Page 43 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘No,’ she said breathlessly. Although she was sure she’d like them much more if she was on his arm. ‘I was interested in the tour of the Dome restoration.’
His hand slid into her hair, and he cupped the back of her neck. ‘I’ll take you sometime.’
She heard what he didn’t say. Sometime when this was all over…sometime when she could go out in public again…sometime when the gossip had stopped…
She inched closer. She could wait for sometime.
Her heart began pounding in big, steady thuds. ‘Did Samuel accept that our contract is over?’ she asked.
‘Grudgingly.’
She slowly wrapped her arms around Brody’s waist, and their bodies came into contact. Warm against cool. Strength against softness. His hand tightened in her hair, and desire swam through her veins. ‘So I’m a free woman now?’
His reaction wasn’t what she expected.
The expression on his face went guarded. It was subtle – but this was Brody – and she stiffened. She felt the rejection, but she didn’t understand it. She knew he was attracted to her. She was a professional escort; she knew how to read the physical signs.
‘About that…’ he said.
The hurt made her start to blink fast. Was that why he’d been holding back all this time –becauseshe was a professional escort? Had it been some kind of twisted loyalty to the senator? Or could he not get past it?
She jumped when his phone rang, the sound beeping as if she’d gotten the answer right.
‘Damn it,’ he muttered. He frowned when her gaze broke from his, and his hand stroked her hair softly. But the phone didn’t stop. He pulled it out of his breast pocket, and Genieve stepped away, breathing hard.
She folded her arms across her stomach. The chill running through her was sharp. She felt naked now, bare and exposed.
He noticed and took off his jacket as he spoke to whoever had provided the interruption. She pulled the black material close, and his heat tried to seep again into her pores. She pushed her dress into the sink and watched it soak up the water and slowly go under.
She knew how it felt. She couldn’t breathe.
Brody disconnected from the call. He was watching her closely. ‘That was a source of mine. The latest interview with Gunderson has hit the internet.’
She couldn’t have cared less.
Brody caught her fingers that were barely poking out the end of his jacket sleeve. ‘Let’s go watch and then we’ll talk.’
She pulled her hand away and wrapped the tuxedo jacket tighter around herself. ‘I think I’ll just go to bed.’
He watched as she slipped past, his feet stuck to the ground. ‘Jenny?’
‘Goodnight, Brody.’ She hoped his plan for the senator was working, but she wasn’t up for a chat. Not about this.
* * *
Genieve was lying in bed the next morning when her phone rang. She’d slept in late, and she was avoiding getting up. She’d heard Brody moving around, but she wasn’t ready to face him yet. He’d knocked on her door once to see if she was OK. If he was calling her to make her talk to him…
She picked her new phone up off of the nightstand and sat up when she saw who was calling. ‘Hello?’
‘I hear you’re bored.’
She let out a frustrated sigh and flopped back against the pillows. ‘Nina, that man is a tyrant. No walks, no dinners out, no sunbathing…I can’t take it.’
Nina let out a sympathetic hum. ‘I know, sweetie. Brody’s just trying to keep the reporters away from you. It shouldn’t be that much longer. I’m sure he’s told you his plan.’
‘Plan, plan, plan. That’s all he ever does. I want action.’ She plucked at the covers. She’d thought she’d been going to get some last night, but then she’d learned his true feelings about her. It made her confinement seem so much worse. Darn it, she’d begun to like the guy. ‘He’s such a stick-in-the-mud. I’m going out of my mind.’
‘Well, if you’re really looking for something to do, I could use your assistance.’
