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Obvious, and stupid, much as she was right now. But she didn’t seem to be able to stay away from the man.
Spotting him running in the gardens while she’d been staring out her suite window had been a Godsend. Or the devil’s most seductive temptation. Either way she intended to take full advantage of the opportunity to spend time with him. She’d jerked her hair into a ponytail, thrown on some jogging clothes in record time and bolted through the castle and the garden to catch up with him.
Which explained why her chest heaved and her lungs burned.
At least that’s what she was blaming her out of breath state on. Rob’s damp hair, glistening skin, and bulging muscles ran a close second.
His pace slowed, but he didn’t turn to look at her. The high, tense set of his shoulders made her question whether or not he welcomed her intrusion. Had he and JP argued after the meeting broke up?
“Hey, you.” She intentionally kept her tone light as she fell into stride beside him.
His gaze cut to her briefly. “Hey.”
That quick look was enough to set Jill’s heart to pounding. Of course, the fact that he’d managed to scan her from head-to-toe might have played into her racing pulse.
“What did you think of my K-I-S-S plan?” she asked just to have something to say.
He shrugged and kept running. “Brilliant.”
She grinned. Brilliant worked for her. “You really think so?”
“Sure. It’s competitive, fun, and yet sexy. Viewers should love it.”
Viewers smeewers. She just wanted Rob to love it.
“Maybe I should practice a little before the bachelors arrive.” Okay, so she was trying to flirt without technically flirting. She certainly wouldn’t say no if he offered to help her practice. Not that she needed to. For a few glorified years, she’d lived, eaten and breathed basketball. Then her parents had died and her life had crumbled around her.
“Maybe.” She blinked her depressing thoughts away and focused on Rob. She wasn’t going to live by Jill Davidson’s rigid “have to be respo
nsible” guidelines for life. She was free to enjoy every moment without having to make the overly conscientious choice. For once, it was okay for her to go with the flow. To take chances. Just so long as she didn’t forget that Rob thought she was her sister. “You wanna play me sometime?”
“A game of K-I-S-S?” Rob stumbled and came to a halt. They were at the far end of the gardens, the castle far off into the distance. A soft breeze blew through the leaves creating rustling background music.
“Well, I meant regular basketball, but,” she wiped moisture from her brow, wishing the breeze would whip this way to help cool her down. “I’m game if you are.”
His lips twisted in a smirk. “Seems like everyone is trying to set me up today.”
He stretched forward, touching the tips of his white sneakers. Jill almost sighed in appreciation of the play of muscles beneath his thin T-shirt and gray gym shorts. Yowzas, the man was built like an athlete.
“You two had me worried there for a bit,” she admitted, trying to keep the drool in her mouth from running down her chin.
He motioned toward a path to the left and she nodded. They fell into a brisk walk.
“Who JP and I?” Rob laughed. “There’s no need. We go way back.”
“Really?” The scenery around them was amazing with tall trees full of vivid green leaves and flowers of every color and variety. Fresh, crisp air filled her oxygen hungry lungs and the breeze had finally descended enough to blow against her clammy skin. Yet the glistening man walking two feet from her held more than his share of Jill’s attention, barely allowing her to register nature’s bounty.
“Let’s just say he feels comfortable pushing my buttons and for some crazy reason I let him get away with it.” The good-natured way he spoke hinted at a deep bond between the two men.
“Sounds like you’re good friends.”
“The best.”
Odd that his best friend would be a man twice his age.
“What about you?” he asked, causing Jill to steal another look in his direction.
A tiny drop of sweat trickled down her breasts as she stared at his tanned features. “What do you mean?”
