by Kim Linwood
“Yeah, well. Too bad I was there for a couple of them.”
He tugs me over to Giant Bob and crouches down. Brushing away dirt and leaves, some old scratches come into view. “Liz, I was barely nineteen and an idiot. That was probably a month before I got my first tattoo. The last thing I wanted was to look like a loser in front of you.”
I blink my burning eyes and sniff. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” He lets go of my arm, and smooths a hand over my cheek. “Do you remember carving these?”
It’s our initials, after all these years. The tree didn’t forget, and neither did I. “Of course.”
“I would’ve loved to be your first. Fuck, just thinking about it makes me want to go kick whoever’s ass it was, but honestly? It would’ve been a giant fucking mess. You probably would’ve hated me after a week and I would’ve screwed it up royally. At least now we might stand a chance.”
Clear blue eyes meet my own fake green ones. He’s an open book, and I’m still an imposter. I know I can’t go through with anything that would hurt him, but I don’t know how to get out of this mess without that happening.
My heart never stood a chance.
32
Hunter
Leis? I’m supposed to give them fucking leis?
They are aware this isn’t Hawaii, right?
The remaining six women stand on the beach in a half circle, with Blaze and me opposite them. Surrounding us are large tiki torches planted in the sand, holding the tropical night at a distance. At least they skipped the hula dancers.
I pull at the collar of my neatly pressed, white dress shirt, uncomfortable. Both because of the over-starched collar and because this is the last big elimination, the choice is entirely up to me.
Blaze steps forward. “Ladies, our weeks together have been decadent, exciting and romantic. You’ve all had your chance to make an impression on our bachelor. Some more than others,” he adds with a wink. “But this isn’t about rowing, or wrestling, or diving. It’s about love. Tonight we’ll find out who has managed to catch Hunter’s eye, and who will be leaving us.”
Yeah, for the first time, I’m going to be the bad guy.
Elena glares at me, making no attempt to hide her animosity. She’s been a camera favorite, but I’ve avoided her like the plague. I don’t think anybody expects me to choose her. Even Elena.
Liz is staying. Obviously.
The others I’m less sure about. Amanda and Megan are fun and harmless. It won’t hurt to keep them around. That leaves Bianca and Meredith. Neither have stood out, but Bianca was the only other contestant that dared the dive. I guess that gets her a point.
“Before we get started, there’s one more chance for a lucky lady to stay with us.” Blaze smiles at the assistant that comes out with a glass bowl full of tags. She holds it up for him. “Each one of these has the name of one of our contestants written on it. The name I draw tonight will receive the first lei from Hunter. So if you’re unsure about your chances, you’d better pray your name comes up.”
The low, steady sound of drums plays from a recording in the background. It’s a close call, but I manage to not roll my eyes. This is just getting hokier and hokier.
Blaze makes a big show of closing his eyes and twirling around twice, as if that’s going to do anything. His assistant points him in the right direction while all the girls watch nervously. Megan grabs Amanda’s hand and squeezes it. Bianca and Liz exchange glances and small smiles.
It doesn’t really matter who wins the immunity. I have my preferences, but Liz stays either way. This setup still feels pretty shitty, though.
Blaze plucks a tag out between his thumb and forefinger. He palms it, looking at each girl in turn. “One of you will be breathing easy in a moment. Can you read the name, Hunter?” Holding up the tag, he rotates it so I can see the name.
I pluck it from his fingers, eager to get this over with as fast as fucking possible. “Amanda.” My fingers trace the rough edge of the paper as I slip it into my pocket.
She puts a hand to her chest and her eyes go wide, like she’s winning a beauty pageant. Giving Megan a little hug, she leaves the other women behind and floats forward until she’s right in front of me, looking up expectantly. I do my duty, picking a lei up from the table and draping it over her head.
Unexpectedly, she throws her arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Oh, thank God. I was more nervous than a cat judging a dog show!”
She clings to me while I pat her back awkwardly.
“Well, it looks like someone is excited to stay! Save it for later, sweetie. You’ll get your chance.” Blaze says to a giggling Amanda. Turning to me, he claps me on the shoulder. “I know this isn’t an easy decision, but let your heart lead the way and you’ll never go wrong.”
I grimace. “Thanks, Hallmark… I mean Blaze.”
He laughs, but his eyes shoot daggers.
First Bianca. She looks shocked to be chosen, but recovers quickly, her face splitting into a pretty smile as she joins Amanda by the table. Megan too seems surprised when I offer her one of the remaining two leis.
Liz watches me closely. Her fingers play with her skirt, nervously working at a seam. She’s going to take it apart if she doesn’t stop worrying at it, and while the idea of her skirt coming off isn’t an unpleasant one, her timing could be better.
Is she worried? She shouldn’t be. She has to know I’m not letting her slip through my fingers yet. As tempting as it is to tease her a bit, I let her off the hook.
“And Sarah,” I announce.
From the sound of it, she’s been holding her breath. Her beautiful eyes connect with mine, and her face opens in a relieved smile. She steps forward, leaving Meredith and Elena behind, looking dejected and disdainful, respectively. Neither looks shocked, or surprised, but the reality of being rejected still sucks. The eliminations are my least favorite part of this circus.
Other than Blaze.
I place the flowers carefully around Liz’s neck, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Her skin is hot against my lips, and I want to take it to the next level, but while I’m sure the cameramen would be more than happy to film us fucking on the beach, that’s not going to happen. I didn’t kiss Bianca or Megan, but I’m not letting Amanda steal the whole show.
“I just got lei’ed on national TV,” Liz whispers.
A laugh bursts out before I can stop it. “Was it a good lei?”
“You’ve done better.”
33
Liz
“Someone’s going to catch us one of these nights.” I’m stretched out on the blanket Hunter brought, staring up at the stars. It’s the third night this week we’ve met on the roof like teenagers sneaking away from their parents.
“If you keep screaming like that, yeah.”
He rolls over on top of me, blotting out the sky. My lips part, and for a while I get lost in my study of his amazing body. Hardly any of us are left, and the next big challenge is coming up. I hate to think about it, but I don’t have forever to spend here. I don’t want to waste a single second.
Hunter groans. “Fuck, we’ve gotta stop or I won’t get any sleep tonight.”
“Again,” I point out with a laugh. “And I wouldn’t scream so much if you weren’t so good at it.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Hell no. Totally worth it.”
“Even if they find out and send you home?” He leans on his side, propped up on one elbow. The moon is behind him, illuminating his skin but casting his face in shadow.
I think about it. “Even if.”
I put so much at risk coming here, and nothing has changed, but even if I went home tomorrow, I can’t make myself regret anything but the wasted days before I told Hunter who I am.
“I’m tempted to go to Dad and tell him to pack everything up and fuck off. You could stay here and we wouldn’t have to screw on the roof.”
“But we still would, right?”
He kisses me, hard and fast.
“Yeah, but not only the roof.”
“I can’t stay,” I whisper. “I have a life to get back to. A job that won’t wait forever.”
“A good one?”
“Not really…”
“Then why not? If you feel that strongly about dental hygiene there are dentists here, you know.” Hunter flashes a quick grin.
I roll my eyes and start putting my clothes back on. “It’s not just the job. Mom needs help, and we can’t all live on perpetual vacation.”
“Is that what you think I do?” There’s an undertone of hurt to his annoyed question. “For fuck’s sake, Liz.”
“Isn’t it?” I hold up my hands as he glares at me. “Sorry, but if I had tons of money and a tropical island it’s what I’d do.”
“Because that’s what your mother did?”
His nasty barb slices right through the cozy bubble I’ve been living in since our skydive. He always hated my mother. It shouldn’t surprise me he still does. I can’t even blame him. She’s never been the motherly type. She loves me, but she’s too self-centered to look beyond herself most of the time.
With Hunter she never bothered at all.
Time to change the subject. “So why don’t you just send everyone home?”
He licks his lips and pulls his shorts back on. They hang low over his narrow hips, well-defined muscles dipping below his belt. “You’ve been gone too long. What do you think people do around here? Not everyone is a millionaire.”
“Uh…”
“This show isn’t just about me. There’s a lot riding on this. Jobs at Dad’s network and having a whole TV crew to take care of, plus putting up all the girls who get voted off is a big deal if you aren’t one of the big name resorts. I know this isn’t exactly a war-torn wasteland, but it’s full of haves and have-nots. I do what I can to lend a hand to those who need it. Hell, half the people I hire I don’t really need, but for some people, what seems like a small thing can be a big deal. I’m not going to pull the plug on the show just because it’s annoying.” He shrugs. “Besides, it’s almost over.”
I stand there, stunned. “Is that what Amanda meant about your charity work?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? It’s not like I run around shouting about it, but I do a lot of work sponsoring young people to get their taxi licenses or whatever they want to do.” Hunter runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Why are we arguing, again?”
Stepping forward, I slide my arms around his waist and rest my head against his chest. His scent, now familiar, fills me up, and I close my eyes. “Because I’m a bitch?”
“No, you’re not.” His voice softens, and he nuzzles my ear. “You were fifteen when you left. Why would you have thought about any of this?”
“I’m not like my mother.”
“I know.”
Hunter walks me carefully back to my window. I think I see a flash of light in Amanda’s window, but it’s dark and quiet when we sneak by. Probably just a reflection from outside.
He kisses me again before I go in. There are still things I haven’t explained, and things I’ll hopefully never have to.
The thought of going home is like a punch to the gut.
I stare out the window, listening to his footsteps fade as he crosses the roof back to his room. Palms sway in the breeze, so dark they’re almost black. A stretch of beach shines along the coast, nearly white.
Hunter and I are finally able to be honest with each other.
But not completely.
34
Hunter
Fucking hell, I need to get some sleep.
I groan and roll away from the cruel rays of the sun that burn through my eyelids after another short night. I know I closed the curtains last night. This is the last time I let a morning person bunk in my room.
Or I could go to bed on time.
No fucking chance. Liz and I have grabbed every spare second away from the cameras, and I’m as likely to skip having sex with her as a junkie is to miss a free fix.
She thinks she’s just going to pack up and go home after this?
I will personally chain her to the island if I have to. Or fly to the north end of nowhere if that’s what it takes to figure out what’s going on with her.
Still half-asleep, I take a cold shower. Both because I want to wake up, and because all these people in my house use all the hot fucking water first. I can only take a minute or two, before I jump back out and scrub myself dry with a towel. By the time I pull on some clothes and run a hand through my hair, I look more like the roguish playboy they are expecting, and less like a sleep-deprived drifter. Fake it ‘till you make it.
With coffee on my mind, I open the door and step out, nearly running down Amanda in the process. “Woah, hey.”
She hops back in surprise, her hand still raised as if she was about to knock. “Sorry!” Glancing around nervously, she looks like she can’t decide if she wants to say something, or bolt for the stairs.
“It’s fine.” I put a hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at me with those giant blue eyes. “Did you need something?”
“We need to talk.” She glances at the thick-mustached cameraman standing behind her. “Alone. It’s about Sarah.”
What the fuck?
“Is she okay?”
“It’s… uh… nothing like that.” Her cheeks flush bright red and her eyes focus on my shoes. “It’s important.” She nods her head towards the camera and makes a “come on!” face.
I point at the camera guy. “You, go find someone in a bikini to follow around.”
“What?” He shakes his head. “I’m obligated to be here. It’s my job, man.”
“Right.” I look at Amanda. “Why don’t you come on in?”
I wait until she’s just barely past the door, then slam it in the cameraman’s face. Jackass. He’s not supposed to film in the private areas anyway.
“Hey, what the fuck?” He hammers the door. “I’m just trying to do my fucking job.”
“Go do it somewhere else.” Our little altercation is going to make for a great dramatic cut. He should really thank me.
Amanda looks at the door. “Wow. Where were you when he tried to follow me into the bathroom?”
“Are you here to talk about Sarah, or report sexual harassment?” I turn my back on her and walk into the attached study. It doesn’t get much use, but it should be out of recording range.
She hurries along behind me.
I lean up against my desk and cross my arms over my chest. “We don’t have a ton of time before the day starts, so what’s up?”
She nods and swallows, looking nervous. “I just want to say, I—I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was important. Just so that’s clear. I’m not looking to screw either of you.”
“Alright. Disclaimer noted.” I’d have more easily believed her if she just came out and said whatever it is. It’s like saying, “I’m not racist, but…” You don’t say shit like that unless you know full well that’s what it is. It just means you feel guilty about it.
I’m not looking to break up your relationship, but…
“Okay.” Her voice quavers nervously. It kind of pisses me off. Am I an ogre or something? Our date was totally friendly and uneventful. “I don’t know how to say this nicely, so I’ll just come out with it. Sarah isn’t who she seems to be.”
Well, fuck.
I probably do a decent job at looking shocked, because I am, just not for the reason she thinks. “That’s a very serious accusation.”
Amanda sits on the edge of a chair, wrapping a blonde curl around her finger. “I don’t know all the details, but I know for a fact she wasn’t interested in winning. She came here with an agenda, and…” She looks warily at me, unsure of what I’m going to do.
I run a hand through my hair, not knowing the answer to that myself. “So how do you know this? What proof do you have?
“Proof?” She averts her eyes. “I didn’t have any, not at first, but she keeps sneaking off
, and I—I overheard her talking to your father.”
My father? What the hell? “That isn’t so strange. It is his show.”
I know Liz has probably been acting strange from Amanda’s perspective lately, but Dad? She hates his guts.
“I’m not! Cross my heart, swear to God. Her name is really Liz, and I don’t know exactly why she’s here, but it has something to do with adding drama to the show. He said she used to be your stepsister.” The last bit she adds in a whisper, like it’s the worst part.
“And you heard this from listening in on her and my father?”
Amanda nods, but while I know some of what she’s saying is true, I get the feeling it isn’t the whole truth. Still, I don’t know what to think. Liz hasn’t been completely open with me about why she showed up either. I know she didn’t hear it from Liz, but if not my father, who else would know?
“When was this?”
“About two weeks ago—I’m so sorry! I would’ve come to you sooner, but at first I didn’t think she was going to stick around, and then after last night…”
I push off the desk and stand up straight. “What about last night?”
It seems impossible, but she blushes even pinker. “I saw you. Both of you.”
It’s my turn to flush. Fortunately, being pissed off covers it up nicely. “I don’t know what you saw, but—”
“Nothing! Oh, God. I mean… I saw you walk by my window, and kiss her, but I swear I wasn’t stalking you or anything.”
“And so you decided that was a good time to come tell me she’s a fraud?”
She hangs her head, looking miserable. “I didn’t want to do this. Any of it, but this isn’t for real, right? You don’t want to marry us. It’s just a story on TV. Still, you deserve to know.”
It is.
It was.
“Get out.”
“What?” She looks up, startled.
Maybe she should be. I feel a bit like an ogre right now. “You heard me. Get out. Make camera dude happy and get yourself on the other side of that fucking door.”
