They hit several lasers but they were going fast enough they managed to avoid getting direct hits by the balloons. Her backpack and their legs would be covered with gunk.

  Maybe they should’ve just plowed through, sprinting to avoid getting hit by anything and not wasting so much time.

  They made it to the door and Bennett slowed and stopped to reach for the handle.

  A huge net swooped out of the ceiling and knocked them both to their knees. It was weighted around the edges and the strands thick enough he could barely see through it.

  Rose released her grip on him, bowing forward with the weight of the net. Bennett strained and lifted it with his back and arms, giving her some breathing room.

  “You good?” he asked.

  “Yes. You?”

  He smiled, though he was feeling let down that she hadn’t enjoyed the snuggle walk through the huge room, and annoyed that a net had caught and trapped them.

  “Always good,” he said, hoping he sounded overconfident.

  She blinked up at him and smiled. “Good to know.”

  “Can you take these glasses off?”

  “Sure.” She slid them off his nose, her fingertips brushing his cheek. He’d never been so affected by a touch as he was by hers. “What now?” she asked as she stored the glasses in a side pocket of his backpack. “Cut through the net with our knives?”

  “I’ll just lift it off.”

  “This thing has to weigh hundreds of pounds.”

  “So do I.” He smirked at her. “If I can’t lift my own body weight I am a complete waste of space.”

  “You can lift three hundred pounds?” she asked.

  “I’m not one to brag but …” He grinned, absolutely wanting to brag to her. His max overhead press was two-seventy-two, definitely in the elite category. Tyler and Jack were always bugging him to enter weight-lifting competitions but that took time and money he didn’t have. His teenage buddies would love Rose. They’d definitely be pushing him to ask her out.

  She looked him over as he knelt and held the net aloft, the muscles in his upper body engaged. “You are the best use of space I’ve ever known,” she said softly.

  He valued that compliment. As a huge man he’d dealt with many jokes about taking up too much space. Her saying he was the ‘best use of space she’d ever known’ was significant to him.

  “Thanks,” he managed through a tight throat. He wished he could say more but he didn’t want to push her away and lose any ground he’d gained the past hour and he wanted this heavy net off.

  “Okay. Stay close.”

  “I’m getting good at that.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He progressed along the net, lifting it as she stayed pressed into his side. They made it to the edge closest to the door. The edges were heavy but he lifted it up and Rose scampered out and straightened. He couldn’t resist flinging it back and springing to his feet. At least he didn’t flex.

  “Impressive,” she murmured.

  “Ah, thank you.” He grinned. He wasn’t an expert on women, far from it, but he was pretty certain they were having a moment. She was impressed by him. They were staring into each other’s eyes. They were both smiling.

  “All right. Ready for the next room?” she asked.

  So maybe … not a moment.

  “Sure. Maybe a drink first.” His throat was dry and he couldn’t swallow past it. Was he parched from what they’d been through or the way she affected him?

  “Sounds good.” They swung off their backpacks and each pulled out a water bottle. It felt good to have the backpack off and the water sliding down his throat felt even better. He finished one water bottle, set it on the floor, and pulled another one out. Downing half of it he poured some of it into his hands and rubbed them together, trying to clean them a bit, then he splashed some on his face and poured some over the cuts on his arms.

  He glanced at Rose. She stared at him without blinking, her half empty water bottle clutched in one hand. He smiled at her and she blushed and looked away. She slowly drained the rest of her water bottle while he poured the rest of his on his hands, rubbing them to try to clean them and splashing more on his face, brushing his wet hands through his hair.

  He was accustomed to being dirty and thirsty. Fifteen years in the Army meant many days and nights in far worse condition than he was in now, but food, a shower, Rose ‘doctoring’ up his wounds, and a bed with a pillow sounded great right now.

  He glanced at the windows. They faced east, towards the ocean, a great view of swaying palm trees, a deserted beach, and the bluish-green water. He couldn’t see the sun, but the shadows of the building were long. They hadn’t glimpsed any of Mercedes’ safe rooms yet. If they made it through one more challenge room maybe there would be a place to rest. The problem was he didn’t know if they dared rest until they made it through at least one level of the massive building today. He figured the room they were now in might have been a quarter of the length of the building, maybe three to four hundred feet. Each floor of the building had to be about fifty thousand square feet. Hopefully each stairwell wasn’t as dangerous as their first one.

  “All right.” Rose pushed out a heavy breath and held up the water bottle. “No trash can. Do I put it back in the backpack?”

  Bennett chuckled and pointed back at the room behind them. It was an absolute mess from all the filled balloons that had exploded, garbage strewn across the floor. “I don’t think they’ll mind a water bottle on the floor when they come to clean up this disaster.” He crumpled up both of his water bottles in his palm and hurled them back at the lasers, targeting several more sensors. Balloons fell from the ceiling and more junk littered the floor.

  She laughed. He loved her laughter. Crumpling her own bottle and putting the lid on, she threw it. A couple more balloons descended and another large net.

  “I feel all reassured right now,” she admitted, smiling up at him.

  “You do?” His chest puffed out. She knew he could rescue her and protect her from anything.

  “Nothing life-threatening in the laser room.”

  “Oh.” He smiled and brushed a hand through his damp hair. “Good point. Maybe Mercedes’ people aren’t sadists who have our immediate deaths planned out for us.”

  “Maybe. Sheesh. That was quite the pep talk.”

  He laughed and then they shared a smile. A significant smile. He’d prefer her saying she trusted him to rescue and protect her, but this was a pretty great moment. He’d known this impressive lady for maybe four hours and already felt closer to her than he ever had to a woman. Well, besides Haley, but he tried not to think about his ex.

  She lifted her backpack and strapped it on, again breaking their moment. They needed to move. He knew that. He couldn’t selfishly want to focus on developing a relationship with her when she was trying to win a million dollars for her ranch. He strapped his own backpack on and gave her a winning smile.

  “Bring it on,” she said, tilting her head to the door.

  “Bring it on,” he repeated, determined to impress and protect her until she gave him a kiss of gratitude.

  He could probably keep on dreaming.

  He edged her behind him and stood at the side of the door, pulling out the pistol. Whatever sprang out at them he would be ready for.

  He took a breath and reached for the door handle. The knob singed his fingertips. He jerked his hand back.

  “Well, that was interesting,” he said, his fingertips smarting from one quick touch.

  “I’m not sure I like the way you say ‘interesting’.”

  “Probably smart of you. The knob is scorching hot.”

  She edged around him, grabbed his hand, and turned it over, “Bennett,” she scolded. Then she lifted his stinging fingertips to her lips, blew on them, put them in her mouth and gently cooled them with her tongue.

  He was dumbfounded, and his fingertips weren’t the only thing burning. All he could do was stare at her as her mouth soothed his singed fingers. He could only imagine his mama saying, ‘Do you know where those fingers have been?’ He’d fought a jaguar today with those fingers.

  She didn’t seem to care where his fingers had been, and he couldn’t find it in him to tell her she was probably risking some kind of disease via wild animal transmission. She was a cowgirl and had probably put much worse in her mouth. He appreciated that about her. He appreciated far too much about her.

  He didn’t say a word. He didn’t even smile. He was too mesmerized by this vision of the most beautiful woman he’d ever met in real life with his fingertips framed by her luscious lips and her soft tongue cooling the burning sensation while the rest of his body heated up in a very pleasant way.

  Chapter

  Seven

  Rose wasn’t sure what she was thinking, grabbing Bennett’s hand and plunging his fingertips into her mouth like that. Her mom had done it once to her when she touched some hot coals at a campfire. Until her dad had rushed over with a water bottle and her aunt had brought a clean cloth.

  She was certain her mom had not felt anything like she was feeling right now.

  Bennett’s fingertips against her tongue were making her entire mouth tingle. The way he was staring at her made her on fire from head to toe. It was more intimate than any kiss she’d experienced.

  What was she doing? With what they’d been through today she instinctively had complete faith in this burly, dangerous Army Ranger. That was nuts and naïve of her. He had a good heart, she could tell that, but if she let down her guard like this and gave him signals that she was interested, such as licking his fingers—what kind of girl did that?—he might think he had a green light to push her physically when they finally rested for the night. She didn’t truly know him, or his moral structure.

  She released his hand from her mouth, dropped it, and looked away. Silence fell between them. Heavy, awkward silence.

  “Are your fingers …” she managed.

  “They’re okay. Um … thanks for … cooling them off.”

  “Sure.”

  She still couldn’t look at him. How awkward. She pulled off her backpack and yanked out the sweatshirt. “We could wrap this around the door handle.”

  “Great idea.” He took it from her and turned to the door.

  Rose let herself appreciate his broad back and the striated muscles of his huge body. He was appealing to her. She could admit that. But she couldn’t let down her guard and act like she wanted a relationship with him. That would be too impulsive, out of character, and reckless.

  He urged her behind him again and stepped to the side. She appreciated how he instinctively protected her. He wrapped the sweatshirt around the handle, twisted the knob, and tugged the door open. Hot air swept out of the door. Bennett whistled.

  “What is it?” She stepped up close and brushed against his arm, looking over his shoulder. “Oh, my.” Her breathing quickened and she wondered what a panic attack felt like.

  The room was lit with eerie red lights. The entire area was a pool full of boiling red water. There was no concrete edge around the pool. The water filled the space and it was big, maybe the size of a horse arena.

  “How do we …?”

  Bennett wrapped his hand around hers. The simple reassurance calmed her breathing, at least enough that she didn’t hyperventilate. He pointed his other hand up at the ceiling. Metal bars were spaced along the ceiling clear to the other side of the room. Rungs in the wall led up to the ceiling bars.

  “How are you at monkey bars?” he asked, smiling, but his blue eyes had concern in them.

  “Haven’t done them since I was in grade school,” she admitted.

  “Okay. Pullups?”

  She lifted her free hand. “Hey, I know I look super fit,” she tried to tease. “But I just work on the ranch from sunup to sundown and take care of little ones. I don’t really have time for a formal gym workout and the only gym in my hometown is at the high school. Not really heading there to pump iron with the football team.”

  “You do look super fit, and you are super fit.” His smile grew. “You’ll conquer those monkey bars easily.”

  “If I don’t?” She looked at that water. Was it scalding hot or could that be an illusion? Maybe it just had bubbles in it and the room was heated with steam mist or something. If the water would melt them alive, how did that fit in Mercedes’ claims of safe challenges? Was there a net if they fell? She wasn’t willing to test it.

  “You will.” His voice, eyes, and entire bearing were determined and convincing. He squeezed her hand.

  Sweat already formed on her back and chest from the hot room. What if her hand slid on the bars because they were so sweaty? She was good at gripping bales of hay or the reins of her horse, but to swing across this broiling, too-big room?

  Releasing her hand, he squatted down. “I’m just going to test the water to make sure it’s not an illusion.”

  “Don’t put your fingers in that,” she warned him, “I’m not going to lick them better.”

  He chuckled at that and she could understand why. It had not come out the way she’d meant it. How had she meant it? She simply didn’t want him to get burned again.

  He lowered his hand close to the bubbling water, but thankfully didn’t plunge his fingers in. “It’s definitely hot.”

  “Like a hot tub?” she managed.

  “Like a pot ready for pasta.” Straightening, he glanced at her. His smile was tight. “I don’t know what their safety plan is here, but let’s not find out. Okay?”

  It was obvious he still didn’t trust the show’s producers and small wonder, his body was scratched and bloody from fighting with a jaguar. She shook her head, overwhelmed and not sure she was going to make it through day one of these insane challenges.

  “Bennett …” She swallowed and admitted, “I don’t know if I can do the monkey bars all the way across this room.”

  “I’ll help you.” He took off his backpack and she didn’t question as he worked. He took both of their guns and stored them in zipped pockets so they didn’t fall out. She secured her pepper spray and knife in an enclosure in her pants pocket. He either didn’t notice or didn’t say anything.

  He pulled out a long rope and tied it in a short length from her backpack to his, looping it through several different straps before tying it securely. “If you do fall, I’ll catch you. Make sure your backpack’s strapped on tight.” He grinned.

  Then he pulled out two pairs of weird-looking gloves. They were made of some kind of black rubber substance. “Gecko gloves.” He smiled proudly and set them to the side, slinging his backpack on, doing up the clasps, and tightening the straps. Rose followed his example, making sure the clasps were secure and the straps were snug. If she fell, she didn’t want the backpack coming off.

  “Are those weird gloves what Mercedes said we should’ve used to climb back up from the net?”

  “Yes. We won’t have to worry about our grip with these things on or if the metal is hot. It’ll be easy as doing the monkey bars back in grade school.”

  She took a deep breath.

  “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” She said a prayer in her mind and straightened her shoulders.

  He helped her slide the gloves on. Every touch stirred something inside of her. Something she’d never experienced or maybe never allowed herself to experience. Was Bennett special to her or was it simply her lack of experience that made a handsome man touching her feel like heaven had come to earth?

  She shook it off, and when he gestured for her to go first, she started climbing up the rungs in the wall. The gloves were incredible. They gripped when she touched the rung but when she pulled back they released.

  Maybe she could do this.

  She scaled the twenty-foot wall and reached the ceiling. Bennett stayed close behind her. They couldn’t get too much distance tied together like they were. Sweat dripped down her back and front now, moisture stung her eyes. It was insufferably hot in this room and even climbing the side wall had been a workout.

  “All right, Rose. You’ve got this.”

  “Here I go.”

  She grasped the first bar and had to let her feet swing free. Her body jerked and she would’ve lost her grip except for the Gecko gloves. A gasp rushed out of her and she clung desperately to the metal bar, praying she wouldn’t fall. Looking down at that red boiling water was terrifying.

  “You all right?” Bennett’s voice was filled with concern.

  “Doing peachy. You?”

  He chuckled. “Perfect. Now don’t look down. Focus on the next rung.”

  “Okay.”

  She listened to his advice and forced herself to release her right hand and swing to the next bar. She gripped it, released with her left, and clamped both on one bar. Panting for air, she was already feeling the effects of hanging vertically and the terror of falling. Bennett had her tied to him. That was reassuring.

  “Perfect. Now the next one.”

  Bennett’s voice was reassuring but each reach for another bar and release of the current bar was scary. She kept doing it with Bennett calmly cheering for her each time. They reached what might have been halfway and the muscles in her arms and shoulders screamed in protest. Her arms trembled and the grip in her fingers was tiring.

  “You are doing amazing,” Bennett said from behind her.

  “I thought I was in such great shape,” she admitted, reaching for the next bar.

  “You are. It’s just a different motion than anybody but gymnasts, little kids, and American ninja warriors do on a consistent basis.”

  “You don’t even sound tired,” she accused.

  “Well, I am one of the toughest people I know.” His voice was laced with teasing.

  “Don’t hurt your back,” she teased back. She kept moving, even though her arms wanted to give out.

  “My back?”

  “Patting yourself so hard on it.”

 

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