Rescue Me (4 page)

"Hello?"

Seth turned at the sound of her voice, slumping against the wall as the
sight of her bending over the bed while she answered her cell phone hit him
like a punch in the gut.
 
She straightened
up and looked in his direction but didn't appear to be looking
at
him, obviously more intent on the
voice on the end of the phone than she was on him.
 
Seth decided to tip the tables in his
favor.
 
He got a surge of male pride when
her gaze focused on him like a cat watching her prey as he pulled his T-shirt
over his head, then shrugged off his jeans, boots and underpants.
 
Her hand went to her mouth in a motion she
didn't seem totally conscious of, and she sucked the tip of her finger between
her lips as her gaze roamed over him greedily.
 
Seth bent down, grabbed his hat off the floor and plopped it on his
head, the brim so low it almost covered his eyes, then folded his arms and
leaned back against the wall with a grin.
 

The searing heat in her eyes told him without a doubt that he knew where
she lived sexually.
 
She didn't want to
be in charge; she just hadn't met many men who would stand up to her.
 
Well, she'd met her match in him, and the
second she put down that phone, he was gonna show her why.

Chapter Four

Maya snapped the phone shut and turned around to face Seth, but groaned
and turned away again when she got an eyeful of naked cowboy. The call from her
boss had thrown her so off
balance,
she'd actually
forgotten for a moment that there was a gorgeous man with a hard-on waiting for
her.

"I have to go."

"Now?
Why?"

She grabbed her slacks off the bed and shoved them on, staring
resolutely at the floor rather than at Seth. Maya held her breath, too aware of
him watching her and the sexual tension still crackling in the air between
them.

"I've just been reminded what a very bad idea this was.
 
Sorry."

Maya's heart lurched when she saw him move out of the corner of her eye,
but he did no more than reach down and pick up his jeans from the floor.
 
If he touched her again, she wasn't entirely
sure she'd have the will to push him away.

"You didn't seem to think it was such a bad idea two minutes ago.
In fact, you didn't seem capable of thinking about much else but what I was
doing to you."

Maya felt her face grow hot. She wanted to deny it, but that would be
stupid. Her groin was still throbbing from his touch, and the scent of her
arousal still hung heavy in the air.

"You've got one hell of an ego, Mr. Coulter, but I guess
everything's bigger in Texas."

Seth laughed. "Touché, Miss Franklin. I guess I deserve that, but
you can't blame a guy for getting confused."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"You gonna tell me what just happened?"

"That was work on the phone. Turns out I was wrong. You are exactly
the kind of contestant the producers want."

Maya risked a glance in his direction and let out the breath she'd been
holding when she found him at least half-dressed. The sight of him in just his
jeans and his hat was still distracting
enough,
and
she turned to the mirror to fix her hair, fighting not to stare at the wide
expanse of toned, bronzed chest, dusted with golden hair.

"They want me?
 
Oh, man. I
thought you said I wouldn't make the cut?"

"If it was up to me, you wouldn't."

"Thanks."

Maya winced as she realized what she'd said, and caught his gaze in the
mirror. "I explained my reasons earlier. The
studio are
going for a fun, sexy show, and they liked your look.
 
I've got to warn you
though,
they are probably going to want to play down your charitable side."

"I guess I kinda expected that, and I figure I can mention it if I
win.
 
Besides, we need money more than
publicity."
 
He sat down on the bed,
boots in hand. "God, Maya. Do you know what I can do with five million
bucks? My father could pay off the bank and hire someone to help me run the
ranch so he can stop working like a dog every day of his damn life. And I could
afford to give the orphanage some of the financial backing it desperately
needs."

Maya shook her head. "Seth, you haven't won yet. Don't count your
chickens."

Seth was unfazed by her warning. "I'm a rancher and a damn good
fire fighter. I'm as fit and strong as anyone else in that competition, I'm
sure of it."

"There's more to it than that. The public vote for the contestants
who bring the most fun, drama, or sexual chemistry to the show each week.
 
There's more than a small element of soap
opera to the whole thing. Those who don't learn that early on, or aren't
prepared to sell their souls in order to win, don't last very long."

Seth weighed her words,
then
shrugged. "I
figure I've still got a good chance. None of the other guys will have much
experience of this kind of thing either."

"It's not just guys in the show. There are female contestants, too,
very sexy ones. Part of my job will be to encourage any signs of romance
between the people taking part."

"And you're trying to tell me I won't win unless I'm prepared to
get involved with one of the contestants?"

Maya fixed him with a stare.
 
"Would that bother you?"

Seth cocked an eyebrow.
 
"Why, does it bother you?"

"Why should it?"

"Damned if I know. You went all cold on me once you found out I'd
be in the show, and I still don't get why that meant we couldn't take things
any further."

"Because now, I'm your boss, and it wouldn't be very ethical for me
to sleep with you. Trust me, Seth. The last
thing
either of us need are rumors that something is going on between us and I
influenced the voting in any way."

Seth crossed the room and grabbed Maya's hands, stopping her from doing
up the last button on her blouse as he brought her fingers to his mouth and
grazed his lips over her knuckles. "I haven't agreed to do the show.
You're not my boss yet."

Maya closed her eyes, trying in vain to stem the surge of heat that
raced through her as she slipped out of his grasp. "If you want to be on
the show, then you'd better start thinking of me as your boss."

The words were meant to warn him away, but they seemed to bounce right
off him. Seth grasped her waist in his massive hands and yanked her closer.
"Hey, I'm easy. You can be in charge if you want."

Maya laughed, despite herself, and pushed him away. "I'm
serious."

"Me, too."
He took a step towards her, intent evident on his handsome face.

She backed away, but he kept on coming, until her back met the wall next
to the door and she had nowhere else to go. Just as he got close enough for her
to catch the faint sent of his aftershave and feel his hot breath on her face
as he leaned in as if to kiss her, Maya blocked him with a hand against his
chest. "Look, I don't know how else to say this. I'm not going to sleep
with you."

"I wasn't planning on doing much sleeping."

"You know what I mean."
 

She snatched her hand back, aware that she'd left it there much longer
than she needed to. His skin felt warm and taut, and the urge to scratch her
nails through the coarse hair tickling her palm had been almost
irresistible.
 
Having to keep pushing him
away while he tempted her with something she so desperately wanted was starting
to piss her off.
 
She shoved him out of
the way and grabbed her purse from the chair.

"I'm leaving. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I'm sorry about
the way things panned out Seth, but it's for the best." She paused with
her hand on the door knob and watched him pull his T-shirt back on. Maya
swallowed a groan of disappointment as his washboard abs disappeared from view.
"Congratulations on being selected. I look forward to working with
you."

Seth appeared to ignore her as he pulled his boots back on and searched
around for his room key, grabbing it off the bedside table before joining her
at the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Seeing you into a cab."

Maya smiled to hide her irritation. "I am quite capable of getting
my own cab, thank you."

Seth ushered her out of the door with a respectful hand at her waist,
taking no notice of her protest. "You must be used to dating those LA
types. Back home, we make sure our women get home safe."

"I'm not your woman."

"You would have been if that damned phone hadn't interrupted
us."

Maya shrugged his hand off. "Having sex with you once wouldn't have
made me your woman. You don't date much, do you?"

Seth laughed off the insult. "I date plenty, Maya. But you and I
both know, even if you aren't ready to admit it to yourself yet, that one night
would not have been enough."

She bit back a few retorts that would have left his ego in tatters as
they walked through the dingy lobby and out onto a scruffy forecourt. They had
to work together after tonight, possibly for weeks, and making things even more
difficult between them would be crazy. The knowledge that he was probably right
did nothing to improve her mood.

"It was only ever gonna be one night. You live in Texas,
remember?"

"Ah, but the studio gave me an open ended ticket. I could have
taken a few days for myself before heading home. It's not like there would have
been much reason to rush back. There would have been nothing waiting for me
there but some difficult decisions and a tough conversation with my
father."

Maya watched another cab go by and took a step closer to the street,
hoping Seth would catch the hint and stop talking so she could leave.
 
Being around him made her
feel weak.
He was too decent, too handsome ... too fucking tempting. She
had to get away from him before he unleashed that devastating charm on her
again.

Seth gave her a grin that made her feel like he'd read her mind, then
put his fingers to his lips and let out a whistle so loud and shrill, every car
on the street slowed for a second. A taxi pulled up seconds later, and he
yanked the door open for her and took off his hat in a mock bow as he waited
for her to get in.

Maya laughed and quickly pulled the door shut before she could act on
the sudden urge to drag him in to the backseat with her.

She gave the middle aged Latina in the driver's seat her address and
asked her not to move away yet. Maya opened the window and called to Seth as he
turned back towards the foyer of the hotel.

"I'm sorry to be such a drag about this, but I need to be sure
you'll keep what happened tonight to yourself."
 
Seth strolled back towards her, the smile
dying on his face. For one awful second, Maya feared she'd offended him.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Seth, but you don't know how things work
in Hollywood.
 
People are liable to make
something out of nothing."

Seth dropped down to rest on his haunches and propped his arms on the
edge of the car window. "Lady, I might not know how things work around
here, but I'm not the kind to kiss and tell. Besides, 'nothing' is not how I'd
describe what just happened back there."

He smiled and walked away, leaving Maya staring after him.

"Ay, papi," the driver said, almost under her breath.
 
Maya turned to see her fanning her face as
she watched Seth walk away.
 
"Muy caliente."

Maya laughed, snapping the driver out of her reverie.
 
"You have no idea..."

Chapter Five

Seth studied Maya and wondered how long she'd actually be able to sit in
the same room as him without making eye contact.

He hadn't seen her in over two months and had hoped for more than the
weak smile she'd thrown him yesterday when he glimpsed her for a moment as the
contestants and crew checked in at the hotel in Barbados. Seth had spent the
evening in the bar getting to know the rest of the team, but Maya hadn't shown.
A walk around the grounds gave no clues as to where she was staying, but he
guessed it was in one of the bungalows on a bluff overlooking the sea, rather
than in the main building where he was.

She looked great dressed in a soft white sleeveless linen shirt and
beige Capri pants, her hair in a high ponytail that emphasized her long,
slender neck and made her look years younger.
 
Seth squirmed in his seat, cursing at the choice of cut-off jeans and
muscle T-shirt he'd thrown on that morning. Northern Texas had been cold when
Seth had flown out, and he couldn't resist the urge to hit the beach at first
light and feel the sun on his skin again. Time had gotten away from him, and
he'd had to run back from the cove he'd been exploring so he wouldn't be late
for the meeting.