Page 48 of His Choice

Yeah, with a crew practically shoving cameras down our throats. “Or we could go somewhere warmer.”

His eyes popped. “Um…okay.”

I knew Marv was waiting for the kissing shot. I leaned my face toward Mikey’s. His expression was a mix of marvel, innocence and longing. If this had been a pickup instead of an orchestrated television date, I would have swept him off his feet and carried him to my room.

“Can I kiss you, Mikey?”

He nodded, seeming both eager and anxious. I pressed my lips to his gently at first. He made a murmuring sound, and it spurred me on to become more passionate. Mikey seemed to welcome it, our extended scene of open-mouthed kissing ready to make fodder for the television audience. I pulled back. His eyes were blown wide.

“I almost creamed you again,” he said. His delivery wasn’t crass, though. It sounded apologetic, and I knew the viewers would find the uncensored, vulnerable Mikey enchanting. I did.

“Well, accidents happen,” I replied with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t have minded this time, either.” Mikey looked at me as if wondering whether we were still pretending. I gave him another kiss on his cheek. “Let’s get out of the pool.”

“And cut!” Marv yelled.

Chapter Fourteen

Mikey

Once the camera crew had packed up and left, Cliff and I had gotten out of the pool, dried off, then settled on a couple of lounge chairs. He had spent the first few minutes apologizing for the forced ‘steaminess’ of our pool shoot and assured me that he wouldn’t normally have been so suggestive on a first date. He then made me laugh by clarifying that excluded bar pick-ups for one-night stands.

Once we had become comfortable, Cliff explained how he had one of the best views of the sunset over White Pines Mountain. He had held my hand as the sky turned orange, then red, before it was consumed by an iron-ore gray. I had made out with men in my life, but I had never experienced anything romantic until those moments. Whatever happened, I knew I’d cherish the memory forever.

When it had been time for us to return inside the house, I might have moaned with disappointment. Cliff had fetched our shirts and shorts so we wouldn’t draw attention from the others once we were back in their presence. Once we had dressed, he leaned in to kiss me. We had stayed that way until we were both shivering from the night chill and the sound of mosquitos buzzing by our ears.

Once we entered one of the gathering rooms through a pair of French doors, we had the misfortune of running into the other contestants who had been lounging about. They interrupted their conversations and card games, watching Cliff and me as if we were going to announce something noteworthy upon entering. Dani made a couple of catcalls, and Daryl muttered some ‘whore’ comment, but the rest of the men were surprisingly quiet.

Aaron threw down the hand of cards he had been holding, and he pulled away from the table swiftly. Instead of approaching me, he left the room.

Cliff bid me goodnight with a kiss on the cheek, and I followed Aaron to see what had upset him. Once I was in our room, I found him pacing.

“Hi,” I greeted tentatively.

His jaw tightened. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Was it everything you hoped for?” he asked. He still sounded pissy.

“It was nice. But tell me why you’re angry first.” I hadn’t budged from the doorway. For the first time since meeting him, Aaron was giving off a vibe of unapproachability.

He paced some more, then forced a grin. It had no warmth. “I’m fine, Mikey. As long as you had a good time. That’s all that matters, right?”

“What’s gotten into you? I thought you’d be happy for me.”

“Yeah, because everything I do needs to be in support of your wellbeing, I guess. I’m just the supporting actor in your little life drama,” he muttered.

I gulped. “I don’t understand…”

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at a dresser instead of me. “I thought it would be smart to begin laying the groundwork for our little ploy, you know? I pretended in front of the other guys that I was worried about you with Cliff. That you’re so innocent and sweet. I tried to build the foundation for how I was falling for you.”

“Oh.”

“So, Daryl thought it would be a hoot to torment me, giving everyone in the room a play-by-play as he spied on you and Cliff through the windows. ‘Now, your supposed naïve friend has his hands all over Cliff,’” Aaron relayed, imitating Daryl. “’Gee, they’re really going at it. Can tonsils be extracted with someone else’s tongue? Because I think one or both must need a tonsillectomy, and they’re trying to find out.”

I flushed. “Daryl’s a tool.”

“Was he wrong?” he challenged.