”

  He slid one hand up her ribs until he cupped her bare breast in his palm. “Knowing you weren’t wearing a bra underneath it … ” He flickered his thumb across her tight bud, enjoying the response he got from her body. “Knowing my shirt was brushing against your bare breasts … “ He kissed her deeply then pulled back again so he could finish his thought. “It almost drove me mad. I’ve never been jealous of a shirt before, but I was today.”

  Scooping her into his arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was so petite. Had she always been this tiny? She always seemed so big and full of life when they were searching for a cache or dealing with Zoe. How was it that such a big personality fit into such a tiny package?

  He laid her back on the bed, forcing her to unwind her legs from around him. Staring down at her, he took off his shirt. Paige looked self-conscious as she crawled backward on the bed toward a throw blanket. He grabbed her ankles, sliding her back down to where he’d put her. She didn’t have a single good reason to be self-conscious and he wasn’t about to let her hide. No way. He’d been dreaming about seeing her — all of her — for so long, he wasn’t about to let her ruin the view by hiding.

  “You don’t need that,” he said, motioning toward the blanket. “I want to see you.”

  She lay still, waiting for him while he stepped out of his shorts. Propping himself up on one elbow, he sank down beside her, taking in every aspect of her body. The gentle curve of her hip, the concave dip of her abdomen, the valley between her breasts — all of it the most gorgeous thing he’d seen. And he’d seen a lot.

  But none like her.

  Miles closed his eyes as she ran her hand down his chest, pausing only briefly around his belly button before plunging south to the hardened length aching for her. She stroked him slowly, sending waves of heat through him and he rocked his hips slightly.

  He bent forward, dipping his head to suck one taut nipple into his mouth, enjoying the gasp she made as he did. After a few minutes of her arching against his mouth while she stroked him, he pushed her hand away and took his mouth south. She moved her hips in time to his tongue, climaxing hard and fast.

  As her breathing calmed, he searched his shorts for his wallet and cursed himself for not bringing it with him. Standing beside the bed, looking down at Paige, waiting for him, reaching for him, he cursed himself again.

  “You don’t happen to have protection, do you?” he asked, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.

  Paige sat up on her elbows. “You’re joking, right?”

  He shook his head. “I’m afraid not.” He was so ready for her he thought he might die from blood loss to his brain if this situation didn’t rectify itself soon. “You brought some with you, right?”

  “No. I didn’t plan on needing any. Didn’t you bring some? You’re a boy. Don’t boys always have some handy?”

  “Yeah. In my wallet. In my pants pocket. The pants crumpled up in a ball at the foot of my bed in my room.”

  Paige smiled and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “So run on down the hall and get them. I’ll wait here.”

  “Oh, sure, no problem. I’ll just run down the hall with this,” he pointed to his erection, “flapping in the breeze. That won’t be obvious to any of the teams I’m bound to run into along the way. And when they inquire where I’m off to in my current situation, I’ll be sure to tell them I’m heading back here to you. Sound good?”

  “Point taken,” she said, biting her lip. Now he wanted to bite her lip.

  He looked around. “Where are Zoe’s things?”

  “I know you want to fool around, and believe me, I want to too, but I can’t let you violate Zoe’s privacy by going through her things.” Paige sat up and pulled the blanket around her. “You think Zoe’s okay, right? I feel a little bad that I’m not, you know, pining away with worry while she’s at the hospital.”

  “She’s fine, trust me. I asked the medic before they left. He thinks it’s a sprain or less.” He opened the bedside table and took a quick peek. Nothing that looked anything like a condom. “It’s the show’s policy to be extra cautious since we’re not on set all the time.”

  He closed the bedside table drawer harder than he meant to and it banged loudly in the quiet room. “Damn it. Where the hell is a condom when you need one? I know Zoe will have one around here somewhere.”

  “I really don’t think you should be doing this. I don’t care how bitchy she is, you can’t go through her things like she doesn’t matter.” Paige’s voice held a distinct hint of annoyance.

  If she knew what he knew about Zoe, she wouldn’t be riding him about it. She’d be helping him find what he was looking for then she’d be riding him because of it. And he’d be happily buried balls-deep inside her right now.

  He stopped and stared at Paige. “Listen, I’m not going to violate Zoe’s privacy. I just need her makeup bag and I’m sure there will be a condom in it. That’s all. I swear I won’t touch anything. I know Zoe.” He sighed, cursing his slip of the tongue. He couldn’t think straight without proper blood flow. He did want to tell Paige about his past with Zoe, but right when he was about to get busy with Paige probably wasn’t the right moment. “I know girls like her. They always come packing protection.”

  Paige thought about that for a moment. “It’s on the bathroom counter. But I swear to God, if you snoop in her things for longer than just a peek for a condom, I’m going to tell on you. And Zoe will totally kick you.” Her eyes glanced down quickly then back up.

  He had no doubt that Zoe would, or where she’d kick him. But luckily, he also knew Zoe would get over it. One quick peek inside Zoe’s normal polka dot makeup bag was all it took to find a row of wrappers. Tearing one from the line, he closed the bag. Then opened it again, taking another.

  Who was he kidding?

  Miles trotted back to the bed, crawling his way up her legs with kisses as he went. Paige giggled when he got to her inner thighs and pushed him away.

  “Miles,” she practically murmured. “Enough already.”

  He hadn’t ever heard anything more wonderful. Sheathing himself, he settled between her legs as she wrapped them around his waist. When her heat surrounded him, he thought he might actually pass out. He’d been thinking about this moment for so long — finally getting to live it was better than amazing.

  He curled over her as they moved together, kissing her lips and neck and anywhere else he could reach. When she scratched her nails down his back, he picked up the pace.

  She responded with little gasps. When her breathing finally gave way to one last moan as she arched into him, he let himself give in too. Collapsing onto the bed beside her, he pulled her into his arms while he tried to catch his breath.

  If he gained nothing else from this entire TV show experience, just one kiss from Paige had made it all worthwhile. This other stuff with her, beside him, satiated because of him, was icing on the cake.

  • • •

  Paige rested her head on the pillow next to Miles, running her hand up and down his stomach in lazy sweeps. She wasn’t trying to entice him into round two, although
she could already see the stirrings of interest. For now she was content to be here with him, in his arms — his amazing, strong arms.

  “I’m a terrible teammate,” she said, realizing she hadn’t thought much about Zoe — other than during the whole condom incident — and she’d been at the hospital for a couple of hours already.

  “Why do you say that?” Miles asked then yawned.

  “Because my teammate is at the hospital with a possible broken ankle and I’m here in bed, getting sexed up with a hunk on another team.”

  Miles laughed. “You have met Zoe, right? I’m pretty sure she’d do the same thing in your position. In fact, I think she’d applaud your timing. And I’m also sure she’s fine. She would have been in a lot more pain if her ankle was actually broken. The medic wouldn’t lie to me if he thought there was a real chance she was injured. Nor would Ben leave me here in the dark if they discovered something major was wrong at the hospital. I trust Ben, especially in a hospital. He’ll call if there’s anything to worry about.”

  “So it’s the whole ‘no news is good news’ thing?”

  “Exactly.” He kissed her forehead. The gesture of comfort hit the spot she needed soothed.

  “You don’t think they’re still waiting to be seen and don’t even know yet if it’s serious or not?”

  He shook his head. “No way. Chip Cormack is way too pushy to let one of his contestants sit in the waiting room all night. I’m sure he’s pulled whatever strings necessary to get them in to a doctor right away.”

  She sighed. “I hope you’re right. And I really hope they call soon to tell us.”

  “I don’t. In another forty-five minutes, I’ll be happy for an update, but right now, I have other, more important matters to attend to.” Miles rolled her over so she lay on his chest. If his body was any indication of his mindset, it was obvious he was already way beyond thinking about Zoe.

  Paige wasn’t as sure of Zoe’s situation as he was. But maybe he was right about one thing; they could wait a little longer to hear back about her status.