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JP wiggled his brows. “I’m going to make you wait until the show along with Jill, the bachelors, and the rest of the world.”
Rob nodded, his attention more on Jill falling to the ground in laughter as the bachelors pummeled her with paint pellets. Her team had won--of course. Did the woman excel at everything physical? His gut clenched, and he reminded himself he’d never know the answer to that question except in his fantasies. All the bachelors, including her teammates, had ganged up and bombarded her, covering her in splatters of multi-colored paint.
“Yoohoo, anybody home?” JP waved his hand in front of the monitor.
Rob frowned at his friend and clicked to turn down his headset’s volume. “What?”
JP rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “I just told you I’m not telling you which bachelors were eliminated and you agreed.”
“Not hardly.” But even as he said it, his gaze went back to the screen. Two bachelors, he couldn’t tell which ones in their paintball paraphernalia--but he could guess--had picked her up and were carrying her as she kicked and fought to free herself. The cameramen followed closely recording the action. One so much so, paint splattered onto his lens. Where were they taking her?
When they entered the back patio area, he knew. The pool. He grinned as he watched them toss a squirming, shrieking, and trying to free herself Jane into the water, gear and all. She sank to the bottom.
He held his breath and waited for her to surface, which she almost immediately did. He clicked the mouse to up the volume again so he and JP could hear the feed from the taped-on microphone she wore, as did each of the bachelors.
Bobbing in the bright blue water, she whipped off her helmet and tossed it onto the concrete at the waiting men’s feet. She shook her hair out, long wet strands slapping against her beautiful face, and then she grinned a heart-stopping smile at her assailants. “Aren’t you boys coming in? The water’s perfect.”
And just like that she was no longer alone in the pool.
“Damn, she’s good,” JP said from beside him, reminding Rob he wasn’t alone. They watched as the paintball fight turned into an all out water splashing event.
Yeah, Rob believed she was, but he’d never know for sure. Damn it.
“What were you saying about the results being in?” he asked, dragging his envious of the bachelors gaze from the monitor.
“I’ve gotten the official report from the accounting firm handling the viewer voting. We have the names of our three bachelor bootees.” JP passed Rob the hand-delivered message.
Rob scanned the names of the bachelors and their individual scores.
“As you can see, Jeff Kensington ranked as America’s number one choice. Steve Jernigan came in second.”
“Great,” Rob muttered. They’d run the new footage, boot the bottom three, #3, #7, and #9, and open the polls for next week’s show.
“Kensington also won the letter poll and will be awarded an evening alone with Jane in the setting of his choice before the next show airs.”
Damn. She’d already been gravitating toward Dr. Doolittle Kensington and GI Joe Jernigan. He didn’t like it. Hold up. Yes, he did like it. It was what she was supposed to do.
Only Rob hated watching her relationship with the bachelors unfold. He knew she was doing exactly what he needed her to do, what she needed to do, but he didn’t have to like it.
Aw hell, he wasn’t making sense to himself anymore.
Something was going to have to give. And soon.
Maybe he really should go into the city and pick up a hot babe.
If only the thought held any appeal.
# # #
“I want Jeff Kensington removed from the show.”
“Why?” JP asked as he lounged in the princess’s setting area. “You’re the one who forced the network to include him as a bachelor or else you wouldn’t sign the contract.”
“It was a foolish thing to do. Have him eliminated during the next show.” Isabella practically shook as she waited for JP’s answer.
“No.”
Perhaps he had not understood.
