Deserted Island, Dreamy Ex. Nicola Marsh

with a child isn’t my idea of fun,’ she said, her hauteur tempered with the challenging dare in her narrowed eyes.

      She wanted him to respond, to fight back, to fire a few taunts. Well, let her wait. They had plenty of time for that. An entire seven days. Alone. With no entertainment other than each other. Interesting.

      Oblivious to the tension simmering between them, Elliott rubbed his hands together.

      ‘Good. Because that would’ve changed the status quo. This way, your reactions will be more genuine.’

      He plucked a folder filled with documents from his pile and slid it across the table towards Kristi.

      ‘I’m aware your boss put your name forward for this, so you need to look over all the legalities, sign the forms where asterisked, we’ll go from there.’

      She nodded, flipped open the folder, took the pen Elliott offered and started reading, the pen idly tapping her bottom lip. A bottom lip Jared remembered well; for its fullness, its softness, its melting heat as it moulded to his …

      Having her read gave him time to study her, really study her. She’d been a cute, perky twenty-one-year-old when they’d dated, her blonde hair wild and untamed, her figure fuller, her clothes eclectic. She’d always been inherently beautiful and while her nose might be slightly larger than average, it added character to a face graced by beauty.

      Now, with her perfect make-up, perfectly straight blow-dried hair, perfect streamlined body and perfect pink designer suit, she intrigued him more than ever.

      He liked her tousled and ruffled and feisty, and, while her new image might be all corporate and controlled, he’d hazard a guess the old Kristi wouldn’t be lurking far beneath the surface.

      ‘All looks okay.’

      She signed several documents and, with a heavy sigh, handed them to Elliott. ‘Everything I need to know in here?’

      Elliott nodded. ‘Do you know anything about Stranded??

      She shook her head. ‘My pushy boss didn’t go into specifics.’

      Jared leaned across, held his hand up to his mouth, his loud conspiratorial whisper exaggerated. ‘Now you’re in for it. He’ll give you the hour-long spiel he gave me.’

      Her mouth twitched before she returned her attention to Elliott, who was more than comfortable to elaborate on his favourite topic.

      ‘While it’s basically a competition for the prize money, which will go to the participant who nails the challenges and gains the most hits on their Internet networking sites, I want this documentary to make a social statement on our TV viewing and the way we network today.’

      While her heart sank at the conditions imposed on winning the prize—she’d always been lousy at sports and no way could she beat Jared in the popularity stakes on the Net—Elliot continued.

      ‘There’s a glut of reality TV at the moment. Cooking, dating, singing, dancing, housemates, you name it, there’s a reality show filming it. I want Stranded to be more than that. I want it to show two people interacting, without social distractions, without direct interference, without the fanfare, without judges, and see how they get along. I want honest feedback.’

      She nodded, gestured to her folder. ‘That’s where the daily blog and Twitter updates come in?’

      ‘Uh-huh. It’ll give the public instant access to your immediate feelings, build anticipation for when I screen the documentary a week after you return. Building hype and viewer expectation makes for more interesting viewing.’

      ‘So we’re filmed all the time?’

      She screwed up her nose, as enthralled with the idea as he was.

      Elliott steepled his fingers like a puppet master looking forward to yanking their strings.

      ‘No, the cameras are motion-activated, and only situated on certain parts of the island. If you want privacy or time out, there are designated areas.’

      Her relief was palpable, as Jared wondered what would make her desperate enough to do this. Sure, she’d said the money, but she’d never been money-driven so there had to be more to it. Then again, it had been eight years. How well did he really know her?

      It was different for him. His life had been laid out for public consumption the last seven years, what he ate, where he went, what car he drove, all open to interpretation.

      He’d learned to shut off, to ignore the intrusion, was now using it to his advantage for the rec centre.

      But what did she get out of this apart from a chance to win the money?

      ‘Good to know.’ Jared tapped the side of his nose, leaned towards her. ‘Just in case you feel the urge to take advantage of me, you can do it off camera.’

      ‘In your dreams, Malone.’

      ‘There’ve been plenty of those, Wilde.’

      To his delight, she blushed, dropped her gaze to focus on her fiddling fingers before she removed them from the table, hid them in her lap. He gave her five seconds to compose herself and, on cue, her gaze snapped to his, con fi dent, challenging.

      ‘You really want to do this here?’ he murmured, grateful when Elliott jerked his head towards the restrooms and made a hasty exit.

      ‘Do what?’

      She was good, all faux wide-eyed innocence and smug mouth. Well, she might be good but he was better. He’d always lobbed back every verbal volley levelled his way, had enjoyed their wordplay as much as their foreplay.

      She stimulated him like no other woman he’d ever met and the thought of spending a week getting reacquainted had him as jittery as pre-Grand Slam.

      ‘You know what.’

      He leaned into her personal space, not surprised when she didn’t flinch, didn’t give an inch.

      ‘You and me. Like this.’ He pointed at her, him. ‘The way we were.’

      ‘Careful, you’ll break into song any minute now.’

      ‘Feeling sentimental?’

      ‘Hardly. I’d have to care to want to take a stroll down memory lane.’

      ‘And your point is?’

      She shrugged, studied her manicured nails at arm’s length. ‘I don’t.’

      He laughed, sat back, laid an arm along the back of his chair, his fingers in tantalisingly close proximity to her shoulder.

      ‘You always were a lousy liar.’

      ‘I’m not—’

      ‘There’s a little twitch you get right here.’ He touched a fingertip just shy of a freckle near her top lip. ‘It’s a dead giveaway.’

      She stilled, the rebellious gleam in her eyes replaced by a flicker of fear before she blinked, erasing any hint of vulnerability with a bat of her long eyelashes. ‘Still delusional, I see. Must be all the whacks on the head with tennis balls.’

      ‘I don’t miss-hit.’

      ‘Not what I’ve seen.’

      ‘Ah, nice to know you’ve been keeping an eye on my career.’

      ‘Hard to miss when your publicity-hungry mug is plastered everywhere I look.’

      She paused, her defiance edged with curiosity. ‘Is that why you’re doing this? Publicity for your comeback?’

      ‘I’m not making a comeback.’

      The familiar twist low in his gut made a mockery of his adamant stance that it didn’t matter.

      He’d fielded countless questions from the media over the last year, had made his decision, had scheduled a press conference. And