Chapter 10
The handsome man braced against the doorjamb smiling at her sure seemed like a wonderful way to wake up to. Alyson grinned as she tossed around on the bed and grinned under the covers. "Why are you staring and smiling like that?"
His grin became wider. "Happy Birthday." He pulled out a small cake behind his back and held it out to her. The silent pelting of rain against the glass windows of the chalet seemed to echo around her silent gasp.
"Goodness, you actually remembered?" She sat up. "I figured during our twenty ques – ".
He raised a finger to his lips and shushed her as he kicked the door close. "Cameras."
The man before her surprised her. Weeks ago, she would never have expected to see him, like this. Dressed casually in a white tee and loose grey sweatpants, holding a cake out to her. Their partnership of sorts had kicked in but some part of her wondered if it would end up kicking her in the ass. Already the man remembered her birthday, she needed no more reminders of how Lucas seemed to be proving himself to be the exact opposite of what her first assumption of him was.
He seated himself casually on the edge of the bed and held out the cake to her.
"Make a wish."
She smiled, blew the candles, grinned at him and dug in.
Later, as they were munching on chocolate cake, she asked him, "So, what do you think is our status now?"
His first instinct was to balk. He had never been one for strings attached questions. "What do you mean?"
"Our status. On screen. Do you think we can make it to the finals?" Alyson licked her fingers clean of frosting and continued, "Especially now with the sudden double eliminations of the Peach and Maroon couple last night. We are down to seven teams left."
"Perhaps we can. Regardless, we have to do everything to try to win."
His eyes focused on her fingers and his eyes darkened. Alyson shivered at the look in his eyes. She cleared her throat and asked, "Why didn't you let this celebration be on cam?"
For a moment, he halted before he moved closer and lifted his hand to wipe cream off her chin, "I don't know. I figured this was..." he trailed off.
Her voice, nearly a whisper now, breathed across, "Was...?"
The air between them tensed and shifted. The beat of the rain seemed to increase the thickness of the air in the room as Alyson stared at Lucas. His fingers teased briefly over her cheek as he leaned in close.
"Personal." His whisper flitted across to her before his lips touched hers. Their lips melded, moving in sync. Her fingers lifted to touch his face before tangling itself in his hair and tugging him closer. A small sound escaped her lips as his tongue gently touched hers.
He pulled away after a while, gently and rested his forehead against hers. "Finland, what are you doing to me?" His eyes wrecked her into the man beneath, one who shouldered a heavy burden on himself.
"Whatever it is I'm doing, you're doing the same to me."
He smiled at her and before she could expect it, dug his fingers into the leftover cake and smeared it on her face and stood up, heading towards the door.
