Snapped

“Why isn’t she?”

“Business negotiations aren’t her strong suit. Reality Life wanted one of us though, to keep the momentum going from Impact Load. So, here I am.” Which left me with a burning question. “Does Brian know? About us?”

“No. I figured it was best to keep the dirty laundry hidden. That means we have to pretend not to know each other. I’m Reid. Nice to meet you.”

He held out his hand for me to shake. I hesitated, but when the plane hit a bump, I took hold. His fingers were warm as he wrapped them around my hand. He didn’t let go; instead he rubbed my wrist with his thumb. My breath caught and I knew my eyes had widened at the intimacy of the caress, but I didn’t care. I’d missed his support—strong and gentle all at once.

“I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.” There was a surprised note in his voice.

“Are you seriously flirting?” Yes, comments like that from a hot guy were a good thing, but not coming from him. Anyone but him.

“Is that a problem?” He gave my hand a squeeze, sending a shiver through me. “Despite what happened during our last time together, you’re still hot. I’d be blind not to notice and stupid not to appreciate.”

“Dear God. I’d hoped you would have gotten better with time.”

“Come on, I’m working on my communication skills. I’ve expanded my vocabulary.” He paused for a moment, as though he was trying to take stock of my attributes. “Blond hair, like flaxen wheat. Statuesque, like a goddess. Dumb army boy has been taught.”

We hit another bump as the plane continued to taxi into place, which sent my heart racing. With all of my senses on high alert, my inner bitch took over. Attack was my only mode of defense when I got this way. “I never called you dumb. Arrogant bastard. Yes. Uncommunicative. Yes. Never dumb.”

He cocked his head. “I remember.”

He leaned closer and in an instant, I was caught in his spell. His gaze dipped down to my lips, hesitating before he moved to reclaim my gaze. “I had forgotten the way you moved. Strong. Confident. Beautiful.”

If anyone else had said that to me, I would have dismissed them as trying too hard. Even coming from Reid I was inclined to think he was simply putting me on. Maybe it was the fact we were on a plane that was now sitting in line and apparently waiting for takeoff. Maybe it was the sincerity shining back at me in those green eyes of his. My body became blindingly aware of Reid’s presence—the scent of his cologne, the way his brown hair curled around his ears, the fit of his black-framed glasses and how they highlighted his cheekbones—and wanted to melt against him.

He must have taken my silence as permission to keep talking. “I would love to see your hair down loose again. It’s long. Probably comes down to just about your breasts. Right?”

My body was clearly a traitor, because at the mention of my breasts, my nipples tightened and a shiver of adrenaline shot through me. “You need to stop.” Shit, even I wasn’t convinced by my scold.

Reid chuckled. “I remember how your hair looked against your body in bed. You’d be beautiful photographed that way.”

“Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff.” The captain’s voice crackled through the PA system.

My breath caught in my throat and I tried to pull away. Reid gave my hand another soft squeeze. “Don’t worry, everything is fine. Just keep looking at me.”

“Let me go.”

“I will if that’s what you want. Or I can keep talking. I can tell you how soft I find your skin. I can feel your pulse racing under my thumb. I know it’s because you’re nervous, but I remember it being the same when you were aroused. Beating just as strong as if I were to kiss you there.”

The plane engines roared as we accelerated down the runway. His gaze still held mine, his thumb still circling, bringing my body to the edge of awareness. The quickness of my breath had as much to do with Reid’s intensity as it did with my fear. The twist of my stomach was a mix of nerves and desire.

With a gentle bump and a not-so-subtle tilt of the floor, the plane was finally off the ground. The grinding noise of the wheels being pulled into the underbelly punctuated the fact that we were airborne. A silent count started ticking down in my head, my mind wondering how much longer this moment would go on before he’d pull away. It wasn’t until the copilot came on the intercom to welcome us that Reid finally relaxed his hold, allowing me to place my hand back in my lap.

“There, that wasn’t so bad.” He gave me a wink before turning back to face front, settling his long frame as comfortably as he could in the seat. “You let me know if you need anything.”

Wait, what? I hadn’t engaged in eye fucking that intense since my first year of university, and now I was getting a brush-off? Not that I had any interest in doing anything with him ever again.

Still. Asshole much?

“I would have managed fine on my own.” I wasn’t one to sit around and wait to be rescued, and it annoyed me he thought otherwise.

He opened one eye, his grin still firmly in place. “I remember. You always liked to be the one in charge.”

Great, we were back to this. I didn’t want to start the show on this note. If it got out that there was something going on between me and Reid, there was a chance it would hurt my reputation. The last thing I wanted was for the decision makers at Reality Life to start questioning my integrity as I was bidding on a major contract.

I sat up straighter in my seat and ran my palms across the tops of my thighs. Better to put an end to things immediately rather than encourage something that wouldn’t be. Reid adjusted in his seat so his thigh pressed against my knee. In any normal situation, I would have either moved away or asked him to shift over. I even opened my mouth to do that now, except my words stalled. The bastard had closed his eyes once again. With the adrenaline running high in my system, my body overreacted to his touch. Sure, I’d dated off and on over the past few years, but I hadn’t had this strong a reaction to any of those men. Never like what I had with him.

Shit. Shit, shit, this wasn’t good. I didn’t have time to deal with him and our past issues, not with everything else on my plate. I still didn’t have a clue what the Reality Life proposal was going to require, or how likely they’d be to go with a Canadian firm rather than someone local. Our company, Mosaic Designs, was still getting established, with clients coming in fits and starts. Despite Sophia’s appearance on Impact Load, we weren’t all that well-known. We needed every deal we could pull in, and getting this contract would require every ounce of my concentration.

I’d have to pretend Reid was nothing more than another body on the set of the show. A coworker and not the man who’d crushed my hopes of a happily ever after. Ignoring the tingles moving through my body, I left Reid’s leg where it was and reached for my tablet. Taking a deep breath, I got to work.

Chapter Two (#u7cd4f635-1beb-57e0-967c-c82d54ba839e)

Lots of planning sessions to ensure we’re set for our first day of shooting. Tamara and Reid made it into the city yesterday. Will be good to see Reid again. On a personal note, my daughter asked me to keep an eye on Tamara. Something about her being “a giant stress bag.” Not sure what that means. No doubt I’ll find out.

Production Notes, Brian Merrick, Director

I loved coffee. Well, I loved good coffee. I certainly wouldn’t call the sludge currently inhabiting my borrowed kitchen mug coffee, let alone good. I was fairly certain that the brown goop was sentient, sizing me up to see if it could win the war for its alien masters. This was apparently the best Reality Life had to offer.

A bunch of people I didn’t recognize were milling around the boardroom that the overly perky receptionist led me to. No one paid me much attention. No one approached to introduce themselves upon my arrival. No shy smiles. Nada.

Fine. I was well practiced in handling myself in these situations. I sipped my coffee-flavored sludge and held the gaze of anyone foolish enough to look my way. Within minutes I’d accepted my bubble of solitude, though I was anxious to get this meeting over with so I could get back to my proposal.

Deep masculine laughter drew my attention to the door. Reid entered first, looking back over his shoulder as he spoke to the director and another man. My breath caught and I clutched my coffee mug tighter when Reid turned and his gaze landed on mine. There was a light in his eyes that I hadn’t remembered seeing before. My stomach did a little flip.

The smile on Reid’s face didn’t falter, nor did he stop his conversation with the others. He continued forward until he was only a few feet away from me. “I had to run out of the house naked with nothing but a dish towel to cover my junk.”

The men laughed. Shit, he was still telling that story. I didn’t need to hear anything more than that as I’d been the cause of his nakedness in the first place. I’d inadvertently been the reason it was necessary for him to flee, as well. Who knew the dog we were dog-sitting had a love of honey. My face flushed hot as the men caught sight of me. I hoped he hadn’t used names....

“Tamara!” Brian Merrick, the show’s director and Sophia’s father, came up and caught me in a bear hug. Brian wasn’t a tall man, but his arms were strong and held tight. “I’m so glad you agreed to be a part of this.” He gave my arm another gentle squeeze before stepping back. He looked tired as he pushed his salt-and-pepper hair away from his face. “Sophia told me you weren’t keen on being the one on camera.”

Reid came up behind Brian and I had no place to hide from his intense stare.

“It made more sense for me to be here than her.” I broke free from his grip and stepped back. “That way she can keep the ball rolling with our current clients while I do the show and pitch for a new contract.”

“I love Sophia, but I can’t picture her in a boardroom.” Brian shifted so Reid naturally became part of the group. “You need to meet her, Reid. My daughter is a firecracker.”

“Yes, I do.” Reid gave me a sideways glance. He had in fact met Sophia when we’d first started dating. He was still pretending we were strangers.

“This is Tamara Foles, one of our judges and my daughter’s best friend. Tamara, this is Reid Jacobs, my assistant director.”

Reid gave me that sexy smirk that he’d perfected back in university and held out his hand. “We met on the plane.”

It would have been weird not to accept his handshake, so I gave him a hard squeeze that left no room for misinterpretation of how I wanted our relationship to go—nice and professional. “We did.”

“Fantastic.” Brian clapped Reid on the shoulder. “Tamara will be the one keeping us all in line if our last show together was any indication.”

Straightening, I slipped into businesswoman mode and focused my attention on Brian. “Speaking of keeping things in line. After this meeting I have to run upstairs to meet with Charles Warner from facilities. We are in the process of competing for a design contract for Reality Life and I wanted to introduce myself before the official pitches started.”