San Amaro Singles: Slammed Part 23

"Huh. Yeah. You look really nice." His gaze moved over her nearly bare shoulders.

"Thanks."

Matt and Corey approached them then, and at Corey's knowing smile, watching them, he remembered that they thought he and Brooke were really a couple.

He felt like they were really a couple. Weren't they? After Sunday night at her place, how could they not be?

So he slid a free arm around Brooke's waist and did what he'd wanted to do earlierhe kissed her. She blinked at him in surprise, then her eyes shuttered and her smile went crooked.

"I'm glad you're here," he said in a low voice, but loud enough for Corey and Matt to hear. And he meant it.

"Of course I'm here," she said through that brittle smile.

"What are you up to this afternoon?" Matt asked him.

Brooke answered. "This afternoon you've got an autograph session down on the beach, and a bunch of kids from Daytrippers are coming."

"Awesome."

"Sounds cool," Matt said.

"And then another TV interview," Brooke said. "For a film being put together for Extreme Sports."

"And then another dinner," Dylan remembered with a grimace. He released Brooke so he could eat. He picked up a shrimp. "There's a party at Aura tonight. Wanna come with me?"

Her eyes narrowed. "A party?"

"Yeah." He met her eyes and smiled, lifting one shoulder. "You know...a bunch of people get together and eat and drink and talk and dance and generally have fun." There were endless parties going on at these events, all night long if you wanted.

"Should be a good time," Matt said. "We're going to stop by there later."

Brooke's mouth tightened. Jesus, what was with her? Was she worried about his behavior again? He hadn't done anything wrong in...weeks. But these events were supposed to be fun.

"You have a heat tomorrow," she reminded him.

"I know." Now his own eyes narrowed. He might like to party and have fun, but when it came to competing, he took that very seriously. He knew what he had to do to be in prime shape and he'd do it. "But it's not until later in the day. What-you're telling me I can't go to the party?" His voice went low and hard.

Corey and Matt exchanged glances.

s.h.i.t.

Brooke gave a light laugh. "I can't tell you what to do!" she said, smiling.

"Coulda fooled me," he muttered. He handed his plate to a pa.s.sing waiter with a tray, half the food still on it. He opened the bottle of Gatorade and drank deeply.

Brooke bit her lip, glanced at Corey and Matt then said, "If you want to go to the party, we can go. Sure."

"Great," Corey said. "We'll see you there. We'll be there around nine, nine thirty."

"Awesome." Brooke glanced at her watch. "I have to go talk to a few people and then it'll be time for your autograph session. You know where it's being held?"

"Yeah."

"Good, I'll see you there." And she disappeared into the throng of people.

Dylan glanced at Matt and Corey, who seemed to have sensed the tension between him and Brooke.

"Everything okay, Dylan?" Corey asked.

"Um. Yeah. Great."

More people joined them then, once again shaking his hand, and he accepted more congratulations and good luck wishes, and entertained everyone with his surfing stories until it was time to get to that autograph session.

As he trudged through the soft sand back on the beach, irritation rubbed inside him, but he wasn't sure what that was about. Maybe because he wasn't used to having his time so structured, all these things planned out for him, when he usually liked to just hang out and cruise around town and have some fun.

And that reminded him of why Brooke had come to Tahiti to bring him back and why they were doing all these things. His sponsorship had been in jeopardy and he needed to clean up his act if he wanted to keep it.

And he'd been doing it. Truthfully, while he liked having more freedom, it hadn't been that hard. Yeah, he'd had to fit all these meetings and events in around everything else he had to do, but he'd actually enjoyed much of it. And before a compet.i.tion, he was focused on the things he needed to beeating right, getting enough sleep, working out, shaping his boards, going over things with Brett and most important of all, time in the water practicing. Despite what Brooke thought of him, it was only after a compet.i.tion that he liked to let loose. And what the h.e.l.l was wrong with that anyway?

His mood dipped when he arrived at the tent where the signing was being held and he had to force a smile and act all relaxed and happy, all the while casting glances at Brooke who appeared to be doing the same.

"We need to talk," he muttered to her at one point during a break in the action.

"Sure," she said. "But I'm really busy. How about later?"

He frowned. He didn't want to wait until then. "I'll come to your place when I'm done with dinner. Then we can go the party with Matt and Corey."

Her lips tightened and she cast her eyes down but nodded. "Okay."

Chapter Nineteen.

Brooke focused on her work for the rest of the day, ending up back in the VIP tent networking with local business people, a couple of clients and members of the media. The party atmosphere and beautiful sunny weather put everyone in a good mood. The waves were great for the surfers and some terrific scores were being posted.

Matt and Corey had left earlier to get back to their businesses. No doubt Laguna Dorada was packed all day with all the tourists in town for the Pro, and Corey was probably busy too, as people explored all the little shops and restaurants along Sh.o.r.e Drive. It had been so awkward earlier, seeing them now that she knew about them and Dylan.

Thinking about that made her stomach pitch. But then Dylan had showed up and wanted to be all friendly and she remembered that Corey and Matt thought they were actually a couple, and even though she'd only agreed to attend the wedding to help him out, she couldn't just abandon him now. They were stuck with this act for the rest of the week until Dylan left town. So she'd agreed to go to that d.a.m.n party.

"Brooke."

She turned at hearing her name and saw her boss standing in front of her.

"Hi Barrett. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you." He jerked his head and she followed him away from the group of people she'd been talking to. In a quiet corner he turned to her. "What's with you and Dylan Sch.e.l.l?"

She blinked. "Nothing."

He gave her a look, chin down, eyes narrowed. "Right. And I'm about to win the Jackson Cole Pro."

She pressed her lips together.

"You two looked very friendly, and I'm hearing talk that you've been looking pretty friendly all over town."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh for heaven's sake. Yes, we're friendly."

"You're supposed to be keeping him on a leash."

"I am. Have there been any problems? Any hints of bad behavior?"

"No." He eyed her then smiled. "Oh, so that's how you're doing it."

Her mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled knowingly. "Attagirl, Brooke. You do whatever it takes to keep him in line and keep the higher-ups happy."

"I'm not..." She paused. "I mean, I'm not..." Oh Jesus. She didn't even know what to say. She'd been about to a.s.sure Barrett that she wasn't sleeping with Dylan, but...she was. But not like he thought. Except, telling him the truth wasn't an option.

She stared at him. Did she want him and the rest of Jackson Cole management thinking she was that ambitious and manipulative that she'd use s.e.x to control Dylan? Good G.o.d.

"It's not what you think," she insisted in a low voice. "It's just business."

"Well yeah, I should hope so." His smile faded and he gave her another calculating look. "Because we didn't give you this account so could you hook yourself a rich surfer."

Pressure built inside her, fast and hot. A red haze floated in front of her eyes and she took a deep breath. "That's really uncalled for, Barrett." She gave him the haughtiest look she could muster. "If you have problems with how I'm doing my job, let me know."

"Dylan Sch.e.l.l is your job. Just remember that."

And he turned and left.

She stood there for long moments, marshaling her thoughts and trying to control the emotions that churned inside her. She'd never really liked Barrett, but she'd never hated him more than she did at that moment.

Furious, she whirled around and left the VIP tent. She was done for the day anyway. Her face hurt from smiling and she was tired of schmoozing and networking. And dammit, she had to go that d.a.m.n party with Dylan.

A mistake, yet she'd said she'd go and she'd also committed to helping him, which in turn made sure that he was staying on his best behavior. She felt squeezed, as if she couldn't win no matter what she did.

But this only reinforced her determination that from now on, things between her and Dylan had to stay just business.

At home, she made herself a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. She'd grabbed a few bites of food earlier in the day, but hadn't really been hungry, her stomach in knots, first with nerves for Dylan as he surfed, then anxiety about seeing Corey and Matt, and Dylan wanting to talk.

She didn't want him to know she was all twisted up about him. This was supposed to be a casual thing, a wedding date to help him out and gain his cooperation in the business part of their relationship. She wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. Whatever "this" wa.s.she couldn't even identify it. Jealous? Hurt?

She had no right to be jealous of him and relationships he'd had in the past, and she certainly had no reason to be hurt. Everything that had happened was no big deal. They'd get through the week with Dylan's reputation intact, hopefully a championship under his belt and his sponsorship and her job secure. She needed to keep Dylan happy so he'd behave, cooperate with the charity events and hopefully win this event.

She'd been so casual to Dylan about watching him surf earlier, but the truth was she'd been gnawing on her thumb, her stomach a ma.s.s of tight knots as she'd watched. G.o.d, she'd wanted him to do well.

And then, watching him, something weird had happened. She was no expert on surfing, but she knew a little, and she knew when she was watching something amazing. Something almost magical. The grace and power of his body as he'd ridden the wave, the way he moved with the board, the way he kept his balance with such ease, was mesmerizing. When he'd caught that air, he'd been flying.

And then she hadn't been nervous any more. She'd been calm and smiling, and when he'd finished, a feeling of awe and admiration swelled inside her, a feeling of...pride. She was proud of him. Not like a parent is proud of their kid. Not even like she'd had anything to do with it. It was hard to explain, but she was impressed and happy for him, wanting more than anything for him to do well so he'd be happy.

And he had been happy, and that had made her heart expand in her chest so much it had been hard to breath, a warm soft feeling growing inside her. Then it had been even harder to maintain her professional demeanor when he'd shown up all jubilant, flashing that s.e.xy grin around and hugging half-naked girls.

She changed into a short purple dress that was tight around her hips, blousy on top, with narrow spaghetti straps, and redid her makeup in preparation for Dylan picking her up for the party. When he arrived at her door, she was ready, wearing a cheerful smile along with her stilettos.

"Wow." Dylan gave her a scorching up and down look. "You look hot."

"Thanks. You look good yourself." And he did, even though he was wearing his usual baggy shorts and loose, brightly-colored print shirt. "I'm ready to go."

"Hey, we have a few minutes. I wanted to talk to you."

d.a.m.n. "Oh right. Okay. Do you want something to drink?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks. Did I tell you the other night I like your apartment?"

She made a face. "Uh, no. But thanks. It's nothing special."

"It's just like you," he said, walking into the middle of her living room. "On the surface it's all neat and tidy and b.u.t.toned up, but underneath it's hot and s.e.xy."

She stared at him. "How the h.e.l.l do you get that from my apartment?"

He grinned. "It's the little things. The hot red and orange cushions on a beige couch. The pictures on the wall." Her framed black-and-white photographs were done by Jules Stockwood. She'd purchased them at Jules's gallery, and she loved them. "They look all innocent and black and white until you realize they're nudes. And it smells like Tahiti in here, all warm and tropical."

"It's the pa.s.sion fruit candles."

"See?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Pa.s.sion fruit."

Well. She nibbled her bottom lip. "I still don't...oh never mind."

"Yeah, you are like that, Brooke. I saw it in Tahiti. You showed up all stiff in your business clothes, and the next thing I know you're wearing a hot little sundress and seducing me."

"I did not seduce you!" Then she took in the twinkle in his eye and shook her head. How could she stay angry at this guy? But she had to keep her distance. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh yeah." His smile faded a bit. "About earlier. You seemed all...p.i.s.sed off or something." His eyes searched her face. "You okay?"

"Of course! This is a busy week. Stressful for everyone. But not as much as you, I'm sure."

"Yeah. I guess. Okay."

"We should go. Matt and Corey will be there soon."

He nodded and they left.

They drove to the bar in his rental car. She opened her mouth to say something about drinking and driving then closed it. She didn't need to be that much of a babysitter. Dylan knew better than that, and now the compet.i.tion had started he wouldn't be drinking much. She trusted him.