Payne: A Bad Boy Romance: (With bonus book Mine)

by Kim Linwood

  We switch, her eyes huge and her lower lip quivering.

  Liz gives me a confident nod. She might not know who I am, but I guess it’s obvious I’ve done this before. Even if she hasn’t been on the water since we were kids, I know she understands what needs to be done. Good thing it wasn’t one of the clueless teams that ended up with this shitty kayak.

  I’m kicking myself for leaving my satellite phone in the plane. If I had it, I could contact Blaze, or someone back at the estate. There’s a perfectly good helicopter on the pad at home. Sitting there completely useless, because I have nothing to call for it with.

  “You two don’t happen to have your phones with you?” I have to ask even though I know they were supposed to give them up.

  They shake their heads. Not that it matters since there’s no cell tower nearby, but I’d take any shot right now. We’re so dependent on those damned hunks of plastic. I feel fucking helpless and that’s not a feeling I enjoy, or intend to wallow in.

  Liz and I put our backs into it, getting as close as we can before we have to swim for it. Amanda is careful to hold the camera up out of the water, but at this point I couldn’t care less if anything goes down with the kayak.

  You know, aside from us.

  The wind picks up, driving the water up into choppy little peaks, topped with white foam. Nothing dangerous, but Amanda’s looking a little green. I’m not sure there’s any point to staying in the kayak. We might have to abandon it before we risk getting stuck in something as it goes down.

  A raindrop smacks into my forehead.

  Great.

  I rest my paddle across the bow. “Everyone can swim, right?”

  “What?” Amanda asks, clearly terrified. “Yeah, but like, in pools. I can’t—”

  “That’s fine,” Liz interrupts before I can freak Amanda out even more. “We can see the shore from here. The water is warm, and they know where we are. You don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer or anything. He was just asking to make sure we wouldn’t panic or anything. Right?”

  “Right. Exactly. Now… Sarah and I are going to help you get out, and then we’ll carefully join you in the water. I’ll put the camera somewhere safe, and we can hang onto the kayak for support.” Fortunately, it takes a lot to completely sink a kayak, but without a way to bail ourselves out, it’s not going to be able to hold us up much longer.

  I toss the camera into the compartment with the trash, hoping Blaze is the one to get a handful of nasty while he retrieves it.

  The wind picks up, and what started with occasional raindrops turns to light rain. By the time we’re all treading water, the swells have grown, leaving us bobbing up and down in the warm ocean. The clouds roil above us, quick to form, and probably quick to dissipate, but not before they turn a bad situation worse.

  We make our way in silence, slowly swimming towards home. I’m on one side of the kayak, and the two girls on the other. Liz works hard, her hair slicked back and single minded focus written all over her familiar features. Amanda, well, she does her best.

  God, I missed Liz when she left. Not that I had a lot of time to dwell on it before my father shipped me off to boarding school, but without her, the island wasn’t the same anyway.

  I want to rip off this stupid disguise and ask her why she’s here. How hasn’t she recognized me yet? When I pulled off my glasses, she looked right past me and just slipped into the water.

  A wave broadsides us, washing over the kayak and soaking us all. Amanda whimpers. Liz wipes her face and kicks hard, determined to keep going.

  I rap the top of the kayak near where she’s holding on. “Slow down. There’s no point in wearing ourselves out. We’ll get there.”

  Liz looks up, irritation quickly replaced by shock. “Holy shit,” she whispers.

  It takes me a second to realize what the problem is.

  My wig bobs off to the side like a fuzzy jellyfish, and the way the water pulls on my fake beard, it’s not going to last much longer.

  Amanda looks up. “Oh my God!”

  A million emotions fly across Liz’s face. Ten years’ worth of words threaten to spill across her lips, none of which she says. The waterlogged silence stretches between us.

  She knows.

  I know.

  But she doesn’t know I know.

  For once I’m glad Amanda is with us, because she fills the chasm of confusion and awkwardness with an ear shattering squeal.

  “I KNEW IT! Oh my God. I totally knew it. When you kept, like, being there—on camera and stuff—I said to myself ‘he’s not a pilot’. Except, you totally are a pilot, but not just a pilot. Know what I mean?” She’s grinning for the first time since the water started filling our kayak, and she reaches out and shakes Liz’s arm in excitement.

  Liz laughs woodenly, and shakes her head. “Wow. Yeah. I… You got me.” She’s stunned, and I’m fucking glad, because now I know she’s getting a taste of what I felt earlier.

  “I was almost worried there for a while, but we’ll be fine. There’s no way they’ll let us drown. Not when we’re here with you. Tell me the truth, is this all part of the show?” Amanda looks at me like I’m about to snap my fingers and command a helicopter to come down from the sky.

  I don’t have the heart to tell her no. “Well, I’m not allowed to give anything away, but you know how these shows are.”

  “I knew it!”

  Liz rolls her eyes. One of which is back to its usual brown. Her contact must’ve gotten washed out. Her original coloring isn’t as brilliant as the other, but more real. More her.

  What’s there to say? “Surprise.”

  9

  Hunter

  I’d give anything to know what she’s thinking right now. We’re heading for shore, but now Amanda uses more energy flirting with me than she does kicking, and even Liz is slowing down.

  I pull off the last of the shit glued to my face. It’s a huge relief to be myself again, though I was enjoying their little conversation about me when they didn’t know who I was.

  “How are you guys doing? Do you need to take a breather?”

  “Yes,” Amanda says with a sigh of relief, while Liz shakes her head no.

  “We’ll just take a minute, alright? But we can’t stop too long or we’ll cool down. It’s better if we keep moving.”

  “I am pretty cold now that you mention it.” Amanda bats her eyelashes. It’d be cuter if she didn’t look like a soggy, blonde raccoon. “Maybe we should snuggle up to share heat.”

  “Yeah, because what he needs is to drag you and the kayak,” Liz snaps.

  Jealousy? Nah. Probably just exhausted.

  “We could take turns?” Amanda suggests.

  Liz looks like she’s about to blow. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Girls…” I start, but get silenced by two angry stares.

  The weather picks that moment to turn on us again, pelting our heads with almost painfully large raindrops. It’s hard to believe it’s possible to feel even more wet, but as the rain slides down my face, over my eyes and into my nose and mouth, I do. This might be one of the circles of hell Dante was on about.

  If it isn’t, it should be. Fucking tropical weather.

  Fucking TV show.

  “Let’s go. There isn’t much left.” Which is a lie, but like a parent saying ‘We’re almost there’ to the kids in the backseat, I have no clue how long it’s going to take, and they don’t want to hear that.

  That’s when a rumbling sound slowly separates itself from the thrum and crash of the ocean around us. It grows clearer, more distinct, until it’s a rapid beat, obviously motorized. Rotors. No music made by man has ever sounded so sweet. I shout and dive under for a second, coming back up and shaking off the water with a shit-eating grin. “Thank fucking God.”

  Liz and Amanda look at each other, and then back at me curiously.

  “Don’t you hear it?”

  “Hear what?” Liz cocks her head to hear better.

  “The
helicopter!”

  She stays still for a second, and then relief spreads slowly over her face.

  We smile at each other, and I forget about the way my clothes chafe against my skin, and the rain is dripping into my ears.

  Her hair is all wrong, and her eyes are mismatched, but that connection we used to have snaps right back into place. Her tongue steals out, licking across her blue-tinged lips, and the urge to kiss her nearly has me moving to close the distance.

  “Yay! Finally.” Amanda claps happily, bobbing uncontrolled for a bit in the water.

  Giving her head a shake, Liz’s expression hardens. She hauls Amanda back to the side of the kayak. “I know you’re my competition, but I’d rather not lose you at sea.”

  Amanda grins. “Aw. Love you too, honey.”

  What started as a low thrum, grows louder and louder until it’s right over us. A black helicopter bursts out of the fog and clouds, flying low. We wave our arms, shouting even though they’ll never hear over their own noise.

  They pass straight over, hardly slowing before disappearing back into the clouds.

  “No fucking way!” I shout. “Get your shiny metal ass back here!”

  “Relax, there’s no way they didn’t see us. I’m sure they’ll be back.”

  I know Liz is right, but I hate feeling helpless. It’s something I felt way too often growing up, and I’ve done everything in my power to change.

  “Let’s go! Keep swimming!” I snarl.

  Amanda sniffs. I refuse to look to see if she’s crying.

  “Hunter.” Liz calls.

  I ignore her.

  “Hunter!”

  “What?” I slap my arm into the water and turn on her.

  She reaches over and puts a hand on the arm I’m holding the kayak with. “They’ll be back.”

  The heat from her hand seeps into me. There’s no way she’s not just as chilled as I am, but where we touch, it’s burning hot.

  As if in response, the sound of rotors grows louder again, and this time the helicopter comes in slow. The air pressure flattens the seas around us, creating a frothy ring at the edge. When I find out who that pilot is, I’m giving them the bonus to end all goddamn bonuses.

  “Told you so,” Liz teases.

  I shoot her a glare. “Shut up.”

  “Children!” Amanda splashes both of us, nearly ending up on her back in the process.

  With a dull clunk, the side door is pulled open and a helmeted face pokes out. He waves, then ducks back in, but returns quickly, throwing out a harness attached to a rope. It drops most of the way, stopping suddenly, just out of reach, before it’s lowered slowly the last couple feet.

  Liz reaches up to grab it.

  “Amanda first,” I suggest.

  “Of course. I’m just holding it.” Liz looks at me like I’m an idiot.

  Amanda beams like she was just crowned prom queen.

  We help her into the harness, fingers clumsy with cold. Liz avoids looking at me, which is tricky given our current situation.

  She quirks her lips to the side as Amanda rises into the air. “You do realize she’s going to think this means you’ll marry her. She’s going to lord this over the rest of us for as long as she’s here.”

  “True, but you could always remind her that it gave you a little private time with me.”

  The harness comes back down.

  “Ah yes, what a prize.” She looks up, avoiding me again.

  Curious. “Don’t you want to win… Sarah?”

  She freezes and looks away. “Of course.”

  How can she possibly believe I don’t recognize her? Maybe I didn’t at first glance, but she could wear a clown suit and I’d still see through it.

  I help her into the harness, enjoying the contact. Probably a little too much given the way she bats my hands away from the lower straps.

  When it’s my turn, I slip the straps on and enjoy the ride. Water pours out of my flight suit, and my bare feet swing in the cool air. Someone reaches out to grab me, and I roll onto the deck as soon as I’m up. The slam of the door being shut behind me is almost as sweet as the sound of the rotors.

  When I look up, Danny’s grinning right back at me. He slaps me on the arm. “About fucking time you guys got with the program. The rest are already at home waiting for you!”

  I muster the energy to give him the finger before I drag myself up into a seat next to Liz. She’s wrapped up in a thick blanket, just like Amanda who’s in front of us. Our eyes meet.

  “I like the brown.”

  She blinks.

  “Your eyes. I like the brown.”

  Color splashes her cold, pale cheeks. Her hand reaches up to her face. “Shit.”

  “Is also brown.” I lean back and close my eyes.

  Amanda, close enough to hear, snorts a laugh. “Well, at least I know I don’t have to worry about Sarah.”

  “Hey!” Liz snaps. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Yeah. I want to know too, but wisely keep my mouth shut.

  “Oh please. He treats you like a sister.”

  10

  Liz

  The jolt of the helicopter landing wakes me. The flight can’t have been longer than a couple of minutes, but somehow I dozed off anyway. I blink myself awake. God, I’m exhausted.

  Hunter stretches. His blanket falls to the side, and since his flight suit is unzipped to his waist, the thin t-shirt he has on underneath doesn’t do much to hide the way his muscles flex as he moves. In front of us, Amanda snores softly, curled up in her blanket next to the guy who helped pull us up.

  I reach between the seats and poke her in the arm. “Amanda?”

  “Mmmhmm?”

  “You okay?”

  She yawns and cranes her head to look at me. “I have salt in places salt should never go, and this shirt will never be the same, but I’m surrounded by handsome men so I can’t complain.”

  Hunter chuckles, and the other guy flushes red, right up to the roots of his fiery hair.

  “Ugh, tell me about it.” I squirm in my seat. Underwires are not intended for use as aquatic sports bras. “Once I shower and get dry, I don’t think I want to see water again for a while.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Hunter watching me. Has he figured out who I am? He called me Sarah, but if he knew, I’m sure he’d say something. Have me arrested. Kick me off the show. Something.

  Instead, I think he’s trying to use x-ray vision to see through the top of my dress.

  I let out a tense breath. The simplest explanation is probably the correct one. It’s cold in here, and he’s a perv. I pull up my blanket and he turns away.

  Amanda chews her lip. “Um… Listen. I know in the next few weeks, this show will probably make us do and say all sorts of crazy things, but I wanna say that no matter what, thank you.”

  “We were all in it together.” Hunter reaches forward and gives her shoulder a squeeze.

  “No.” She shakes her head. “Without you two, things could’ve gone much worse. Y’all knew what to do, and kept me from losing it out there. I won’t forget that.”

  Something about her words makes me feel like she’s saying more than she is. Does she know something about the show that I don’t? I smile and nod, letting it drop. There is definitely more to Amanda than giggles and charm, but I genuinely like her. Being suspicious makes me feel guilty.

  The rotors slow down until they’re nearly stopped, their sound transforming from a high pitched whine down to a slow swoosh. Hunter and the other man get up, opening the door and helping us out.

  My knees sway when my feet land on solid ground. I haven’t stood on something steady for hours, and by now it feels like a novelty. Ground, sweet solid ground.

  The weather has always been a bit unpredictable around here, but now the rain has passed, and the sun is out again, warming my skin and turning my hair into a salt-encrusted mess.

  Which is of course exactly what the cameras catch as we stagger out. Ap
parently word has gotten around about who the pilot was. All I want to do is find my room and lie down, but the other contestants mob us, shrieking and clapping. Well, they mob Hunter, anyway, effectively pushing Amanda and me away from him. We could’ve drowned, and I don’t think they would’ve noticed.

  It makes me angry how they crowd around him. It’s not like any of them know him like I do. I want to throw myself back in and push them away, but I stand back and watch him smile and flirt like a returning hero. You’d think I was jealous or something.

  Which I’m totally not.

  Finally the crew steps in, forcing the girls back so Hunter has some room to breathe. Blaze throws his arms wide, and walks over.

  Hunter pushes past me, gunning right for him. “What the fuck happened? Our boat was a fucking leaky sponge, and you stranded us out there!”

  Blaze holds up his hands as he stops and backs up a step. His eyes dart nervously back and forth between the cameras. “Hey now! The rental service guaranteed the safety of all the kayaks, and it wasn’t my fault your girls were going for Olympic gold.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Campbell. One of the other groups had a problem with their paddle, and we got a call warning us to put off the competition because of incoming weather.” Blaze’s assistant steps in front of his boss, doing his best to mollify a furious Hunter. “They did try to get your attention, I swear, but you didn’t seem to notice. At that point we notified the estate, and the backup pilot flew us over.”

  Hunter doesn’t take his eyes off Blaze, but his stance relaxes a little as the assistant babbles on. He smiles, but only an idiot would mistake it for a friendly expression. An idiot like Blaze, who claps him on the arm, ready to move on and start filming. Hunter’s hand shoots out, grips Blaze by the wrist and twists, just a little. Tension and the potential for violence radiate between them. Nobody moves.

  “Are you aware of who’s financing this show?” Hunter bites out coldly.

  Blaze nods, eyes wide.

  “That’s good, because I was afraid that since my name isn’t officially on your paycheck, you might be confused. Make no mistake. I will be paying close attention to where my pennies are spent, and if I have any reason to believe that they aren’t being used wisely, I will put this operation down faster than a rabid dog. Are we clear?”