Page 68 of Sparks Like Ours

“You screwed with my car?” Gia asked, completely floored.

“Nothing major. Just enough for you to need a ride, and I happenedto know who was nice enough to offer one.” He was still laughing at his ownperceived genius.

“And let me guess? You called in the photographers whophotographed us together?”

“Bingo,” he said gleefully.

Which prompted the sex dream, which prompted the flirting, whichprompted the holy hell sex life they were in the midst of, and cut to thedeeper feelings.

With her mind completely blown, Gia didn’t know whether to deckthe guy or hug him. “Let’s get one thing clear,” she said, leaning forwardacross the desk. “You’re done playing God, and you’re done with games. If youpull a stunt like that again, I walk, contract or not.”

Elle smiled at her briefly in solidarity. “I’m with Gia. It wasn’tcool what you did, no matter what the outcome, Theo.”

He held up his hands and had the decency to look contrite. “Youhave my sincerest apologies and assurances that I will behave myself from thismoment forward. I honestly never thought it would go any further than a ridehome and some photos that might stir the publicity pot. I thought you might seethe humor in it, given the happy ending.”

“We don’t,” Elle said.

“I understand. Shall we discuss the final series of ads?”

When they left the meeting, she and Elle walked to the elevator insilence. Once inside, they stared at each other from opposite ends of the car.

“So, it seems our whole relationship was built on an advertisingstunt,” Elle said solemnly.

Gia nodded. “We’re a total sham.”

A pause. “Want to get frozen yogurt and walk on the beach?”

Gia laughed and covered the distance between them until she wasstaring into gorgeous blue eyes. “You sure you want to be seen with yourcorporately engineered girlfriend?”

Elle pulled her face back in mystification. “Hey, you just calledyourself my girlfriend.”

Gia had heard it too. She hadn’t meant to make that leap, butsomehow, she had, and it was out there. “I’m sorry. It just came out.”

Elle wrapped her arms around Gia’s waist. “I love that you saidit. Don’t you dare apologize. I think you just made my afternoon, Two.”

Gia shook her head at the stupid nickname, but it didn’t distracther from the somersaults her heart was doing. They were a legitimate item now,and as odd a story as theirs might be, she was really, really happy about it.

* * *

When Gia arrived at the resort in Portugal, she was greeted withfull-on pandemonium, the likes of which she’d never experienced. She was asurfer, not a rock star.

“Gia! Can I get your autograph?”

“I love the Trainers commercials. Oh my God, you guys arehysterical.”

“Gia, Billy fromSurfology.Can we set up a one-on-one with you for tomorrow afternoon?”

“Gonna win the whole thing, Gia? What’s Elle have to say aboutthat?”

“Hey, your girlfriend’s hot.”

She hadn’t so much as made it to the front desk for check-in yet,and already her life was a circus, and unlike any normal reception she was usedto. She did her best to chat with each person, remembering Elle’s unofficialmedia training. She smiled, she laughed, she lingered longer than feltnecessary, and then she got the hell out of there, eager to catch her breathand regroup.

Quite purposefully, she and Elle had made the decision not totravel together, knowing how much attention it would attract. In retrospect,Gia couldn’t imagine it being much worse than the flurry she’d justencountered. They were, however, staying in the same room, which had herslightly on edge. Distractions during a tournament were never a good thing, andpart of her process was to strip each and every one of them away. That was animpossibility when it came to Elle, as she consumed so much of Gia’s thoughtslately. This was new ground; she’d have to improvise as she went.

She found the room number and knocked twice. “Who’s there?” sheheard Elle ask.

“Your favorite surfer,” Gia said, with a grin, knowing full wellElle would have already checked through the peephole before even asking.

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