Love or Lust (LOL): Part 1

Day 5

My head is pounding.Even the soft swish of the ceiling fan above me cooling my heated skin is too much right now.

You would think I was dehydrated. Nope, I drank plenty of water.

Maybe it was the sun, the heat on my back in the open field. Not a chance. The breeze felt amazing as it brushed across the nape of my neck, whipping my ponytail around my face.

What could be the cause of the massive headache attempting to slowly kill me right now?

Oh yeah... shouting. Yelling. Arguing. Bitching.

Pick one and you’d be correct.

I wanted to shove my fist down everyone’s throat this afternoon. Well, almost everyone.

Drake bitched the entire time. From the moment we left the stables until we returned. His ass hurt. It was hot out. We were riding too fast, too slow. He wanted a break.

I’ve never heard a man bitch so much in my entire life.

Which was fuel to the fire for the rest of them. Teegan and Courtney joined in his bitchfest. Callen was bitching about them bitching. It was a living nightmare.

Then there was Kyra who looked like she was going to cry at any minute. I get it, she’s scared of horses. I wouldn’t have been excited about today either if I were her, but that meant she kept falling behind, her horse not keeping pace with the rest of us because she wasn’t doing anything except holding on to the reins and staring straight ahead, praying she wasn’t going to die.

I tried to keep her calm and by my side, falling behind myself while the two I wanted to talk to led the way. Jace and Lennon were becoming friends, which is both good and bad for me. I’m not sure if I’d rather they be close during this or not. What if they talk about me? What if they fight over me?

Ha!

That’s laughable. I mean, they’ve both showed interest, but I highly doubt there will be a fight. Not over me at least.

My headache made its presence known about the time we hit our turn-around point. We’d been given strict instruction to ride to the creek, have a picnic lunch, and ride back. I can’t imagine this is good TV, yet there’s still a camera pointed in my general direction.

There’s twelve of us and three cameramen on their own horses. I’m not even sure how they’re doing it, riding and filming at the same time. Yet every time the camera pans to me, I find myself looking away, staring straight ahead, at the back of Lennon or Jace.

As soon as I’m on solid ground and my horse is tied to a tree, I help Kyra down and do the same. She thanks me before quickly walking away without a word, leaving me to grab all the picnic supplies from both our horses.

The dull pain increases when I realize we were missing two. Again. The same two we “lost” last time. This time, I’m not going looking for them. I honestly couldn’t care less. We’re situated on the edge of the tree line. We rode through an open field. There’s no reason they can’t find us when they’re done doing whatever it is they’re doing.

And getting away with it from the looks of it since all the cameramen are with us.

Teegan and Courtney are spreading out blankets, still bitching about their sore asses, when Lennon sneaks up behind me, taking the small bags from my hands without a word. We were each instructed to bring certain things. Not that we had to make them ourselves. There were bags of food waiting with our names on them in the kitchen. All I had to do was pick them up.

Jace and Callen are arm wrestling as I take a seat on the edge of the blanket next to Kyra. She’s sipping a bottle of water, watching them intently. So is everyone else. Which is a blessing because Milo and Natasha are approaching. Milo has a satisfied grin on his face while Natasha seems to be irritated by his mere presence.

I have a feeling that will be the last of whatever that was.

Too bad. That’s good TV. Not picnics where two equally beautiful men with sculpted bodies arm wrestle with their shirts off.

On second thought, I take that back. Because Jace, shirtless, is a beautiful sight. Every muscle flexed as he fights against Callen. His eyes narrowed in determination as a bead of sweat drips from his forehead, running down his temple.

The urge to wipe it away catches me off guard yet I want to trace the path the damn sweat it taking. I’m jealous of something he’ll mop up with his shirt once he’s done, I’m sure.

Fanning myself with my hand, I close my eyes and lean back on my elbows. The breeze blows across my body, but it does nothing to cool me or my thoughts.

“Do you think it would be okay if I ate something?” Kyra asks softly. “I feel like I’m going to pass out if I don’t eat soon.”

“Dig in. No one’s gonna care.” When I glance over in her direction, the hesitation’s practically radiating off her body. Fuck.

“Food!” I holler, immediately regretting it as my head continues to throb, but I’ve captured everyone’s attention, including Callen, who then gets his hand slammed against the blanket by Jace.