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“I know one of them. Charlotte,” I said from the corner of my mouth like a bad ventriloquist. Before I could add the obvious problem with that, our host reminded us about the impending and expected kiss with each of the women on our team.
Kiss Mya? Gwen? That’d be awkward enough. But set my mouth to Charley’s after I’d felt her body shudder in my arms during our hug? I’d swear she’d been on the verge of threatening me had Oliver not unglued us from one another.
Regardless of her reasons to be pissed at me, aside from the last-name thing, there was one thing undeniable. We had chemistry. Whether she wanted to accept it or not, it was there. Fucking electric. And I knew I wasn’t hallucinating shit that time. I’d never felt anything like it in my life. The same charge of energy we had between us at the hotel was present now.
“Kiss them? All four of them?” Charley asked, her blue-green eyes glinting.
I slipped my hands into my pockets, curling them into tight fists at the idea of watching my teammates kiss Charley. My hands were going to be spending quite a bit of time in those pockets, hopefully preventing me from breaking the arms of those same teammates. Yep, that sounded crazy, because she wasn’t mine.
But you feel like mine. Why the fuck do you feel like mine?
Aside from Carter now knowing I knew Charley, I was certain Mya had connected the what-the-fuck dots, but she was a better actor than me. She didn’t even chance a confused look at me to determine if by some wild turn of events she was “my” Charley.
Stephen continued, “If you think this is awkward now, well, then you may want to bow out before things get a bit more extreme.”
I should’ve done more homework on what to expect for this dating game thing. Watched previous shows or something.
“Got it,” Charley responded with grit in her tone I couldn’t help but admire.
A moment later, the women were directed to line up in a row. All twelve women stood in front of the pool, grouped by fours based on their team.
“Each guy will take a turn going down the line of women on their team. Kiss must be on the lips,” Stephen casually explained, opening his hands to the sky.
“And if we don’t want to kiss someone on our team?” Mya asked, her gaze bouncing from Oliver to the host.
“You’re going to wind up losing this competition pretty fast if you can’t handle a kiss,” Stephen commented.
Mya shot me a hesitant look, and clearly, I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the situation. It couldn’t be easy for her to kiss Mason when the man needed to be getting over her. But to kiss Oliver in front of Mason? She was a good person, and I knew it’d pain her to do that to Mason even more.
And while the thought of kissing Mya or Gwen was uncomfortable, the bigger issue was I really didn’t want to kiss anyone other than . . . well, the woman who was currently staring at me like I was an enemy of the state. Ironic, given I hunted those people down for a living.
“Okay, then. Let’s get started. One at a time,” Stephen announced. “Once you’ve kissed all four women, swap places with your next teammate.”
Mason stepped up first while I drifted to the end of the line. Distraction did me wrong. I was stupid. Should have taken that first spot. Instead, I’d be sitting there in my discomfort, hoping I didn’t have to go all caveman and claim Charley from one of my teammates.
I watched Mason’s back muscles noticeably pinch together beneath his black tee as he started toward Mya, who happened to be first in the line.
From the corner of my eye, I spied Oliver lowering his head, eyes on the pavers instead of watching what turned out to be a quick kiss. “It’s done,” I said under my breath, letting him know he was safe to look. He’d never admit it’d been hard on him to watch the woman he “hated” kiss someone else.
Mason kissed Gwen next. Quick and fast.
Charley’s sister was third in line. Mason leaned in for the kiss, and I was a bit surprised when that one lasted longer. Even more shocked when her hand went to his hip, drawing him even closer.
Mason stumbled back a moment later as if shocked by whatever the hell had just happened. A quick, audible throat clear from him, then a, thank God, faster-than-fast kiss with Charley, and he was done.
I’d swear the column of the man’s throat was red. Not necessarily embarrassed at having us watch him kiss four women, but the fact I was pretty sure he’d enjoyed kissing Lucy.
I stole a look at Lucy, wondering if I’d see the same reaction from her. She seemed impacted, too. She began murmuring something to her sister at her side, but Charley’s eyes were on me as she whispered back to her.
“You’re up next,” Mason prompted Carter, who’d yet to budge.
Carter finally stepped forward, adjusted the knot of his tie, then sped through the line so fast I nearly missed it.
When it was Oliver’s turn, he appeared even more hesitant to step forward than Carter had been.
I stole a look at Mason to check on him, but he wasn’t looking at Mya. His focus was on Lucy. Must’ve been some kiss.
“Any day now. Just get it over with,” Mya blurted at Oliver, who was still standing before her like a statue of indecision.
