“But—” Grace argued.
“Shh. No more talking, Grace. You promised to listen. I’m telling you, he’ll respect you for being more interested in getting to know him than worried about your appearance.”
There was a grumbling sound on the other end, and then Becca heard Grace ask the woman if she could just sit down, as is. “I’m starving,” Grace explained. Which was likely the truth. Grace loved food. And she’d been lucky enough to have been blessed with an incredibly high metabolism.
“Absolutely, Ms. Evans. This way.”
Becca moved closer to the barrier that separated the contestants from the general populace of the resort. Most of the spectators had departed because the “show” was on a break as the women all returned to their rooms to regroup. Becca felt like a moth, flitting around an outdoor flame, needing to get close but held back by forces beyond her control.
“Hey.”
She jumped. Turned. Calum stood two feet away, a serious expression on his face. Shit. Had he overheard her?
“Hey, yourself,” she said, her smile feeling weird. “What are you doing outside of the ‘wall’?” She indicated the barricade with a wave of her hand. Then glanced behind him. “And where’s your posse?”
“My posse?”
“Camera peeps, makeup, organizers.”
“I needed a break.”
She nodded. “I get it.”
“Walk with me.”
Oh, fuck.
“I don’t think…”
He slid a hand beneath her elbow to turn her in the opposite direction, but with only that minimal contact, she flinched, jerking her elbow away. It was such a visceral reaction. Every nerve in her body fired at once, causing the muscles to contract. It was as if she really was that moth and had gotten too close to the flame, every cell in her lighting up before falling dead to the ground.
She did not—thankfully—fall to the ground, but her cell phone did
“Sorry,” he said, bending to reach for the phone on the sand.
Flustered, Becca made a grab for the phone before he had a chance to look at the screen. Was the spyware app still up, or had her screen gone dark? She didn’t bother to check but tucked the phone into her bag and looked up at him. “Shouldn’t you be in there?” She pointed to the tables on the other side of the stage. “Getting ready for the beach barbeque?”
“We have to wait for all the contestants to get back.” He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Who knows when that will be. In the meantime, I wouldn’t mind walking with someone I actually enjoy talking to.” He smiled down at her. “Plus, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since you slipped out last night.” His eyes sparkled with sin. Delicious carnal thoughts shone through.
And Becca melted. It was like her stomach lining was made of wax and it had gone soft, leaving warm pools inside her tummy and sending rays of heat up her esophagus and down to the lowest reaches of her belly.
She’d known the man a mere twenty-four hours. How was it possible to react to him like this? “Look,” she said, wetting her lips because they’d suddenly gone dry. “I had a great time last night—”
“So did I.” He grabbed her hand this time. “So, why do I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’ coming next?”
“There is a ‘but,’” Becca said, turning toward the ocean and releasing his hand in the process, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She’d only been fantasizing about Cal’s touch all day. “You know there is.”
“What? The contest?”
“Yes. Of course. Look.” She pointed to where her sister was seated, by herself, wearing only the white robe. “Grace is over there waiting for you.”
“She didn’t go change?”
“No. She’s waiting for you. Grace isn’t just about her appearance, you know. She’s very sweet. I think you’d like her if you got to know her.”
His gaze narrowed as he studied Becca’s face in the sunlight. Her already warm skin just became warmer.
“Why are you trying to set me up with your sister?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? And how to answer it in a way that would make sense to Calum Price? “Because you seem like a good man, and Grace deserves a good man.”
Calum leaned forward, gazing directly into her eyes. “What about you?”
Becca moved back. “What about me?”
“What do you deserve?”
“I have everything I need.”
“Do you?”
He slid closer, forcing Becca to tilt her head back so she could look up at him. Her stomach reeled, her fingers twitched, and her lungs fought for air.
“Because I can tell you, I was pretty convinced you needed me last night.”
“What do you mean?”
He lowered his voice. “I believe your exact words were, ‘Oh God. I fucking need you right now.’”
A lump of oxygen became lodged in Becca’s throat. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not?”
Oh, such a good question. And, at the moment, Becca didn’t have the answer. Or, at the very least, the answer didn’t seem very substantial.
“Becca, I don’t care about the contest.”
Becca swallowed. Or, she tried to but was unsuccessful. She tried again. Her inability to swallow made it impossible to reply.
“I know we just met, but the connection between us is strong. I feel it, and so do you.”
She opened her mouth, but still, nothing came out. Why the hell was her mouth so dry?
Calum closed the distance between them. He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and grazed her cheekbone with the back of his knuckles. “In fact, you’re feeling it right now. I can see it in your face.”
His knuckles slid down, brushing her jaw. “I like you, Becca. You’re…different.”
How could it be that Calum-fucking-Price was saying the exact words she’d fantasized about hearing from a man all her adult life?
Why him?
Why now?
She turned her face away. This was wrong. Calum wasn’t supposed to like her—he was the star of the show, and her whole purpose for being on the island was to help her sister win the contest…which would mean she’d be flying off on a romantic weekend with him to Paris. It was too…complicated, no matter how many times he’d made her come last night, no matter how hot he made her skin blaze, sucking the moisture from her mouth while simultaneously making her girl parts wet.
“You know where my villa is. I’ll be there tonight. After ten. Come see me.” Then he leaned close, as if he might kiss her but stopped, leaving an indecent distance between them. “I hope you’ll come.” He gave her hip a final squeeze before heading back toward the beach where barbeques were already smoking in preparation for the dinner on the beach.
Becca watched him go while her belly churned. One question repeated over and over in her mind.
Does it really matter?
Cal was a grown man and she was a grown woman who shared some pretty fantastic chemistry. And last night, he’d taken her to places she’d never been before. He’d done things she’d only fantasized about.
She wanted more.
Did that make her the worst sister on the planet? If it meant jeopardizing her sister’s chances of winning, then, yes. But maybe, just maybe, she could have both things.
She fit the Bluetooth into her ear and tapped on the app.
“Can you hear me, Bec? Come in.”
“I’m right here.”
“I see you. I’ve been sitting here in this stupid robe for fifteen minutes and…”
“Grace. No more talking.”
“Oh, never mind, here comes Calum now.” Grace’s whisper was loud with excitement. “Oh my God, he’s going to sit with me.”
“No more talking…” Becca whispered, making her way down a quiet corridor. “Okay, Grace. Play it cool.”
“Mmhmm…”
“And, first rule of being a good conversationalist?”
“Ask about him.”
Through the microphone, Becca could hear Cal asking if he could join Grace.
“Absolutely,” Grace gushed.
“Grace. Be calm and a little aloof. Think of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca,” Becca instructed.
“Oh, I love Ingrid Bergman,” Grace cooed.
Shit!
“You like old movies?” Calum asked, obviously thinking Grace was speaking to him.
Becca squeezed the bridge of her nose. No matter how many times they’d done this, her sister just could not seem to get a handle on the fact that she wasn’t supposed to reply to Becca’s instructions.
“Yes, I love them,” Grace replied. “My sister and I watch them all the time.”
“Really?” His voice was suddenly clearer, like he’d leaned toward her. “What’s your favorite?”
“Oh, gosh. I don’t know where to start. I mean, my favorite is probably the whole Star Wars series.”
“Star Wars?”
Becca could hear the startled amusement in Cal’s voice, even through the earpiece. “He’s talking about classic movies, Grace.”
“Star Wars is a classic. The original three, anyway.”
Palm to face.
“You’re right.” Cal coughed as if covering up a laugh. “Those ones were really good.”
“Right? So far ahead of their time.”
“Grace, talk about some of the other ones. You know, like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, An Affair to Remember, Casablanca…”
“Oh,” Grace said, as if just receiving an epiphany. “But I also like other classic movies. Have you ever seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”
Becca sat down on a bench beneath a palm tree, listening to her sister go on about Audrey Hepburn. At least this was a conversation Grace could manage on her own.
Why was it that she’d finally met a man worthy of her sister…except that the guy in question actually—miraculously—liked her?
Worse, she liked him. A lot.
The universe was seriously fucked up.
Chapter Nine
By the time Cal got back to his villa, it was nine thirty. After the dinner party on the beach, he’d met with the producers in the event tent to go over the activities for the following day. He was relieved to hear that a beach volleyball tournament had been organized as tomorrow’s competition. Cal loved volleyball, though maybe not for the same reasons that the producers loved beach volleyball. Apparently, women’s beach volleyball was one of the top-viewed Olympic sports. To them, it was all about maximizing views.
After a quick shower, Cal sat out on his patio with a beer, watching the path. Would she come? Was it crazy to be waiting for a woman he barely knew? Was it stupid to be meeting up with a woman when he was in the midst of a contest to garner him a date?
Calum honestly didn’t care. He’d learned, early on in business, that rules were meant to be bent, and that when you wanted something, you went after it. He’d always trusted his gut in business, and he’d never been disappointed.
Maybe he needed to trust his gut more with women, because it had told him that Becca was special, right from the start. Okay, maybe not right from the start, because when he’d first met her, he’d considered her nondescript. He grinned, unable to conjure that impression of her anymore.
A movement caught his eye. The white of a skirt reflecting the soft lights flitted in and out between the hedges. It was her. It had to be. Blood pounded to his groin in anticipation.
Who would have guessed that brainy Becca Evans would be such a sensual being and that she felt compelled to repeat the fun they’d had last night, just like he did?
“Hi,” she said as she emerged from the foliage. The sound of cicadas announced her arrival, punctuated by the cymbals of the crashing waves.
“You came.” He met her at the edge of the path. “I’m glad.”
She held a folded garment in front of her, as if to keep him at bay. “Your shirt. Thanks for loaning it to me.”
He took the shirt, and when he moved closer, she stepped back. “I just came to tell you that this”—she indicated the space between them—“can’t go on.”
He ignored her hands and closed the space between them. “You came here to tell me that?”
“Yes. And to return the shirt.” She backed up a step, and he took one more forward. Her lips were parted, and soft breaths escaped. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated.
“You know,” Cal said softly. “I don’t think that’s what you came here for.”
She cringed and then straightened her features. “It is.”
He advanced again so that she was backed up against the wrought iron that edged one side of the patio. “Simply not showing up would have given me the message.” He reached for her hand and placed it on his chest.
It trembled.
“You could have had the concierge return my shirt.” He leaned down. “Yet you chose to come.” He lowered his mouth to hers, not sure what to expect. Would she close her mouth? Push him away?
She did none of those things, confirming what he already knew. This insane attraction was mutual. Her mouth opened to him willingly. Her small tongue tangled with his like old lovers meeting after a long time apart: needy and desperate.
It wasn’t until he tilted her head back so that he could access her throat that she pushed him away. Panting. “No, Cal. I can’t.”
“Why the hell not? Why are you fighting this?”
“There’s just too much going on and…” She paused, and Cal saw turmoil in her eyes. “My sister likes you,” she blurted.
“Excuse me?”
“After the barbeque tonight, Grace came back to the villa and gushed all about you.” Her smile wobbled. “You really made an impression on her.”
“So, what has that got to do with this?”
She moved back. “Seriously? I can’t do this”—she motioned between them—“while Grace has her sights set on you.”
“Don’t I get a say in who I want to be with?” He closed the distance between them. “Because I want you.”
She threw up her hands. “Why? Everyone likes Grace. Every guy wants to be with Grace. Why do you want me?”
“Honestly? I don’t know, exactly.”
“Yeah?” Her features hardened. “Well, that’s not good enough.” She turned to go.
Cal caught her shoulder and spun her around. “What do you want me to say, Becca? We just met. I don’t know why I’m drawn to you.” When she tugged again, he held on even tighter. “But here’s what I know. I know I enjoy spending time with you. I know I would rather be with you than with anyone else on this island. And, I know that having you in my bed last night was the most satisfying sexual encounter I’ve had in—hell—I don’t know how long.”
She shook her head as if she didn’t believe him.
Softening his voice, he said, “I don’t know where this is going, and honestly? I don’t know if it even matters right now.” He cupped her jaw. “If you tell me that you want me to back off, I’ll respect that. But you need to know that’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I want you like you were last night.” He grazed her jaw with his thumb. “I want the woman who asked me to do things she’d never asked another man to do.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed.
“I want you in bed for as long as you want to be there.” He reached for her and drew her close. This time, she did not resist. “That’s what I want.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. Deeply. Calum knew she was weighing things inside her head. What she wanted versus family loyalty.
“We’ll need to keep it a secret,” she finally whispered.
“Of course.”
“It ends when I say.”
Pause. “Absolutely.”
She turned her face into his palm, and he felt the tip of her tongue tasting him before she took his hand. “And you’re going to giv
e me exactly what I want.”
That gentle kiss, coupled with her request, had his body reacting more profoundly than anything any of the women in the pageant could have done. “Like what?”
She wet her lips. “Have you ever tied anyone up?”
It took him a second to respond. “Yes.”
“Do you use safe words?”
“Sometimes. With the right partner.”
“Do you spank?”
“Same answer.”
“Jesus.”
She was staring up at him, and her soft breaths were coming fast.
“Becca…”
She turned away—only for a split second—as if giving herself one last opportunity to back down. Then in a husky voice she said, “I want you to dominate me.”
…
Becca could not believe she’d had the guts to say it. It was a difficult thing for her to articulate in her own mind, let alone to say it out loud. But it was out there now, and there was no taking it back, no matter how much the controlled, embarrassed part of her wanted to. There was another part of her that was glad it was out there. Relieved.
Excited.
By the fierce look on Cal’s face, he didn’t want her to take it back, either.
The whole way to his villa, she’d argued with herself over what she should do. On one hand, there was Grace, the sister whom she loved and who now had her sights set on Calum.
Becca could still see Grace’s excitement after the evening’s barbeque on the beach, hear her voice in her head. “Calum Price is so wonderful, Bec. Now I get what you were talking about. All he did was ask me about myself. And you know what? It was like he was actually interested. He even asked about you.”
And that was when Becca had decided to end things with Cal. Continuing now would be a betrayal. No two ways about it.
Except there was that other thing, the one that was even harder to admit.
Calum was the kind of lover that Becca had dreamed of but never in a million years thought she’d ever have the opportunity of meeting. To have a no-strings, holiday fling with him? How could she say no?
“Are you sure you want me to…” He paused to breathe in deeply, his nostrils flaring.
Bachelor Games (Tropical Temptation) Page 8