She could get used to this superpower.
“Take the next left and then I think we’re going to have to go on foot from there,” she said, directing Miles as close as she could to the cache location.
He turned left onto a side road then pulled over onto a grassy shoulder. There didn’t appear to be any kind of trail to follow, but the cache was definitely close by. And hidden in the cluster of trees if her guess at distance and direction was right.
“Can I see that?” Miles asked, motioning to the GPS unit in her hand as they stood beside the truck. She handed it over, curious if he would come to the same estimation.
“It’s through those trees somewhere, I think,” she said, pointing off into the distance.
“I think you’re right. Are you sure you don’t want to change your shoes before we off road it?” He grinned, obviously teasing her.
Yes, I do, but I’m not going to because that’s not what Zoe would do.
“Nope, I’m good,” she said, setting her jaw tight and straightening her shoulders. She’d prove to him — and herself — that she could look good and still get the job done. She took a few steps forward, sinking into the soft ground of the ditch. And hopefully she wouldn’t break her ankle while she was out here.
He chuckled and fell into step at her side. “So what made you decide on the footwear change all of a sudden? Hiking boots not working out so well for all the hiking we’ve been doing?”
Paige glanced to the side but he was looking straight ahead. Now what would Zoe say if she was in this position with him?
She’d flirt her ass off, of course.
But how? Paige wasn’t a natural flirt. She didn’t understand how people could put themselves out there like that by saying flirty things. Probably a big reason why she’d never really made any connection with bachelor Brad on the last show.
Did she want to make the same mistake this time around? It was only a little harmless flirting. And probably better to jump in and get her feet wet out here where she’d only embarrass herself in front of Miles and Evan and not in a room full of other teams, which was exactly what would happen if she waited to start flirting until she was back at base camp.
“I think your fascination with my footwear is rather interesting. Most men wouldn’t remember what color shirt a girl wore today let alone her choice of shoes on previous days.” She swallowed. Oh boy. “Maybe you have a hidden shoe fetish thing going on.”
Fetishes were sexy-talk, right?
He chuckled again. “No. But I can’t help it if I pay attention to things I like.”
Oh, well then … What was I just saying?
She tried to make her voice sound sexy like the women in movies always did when they were trying to seduce someone. “So you do like the stilettos.”
“I do,” he said quietly. “But they don’t strike me as being your style.”
“You don’t really know me well enough to know my style,” she challenged, suddenly feeling like she had to defend her shoe choices. “Maybe these are the shoes I wear everyday in my normal life outside of the show.”
Just then a tree root popped up out of the ground and grabbed her ankle on purpose as if the universe had a point to prove, causing her to stumble. Before she could catch herself, Miles caught her, holding her against his chest for the second time. It was even better than the first.
“You were saying about your normal shoes?” He smirked.
She met his gaze, putting on her best poker face. “That could have happened in flats.”
“Could have, but didn’t.” He set her back on her feet, letting his hand linger on her lower back for a few steps while she got her balance again. A difficult task when his hand on her back made her knees feel like they’d been replaced with silly putty.
“Maybe you should save these shoes for around base camp at night and use the hiking boots for hiking.”
“If Zoe can hike in stilettos, I can too.”
“Not everything Zoe does should be copied.”
Since when did men have anything negative to say about Zoe?
For the next quarter mile, they walked in silence following the arrow of the GPS. A few more minutes and they should reach the cache. Paige leaned in closer to the unit, watching the distance on the screen decreasing. Ten more feet.
The ground fell away beneath her and she was suddenly on her back, sliding down a very bumpy surface. After a short slide, she came to a stop, staring up at the canopy of trees.
Ouch.
Footsteps pounded down the slope after her then Miles was down on his knees in the dirt beside her.
Well hello there, Mr. Muscles. Let’s get dirty together.
The image of getting dirty in the forest with Miles was a little more sex kitten than her usual train of thought. Did I hit my head on the way down?
Or maybe it was the influence of the super hot, super built man hovering over her with concern in his eyes that caused the shift in her mental state.
“Are you okay?” Miles asked, touching the side of her face and turning her head first one direction and then the other. Her eyes never left his.
“I’m fine. Just dirty — muddy,” she clarified. Not that he could read her mind, but still. “I’ll get up now.”
“Let me help you,” he said, standing over her and wrapping his large hands around her upper arms, pulling her up to stand in front of him. His hands dropped to her waist and she found hers groping his chest again. Seemed she couldn’t keep her hands off of him. Not that the rest of her complained in the least.
“Thanks,” she whispered, looking up to meet his gaze. The mix of concern and … something else made her breath hitch in her throat. Damn.
“My pleasure.”
Her feet went out from under her again, but this time she didn’t slide down the slope. Possibly because she’d managed to drag Miles down to the ground with her. Perhaps his body weight pressing her into the soft dirt was enough to stop her from going anywhere.
Definitely every inch of his tall, muscular body against hers was enough to cause the lightheadedness she now felt.
Or possibly the lightheadedness could be from his leg pressing against the junction of her thighs. He’d managed to anchor them both to the ground as she straddled his leg. Yes, that could cause lightheadedness to hit full force.
As could the length of something else currently pressing into her.
Either he suddenly had less blood traveling to his brain or he’d managed to shove a tree branch in his pocket on the way down the hill. A very large tree branch.
She stared up at him from where he rested, propped up on one elbow, staring back at her, his breathing heavy. She should probably say something, if only she could form words. Or thoughts.
He brushed the hair out of her eyes with his free hand. “You really need to lose those shoes.”
“No,” she said quietly. Sure, they may be death traps, but look where they’d gotten her. Just this morning she’d been hoping for a little of his attention, and now Miles was lying on top of her. Liking it too, if his tree branch was any indication of what was going on inside his head.
“Why not?”
“Because I like them,” she said. She liked the position they’d managed to put her in too.
“You’re going to get hurt. Tomorrow you leave the shoes behind or we don’t work together anymore.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said, trying to wiggle out from beneath him so that maybe she could have more dignity while she stood up to him. But a twitch of something hard against her made her fall still again. She could have dignity from right where she was. “I’ll wear whatever shoes I want.”
“Tell me why you really decided high heels were a good idea and maybe I’ll understand.”
“That’s my business
.”
He laughed, letting his head fall forward as he did. Any further and it would rest on her shoulder. When he looked at her again, his expression was serious. “Given our current predicament, I think it’s my business too.”
Could she admit it? Could she tell him the truth that she’d bought and worn the shoes so he’d finally notice her? What would a flirty, confident girl do in this situation?
She wouldn’t tell him, that’s for damn sure.
“I, um,” she stammered. Great confident start. She cleared her throat and solidified her resolve. If she didn’t say something flirty now, she probably wasn’t going to get a more intimate opportunity. “I just wanted a little more … sexiness … with my outfit.”
That was flirty, wasn’t it?
Or now I’ll die of humiliation when you bolt off of me like I’m covered in fire ants.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “You think the tight yoga tops you wear aren’t sexy enough?”
You do?
“Oh, well.” She looked away. No, actually, she didn’t think yoga tops were sexy at all, but they were tight. And possibly paired with the bra it might be considered sexy. Sexy-ish. Hell, if yoga tops got Miles looking at her like he was right now, he could call them whatever he wanted to.
Wait a second.
“So you think I’m sexy?” Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how she felt about this new tidbit of information. Huh.
“Was there ever a doubt in your mind after the way you looked in the kitchen the other night?”
“Oh,” she said weakly, unable to think of anything more intelligent.
“Now, if you’d paired these heels with those tiny shorts and thin little tank top you wore that night … ” He paused, leaning in closer. “Well, then concentrating on driving without staring into the rearview mirror would have been a real trick.”
His mouth hovered over hers, his breath tickling her lips.
I should say something …
“Good thing then, I guess. We wouldn’t want to end up in a ditch somewhere.”
Not something stupid …
He smiled. “As opposed to the ditch we’re in right now? No, I think I quite like this one.”
Miles lowered his mouth to hers, so softly she wondered if she’d dreamed it. She tilted her chin for a better angle and kissed him back. Her breath froze in her lungs as his tongue slipped into her mouth.
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck, positioning her head just how he wanted it, trailing a line of kisses along her jaw to her ear where his then nibbled. “This ditch is pretty awesome actually.”
She wished he would shut up and kiss her again. And she wished they were somewhere more comfortable than the ground. Not that the hard ground was much of a concern given the fact that Miles was currently nibbling on her neck and making good progress toward her collarbone. Every kiss sent another wave of heat quivering through her belly.
Then he kissed her again and there was no mistaking that he wished they were somewhere more comfortable too.
The sound of a twig snapping from somewhere near them broke their kiss. Evan stood only a few feet away, camera aimed right at their tryst happening in the woods. How had she forgotten Evan was here and that meant every moment with Miles was now caught on film?
Paige glared up at Evan. “Got that all on film?”
He nodded.
Miles climbed to his feet then pulled her to standing too, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist this time. “You wanna do me a favor and delete that footage?”
Evan shook his head.
“I’m telling Cassidy.” It was a silly threat since Cassidy would probably love to see this all play out on TV like everyone else, but it was the only threat she had.
“Let’s worry about the footage later. We’ve lost a lot of time already,” Miles said, turning Paige to face him. “I’m taking the shoes.”
“No, you’re not,” she said, trying to step away.
“Fine then, have it your way.” Miles picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder, then smacked her on the ass. “Keep the shoes. I’ll do this the hard way.”
• • •
“How was it working with different partners today?” Evan asked as Paige and Zoe settled into their daily wrap-up interview.
“It was great,” Paige said, possibly too enthusiastically judging by the expression of amusement on Zoe’s face. “I mean, it was fun in a different sort of way.”
Evan smirked behind the camera. Of course, he knew exactly what kind of fun she’d had today. The question was whether or not he’d bring it up in the questions. She wasn’t quite ready to share her thoughts about it yet, even if the viewing audience would get to see what actually happened.
“I really enjoyed hanging out with Ben,” Zoe said. “He was funny and easy to talk to all day. A big contrast from my usual partner.”
“Hey,” Paige griped, swatting Zoe on the shoulder for her rude comment. “I’m funny and easy to talk to too.”
“Sure you are, in a Paige sort of way. But let’s face it. It was nice for both of us to get a little break from the other for a day, wasn’t it?”
“True.”
“Does that mean you would be up to racing with Team Everest again if that twist happened a second time?”
“Sure,” both girls said together.
“What about forming an alliance with them since you all seemed to get along so well? Would you consider doing that with Ben and Miles or perhaps a different team?”
Paige and Zoe looked at each other. They’d talked about it, decided on it basically, but did they want to share that in the interview? Would anyone else get to see this footage before the show actually aired? What was the best way to answer this question without lying?
“I … we — ” Paige started, still unsure of what to say.
“What Paige is trying to say is that we’ve decided to keep our strategy to ourselves, for right now. We can’t be too careful when there are so many teams around to compete with. So for now, our strategy is off the table for discussion during these daily wrap-ups.”
Evan glanced down at his questions. “Okay, then. I guess that’s all I have for you since the rest of the questions Chip wanted me to ask are strategy based. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with your decision.” He laughed, getting up and straightening out his papers. “And he thought Cassidy was the one who would give him trouble.”
“Well, Chip should know better than to underestimate me. If he gives you any lip about it, you send him my way and I’ll deal with him myself,” Zoe said, a twinkle in her eye and a smile playing on her lips as if she’d started daydreaming. She walked out of the room and left Paige to stare after her without another word.
Zoe thinking about Chip in a daydreamy way? Odd. Very odd.
“Do you really think Chip will be upset with us? Because we probably could talk a bit about our strategy if we really had to.” Paige didn’t like the thought of the producer being mad at her.
“He’ll be fine.” Evan put down his camera. “Between you and me, you’re making a good choice to keep things tight-lipped.”
“Thanks for saying that, Evan.” Paige relaxed.
“And by tight-lipped, I don’t mean smooching with your alliance members.” Evan laughed and walked away.
Paige’s cheeks grew hot. Thank God Evan had said that last part off camera since she still hadn’t had a chance to tell Zoe about the kiss with Miles yet. And she didn’t need Zoe cracking comments on camera either.
Chapter Twelve
Miles stretched out on his bed, his hands folded behind his head as his muscles ached at the abuse they’d taken during the day. It had seemed like an easy enough cache to get — wander a few hundred feet into the woods, search around a bit, log it, and get back
to the SUV and on to the next one.
Then Paige had taken her spill down the hill on those ridiculous heels and he’d been a goner ever since. He’d had to carry her the rest of the way to the cache, not that he’d minded all that much. Aside from the difficult terrain, having Paige over his shoulder had been rather awesome. And the little smack on the ass he’d given her hadn’t been too shabby either.
But it had slowed them down. As had their kiss. Damn, that kiss …
And of course it all had to happen on a day he’d been hoping to make up for lost time. He’d really thought he’d be able to knock out a solid ten caches with Paige, instead of the five he and Ben usually logged.
Not matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to keep focused on the game. Either he was worrying about how Ben was holding up or he worried about what kind of trouble Zoe was getting herself into. And now he had to add Paige to his list of worries too. He had to worry about whether or not she was going to twist her ankle in those stupid shoes. And he had to worry about whether or not he’d have enough blood flowing to his brain at any given time while in Paige’s presence to function at a normal human level.
None of which was conducive to running a fast race. Exactly the reason they were still pulling up damn close to last place.
At least with today’s combined caches, both his team and the girls’ team had been able to move up in the ranks two places. Finally they weren’t dead last.
“I expected you and Paige to rack of up the points today. What happened?” Ben asked, walking out of the bathroom.
“Those shoes happened.”
Ben laughed. “I think Zoe’s finally corrupted her. And of all days when we really could have used the help.”
“I hear you. You and Zoe did okay getting another seven caches too. How was it with her today? Was she unbearable?”
Ben sat on the edge of his bed and slipped off his prosthetic, massaging the reddened skin for a minute, then sliding under the covers. “Actually, she was great. I’ve never seen her be so nice before.”
Stuck on You (Crimson Romance) Page 10