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“Well, well, well,” Ari said behind them. “I thought I heard something strange over here.”
Amelia screamed, let go of Leo’s shoulders, and shoved him as hard as she could. Unfortunately, her legs were still locked around him, and his hands remained firmly clamped on her generous bottom. So, when she shoved, Leo stumbled back and took her with him. They fell in a heap on the floor while Ari watched on, looking vaguely amused.
“The puzzle challenge is starting in five. You’re expected out at the gazebo, and Fred’s in a hell of a mood this morning. If I were you, I’d leave the marital activities for the marital bed.”
“Do me a favor and fuck off, Ari,” Leo grumbled from the floor.
Amelia’s face was hidden in his neck, her hands curled into his shirt so hard he’d never get the wrinkles out. When Ari walked away, she sat up, looking rumpled and disheveled atop him. He held onto her hips, not ready to leave this particular position.
“Um.” She bit her lip.
It was unbearable how hot she was. She looked part innocent, part embarrassed, part flushed with arousal, and still with that harsh edge of annoyance dancing just out of reach. It was a cocktail designed to drive Leo out of his mind. Amelia’s eyes widened when she felt his cock throb against her core.
Leo huffed, shaking his head. “Sorry. Can’t help it when you’re straddling me like that.”
He didn’t know if she did it on purpose, but after he spoke, Amelia rocked her hips the tiniest—tiniest—bit. And he nearly came, it felt so good. A grunt rumbled in his throat as his hands tightened on her hips.
“We should go out there,” she whispered.
“Uh-huh,” he managed past his clenched teeth.
“You think he saw us following Vanessa?” she whispered again, even more quietly, her hands leaning against his chest.
“Don’t know,” he grated. “Don’t care.”
She huffed and stood, and that mind-blowing friction against his stiff member was taken away. Thought slowly returned to Leo’s mind as he sat up, blinking, more than a little dazed. He followed Amelia out of the dressing room and through the salon. They nodded at a staff member on their way to the back of the sprawling house, finding Percival there to hold the French doors open for them. The butler gave them a shallow bow, his face utterly blank.
Then they headed for the gazebo, where the rest of the guests awaited.
SIXTEEN
Tables had been setup at the foot of the gazebo, around which clustered teams of four. Amelia and Leo joined Ari and his partner in front of a table near the far end of the line.
“Today’s challenge is a logic puzzle,” Fred announced. He stood on the steps of the gazebo wearing a crisp white shirt, its top three buttons undone. His slacks were dark blue, tailored perfectly around his powerful frame. Amelia watched him survey his employees and their partners, noting the steel-hard look in his eyes. When Fred’s gaze landed on her, she stiffened her spine. Was his gaze lingering on her for a bit longer than most? Did he look particularly suspicious?
Amelia gritted her teeth. Curling her hands into fists, she used the bite of her nails against her palms to center herself. Paranoia wouldn’t help anyone. Plus, if people kept walking in on her making out with Leo, there’d be no question about the legitimacy of their relationship. It was getting kind of embarrassing.
Yeah—that’s what the lingering heat in Amelia’s cheeks was about. Embarrassment.
“In front of you, you’ll see a board containing various vehicles.”
“Oh, this isRush Hour,” Amelia murmured, studying the puzzle on the table. “I used to love this game when I was a kid.”
The board on the table was larger than any of the versions she’d seen before, with the vehicles making up the puzzle carved out of timber. One car, in the bottom left corner, was painted red.
“The goal is to get your car—the red one—to exit through the gap at the edge of the board. You’ll have to move the other vehicles to do so, but you can’t lift or dislodge them. They must move along the slots in the game board. They cannot be turned.”
“It’s a sequence puzzle,” Amelia said with a nod, studying the board. She could already see the first three moves. “We have to slide the cars out of the way in a specific order to clear the way for the red car.”
“Work as a team. When you’ve freed the red car, run to the finish line and press your buzzer. Your time…starts…now!”
Amelia elbowed the men out of the way. This kind of game was herthing. Puzzles? Logic? Please. “Stand aside, boys,” she said and vaguely heard Leo let out a low chuckle.
She started at the opposite end of the board from the red car, because she could see that the long semi-truck blocking the entrance would be what tripped most people up. It had to be moved at the very beginning; otherwise, they’d get stuck halfway through the puzzle.
The carved timber vehicles made satisfying thunking noises as she slid them into their slots.
“Tell me when to run,” Leo said.
