Caught on Camera (13 page)

“Bob?” She hated the unsure tone of her voice.

“The orders came down, Vega,” Bob said, his voice now grave. “We definitely have cuts. Unless I can get you in front of the camera, I can’t use you as a video journalist any longer, kid. I’m sorry.”

“Bob, come on,” she pleaded. She was about to not only fail to secure the job she wanted in Atlanta, but also lose the one in Savannah? She couldn’t let that happen. “I’m your best photographer.”

“Honey, you plan to get the Atlanta job and move there anyway. It’s what you want, remember? This is why I went to bat for you with them.”

She felt the spirit drain out of her. The past couple of days around the Davenports and covering events in the city had given her more life than she’d had in years, and now she wasn’t only losing the chance for that, she was losing the pitiful existence she’d made for herself in Savannah as well.

For once she’d like to just say “screw you” to everybody, and go for what she really wanted instead of worrying about the crap some jerk had once done to her.

“You do have the interview, right?” Bob suddenly sounded worried for her. “Tell me you got it.”

She couldn’t admit it. Not just yet. The time would come when she had to, but not right after he’d fired her. She’d finish this assignment feeling as if she had some shred of dignity. Instead of admitting what a complete failure she was, she smiled, trying to force happiness through the phone. “Of course, everything is lined up. I just assumed I’d have to come back home and finish the interview later next week, is all. I thought I was needed back there first.”

“I’m sorry, hon. My hands are tied. We can keep you on a couple weeks, but getting this interview wrapped is important for you. Unless you want to change your mind about being on camera…”

She shook her head even though he couldn’t see the movement. They’d had that conversation many times already, and he knew her stance on being in front of the camera.

He let out a sigh. “Okay, then. They’re still holding the other position for you, so focus on that. We can make do here without you.”

Before she could come up with anything else to say, someone on the other end called out and Bob had to go. She closed the phone and slipped it inside the pocket of her slacks.

Her life was in shambles, and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to climb under her covers and turn the world back thirteen years. Back before her father had been killed in a drug bust, and back before she’d been sold the line of crap that modeling would be the best thing to ever happen to her.

Wanting to escape from it all, she crossed her fingers that no one was paying any attention to her, and slipped through the side door.

She found herself in a hallway. Able to make out people laughing and talking at the far end of the corridor, she hurried in the opposite direction until she found another turn, this path deserted and leading to large windows overlooking the Atlanta skyline.

Reaching the windows, she stepped to the side and squeezed between a five-foot potted plant and glass that appeared to glitter from the city lights twinkling on the other side of it. She needed to get her head wrapped back around the job she was here to do, and not the fact it would be the last job she ever did for the station. Possibly for any station.

Maybe it was time to take a step back and come up with a
real
plan. Something exciting.

At the thought of exciting, she pictured JP.

Breathing in and out through her nose, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the cool glass, picturing him as he’d been the night before. At first arrogant and certain he could literally charm the pants off her, then coming into the kitchen to apologize and ending up helping her with the dishes. She rolled her forehead back and forth against the glass. She couldn’t figure out who he was.

Then the night had ended with him practically begging her to go out with him. Who would’ve ever thought that possible? She couldn’t get over his actions, especially in the kitchen and playing with his niece and nephew. Those were not the actions of the man the world thought he was.

Unless he had such a big ego that it was still all a game to get her to sleep with him. Do whatever it took to win her over.

Maybe he couldn’t handle the word
no
?

“Hiding?” The deep voice came from directly beside her. She neither jumped in surprise nor opened her eyes to greet him. She’d somehow known he’d follow.

“I don’t need to hide, JP.”
Liar.
“I’m simply enjoying the view of the city.”

He chuckled, and the hairs on her arms lifted. “With your eyes closed?”

She smiled a small smile but didn’t open her eyes. “Can’t you see with your eyes closed?”

“Depends on what I’m looking at.” The voice inched closer. “I can close my eyes and see how beautiful you were last night with your head thrown back and your neck bared. Right at the moment you thought I was going to taste you.”

She fought to keep her breathing steady at the reminder.

“And I can close my eyes and imagine how perfect you feel with your body pressed to mine.”

She could do that with her eyes open.

“I can also close my eyes and know how right it’s going to be when we finally make love.”

“JP,” she whispered. She didn’t lift her head, but turned in his direction and looked at him. He had his head resting against the glass as she did, facing her. His eyes glittered in the reflection of the city. He wore the gleam of a man out to get what he wanted. “We’ve discussed this,” she said. “We won’t be going out. Plus, I’m not into being a notch on someone’s bedpost.”

“Then you’d better stay away from Martens.” His tight voice gave him away, and she peered closer at him.

The man was jealous. Though nothing had changed that would allow her to be with him, a sizzle of hope bounced around inside of her, lighting all the places she would best forget she had.

Jealous!

But was it at the thought of Evan sleeping with her—not that he was going to—or was it simply that being with Evan would mean Evan had “won” instead of him? The flare of excitement fizzled. She shrugged and stood up straight, facing him. “Not that it’s any of your business, but if I wanted to sleep with Evan Martens, there’s not a thing in the world you could do to stop it.”

That got him. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned in so close she breathed his aura with each inhalation.

“If anyone here is taking you to bed, it’s me.” His voice was hard. Matter-of-fact.

She licked her lips and swore she could taste him. “Thank you, but I’ll make my own decisions.”

“The last thing Martens cares about is you, Vega.”

She laughed out loud. “And you care about me?”

A voice came from the other room, announcing five minutes until the auction started. Neither turned toward the sound.

“Maybe I do.”

His uncertainty stopped her from replying with another snippy comment, the confusion in his gaze matching her own.

“You don’t care about me, JP. You don’t even know me.”

“But I want to.”

She studied him, her heart thudding in her chest. “Why?” she whispered. “Why does it matter when you can have any woman you want?”

He broke eye contact then, turning to scowl out the window. She held her breath as she waited for his answer. She didn’t want it to matter, but couldn’t stop the desire. Not only sexually, but something that ran deeper. Something that seemed to call out to her and say that they were two souls fighting the same battles.

Yet that made no sense.

He was a Davenport, for crying out loud. He had everything he wanted at his disposal, could snap his fingers and get the world to jump, and would soon be the country’s next hero.

She, on the other hand, had very little of what she wanted. She’d made so many mistakes of her own, she’d not only run her mother back to her home country, but she’d been forced to let her own dreams drift away as well.

She and JP couldn’t be more unalike.

Without making eye contact, JP picked up her hand and lifted it to his mouth, pressing kisses to each knuckle. “I have no idea,” his voice was low. “But I’m not ready to let whatever this is end tonight.”

He turned to her, tucking her hand between both of his and resting them against his chest. “You said last night that you believe I’m better than I give myself credit for. What did you mean by that?”

That wasn’t what she’d been expecting. She went back in her mind to those parting words, recalling the hint of something she’d seen in his eyes every time she’d been around him.

She took a half step forward, bumping the toes of their shoes together, and lifted her face to his as she thought through her answer. “You’re highly successful. A selfless, charitable man. And the person the whole country has expected to do well since the day you were born.” She wrapped her free hand around the outside of their intertwined ones. “And you’ve always met everyone’s expectations. Only…I think you’re living behind a protective layer.”

His features didn’t change. “How so?”

“You play up the persona of playboy to keep anyone from getting too close to the real you. But why?”

“I don’t.”

“Really?” She squeezed his hands, caressing a thumb over them. They were big and strong, and she found it incredibly odd that she was the one holding him when what she’d wanted for years was someone to hold her. “You’re saying you really are the shallow date-them-once-or-twice man you’d have everyone believe? That you don’t want more than that? That you don’t deserve more?”

His jaw twitched. “If you don’t think I’m that person, then why not go out with me?”

She blew out a breath of air. “I have far more reasons not to go out with you than not wanting to be dumped after getting into bed, but we’re talking about you right now.”

“Fine.” He nodded once. “Go on.”

With a bluntness that surprised even her, she said, “I think you’re afraid to try for anything deeper because you fear you won’t live up to your parents’ love affair. That by not finding the same thing, you’ll somehow be a disappointment. I guess the question is, who are you worried about disappointing? Your mother? The country? Or are you simply afraid you’ll dig deep enough you’ll have to admit to yourself that you’re as hollow as you pretend to be?”

“W
OW.”
T
HE SHOCK
of her words knocked JP out of the trancelike state he’d been in.

He dropped her hands and put a foot of space between them. Of all the things he’d thought she might say, bringing up his parents’ love life hadn’t been one of them. And wouldn’t she love to know that what the world thought of as the perfect relationship had in fact been trite and cheap in the end?

“That’s some story you’ve imagined in your head.” He’d been really close to begging her to buy him again.

Vega turned her hands palms up. “So prove me wrong. Explain why it seems you’ve never had anything more meaningful than a one-night stand, or at the best, an extended weekend.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“No? When was your last relationship that lasted longer than a weekend?”

He set his jaw, wondering how he’d gotten himself into this conversation when all he really wanted was to take her to bed. “I’ve had plenty of relationships that lasted longer than a weekend.” He named a couple of well-known women he’d dated.

Vega shook her head. “From what I heard, those were merely booty calls.”

The women in question would have liked making them more than that
, JP thought.
That should count for something.

He eyed the woman standing in front of him, wondering why he’d thought following her out into the hall like a lovesick puppy would get him anywhere. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on this subject.”

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Dammit, Vega. I didn’t come out here to argue with you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Then what, exactly, did you hope to accomplish?”

Her words probably weren’t meant as the challenge his ego took them to be, but he could no more ignore them than he could the chemistry that tied them together. Without giving her time to guess his intent, he reached forward to grip her face and brought her to him.

This time he didn’t stop to question whether she’d allow the kiss. He just took it.