He freezes just in time. The first mallet swings by us, nearly taking his nose with it.
“You were supposed to tell me a few feet away,” he grumbles.
“I forgot. Go, go!”
He lets out a sigh, and when we’re a few feet out from the next, I do as instructed this time.
“Stop!”
Landon does easily, and the mallet swings past us again. Unfortunately, Luna and Shane don’t stop in time, and they get sent flying off the fucking beam. Shit!
“What was that?” Landon asks as he runs towards the last one.
“Luna and Shane got hit,” I say as Savannah and Noah also get taken out.
Meh. That one I care less about.
“Stop!” I say, and Landon freezes just in time for the third mallet to swing by us before we finish the first part of the course.
I undo his blindfold for him as quickly as I can, then we interlace our fingers together and begin running through the fire belt.I run with my neck craned to the left while Landon keeps his eyes on the right. Kenzie and Calvin are right there beside us, inching closer and closer to the end, when I hear a slight tick come from one of the cannons.
“DOWN!” I yell.
Landon and I drop instantly, his body covering mine as fire rages above us.
Calvin dropped in time, but unfortunately Kenzie didn’t fully. Her hair is completely on fire, and she’s screaming as Calvin attempts to cover it with sand as quickly as possible. Once the fire above us stops, Landon drags us to our feet, then we continue running.
“Kenzie! She needs help!” I say, looking back.
“They’ve got her. Come on,” Landon says, and we make our way to the mud pit.
He glances down at the muck boots before shaking his head and scooping me up into his arms.
“What about the boots?” I ask.
“I’m listening to your advice. I don’t need them.”
We instantly sink several feet into the mud.
My ass is an inch or two from being dragged through it, so I force myself to climb up the front of him. Which essentially leaves me dangling around his neck, my legs awkwardly slung over his shoulders. He’s a good sport about it, though, as he treks through the mud pit.
Honestly, I don’t think either of us expected it to be so damn deep.
When we reach the end of the pit, Landon tosses me onto dry land before starting to haul himself free. I offer him my hand and pull him out the rest of the way. My gaze roams over him. Three-quarters of his body is caked in mud. My God, if any of the shorter girls were to try to walk in there, they’d probably be swallowed whole.
Landon lifts me back into his arms and carries me the rest of the way to the finish line. I can’t contain my excitement as he spins me around.
“We fucking did it!”
The cameraman in front of us zooms in, and without having to speak, Landon and I lean into one another and kiss. Nothing like a little celebratory make-out session, right, America?
Landon’s lips move against mine so effortlessly, I almost forget where we are for a moment. Until I hear another scream in the distance. Turning, I see Connor, Andrew and Shane struggling to keep their boots on. Landon and I both frown as we watch them howl before they cross the finish line as well, kicking off the boots as fast as they can. Hundreds of fire ants pour out of each one.
Landon looks down at me and kisses the side of my head. “Good call on the boots,” he mutters.
“Oh my God, that almost sounded like a compliment,” I say in mock surprise.
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t get too excited. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
