Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“Eat shit,” I murmured.
He chose an ax, flint, a tarp, a fishing net, and fishing hooks. I looked longingly at the soap and shampoo, knowing they were planted on the table by the show’s producers to sort out the serious female players from the ones who knew every IG filter by name.
“Machete,” Archer said, meeting my gaze.
He’d grown up hunting and fishing with his dad. Archer knew how to survive outdoors. And while I wanted to shove the machete up his ass, I had to work with him if I was going to win the money.
I took the machete, two canteens, a mosquito net, and a hammock.
“It’s time for you to head to your camps,” Josh announced. “You’ll each have two camera operators, but don’t engage with them. Tomorrow is a free day, and you’ll get a message about our first competition, which will happen the following morning.”
“What kind of a competition?” Rod asked.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Josh said, grinning.
The host and crew of Exiled would be staying at the resort where the women had been for the past couple days. I already envied them. Air conditioning, massages, and breakfast buffets for them. Sweat, bug bites, and Archer Holt for me.
“Okay,” Archer said, pointing to a spot on the map. “Our site is here. We need to go this way.” He pointed to the left.
“I agree.”
He gave me a look, a grin playing on his lips. Even now, that grin did things to me. Not that I’d ever admit it to him. Giving in to that grin would be a one-way ticket to heartbreak.
We picked up our stuff and Archer walked ahead. I looked around for Andrea, my only friend here, but she’d already left. Archer turned and gave me an expectant look.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I’m coming. I was just trying to get my bearings.”
“You don’t need to. You’ve got me,” he said.
Ha. There had been a time I’d had him, but that part of my life was long over. I was wiser at twenty-six than I’d been at eighteen. I wouldn’t open myself up to being blindsided ever again.
I served as the rowing coach at the school where I taught. I’d earned a full academic scholarship to college. And I was devoted to my family. I wasn’t a pro athlete, but I wouldn’t be intimated by my competition. I deserved to be here as much as anyone, and I’d fight for that money with everything in me.
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?” I murmured to myself.
I swatted a bug away from my face and followed my douchebag ex into the jungle.
CHAPTER THREE
Archer
“Any idea how much farther?” Lauren asked from behind me.
“Not far.” I glanced at the map. “Maybe a quarter of a mile? Do you need to take a water break?”
“I’m out of water.”
I stopped and turned, handing her a bottle I’d stuffed in a pocket while still on the boat. “Here—I’ve got plenty.”
She hesitated a second and then took the bottle, drinking half of it. “Thanks.”
I took advantage of the break to check her out again. She was even prettier at twenty-six than she’d been as a teenager. She was a confident woman now, her hips a little wider and dark blond hair longer, her ponytail trailing down her back. In her baseball cap, makeup-free, she looked ready for an adventure.
It was too bad she despised me.
She passed the bottle back and said, “Let’s keep going.”
“You doing okay?”
She glanced back at the cameraman about ten feet behind us. He’d introduced himself to us right after following us into the dense forest—his name was Jeremy Nutter, but he said everyone other than his mom called him Nutter.
“I’m not here,” Nutter reminded us. “Don’t look at me.”
“I’m okay,” Lauren said. “Just really hot. This whole thing feels pretty surreal. I never would’ve imagined I’d be on a reality show on a tropical island, and to top it off, be partnered with you.”
“How long have you known I was going to be your partner?”
“From the beginning. The producers of the show told the women about the concept when they first reached out to us.”
I scoffed and looked to the side. “They sure got their shock value.”
“At least I didn’t slap you,” she said, shrugging.
I looked into her hazel eyes, trying to read her the way I used to be able to. “Did you want to?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Totally.”
“Okay, you only needed to answer once.”
“Let’s get to camp. Like you said, we have a lot to do.”
I turned to lead the way, using the machete to cut away brush when needed. We would have been so fucked without the machete. I wasn’t thrilled Lauren took the hammock, but if she’d taken the fan and the soap, too, I would have lost my mind.
“So how have you been?” I called over my shoulder. “It’s been, what—seven years since we talked?”