Huh. Chance had found an out for her. In less than five minutes, he’d managed to shift her attitude to something much healthier. “You’re saying it is very Zen of me?”
“To not be tempted by a wad of cash?” He laughed again. “Hell, yeah.”
Anda pulled out of his embrace to roll her eyes and wrinkle her nose. “Oh, I’m tempted. Don’t get me wrong.”
Chance made a face back at her. “Me, too. That’s why I stuck with the stunt coordinator idea. Starting a defense school would be risky—and damned expensive.”
Money could be considered as the bottom line when it came to decision-making. Anda wasn’t entirely certain if she wanted to be “that person,”’ though. Motivated by dollars more than dreams…
“If they do offer it to me, giving up this job would mean giving up a goodly chunk of financial security. Some might call that shortsighted. Foolish.”
“If it was your only option, maybe. What’s the other job, Sweets?”
She worried at her bottom lip with her teeth before answering. “A very small chain of boutiques between San Diego and Santa Barbara. The owner is about two years away from retiring. She doesn’t want to sell away her life’s work. Her family isn’t interested in taking over. Elaine wants a manager who shares her vision.”
“Do you?”
“I think so. The emphasis is more on personal service. Building and maintaining a long-term relationship with the customer rather than just churning through stock.” Anda and Elaine had clicked from their first moment together. And their taste ran along the same lines, too.
“You’d be great at that. You care so much. Let me guess—it pays less.” Chance rubbed his first two fingers and thumb together.
“Indeed. By quite a bit, for now at least. But I’d be home.”
Shifting his hands up and down like two sides of a scale, Chance said, “I don’t want you to struggle with the decision. On the other hand, I really want you to get both offers so that you feel your worth.”
“Thank you. I want the opportunity to drive myself nuts with pro and con lists, too.”
He tapped a finger right at the deep vee of her cream top. “Or you could listen to your heart. Sure sounds like that part of you has already decided.”
The trouble with that? The last time Anda had listened to her heart was in Colorado. When she decided to trust Chance, trust her burgeoning feelings and his and go to bed with him.
Her heart had steered her so very, very wrong. How could she trust it again?
Chance moved behind Anda. He spread his legs wide to cage her in against the fence. “This is nice.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
He brushed his thumbs where her sensitive skin curved from shoulder to neck. “Tonight was great.”
“Yes.” Easy to agree when it was true. That was the problem. Everything seemed great. Beyond great. Anda’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the bars to keep from rubbing backward against Chance.
His warm breath stirred the hair right above her ear. “Every time we’re together, it’s better than the last.”
Ouch. That was…mostly true. For this trip. It reminded Anda, though, of their last time together in Colorado. The time she’d truly believed to be their last ever. Because he kicked her off the show.
Just like that, something snapped inside of her.
Everything had been going great here in Vegas. Chance was still the wonderful man she’d fallen for six months ago. They still clicked as easily as a key sliding into a well-oiled lock. If anything, he tried a little bit harder, was a little bit more solicitous of her.
For him to revel in how great things were between them? That didn’t work for her. Not anymore. Not with the giant elephant in between them of why he’d dumped her if things were so blissful.
Anda’s priorities shifted. Hurting him, embarrassing him, playing the tit for tat game no longer mattered. Enjoying fleeting moments with him was no longer enough.
She had to know.
They were all alone. The thick darkness, broken only by the pool and cabana lights, gave an illusion of even greater privacy. And if Chance wouldn’t tell her? If he wouldn’t show her the respect of basic honesty?
Then she’d walk away. Right now.
Forever.
She ducked out from beneath his arm, tripping over his foot. Anda steadied herself with one hand on the gate. Chance’s profile was split in two—the side facing the desert utterly shadowed and unreadable, and the side by the hotel still showing his warm smile and crinkles around those bright blue eyes.
Which side was the real Chance? Which side was a true representation of his feelings for her?
Anda took a deep breath. Then she let it out in a fast whoosh before she changed her mind. “Why did you dump me?”
“Huh?”
Oh, it was going to be like that, was it? Him playing dumb to get another night’s worth of kisses out of her?
No. She was getting the truth out of him tonight if she had to claw it out of his chest with her fingernails.
“I’m not going anywhere until you level with me, Chance. All I want is the truth. No matter how much it hurts, it can’t be worse than not knowing. Tell me. Please.”
“Not knowing what? I haven’t dumped you. We’re smack in the middle of a date, for God’s sake.”
“Not tonight. Colorado. On Man of Her Dreams.”
Chance stared at her, frozen.
Fine. Anda could throw the last vestiges of her pride to the wind. She’d spell out the depths of her humiliation if it meant getting the answer she needed from him. “Why did you kick me off of the show? Did you ever have feelings for me? Or was it all for ratings? Or worse yet, a bonus from the producers if you got me into bed?”
“I didn’t…I wouldn’t…fuck.” The word tore out of his mouth so sharply Anda was surprised not to see blood dripping from his lip.
“Don’t lie. There aren’t any cameras here to perform for. Not feeling it – that’s forgivable. But going back on your word to not sleep with me if you planned to cut me? That’s lower than low. And definitely unforgiveable.”
Chance grabbed her hands, almost crushing them in his grip. “I didn’t. I swear it. I kept my promise, Anda.”
And then the lights went out.
All of them.
The pool, the cabanas, every glowing window and doorway of the sprawling hotel. Even the ever-present orangish haze from the Strip disappeared.
The darkness was absolute. Thick and heavy and scary.
As was the silence.
“What’s going on?” Anda said in a voice that was embarrassingly quivery. Because this…whatever this was…was not normal.
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly their fight didn’t matter. She was frightened. Right or wrong, smart or self-sabotagingly dumb, Chance made her feel safe. Anda shot her arm out to grab Chance’s hand. “I don’t like it.”
“Right there with you. It’s creepy. You didn’t feel an earthquake, did you?”
“No.”
Chance pulled out his phone. But it didn’t turn on.
Neither did Anda’s.
“Do you think it’s a terrorist attack?” In Vegas? Almost laughable. Unless it was a political statement against rampant capitalism…
“To only turn off the electricity? That’s annoying, but not the most aggressive move.” He led her carefully down the length of the pool, keeping one hand outstretched against the cabanas so they didn’t veer towards the pool. “Aliens, now. That’s a possibility.”
To her surprise, Anda giggled. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Hey, if we can laugh, then the world’s not ending. And aliens wouldn’t just turn out the lights. They’d obviously activate their sleeper cells of secretly one-eyed tentacle soldiers first.”
“Oh, I feel much better now.”
They reached the gate at the other end. It didn’t open when Chance waved his keycard in front of it. “This is a smart hotel. Latest technology
in every system…which means every system requires power. I’ll bet all the guests and staff inside are being corralled into a ballroom to keep everyone calm and safe in a central location.”
Anda eyed the “decorative” wrought iron spikes that topped each fence post. “I don’t want to try climbing that.”
“We shouldn’t risk it.”
Ha! Anda never thought Chance would back down from a physical risk. And if he got to try and make her laugh with his alien invasion, then she could pretend things were normal by teasing him.
“Is this when I get to make fun of the legendary stuntman not being willing to climb a ten foot tall fence?”
He walked them back to the first cabana. “Anda, I wouldn’t let you risk hurting yourself. I’m going to keep you safe tonight. Whatever happens.”
She believed him. With her whole heart. “Thank you.”
Chance patted the edge of the wooden slats that formed the cabana walls on three sides. “No phones, no TV, no radio….what should we do?” Snapping his fingers, he said, “How about we finish that conversation you started?”
Without the ability to walk away if things got too uncomfortable?
That was even scarier than this blackout…
CHAPTER 10
Chance’s heart raced faster than the time he’d driven a Bugatti at one-hundred-sixty mph through the streets of Monaco for a Bond film. He didn’t know if it was because of this weird total blackout…or because now he knew that Anda hadn’t walked away from him.
He fumbled at the ties to the swagged drapes at the front of the cabana. It’d get colder soon. The thick canvas that usually blocked the baking sun should help protect them from the dropping temps.
Since it was winter, even in Vegas, Chance had seen blankets draped over the couches earlier in the day. The mini-frig held bottled waters and booze, for that matter. Snacks, too, that would stay cold at least until morning. So basic survival was covered in this luxury pseudo-room.
Chance used his shins—not by choice—to get them past what he remembered to be a cabinet topped with electronics and, a few steps later, a coffee table. He guided Anda to sit on the wide cushions of the sofa. “Staying put is our smartest move right now.”
“Agreed.” Although her voice lifted at the end of the word as if she wasn’t convinced.
But he was.
If there were something bad going on, they were safe here. Nobody knew they were outside, and nobody would expect people to be sheltering in a pool cabana. It’d keep them from being noticed if there were…bad guys…on the property. If everything were on the level, nothing more than a huge power glitch, then a bunch of hotel staff would come looking for them. Eventually. And probably loudly.
He knew a lot of ways to disable someone. Couldn’t pick apart or fake martial arts moves without knowing the real thing. Chance knew he could protect her…against a few people. No more than a handful, at best, though. Not getting into danger in the first place was the best move.
Plus? No way would he leave her alone to go check things out. Chance wouldn’t leave Anda’s side until this all shook out.
On the other hand? Anda was the one who’d seemed on the verge of sprinting from his side right before the blackout. Getting her calm—and distracted—might not be his biggest challenge. The blackout could be the only thing keeping her here, talking to him.
And God, he needed to keep her talking to him.
As casual as Clooney after two tequilas, Chance asked, “Do you want something to drink?”
“I appreciate the offer, Mr. DiMarco, but I’m a little too churned up right now to toss back a soda.”
Chance interlaced his fingers through hers again. Anda grabbed on tight. He didn’t mind admitting that the contact with her made him feel stronger. “Pretty sure these big money cabanas are stocked with wine and booze.”
“Maybe later. Once I’ve stopped imagining all the ways this blackout could mean something terrible is happening.”
There was his opening to redirect the conversation. And yeah, the timing might be shitty. But it was just dark. The sky wasn’t on fire or anything. How bad could the dark be…as long as it went away by about seven tomorrow morning?
At the least, it’d distract Anda from freaking out. Getting her mind off the blackout was the only way he could figure out to help right now.
Who was he kidding? Even the blackout couldn’t distract him from being so close to finding out what really happened when Anda walked out on him.
“Ah, funny you should say that. Because I felt like the world crashed to a stop seven months ago. The day you left me, without a word. With no explanation, no goodbye. So right now?” Chance folded his other hand around their joined ones. Maybe this time it’d be enough to keep her next to him. “I’m feeling pretty damned optimistic.”
“Chance, this isn’t the time to toy with me. My pulse is already racing faster than it gets in cardio kickboxing class. No games, please. No tricks to keep me calm.”
“No way,” he promised. What would convince her? After wracking his brain for a few moments, Chance said in a low voice, “I swear on my sister and my niece that everything I say to you tonight is the truth.”
“Okay. Me too.” She kicked off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her. Or so he guessed from the rustle of her jeans against the cushions and the way her body canted a little further away. Damn darkness. “So here’s a truth: I worked harder to get over you than anything else I’ve ever done.”
“Right back atcha.”
Silence hung between them, as thick as the darkness.
Finally, Chance asked, “Did you? Get over me?”
“No.” It came out as barely a whisper. As if she were worried what the admission would cost her. Or how Chance would respond.
His entire world shifted back on its axis. “Thank God. Because I sure as hell didn’t come close to getting over you.” Chance reached to put his arms around her, but Anda awkwardly weaved out of his embrace.
“I feel like we’re going around in circles. We’re not clearing the air.”
“Okay.” He’d jumped ahead to wallow in relief. But Anda was right. They needed to figure out what drove them apart. Because Chance was more and more sure that it wasn’t either of them. “Tell me what happened after that last night in Colorado.”
“When I left your room that morning, I fell right back into my own bed. You wore me out. Knocking woke me up a couple of hours later. There were two crew members and the host. Brecken said you’d decided to cut me from the show immediately. You didn’t even want to do a DreamChoice ceremony. You wanted me gone. They packed my bags while I took a quick shower, and I was on the next plane back to L.A.”
It was eerily close to what they’d told him, but in reverse.
It explained everything.
Chance tunneled his fingers through his hair, tugging hard. Didn’t help his frustration any. But it kept him from punching the cabana wall while imagining it was Brecken’s face.
Because the time they’d lost together couldn’t be recovered. The hurt they’d both suffered had scarred them, too. And now he knew where to put the blame.
He blinked against the dark, wishing he could see Anda’s face as she realized he hadn’t asked her to go. “When I woke up and went to breakfast, Brecken was waiting for me. He said you’d insisted on leaving first thing in the morning. No note, no goodbye, and that you refused to do a DreamChoice ceremony, even though it meant giving up your pay for that week’s episode. You wanted to be gone. Away from me.”
“Oh, Chance.” She leaned in close again, patting his thigh. “None of that’s true. I swear.”
“I believe you. And I hope you believe me.”
There was no hesitation at all from her. “I do.” This time, her voice was strong and sure.
Chance reached out, hooked his arm around her waist and swooped her in to lean against his side. Anda fit perfectly. Her head tucked right below his chin, and he inhaled the fresh, wildflower s
cent that floated up from her hair. It reminded him of the afternoon they’d shared in the mountain meadow.
But as long as nothing…catastrophic…was behind this blackout, his new favorite scent might end up being the chlorine overlaying the air in the cabana. It’d remind him of the night they cleared the air and Anda came back to him.
Hopefully.
Slowly, running his knuckles down her cheek, Chance said, “I think we were played.”
“But why?”
This could be dumber than the time he’d agreed to get thrown off a horse into a saguaro cactus. Without padding. If Anda disagreed with him, it’d be just as painful, too. But she’d been honest with him about her feelings. No matter how much of a sucker punch to the gut it might end up being? He owed her the truth about his.
And on the off chance there was something big and bad behind this blackout? Chance absolutely needed to let Anda know how he felt before it was too late.
His hand dipped to brush a thumb against her full, soft lower lip. “Because there’s not much drama to two people falling in love.”
“You…on the show…you were falling in love with me? You never said…”
She sounded stunned. Not good or bad, just stunned. Chance kept going anyway. “I didn’t say for a couple of reasons. Contractually, I wasn’t allowed to until the final DreamChoice ceremony where I picked the winner. But at first, I didn’t know, Anda. I had friends, my job, and sex was something for fun, or to burn off stress. I’d never fallen in love before. And a reality show is a damn strange place to figure things out.”
“Then how did you know?”
Man, she wouldn’t give him an inch. Chance didn’t blame her for being cautious, either. Not after what she’d been through for seven months.
“Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Anda. I literally had fifteen other beautiful women trying to get in my pants, and all I wanted to do was wait for you. I wasn’t acting with you. I was me. Like I am with my sister and my best buds.”
“I liked the real you. I wanted more.”
“How much more?” There was the sound of some animal—a jackrabbit or squirrel—scuttling out in the brush. Chance would literally give a year’s salary to be able to see her face. “Look, I woke up thinking about you. Fell asleep the same way. Every night of the show. Every night after you left the show. And every night since somehow you landed back in my life here. The only thing that’s changed is that I’ve fallen for you even harder now.”
Blackout: A Romance Anthology Page 21