"Business?" He looked impressed. "What kind of business?"
"I have a custom cakes and cupcakes business," I said proudly. "Katy's Short Cakes."
He nodded, as if it somehow fit me, and then he crossed his legs on the bed until he was sitting, facing me. "So you're a baker?"
"I am." It felt weirdly intimate to be facing each other on the bed like this. It was…direct. And personal. There was no hiding or averting eyes with this. We were one on one, face to face.
"And the pigtails? Are you a children’s baker or something?" There was a hint of a smile on his mouth.
I groaned and ruffled a hand through my loose, wet blonde hair. "The pigtails were decided by casting, not by me. I think they picked it because I'm short."
"And because you're cute," he agreed. "It makes you look perky."
For some reason, I blushed at that. So he thought I was cute? Or just perky? Perky didn't necessarily mean attractive. Squirrels were perky. "So, what about you?"
"What about me?" His dark eyes studied my face.
"What made you come on The World Races?"
His mouth twisted a bit. "The label."
I frowned at him. "The label?"
"Yeah. Tesla wanted to go on the show. Thought it'd be a good opportunity since our next record drops in the fall, when this airs. We had a large lead time." He shrugged. "The label wanted one of the band members to go with her. I was picked."
"So you and Tesla aren't," I gestured with my hand. "You know."
His eyes widened. "Oh, god no. She's just a bandmate. You know, the whole Finding Threnody thing." And he looked at me like I should know exactly what he was talking about.
I winced. "Is it bad if this is the part that I say that I've never heard of you?"
He stared.
"I listen to country music," I said lamely. "Sorry. I'm sure your band is good."
He continued to stare.
"I'll buy your CD when I get home," I told him. "I promise."
He shook his head a little, as if to clear it, then laughed. "So you really don't know who we are?"
"Well," I told him. I thought for a moment, trying to determine the best way to say it without hurting his feelings, and then gave up. "Not a clue. Brodie's a fan, though."
Liam chuckled and shook his head. "Well, that explains why you weren't very friendly to me."
"Are a lot of girls friendly to you because you're in a rock band?"
"Yes," he said simply.
I snorted. "They might be until you push them down reaching for their football."
He scowled. "It was an accident."
"How do I know that?" I asked innocently, putting a teasing lilt in my voice. "Maybe you thought it was a mosh pit."
That slow, almost reluctant smile spread across his lean face again. "Now I know you're fucking with me."
"Just a little."
He laughed. "I suppose I deserved that."
I studied him as he smiled. I'd initially thought Liam tall, grungy, and a little scary. The piercings were new territory for me, as were the tattoos. He even had them on his neck. But the smile he extended my way was genuine, and for a moment, he looked like any other guy my age that just happened to be covered in black tattoos, multiple facial piercings, and was the lead guitarist in a supposedly big deal rock band.
"So…" he rubbed his chin. "I suppose there's a special irony in this considering that neither you nor I wanted to be on the race."
"We could always sabotage the next leg of the race and win ourselves an extended stay in Acapulco," I told him, keeping my voice innocent.
"Is that what you want to do?"
I considered it. I really, really did. But we were still in the race, and we were doing rather well, if I admitted it to myself. And Liam wasn't a bad partner, as long as we didn't run into any more mukluk or eating challenges on the race. "Part of me wants to bail out on the race, but a bigger part of me wants to see how far we can go."
He nodded. "Me too." That dark, intense gaze focused on me again. "So why did you kiss me at the Blarney Stone?"
Oh. Wow, okay, that was super direct. I thought about my answer for a moment, then shrugged. "I wanted to?"
"You did?"
"Well." I ran a finger across the blanket. "Abby told me that if we made good TV, we stood a better chance of staying in the race. That the producers would rig things to ensure that we'd do better. So, I kissed you." I gave another shrug, trying to make it seem casual even though I was feeling rather nervous. "Good TV."
Liam watched me for so long without saying anything that I began to wonder if it was a mistake to tell him. After a long moment, he said, "So it was just for TV?"