Love or Lust (LOL): Part 1

“Not a clue, but I hope that’s as good as it looks.”

Courtney smiles and takes a large sip, causing herself to cough. “Strong.” She forces a smile as she coughs again.

Gage and Teegan are up next against Callen and Bella. After watching Bella earlier, I was surprised at her first serve. That’s when I realized she was putting on a show. The girl knows how to play, she just didn’t want to let us know that. She blindsided everyone, and so did Callen when he spiked the ball at Gage’s feet for match point.

Unlike Drake and Courtney, Gage and Teegan are pissed they lost. Gage more so than Teegan as he stalks off, stopping to talk to Claudia before disappearing into the stables.

Good, let him cool down.

“We’re up,” Jace says, squeezing my thigh before standing and removing his gray V-neck T-shirt.

I can’t help but enjoy the view, ignoring Teegan as she clears her throat from next to me. Nope. I don’t care. When I turn to grin at her in defiance, I’m rewarded with a smirk from Lennon, who’s standing behind her, as he removes his shirt as well.

Damn.

Two gloriously handsome men with their bodies on display.

As we take the court, my nerves are on end. Not only do I get to stare at the back of Jace and his glorious ass, but I’m also staring at Lennon. Capital D distracted.

We still manage to win, but not the way the other teams did. We scraped by, beating Kyra and Lennon twenty-one to eighteen. It was a hard-fought game, and by the time I’m under the canopy again, my tank top is soaked in sweat and I’m breathing heavily. I down an entire bottle of water while we wait for Ed to announce what happens next.

“Okay, so here’s where things stand for today.”

Drake and Courtney came in last, Gage and Teegan scored fifth, and Lennon and Kyra came in fourth. Jace and I are currently in third, Milo and Natasha in second, and Callen and Bella lead with the biggest point spread.

The second round gets underway, and Jace and I are given a reprieve having played the last game. Bella gives Natasha a run for her money. The guys do their best, but its honestly the girls who are the ones making all the plays and keeping the game going. In the end, Natasha and Milo somehow come out victorious.

Thirty minutes later, we’re on the court to face off against Bella and Callen. They must have been out of steam because we take them down easily. They barely put up a fight, and during the break, I figure out why. They’re at a table by themselves, Bella on Callen’s lap, both enjoying a drink.

They didn’t want to play anymore. They were ready to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Good for them. It’s better than the way Gage has been treating his partners. He won’t even look in Courtney or Teegan’s direction right now, and he’s been tossing back drinks like they’re water.

Gee, that makes me so excited to be paired up with him later this week. Not.

As we take the court for the final match, winner takes all, I remove my tank top. It’s sticking to my body anyway and only getting in the way. Plus, Natasha took hers off earlier, so it’s not like I’m the only one playing in my bathing suit.

The only difference is that I may have a little more to show off than she does. Not that it matters. I’m not trying to distract anyone. They’ve all seen me in my bathing suit plenty of times now. It’s not a shock.

However, my plan backfires, because of all the guys, Jace is the one distracted, and he costs us point after point. Not that I care. The way he was looking at me had my skin on fire. I was ready to jump in the pool and rinse off the sweat and sand.

Once Milo scores the last point, a perfect serve that landed just out of my reach, I down another bottle of water, tug my damp tank back over my head and sit and wait for Ed to release us. Wishful thinking.

He pulls us all out onto the court and gives us the rundown of today’s tournament as well as the mock Olympics so far. I’m not doing bad, first place for the girls after two days. I have a shot at winning immunity, but everyone is only a point or two behind me except for Courtney. Having come in last both days, she’s out of the running unless she takes first in the rest of the events.

Jace and Milo are tied for first place for the guys. I’m proud of them, having been partners with both already. It makes me feel like I’ve actually been contributing.

Before we’re released, Lennon calls everyone’s attention as Jace hands out electric-blue drinks to those of us who didn’t already have one.

“What’s in it?” I ask before I take a sip.

“Everything,” he smirks, giving me the same answer as the other night when I asked what was in his Lusty Lady concoction. Taking a small sip, having learned my lesson, I’m not surprised to find it just as strong, more than likely having a little bit of everything like he said it did.

“I just want to thank my partners the last few days for making these games fun,” Lennon says, raising his glass in the air. “I know we’re supposed to compete against one another, and things can get tense, but win or lose, I hope everyone has fun at the end of the day.”

I can’t help but think his speech is directed at the one person in the room who seems to be taking things more seriously than anyone else. And the people who are suffering are the ones paired up with him. The girls. And I’ll be on the receiving end of his wrath soon. All I can hope is that I perform well. Maybe that will make him smile.

As we walk toward the pool as a group, I feel an arm slide around my waist. Chancing a glance to my left, I’m surprised to find Lennon and not Jace. He gives my side a little squeeze and falls back before I can say anything, and I realize why as Jace picks up my hand and tugs me into his side.

They’re silently fighting over me. At least they’re not making a scene. Or using their fists.