Jane Millionaire
Page 23
“Dancing.”
“Uh, yeah. I noticed. As did all the cameras filming this blessed event.” JP smiled as a camera panned their way. “What gives?”
“Nothing.”
JP stared at him with wide ice-blue eyes. “Nothing?”
“I’m the host.” Rob shrugged one of his shoulders. “I danced with the princess. No big deal.” And if that were true, everything would be just fine. However, his insides still shook from how her body had fit perfectly against his, how her scent had wrapped itself around him and dragged him further under her spell, how--
Jane’s laughter rang out across the room. Lyrical, beckoning him to return to her. What had the man said? He racked his brain for Bachelor #6’s information. Ex-military. Athletic. His gaze assessed the other man’s appearance. Looks most men would give their eyeteeth to resemble. Didn’t he work as a private investigator now? He and Jane had a lot in common.
Damn it. He’d like #6, too. The guy had reminded him of his die-hard military brother. An annoying tic twitched along Rob’s jaw. Was #6 the bachelor she’d choose?
It didn’t matter which one just so long as she chose.
He couldn’t have her regardless.
“You like her, don’t you?”
Rob cut his gaze to a thoughtful JP. “Jane?”
“No, the other ‘her’.”
“Smart mouth.” He turned to where she and the man danced. Damn. She looked as if she was enjoying herself with the come-to-life GI Joe. His tic worsened. Rob hoped JP didn’t notice, but he imagined the twitch probably registered on the Richter scale and was impossible to miss.
This shouldn’t bother him. She was supposed to enjoy herself--with any man but him.
Most likely, she was similar to all the other starlets he’d encountered over the years, willing to do anything to climb to the top of Hollywood’s Most Wanted, including walking over him to do so. Think about Gambler. Think about Mandy, how she used you to introduce her to bigger fish and then she’d…he clamped his jaw tight in effort to stop the increased twitches.
Jane stared up into Bachelor #6’s eyes and looked totally captivated by whatever the man was saying. A lump formed in Rob’s throat, threatening to cut off his air supply.
The evening was a success.
Too bad the knowledge held no pleasure.
Ignoring JP’s glare, he shoved his still full glass back at him. Time for him to disappear to the studio to scan over tonight’s footage to start edits for the show’s premiere just two nights away.
# # #
“Just one more?” Bachelor #11 panted after Jane sunk her winning basket.
Rob watched on the monitor as she grinned and shook her head at the man who’d just allowed her to walk all over him.
“Not today.”
“Can I have a kiss as a consolation prize?”
“Nice try, but no,” she laughed as they walked to a wooden bench where they had left their towels and water bottles. Jane stretched her neck, then dried her face and throat with her towel.
“Just one?”
Rob snorted. The guy was pathetic, but he wasn’t the only one. Why were the bachelors letting her win? Did they think they had to be chivalrous? Next week, twenty million plus viewers were going to watch them getting their butts stomped by a pretend princess. Didn’t they care?
“Partaking in your favorite pastime?” JP questioned as he slid into the seat next to Rob.
“Huh?”
“Watching our very own WNBA star.”