Page 75 of Out of the Shadow

He wiggles his eyebrows, pulling a reluctant smile from me. Casual sex happens in showers, right? Why not? I untie my bathrobe as he furiously brushes his teeth. Turning on the shower for the water to warm up, I hang the bathrobe on its hook and slip inside the enclosure.

King joins me a minute later, and we enjoy early morning shower sex. Casual-style.

We descend into the office before anyone from the crew arrives. The only person present is Marlene, whose mouth falls open when she sees us together.

I stop and whisper, “Let me talk with my cousin.”

“I can join you.”

Panicked at the thought of what she might tell my sister, or worse, my parents, I shake my head. “No. I’ve got this.”

Forcing my head high, I approach Marlene at the reception desk. She speaks first. “Do you have something you want to share?”

I bite my bottom lip. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Her face lights up. “Really? Because it looks like you two spent the night together.” She waves toward King’s desk. “And I don’t blame you one bit.”

I might as well come clean. “Well, we did. But it’s all good. It’s just casual.”

She plays with my new key earrings that King gave me yesterday. “Are these new?”

I purse my lips and look at the floor. “Yeah. Well, King gave them to me.”

“Not to mention the flowers and chocolates.”

I play with the bottom of my still-damp hair. “I talked with Juliana about this. She says casual sex is fine.”

“What do you mean by ‘fine’?”

I shrug. She knows all about Dante. “King’s not, like, my soul mate or anything. We’re just casual.”

Her expression says it all—she doesn’t believe me. “Do you laugh with him?”

“Of course I do. You know he’s funny.”

She nods. “Do you enjoy meals together?”

I think about all the takeout we’ve consumed, plus the dinner at my family’s. And our dinner last night. “Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean anything. We have to eat.”

“I’m not going to lie, I think King may be the best thing that’s happened to you in a long time. I haven’t seen you look so happy since, well…” She trails off. “However, I’ve known you since you were a kid. I know how much you buy into the whole soul mate thing, and I have one thing to tell you. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re only having something casual with him.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Don’t talk crazy, Marlene. That’s all it is.”

“Uh-huh.”

Just then, the door opens and Blaine, Kaitlyn, and the crew enters. “Who’s ready to shoot the final episode?”

I turn away from my cousin, grateful for the reprieve. “Me!”

Across the room, a baritone replies, “Me, too, bro. Good to see you.”

Blaine orders, “Then get into wardrobe and let’s get this show on the road.”

Turning to face my annoying cousin, I say, “I’m going to win this challenge. Which means I’ll win the entire show and take home the bonus. Of course, you’ll get your cut first.” I pause. “King doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“Thanks, and good luck. With both those things.”

I SIT NEXTto Shelley at a club Let’s Do It! rented out for our wrap party. Yesterday’s shoot went really well, and I think I won. I hope so. That bonus money, in addition to the Maguires’ commission plus my salary from the show, would save the agency. Although…King did say his trust fund was cut off, which is why he considered the role in the first place. Maybe I could share a little of my winnings with him. If I win.

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