Eli scoffed loudly and scowled down at me. “Embarrassing? That’s definitely not the word I’d use.”
“Humiliating? Mortifying?” I offered.
His jaw clenched in irritation. “Try again.”
“I’m really not cut out for this.” I wanted to ease the tension that currently sat heavily on his shoulders, but he winced.
“I’m just trying to lighten the mood,” I said, exasperated. Why was he the one who had gone quiet all of a sudden? Shouldn’t that be my job?
“This is all my fault,” Eli muttered.
My eyebrows shot up. “What? How? No, it’s not.”
He raked a hand through his hair, pushing his wet curlsoff his forehead. “You’ve only been getting hurt since we partnered up.”
“To be fair, the challenges have gotten progressively more intense. Also, I almost got mauled by a goat in that first maze challenge,” I pointed out.
He didn’t smile.
I reached for his hand and he allowed me to take it. As soon as we made contact, though, he jerked away for a second before scooping up both my hands in his.
“Shit, Calla, your hands are freezing.” He proceeded to blow his hot breath on them while I shivered in contentment. It stung slightly, but it was so good to feel anything warm.
“Look,” I continued. “I know I seem like a mess, but this is all so far outside my usual realm that it’s unreal. I doubt I would have even made it this far without you. You made me actually want to try instead of just giving up.”
He searched my eyes before gently dropping my hands and cupping my face instead. My heart sputtered as he inched closer.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he said roughly. “Is that okay?”
“Yes.” I had barely squeaked out my response before his mouth was on mine.
As soon as our lips met, I forgot all about how cold I was or the rain that was now coming down even harder. Eli’s thumbs stroked my cheeks as his mouth moved carefully over mine. My hand fell to his chest and I gripped the material of his wetsuit. His scent engulfed me.
His lips were smooth and the fluttering sensation in my stomach immediately moved further south. I had almost forgotten what it was like to feel this way. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair. Raindrops rhythmically hit my cheeks and every sound around us seemed to fade into nothing.He flicked his tongue gently against my lips and I allowed him to deepen the kiss. We explored each other tentatively. Based on his reputation, I thought Eli might be rougher—more demanding. But this kiss was sweet and cautious, and his gentleness just made me want more.
“Save it for the cameras.”
We jerked apart. Shay stood next to the van, holding an umbrella.
Chapter Fourteen
“Were you scared,out there in the water?” Brady asked, his concern reeking of inauthenticity.
“A little. When we turned around after the buoy, the wind had picked up and the water was a lot choppier. I was just glad Eli was there to help get me to shore.”
“It seems like you two are hitting it off. What do you like about Eli?”
“Eli is more genuine than I expected. I haven’t shown myself to be the most desirable partner, but he cares way more about how I’m doing than about winning. When we talk...” I paused, not wanting to get into our nightly off-camera conversations. “I just get the feeling, every time we talk, that he genuinely cares.”
Brady nodded along as if everything I said was the most interesting thing he’d heard all day.
“And what would Michael think of all this?”
Every time I heard his name in this setting it was like getting slapped in the face. They kept throwing out his namelike they knew him. Like they had some kind of right to talk about him.
“Michael would just want me to be happy,” I said, trying not to let the frustration seep into my tone.
“Do you and Eli plan to continue as partners for more challenges?”
