Page 68 of Fire and Icing

“Welcome, sir,” he says to me.

I hoist our bags out of the back and the valets take over, loading them onto bellman carts and wheeling them up to the house where another man dressed in a red vest grabs them and takes them inside. I hand the key to my truck to the valet and join Emberleigh. Her eyes are wide, taking in the house, the property and the other contestants.

I loop my arm around her waist.

She flinches slightly, but then relaxes into me.

I lean my head down next to hers and whisper, “You can’t flinch every time I touch you.”

“I thought we said no unnecessary touching,” she whispers back.

“Right. But I can’t not touch you at all. I have to put my arm around you. You’re my girlfriend.”

“Right. Okay.”

“Maybe we should practice,” I suggest, still whispering into her ear.

“Practice?” Her head turns and our eyes lock.

“Practice me touching you so you aren’t so skittish.” I lean in closer.

She pulls her head back. “I’m not skittish.”

My voice is quiet and low, just for her. “What do you call it when someone jumps and stiffens at the slightest touch?”

She steps out of my embrace and crosses her arms. Then she hiss-whispers, “Unprepared. Or … surprised.”

I have to lean in so she’s the only one who will hear me. “Okay, well, let’s make you more prepared. Preparedness is everything.”

She pulls back again and sends me a challenging look. Her voice isn’t exactly quiet. “Says the fireman.”

“Hello!” a woman in a tailored T-shirt and slacks approaches us. “You must be Emberleigh and Dustin. I’m Cathy. I work for Plated Network.”

Emberleigh and I introduce ourselves. Cathy shows us around, introducing us to the other couples. Emberleigh seems familiar with some of them. She occasionally leans in to give me some behind-the-scenes intel about one of them. I tuck all that away. I’m here to make sure she wins. She might think I’m just arm candy, but I’m going to prove to her I can be so much more.

Chapter 15

Emberleigh

You are free to ogle me,

but I cannot share a bed with you.

~ Unknown

“We’ll letyou get settled in, but first we’ve got a quick meet the contestants intro to film with you. Are you two okay doing that right now?”

Dustin looks at me for permission. I shrug.

“We’re good to go,” he says, placing his palm on my back and leading me to follow Cathy inside the main house on the estate.

The front room to the side of the entryway is set up with lighting and two director’s chairs facing another chair.

“Branson,” Cathy says to the man in the corner of the room. He’s talking to another man who’s holding a professional video camera. “Emberleigh and Dustin are ready to film.”

“Great. Great.” Branson walks toward us. “Let’s get you mic’d up.”

We clip the transmitter packs to our waistbands and pin lapel mics to our collars.

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