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She shook off those thoughts, focused on her own agenda—savingher parents’ ranch. “You come on my show.”
“I’ll come on your show, if you come on mine.”
“So now we’re back to deals, are we?” she challenged withoutthinking—a behavior he seemed to incite in her—and cringed for what she mighthave given away.
His lips twitched and he leaned forward, elbows on the table,his voice soft. “Why don’t we call it a ‘truce with benefits’?”
“Oh, how funny,” Lana said. “That’s a play on that movie Friends with Benefits where Justin Timberlake and MilaKunis try to keep friendship and sex separate. Never works, by the way. I’vetried.” She wiggled an eyebrow. “But sounds like fun anyway. How do I signup?”
This was so turning into a disaster, Darla chided herself.“Fine,” she said to Blake, leaving Lana out of the equation. “We’ll show-swap,but let’s figure out the details later. I’m having trouble thinking pasttomorrow right now.”
“Maybe talking out the details will get your mind off tomorrow,” he suggested smoothly, and she knew hewasn’t talking about “talking” at all.
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “The night is short andmorning is coming early.”
“You sure about that?”
“Absolutely.” Not. But she shouldbe.
The waiter appeared. “Ready to order?”
Meagan wrapped her arm around Darla’s shoulders. “You know whatI’m thinking? Let’s get room service in your room where Sam won’t be so we cando the girl-talk thing before the season starts. I’ve spent time with everyoneelse. I want to spend some time with you.”
Regret filled Darla as “absolutely not” became an instant“absolutely yes.” She was now absolutely certain that there would be no her andBlake tonight. She wanted to finish what they had started—wanted it maybe alittle too much.
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, DARLA ANDMeagan sat in their sweats and sock feet on Darla’s bed with a selection ofdesserts spread out before them.
“I can’t believe we have this many to choose from,” Darla said,scooping a bite of a brownie covered with hot fudge. She moaned with pleasure.“This might be a ten camera-pound splurge.”
“Hmm,” Meagan said, digging her fork into a piece ofcheesecake. “While I’m never gonna be the diva somepeople associated with the show have become, I do enjoy a splurge here andthere.” She took a bite and then added, “So…what was up with you and Blaketonight?”
Darla’s heart raced and she busied herself with the carrotcake. “What do you mean?”
Meagan gaped. “You tried to kick the man.” She snorted. “I diedwhen you kicked Lana. That was hilarious. Lana plays that villainous role welland she eats it up. We all, audience included, love to hate her. If only wecould have gotten that on camera.”
Darla started laughing. She and Meagan had talked about Lanaway back during the casting of season one. “That kick did work out pretty well,but poor Sam. You made him take the rap for me.”
Meagan shrugged. “I’ll make it up to him later. But seriously.What’s up with you and Blake? I might be married but I’m not blind. The man iseasy on the eyes.”
Darla stabbed the brownie. “And infuriating, and arrogant, andjust so— The man made me want to kick him under the table. That should say itall. He makes me crazy.”
“Uh-oh,” Meagan said, and grinned. “That’s what Sam did tome.”
“Oh, no,” Darla said quickly. “No. Blake and I are nothing likeyou and Sam.”
Meagan just smiled.
“You don’t understand,” Darla objected. “I attract all thewrong men. That makes Blake another one of the wrong men.”
“Or you choose all the wrong men, like I did,” Meagan said,“until the right man steps into your path, like Sam did mine. Then, like Samalso did to me, that right man infuriates you right into love.”
Darla shook her head. “I’m not you. Blake is not Sam. Andbesides, Blake leaves tomorrow.” So he wouldn’t be infuriating her into bed orinto love. Love. That was a silly word for her orMeagan to use, one of fairy tales women created over too many drinks or, in thiscase, too much sugar. She and Blake were oil and water, and people who were oiland water had sex. They did not fall in love.
Meagan just sat there, smiling coyly.
Darla tried again. “Blake and I are not happening. We’recompetitors. He upsets me. He leaves tomorrow.”
Meagan grinned. “Okay.”
Frustrated, Darla stabbed the brownie again and took a bite,but she didn’t want the brownie. She wanted Blake—which infuriated her all themore. She ate the entire brownie, half the cheesecake and a few bites of severalother desserts. And then she blamed Blake for the ten camera-pounds she wasgoing to imagine she had in the morning.
* * *
BLAKE DIDN’T THINK MEAGAN would ever leave, but the instant he heard Darla’s door openand shut and he knew she’d gone, he dialed Darla’s room. Sitting at that loungetable with Darla tonight, he’d done nothing but fall deeper for her. And no, hewasn’t going to her room tonight, he knew that. Not because he doubted she wouldlet him, but because he wanted to so damn bad. Because that meant something, andhe’d decided she interested him far more than would last one night.
