LITMIR.BIZ

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another destination in mind—just a fervent need to be anywhere but there.

      As he’d gotten older, he’d started to realize he needed a better goal. A place to reach toward, rather than away from. Which was how his idea of being a star had been born. Now he wanted to get on a TV series, or be in movies. He wanted to be someone, to be loved and cared for by millions. And if the price of that was a couple of burns, so be it.

      “So we’ll stage the fight and then there will be these scenes?” he asked.

      “Uh-huh.” She lowered her voice even more. “So I’m thinking I should probably cry and beg you to live.”

      He chuckled. “Sure thing. Then some loud kissing?”

      She nodded and stood. “Let me go tell the guys.”

      Sasha watched her go. She was pretty enough, he thought. But there wasn’t any chemistry between them. There were a lot of other women he would rather kiss and then sleep with. But whatever it took for him to get to the next level…

      Lani returned. She stood by his bed, drew in a few deep breaths, then started to cry.

      “Sasha,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Sasha, you have to be okay. Please, please live. S-Sasha?” Her voice broke on his name.

      Her talent impressed him. He stared at her for a second, then imagined how all this would feel if he really loved her and thought he was going to die.

      “Don’t go,” he said, his voice low and husky, as if he was in extreme pain. “Lani, I need you.”

      “I’m right here. You know I’m here.” She sniffed. “I can’t believe you got hurt. Do you need something for the pain?”

      “They gave me something. It’s not bad. I’m not going to give up, because I have you.”

      Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she said, “Really? You feel it, too? Our connection? I thought…” Another sob. “Oh, Sasha, I’ve been afraid to say anything and then when we fought before, I thought you didn’t care about me.”

      “Of course I care. Getting matched with you was the luckiest day in my life.”

      “You mean that?”

      “You’re my girl.”

      “Oh, Sasha.”

      She covered her mouth to hold in a giggle, then climbed into the bed next to him.

      “I don’t want to hurt you,” she told him.

      “You couldn’t. Just being next to you makes me know everything is going to be all right.”

      “I want to kiss you,” she said, while sticking a finger down her throat and silently pretending to gag.

      He had to swallow hard to keep from laughing. “Yes, baby,” he murmured. “Just holding you makes it all better.”

      They began to kiss, going more for noise than passion. Sasha heard the sound of metal hooks on a pole as the privacy curtains were opened enough for the camera to get a shot of them.

      He kept his eyes closed and thought about what he would do with his half of the money. How every woman would want him and every man would want to be him. Then he flipped Lani onto her back and put some tongue into it.

      FINN WATCHED THE LIVE FEED of the show. The blend of what was happening on stage and taped pieces was interesting. Someone had to plan all that—figure out what to put where. Some of the taped pieces showed a contest with the various couples putting together bookcases. The kind that came in long flat boxes, with too many pieces and instructions written in awkward English.

      Sasha and Lani laughed more than they worked and didn’t finish in the allotted time. Stephen and Aurelia came in first. They worked together quickly and easily, sharing the tasks and ending up with a project that actually looked like a bookcase.

      After the taped piece about Sasha and the Fire Poi, viewers were asked to vote for their favorite couple. The results would be announced in a couple of hours.

      When the show ended, Finn knew Sasha and Lani would be staying. He had a feeling that building a bookcase wasn’t enough to entice viewers, so Stephen and Aurelia might be at risk.

      Dakota walked over to him. “How did it go?” she asked.

      “Sasha and Lani are going to clean up this week,” he told her. “I’m less sure about Stephen and Aurelia.”

      “Still think it’s too soon for him to want to go home?”

      “I’m sure of it.”

      “Have you asked Stephen what he would do?”

      “I’m a guy,” he said. “So is he. We don’t have conversations.”

      “That’s part of the problem.”

      “It must be nice to always have the answer,” he said, annoyed by her certainty.

      Dakota raised her chin slightly. “I’m not the bad guy here. I’m on your side.”

      “Then why are you always telling me what I’m doing wrong?”

      “Because you’re reacting as if you’re trying to reason with yourself instead of your brothers. You’re not looking at the situation from their point of view.”

      “I know them a hell of a lot better than you do.”

      “Which isn’t the point. Your way hasn’t changed their mind. Maybe another point of view would be helpful.”

      “But only if it’s yours, right?”

      She exhaled sharply. “I didn’t say that. I care about you and them. I want you to stay close with your brothers so the family unit remains intact. I’m not sure why you can’t see that. You’re so determined to protect them from the world. And you can’t.”

      “I can sure try.”

      “They’re not seven. You keep saying that the twins are the ones who have to grow up, but maybe you’re the one who can’t let go of the past.”

      He glared at her. “Is this advice free or am I expected to pay for it? Because it’s not worth shit.”

      She looked at him for a long time. “Fine. I thought that you wanted my opinion. My mistake. I can see you’re only interested in being right.”

      With that, she turned and walked away.

      Finn let her go. He didn’t need her. He didn’t need anybody. Only he knew he was lying. If he really didn’t care, he could get on the next plane to Alaska and leave his brothers to their fate. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be wondering how badly he’d messed up with Dakota and how he could fix it without getting deeper into a relationship that wasn’t meant to be.

      CHAPTER NINE

      “YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE ME something to work with,” Karen said. “I think you’re a cute couple with a lot of potential, but there’s nothing there. No fights, no kissing and certainly no making up. There’s nothing interesting to film. You know how Geoff is. You two came in second to last on the voting. That means you’re at risk of being voted off.”

      “Do we have to come in last before we’re let go?” Stephen asked. “Is that decision based on numbers or does Geoff make it?”

      Karen sighed. “Technically you have to go if you come in last on the viewer voting. My point is, if you want to stay on the show, you have to give us something. Otherwise you’re gonna be gone.”

      “Thanks for letting us know,” Aurelia said.

      She was doing her best to accept the information in the spirit in which it was given. But it was very difficult not to feel even more romantically inept than usual. Here she was, failing at a fake relationship. If she couldn’t make this work,

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