“Nothing. Other than witness the biggest sham of my life.” The plastic crinkles under his too-tight grip. “They’re still pushing the whole Evelyn thing so damn hard.Enjoy each other?God. Read the fucking room, Teri.”
“So you’re in a mood?”
His shoulders heave on an exhausted sigh. “I’m just so tired, Jules. It’s tearing me up having to lie about…this.”
My brows shoot up as my body moves toward him on instinct, but then I remember where I am. There are crew memberscrawling all over the place. Hell, Richard is in his trailer just down the driveway, which means he could show up any time.
So I turn, heading for the hallway, hoping he’ll follow me.
Because I hate seeing him all torn up like this.
I glance over my shoulder and walk down the long hallway that leads to multiple contestant rooms. One is full of furniture, and another has recording equipment.
“Where are you going?”
He follows.
I hear his steps behind me as he closes the distance between us, a shiver racing down my spine. Knowing that he followed me. That he can’t help himself.
It’s power. And it’s intoxicating.
“To show you something,” I reply, before turning around, grabbing his hand, and yanking him into an empty room.
Jada’s empty room. But I believe in my heart that Jada would understand what I’m doing here.
I have to believe that a woman who unleashes her full artistic talent to paint dick-toes for a fellow contestant would support me in this moment.
Jada would understand.
“What are you—” I cut him off when I click the door shut and shove him against the wall. He lands with a lightoofsound before finishing breathlessly, “Doing?”
“Turning that frown upside down,” I whisper, not missing a beat as I drop to my knees in front of him and frantically tug at the waistband of his shorts. “Can’t send you on a date with another woman looking like you’re heading to the gallows.”
“It feels like I—”
Shorts and boxers tugged down, I press a soft kiss to his upper thigh. Distracting him. Catching him up to what we’re doing here.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” he says, but his hand strokes my hair, his fingertips digging in just slightly at the back of my skull, encouraging me. His cock thickens, and I lick my lips.
Shouldn’t is simply not part of my vocabulary right now.
“Emmett, shut up and lock the door. I only have ten minutes.”
My palm slides over his dick as I trail my tongue up, kissing, grazing my teeth across his skin until he sighs in pleasure. A modicum of tension leaves his body, and from the corner of my eye, I see him reach over and turn the small lock.
“Good,” I murmur, then I lick just beside his cock. A tease, just enough that his length straightens and bobs.
“Julia.” His voice is raspy. “What I said out there…”
I fondle his balls and lick the other side, digging my teeth in just below his hip bone. He bucks toward me, and I get more turned on by the way his grip changes in my hair. It’s gone from tentative, to eager, to desperate.
“I know.”
I settle back on my haunches and make a show of looking up at him as I grip his length at the base and hold my mouth open. Wanting him to watch me take him. To hold my gaze as I do.
A needy shudder racks his body. A tendon in his jaw flicks. He’s on a precipice, torn between frustration and desire.
“I meant it about…” He trails off, eyes searching mine. I can see that he wants to say it. Wants to tell me. But I also understand him. This is a big revelation.
