Page 13 of Heat & Hard Candies

My face flushed further. “Iamserious.”

Why didn’t either of the men seem to believe me?

I thanked Kyle when he sat back down with a plate loaded with food I could eat, along with his burgers, which looked like they’d been warmed up.

We ate in silence, and my embarrassment faded as he asked me questions while I did.

Questions about the kinds of books I liked to read.

Fiction.

Some scientific nonfiction.

The occasional self-help book that usually offered less than a shred of useful content.

Questions about my parents.

Alive, but uninterested in maintaining a relationship with me since they learned I was going to end up mated to a fae.

Questions about my favorite foods, colors, and places.

Raspberry Sherbert (but not the sugar free kind).

Pink, because it made me feel girly and I liked that for some reason.

Beaches, though the mountains were a close second.

He asked about my degree, too.

That launched into a whole conversation about my studies on the way fictional stories affected the human brain, and the dissertation I’d started. I hoped to get my PhD at some point, though I wasn’t in any hurry.

I just liked school. Learning made me feel good.

By the time the plates were empty, I felt like he knew at least as much about my life as I knew about his from watching Survival.

We arrived at the snorkeling spot shortly after that, and slipped into the water together. We stayed close as we swam around. Kyle teased my ankles and feet with the water a few times, tapping into his magic, and making us laugh. Every time I laughed, he had this proud grin on his face that made me happy.

Ridiculously happy.

When we were done swimming, there was more food ready, so we stuffed our faces some more.

When we were both full, Kyle scooped me up off the chair and carried me into the room we’d taken earlier. He shut the door before the cameras could follow us inside, and we traded mischievous smiles.

My smile didn’t slip until he set me on the edge of the bed and pulled my swimsuit bottoms down.

And kissed me again.

We stayed in the room until the boat neared the Survival shore, and then Kyle finally brushed my hair away from my sweaty forehead and met my gaze. I was laying in his arms, as we both recovered from our last orgasms.

“We have to play the game to get to the end, Beautiful.”

My happiness faded. “I know.”

“It’s only twenty-five more days. It’ll be simple. You know what you need to do?”

I nodded. “I have to pretend you annoy me, like all the other women.”

He agreed.

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