The Engagement Game Read online

  She managed something resembling a smile and grabbed his hand before he could take it back. “Definitely. Sorry. The shark thing is one of my triggers. I know it’s irrational, but that doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He obviously wanted to extract his hand, but she couldn’t let it go. Maybe she was being melodramatic, but it felt like he’d saved her life. Now she refused to let him retreat behind his emotionless shell. He meant too much for her not to keep reaching across the distance between them, trying again and again to bridge the gap. If he didn’t want to hold her hand, well, he’d just have to chew his arm off.

  “My hero.” She made her voice light and teasing to reassure him that she really was okay now. Floating on his back, Jake looked perfectly comfortable in the water and she rolled her eyes at him. “You’re too relaxed in there. Maybe you can kick this log over to the island and we can still win this thing.”

  “The other teams are almost there. My kicking power won’t beat their sails.”

  “If something nibbles your toes, you might kick hard enough to overtake them.”

  “If something does, I might nibble back. My stomach’s telling me it’s lunchtime.” He closed his eyes with a sigh. “Not that I’m complaining about the chance to float here. It’s peaceful.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t drift off to sleep if I were you. Know what this reminds me of?”

  “What?”

  “Remember the movie I made you watch not so long ago? There’s a shipwreck and the heroine ends up floating on a piece of wood, the hero in the water beside her. Ring any bells?”

  “A shipwreck?” he repeated. Then comprehension dawned. “Titanic, right?” He frowned. “Didn’t the poor sap die in that movie?”

  Carin nodded. “You sure you don’t want to start kicking?”

  17

  By the time they turned in for the night, Jake was exhausted. Still, he couldn’t sleep. Carin was too close. Too tempting. And those soft, cute snores of hers were irritating, because they meant she wasn’t bothered by the fact she was sleeping right next to him. Not one little bit.

  Which meant he was the only one being tortured by desire.

  Logically, it was a good thing she didn’t want him in return. But with his teeth gritted, he couldn’t help but curse Bozier, the TV show, Hendrix — everyone and everything that had brought him here. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to come.

  By the time morning dawned and it was time to assemble on the beach for another challenge, his irritation had only grown. His patience was stretched tight, not helped by the hot sun beating down while Bozier kept filming the same scene over and over again.

  Shifting from one foot to the other, he glared at the other contestants but kept his eyes averted from Carin. Her eyes shone, her hair was being lightened by the sun, and the cute freckles across her nose were turning a darker shade of brown. Was it the fact he was getting more and more sexually frustrated, or was she becoming more irresistible by the day?

  “Today’s challenge will give you the chance to win a mystery prize,” said Timmy, flashing his blindingly-white smile. “A special treat you’re sure to enjoy.” He paused for effect. “Married couples need to support each other, especially when faced with adversity. This Labor of Love will take place in the sea where one member of each couple will support the other on their shoulders. Teams will be paired against each other in a wrestling match. The goal is to submerge both members of the opposite team underwater.”

  Good. A physical challenge was just what Jake needed to let out some of his tension.

  Timmy pointed at the Wolves, then at Sally and Sam. “You’ll go first, competing against each other.” That meant Jake and Carin would fight against Benchpress and Treadmill.

  When they were ready to shoot, Jake and Carin sat on the sand to watch the match. The Wolves and Sam and Sally waded into the chest-deep water where there was only a gentle swell. Sally clambered onto Sam’s shoulders, while She-Wolf climbed on He-Wolf. They’d oiled both women with something shiny, presumably to make them slippery, and they wore bikinis that didn’t look like they’d stay on if things got rough.

  Beside him, Carin was shading her eyes to see better. “I’m glad we get to watch the others wrestle,” she murmured. “We can analyze their tactics.”

  “Not worried about sharks?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine this close to shore.”

  Timmy was in one of the boats, and from their spot on the beach they couldn’t hear what he was saying to the couples. No doubt explaining the rules several times for the benefit of the cameras. As usual, the preparation seemed to take forever. Because they couldn’t hear when Timmy started the match, Jake’s focus had moved to the scent of coconut oil on Carin’s skin, trying to work out why in the hell he found that smell so sexy. He was also trying not to follow the line of her long, tanned thigh all the way up to the fabric of her red bikini. At her hip, the fabric narrowed to the width of a finger. For some reason, that narrow piece of cloth was where his gaze wanted to focus. How strong could that fabric be? How easily would it rip?

  It was such an absorbing question that he almost missed when the two couples started fighting.

  “There they go.” Carin sat up straight, shading her eyes with one hand.

  Jake forced his attention to the water. The two couples circled each other before clashing together. Sally and She-Wolf grappled, while He-Wolf and Sam hung onto their legs. The two men looked like they were concentrating on keeping their footing in the rolling swell and trying to keep their passengers on board.

  “She-Wolf’s tougher than she looks,” said Carin. “She keeps slipping out of Sally’s grip.”

  Jake grunted his agreement. The teams pulled back, then re-engaged. Finally, Sam made a desperate lunge and Sally pulled She-Wolf forward, dunking her head-first into the water.

  Carin leaned forward. “If they get He-Wolf under, they’ve won.”

  Sure enough, both Sally and Sam leaped on He-Wolf. He hadn’t yet found his footing, so pushing his head under didn’t take much of a struggle.

  Carin bounced to her feet as though she couldn’t stay sitting a second longer. “Our turn. Let’s win this one, okay?”

  “We need to lose to be eliminated.”

  “But I don’t want to lose. Come on, Jake. We can take these guys and lose the next one.”

  Before he could argue, one of the crew came over, carrying a plastic bottle. “You ready to get oiled?” she asked Carin.

  Jake groaned under his breath. Already he couldn’t drag his eyes from Carin’s long, silky limbs and those flimsy red scraps of cloth. Adding oil wasn’t going to help.

  The crew member squeezed oil onto her hands and rubbed it into Carin’s skin, making it shiny and slippery-looking. Jake’s jaw clenched hard enough that if he’d been eating carbon, he could have spat out a diamond.

  In a few minutes, he’d be in the water with Carin on his shoulders. An almost-naked, slippery-skinned Carin, with her hands in his hair and her thighs on either side of his face. Talk about a wet dream. Except that having to keep a tight leash on his libido would turn it into a nightmare.

  “Okay.” The crew member swiped a final handful of oil over Carin’s back. “You’re done. They’re waiting for you in the water.”

  The only good thing about this challenge would be immersing his body in cold water and being able to hide his arousal under the surface. Jake led the way, fists balled and every muscle tight. The sooner they got this over with the better.

  But as they were wading in, the Body Builders next to them, Carin leaned close to whisper into his ear. “I’m a fallen angel. Play along, okay?” Then she raised her voice, speaking to the Body Builders in a Mafia tough-guy accent. “You two had better grow a pair…” She paused for effect. “A pair of gills!”

  Benchpress and Treadmill turned confused frowns toward her, so Jake jumped in to support her. “
‘Cos you’re gonna be underwater,” he explained, using his own less-convincing attempt at the same accent. “Swimming with the fishes.”

  “Damn straight,” Carin exclaimed. “You’ll go under so hard, you’ll be pooping Nemo.”

  “And coughing up Dory,” added Jake.

  “We’re already pooping Nemo,” mumbled Treadmill, giving them both a reproachful look. “I never want to see another fish as long as I live. Not even in an aquarium.”

  Benchpress just grunted. Neither seemed intimidated by Carin’s trash talk. Shame. Jake had liked the ‘Pooping Nemo’ line.

  “That’s far enough,” yelled Bozier from the boat in front of them. “Wait there until the cameras are back in position.”

  They waited in silence, giving Jake enough time to berate himself yet again for getting into this mess. And when they finally got the all clear and Carin clambered onto his shoulders, it was every bit as bad as he’d imagined. The warmth of her groin was against the back of his neck, her long legs dangled down his chest, and if he turned his face even a little, his mouth would be on her thigh.

  Timmy gave them some instructions he didn’t listen to, and the cameras took some shots. Jake gripped Carin’s legs tight, holding her on his shoulders while he forced himself not to stroke her slippery skin.

  “You okay?” she asked, shifting a little.

  The movement made him want to groan. He could feel her groin pressed on his neck. There was just a flimsy layer of fabric between the slippery soft folds of her sex and his skin. Shit. He had to win this thing as fast as he could.

  “Ready?” asked Timmy.

  “Yeah.” The word stabbed from between his clenched teeth, as sharp as a curse.

  “On your marks. Get set. Go!”

  Jake lunged forward, his frustration driving him like a torpedo through the water. He charged into the Body Builders, catching them by surprise. Treadmill went flying. She disappeared into the water while Jake caught Benchpress by the shoulder and ploughed him under. The whole thing was over in a second.

  There was a long moment of silence, broken only by the coughs and splutters of the Body Builders as they broke the surface. Somehow Carin had kept her balance on his shoulders, probably because he hadn’t loosened his death-grip on her thighs.

  “Holy mother of mayhem,” she breathed. “That was awesome.”

  She let out a loud whoop, then pulled her leg over his head as though dismounting from a horse, and slid down his front so the entire length of her wet, slippery body was against his.

  “You’re amazing.” Her eyes were shining and she hugged him hard, then let him go. “This means we get another turn, right? Please tell me we get to do that again.”

  Jake groaned as he backed away. What had he been thinking? He’d been in such a hurry to end it, he hadn’t thought to lose. He should have just dumped Carin off his shoulders and gone under.

  There was no way he could go through that again. But Bozier was already calling for Sally and Sam to come forward for a final match to determine the winner.

  Shit.

  Sam and Sally were wading toward them, Sally walking faster so she was ahead. She reached them first, and Jake checked none of the big sound booms were pointed at them before beckoning her close.

  “Listen,” he said in a low voice. “I’ll give you all the rest of our oatmeal and rice if you pull out of the challenge.”

  “What?” yelped Carin. “You want to give her our food?”

  “Really? Yes! Thank you!” Sally clapped her hands. “Oatmeal and rice?”

  “He didn’t mean it.” Carin glared at Jake. “He was joking. It was really bad trash talk.”

  “Oh.” Sally’s face fell. “That’s not very nice.”

  “That’s why they don’t call it nice talk.” Carin’s glare intensified, silently daring him to contradict her.

  Sally pouted. “But Jake, you’re still going to cover our shelter with leaves, aren’t you? The other night on the beach, you said—”

  “The other night?” interrupted Sam, coming up behind them. “Wait. Was that the night you disappeared from the tent? You went out to meet him?” His voice rose. “What were you doing on the beach together? And don’t say ‘just talking’ when I know you still have feelings for this asshole.”

  The crew had noticed something was going on, because suddenly the sound guys were sticking their booms out again and every camera was aimed at them.

  Jake sighed. “Forget it. Let’s just get this challenge over with.”

  He bent to let Carin climb on his back but she didn’t move. Instead, she met his gaze, her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?” she murmured quietly. “Be honest, okay? Tell me the truth.”

  He shook his head. For her to suspect that he might be messing around behind her back made him feel like an iron bar was tightening around his chest. “There’s nothing going on between me and Sally,” he murmured back. “Not a thing.”

  She hesitated a moment, then gave a stiff nod. “Okay.” She grabbed his shoulder to climb onto his back, but he caught her hand.

  “Wait.” He turned so she could see into his eyes again. “Nothing’s going on, Skeeter,” he repeated firmly. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  Her shoulders relaxed and the tension eased from her face. She gave him a little smile. “Okay, good. I believe you.” Then she heaved herself up and her weight settled onto him.

  Jake sucked in a deep breath. His mind was a swirling mess of emotion. Lust, frustration… and the look in her eyes when she’d told him she believed him. A look of trust he didn’t deserve, but that he’d give his right arm to be able to earn.

  “On your mark,” shouted one of the crew.

  Carin bent to his ear. “Let’s kick their asses,” she whispered.

  “Get set!”

  He adjusted her on his shoulders, made sure his grip on her legs was tight, and gritted his teeth. If Carin was set on winning this challenge, he’d give her that much at least. “You got it,” he promised.

  “Go!”

  Jake charged. This time Carin was leaning forward, urging him on. She slammed into Sally while he grappled with Sam, fighting to push him over.

  Suddenly, Carin let out a whooping, ululating war cry. Her weight shifted so far forward, he almost went over. But Sally went down, hitting the water behind Sam. As she went under, Carin dived off his shoulders. Her weight gone, Jake leaped on Sam and pushed him under.

  They’d won.

  Carin lifted both arms and gave another cry, this time of triumph. “And that’s how it’s done, bitches,” she yelled. Her wet hair was slicked down around her face and her eyes gleamed. Her body was hidden under the surface, but he could tell she was wriggling. Her twerking dance. She was doing it underwater.

  Jake’s chest went tight. Nobody else would have a clue what she was doing, but he’d seen her do it a hundred times. In victory, she danced. That was Carin. That was why he loved her.

  She was magnificent.

  And shit, he was so lost. Totally screwed. So much for getting over her. He loved her more now, in this minute, than he ever had.

  Then she grabbed him, throwing her arms around him. “You did great, Jakey-boy. We did great. We’re the best.”

  She hugged him tight. Her body was still slippery with oil and her coconut scent filled his lungs. When her hair brushed his lips, he tasted salt. Her breasts pressed against him and he could feel the small, hard nubs of her erect nipples on his chest.

  But it wasn’t until she planted a kiss on him, right on his mouth, that he felt the last hard, tight rein on his control snapping.

  Last. Fucking. Straw.

  There was only so much frustration a man could stand.

  He couldn’t live this way a second longer. He couldn’t hide what he felt. How could he when it was all he could damn well feel?

  Jake put his hands around her hips to draw her against him. Her eyes widened as she felt his rock-hard length thrust against her belly. Then he reca
ptured that tempting pink mouth with his, and poured all his frustration and desire into the most toe-curling, mind-blowing kiss of his life.

  18

  Was she drowning? If so, Carin wasn’t going to fight. Not when it felt this good.

  The last kiss she and Jake had shared had felt like being plugged in to a live circuit. This time the power had been turned all the way up. Nobody could kiss like Jake. Every movement he made was hard-wired into her pleasure center. The way his tongue teased hers. The nip of his teeth against her upper lip. The combination of his firm body and confident touch. Added to the sensual pleasure of the water swirling against her oiled skin, it was enough to explode her mind and turn her body to a quivering mass of pure arousal. She needed him. To possess him, every inch. To feel him—

  “Congratulations, you two.”

  Go away. Carin clung to Jake, willing him to ignore Timmy’s voice and keep doing what he was doing. Don’t stop. Please.

  But Jake let her go. Feeling him pull away was as physically painful as having a tooth yanked out. If she had a knife in her hand, she’d be in danger of plunging it into Timmy’s heart. Couldn’t he see he was interrupting something incredible?

  “You’ve won the challenge,” said Timmy, as the cameraman next to him adjusted his zoom, no doubt getting a close up shot. “How do you feel?”

  Carin swallowed, lifting a shaky hand to touch her lips before remembering to turn her face to hide her scars. How did she feel? Hornier than she’d ever been in her life. Totally confused. And like every bone in her body had been sucked out and replaced with electric jellyfish.

  She didn’t reply. How could she trust herself to say anything coherent?

  Jake’s expression had gone blank, the steel door she hated so much slamming closed over his emotions. After an awkward silence, he cleared his throat. “Tell me about that mystery prize.” His voice held no trace of enthusiasm.

  “I certainly will,” said the host. “You two were sensational. That was a decisive victory.”

  Jake gave a little shrug, then glanced at her. He didn’t like the cameras and she knew exactly what that glance meant. Take the attention away from me. Yeah, she could do that. Her short-circuited brain had begun working again, although her speeding heart still felt like it was performing a drum solo at a Black Sabbath concert.