Pick Me (Reality TV Romance)

by Mason, Kristine

“Good,” he said, then drove into her with a low moan.

  Holding her hips, he kept himself still, stretching her, filling her, penetrating so deep she had to suck in a ragged breath to keep from crying out. When he slowly withdrew, dragging his erection from between her clenched inner muscles, she closed her eyes. Every over sensitized nerve ending tingled from the friction. When he slid inside again, her belly tightened, goose bumps rose over her heated skin, and she leaned forward, let her body lay sprawled against the warm hood of the Ranger.

  The sun heated her back, and a balmy breeze rustled through the trees and caused wisps of her hair to drift around her face. She raised her rear and welcomed every hard thrust. God, she’d missed him. While he might stand over a foot taller, and weigh twice as much as her, when they had sex, the fit was beyond perfect.

  With her breasts smashed against the hood of the Ranger, her rear high in the air, she met each thrust, each rock of his hips. As hot as this moment was, she wished they were face to face. She wanted to watch his handsome face as he strained over her, wanted to wrap her arms and legs around him, cocoon herself in his big body. When he reached around and thumbed her clit, she closed her eyes. Tremors built in her womb, then spiraled through her belly.

  Needing to be closer to him, she shoved herself up and braced her arms against the Ranger. He did the same, covered her hands with his, leaned his chest into her back and pounded into her. The hair along his torso, tickled her spine, his biceps caged her, his breath puffed against her neck.

  “You feel so damn good,” he said. “So hot, so wet.” He punctuated the last word with a slow deep thrust. “Come for me, Valentina. I love the little sounds you make when I’m inside you, but you have no idea how much I love to make you scream. Come for me.” He nipped, then kissed her shoulder causing more goose bumps to zip along her skin. “That’s it, baby. Come for me.”

  Other than Colt, she’d never given her body so freely. She’d had sex, but not like this. Not that “I don’t care what you do with my body, so long as you’re the one doing it” sex. And he was doing it. Driving her to that plain she’d first discovered in Denver. Making her come alive, sensually, sexually, something no other man had done before. The thought scared her, exhilarated her, and at the same time made her want to weep.

  Four weeks, that’s all she had with him. Four weeks of sex. And as he thrust inside her, reached around and found her clit, she worried four weeks wouldn’t be enough, just as her body exploded with one of the harshest, hottest, and most turbulent orgasms she’d experienced in her life.

  In that moment, he joined her. Legs jerking against her thighs, he wrapped his arms around her, palming her belly and hips, as he released a low, husky moan. Seconds later, he kissed her shoulder, her neck, her earlobe, then brushed his cheek to hers searching for a kiss.

  While she couldn’t help but kiss him back, she realized this whole sex without emotions thing might not be as black and white as she’d thought. He’d revealed a gray area she hadn’t quite considered, and it clouded her mind. Four weeks, she reminded herself as she turned in his embrace. After that, this would all be a memory, a late night fantasy that would help her deal with the loneliness. Intent on making sure those memories last, she shoved her melancholy thoughts aside. Deciding to enjoy the moment and whatever time they shared, she twined her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

  *

  Dust kicked up, as the camera crew’s van tires crunched over the gravel. Colt leaned against the door frame, wishing Valentina hadn’t left with them. When the van was no longer in sight, he stepped into the foyer and shut the door behind him.

  He’d wanted her to spend the night, had even suggested the idea, but she threw that whole, “we can’t, what about the show?” bullshit at him. He could care less about the show, after what had happened in the woods, all he wanted was the opportunity to explore. Her body, her mind, hell maybe even the emotions she stirred in his gut.

  Grabbing a beer from the fridge, he headed for his office. Pick Me wouldn’t take up a lot of his time, but he still needed to catch up on a few contracts he’d been negotiating for one of his clients. Okay, he set the beer on his desk, more like he needed to take his mind off the sweet and spicy Valentina. She ran hot, then cold. Told them they couldn’t have sex, then initiated it. Expressed interest in him, but when he asked about her world, she shut down or changed the subject.

  He hadn’t planned on having sex with her. Even when she’d grinded that sweet ass against his cock, he’d tried to resist. Not much, but at least he’d forced her to tell him why she had suddenly decided it was a-okay to have sex, when last night she told him that they couldn’t in no way, shape or form.

  Her answer still didn’t sit right with him. So she came to Dallas for a teaching job that ended up falling through. She already had an apartment, a nice one at that, just minutes from his uppity condo. Dallas was a big city, had plenty of suburbs, why didn’t she apply to other school districts? Why give up so easily?

  Determined to push her from his mind, he pulled the file filled with Reggie Zucker’s, his number one client and line backer for the Dallas Cowboys, next venture. The over-long contract wasn’t unusual, and would make him and Reggie a shitload of money once Reggie’s name was splashed on the shoes and clothes they wanted him to endorse.

  An hour later, he shoved the file in his brief case, then leaned into the plush, leather office chair. Normally, he’d still be calculating the income he’d make from Reggie’s endorsement deals, but Valentina’s gorgeous face popped in his mind, if it had ever left.

  Leaning forward, he opened his desk drawer and drew out the picture the sketch artist, Davey, had created when Colt had been searching for her. While the drawing was beautiful, it didn’t compare to the real deal. Davey hadn’t captured the teasing glint in her dark eyes, the way her hair curled over her shoulders, or how her smile could ease a man’s pain, or brighten his day. He hadn’t captured her innocent sensuality. Her—

  “Am I interrupting? The door was open and I tried knocking,” Ruger said as he stepped into the office, then widened his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re back on your search for your mystery lady again.” He nodded at the drawing Colt held.

  Colt carefully placed the sketch of Valentina back into the desk drawer. “Nope, don’t need to. She’s in Dallas.”

  “No shit. I gotta hear this.” Eyeing Colt’s empty beer bottle, he said, “I could use one of those first, though.”

  They went to the kitchen, and after Colt grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge, they sat at the table large enough to seat eight. He had a big family, and while he didn’t entertain much, he’d made sure his home was as open and comfortable as his parents’ house had been. Win, his older brother, and now patriarch of the family, hadn’t taken that thought into consideration. But Colt had. After his mom had died, then his dad, two years later, his brothers and sister needed to have a place they could always come to. Which was why it never bothered him when any of his siblings barged right on in as if they owned the place.

  After taking a long draw off his beer, Ruger eyed him. “So, does your mystery lady have anything to do with why I had to gas up your Ranger and fill it with all that arsenal?”

  Colt smiled as he lifted the bottle to his lips. After taking a swig, he shrugged. “Yep. But, what I’m about to say stays between us, I don’t want anyone else, especially Remi, catching wind of this.” He loved his sister. She had a big heart, but an even bigger mouth.

  Ruger nodded and set his hat on the table. “You know I won’t say squat.”

  He did know. Ruger was ten months younger than him, Irish Twins, his mother had called them. While he loved all of his brothers and his little sister, Ruger was his best friend and confidant.

  “Okay, here’s what’s going on.” Colt told him about the bet he’d lost to Macavey, and from there, brought him up to speed—giving him the PG version regarding what happened against Valentina’s car last night, and again against his
Ranger this afternoon. Damn, maybe he ought to start carrying an air mattress with him, not that he was complaining about having sex in odd places, but he’d love to lay with her, sink into her sweet body without worrying about either of them cracking their skulls against metal.

  Giggling like a braced-faced school girl, Ruger wiped his eyes. “Man, this is too funny.”

  Colt twisted the empty beer bottle in his hands. “Yeah, I figured you’d get a kick out of me making an ass of myself on television.”

  “No, it’s not that, although that’ll be something I won’t want to miss. But I’m talking about you actually wanting to date this girl.”

  With a frown, Colt shoved his chair back, then went to the fridge to grab a couple of more beers. “I date women all the time.”

  “No, you sleep with them. Seriously, when was the last time you took a woman to lunch, just because, or a movie, or out for an ice cream?”

  Racking his brain all the way back to high school, Colt came up empty. He slid the bottle across the table to his brother, and swore as he plopped into the chair. Ruger was right, he’d never done any of those things, but could instantly picture spending time with Valentina…just because. Sure, sex would likely be at the forefront of his mind, he was a guy, after all. But he wanted to also simply hang out with her, discover her likes and dislikes, what made her laugh and cry. Other than how her body responded to his touch, he knew next to nothing about her.

  Not true. When they were in Denver, they’d talked deep into the night. About nothing, about everything. Lain in bed and whispered their dreams, their darkest fears. Looking back, he still couldn’t believe he’d opened himself to her. To a stranger. Although in retrospect, he’d never once looked at her as a stranger. From the moment she’d flashed him a smile, he had a weird sense of déjà vu, as if they shared some sort of connection. Not that he believed in all that weird cosmic crap. Then again, he’d never thought he’d lay his eyes on her again after Denver, and here they’d ended up not only living in the same city, but on a reality show together. Maybe the universe was trying to tell them something. Or maybe it was plain old coincidence.

  Whatever the case, he planned to take advantage of the situation, but with the show scheduling their time together, he wasn’t exactly sure how. Running both hands through his hair, Colt leaned back and eyed his brother. “Seeing as how you seem to have every woman in the county, between the ages of twenty and forty, sniffing at your boots, why don’t you talk me through Dating 101.”

  “Like I’m an expert,” Ruger muttered, hardening his jaw before raising the bottle to his lips.

  “You not telling me something?”

  Ruger sent him a rueful smile. “What, Barrett didn’t fill you in on what happened down at Bronco’s last week?”

  “No, and I don’t know why you two go to that shitty honky tonk. Nothing but trouble happens there.”

  “Tell me about it, only the kinda trouble I got myself into had nothing to do with a beer brawl, but a sexy blonde, who decided it’d be more fun to dump her fancy drink on my head, than dance with me.”

  Colt laughed. “Ouch, you must be losing your touch, forget I asked for any dating advice.”

  “You might be right. Go pick up a bunch of those chick magazines. Maybe they can give you some insight on what a woman wants.”

  Colt winced. “I’m not about to go there. I’ll just wing it. Valentina doesn’t seem to be too interested in dating for real anyway. She’s leaving after the show ends and heading back to Chicago.”

  “How’s that sitting with you?”

  “Not good. I just don’t get her. She moves here, gets a nice place, but the moment her job falls through, she’s ready to up and leave.”

  “What’s she do?”

  “School teacher.”

  “Well, hell, I heard old Mrs. Bailey decided to retire. They need a first grade teacher over at the elementary school.”

  “Really? Huh.” Colt rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.

  “I gotta run, Barrett should be done with the books by now, I can’t stand being around him when he’s got the calculator running.”

  “Be glad he has a head for numbers.”

  “I just wish he wasn’t holding the purse strings so damn tight. I’ve got some ideas that will bring us into the twenty-first century, but Barrett’s too chicken to take a chance.”

  After their dad died, rather than divvy up the lucrative ranch their parents had built, Ruger and Barrett took over. Win was already a Texas Ranger and had no interest in ranching. Colt had no interest either, and had his clientele to worry about. While Remi loved ranch life, she was busy earning her degree in Veterinary Medicine. So he and his siblings took small portions of the sprawling acres to settle on and build their own homes, and looked at the ranch Ruger and Barrett ran as not just an inheritance, but as an investment. One that was proving to be quite profitable.

  Colt clapped him on the back as he walked him to the door. “He’ll come around. Don’t get bent out of shape. You two have practically doubled the ranch’s worth since dad died. He’d be proud. I know I am.”

  “Aw, shucks.” Ruger grinned and knocked him in the shoulder. God forbid they show any brotherly love. “Let me know how things are going with the show. By the way, what are the other bachelors like?”

  The rocker and the blockhead came to mind. He shrugged. “Okay, I suppose. Why?”

  “So Valentina said she’d be exclusive to you, which I’m assuming means you two are having sex.”

  “Damn it, Ruger, I never said anything—”

  Sending him a lopsided grin, Ruger shook his head. “I can always tell when you’re gettin’ some, so don’t deny it. Hell, I’m jealous. Anyhow, I don’t think I’d like the idea of my woman dating two other guys, even if she might be looking at it as a job.”

  Now that he thought about it, Colt didn’t like that much, either. “She’s supposed to go out with one of them tomorrow.”

  “Find a way to change her mind.”

  “I can’t, she’s obligated because of the show. And Pick Me has a strict rule, I’m only allowed to see her for our dates, which according to the schedule the Production Manger emailed me, is every three days.”

  Ruger shoved his hat on his head. “Since when do you obey the rules? Do you know where she lives?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why not pay her a visit, ya know, keep you on her mind.”

  Colt perked up at the idea, then shook his head in defeat. “I can’t, those horses I rescued are due to be delivered tomorrow afternoon.”

  Ruger shrugged. “I’ll take care of it. Just get your ass back to Dallas.”

  Wishing he was already there, lying next to Valentina—in a bed—Colt nodded as anticipation ran through his veins. Whether she liked it or not, he’d make sure the only man she’d be thinking about was him.

  Chapter 5

  Valentina slammed the car door shut, then crossed the parking lot toward the studio. She had no idea why Jonas had ordered her to meet him this morning at the ungodly hour of seven. Not that the early time mattered. After all the fresh air, the target practice, and of course, the way Colt had exerted her body yesterday, she should have slept like the dead. Instead, she’d tossed and turned throughout the night. Guilt had a funny way of doing that to her.

  God, how she hated lying, and right now she was lying to everyone. Colt, the other bachelors, even Derek and Jonas, who had coaxed her into this mess in the first place.

  She released a deep sigh as she approached the double-wide, glass doors. Catching her reflection, she cringed. Thank God Goldie promised to stop by the apartment and fix her hair before her date with Trent tonight. Too bad the stylist/make-up artist couldn’t fix the mess Valentina had landed herself in, along with the lies, and her love life. How could she go on a date with Trent, when all she wanted to do was be with Colt? Have sex with Colt, she reminded herself, bound and determined to not confuse orgasms and romance.

  She s
wung open the door to the building that housed KJTQ-TV, the local news station where Derek had leased the studio, flashed her ID and murmured a good morning to the security guard. Winding her way to the back studio, she wondered for the umpteenth time why Jonas wanted to see her—alone. As she approached the stage, light gleamed off of Jonas’ shiny, shaved head.

  “Good morning,” she said, and plastered on a smile.

  Rather than return the greeting, Jonas leveled her with a calculating glare and motioned for her to follow him.

  Her skin prickled with unease. Her steps faltered. He knows.

  Impossible. She’d never told a soul about Denver. No one had been around then, nor yesterday when she and Colt were in the woods.

  Paranoia, that’s what she had a case of. From the guilt...and the lies.

  The mental pep talk did her good until Jonas walked her into the editing room. She eyed the blank screens, then looked at the back of Jonas’ bald head. He might be the director, and she might have a lot at stake, but she was tired, grouchy, and in no mood for whatever game he was playing. “What are we doing here?” she asked, and dropped into a chair.

  He turned and raised a dark brow. “You honestly don’t know?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I did.” Duh. Okay, so she really shouldn’t mouth off at the director when she was a mere Production Assistant, but hell, he owed her a little respect. She was trying to save the show, and his ass.

  Pulling a bag from beneath one of the control panels, he removed the contents. “These are for you,” he said, and handed her two gaudy broaches and an equally tacky necklace with a large charm.

  She stared at the jewelry, which were so not her style, and looked as if he’d picked them up at a dollar store—on discount. “Thanks. But you didn’t have to do this.” Really, he didn’t. The stuff was junk. “I appreciate how you and Derek helped make me comfortable in my role as bachelorette. You know, with the apartment, the rental car, the clothes.”

  He waved a hand. “Don’t bother with your ass kissing, Val. I don’t like you.”