AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve done a lot more than kiss Drew since then, but I see what Cooper’s getting at. He doesn’t look mad. If anything, he looks curious, and if he’s anywhere near as turned on as I am right now, maybe he won’t be mad if I tell him the truth.
So I do.
“I wanted to,” I say, so quietly I’m not sure he hears me at first. Then Cooper ducks his head to meet my eyes.
“So did I.”
The connection between us goes electric, raising the hair on the back of my neck, making me shiver. Cooper holds my gaze, the heat there burning me from the inside out.
“You want him,” I say.
“I want you,” he counters, but he doesn’t deny it otherwise. Silence reigns for a long moment, and Cooper takes my hand, our fingers intertwining.
Maybe it’s the champagne. Maybe it’s the shitty workday, preceded by several shitty years of shitty relationships. Or maybe it’s the universe trying to nudge me into action. Whatever the reason, the next words that come to mind spill out of my mouth before I can let fear get ahold of them.
“What if you could have us both?” I ask Cooper.
17
Drew
The blandly named Blue Ridge Resort and Lodge is gorgeous, even swamped with camera crews as it is now. The ceilings peak over several levels of balcony railings, and the glassed-in wall gives the lobby a nearly 300-degree mountain top view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. What started as a flurry a couple of hours ago has ramped up to full-on snowstorm, enough so that I’m worried about the last of our crew getting here tonight. Including Bailey. She was one of the last scheduled to fly in.
So was Cooper, but I’m not thinking about him right now. I bite my lip to remind myself of that for the third time in twenty minutes, but I’m not sure it helps.
Ty arranged for us to share a suite. It’s not a big deal, obviously. The resort was running out of rooms, and Greeley had us doing the stick-together song and dance this week, so my boss figured it’d be an easy fix—win-win for everybody. At least it’s a suite and not a single room.
Not that that’s crossed my mind at all. And guess who probably gets to tell Cooper about the arrangements? If he ever gets here.
Room arrangements notwithstanding, the lodge was a good choice for the finals. Idyllic and picture-perfect everywhere you look, plus the conference rooms are perfectly sized for the number of mini-kitchens we set up today. And it’s just exactly far enough from the city to make it inconvenient for fans of the network to turn up for selfies. Filming this week should be a breeze, assuming we don’t all get stranded in this snowstorm. But I guess there are worse ways to spend a week.
Snowed in. In a deluxe mountain resort. With Bailey. And Cooper. Who’s sleeping next door.
Not to mention all my coworkers and the other contestants. And my boss. And my boss’s boss.
But who’s counting?
The person in line ahead of me finally gets her room key and the concierge nods my way.
“Hi, I’m with Sizzle TV. I need to check whether one of my… one of our contestants has checked in yet.”
“ID please,” says the attendant, eyeing me skeptically. I hand over my pass and after a long moment that has me seriously considering whether I’m about to be hauled out by security, the attendant gives a tight nod. “Of course, Mr. Hicks. The name?”
“Bailey Ross.”
A moment of tapping later, the attendant nods again.
“She checked in about thirty minutes ago,” he says. I thank him and step aside, pulling out my phone. Still no answer to my texts. Considering the way she left a couple of nights ago, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised Bailey’s avoiding me again.
The desk is curved, like the lobby itself, so I hear the commotion before I see anything. An exasperated woman, swearing, and a smacking sound.
“What kind of place is this? I’ll have you know I’m one of the finalists!”
Stepping around the guests still in line, I move around to see one of our competitors, Tracy, slapping the desk with her palm and all but stomping her feet in a temper. Bailey stands a couple of feet away, looking wary.
“I’m very sorry, Ms. Elffers,” says another attendant behind the desk. There are three of them crowded around one computer monitor. A security guard has moved from the lobby door to the edge of the counter where other stragglers have gathered to watch the episode. “There’s really nothing I can do. The suite—”
“I told you, I don’t care if it’s a suite, damn it! I will not be shoe-horned in with some… some…” Tracy Elffers stammers, jabbing a finger in Bailey’s direction.
