CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Lauren
Day Seventeen—Seventeams remaining
When I emergedfrom the shelter the next morning, I immediately covered my face with both hands to block out the blinding light of the sun.
“Why is it so bright?” I said through my hands.
“You slept in,” Archer said.
I cracked two fingers open just enough to see where I was walking and plopped down under a tree, enjoying the shade.
“I only had two small glasses of wine, but I feel hungover,” I said.
“Heads up.” Archer tossed me a full canteen of water and I caught it.
“Thanks.”
“Going back and forth between hardly eating anything and then feasting on carbs and alcohol makes you feel sluggish,” he said. “Drink a bunch of water and take a dip in the ocean; you’ll feel better.”
“How long until we have to leave for the competition site?”
Archer glanced at his watch and said, “Half an hour. And there’s fish for you in the bowl with a plate over it.”
“Thanks.”
I sat down to eat, and as soon as I finished, he got up from the stump he was sitting on. “I’ll come with you if you’re going for a swim. You may need a jellyfish spotter.”
I laughed weakly. “Another jellyfish sting is the last thing I need right now.”
“Did you have fun last night?” he asked as we walked to the shoreline together.
“Yeah, it was great. Andrea cracks me up.”
He nodded and looked out at the horizon. It seemed like he was deliberately trying not to look at me, which made me lower my brows in confusion.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m great,” he said, still not turning his head in my direction.
“You seem weird.”
“Nope, all good.”
He stripped off his T-shirt, tossed it on the ground, and waded into the water. I followed, noticing that his abs looked more cut than ever. No one wants a diet of fish and hardly anything else, but it sure does a body good. His face was noticeably leaner, and his dark beard was growing in more and more as the days went by. I’d grown used to this shirtless, sweaty, bearded version of him, and I imagined female viewers of Exiled wouldn’t complain about it.
There was no denying it—Archer was hot. And every time I caught a glimpse of that Purple Heart tattoo on his chest, his sex appeal shot up even more.
After our quick swim, we started our walk to the competition site. Josh’s smug expression as the production assistants positioned everyone in a row made my stomach turn nervously.
What kind of a “shake-up” were we about to get thrown at us?
“I know none of you were enthusiastic about being teamed up with you exes when we started this journey seventeen days ago,” Josh said. “So how about if we switch up the teams a little?”
Archer and I looked at each other, both of our mouths dropped open in shock.
“No,” Andrea said from next to me.
Josh grinned. “Andrea, has Rod grown on you in the past seventeen days?”
“Like a hemorrhoid,” she said sarcastically. “But he’s strong, and I came here to win.”
My heart raced with worry. Despite the emotional ups and downs of our past, I knew Archer. I trusted him. I was worn down and weak, and the thought of spending the rest of my time here with a stranger was unnerving to say the least.
“Gentlemen, please come stand over here with me,” Josh said. “When I announce the new teams, you’ll walk over and join your new partners.”
I gave Archer a panicked look. His expression was serious, but I couldn’t read it well enough to know how he was feeling about this situation.
The men gathered near Josh, and I surveyed the faces of the men surrounding Archer. The only man I’d spoken to here, other than Archer, was Rod. I didn’t want to be partnered with him, though. It was aggravating that the producers were using all of us to create drama. We were all hungry and homesick, and this was like getting kicked while we were already down.
Josh didn’t make me wait long before announcing the news I was dreading.
“Maksim, you’ll be partnered with Lauren,” he said.
Great. All I knew about Maksim was that he was Russian, the other guys here called him Maks and he was weird as hell. Andrea had told me Maks arrived at one of the challenges completely naked, before Archer and I got there, and the producers made him put clothes on.
“Hello,” he said as he walked over to me.
“Hi.”
I could quit. I could just tell Josh that I was tapping out and heading to the air-conditioned resort the losing contestants were chilling at until the competition was finished.
My head wanted to, but my heart wouldn’t let me. There were only seven teams left. I had a one in seven shot at winning $500,000 dollars. Continuing with a new partner wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t quitting.
“Archer, you’re with Shayla,” Josh said.
I couldn’t keep the frustration from my expression. Of course Archer had been partnered with Shayla. She’d be well on her way to bagging her second sexual conquest on this island by sunset.
Archer’s expression remained impassive as he walked over to Shayla. She was smiling and biting her lower lip, trying to look coy but appearing desperate instead.
“Okay, guys, you have your new partners. And in case you’re less than thrilled by this change, I have one more thing to tell you about the new teams.”
A collective groan sounded.
“This teammate swap,” Josh said, pausing for effect, “is temporary. It’s for one night only, and tomorrow morning you’ll return to your original pairings.”
My shoulders sank with relief. I could handle one night with anyone. I’d started this game with Archer, and I wanted to finish it with him.
Josh told us we’d be staying at the camps of the male partners, and I started following Maksim across the beach when Archer jogged up beside me.
Leaning in, he said, “Watch yourself, Lo. I don’t trust him.”
“I will.” I met his gaze and said, “Same advice to you.”
He nodded. “See you in the morning.”
Maksim led the way into the forest, where a path had been carved out. I studied the outline of his back as we walked. Like Archer, he had defined back muscles, but Maksim was leaner. He wore a tiny red Speedo that left nothing to the imagination.
“Here we are,” he said as he led the way into the shaded camp.
At least there was shade. As long as I had water and shade, I’d be okay. But I really hoped we’d have food tonight, because I was weaker today than I’d been since getting to the island. My limbs felt heavier and my thought process was clouded.
My gaze landed on the soap and shampoo Maksim and Irina had won in a challenge. I hadn’t been clean in so long. While I didn’t want to steal their reward, I could see that the shampoo was still three-quarters of the way full.
“Hey, would you mind if I use the shampoo?” I asked Maksim.
He didn’t respond, and when I searched the camp for him, I found him bent at the waist, picking his red Speedo up from the ground.
Oh God. He was naked. I spun around to avoid eye contact.
“Use the soap and shampoo if you want,” he said. “I don’t need it. It’s good to let nature run its course on your body sometimes. Builds the immune system.”
Except he smelled like something had died in his shorts. I’d smelled him the entire walk here. But I wasn’t going to mention that.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll only use a little.”
“I’m going fishing,” he said, grabbing his gear and heading down the beach, still naked as the day he was born.
One of Maksim and Irina’s camera operators followed him, and I seized my opportunity to clean up in private, picking up the soap and shampoo and going down to the beach in the opposite direction.
As soon as I found a few rocks on the shore that were big enough to conceal me, I moved to the other side of them and quickly stripped my shirt and shorts off. When I was down to my bikini, I went into the water to get wet and then came back to the shore.
Working the shampoo into my hair and lathering it over my scalp was heaven. I tried to only use a little, but my hair was so dirty that it took two washes to get it clean. Once that was done, I used the soap to wash myself from head to toe.
How I’d missed washing my face. It was something I took for granted at home, but I never would again. When I was done, I ran my hands over my smooth, clean skin, letting the sun dry the water droplets on my skin.
I didn’t want to waste any soap on my clothes, but I rinsed them thoroughly in the water and carried them back to camp, hanging them out in the sun to dry.
Maks and Irina’s camp was a mess. They didn’t have a fire ring, just a few burned logs sitting in the dirt. And their shelter didn’t have a base made of bamboo like ours did. There was a small tarp on the ground and a rudimentary roof over it, with branches and large leaves piled on top.
One night. This time tomorrow, I’d be back at my own camp with Archer.
“Hello,” Maks said, strolling back into camp with a thin wood branch over his shoulder.
He’d tied several fish to the branch, and my stomach rumbled in response.
“What can I help with?” I asked. “Should I get firewood?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “If you want to.”
“Sure, I’ll get some firewood. Do you have an ax or anything?”
“No, we just pick up wood from the ground.”
“Okay.”
I kept the skepticism out of my voice, but I couldn’t help wondering how that was working for them. Archer spent a couple of hours every morning scouting for good firewood, cutting it, and hauling it back to camp where he kept it stacked next to a tree. He kept up a supply that would last us several days if we needed it, just in case he was unable to gather wood for some reason.
“Where’s your well?” I asked Maks. “I’ll fill up all the canteens since I’m going to go look for firewood.”
“I will fill my own,” he said. “The well is that way.”
He pointed to the right and then went back to what he was doing, which seemed to be flossing his teeth with a piece of dried grass. Dude was just different. He didn’t pay much attention to me, not even looking at me while I was talking. It was weird. Maybe he missed Irina.
“Are you okay?”