That watching him dance with my best friend made me realize I still wasn't quite ready to give him up to another woman just yet?
He twirled the flower thoughtfully in his hand, and then looked over at the line-up of women in ball gowns. "Leona?"
I clapped politely with the others as my friend gave a happy shiver and stepped forward to let him put the flower behind her ear. She returned to her place in line, all smiles.
I smiled back at her, feeling a little like I was dying inside. I hoped she wouldn't notice that my clapping wasn't very enthusiastic.
Heathcliff picked up the next flower, and I held my breath. He gazed down the line of us, and I didn't look away. Couldn't.
"Juno."
My breath escaped me in a whoosh, and I stepped forward, my hands full of my skirts, and I couldn't stop smiling. Hell, I practically beamed at Heathcliff as he carefully tucked the flower behind my ear and then winked at me.
And I blushed. Which made me feel like I was about twelve years old, but I couldn't help it. Trying to bite back my smile, I returned to my spot in line and ignored Kimberly's dagger-like stare.
The next three flowers went to Becca, Diamond, and Jenni F. We all looked uncomfortably at Kimberly as Lawrence approached her. "It's time for your journey to be over, my dear."
She gave him a gracious smile, then cast an even bigger, toothier smile at the rest of us. "May you all catch chlamydia." With that, she took Lawrence's arm, held her head high, and strutted out of the ballroom.
"Well," Heathcliff said, and we turned back to him. He had the second envelope in his hand and was tapping it against his palm. He gave another one of those teasing, panty-melting grins and I could have sworn it was aimed at me. "Let me be the first to say that I hope no one catches chlamydia."
"I'm pretty sure we shouldn't joke about STDs on television," I said as we laughed.
He just winked at me, and then flipped open the envelope and pulled out a new sheet of instructions. "Tonight, you will have a hot tub rendezvous with one special lady," he read aloud. "Make your choice now." He glanced up and met my eyes. "Juno? Will you be my date?"
"Oh," I breathed softly. "Sure."
"Great," Heathcliff said with a grin. "See you in an hour."
"Okay," I said, and remembered to nod.
He turned and walked away, immediately followed by production people.
I watched him go, then bent down to pick up my discarded shoes. The moment I straightened, Leona grabbed me by the arm and began to drag me along with her. "You and I need to talk, girl."
10
Chapter Eight
"Jesus. The sight of Juno tonight? It made me lose my breath, she was so beautiful. And to think she went to all that trouble to impress me? It was the first time I've felt hope that she might still care after all." -- Heathcliff Forester, the Billionaire Bachelor, Episode 4 Interview
I showed up to wardrobe an hour later, my head spinning from my conversation with Leona. She'd worked my ponytail into a high knot in anticipation of my hot tub date, and while she'd fixed my hair, we'd talked. And I'd learned lots of interesting things. Mostly, that when Leona was on her date with him, he asked about me. Asked how I liked working at the faire, if I was seeing anyone, what I thought about being on the show, etc. She said he'd positively grilled her about me and hadn't asked about a single other woman.
And being the good friend that she was, she wasn't hurt in the slightest but excited that he was hung up on me.
If you want him, Juno, you need to nail that man down, or else some other woman is going to come along and snap him up. And if you don't want him, then let me know so I can swipe him before someone else does, because he's a pretty charming guy.
With those instructions ringing in my head, I showed up for wardrobe. "I'm here for my hot tub date with Heathcliff?"
The person handling the wardrobe room nodded and went to a rack in the back and flipped a few hangers. A moment later, she returned and presented me with a big hanger with a teeny tiny white crochet bikini attached to it. "Your wardrobe."
I blanched. "That's it?"
"That's it."
I picked up the two tiny bits of fabric. "You are aware that this is crochet? White crochet?"
"It's lined," she said, returning to her magazine and flipping it open again. "I think."
Ugh. I studied it for a moment. Well, if I was going to do this, I supposed scanty beachwear was the way to go. With that thought in mind, I went to change.
Five minutes later, I entered a new portion of the hotel behind a production assistant who was more interested in talking into his headset about camera placement than he was in talking to me. That was fine; I concentrated on keeping my towel tucked around my tiny bikini anyhow, and peering around the surroundings. The Eden hotel was something else, and the newest wing of the place seemed to be like something out of a Moroccan paradise. Lush potted trees lined the walls and the floor was made up of millions of tiny bits of tile. As I walked, I could feel the floor was heated under my toes, and the room was steamy. The room was nothing more than a series of stained glass panels held together by what looked like graceful, fluting columns, and the ceiling was a big spiderweb of more window panes, these clear and showing the brilliant stars overhead. As a glass artisan, I was fascinated with such a large project and how it had come together, but something else dragged my attention away from the windows.
Heathcliff sat in the hot tub alone, bubbles frothing around him. His chest was bare and two glasses of champagne sat on a nearby tray. His skin gleamed, dewy and wet from steam, and his black hair curled over his forehead, making him look roguish and boyish at the same time. And I forgot...well, pretty much everything.
"Hi," I breathed, clutching my towel.
"Hello, Juno," he said in that utterly familiar tone. Instead of infuriating me, though, it made me tingle in all kinds of inappropriate places. He gestured at the large octagonal hot tub. "Going to get in and join me?"
"Oh. Um, yes." I looked around for a place to abandon my towel, and settled for a nearby marble bench. Boy, the people here sure liked marble. I carefully folded my towel, taking extra time with it as I steeled my nerves. My bikini was nothing more than two strings and squares held together, and I was pretty conscious of the fact that it hid absolutely nothing and highlighted everything. I turned back to the hot-tub and saw that Heathcliff was watching me with heavy-lidded silver eyes, his expression contemplative and thoughtful. Was he wondering at how much I'd changed? I didn't like to think about that, so I quickly moved forward and got into the hot tub across from him, sinking in up to my shoulders.
The water was utter heaven. I gave a low sigh of utter pleasure as the heat worked its way through my muscles. I closed my eyes and reveled in the sensation. "Oh wow."
"Nice, hmm?" Heathcliff said in a low voice. "It'll help get some of the stress out of your system."
I squeezed an eye open and regarded him. "How do you know I'm stressed?"
"Because I know you, Juno. And I know the look on your face when you're under a lot of pressure." His mouth crooked in that charming smile. "It's obvious to me."
I dragged my hands through the warm water and shrugged. "Well, I'm glad you picked me. I expected you to pick someone else tonight."
"Are you kidding? The moment I heard hot tub, I knew there was no one else I'd rather be intimately sharing warm, bubbling waters with."
Why did he have to make everything sound so...sultry? "Really? Because you seemed to have an easy time picking Leona and Kimberly recently. Are you going to tell me that was all a terrible chore for you?"
His grin only grew wider. "Why, Juno, are you jealous?"
I splashed at him. "Don't be ridiculous." Even if I was, I sure wasn't going to tell him.
"If you must know, seeing Kimberly was definitely a chore," he told me and reached for one of the glasses of champagne. He handed me one and then took another in his hand. "She wasn't a big fan of yours for some reason."
&
nbsp; "You don't say," I murmured, and took a sip of the champagne. Oh, it was like buttery silk on the tongue. Delicious. I drank half the glass before I could stop myself. "Why are the drinks here so incredible?"
"Eden's a magical place," Heathcliff told me, scooting closer in the hot tub. "Do you like it here?"
"What's not to like?" I told him. "A resort that looks like a castle, beautiful beaches, an island paradise..."
"Good company?" he hinted.
I just gave him an enigmatic smile and took another sip.
"You ever feel like exploring the island?"
I nodded. "I went walking earlier after hitting wardrobe, but we're only allowed to go to certain areas for the show. They keep us rather contained."
Heathcliff didn't seem surprised to hear that. "The network didn't rent out the entire island, only this wing of the hotel. The rest can get pretty scandalous."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I've visited some of the other parts of the resort. You know they have a dungeon here?"
"A dungeon? Like for prisoners?" I frowned, perplexed. That seemed so strange.
"No," he said, laughing, and swam a little closer to me in the hot tub. "Like for spanking someone...and making them like it."
"Ohhh." Hot embarrassment flushed my cheeks. "That kind of dungeon."
"Yes, that kind," he agreed, still chuckling. "Want to go explore it with me?"
"What? No!" I erupted into laughter at the thought of Heathcliff giving me a sexy spanking, especially in the middle of a dungeon. "You're kidding, right?"
"I'd never kid when it comes to getting to put my hands on you," he said, silver eyes gleaming. "You know I'd do anything to touch you again, Juno."
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't look away from his intense gaze. Slowly, I downed the rest of my drink and then set the empty glass on the lip of the hot tub.
Heathcliff put his aside, and moved even closer to me. At this point, he was so close that his shoulder brushed against mine, and if it was possible, he felt more scorching hot than the water did. His gaze was still fixed on my face, his focus moving to my parted lips. His hand went to the back of my neck, and he trailed little drops of water down my skin as he pulled me closer. "I'm going to kiss you in this tub, Juno," he whispered. "And if you don't want me to, you'd better speak up soon, because I'm having a hard time looking away from that beautiful, lush mouth of yours."
My entire body trembled at his words. Oh god, I remembered kissing him and being lost in the sensation. No one could kiss like Heathcliff. "Have you kissed anyone else here? On your other dates?"
"Never," he told me, voice fervent. "You know there's only you in my sights. You know this was all for you."
My fingers curled against his damp chest as he dragged me closer. "Then...why date the others?"
"To make you jealous," he murmured, and his lips just barely brushed over mine in the barest whisper of kisses.
"That was a dick move," I whispered back.
"It was, but I was running out of moves. All I had left were the dick ones."
I licked my lips, and I could taste him on me. Oh, and it brought back a wealth of memories, all of them dirty and pleasure filled. A moan caught in my throat, and I put my hands on his shoulders, then slid them around to the back of his neck. "So...what other moves do you have left in your arsenal?"
"Right now I'm contemplating kissing you ruthlessly until you agree to take off that see-through bikini because it's driving me insane." His gaze remained focused on my mouth, as if it were the center of his universe.
I gasped, shocked at his words. My bikini was see-through? Sure enough, when I looked down, I could see the hard, dark points of my nipples through the pale wet mesh, and the triangle between my legs was acutely outlined. "I don't think this was meant to get wet," I pointed out to him.
"Then take it off," he said lightly, and leaned in and took my lower lip into his mouth and began to suck on it.
A jolt of pleasure rocketed through my body. I didn't move, entranced as he continued to suck gently on my lower lip. He finally released it and looked up at me, his silver eyes molten with heat. "You taste as sweet as I remembered."
I threw my arms around him and pressed my mouth to his, unable to hold back any longer. Screw this whole 'no second chances' thing. That got me nothing but an aching heart and constant dreams of what might have been. This time, I was going to live in the present. And so I kissed Heathcliff with all the hungry, pent-up passion I felt.
He groaned against me and his hand clenched in my tightly-bound hair, his other skimming down my back. Our mouths locked and we kissed madly, tongues thrusting against one another as we licked and nibbled on each other, fiercely reclaiming what we'd lost years ago. His hand clenched on my ass and dragged me against him...
And I realized he wasn't wearing anything in the hot tub.
Reluctantly, I pulled my mouth away from his, panting. "Um...did you forget something?"
His eyes were sleepy with desire as he pulled my mouth back down to his. "Forgot how damn good you taste."
With a moan, I succumbed and forgot all about the fact that he was naked. I didn't care. I slid over him in the water and pressed my breasts against his hard chest as we continued to kiss, soft, slow, languid, teasing kisses that were all about relearning the other person as much as they were about heat and passion. And if he was naked and his cock was pressing against my bare belly, and the patch of my bikini bottom the only scrap that stood between us and full body contact? I didn't care. My entire world existed of his warm, wet flesh pressing against mine, the tongue delving into my mouth, and the lips pressed to my own.
It felt like I'd come home.
His hand slid into my bikini bottom, and he began to knead bare flesh. "Come up to my room tonight, Juno," he murmured against my mouth. "I've been dreaming about sleeping next to you again for what feels like forever."
I shivered as I kissed him again, hungry for his mouth. I remembered going to bed with Heathcliff. He was the consummate clinger in bed. Some men didn't like to touch or scooted to the far side of the bed to get away from the other person. Heathcliff sprawled on top of you, almost as if he felt like he had to own you even in sleep. He clung, he possessed, and he frequently had woken me up for middle of the night sex.
And I'd missed that.
But at the same time, I also didn't want to move too fast. Last week, I was broke and still hating my memories of Heathcliff. This week I was straddling the naked man in a hot tub and contemplating going to his room for reunion sex. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. "I shouldn't. It's too much, too soon."
He nodded, then pressed his forehead to mine. "I've missed you, June-bug."
And the iceberg around my heart thawed a little to hear that.
* * *
I returned to my room about an hour later. We managed to keep our hands off each other for the rest of the date -- well, mostly. Instead, we just talked about Eden, and small, random things. We kept the topics safe and light, and I ended up going into great detail about my plans for my 'beach' vases that I couldn't wait to get home and start creating. We'd ended our date with a quick kiss...that turned into another torrid make-out session, and by the time I pried myself away from Heathcliff, my pulse was pounding between my legs, my knees were weak, and my face felt raw and scratchy from beard burn.
I also felt gloriously, ridiculously alive.
I tiptoed into the dark room, determined not to wake up my roommate if she was sleeping. It was futile, of course; the light clicked on the moment I walked through the door.
Leona took one look at my kiss-swollen mouth and just grinned. She patted one side of the bed. "Change into your pajamas and come give me all the details, girl."
11
Chapter Nine
"Can I boot all the other women already? I've decided. I'm tired of this show. Just give me Juno." -- Heathcliff Forester, the Billionaire Bachelor, Episode 5 Interview
The next morning, my mood
was somewhere between 'cloud 9' and 'in the stratosphere'. I hummed as Leona twisted my hair into a sideways French braid that looped into a knot at the base of my neck. I didn't even mind as wardrobe put us in these dated-looking monochrome pantsuits. None of it mattered, because when we went to breakfast, there were only four contestant chairs, and one for the bachelor. It seemed that one of the girls had come down with a rather contagious island flu and they’d opted to have her ‘leave’ the show of her own accord. I didn’t care. I wanted them all gone.
When Heathcliff entered the room, I beamed at him, feeling pretty and loved and thoroughly wanted. He went around and greeted all the women, but his gaze kept flicking to me, and when he came and sat next to me, it took everything I had not to undo the knot of his expensive tie and jerk his collar open and start pressing kisses to his throat.
I, ahem, might have had some oversexed dreams after our torrid make out sessions last night.
Breakfast remained focused on bland conversations until Lawrence arrived. He stood at the double doors of the breakfast hall and gave us all an austere look. "Two ladies will be going on a special date with our billionaire bachelor later tonight. The other two will go on a special date with our billionaire bachelor the following night. The Decision Ceremony will be held the morning after both double dates are completed." With that, he gave Heathcliff a pointed look and exited the room again.
"I guess that's my cue," Heathcliff said, dropping his napkin on his plate. "You'll have to excuse me, ladies." He got up from the table, and as he did, he brushed something against my arm.
A note.
I ignored it for a few minutes, letting everyone get back to their normal conversations. It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. But when no one was looking, I furtively tucked the note into my hand and then excused myself from the table. Rushing to the bathrooms - the only place I knew wasn't filmed - I read it, holding my breath.
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