Over the other side of the campsite, I could hear other couples arguing as they slowly filtered in from the surrounding forest. Corinne Ashworth was shouting at her husband, Jason, for getting them lost during their hike, and Jana Ramirez was snottily arguing with her husband, Chris, about something she claimed to have seen on the way up the mountain. She allegedly saw something resembling Bigfoot, but Chris was telling her over and over again that she’d simply seen a deer out of the corner of her eye and her brain was playing tricks on her.
“I know what I saw!” Jana was yelling now. “It was hairy and brown and huge!”
“For the fifteenth time, it was a deer!” Chris shouted back.
I looked over at Blake, an amused smile playing on my lips, and he met my gaze. His eyes were crinkled with mirth too, and a silent exchange passed between us as he briefly glanced at the fighting couples and then looked back to me. We might argue, but aren’t you glad we aren’t like them? his face seemed to say. I nodded, agreeing completely. All couples argued, but at least we weren’t going crazy on camera and embarrassing ourselves.
Wait, there I was again, thinking of us as a real couple.
Silly me.
When everyone was done with their tents, we all gathered in the middle of the campsite to help build an enormous bonfire. Then we sat on logs around it, toasting hot dogs and marshmallows in the flames while we chatted the night away.
The entire crew of the show was here with us, including the exec producer, Ed. His son Stephen was flirting with a very young lighting technician, and I rolled my eyes. Stephen was a junior producer on the show, but he was honest-to-god useless. He’d barely done anything so far, and it seemed like he left all the real work up to the other producers.
Goddamn nepotism.
Blake nudged me as I swallowed my tenth marshmallow for the evening. “Looking forward to spending the night in the tent with me?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
His face brightened. “Really?”
“Yep. As much as I’m looking forward to my next root canal.” I gave him a cheeky smile.
He chuckled. “Hilarious,” he said sarcastically. “Hey, how do you think we did in the challenge?”
“Pretty good. If we don’t come at least third in the poll for this week, I’ll be surprised.”
“Same.” He hesitated and looked out over the fire. The dancing flames cast shadows over the angles of his face, and I was glad I was seated, because my legs suddenly felt weak. “Remember when Dawson and I used to have those campouts in your backyard?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. Yes, I definitely remembered those occasions. “Uh-huh.”
“Good times, huh? I remember you came out a few times to toast marshmallows with us. But when we got older you weren’t allowed anymore, because we’d always sneak a bunch of beers in and we didn’t want you snitching to your parents.”
I turned my gaze away from him and looked into the fire. I remembered one particular campout Blake had with my brother very well. It involved a whole bunch of guys from the football team. They set up tents in our expansive backyard, then invited a bunch of girls from the cheerleading squad over. Mom and Dad were tired, so they were in bed and fast asleep by nine-thirty, and they snored straight through the raucous laughter and behavior.
I didn’t.
I stood at my bedroom window upstairs, peeking down and watching all the fun. I wished I wasn’t still thirteen. Wished I was older, more mature. Wished I could be like those lanky cheerleaders with their straight, shiny locks and skinny legs. The girls who always seemed to get the guys.
I kept watching. Dawson disappeared around the back of the garden shed with a friend to smoke a cigarette, and Blake stayed behind in the main party area between all the tents. There was a brunette girl giggling on his lap, and she slid higher up and parted her legs. I could see her panties under the short skirt she wore.
Blake absentmindedly stroked her bare thighs while he finished his beer, and I saw the girl close her eyes and let out a sound that was probably a moan. I couldn’t hear, so I could only guess by her facial expressions.
I knew I should turn away, but I couldn’t. I was fascinated. I’d never seen anything like this in real life. Never even thought about it.
The girl on Blake’s lap whispered something in his ear, her hair enveloping them like a curtain. When she moved back, I saw a grin on Blake’s face, and he nodded. He scooped her up in his arms like she weighed nothing at all, and he carried her into one of the tents.
After that, I could just make out their shadows in the tent. The girl was lying on her back, but she sat up for a second to strip off her sweater and bra. Then she lay back down, and Blake moved on top of her, slow and grinding in his movements. I wondered what it felt like for her. Wondered what it would be like if he touched me instead.
A blush warmed my cheeks, and I felt my nipples pebble beneath my thin pajama top. Something was happening to me. Something down…there. I felt hot and tingly. Wet, too. I dashed to the bathroom, wondering if it was my period, but there was no blood on my panties. I didn’t know what it was, although something deep inside told me it was because of Blake.
Now that I was over a decade older and reflecting on that memory, I knew exactly what it was. That was my very first moment of sexual awakening.
It was all because of Blake.
“What are you thinking about, Indi?” he asked, turning to me as he poked the fire with a long stick.
I wondered if it would be weird to tell him about that memory. I quickly decided that yes, it probably would be. It would sound totally pathetic. Knowing Blake, he was probably already watching hardcore porn on the internet when he was in his early teens, so to hear me admit that I didn’t get turned on by anything at that age until I saw him with a girl one night would make me look tragic.
I stood up. “I was just thinking about going to bed,” I said, feigning a yawn. “I’m pretty pooped.”
“Oh. I can come with you if you want?”
“No, it’s cool. You stay out here with everyone else and have fun,” I said, forcing myself to smile. I needed to be alone for a while, try to sort out my thoughts and feelings before my memories of Blake drove me crazy.
His brows furrowed, and he nodded slowly. “All right. Goodnight, Indi.”
I didn’t miss the disappointment in his expression, but I turned around anyway, calling out over my shoulder as I went.
“Night, Blake.”
Chapter Sixteen
Blake
I had no idea what stick was up Indi’s ass now, but I could tell there was something going on. She seemed fine a few hours ago, after we bonded ever-so-briefly over the tent building exercise. Then she seemed to go slightly cold and distant the second I brought up old Lakewater memories.
That seemed to be her thing with me, though—blowing hot and cold.
I wanted more blowing and less ‘hot and cold’.
I knew she didn’t want me to follow her, as much as I wanted to, so I stayed behind and chatted to Mike and a few of the other guys around the campfire for a while longer. After an hour, I bade them all goodnight and headed back to our tent.
When I quietly slid inside, I knew instantly that Indi had heard me coming and was pretending to be asleep. After sharing the inn room with her for the last week, I knew what she sounded like when she slept, and this wasn’t it. Usually she would mutter things when she dreamed and also breathe quite heavily, sometimes even snoring, but right now she was dead silent. Either she was faking sleep to avoid talking to me, or she was dead.
I slid over next to her, and it was then that I noticed how much she was shaking. She must’ve been freezing. It was spring, but it could still get very cold this far up north, especially at this altitude. Sighing, I unrolled my sleeping bag and unzipped it all the way so that it could fit over the both of us. After that, I went into my pack and grabbed a bulky jacket before placing that over Indi as well. Hopefully that would be enough t
o get her warmed up.
For good measure, I rolled over close to her and slid my arms around her so that my body heat would warm her up. I felt fine, so I didn’t mind sharing my warmth and blanket with her.
As I lay there trying to sleep, I realized this was the first time I’d ever lain close to a woman without trying to have sex with her (or outright having sex with her already). It felt nice, calming. As much as I would love to be with Indi in certain carnal ways, simply lying beside her like this and feeling her chest rise and fall with each breath was strangely satisfying. I’d never been a relationship kind of guy—something I was sure I’d made abundantly clear to Indi from day one, even back when we were teens—but right now, I regretted that with all my heart.
Casual flings were more my style, especially for a guy in my position who had to worry about gold-diggers, but this simple moment made me wonder what else I’d been missing out on all these years by rejecting serious relationships.
“Indi,” I murmured, wanting to check if she was feeling warmer now.
She didn’t reply, but she moaned softly, and I realized she’d finally gone to sleep.
I leaned forward and kissed her on the back of the head. She barely stirred.
“Night, baby,” I whispered. Then I closed my eyes.
It didn’t take me long to nod off. After the long day of hiking and filming we’d had, coupled with the few drinks I shared with the guys around the campfire earlier, I was pretty damn tired, so within moments of Indi falling asleep, I followed.
I woke up again with a start. It felt like I’d been asleep forever, although a quick glance at my digital watch told me it was still only two in the morning. Frowning as my half-asleep mind began to switch back on, I realized my arms were both empty. At some point I’d rolled over, leaving Indi on her own side.
I turned back over, and then I sat up, my heart thumping. She wasn’t next to me anymore. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere in the tent at all.
Indi was gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Indi
Leaves crunched beneath my feet as I crept through the forest near the campsite, trying to find a decent place to squat without waking half the crew and contestants. I’d woken up in the middle of the night with a desperate urge to pee, and I knew it couldn’t wait till morning. As such, I was relying on the light of the moon to guide me through the trees. Usually I would’ve used the light from my cell phone, but we weren’t allowed to bring any electronic devices onto the island as per our ‘I Do Or Die’ contracts.
I finally found a spot about fifty yards or so from the campsite—a small circular clearing nestled between myriad pine trees. After pulling my pants down, I squatted down and did my business, being extra careful to not mess it up and accidentally get any on my shoes. I was so jealous of men who could just whip it out and pee wherever they wanted. It wasn’t fair.
I reached into my pocket to grab some tissues, and when I’d wiped myself off, I stood back up and zipped my pants. As I did so, I heard a strange sound, and I froze.
Somewhere nearby, there was a strangled groaning and a weird scuffling sound. Almost as if something—or someone—heavy was being dragged through the forest. Then I heard a metallic zinging sound, like a knife being unsheathed, and that was followed by a horrible gurgling groan.
Fear coursed through me, making every hair stand on end as I tried to be as quiet as possible. What the hell was that?
Suddenly I heard footsteps close by. As quickly and quietly as possible, I crept toward the tree line surrounding the clearing and ducked behind a thick trunk. Then I peeked out. I could just make out the silhouette of a person stepping slowly through the forest, about thirty yards away. I was too far away to make out any details, and from my crouched position behind the tree, I couldn’t even tell if they were tall or short, because my perception was all wonky from the low angle. All I knew was that it was definitely a person skulking around.
My heart raced like mad as I tried to figure out what they were doing out here. Perhaps they just needed to pee as well, and they’d picked a similar spot to me. But if that were the case, then what the hell was that weird sound I heard? The metallic sound and the muffled groaning… it didn’t make sense.
When I saw that the person had moved a fair distance away and their footsteps were no longer audible, I calmed down a bit. Maybe they were just incredibly constipated, and that was what all the groaning was about. As for the metal sound—perhaps it was simply a zip being done up when their business was complete.
Yes, that could be it.
Feeling a little braver now that I’d vaguely rationalized what I heard and saw, I stood up. I was about to start heading back to the tent when I felt a heavy hand clamp over my mouth. I tried to scream, but the hand was pressed too heavily against my lips. I struggled as much as I could to get out of my attacker’s grip, but he or she was too strong for me.
“Indi, it’s me. It’s okay,” came a low murmur in my ear. “It’s Blake.”
He let go of me, and I whirled around, incensed. “What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.
He pressed his right index finger to his lips. “Shh. There’s someone else out here. I heard some weird shit. Sorry for putting my hand over your mouth like that, but I didn’t want you to scream and draw attention to us when I came up to you.”
I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my pounding heart. “You heard it too?” I said.
He nodded. “Yes. I dunno what it was. Maybe a hunter or something. But it’s weird.”
“Yeah. I was really freaked out,” I admitted, looking down at my feet.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“I needed to use the bathroom. But after I heard that weird stuff, I went to hide behind the trees.” I looked at him curiously. “Why are you out here?”
“I came to look for you. I realized you were gone from the tent, and I was worried.”
I nodded and tried to take another deep breath, but I couldn’t seem to catch any air. My lungs felt empty and I worried I might pass out, but Blake leaned down and put a hand on my shoulder before sliding it down to my back, patting me firmly. That seemed to get me breathing again. “You were really scared out here, weren’t you?” he asked softly.
I nodded. I wanted to reply, wanted to thank him for saving me from whatever the hell was out here in this forest. But I couldn’t seem to form any words. He was so close again, with that damn incredible scent of his, and all reason seemed to fly out the window as adrenaline continued to course through my veins.
And so I did the only thing I could think of.
I got up on my tiptoes and kissed him.
Chapter Eighteen
Blake
I was about to say something else to Indi when she interrupted me with a kiss. I was surprised, but I immediately leaned into it, all thoughts blasted from my mind the instant her tongue met mine, slowly snaking past my lips. I was enveloped by the scent of vanilla from her hair, and I groaned into her mouth, pulling her closer and tighter to me with my hands.
She broke the kiss and pulled back, staring up at me with hungry, lidded eyes. Even in the dim light out here, I could see a fire in her eyes; one that hadn’t been there earlier.
I leaned down and kissed her again. Indi’s body melted against me and her hands tentatively pressed into my back as her tongue clashed with mine.
I pulled back, running my thumb across her jaw. “You’re so fucking hot,” I muttered.
Her lips curled into the faintest of smiles, and she stood on her tiptoes again to kiss my chin. I tilted my head down to kiss her back before wrapping my arms around her waist and hoisting her into my arms. She gasped in surprise as I held her in the air, but she quickly grew accustomed to the new position and wrapped her legs around me. I kissed her hungrily now, desperately.
Her hands frantically clawed at my back as we embraced, and I set her down on the ground again before yanking my T-shirt off. I didn’t care where we w
ere, didn’t care that it was cold. The mood between us was scorching hot and intense, so we could’ve been in a damn freezer for all I cared.
Indi ran her hands over the contours of my chest and stomach as I stripped her of her jacket and pants. I left her top on as a bit of padding, and then I leaned down and grabbed her again, maneuvering her so that she was lying on a grassy patch on the forest floor. She let out another gasp, but she didn’t stop me.
I spread her legs, taking her by the hips as I brought her forward. Then I made quick work of her panties, tearing them right off before settling my head between her legs. I used my tongue in every way imaginable, swirling it over her clit, running it up and down the length of her slit, and curling it to dip just inside her entrance. She gasped beneath me, legs twitching.
“You taste so good,” I murmured against her, circling her clit again.
Her thighs began to quiver, and she moaned and gasped for breath, arching her back. I could tell she was about to come, but I wasn’t going to let that happen yet. I was going to tease her, draw the pleasure out, make her beg.
I unzipped my pants, reaching for my stiff cock.
Just as I was about to rub it against Indi’s clit, a beam of light hit a tree near us. “Shit,” I muttered, turning around.
Two people were heading in our direction from the campsite, and I recognized the voices as the Connellys.
“It’s so cold!” Addison was complaining.
“You’ll be okay. We’ll just find somewhere for you to pee, and then we can go straight back to the tent and get nice and snuggly again,” replied her husband, David.
I turned my attention back to Indi, who was still breathing heavily beneath me. “I guess we better take this back to our tent before they trip over us,” I said with a grin.
She suddenly stiffened, and I had a horrible feeling I was losing her again.
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