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“You might want medics to look at that,” Elizabeth advised before stepping away when Avery stood.
Avery thanked her but moved to a less chaotic table, not wanting to give up yet. The pain hindered her movements. She was working on the fourth piece of the puzzle when a squeal echoed across the yard.
Riley’s color blanched as she held the previously locked medal in the air. A shaky grin spread across her face as she looked around in wonder at having won.
If Avery wasn’t going to win that week, she was glad it was Riley who had. Avery offered her a congratulatory hug before working her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a juice, needing sugar to replenish her energy after getting zapped in the sun.
“Are you okay?”
A concerned tone caressed her ear. Unsure how long she’d been staring off into space, Avery slowly blinked and whispered, “Stella.” She sighed. “I’m fine. Just a bump on my wrist.” She tried not to wince.
“Do you need me to call the medical team?” Stella gently grasped her arm and turned it in a few directions. “It’s swollen.” She prodded at a developing bruise.
“Don’t poke it, you monster.” Avery gasped, pulling her arm back to the safety of her own bubble. She couldn’t have taken another moment of Stella’s caresses anyway.
“You can’t jostle it. You’ll hurt it more. That’s it, you stubborn mule. I’m calling the medics over.” Stella’s take-charge attitude took over.
“You seriously didn’t call me a mule. And no need for medics. I just need some ice.” Avery reached for the sliding door handle and tried to hide the wince when she bumped her hurt dominant hand. Torn, she was enjoying their banter and didn’t want to walk away, but she also didn’t want to show weakness.
“Bless your heart that you think I’m going to listen to you,” Stella said, exaggerating her accent. “Sit down. I’ll get you ice, and then someone with more letters after their name will look at that wrist.”
Avery let Stella guide her to the stool in the kitchen. She slid onto the uncomfortable plastic seat and resigned herself to Stella’s pushy attitude. Although if she were honest with herself, she secretly loved her strong personality.
“Here you go.” Stella leaned over and placed an icepack on her hand. The cold bit at her skin.
Avery was aware of two things: The first was how close Stella’s face was to her mouth. She got a front-row seat to witness her eyes darken as they glanced at Avery’s lips. The second was the fact there were no less than four cameras pointed in all directions of the kitchen. Those two things fought for attention as lust hung in the air. Stella broke the spell by hurrying to the other side of the counter before Avery made the biggest mistake of her life.
There was a crackle, then Stella said, “Hi, we need a medic sent into the house.”
Avery couldn’t make out the mumbled response from the walkie-talkie that had magically appeared in Stella’s hand.
“Okay, see you then,” Stella responded to whatever mumbled mess masqueraded as words. She clipped the device back, which was hidden under her flowing shirt, and wouldn’t look at Avery when she said, “They will be here in a few minutes.” She cleared her dry-sounding throat. “I need to go interview Riley. Hope your hand is okay.”
The charged moment deflated like a birthday balloon as Stella left the room without looking back. Avery tried not to stare at her retreating back, still knowing how many cameras might be trained on her, but she nearly strained her neck from the effort it took not to watch.
All ten contestants were around the table, bantering back and forth. They were passing the time while Riley was out on her date. Avery gently brought her spoon up to her mouth, taking care of her wrist, which was wrapped in an Ace bandage.
“I bet Avery is the freakiest in the sheets out of everyone.” Denver smirked in her direction while pouring more soup into her bowl. “It’s always the quiet ones that are wild.”
It was unfortunate that Avery had taken a bite of her bread at that moment. All eyes were on her as she choked on crumbs that went down the wrong tube. The blush running up her face could reheat the soup.
Before she could respond, Echo jumped in. “No way, that’s Ocean. I bet she likes to do it in public and gets a rush knowing she could get caught.” Echo nudged her elbow into Ocean’s side as she passed the pepper to Elizabeth.
“Well, I can’t argue with the truth.” Ocean shrugged, sticking her tongue out at Echo. “What can I say? It’s hot when you think you might get caught.” She winked at Denver, who shook her head.
“I can’t imagine having sex in public,” Elizabeth said, jumping into the conversation.
“I think it’s now clear Ocean wins most wild in the sheets, right?” Avery said with a chuckle. She pushed her empty bowl away to keep from going in for seconds, wincing as her wrist twinged.
The conversation flowed as the women teased each other. The only thing missing at the table was Stella, who had always gone with the camera crew on the dates. Avery’s mind wandered to Riley’s date and she wondered how she was getting along with Quinn.
Avery tried not to think about what it was like to get one-on-one with Quinn with Stella nearby. Would she be able to concentrate? Probably not. Stella wasn’t even there, and her mind was still stuffed with thoughts of her.
Stella thought she might have one of the best jobs in the world. Currently, she was watching Riley and Quinn stumble through a meal. Her ears still rang from the exuberance of the fans at the basketball game, and she realized now why that was one of Avery’s favorite memories. Damn, her mind had wandered back to her. She’d been hoping getting out of the house would help to reset her brain.
Avery was dangerous. It was impossible to be near her and not want to lean in for a taste of her lips. If Stella hadn’t seen the flashing red light from the corner of her eye, who knows what would have happened in the kitchen? It was fitting the recording camera had a red light. It was exactly what she needed to remind herself of the danger of kissing one of the contestants.
Reaching out, Stella wrapped her fingers around the warm wine glass, her arm rubbing across the fabric tablecloth. She had limited herself to one glass, knowing how silly she could be after a few. Plus, she had to interview these two after. It wasn’t like she had to drive them back, but she’d prefer to have her wits about her.
