“Feeling warmer?” he asked.
Her gaze roamed down his still naked chest. She nodded. Much warmer. “My stuff should be dry in a minute and then you can have your shirt back.”
“Keep it,” he said with a sexy smile. “It looks good on you.”
“You’re just … ” She swallowed, her throat feeling parched. “You’re going to be comfortable like … that … for the rest of the day?” She nodded toward his chest — his very naked, very muscular, close-enough-she-could-touch-it chest.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I might. How would you feel if I did?”
“I, um. That would be, um, fine.” She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath before opening them again. Yep. Hot, shirtless guy still inches from her cold, needy body. Damn.
Where the hell was the confident Paige she’d been trying so hard to channel?
That Paige had gone on vacation the second the shirtless hunk showed up and left behind super un-flirty Paige in her place. Well, that wasn’t going to fly with a guy like Miles.
“You wouldn’t hear a complaint from me,” she said, dropping her tone to something that hopefully sounded seductive and not like she suffered from a throat infection.
He stood frozen for a few minutes as if thinking about what to do next. “Maybe another time.”
For a second, she thought he might lean in and kiss her again. Oh God, if he did, she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off him. His chest had felt amazing with clothes on. With nothing separating her skin from his, she might not be able to control herself. If only he’d kiss her again so she could find out.
But he didn’t.
“Today we have caches to find and the other halves of our teams are waiting for us to hurry up. So you scoot into the back and I’ll drive. I can’t risk your shivers veering us off the road.” He paused leaning closer, running his fingers along her jaw and across her lips. “I can’t risk being distracted by you either. And enjoying this look in your eye because I’m bare-chested will have to wait until another time, or I’m afraid we won’t make it out of the parking lot.”
He stepped back from the door and pulled on a new, clean shirt. She passed in front of him with barely an inch of space between them. Her knees had never been shakier and she couldn’t blame a single quiver on her chill. Nope.
“Where did that come from?” she asked, referring to the new shirt as she settled into the backseat, thankful there was great second-row venting in the vehicle. And also thankful she didn’t have to give back Miles’s shirt yet. She wasn’t ready to part with it.
“Years of mountain climbing and hiking taught me to always come prepared. Anything you need, I probably have either in my backpack or on my person.”
Oh, I bet you do …
Chapter Fourteen
Miles braced himself in the backseat, cursing his poor lack of judgment for letting Zoe behind the wheel. He knew better than that. Her driving history was proof. She spooked easily behind the wheel and drove as if her life depended on getting where she was going as quickly as possible. If he ever made it back to base camp in one piece, he’d never let her drive him anywhere again. Ever.
Even without her driving, they were incompatible for a road trip of any length. Always had been, always would be. They’d been forced into a few road trips as children and the hours in the car, sharing a backseat had always been grueling. Torturous.
“I can’t believe I let you have the keys,” Miles griped as his seatbelt tightened. If she slammed on the breaks one more time, he was going to lose his mind. And possibly the granola bar he’d gulped down at lunch.
“Stop your backseat driving,” Zoe snapped.
“I’m not sure what you’re doing is called driving so how could I possibly be commenting on it?”
“Just because you’re a pansy behind the wheel, doesn’t mean I am. Besides, if you want to get to the finish line before the check-in time cut off, then we need to hurry the hell up.”
“True, but I’d still prefer to get there alive.”
Zoe didn’t respond. Probably just as well. Her snotty comments would only succeed in getting them into yet another argument. And distracting Zoe while she drove like a complete maniac would only make the entire situation more dangerous.
Nope. He’d sit back and pray.
Then after they were safely checked in at base camp, he’d pull Zoe aside and give her a piece of his mind. Not that it would make any difference. She never listened to a thing he said anyway. But it would make him feel better to get his aggravation with her off his chest.
He leaned back and closed his eyes. Maybe if he didn’t look, they would magically transport themselves to base camp and he could stop staring down the freeway of death from the backseat. Yes, eyes closed were better.
Miles let his mind wander out of the game and over to Paige in the other SUV with Ben. He’d had an awesome day with her, driving in comfortable silence or chatting about the game while hunting caches all day. He would have much preferred being in her SUV for the return trip too if they hadn’t been in such a rush after the last cache and jumped into the wrong trucks. He’d thought for sure he’d slipped into the backseat of the one Paige had revved the engine of, but sadly no.
“I think it might be time to tell Paige the truth about us,” he said, trying to take his mind off the car ride from hell.
“About time. It’s really not that big a deal.”
“Not to you, but you’re not the one who gets picked on by the tall bitchy blonde girl all the time. Paige might care if she knows she has to spend more time with you if she chooses to be with me.”
“Hey, I’ve been nice lately. I’ve hardly teased her at all and you have to admit, I’ve had a lot of material to work with.”
True, Zoe hadn’t teased Paige as much as she could have lately. As far as he knew, she hadn’t said anything to Paige about sliding down the hill and today she’d barely said anything about the fall into the lake. Maybe things were settling down enough between all of them that it wouldn’t matter anymore if Paige found out the truth.
Paige … Damn, that girl looked hot in his shirt. And when she’d gotten too hot on the last walk and had rolled up the sleeves and twisted the bottom hem into a knot just above her hip … well, shit. He’d never felt so knotted up inside. He was the one who needed a dip in a cold lake after seeing that.
Didn’t matter that the knot in his shirt would probably leave it stretched out, even after washing. Nope. What did matter was the strip of lightly tanned skin peeking out from between her denim cut-offs and the now knotted edged of his soft cotton shirt. Not to mention the lack of a bra beneath it.
Just the thought of her bare skin rubbing against the fabric of his shirt made him hard.
His shoulder slammed into the door as the car shifted violently. “Damn it, Zoe,” he yelled, his eyes popping open and the image of Paige vanishing. “Are you trying to take out the competition? We’re supposed to be allies now, remember?”
“While you were having a catnap back there, I got us to base camp,” she said, pulling into a parking spot while the sound of gravel clinked against the undercarriage of the truck. “Now stop your bitching and run. We’re almost late.”
Miles threw open the back door and hopped out, thankful to see Paige and Ben pulling in behind them. Somehow Paige had managed to keep up with Zoe’s crazy driving.
The four of them ran across the parking lot toward the line painted on the front lawn where they started and finished each day during the race. Of course, all of the closer spots were already taken by the other teams. Spencer waited beside the line, glancing down at his watch as he waved them on.
When they hit the grass Zoe swore and fell to the ground. She gripped her ankle in her hands.
“Are you okay?” Miles asked as they all crouched around her.<
br />
“Do I look okay?” she shot back.
“Well, at least your bad attitude isn’t broken. Can you walk on it?” Miles wrapped his arm under her shoulders and lifted her to her feet.
She took a small step, attempting to put weight on it, but cried out in pain and went weak in his arms. “You guys go ahead. You’re going to be late.”
“No,” all three of them said at the same time.
“We started together, we’ll finish together too,” Ben said.
Miles scooped Zoe into his arms and started toward the check in line together. Ben and Paige walked beside him. There was no sense in them running ahead since both members of the team had to be present before check in would count. Either they would all make it in time, or they’d all be late. Either way, it looked like their alliance was standing strong.
“You are the last teams to check in tonight and you’re both late,” Spencer said without much showmanship. “As such, both teams have incurred a two hour penalty for tomorrow’s start time. That means you will be able to officially start your search in the morning at ten. I’ll see you back here then.”
Miles didn’t wait around to talk to Spencer about it more. He needed to get Zoe’s ankle looked at by the staff medic as soon as possible. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to go for x-rays. But if she did, they had a few extra hours before they were allowed to start racing again, which would hopefully be more than enough time to get her feeling better.
Just off the lobby of the lodge’s main entrance was a small room normally used for extra supplies. During filming, it had been turned into a makeshift first aid station. Miles set Zoe on the tiny cot inside the door.
“What happened?” the medic asked Zoe.
“I twisted it running for the check-in. It’s just a sprain. Give me a couple Ibuprofen and a tensor bandage and I’ll be good to go.”
The medic ignored her while he twisted her ankle gently one way then the other. It was obvious she tried to keep her poker face on but it wasn’t working. Every time he moved it, the color drained from her cheeks.
“You need to have this x-rayed to make sure it’s not fractured. I don’t think it is, but I can’t let you race again without knowing for sure. Some of these caches are too dangerous if you have a bad ankle.”
“It’s fine,” Zoe protested, moving to get off the bed.
The medic put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her. “Do you want me to kick you out of the race?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then you’ll do as I deem necessary and you’ll get x-rayed. If the x-ray shows no fractures, I’ll let you race tomorrow. No x-ray, no race.”
Damn it. Why did Zoe have to wear those stupid heels all the time? She was asking for something like this to happen. And now she’d gotten Paige to start wearing them too. It was a miracle they both weren’t in ankle casts by now.
“Fine,” Zoe said quietly, looking distinctly pale and worried. Not at all like the tough girl she usually was. “Let’s get this over with.”
Miles could tell she was trying her best to be strong, but it wasn’t fooling him. “Maybe we should go with you?”
“Only room for one more in the ambulance.”
“I’ll go,” Ben said, stepping forward and putting his hand on Zoe’s shoulder before anyone else had a chance to speak.
“No, it should be me. I’m her teammate,” Paige said. Paige didn’t appear to like the idea of going to the hospital any more than Zoe appeared to.
“You still stink like the lake. I don’t want you in my ambulance, thanks.”
Always the kind and appreciative Zoe.
While the three of them bickered about who should go with Zoe, Miles followed the medic around the corner to where the wheelchair was stored. “How bad is her ankle?” He couldn’t help but worry even if she put on a strong face.
“Between you and me, I think she’s fine. I’d be surprised if she needs more than ice and a pain reliever, but the show is very cautious. Chip can’t risk a lawsuit over a sprained ankle.”
Miles breathed out a sigh of relief. Good. Zoe would be fine. They just needed an emergency room doctor to tell the show that. Now he could relax and not worry.
“Okay, you two. Let’s go.” The medic rolled a wheelchair over to the doorway while Paige moved out of the way. Ben took his place by Zoe’s side. After she was comfortably seated, they walked toward to ambulance now waiting out front.
“Send an update from the hospital if you can,” Paige called as they disappeared out the doors.
They stood unspeaking, watching as Zoe and Ben were loaded into the ambulance. Ben really was the perfect choice to go with her. He was calm and comfortable in the hospital after all his surgeries and treatment over the last couple of years, while Zoe was anything but calm in a hospital setting. Knowing Ben was by Zoe’s side helped put Miles’s mind at ease. And Ben would do a better job of comforting Zoe than he ever would.
And in case he needed any distraction tonight while he waited up for them to come back, he still had Paige in his shirt to deal with.
• • •
“Is it safe to assume your two teams are now part of an alliance?” Evan asked, eyeing Paige who still wore Miles’s shirt over her petite frame. As soon as the ambulance pulled away, Evan had insisted they do their daily wrap-up segment. That way, when news came from the hospital, they would be free to deal with it. Miles couldn’t help but have a little more respect for Evan since he had singlehandedly gotten everything taken care of for them to have the interview area first.
“Are we part of an alliance?” Paige asked him, her eyes and tone of voice clearly asking more than that. Was it safe to share the information with the cameras yet? Was there any way to hide it now?
Were Paige and he really “only” an alliance or were they something more?
“I’m afraid there’s no point in hiding it anymore,” Miles said with a shrug. “Everyone is sure to find out when they realize we were all running to the check-in line as a unit. Yes, our two teams are officially in an alliance together.”
“How is it working out for you so far? Has the alliance been beneficial?” Evan asked.
Depends what you mean by beneficial. I’ve definitely seen a few perks to the arrangement. Like time with Paige.
“Sure. Our teams have been working really well together.” Miles smiled at Paige, thinking about the ways the two of them had specifically worked well together. As if she knew what he was thinking about, she blushed. Her cheeks turned the pretty shade of pink he loved on her.
“Does your alliance put you at an advantage over the other teams?”
Paige shook her head. “No more than any of the other alliances who have already formed.”
“Are you aware of other alliances between teams? Who are they?”
“Well, I don’t know specifically, but we can’t possibly be the only team who’s figured out how to make an alliance work in the structure of this game. I couldn’t give you names or anything, though.” She looked down at her hands, twisting them.
Miles felt an ache grow in his chest for her. He didn’t want her to feel bad about anything, certainly not about some silly interview questions. He reached across the armrests of the rocking chairs and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Her eyes met his, a connection of understanding sparking between them. His touch brought her comfort and seeing her comfort brought him a feeling of contentment. He liked being strong for Paige.
“We can’t be one hundred percent sure of anyone else’s business but our own, but Paige is right to believe there are some tight groups forming. Every night in the common room, more teams are talking in hushed voices or not even coming out of their rooms. The game is definitely on and we’re trying to stay with the pack.”
“One last question and I’ll let
you go,” Evan said, reading his notes. “Tonight Zoe was injured and taken to the hospital. How do you think her injury is going to affect your teams in the race?”
“As long as the doctors say she can race, it won’t change anything for us,” Paige said. “Zoe wants to win money and prizes and she’s not going to let any cache or injury stand in her way. She’s way too feisty for that.”
Evan signaled that they were done then packed up his camera and notes.
“You really think she’s going to race as hard as she has been?” Miles asked.
“Maybe you don’t know Zoe as well as I do, but she’s not going to let anything stop her, especially not some silly sore ankle.”
Miles sighed. He did know Zoe, better than Paige realized, and sadly he had to agree with her. Zoe was going to race hard and then he’d have three people to keep watch over.
• • •
Paige watched silently as Evan packed up his things and left. As they walked out of the filming area for the next team to go, Paige couldn’t help but let her mind wander back to Zoe being carted away in the ambulance earlier. Sure, Zoe annoyed the crap out of her, but she still worried that her ankle might be broken. And not because it would put them out of the competition, but because being stuck with a cast and not allowed to wear her heels would probably make Zoe even harder to live with.
“I guess I should get cleaned up since I apparently stink,” Paige said as they turned away from the doors.
“I can’t smell you.” Miles laughed.
“Only because you sat in the truck with me all day. You’re used to my stink by now.”
“Or maybe Zoe was just being Zoe and you don’t actually smell like anything but yourself.”
Myself with a hint of you from your shirt, she thought, resisting the urge to bury her nose in the fabric surrounding her.
“Maybe.” Paige swiped her hair away from her face. She felt disgusting even if she didn’t smell it. “Either way, I do need to wash the lake out of my hair and off my skin. I can only imagine how much goose poop is in that lake.”
Unscripted Love: The Complete Reality TV Romance Collection Page 36