Page 29 of Heat & Hard Candies

Most of the guys sorted pieces by which part of my body they resembled. Nate just went for it.

I’d seen people win with both strategies, so I knew it didn’t particularly matter which one a guy went with. Sorting seemed less overwhelming to me, though.

I looked over all four men.

Nate.

Kyle.

Reid.

Ev.

I didn’t know any of them well, or even a little, except Kyle. That was my fault, and I didn’t regret it. But it did make me nervous.

What if Kyle was wrong?

What if he did get voted out?

Could I refuse to mate with anyone else? Was that even a possibility?

I didn’t think so, but shit, I hoped it was.

Ev was the best puzzle guy in the group, but he was moving so slowly that I was pretty sure he’d ruled out any desire to mate with me.

That was good. Less competition for Kyle.

Nate was making the most progress, by a long shot. Reid was probably in second, though he wasn’t anywhere near Nate. With Kyle in third and Ev in fourth, I knew my guy didn’t have a chance at winning the challenge. But he still worked through the entire time, fighting as hard as he could to win.

And I respected that, deeply.

You could fake a lot of things in life, but passion? Drive? Those weren’t among them.

Nate took his advantage and ran. No one was anywhere near close to him when he put the final piece in and stepped back to admire his work.

I sighed inwardly.

Kyle wasn’t going on the last reward, which would mean worrying about him.

Worrying a lot.

I’d just have to survive it.

He caught my eye and winked at me while the other guys congratulated Nate, then he slapped Nate on the back before he stepped away.

At Jordan’s instruction, I followed the men to the boat that would take me to the yacht. Though I wanted badly to look backward, I didn’t let myself turn around.

I definitely couldn’t put the target on Kyle at the last minute.

The ride was short,and we were seated at a table with a gorgeous view of the ocean soon enough. The yacht was moving smoothly, and I knew someone would be up with food for us anytime.

“So, who did Kyle pair you with? Reid or Ev?” Nate asked, curiosity in his voice. “I thought it was Ian for sure, up until he got voted out.”

I frowned, my forehead creasing. There was no reason to keep up the charade, because Nate was automatically included in the final three and would have no say over the final vote. “What?”

“Kyle always works with the women to pair them off with whichever guy they choose. You’re working with him, right?”

“Iamworking with him,” I said. “But I didn’t choose Reid or Ev. I picked Kyle.”

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