Touch of Love (15 page)

‘
Yeah, I might have liked it myself…’ he mumbled, his lips hot against the skin of her chin. ‘With some spice in our sex life, I might never have had to go looking somewhere else.’

She
tasted rusty blood when he bit her lip in a clumsy, impatient attempt to kiss her. The brutal pressure of his mouth against hers was unbearable. She struggled again, her hands flailing in search of his face to scratch it and make him stop. The pain in her scalp was nothing compared to the sudden panic that he actually might put his threats to the ultimate test, doing things she could only dream about in her worst nightmares.

And then, suddenly
, it was over. A sane part of her brain, detached from the blind panic that had frozen her, registered a noise, a crashing, loud bang somewhere behind her. Brad’s hold on her loosened almost instantly. She had no idea what the noise was until she was free, gloriously and completely. She stumbled backward, her legs shaking. She had to blink to be able to see what was going on because the pain from his tight hold on her hair had flooded her eyes with tears. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

She had to blink again. Adam was
there, as impossible as that seemed. He punched Brad in the face with a clean, powerful hit that sent him flying to the floor, where he lay groaning.

‘
Next time, it will be more than that.’ Adam’s voice vibrated with such fury that Elly almost felt sorry for Brad. God knew, she wouldn’t like to be on the wrong side of the line where Adam was concerned.

‘
Get up, and get lost, before I lose it,’ he commanded, coming to stand over the crumpled man, who shrank back in immediate response. ‘Don’t you ever come back like that. Do you understand? If I hear from Elly you were harassing her again, you’ll be happy to be arrested, believe me.’

Brad groaned again, his face
already swollen and red, as he looked at them both. His left eye had disappeared in the beginning of a bruise that must have hurt like hell. He got to his feet, his unsteady moves at odds with the prowling ease from only moments ago. He grimaced painfully, rubbing his chin and feeling his cheek.

‘
That wasn’t necessary, man.’ A smudge of blood in the corner of his mouth as he mumbled made Elly’s stomach turn. If he spit out a tooth, she would throw up, she thought miserably, relieved to see him hobble to the wide-open door. Adam must have forced it open just before, making the dull noise she’d heard.

Brad must have had his own revelation as he gazed at
the door, his eyes flicking over Adam’s tall, muscular frame with a mix of annoyance and respect.

‘That wasn’t necessary,’ he repeated, ignoring her completely
, which was fine with her. Her lips were still stinging from his kiss, and the last thing she needed was a halfhearted apology and a confrontation with the man she’d thought she knew but had so utterly miscalculated.

He walked out, his steps steadying as he reached the door. She had half expected him to turn around and say something nasty
since he was almost safely out of Adam’s reach. She knew deep down that he’d thought something along the same lines. He slowed down, hesitating before making up his mind and leaving. The silence that fell upon them after his exit was charged with electricity.

‘Are you ok
ay?’ She realized she was still watching the door when Adam came closer, his face serious and concerned. ‘Did he hurt you?’

‘Not really,’ she mumbled in response, ridiculously aware of the fact she must have looked
like a total mess. It shouldn’t have mattered after all that had just happened, but she couldn’t stop the image of the tall elegant brunette from rising before her eyes.

‘Do you have some ice?’
His eyebrows rose inquiringly. ‘That looks pretty painful.’ He touched the corner of her mouth, his fingers cool and gentle. Her lip still smarted from the onslaught of Brad’s misplaced passion. Adam must have noticed, because his eyes darkened. He stepped back, then disappeared into the kitchen. He knew his way around after having picked her up three or four times over the last few weeks. She had never invited him to stay, and he had never insisted, but he must have been an observant visitor if he could find his way around her place with unnerving accuracy.

‘Don’t have any ice
packs.’ She followed him, feeling very childish. ‘Never really needed them before.’

‘
This will do just fine.’ He produced her tray of ice cubes, his smile triumphant. He popped a few of them into plastic wrap. ‘Try this,’ he offered just a second later, his encouraging smile making it impossible to refuse.

It felt good to calm the burn
ing of her bruised skin. Grateful for his help, she pressed the small, flat package against her mouth.

‘I’ll fix you something to drink
.’ As he filled the kettle with water, the sound of water hitting the metal bottom was explosive. It was enough to snap her out of her surreal complacency and bring things back into perspective.

‘Why are you here?’ she asked hoarsely, her eyes on his back. She saw it tense ever so marginally in response. For a second
, she felt guilty. His gallant rescue definitely didn’t deserve such harsh treatment. But it was a legitimate question, after all. And she was too tired and too emotionally drained to really care.

‘I was about to come up and see you
.’ He was still fumbling with the kettle, and her suspicions that he was stalling, avoiding having to face her, were growing. ‘I happened to look at your window, and there you were, your fiancé and you. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it didn’t look as if you enjoyed his presence too much.’

For once
, she was glad she hadn’t pulled her blinds, failing to be embarrassed at the thought of what a spectacle she and Brad had just offered the whole neighborhood.

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. The shock of what
had just happened and what could have happened set in. ‘I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t come…’ She sniffed miserably, doing her best to hold on to the remnants of her self-control. He didn’t need to see her fall apart. But it was too late.

He was at her side in two steps, his strong arms coming to pull her closer to his body.
The quiet strength of his muscular frame was oddly reassuring. She felt his chin come to rest on the top of her head, and the gentle rocking motion of his body lulled her into a state of sleepy happiness that she couldn’t recall having felt in a long time.
About three weeks,
her brain whispered, since the time she’d slid out of his bed and arms.

‘It’s all right,’ he whispered,
unaware of her treacherous thoughts. His arms tightened around her even more, seeping the warmth of his skin into hers. It felt so different from Brad’s forced embrace.

The high
-pitched sound of the kettle whistle broke the comfortable silence. She didn’t want him to go, she thought resentfully as she felt him detangle himself gently from her suddenly cold body.

Be practical,
she thought as he busied himself with two mugs, gathering milk and sugar. He was chatting about some meaningless thing, trying to tempt her into eating something. The sheer thought of having to chew and swallow was rather repulsive, but it brought back the image of the brown paper bag and deli sandwiches still in her fridge. She’d brought it in from her car, her numb fingers eager to dispose of the witness to her humiliation. Still, she couldn’t just throw it away, so she’d stuffed it away, deciding to deal with it later. The thought of it brought back the images of Adam and the woman, along with a new set of questions.

He came here for a reason, after all
. If not for Brad and the drama he created, they would already have been talking about it. She tried to figure what it could be.
Where is his lovely companion?

‘You should change into something warmer,’ his voice reached her from far away
, and she looked up, surprised. He looked worried.
Because whatever he has to say is going to be unpleasant?

‘Your teeth are chattering,’ he prompted again
, and this time she listened, escaping to her bedroom and pulling out a pair of jeans and a hoodie. It wasn’t the prettiest of outfits. The soft grey cotton was well-worn and had been washed a thousand times. It was comforting, though.

‘Why did you want to see me?’
She returned to the living room, noticing the tray on the coffee table. Two steaming mugs of tea and a plate of cheese and tomato sandwiches were waiting. She sat down, watching him carefully. Folded into one of the two armchairs, he was still wearing his clothes from the office, she realized suddenly. The sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled up to reveal his tanned, muscular forearms. So he hadn’t gone home with his ladylove, after all. She couldn’t imagine him dressing up in his work clothes after a make-out session. The discovery made her feel better. Suddenly, she felt hungry, and she reached for one of the sandwiches, then bit into it with gusto.

‘Not sure,’
was his puzzling reply. She watched him with wide-open eyes, waiting for an explanation. It came a moment later, when his familiar crooked smile replaced the wistful expression. ‘Well, just thought I finished earlier than I’d planned and maybe we could still do something. Tried to call you, but couldn’t get through… so I practically invited myself in, as you see.’

He wasn’t telling her everything. She could sense it in the way his lips pressed together as if to keep from revealing secrets that were his and his alone.
Whatever happened in that cab or afterward didn’t go accordingly to his plans,
she thought acidly, surprised by the sense of loss.
Maybe they had a fight, or she changed her mind?

‘
Isn’t it a tad late to go to the barbecue?’ she asked hesitantly, not sure what he’d expected. Plus, she didn’t really feel like being a last-moment replacement for whoever was getting into that cab.

‘I didn’t think we should go there
.’ He leaned forward and took one of the mugs, wrapping his fingers around its handle as if he were searching for something to do. ‘Just us, you and me…’

There was a strange note in his voic
e—a cross between bewilderment and worry. He looked as if he’d been shocked by something and was trying very hard to get over it, too. ‘I wanted to show you something,’ he added, refusing to give up. ‘You’d be the first person to see it.’ He smiled silkily, his dark eyes cajoling. ‘All I can say, it’s pretty cool if I say so myself. But it’s a surprise, so I won’t say anything more, Ells.’

‘You just know what to s
ay, don’t you?’ she grumbled, her resolve to remain aloof fading. The prospect of spending the rest of the evening in his company was too appealing to be resisted. She wanted to get to the bottom of why he was lying. For reasons unknown, she could sense that all those things were connected and that the answer was right in front of her. It was frustrating to be so blind, she mused as she watched him from under her long eyelashes, to almost know why he was acting the way he did, and yet fail.

‘
If I say you won’t need to dress up at all, will it help?’ He grinned at her mischievously, eyeing her hoodie. ‘I kind of like this street look on you, you know?’

‘We would look like the most mismatched couple of the century
.’ She made a point to stare at his pristine shirt and expensive Italian pants that must have cost a fortune. ‘If you want me to come, you’ll have to wait,’ she demanded, half expecting him to cancel his offer.

‘For as long as you need me, no problem.’ He smiled, his answer playful and light.

She couldn’t help but think that there was more to it than just a gentleman’s polite, charming riposte. His promise meant something deeper and more meaningful.

She was too scared to try
to figure it out. Instead, she ran off, glad for the excuse of having to dress properly. Even though he smiled, he couldn’t fool her. She could only hope she could be a better player in this game that had slowly but irrevocably slipped out from under her control.

‘This is amazing!’

H
alf an hour later, Elly was glad she’d followed her heart and let him drive her to the park, where acres upon of acres of land had been transformed into the coolest adventure park she had ever seen. They had passed a shimmering lake and a maze of canals, where the standing water reflected the light of the moon. Dark patches of forest divided it into sections, each a complete obstacle course of some kind.

‘
They start filming in about a week or so, the set of the first five episodes.’ Adam nodded, reaching out to point to the cluster of buildings in the distance. ‘This will be the main camp.’

They were standing in the middle of a small arena, the
fading light of the setting sun bathing them in its weakening, pale-orange glow. Elly wasn’t so sure about them wandering around in the fast-approaching dark, but the security guard who had welcomed them at the main gate had reassured her that it was no hardship at all to let them look around. With a smile, he’d told them that if needed, the place had enough lights placed strategically around the grounds to keep them absolutely safe. She figured he could hardly say no to Adam, whose position as the head of the network came with some serious perks.

‘I know we should come in the daytime, but I wanted you to be the first person to see it,’ he explained as they sat down on one of the crescent
-shaped benches. ‘It was finished today, earlier in the day. It’s been designed as the ultimate survival adventure camp for our contestants. There are so few things left unexplored. I thought we should be the first ones to set foot on this set.’

‘
It is amazing.’ She nodded, filling with excitement. ‘It must have been a ton of work to pull together.’

‘
We had a talented team.’ He smiled, his eyes going around the place with unmistakable pride. It was his baby. ‘Got people from the UK and New Zealand. They’ve done similar shows already.
X Factor
meets
Survivor
, I guess.’

‘I’m sure it will be a success
.’ She nodded, looking around. ‘I know I’ll watch it, for sure.’

‘I knew you were the right person to bring here
.’ He laughed softly, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. The gesture was innocent and friendly, nothing more than an instinctive response to her words.

Her heart sprinted into action, beating hard against her ribcage as she tried to speak casually, desperate to appear normal
. ‘How many obstacle courses do you have here? I counted six so far…’ It was futile. Her voice sounded small and lost, just as she felt. They could have been the only two people left in the world. The velvety darkness creeping in from the surrounding corners invited her in, the fading twilight unable to banish it back into the distance.

‘Eight
.’ He sounded breathless.

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes
as the sunset bathed his face in its golden light, gilding his features with its glow, conjuring images of sculptures of ancient gods, powerful and distant. Only his eyes weren’t cold or distant at all. There was no mistaking the flickering flame of desire, even in the forgiving shadows.

‘That’s
a lot…’ she whispered, swallowing the lump of emotion in her throat. She desperately wanted him to kiss her, everything else fading into the background. Her doubts, worries, and suspicions all disappeared for this one glorious moment of pure emotion as her lips parted in invitation.

He pulled back before she made a total fool of herself. Suddenly
, he was back on his feet, the distance between them killing the mood.

‘
Do you want to see the lodge?’ he asked, pointing to the large building just meters away. ‘It’s been designed to house our contestants for the month of filming or so. It’s a pretty good home away from home, I think.’

She followed him.
What else could I do,
she thought sourly as he opened the large door, stepping into the building that still smelled of fresh paint.

‘
It’ll need some more ventilating, I guess.’ He flicked the light switch, and she blinked, assaulted by the warm glow. They were in a large hall, decorated to look like a hunting lodge from a safari adventure. She let her eyes travel over the heavy beams and wooden furniture. Strategically planted pots with large green clusters of philodendrons and bamboo added to the wild feel of the place.

‘
We have twenty initial candidates to kick off the season.’

Is
it my imagination, or is he keeping a safe distance?

H
e walked over to the dimmest part of the room where it morphed into a corridor leading deeper into the bowels of the building. ‘We opted for a blend of familiar faces and some newcomers, unknown to the public. I can’t see the appeal of watching an exclusive bunch of aging, disillusioned celebrities bickering among themselves for weeks. We thought that if we just peppered it with one or two famous faces, the rest should be left to those who earned their spot on the show with other qualities.’

She came over to look at the line of photographs of the contestants decorating one of the walls.
Twenty faces smiled at her from their rugged bamboo frames, and she felt like smiling back, the energy in their smiles palpable and highly infectious.

Then
she saw her. Elly’s happy mood melted away the moment she spotted the second-to-last photo. She recognized the woman right away. Her dark hair and slim face with huge eyes and a high-bridged nose was the strong, intelligent face of a woman confident in her brains and sexuality.
Less beautiful than she seemed back there, on the street.
Her lips were too thin, and her chin was too pointy to avoid the harshness that eradicated softness and femininity, making her look strong and winsome. Elly’s bitter gaze lingered a moment longer on the photograph.
A perfect match for a man like Adam. Unlike me, weak and pathetic.

‘Who’s that?’
She was amazed at how normal she sounded as she turned to him, her eyes innocent and wide. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before joining her in front of the picture.

‘Camilla di
Noveno.’ The name fit her. Beautiful and exotic, it matched her good looks and mysterious eyes, which were veiled by long, ebony lashes.

‘
She’s a sculptor and a painter.’

A
s if she needs to be even more interesting
.

‘Did she create anything I might know?’ she asked, cringing at how bitter her voice sounded.
Drop this jealous girlfriend act before he figures it out and feels sorry for you,
she commanded herself. His uncomfortable expression did little to help her resolve. He looked as guilty as hell as he watched the photograph, his dark eyes intent and focused.

‘Doubt it
.’ He shrugged, turning away from the half-smiling face on the wall. ‘She’s quite new here. Her stuff is mostly known in Italy and Spain. I met her there, last summer, and we worked together on a show.’

It must have been one heck of collaboration
.
She bit her tongue at the last moment. It was his life, and she had no right to interfere.

‘She was going through a difficult divorce back then.’ His explanation irritated her immensely
, and she had to press her lips together to keep silent.

Am I
supposed to feel sorry for her?

‘
Now that it’s finalized and done, she accepted a job here in America.’

‘
Lovely.’ She nodded, unable to help herself. ‘How did she get into the show then?’

‘
A personal favor, you could say.’ His wicked grin lasted just a second, but she could already imagine the whole thing.

Did she offer him sex to make the team?

‘She’s one of the most selfless and generous people I know. I remember her in Spain, donating some of her royalties to shelters and scholarship funds even though she could have used the money for herself. She’d say one needed to support others, or otherwise, the whole art thing didn’t have any purpose at all. She was right, of course.’

Elly
couldn’t argue with that. But it didn’t make it any easier to find out that this beautiful and talented woman had a Mother Teresa streak, as well.

‘
She contacted me when she arrived here. Sent me an invitation to her show, really.’ He smiled, his eyes lost in the memory. ‘I went with Bianca, and we were both utterly impressed with her art. We got talking afterward, and I offered her the chance to appear on the show as a means to broader exposure. She was happy to do it.’

‘I
’m sure she’s very grateful,’ Elly mumbled in response, suddenly wishing she could walk out of that building and blend in with the night. The realization that Camilla would be here, week after week, probably in touch with him even when he’d travel to Singapore made her miserable beyond measure. While she herself would disappear from his life in two short weeks, he would go on seeing this woman and maybe even date her, if he hadn’t already started down that path.

‘
More than I deserve.’ He sighed, running a hand through his short, dark hair. He glanced at her hesitantly, making her heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

‘
Come on, let’s see the pit of truth.’ He had surprised her yet again, and she let him take her hand and guide her to a smaller area behind the lodge, where stone columns surrounded a circular arena.

‘
Trying to recreate Stonehenge?’ Her attempted joke fell flat, as he pulled her down the path leading into the middle of the grassy area.

‘That’s where they
’ll have their meetings.’ He looked nervous, and she again had the horrible suspicion that he wanted to talk about something unpleasant. She had forgotten about it in the last hour. He hadn’t apparently, though.

‘
Why the pit of truth?’ Any distraction was good, anything to stop him from whatever he was about to say. ‘Will they confess how many chocolate bars they smuggled into the camp? Or who slept with who?’

Dear God, did
I just say that out loud?

He laughed, distracted for a second.
‘No, no such drama. The whole concept of the camp is based on team loyalty and collaboration. Each team will have to rely on each other and have each other’s backs in order to win the ultimate prize. Along the way, there will be temptations and distractions to lead them away from their group. This here will be where they explain how they dealt with those things.’

‘Well, count me out then.’ She couldn’t imagine taking part in such
a game. ‘I’d rather keep my sins to myself, if you know what I mean…’

‘
Better than you think.’ His short nod filled her with trepidation. ‘I’ve never been one to carry my heart on my sleeve. Until now… You asked me why I came to see you tonight.’

H
er head nodded automatically, like a bobblehead on a dashboard.

‘I didn’t really want to or plan to, to be honest.’

The pain that assaulted her after his confession burned her lungs as she took a deep gulp of air.

‘I mean, I had other plans for the evening
.’ He sat down in the grass, gesturing for her to do the same, careless of the fact that his expensive woolen pants wouldn’t benefit from this impromptu picnic. ‘I lied to you about my work at the office, Ells.’

I knew it.
And in the spirit of sharing should have said so, but she couldn’t. Instead, she nodded, avoiding his gaze so he wouldn’t see her incredulous expression.

‘I
wanted to forget everything for a few hours…’ He took her hand and kept it in his even when she struggled halfheartedly to free herself from his grip. She guessed her expression had reflected her hurt. ‘No, listen to me. It’s not what you think.’ She stirred, and he waited until she stilled again before continuing, his voice very quiet. ‘I was tired of acting like I’m something I’m not, Ells. And no, I don’t mean pretending to be your boyfriend. It’s rather what it entitles and what it doesn’t.’

She felt a confused expression spread across her face.

He sighed and tried again, his voice stronger, ‘I was tired of pretending I didn’t really care. Of constantly keeping my distance and not spooking you with one wrong move.’ He waited for her response, but her head was empty. ‘I created this mess myself. I know that. All I wanted tonight was to have some good time, nothing more.’

‘What kind of good time did you have in mind?’
She knew already, of course—fun with the tall, gorgeous woman who definitely didn’t fit into the ‘just friends’ category.

‘Camilla dropped by my office,’ he explained, his eyes dark and serious. ‘
She is like that, you know? Full of surprises and as stubborn as an ox.’ She hated the little private smile that flickered across his face, lighting it for a second. He didn’t mind being surprised—that much was sure.

‘She wouldn’t listen to me when I told her I was busy…’

Elly bit her lip so hard that it bled, imagining the gorgeous Camilla using her persuasion skills on him in the privacy of his office. ‘It was after I canceled our evening plans, though. I did lie about my work, but I had intended to stay in, probably staring at my computer screen for most of the night.’ His anxious look brushed her face, and she hoped that he couldn’t read it very well in the shadows of the twilight.