Page 52 of Taking the Heat

‘Chris, I—’

That was all I had time for, as he dropped his lips to mine. He kissed me once, delicately, and I realised his cheeks were wet with tears as he pulled away and said, ‘You love me.’

‘Yes, but—’

He kissed me again. ‘You love me. I love you. The rest doesn’t matter.’

‘Chris, it does. I don’t deserve love. I can’t give you what you need.’ Tears of my own began tracking down my face and I wrapped my arms around myself. ‘I’m sorry.’

This time he kissed me the way he had during our first challenge, an earth-shattering kiss that caused stars to blanket my vision and my nipples to spring to attention. ‘You deserve love, babe. Be mine.’

‘No …’ I was trying so hard, but his burning lips against the soft skin behind my ear made every word feel like glue in my mouth. ‘I can’t.’

‘Be mine, forever.’

‘Chris, you don’t know what you’re asking.’

‘Give me the rest of our time here, then. I’ll start with that.’ He lifted my hands to his mouth, kissing each pad softly.

Unable to fight any more, I said, ‘I can give you tonight.’

‘I’ll start with that,’ he replied. ‘But I’m not going to end it there.’

He bent to pick me up but I stopped him. ‘Chris, I have to talk to Henry quickly. He deserves an explanation. And you should say something to Aanya as well.’

Behind us, Henry had turned to stare dejectedly out to sea, while Aanya and Jen sat on a nearby cushion, comforting each other.

‘Fine.’ Chris eyed me suspiciously. ‘But don’t try to run, babe. Tonight is ours.’

He ran a finger over my lips, and the blood rushed up through my skin in response. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

We peeled apart, and with heavy feet, I padded through the sand to where Henry stood. ‘Henry? Hi.’

I’d surprised him and he jumped a little. ‘Tara! I’m so glad you’re here!’ He clasped my hands and kissed my forehead. ‘I’m so sorry, you have no idea.’

‘You don’t have to be sorry,’ I said, confused. I was the one who’d just kissed his rival right in front of him.

‘I do, I do. That horrible footage, you must have been so upset.’

My brain struggled to remember exactly what Henry had said in his clip—something about me being too controversial for him to date? ‘I’m okay, I promise. But you were right. I’m sure there’s someone more suitable than me you should be courting. I don’t hold it against you.’

Henry kissed the back of my hand. ‘You are perfect. You are a princess. I feel very strongly about you, darling Tara, and I really think we can make a good go of it. You can do whatever you need to tonight to work things out of your system. And I’ll do the same. No hard feelings—I think, at the end of the day, we’ll be the ones left standing, together.’

He caught my chin with his hand and planted three kisses on me; one on each cheek and one on my nose. Then he spun and headed for the bar, where Jen swiftly joined him. I hoped to god she would keep him company—even if she’s not exactly his type.

To my right, Chris knelt on the cushions beside Aanya, wiping a tear from her brown cheek. He stood, offering his hands to help her to her feet. She kissed him quickly on the lips, then left the beach, hiding her face in her hands as she went.

‘God, that was brutal,’ Chris said, returning to my side. ‘She’s lovely, and I never tried to hurt her.’

‘I know that. I’m sure she does too. It’s not too late—you could always go after her.’ I tried to push down the rising horror I felt at even saying the words. ‘She’s a safer bet than me.’

Chris was having none of it. ‘Babe, I’d take the long odds on you any day.’

He pulled me close, his hands locked around the small of my back, trapping me to him. I could feel him hardening against me and my core grew damp, responding to his need. I kissed him hard, opening my mouth and pushing my tongue into his, tasting his sweetness. If I was going to allow myself one night of pleasure without consequences, I was going to enjoy it.

Chris’ hands skimmed the silky material of my dress, cupping my ass, moaning as he realised I wasn’t wearing panties. Not my choice—Ricky, the wardrobe guy, insisted that the lines would ruin the look, but somehow I figured it was about to work to my advantage.

Chris swept me up into his arms. ‘I love you, Tara, and I’m going to make love to you tonight,’ he said. ‘I’m going to make every part of your body sing.’

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