“Yes, I do,” he said, and held up his hand to stop her. “That’s what my mood was about yesterday. After the interview—before we fought, obviously—I got this intense urge to touch you after everything you’d said about your first impression of me, and knowing it was off-limits made me go a little wild. And then last night in the hallway, I couldn’t take it anymore. I crossed the line, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Please accept this meager offering as my penance. And know that however they punish us financially, I’ll take the hit.” He slid the plate toward her along with the bottle of syrup.
She lifted the fork he’d set out for her and thought there was a joke to be made about swapping favorite meals for makeup sex when they’d wronged each other, but the situation would not have been helped by making it. Not to mention, she was flush with a stirring heat knowing that her recount of her first impression of him had driven him to break the rules. “Thank you, but you don’t have to do that. It wasn’t like I did anything to stop you. We are equally guilty.”
“Fair enough.” He watched her drizzle syrup on her pile of fruity cakes and take a bite. “And?” he asked with one eye impishly squeezed shut.
Pleasantly surprised, she swallowed and nodded. “Really good.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
He threw his arms up in victory and beamed. “Yes!”
Olivia smiled around another bite. “Pretty impressive for someone who doesn’t eat carbs.”
He smirked and threw the wadded-up towel at her. “I eat carbs. Watch me. Give me a bite.” He gripped the edge of the island and leaned forward with his mouth open.
Laughing, she cut a square with her fork and stabbed a banana slice before feeding both to him. Syrup dribbled down his lip in a sticky little string. She caught it with her finger, and before either of them realized what was happening, he grabbed her wrist and wrapped his lips around her knuckle to suck it off.
Her finger came back out of his mouth with a slick pop that felt like a lightning bolt to all the most sensitive parts of her body and made them both freeze.
“Sorry, old habits,” Chuck said, his face growing serious and his hand still wrapped around her wrist.
Time seemed to stop. The air stilled and took on a charge like it might explode.
He could have easily pulled her to him just like he had the night before. Up onto the island where they’d make a sticky, sweaty mess that left syrup in interesting places and maybe broke a few dishes and would certainly lose them more money. Olivia’s heart pounded as she stared into his eyes, seeing the same fantasy play out alongside an intense battle to keep it at bay, and wondered what was going to happen. She knew, without a doubt, that after their encounter in the hall and her dream, she would follow his lead, even if it guaranteed disaster.
Before anything else could happen, the doorbell rang.
They snapped apart, both flustered.
“Are we expecting someone?” Chuck asked.
“Not that I know of. The crew usually just barges in too.”
They abandoned breakfast and padded into the entryway. On the other side of the front door, they found TJ grinning like a fool and the usual camera crew. Tyler popped out and gave them a friendly wave.
“Morning, lovers!” TJ sang. “And I do mean that sincerely after last night,” he added with a wink, and welcomed himself inside. He sniffed the air like a hound catching the scent of breakfast. “I only rang to make sure everyone was decent before we started rolling. I see we are halfway there.” He eyed Chuck’s bare chest with another grin. “Speaking of…” He pulled two envelopes from where they were tucked under his elbow. “Mail for you. Open this one first.”
Olivia was still recovering from the whole early-morning circus, but her heart skipped at the red envelope he handed her. She knew before she opened it that it was their punishment for last night. It might as well have hadGUILTYstamped on the front.
She chewed her lip and broke the seal. Chuck stood close behind her, reading over her shoulder.
“ ‘Olivia and Chuck, the production team has found you in violation of the No Physical Contact rule for your indiscretion in the hallway last night, a kiss lasting approximately ten seconds. As punishment for this violation, the total prize money for each of you will be reduced by a sum of—‘”
“Ten thousand dollars?” Chuck screeched. He reached over her shoulder and snatched the paper to read again.
Olivia’s knees felt weak.
TJ chuckled. “Indeed. It was a good kiss. A-plus work, you two.”
Olivia wanted to curl up and die for multiple reasons. One, they’d watched the tape at all. Two, they’d watched the tapeclosely enough to time their kiss, and three, TJ was grinning at them like he couldn’t have been more delighted about the whole situation. And to top it off, she was suddenly ten grand poorer. It might have been a drop in the bucket compared to a million dollars, but it still felt like a gut punch.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she muttered.
TJ only laughed again. “Well, maybe you’ve learned your lesson. Or maybe not.” He shrugged. “Still nine hundred and ninety thousand dollars to go, and plenty of time to lose it. So, on to the next envelope. Olivia, if you’ll do the honors.”
She was still reeling and noticed Chuck taking a half step away to put more space between them. She glared at TJ, a flush in her cheeks, as she slid her finger under the next envelope’s seal.