Insert Groom Here

by K. M. Jackson

  He shrugged as if he was done with the conversation and done with her, and in that rising of his shoulders, Eva felt her anger rise too. Her eyes narrowed at she opened her mouth, ready to fight back, but he stopped her with his chuckle. “Like I said, a total piece of work. You like the fact that I piss you off and get you all riled up. I’m clearly your sexual venting post, and hey, if that’s what turns you on, princess, then it’s fine by me. I get it. I saw what you were used to dealing with, so I don’t blame you. Mr. Pocket Square looked like a total bore. He couldn’t get a woman like you to break a sweat if he tried.”

  Eva opened her mouth once again but couldn’t come up with anything quick enough. Shit. He was right. Sex with Kevin had gotten dull, as had most things with Kevin—dinners, conversation, life.

  Aidan continued, though this time there was no joking, no laughter, and no ire. Just a dead-serious calm that rooted Eva where she was. “We’re both adults, and like you said, we both have jobs to do. Either we have fun while we’re doing it and both get something out of the deal, or I say good-bye and walk out the door, and come back tomorrow to do my job. Just my job. Not that I’ll be happy with the latter. I think it would be a lot more exciting to play while we work, but still, we’ll both get something out of things if we walk away from option two.” Eva saw the hardening of his jaw and his resolve as he said his next words. “And you don’t have to worry. Whatever your decision is won’t change how I work with you or how you’re portrayed on the show. I made a promise to you to treat you fairly, and I intend to keep it as you hunt for your perfect man. But you need to know I do want you. I am attracted to you, but I’m not in the mood to play these back-and-forth games with you. It’s too tiring, and honestly we both only have a limited amount of time to make up our minds—well, your mind, in this case. It’s all up to you right now, but just know that after tonight, depending on your decision, I’ll no longer be available to play your games. Tomorrow is a workday for both of us.”

  Eva stood stock-still, because she didn’t know what to say. The last thing she expected was for him to come in here, turn the tables, and be angrier than she was. Who the hell did he think he was? And, worse, why in the hell did he have to be so right? When she sent the text, she didn’t think of it as playing any type of game, but honestly she didn’t look at it from any point of view but her own. And from her view it was him and all others of his sex whom she was fed up with, while at the same time she was frustrated to no end because she knew part of her still wanted to be with him. There was something about him that was stirring up feelings she didn’t even know she had, but only read about or heard about from, in her mind, overly emotional or hormonal women who, frankly, she frowned upon for not being able to keep themselves in check.

  Eva looked at Aidan now as he stood at the far end of the living room, totally out of her reach but staring at her, his scorching look hot enough to practically burn her from clear across the room. Still, she tried hard to stand firmly where she was. She didn’t want to move to him. He’d given her the out she needed—spelled it out and made it plain and clear that the relationship between the two of them was purely sexual to him, and was one that would last for as long as the show did and would end when she found her groom.

  So what was the problem? She’d called him. He came. They could have sex, and tomorrow they could continue on as they had been. Eva reached for the couch, readying herself to take a step forward, when she stopped, aware of the hard thump, thump, thump of her racing heart. Oh, there was a problem all right, and it wasn’t in the man across the room but within her. Could she really go through with this and have the type of affair that seemed to roll so easily from his lips? Her head, her raging hormones, and, somewhere on a luxury yacht, her BFF were all screaming, “Hell, yeah!” she could. But her stupid heart was telling her something entirely different. Her stupid heart was telling her to take a step back and not forward. To run the other way and not look back. It was telling her that if she took that step, her heart would end up in pieces, possibly never to be repaired. If she took that step, he had a real chance of being the one to turn her inside out, take her to heaven and back, but in the end, leave her to live with the hell of knowing he never was hers. He could possibly be the one to emotionally devastate her, as the rest of the world thought Kevin had done. He could be the one to leave her the bitter woman she was running, so far and so fast, from becoming.

  She looked at him, those dark eyes taking her back to one of the most glorious, most freeing nights of her life. Her stomach did a little flip, as butterflies of excitement began to flap their wings, and her hand involuntarily went to her belly as she fought to hold them down. Maybe it was meant to be just that one night. Some people don’t even get that in a lifetime. It was best if she didn’t take that step, best if they turned and went their separate ways.

  Eva lowered her gaze at the same time as something inside her began to close up and fold over on itself. She watched as Aidan’s boots shifted. She was sure he was turning toward the door, but her breath hitched as he took a tentative movement toward her. That one small movement was all she needed for her heart to race again as she followed his lead and ran into his waiting embrace. She crashed into him with an “oomph” and wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled her to his lips.

  “You had me nervous for a while there,” he said.

  “So did you. I thought you were leaving.”

  “I thought you wanted me to leave.”

  She pulled back and looked him in the eye. “The night is still young, and we’ve got at least seven hours until morning.”

  Aidan raised that brow, and her nipples responded in kind. “Well, then, I suggest we put them to good use. I’d like to reserve at least six for myself and one for my beauty sleep.” He started to carry her toward her bedroom.

  Eva bit down and nipped at his ear.

  “Ouch! You don’t want me to go to work with a bruise tomorrow, now do you?”

  “Oh, you’ll be fine. You can say one of your many women gave it to you.”

  Aidan stopped in the hallway and looked her in the eye, his voice doing that low, serious thing. “Not this. When it’s you and me during this time, it’s just you and me. No one else. I’m not like that. Cool?”

  The possessive way he was holding her up—with his hands gripping firmly around each of her cheeks and looking at her as though he was somehow making this temporary thing feel like forever—had Eva ready to melt into a puddle of yes in his arms. “Cool.”

  He smiled then, a smile that was both warm and ridiculously sexy as he squeezed her in close to his hardness. “Fantastic. Now let’s get going, princess. The clock is ticking, and it’s not like you texted me for nothing. I believe I have work to do.”

  * * *

  Why didn’t he ever listen to his own advice?

  Aidan knew he was lost as soon as he walked into her apartment—hell, as soon as she sent him the text, and he answered, and he freaking knew it was wrong. Wrong for his head, and especially wrong for his heart. Eva would surely chew him up, and instead of spitting him out, he set himself up to be swallowed, devoured, and then unceremoniously eliminated when the next better prospect came along. And stupid fuck that he was, he’d be the dumb ass delivering the next better prospect. What. The. Hell?

  “But come on. Get your shit together,” he silently told himself as he stood there like a schoolboy waiting to hear if the most popular girl in the class would say yes to him about going to prom. He really should be happy about this. In all honestly, it was the perfect arrangement. Hey, on paper it would probably sound like a great deal to any other guy, but something poked at him. It was as if he’d seen the end before the show even began.

  The worst part was that he was directing it. And that part he could see no way out of, no matter her answer to his question after her declarations. If he was smart, he’d turn and leave, admit that he was wrong and she was right, count his losses, and go. Maybe even give up the job altogether
. There were other execs, and really he could pass it all off into Louisa’s capable hands, making both her and his father very happy.

  But he knew that he wouldn’t do it. That he couldn’t do it. There was no way he’d break that promise to her and not see it through, and shit, if truth be told, there was no way he was giving up being near her during this time.

  He looked at her standing there, beautiful and defiant, still determined even in her obvious state of confusion, and he knew then he couldn’t leave her side. At least not yet. He would see this job done and leave only . . . Aidan paused, stilling his thoughts. He’d leave only when her heart really convinced him the time was right.

  Aidan stared at her. She knew she was good-looking, that was a given, but he bet she didn’t know what it did to him to see her as she was now—stripped of her perfect social mask, fresh-faced from the shower, with her hair pulled back and wearing a tank top and those loose sweats, which he was sure were designed to, in some way, be off-putting but did just the opposite and turned him on all the more. Part of him said he should have just taken the easy way out. When he got to her door, he was all ready to do it. But one look at her and that plan went out the window as the events of the day came flooding back and she tried to come at him, lumping him in with every other asshole she’d been with or been around. Sure, he was no prize, but he’d be damned if he’d be categorized as just another chapter in her book of jerks. No way. He’d stand out or get no pages at all.

  Looking at her now, he wondered why it was so important to him to stand out. What was it about her that had him speaking without caution and going totally against his nature to an end result where he knew neither one of them would be a winner? The thought of the question with no answer left him feeling lost and paralyzed with an uncertainty that he couldn’t quite stomach. One thing he did know was that he’d had enough with sparring for one day. Right now, he wanted to know once and for all where she was comfortable with letting this go and for how long.

  Their few days apart had been far long enough for him, and at that moment, all he wanted was to get her back in his arms, taste her sweetness again, and know she was his, for the moment at least. He watched as her chest rose and fell, as her breathing slowed and her shoulders slumped with something that looked like despair. In that moment she pulled at him as if with some invisible tether, but in her pride she looked away, closing herself off and shielding herself against the weight of his stare. Her face took on a placid quality, letting him know she was just as exhausted as he was with the whole situation. When she looked at him, her eyes were glassy, and she blinked as if she was actively trying to hold back an emotional dam that could break at any moment.

  Aidan let out a breath and took a half step back before rushing forward, thankful that she was meeting him halfway and covering her mouth with his own. What was he doing to her? To himself? He blocked the questions out and focused on her. The delicious honey taste of her, the amazing perfect fit as she jumped up and into his arms, her soft behind feeling like home in his hands.

  Eva pulled back and looked into his eyes, the wet tips of her lashes making his heart literally ache. “Tell me we can do this. Tell me it will be okay and we’re not making a huge mistake,” she asked. There was no hint of the angry and defiant woman from the opera and nothing of the seductress from the other night. Here was simply a woman looking to him for assurance that he could somehow work everything out as she wanted it to be. He’d never before had so much responsibility, and for a moment something like real fear gripped at him as he stilled.

  “We can do this, and I promise this can be whatever you want it to be. I’m here at your will. I won’t do you wrong. You can trust me.” His heart raced, and he hoped like hell he wasn’t screwing her over with words that were foreign to his lips.

  She smiled weakly at his promise, something about it letting him know she believed him about as much as he believed himself.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  He let out a small laugh. “You’d be surprised at how few, princess.” Eva raised a brow, and he could see her wheels turning. “Okay, now, don’t you start calculating in your head. You have a bad habit of doing that.”

  “I like to know I have things in order.”

  Aidan pulled her in close, cupping her lovely ass and grinding her center against his growing erection. God, he wanted—no, needed—to be inside her, and soon. “Baby, nothing about us is in order.”

  She gave him a hard stare and then licked her lips. Everything south of his belt jumped in response. Suddenly, he wanted so badly to taste where she just licked. “I think that’s why I like it.”

  Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her. “I know that’s why you do. And it’s cool. I can handle it. Like I said, I’m here for you. For whatever.”

  Her gaze shifted as she looked away. Aidan could suddenly feel her hesitancy, her need to pull away, and the thought threatened to send him into a panic. Now that he had her, he didn’t want to let her go. He reached to her chin and gently forced her to look up as she began to speak again. “Are you sure this is good for both of us? I’m going through with this show, and, Aidan, this has to be just what it is: the two of us having fun. I don’t want you to worry.”

  Aidan felt his eyes narrow as he leaned back, giving her a hairsbreadth of space. The investigative reporter in him suddenly had questions, lots of questions. But the man in him told him not to go digging for the answers he wasn’t prepared to hear. He had his own agenda anyway. “Like I said, I will do and be whatever you want me to be. No one has to know about our arrangement. We can do what we want for the next seven weeks, and when the show is over, so will we be too. No attachments, no responsibility. Will that make you happy?” He’d be damned, but saying the words set a rock in the pit of his stomach.

  He watched for a reaction from her, a hesitation, a flinch, anything. But he got none.

  All she did was lean up and kiss him. Soft and sweet, easing him in by twining her tongue with his in a sensuous dance, twining and stroking against his, a sexual precursor of what was to come. When she finally pulled back, meeting his heavy gaze with a sexy smile, she shocked him by cleverly leaning back and pulling her tank top up and over her head, then letting it ease from her fingers to the floor. “Well, then, I think we’d better get started. Seven weeks will go by pretty fast and seven hours even faster.”

  Chapter 16

  A shaft of sunlight hit Eva’s face, and she winced, turning away from it and then stretching her foot out. When her toe hit a hairy leg on the other side of the bed, her eyes popped open wide to a smiling and possibly way too smug Aidan Walker. Well, this was different from the morning greetings she’d gotten used to with Kevin and way different from her close-to-normal days of waking up alone. But instead of enjoying the moment, Eva couldn’t push away the feeling of panic that invaded her senses.

  “What the hell are you still doing here?”

  “I’m watching you sleep.”

  “Well, what are you doing that for?” she shrieked as she flipped over and looked at the clock, her heartbeat racing at the sight of the display showing 7:15. “Have you gone mad? Why didn’t you get out of here last night, or at least earlier this morning? Jeez, Aidan, do I have to type up a set of rules for you and attach it in an email? What if one of the crew comes early or something? What if you’re seen leaving my house by a photographer? There are so many things that could go wrong here, and the situation I’m trying to diffuse could blow up in my face. It’s not like you’re actually low profile yourself.”

  “No, it’s not like I’m not, but the crew is not due here until ten, so we should be fine. I’m the only early riser, and besides, you wore me out. Can’t you give me a break over the fact that I practically passed out when you were done with me last night?”

  Eva turned, a look of disbelief on her face, while a small smile threatened at the corner of her lips. “I really made you that tired?”

  He kissed the
tip of her nose. “Oh, stop fishing for compliments. You already know you did. Now who’s being full of herself?”

  Eva grinned wide and did a mocking gesture of brushing her shoulders off.

  Aidan laughed and kissed at her bare shoulders, going lower and licking at the ticklish spots on her side. She kicked at him and couldn’t hold back her laughter, sobering up quickly when it hit her that it had been a long time since she’d let go and laughed with a man, let alone laughed with one while naked in bed.

  The thought gave her pause, and she grabbed the sheet and attempted to wrap it around herself and shimmy out of the bed.

  “Hey, relax. We still have time. This is fun. Work will be all day. Let’s stay here and play a little more.” Aidan pulled on the sheet and drew her back down on the bed and into his arms. He tucked her into him as she was spooned, her back to his front, as he whispered low in her ear, the sexy, growly sensation setting her into a shiver she tried hard to steel herself against. Shivering was for the night, and today was a new day.

  “Oh come on, kitten, don’t go baring your claws just yet. I know it’s morning, but the day hasn’t quite started. Is this really how you are without any coffee in you?”

  She gave him an elbow to the gut, and he laughed. “This is totally how I am without coffee. Get used to it.” Shit. Did she really just say that? Eva’s heart started to race as panic hit her once again.

  “Good to know,” Aidan said pulling her in tight. “I guess I’d better get right on it.” But instead of heading to the kitchen, Aidan leaned down and kissed her shoulder, slowly tugging at the sheet, easing it down as he kissed further down her spine, adding small licks as he went until he got to the top of her behind, where he flipped her over and started the same deal on her belly and breasts. Eva had never felt so exposed, with the harsh light of day blazing on her, but still she was enjoying the moment. She focused on him and how he was taking his time worshipping every inch of her as if she was something to be adored. What did it matter that he was still there and they were playing a dangerous game of beat the clock? She was going to relax if it killed her and enjoy herself for once at seven AM on a workday. Well, a date day, but what did that matter?